My sons are 5 and 3, and they are every bit the adventurers John Eldridge describes in Wild at Heart. Young men who are bent on looking in every hole, climbing every obstacle, finding every bug, walking every path. My oldest, Caedmon, has a love for bugs. He loves catching butterflies and finding ants in holes in the yard. Every day we play outside and when we are done he walks over to me covered in dirt. He rolls around on the ground looking for bugs and when the wind blows he looks like pigpen from Peanuts.
But despite their adventurous attitudes they hate, with a passion, spiders. Every time a spider shows up they yell and run around in circles. And every time they yell, regardless of how far away I am, they come get me. I could be 40 feet away and they run to me begging me to squash the spider before anyone "gets bited". And I gotta admit, it feels good.
It feels good when they are too scared to kill the spider, when a big dog barks at them and they cling to me, when its thundering and they want to sit next to me. It feels good when my wife hears a noise at night and regardless of me telling her what the noise is, I still must go and bravely ward off the creaking door or fan left on. And I dont think you will find a father or husband who says otherwise.
1 Cor. 16:13 says "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." Paul speaking to men here.
I am all for woman power and Sarah Palin running for office, but women were not asked to be the towering figures of strength that men are required to be in the bible. Our greatest heroes of faith were warriors. But as men we must understand why we have this strength and not abuse it. God did not make men strong and brave so they could be slave drivers or task masters to those they love. They were given strength so they could protect their families, be it physical or spiritual.
I think the primary job of Godly men is to hold a shield in front of his family. The New Testament says that with our shield of faith we quench all fiery darts of the Enemy. Can we hold a shield that protects others while we are standing behind them? No. As men we must protect from the front. Be in the front. Lead. Take your shield in one hand, and your family in the other, and drag them through the fiery hell of the Enemy. Proverbs says a leader leads through diligence. It is our watch men, fathers, husbands. We lead the way but we dont lead to be in charge, we lead to serve. We lead to be the protector. We carry the shield of faith in front of our families because it is our rightful place in this Kingdom.
Is there an arrow wound in your family? Has the Enemy hurt your wife or children? We as men carry the first responsibility of asking ourselves "Where have I failed to exercise my faith? Where have I not watched?" I encourage you to exercise strength in love and knowing that if we fail we have a Savior that is faithful. Be like Him and charge through the hell of the enemy, facing it head on, carrying your shield of faith and your family.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Why obedience is important
1 Samuel 12:14
If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.
Obedience is huge. We look at the New Testament and we know that God's redemption has switched from the law to mercy, salvation, and grace. But when we look at this in the wrong light we can miss some things that God still places a great emphasis on such as the fear of the Lord, service, and obedience. Those principles have not changed, but what empowers us to do these things has.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, says proverbs, and it is so true. The fear of the Lord is a healthy recognition of the depth of holiness and power that our God has. I do not fear His presence, because He is my Father. But I do understand that not until heaven will my mind be able to comprehend all of who God is. Even the angels, who have been with Him through all of eternity, still stand around His throne crying Holy, Holy, Holy! without ceasing.
Our healthy fear of God starts in worship. We honor Him for who He is. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then worship is our classroom.
When reading this today the Holy Spirit impressed on me that serving, in this scripture, came before hearing. You may not hear God when you have a choice to make. As frustrating as this is, He is teaching you two things. Firstly, He is reminding you of what He looks like. When you are facing a choice between doors 1,2, and 3 and God isn't telling you which to walk through, can I suggest that one of those doors looks more like God than the others? That one of those options is more in line with what He has already spoken into your life?
Second, partnership. You see God doesn't need us to be God. But He has loved us so much that He has made the world vulnerable to the partnership that we have with Him. He will not accomplish things without us, He decided that. So one of the lessons He teaches us is that we are allowed to dream with God, to follow Him by doing what we have always dreamed of doing because some of those dreams are His that He has placed inside of His children. What Father would encourage His child to dream and then crush those dreams when they begin to pursue them?
The fear of the Lord and service prepare your heart for obedience. Obedience is important because a rebellious heart may be able to hear the voice of the Lord, but it will always miss it's target. God does not speak the depths of His heart into a disobedient heart because that heart can never wrap itself around His truth. Perfection does not ask chaos to carry out His will. When our heart is in rebellion, it is in a state of anarchy and chaos. Rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft the bible says. Witchcraft is us surrendering our will to something or someone other than God.
Obedience is not the requirement of a legalistic God who with holds favor based on how hard you work. Obedience is necessary to know the perfect will of God. If God spoke a word to a rebellious heart that demanded obedience, then that word would crush them because they would not have the ability to carry it out. "I have failed God again" they might say. This would cause more pain and destruction in their lives. God with holds things from rebellious hearts for their own good.
Know how awesome God is, serve Him out of friendship, and obey His voice. This is what following Him looks like.
If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.
Obedience is huge. We look at the New Testament and we know that God's redemption has switched from the law to mercy, salvation, and grace. But when we look at this in the wrong light we can miss some things that God still places a great emphasis on such as the fear of the Lord, service, and obedience. Those principles have not changed, but what empowers us to do these things has.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, says proverbs, and it is so true. The fear of the Lord is a healthy recognition of the depth of holiness and power that our God has. I do not fear His presence, because He is my Father. But I do understand that not until heaven will my mind be able to comprehend all of who God is. Even the angels, who have been with Him through all of eternity, still stand around His throne crying Holy, Holy, Holy! without ceasing.
Our healthy fear of God starts in worship. We honor Him for who He is. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then worship is our classroom.
When reading this today the Holy Spirit impressed on me that serving, in this scripture, came before hearing. You may not hear God when you have a choice to make. As frustrating as this is, He is teaching you two things. Firstly, He is reminding you of what He looks like. When you are facing a choice between doors 1,2, and 3 and God isn't telling you which to walk through, can I suggest that one of those doors looks more like God than the others? That one of those options is more in line with what He has already spoken into your life?
Second, partnership. You see God doesn't need us to be God. But He has loved us so much that He has made the world vulnerable to the partnership that we have with Him. He will not accomplish things without us, He decided that. So one of the lessons He teaches us is that we are allowed to dream with God, to follow Him by doing what we have always dreamed of doing because some of those dreams are His that He has placed inside of His children. What Father would encourage His child to dream and then crush those dreams when they begin to pursue them?
The fear of the Lord and service prepare your heart for obedience. Obedience is important because a rebellious heart may be able to hear the voice of the Lord, but it will always miss it's target. God does not speak the depths of His heart into a disobedient heart because that heart can never wrap itself around His truth. Perfection does not ask chaos to carry out His will. When our heart is in rebellion, it is in a state of anarchy and chaos. Rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft the bible says. Witchcraft is us surrendering our will to something or someone other than God.
Obedience is not the requirement of a legalistic God who with holds favor based on how hard you work. Obedience is necessary to know the perfect will of God. If God spoke a word to a rebellious heart that demanded obedience, then that word would crush them because they would not have the ability to carry it out. "I have failed God again" they might say. This would cause more pain and destruction in their lives. God with holds things from rebellious hearts for their own good.
Know how awesome God is, serve Him out of friendship, and obey His voice. This is what following Him looks like.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A contradiction of realities...
Exodus 3:1-4.
Now
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of
Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and
came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He
looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
All through Moses' life there were contradictions. He was born a slave and became a prince. Babies were wiped out by Pharaoh for fear of a great leader, but Moses was sent away and saved by the family of Pharaoh and tutored by a powerful leader. He was a prince who became a murderer for a race of slaves. All very strong contradictions. And here Moses stands, being ushered into his destiny, by another contradiction. A bush, on fire, and not destroyed.
I am amazed at how often God uses something that should be falling apart to rescue me. How He takes what seems to be the insignificant and turns it into the most important thing in my life. I think that something as lowly as a scrub brush on the side of a mountain would be a poor billboard for the great leader of an entire nation.
The idea was to show Moses another reality. In Moses' reality when a bush was on fire it was consumed. But when a bush was on fire in God's reality not only does it not burn, but it talks to you. A snake is not a staff, but in God's reality a staff is a snake and a warning to the greatest military power in the world to release it's slaves.
In your reality you shouldn't be able to pay your bills. Your sickness should not leave. Your home should not sell. Your family should fall apart. Your calling should never happen. Your happiness wont return. You should be depressed, weary, struggling, broken, pitiful, self absorbed, fearful, or weak.
But God's reality looks very much different. He may not have broken your life, maybe you did that all on your own. But your brokenness is His bush. And as on fire as you might feel, you are a sign and a wonder to the world because you are not consumed. And more than this, you are being led into His perfect purpose for your life.
The only difference between a bush in the middle of the desert and a bush that fulfills the perfect will of God is the Presence of Someone who radiates purpose and wonder. You, little lonely scrub brush, can inspire nations if you let that fire rest on you.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Miracles and how to see past inprisonment...
Matt. 11:4-6
"And Jesus replied to them, Go and report to John what you hear and see:
5The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (by healing) and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have good news (the Gospel) preached to them.
6And blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth."
John is in prison. Placed there by an adulteress ruler and his mistress. He is about to be beheaded and he knows it. The man who Malachi, Isaiah, and Jesus all proclaim as the greatest among the prophets has an incredibly short ministry career before he sees prison.
By this time, John has already not only publicly confessed that the Messiah is coming, but has made the proclamation publicly that Jesus is the Son of God, followed by a confirmation from God the Father Himself.
John's question here is not a theological one. He knows the scriptures. He knows the man, Jesus. He knows the voice of the Holy Spirit quietly confirming inside him that Jesus is the Christ. John's question isnt about theology, John's question is a question of his heart, brought on by circumstance. "If YOU are the Christ, like I told EVERYBODY you were, then why am I getting BEHEADED?!?"
John's prison was an emotional state just as much as a physical location. And when he sent his disciples, the ones that always fasted more than Jesus' disciples, who had been in ministry longer than even Jesus had, they got this answer that didn't appeal to John's emotional weakness. It was a simple rehearsal of what Christ had accomplished with an admonition which, at this point, might have sent John over the edge. "I know your upset, but I am busy, and you will be fortunate if you don't trip over Who I am and what I am doing." I might get mad at this answer. But John did not. It was enough for John. Why? How?
It comes back to one simple point that burns inside of me and I believe inside the heart of Christ Himself. Miracles expose the heart of God. Healings. Resurrections. Deliverances. Preaching good news to the poor. These things show the heart of God. When John couldn't see past his cell block for all his cares, Christ spoke to him of miracles. John didn't need to hear about the success of Jesus' ministry so much as John needed an answer to his question "did I make the right choice?". Jesus gives him a resounding "yes".
I am challenged by this verse to show others in prisons made of steel, memories, and sin, that Christ is the right choice. We can do this by exposing the heart of God through the hand of God. While praying for the homeless I seen a woman's knee heal progressively while I prayed. It is one thing to tell her of the love of her Father, it is quite another to have enough faith to do His will on earth. To do His will is to expose His heart.
The miraculous things of God are an immediate answer to questions that have held us in bondage for most of our lives. When God whispers "I am your Father" then years of brokenness and heartache for the fatherless disappears.
Step out in faith. Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Cast out demons. Preach the good news.
P.s. Christ usually healed and then preached the Kingdom. Its easier to get people to acknowledge there is a Kingdom once you have put it on display. :)
"And Jesus replied to them, Go and report to John what you hear and see:
5The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (by healing) and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have good news (the Gospel) preached to them.
6And blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth."
John is in prison. Placed there by an adulteress ruler and his mistress. He is about to be beheaded and he knows it. The man who Malachi, Isaiah, and Jesus all proclaim as the greatest among the prophets has an incredibly short ministry career before he sees prison.
By this time, John has already not only publicly confessed that the Messiah is coming, but has made the proclamation publicly that Jesus is the Son of God, followed by a confirmation from God the Father Himself.
John's question here is not a theological one. He knows the scriptures. He knows the man, Jesus. He knows the voice of the Holy Spirit quietly confirming inside him that Jesus is the Christ. John's question isnt about theology, John's question is a question of his heart, brought on by circumstance. "If YOU are the Christ, like I told EVERYBODY you were, then why am I getting BEHEADED?!?"
John's prison was an emotional state just as much as a physical location. And when he sent his disciples, the ones that always fasted more than Jesus' disciples, who had been in ministry longer than even Jesus had, they got this answer that didn't appeal to John's emotional weakness. It was a simple rehearsal of what Christ had accomplished with an admonition which, at this point, might have sent John over the edge. "I know your upset, but I am busy, and you will be fortunate if you don't trip over Who I am and what I am doing." I might get mad at this answer. But John did not. It was enough for John. Why? How?
It comes back to one simple point that burns inside of me and I believe inside the heart of Christ Himself. Miracles expose the heart of God. Healings. Resurrections. Deliverances. Preaching good news to the poor. These things show the heart of God. When John couldn't see past his cell block for all his cares, Christ spoke to him of miracles. John didn't need to hear about the success of Jesus' ministry so much as John needed an answer to his question "did I make the right choice?". Jesus gives him a resounding "yes".
I am challenged by this verse to show others in prisons made of steel, memories, and sin, that Christ is the right choice. We can do this by exposing the heart of God through the hand of God. While praying for the homeless I seen a woman's knee heal progressively while I prayed. It is one thing to tell her of the love of her Father, it is quite another to have enough faith to do His will on earth. To do His will is to expose His heart.
The miraculous things of God are an immediate answer to questions that have held us in bondage for most of our lives. When God whispers "I am your Father" then years of brokenness and heartache for the fatherless disappears.
Step out in faith. Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Cast out demons. Preach the good news.
P.s. Christ usually healed and then preached the Kingdom. Its easier to get people to acknowledge there is a Kingdom once you have put it on display. :)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Restoring Fathers for the Orphans and Widows
85% of all men sitting in prisons across this nation grew up in fatherless homes, according to recent surveys conducted by the Texas and Georgia Department of Corrections. 85%. I worked corrections at a local jail for a number of years and can testify to this fact. The stories of broken homes, fathers incarcerated who wanted to see their families again. Men incarcerated who had never met their fathers. It was a very common story.
In the current church fatherless wave across the US, we are beginning to see churches do a decent job with orphan care. I would say that statistically the church is still having a hard time figuring out how to really care for the widow, if they attempt it. I am blessed to go to a church where the single mothers are helped and cared for very well, and I think churches across the US are starting to make a shift to truly help single mothers and widows.
But as well as we may be beginning to do both of these, we must ask ourselves what the best possible answer for caring for the widow and the orphan is physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. While money, housing, food, and clothing are all necessary, there is a deeper issue that has yet to really be addressed. Restoring fallen fathers.
We get our perception of God the Father from how we know our own father. Wives can begin to understand Christ even more as they see their Godly husbands caring for them biblicaly and in love, as Christ cares for His bride the church. We must meet the physical needs of widows and orphans, but we must also meet the "father need" in our society. To hand out food, money and coats but not fill the void that a fallen father has left is unbalanced and irresponsible.
Restoring fallen fathers is the most dynamic way to minister to the community wide issues of the widow and the orphan. I believe the term widow can apply to single mothers as well. When men fail miserably their whole world around them can fall apart. Family dynamics, spiritual growth, financial provision, and protection are just some of the things that take a hit in the absence of Godly men leading biblicaly and in love.
I feel we have missed it. We can grow the men in the church, and that is important. But intentional discipleship and outreach to the fallen fathers has taken a back seat to other methods of strengthening families. If a father fails we will praise and support the widowed and the orphaned for their faith, and that is so necessary because it is central to the gospel. But it is wrong to take an unbalanced approach. God never intended for us to leave a fallen father behind. It is unbalanced to support the families that a father has broken, without ever once trying to restore that father to the man he was always meant to be. A Godly father is a powerful resource to his family, church, and community. If we allow him to stay broken and left behind then we are throwing away one of God's gifts to His people.
Restoring fathers really begins with a love for broken people and a vision for your community and nation. Your community is a complex organism made up of many cells. Universities, police departments, hospitals, businesses, churches, and the list goes on. But the basic institution, the one that God created in the beginning, the one institution that affects everything in your community, is family. And families were always meant to be led by Godly Fathers. The mother has her place certainly, but she reaches her full beauty and potential when she is married to a Godly leader.
If you want to impact a community, restore the fallen fathers in your community. So, how?
I can tell you that your local jail is the richest soil for this type of ministry. Local jails contain the fathers and the fatherless to a great degree. I have ministered to 50 year old orphans. Does that sound strange to you? It shouldn't. A 50 year old man without ever knowing his father can have the same issues as a 5 year old orphan. Unloved, undisciplined, unprotected, not provided for, no appropriate example of strength. That last one is huge. Do you have a problem with local gangs in your community? You are dealing with a group of ,largely fatherless, young men who have never seen an appropriate example of strength or authority so they rape and kill and destroy to prove they have the manhood that a Godly father should have told them they have all along.
I could throw statistics like 63% of all child suicides happen in fatherless homes, but there are so many troubling statistics that it would take quite a while to go over them all. There are two approaches to these issues. Restore the fatherless, or restore the fathers. For most of us one looks noble, and one looks like a waste of time. But God loves that broken father as much as he loves the orphan or the widow. It is never either/or. We must show the fatherless the love and provision of their heavenly Father, but also restore fallen fathers to the position of Godly leaders in their families and communities to be strong examples of Christ to the world around them.
If your church does not support a local jail ministry, can I ask you to examine the reasons why? Restore a father, and you have a great ally in restoring that family. If you restore families then you restore communities. And restoring communities leads to nations that are discipled by Godly men and women.
In the current church fatherless wave across the US, we are beginning to see churches do a decent job with orphan care. I would say that statistically the church is still having a hard time figuring out how to really care for the widow, if they attempt it. I am blessed to go to a church where the single mothers are helped and cared for very well, and I think churches across the US are starting to make a shift to truly help single mothers and widows.
But as well as we may be beginning to do both of these, we must ask ourselves what the best possible answer for caring for the widow and the orphan is physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. While money, housing, food, and clothing are all necessary, there is a deeper issue that has yet to really be addressed. Restoring fallen fathers.
We get our perception of God the Father from how we know our own father. Wives can begin to understand Christ even more as they see their Godly husbands caring for them biblicaly and in love, as Christ cares for His bride the church. We must meet the physical needs of widows and orphans, but we must also meet the "father need" in our society. To hand out food, money and coats but not fill the void that a fallen father has left is unbalanced and irresponsible.
Restoring fallen fathers is the most dynamic way to minister to the community wide issues of the widow and the orphan. I believe the term widow can apply to single mothers as well. When men fail miserably their whole world around them can fall apart. Family dynamics, spiritual growth, financial provision, and protection are just some of the things that take a hit in the absence of Godly men leading biblicaly and in love.
I feel we have missed it. We can grow the men in the church, and that is important. But intentional discipleship and outreach to the fallen fathers has taken a back seat to other methods of strengthening families. If a father fails we will praise and support the widowed and the orphaned for their faith, and that is so necessary because it is central to the gospel. But it is wrong to take an unbalanced approach. God never intended for us to leave a fallen father behind. It is unbalanced to support the families that a father has broken, without ever once trying to restore that father to the man he was always meant to be. A Godly father is a powerful resource to his family, church, and community. If we allow him to stay broken and left behind then we are throwing away one of God's gifts to His people.
Restoring fathers really begins with a love for broken people and a vision for your community and nation. Your community is a complex organism made up of many cells. Universities, police departments, hospitals, businesses, churches, and the list goes on. But the basic institution, the one that God created in the beginning, the one institution that affects everything in your community, is family. And families were always meant to be led by Godly Fathers. The mother has her place certainly, but she reaches her full beauty and potential when she is married to a Godly leader.
If you want to impact a community, restore the fallen fathers in your community. So, how?
I can tell you that your local jail is the richest soil for this type of ministry. Local jails contain the fathers and the fatherless to a great degree. I have ministered to 50 year old orphans. Does that sound strange to you? It shouldn't. A 50 year old man without ever knowing his father can have the same issues as a 5 year old orphan. Unloved, undisciplined, unprotected, not provided for, no appropriate example of strength. That last one is huge. Do you have a problem with local gangs in your community? You are dealing with a group of ,largely fatherless, young men who have never seen an appropriate example of strength or authority so they rape and kill and destroy to prove they have the manhood that a Godly father should have told them they have all along.
I could throw statistics like 63% of all child suicides happen in fatherless homes, but there are so many troubling statistics that it would take quite a while to go over them all. There are two approaches to these issues. Restore the fatherless, or restore the fathers. For most of us one looks noble, and one looks like a waste of time. But God loves that broken father as much as he loves the orphan or the widow. It is never either/or. We must show the fatherless the love and provision of their heavenly Father, but also restore fallen fathers to the position of Godly leaders in their families and communities to be strong examples of Christ to the world around them.
If your church does not support a local jail ministry, can I ask you to examine the reasons why? Restore a father, and you have a great ally in restoring that family. If you restore families then you restore communities. And restoring communities leads to nations that are discipled by Godly men and women.
Monday, April 16, 2012
You are not perishing....
Matt. 8:24-27
"24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. 25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” 26 He *said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. 27 The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”"
Its easy to just read through this story. We have heard it 100 times, seen it on the cheesy flannel boards in VBS 100 times. Heard our faith called into question in 100 different sermons through this scripture. But I think that this scripture, as in so many, there is a nugget hidden that we often miss because of familiarity.
There is a very odd, striking contrast in this scripture. To sum it up we might say there is a storm, a sleeping Jesus, a lack of faith, and then a Savior who controls the elements. We hear it taught that Jesus had no fear of being killed from this storm so He was asleep. I totally agree with this. But if this is true, why did He stop the storm???
Ever thought about this? They were perfectly safe. Jesus was there. They were not going to die. Nothing bad was going to happen. So why did He chide their faith and then stop what was causing them doubt? As a father, I would leave my kids in the situation that they had no reason to be afraid of until they seen that they need not fear.
I took my son, Oliver, on our front porch during a thunderstorm so he could sit in my arms and watch the thunder and lighting. He seen that it was nothing to be afraid of, but that it was kind of cool. He may like storms as much as me. But the point is that I sat with him there until he seen he was going to be OK.
So why didn't Jesus? I think the answer is pretty simple, though Ive missed it in the past. Jesus didn't rebuke the storm because he was tired and wanted to get back to bed. "If these grumbling, faithless disciples would leave Me alone I could sleep, so I guess Ill just make this storm leave to get some shuteye." But I also don't think He did it because they needed to see the supernatural displayed. They had just gotten back from a whirlwhind healing/deliverance revival where countless where healed and delivered of demons.
The point, I now believe, is found in the disciple's statement "We are perishing." I honestly believe, as I am sure you do, that Jesus knew they would be fine even with the storm. But the disciples didn't. They were scared. Jesus may have questioned there little faith, but He also wanted to reveal His heart.
You see, you and I are never perishing. Not ever. As believers who walk close to our God, nothing can touch us. For me to put the scriptures up that confirm this, well it would just take too long. Every fear is a lie. Every time we are anxious it is a lie. Every time we are scared or intimidated it is a lie. The peace inside of Jesus was His reality, not the storm outside. He made that peace the disciple's reality because of His love for them.
"You are never perishing." Jesus says in so many words, and then proves it. He is not the strict school master who demands perfection, but instead He is the loving Savior that says "This storm may be reality, but My love for you is Truth." You are never perishing. He loves you too much. Don't doubt His love. He didn't wake up to prove His ability, He woke up to prove His love.
You are not perishing. Ever.
"24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. 25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” 26 He *said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. 27 The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”"
Its easy to just read through this story. We have heard it 100 times, seen it on the cheesy flannel boards in VBS 100 times. Heard our faith called into question in 100 different sermons through this scripture. But I think that this scripture, as in so many, there is a nugget hidden that we often miss because of familiarity.
There is a very odd, striking contrast in this scripture. To sum it up we might say there is a storm, a sleeping Jesus, a lack of faith, and then a Savior who controls the elements. We hear it taught that Jesus had no fear of being killed from this storm so He was asleep. I totally agree with this. But if this is true, why did He stop the storm???
Ever thought about this? They were perfectly safe. Jesus was there. They were not going to die. Nothing bad was going to happen. So why did He chide their faith and then stop what was causing them doubt? As a father, I would leave my kids in the situation that they had no reason to be afraid of until they seen that they need not fear.
I took my son, Oliver, on our front porch during a thunderstorm so he could sit in my arms and watch the thunder and lighting. He seen that it was nothing to be afraid of, but that it was kind of cool. He may like storms as much as me. But the point is that I sat with him there until he seen he was going to be OK.
So why didn't Jesus? I think the answer is pretty simple, though Ive missed it in the past. Jesus didn't rebuke the storm because he was tired and wanted to get back to bed. "If these grumbling, faithless disciples would leave Me alone I could sleep, so I guess Ill just make this storm leave to get some shuteye." But I also don't think He did it because they needed to see the supernatural displayed. They had just gotten back from a whirlwhind healing/deliverance revival where countless where healed and delivered of demons.
The point, I now believe, is found in the disciple's statement "We are perishing." I honestly believe, as I am sure you do, that Jesus knew they would be fine even with the storm. But the disciples didn't. They were scared. Jesus may have questioned there little faith, but He also wanted to reveal His heart.
You see, you and I are never perishing. Not ever. As believers who walk close to our God, nothing can touch us. For me to put the scriptures up that confirm this, well it would just take too long. Every fear is a lie. Every time we are anxious it is a lie. Every time we are scared or intimidated it is a lie. The peace inside of Jesus was His reality, not the storm outside. He made that peace the disciple's reality because of His love for them.
"You are never perishing." Jesus says in so many words, and then proves it. He is not the strict school master who demands perfection, but instead He is the loving Savior that says "This storm may be reality, but My love for you is Truth." You are never perishing. He loves you too much. Don't doubt His love. He didn't wake up to prove His ability, He woke up to prove His love.
You are not perishing. Ever.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Waiting on a promise
Taking a que from one of my favorite St.'s in history, St. Ignatius of Loyola, I decided to spend Easter time meditation on scenes from scripture about Christ's resurrection. While doing this I had one scene in particular stick out and I wanted to share it.
Let me start by giving you an idea of what this type of prayer is. Pretty much it is reading a scene from the bible and then imagining the scene. The way the scene would look, smell, or feel. The noises, the people and dress, time of day. And then the general attitude. Is it a tense scene, joyous, peaceful? Then place yourself in that scene. Interacting and being a part of the scene unfolding. Why would you do this? It is simply an exercise in hearing God.
I had imagined the scene of Mary at the tomb. I read the scripture on this and seen that Peter and other disciples, when they hadn't found Christ, left the scene before Mary. I though the Lord would direct my thoughts to stay and see an empty tomb. But, as usual, He was much cooler than that.
I imagined I left the scene with Peter. We walked at first, then we began to run as I sensed that the local Roman guards might be looking for disciples. Suddenly (at this point the Lord was directing my thoughts and showing me pictures) I stopped under a tree on a bench and wept. God was directing my imagination now. I was so unnerved and upset at the fact that Jesus had died, but now even more so that Jesus' body was gone. It was like insult to injury. First the Roman's proved they could kill Him, then that we, the disciples, couldn't even control where His body was laid to rest.
I had given up (oddly mirroring a part of my life at the moment) and Christ showed up next to me. Now, if you have read the accounts of Christ after His resurrection you will recall that most did not know it was Him until He spoke. Even now, we know Him by His voice.
He sat next to me. He put is arm around me and touched my chest. He asked what was wrong and I said "Jesus has died and now we are left alone." Not realizing that it was Him sitting next to me.
He said "What have you heard in here?" The hand touching my chest was pointing inside of me.
I said "That You would rise in three days."
I see Him, then, with this look on his face of expectation. Waiting for me to realize that it is the risen Christ that is sitting next to me. I turn and He hugs me. The scene ends.
If you are waiting on a promise you must constantly remind yourself of the words He has spoken to you. What He has promised you. Many times we just need to wake up to the fact that He is fulfilling His promises while He is waiting for us to wake up.
Let me start by giving you an idea of what this type of prayer is. Pretty much it is reading a scene from the bible and then imagining the scene. The way the scene would look, smell, or feel. The noises, the people and dress, time of day. And then the general attitude. Is it a tense scene, joyous, peaceful? Then place yourself in that scene. Interacting and being a part of the scene unfolding. Why would you do this? It is simply an exercise in hearing God.
I had imagined the scene of Mary at the tomb. I read the scripture on this and seen that Peter and other disciples, when they hadn't found Christ, left the scene before Mary. I though the Lord would direct my thoughts to stay and see an empty tomb. But, as usual, He was much cooler than that.
I imagined I left the scene with Peter. We walked at first, then we began to run as I sensed that the local Roman guards might be looking for disciples. Suddenly (at this point the Lord was directing my thoughts and showing me pictures) I stopped under a tree on a bench and wept. God was directing my imagination now. I was so unnerved and upset at the fact that Jesus had died, but now even more so that Jesus' body was gone. It was like insult to injury. First the Roman's proved they could kill Him, then that we, the disciples, couldn't even control where His body was laid to rest.
I had given up (oddly mirroring a part of my life at the moment) and Christ showed up next to me. Now, if you have read the accounts of Christ after His resurrection you will recall that most did not know it was Him until He spoke. Even now, we know Him by His voice.
He sat next to me. He put is arm around me and touched my chest. He asked what was wrong and I said "Jesus has died and now we are left alone." Not realizing that it was Him sitting next to me.
He said "What have you heard in here?" The hand touching my chest was pointing inside of me.
I said "That You would rise in three days."
I see Him, then, with this look on his face of expectation. Waiting for me to realize that it is the risen Christ that is sitting next to me. I turn and He hugs me. The scene ends.
If you are waiting on a promise you must constantly remind yourself of the words He has spoken to you. What He has promised you. Many times we just need to wake up to the fact that He is fulfilling His promises while He is waiting for us to wake up.
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