Truth sets us free…

Our new home is still looking as if someone turned it upside down and gave it a good shake, but there are pockets of order. Best of all, my heart is full of delight, not in the home as much as in Jesus who is helping me with my attitude. I’ve moved more than thirty times but cannot remember being this joyful in the midst of it. For this and because of what the Bible says, I’ve changed the first word and other words, plus the pronouns of this quote from today’s reading:

When the Holy Spirit revealed that Christ and God are one, He gave me the desire to never think otherwise and transformed my life. I’ve had a few times of wavering in the desire to follow Him but have never doubted who He is. Trying to run my own life has been a bigger problem but I’ve not had any doubts about the identity of Jesus Christ.

Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:16–17)

This new creation is what Jesus meant when He said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) and what Paul wrote:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:3–11)

This is also a matter of faith in what God has revealed. It is not about my willingness for at times I still want to do my own thing and unless I confess that as sin, there is no victory over it. Instead, God wants me to turn from listening to “the world, the flesh, and the devil” and remember this truth:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Faith in the truth is the avenue to a changed life and faith is a gift: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)

PRAY: Lord, You know that sometimes I want to boast in this wonderful new life, but truth says it is not my doing, but Yours — and that truth settles my heart into the acceptance of my inabilities and the joy of Your grace. Bless this day as You do with all days, and keep my focus on You, the way, the truth, and my new life.

We cannot even fake it...

The preaching in our church is such that a ‘pretend Christian’ likely would not stay long or at best stay that way. Transparent pastors who readily confess their shortfall from the pulpit as well as preaching grace rather than works puts a stop to Satan’s lie that we need to work hard to get into heaven. He tries to thwart the words of Jesus who said:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

This ‘do it yourself’ idea is subtle. It appeals to our pride and to the world’s teaching about striving and about doing your best. It flies in the face of all sports and other competitions and enforces the idea of survival of the fittest. However God says:

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:20–25)

This is verified in that those who consider themselves wise want to rule their own lives. The  Pharisees said they didn’t want Jesus to rule over them. The same is true of many who think they have life figured out and do not need God. This passage goes on to say:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26–31)

This also fits with the Lord’s response to Paul, now considered one of the ‘stars’ in the family of God. However, when he’d been given much understanding along with visions from God, the enemy came at him with an unnamed “thorn in the flesh” and he prayed to have it removed.

But (Jesus ) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)

Being a Christian cannot be faked. Pretense is a pride thing, a desire to look good even when I know I’m not what I should be. Pride is the opposite of being weak, and weakness without pretense is required to being filled with the wisdom and righteousness of God. I cannot fake it. I cannot even fake being weak. Being “in Christ” is about thinking and walking in His way, His truth, His life. I cannot impress the wonder of new life to Him or anyone else by pretending, role-playing, or any form of doing it myself.

PRAY: Jesus, You know what it is like to drop all that You are and become a servant. You know the reality of weakness — Almighty God born in a manger, in a human form, able to control the wind and rain and rise from the dead, yet unable to disobey the heart that was willing to die for sinners. I face the rest of my life not knowing how it will end here, yet like You, there is joy set before me and the wonder of why You died becomes my strength in these days of weakness and not knowing. That You would fill me with Your same Spirit is both a mystery and a great amazement. I give thanks that in all this, I am never alone.

Spiritually Blind?

 

READ Acts 9-12

The story of Saul’s conversion humbles me because my own story is a bit like it. I was not persecuting Christians like this man, nor did I have his religious background. Instead, I was seeking truth about my eternal destiny. I’d been reading the Bible daily for many years but didn’t understand it. One afternoon, I was reading a library book about reincarnation. It quoted a Scripture verse and at that point, Jesus came into the room. It was not a physical vision but bright light and a strong sense of His presence. I instantly knew it was Him the Son of God and my Savior, and that my search was over.

Reading again the story of Saul who became Paul, I’m reminded that no matter what we do in our search for God, God must reveal Himself to us. Without Him opening our eyes and ears, we are blind and deaf.

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

“In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear . . .” (Psalm 40:6)

Not only that, Saul immediately knew who stopped him on his way to Damascus. He was at first blinded, then given his sight, fed and strengthened and spent some days with the disciples . . .

And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (Acts 9:19–22)

God didn’t call me to a ministry like that of Saul/Paul yet I know the power of God to reveal Himself and change lives. It is for this that I pray for many friends, relatives and others who do not know this incredible God. He must take the initiative.

Another part of this reading is the story of God sending Peter to the Gentiles with the Gospel. He used a vision to show Peter not to be prejudice against those who were not Jews. The dream he had included animals that were considered unclean, yet God told him to eat and said, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

The Lord recently gave me a similar understanding. He used a segment from the television show, “Doc Martin.” This doctor, likely autistic and with the worst bedside manner imaginable, is an expert at diagnosis but his wife wants him to be much better with social interaction. In the show, he is kidnapped by a woman who wants him to do the impossible for her ailing husband. The entire story is nutty. Finally, the local policeman (who is as dense as they come) and Doc Martin’s wife rescue him. At the end of the story, she says, “I’ve wanted you to be, uh, normal, but today I realize that there are no normal people. I’m not normal either . . . .” And with that, God reminded me of my negativity toward some who I consider ‘not normal.’ It was a mild rebuke, but it stuck. When God speaks and opens ears, even using a fictional television show, the truth He speaks hits home.

This passage reinforces the statement of Martin’s wife with verses like this: “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43) Everyone. No mention of only ‘normal’ people.

If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:17–18) Not just Jews or God’s special people, but everyone.

These days, there is lots of talk about racism. Some of it is a silly attempt to use it as a reason for unrelated bad (or good) behavior, but many of those accusations are warranted. This prejudice has no place in the kingdom of God either. Nor does any other attitude that separates people into other ‘unacceptable’ categories such as homeless, unclean, low IQ, drunk, mentally ill, funny looking, old, short, tall, weird religion, phony, and on and on. In the sight of God, it is “whosoever will” and that is the vision that He wants for me too. He keeps opening my eyes to the vastness of His love for humanity and opening my ears to hear Him tell me what to do about it. I’m to reveal that love to everyone that crosses my path, no matter who they are or what issues I may have had regarding them. Amen.