The Power of Remembering

Way back when I was young, our churches used the hymnal – Hymns of Glorious Praise Like your favorite Bible verse, I can tell you many of the songs we sang simply by its number. # 309 is Count Your Blessings. I didn’t look it up. Trust me.

The first verse says…

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

The song was written by Johnson Oatmen in 1897. I did look that up.

I was reminded of the song earlier this week when I received a note from one of the Discipleship ministries we support- Living on the Edge.

How many times have you wished someone a “Happy Thanksgiving”? This morning I met a lady who said she had no reason to be thankful. Her face reflects the fact that she is one of the unhappiest people I see from week to week. I know she lost a son earlier this year and she has been “discouraged, thinking all is lost”. So, this morning I asked here to think about what she does have to be thankful for in her life. After a moment, she responded, “My family.”

How many of us get bogged down in loss and fail to be thankful for what or who remains?

Next Thursday, we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving. Start today and make a list. Count your Blessings. I think you’ll be surprised at the list.

Cheap Grace – Costly Grace

In the last couple of days I have been involved with a conversation on modesty, another on coarse language, and minutes ago I heard a well know television pastor say he wants to “spread a very wide net so that as many people as possible are reached”-unfortunately his message is one of self affirmation, encouragement and one without repentance.

It reminds me again of Bonhoeffer’s work.
“Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession. … Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows Him.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it costs God the life of His Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but deliver Him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

“Devotional Classics” edited by Richard J. Foster & James B. Smith; “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The One Thing

In the movie City Slickers, Jack Palance’s crusty cowboy characterasks soul-searching Billy Crystal, “Do you know what the secret to life is?”
“No, what?” says Billy.
“One thing, just one thing. You stick to that…”
“That’s great, but what’s the one thing?”
“That’s what you’ve got to figure out.”

To many people around us the “one thing” is elusive. Today I spoke with a person in a doctor’s office who describe a recent patient who is doing all the “right things”. ” She works hard. She has a family. She exercises and tries to eat right, but she is miserable. She has an explosive temper and lashes out at those who are trying to help. She is obviously looking for something more. But what is she missing?

While this is not the exact quote, Blaise Pascal said something along these lines-”There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.”

We all know people like the lady I heard about today. At times, we may be one of those people. Jesus said the “one thing” is to love God with all our hearts, minds and strength.

Overcome Evil with Good

Thursday’s killings at Ft. Hood bring a range of emotions including anger. When was the last time you were really angry?

As I drove home late Thursday evening, I listened to news coverage of the events. Early reports indicated the lone shooter is a Muslim who urged others to “stand up against the Aggressor.” The sense of outrage and anger was almost tangible.

The next thing I knew, I was thinking of a doctor friend of mine who works at one of the VA clinics in Cincinnati. He’s a Muslim and originally from Pakistan. I remember Ed Nye talking about Muslims who have experienced dreams or visions revealing Christ. Then I started praying for the doctor along those lines and for the safety of him and his family. If you know me, you know this does not come naturally. I lean heavily toward Truth and Justice in these kinds of situations.

Before you think I’ve lost my mind, consider what Paul wrote in Romans 12:14-21:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly Never be conceited. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Read it a few times. Let it sink in. Overcome evil with good.

Guarding Your Heart

Vigilance is the “action or state of keeping watch”.

Proverbs 4:23. Over the years I have used this scripture at one time or another with each of my kids as a warning of letting anything or anyone else get in the way of their relationship with God.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

The same applies to us as we consider Jude’s encouraging words at the end of his brief letter. How do you guard your heart? Jude gives us three areas to consider.
…Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 20-21

1. We build the faith by “hiding the word of God in our hearts” Psalm 119:11

2.In Romans 8:26 we read “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

3.And John reminds us in his first epistle; “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.” 1 John 2:24

Hiding God’s word in our hearts brings Life to what we believe and makes me more aware of my own need and weakness so that I lean upon the Spirit of God to intercede.  When those two areas are working together, I believe there is a real, tangible sense of  remaining in the love of God.

He Knows My Name

When we consider the greatness of God in our lives, we can see that our identity is based upon who God
is and how he relates to each of us. So, does God care for us personally?

I remember a song written several years ago:

I have a maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hand

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call…

Isaiah was inspired to write of God’s promises to us.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you…” Isaiah 43:1

Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Have you ever been afraid? of the dark? losing someone close to you? Afraid of circumstances?

Throughout the Scriptures God encourages us to not fear what may be coming next. Why?

He has redeemed us.

He is our God.

He will give us strength and He will help us.

When we recognize God has a personal interest in us, it should give us at attitude of confidence and hope.

Twisted Things

In Acts 20: 29,30 Paul warned the people of “fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

Twisted things. A friend of mine asked me recently how a group of believers could follow after twisted things and leave the Truth of God’s word behind.

Twisted teachings are often subtle and designed to pull people away from the Faith. Jude wrote of “certain people who crept in unnoticed.” False teachers appeal to our desire to be justified in our actions. The people Jude wrote about probably spoke the Truth-but only part of the Truth. Like the original false teacher in the Garden, who asked “Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”, these people plant a seed of doubt helping people rationalize their actions. “Didn’t Jesus say to judge not? How then can you say that any way of living is offensive to God? What’s the harm in telling part of the truth to someone to make them think more highly of you?” What’s the harm? Really.

How can we as followers of Christ do anything that contradicts the Truth? Paul, Peter and Jude all warned of keeping the Faith pure.

How can we recognized the ones from among us speaking twisted things?

Paul wrote to Timothy saying:

“…evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3: 13-17 (ESV)

Study the Scriptures. Is the person on the radio or in the church or in the ABF saying something that compromises the Truth even though it sounds good or desirable or even reasonable? Take a few minutes to read 2 Timothy 3. It will challenge your thinking.

Grace or Mercy-What’s the Difference?

This week I heard someone ask – “what is grace?” Someone responded that Grace is mercy.

What is mercy? Mercy can be viewed as compassion or forgiveness. I receive mercy when I do not receive the punishment I deserve when I have done wrong. A judge can give me mercy. My wife does give me mercy.

While mercy is closely related, grace goes one step further. One definition of Grace is “the free and unmerited favor of God. Grace is receiving something I absolutely do not deserve and can not earn on my own.

Paul wrote in Romans 3: 22-24 that “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (is) for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

So it is a little easier to see why Jude considered the proper perspective of grace to be one of such importance as he addressed “those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ”, with the first of his two primary concerns -those who “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality.”

Jude says that certain men crept in unnoticed. Their false teaching was subtle. In the 1930’s Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the phrase cheap grace.

“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. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”
The Cost of Discipleship

Today, take a few minutes and think about the Grace of God. How will you respond?

The Theatre of the Mind

As a kid I discovered the power of radio through the broadcast of what I think was called “Masterpiece Theatre”. The actors and sound effects helped my mind create pictures and scenes and expanded my imagination.

What was a teenager doing listening to AM radio at night? We didn’t have great television reception through an over-the-air antenna. Cable and Satellite was not available either. The fact that my mind had an opportunity to think about other things beyond the television world did not make me “brilliant”, but I think it protected me to some degree from the clutter we face today.

The images we are bombarded with day in and day out can have a numbing effect on our lives and our conscience. What’s playing in the Theatre of your Mind? The Balloon Boy fiasco? The latest episode of your favorite TV show? A YouTube video? Something else?

Are you even aware of the effect on your life or your way of thinking? The New Testament tells us that “bad company corrupts good character”. Computer experts coined the phrase “garbage in-garbage out”.

Maybe it’s time to rethink my choices.

What are we thinking?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

A few weeks ago I met with a woman for a video project at the Teen Challenge center in Louisville called Priscilla’s Place.
For the video, she insisted I use a mug shot from her time in prison before she became a “new creation”. Many of the people
I have met through Teen Challenge have a similar story. After a period of some type of life controlling addictions, they hit rock
bottom and realize their need for Christ. They are careful to view themselves as God sees them.

So how does God see us?

“…Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43: 1,2

There is great freedom in realizing that ” I’m not who my family says I am; I am not who my boss says I am; I am not
who my spouse, or even my appearance says I am.” But instead…”I am who God says I am.”

The lady at Priscilla’s Place understands it. Do we?