Do you ever have one of those days when you feel like you are trying to plow through a mountain with a sandbox shovel? Man...that is how I feel today. I feel like everything I have set out to do today has turned into a mountain because of my lack of motivation and focus.
As I was thinking about feeling like I was stuck this side of a mountain, I was reminded of something Jesus said about mountains. "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" Matthew 17:20.
I am struck by what Jesus did NOT say would move the mountain. He did not say my strength, motivation, focus, determination or will power would move the mountain. Nor did he say if my faith is big enough, I can see the mountain move. Rather he said that if my faith is as small as a mustard seed, which is about the smallest of the smallest seeds, then I can see mountains move. The reason the size of my faith is unimportant in moving a mountain is because it is not about me, but about Him. Its is not my faith, but the one in whom I put my faith that holds the power to say to this mountain move from here to there. Its about releasing self-reliance and becoming God-dependent. Its about me coming to the point where I throw down my sandbox shovel and say, "God I can't." And then looking up and saying, "But God, I believe you can." That is when, Jesus says, you experience that "Nothing will be impossible for you." Once again, Jesus turns my thinking upside down...or may be it is right side up...when I admit what is impossible for me, then nothing is impossible for me.
What about you? Standing on the wrong side of a mountain? I guess you can try to climb it, go around it, tunnel through it or just decide to live there. Or Jesus says you can climb on his shoulders and watch mountains move.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
"Wipe Your Own Behind"
This a conversation I had with my three year old a while a go:
"Daddy, I am done going poopie," Seth called from the bathroom.
"That's great, Seth. Wipe your bottom, flush the toilet and wash your hands," I replied.
"I can't wipe my bottom. Daddy, can you do it?" Seth asks with the most pitiful voice he can muster.
I think to myself, "I can't blame the kid...why would he want to do the nasty business of wiping, if he has someone else willing to do the job?"
"Seth, you can do it, buddy."
"No, I don't want to. Pleeeeaaasssseee, Daddy."
"Seth, there comes a time in every big boy's life when he must learn to wipe his own behind. Today is that day for you," I said, followed by detailed instructions of which I will spare you.
The bathroom was quiet for a moment. Then I heard a flush of the toilet. Followed by a small, but very enthusiastic, "I did it, Daddy! I wiped my bottom all by myself!"
"Great, job, bud, I knew you could do it," followed by some applause and cheers on my part.
Church, there comes a time when every Follower of Jesus must wipe his or her own behind. It is called spiritual maturity. While it is much more pleasant for each of us to let other mature Followers of Jesus wipe our spiritual behinds, it is also spiritually deadly.
The Apostle Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 4:11-16. Here he offers a great encouragement to those who are willing to grow up in their faith:
"11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
I am thankful that you, my brothers and sister of Living Hope are willing to grow up in your faith. I was sharing in Living Hope 101 on Sunday that about a year ago a gentleman asked, "What are the perks of membership at Living Hope?" I am so glad he asked that tongue-in-cheek question. It has allowed me to directly state why we value membership at Living Hope.
Membership at Living Hope has only one perk and that is death. When you become a member of Living Hope you are making a commitment to die with us.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being real. "Confess your sins one to another and you will be healed," James 5:16. To risk that kind of vulnerability requires a death to pride, fear and personal preference.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being transformed. Romans 12:1-2 says, "Present you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Giving your whole self to God so that he might change you from the inside out from now until the day you see him face to face requires a death. It requires a death to justification of sin and rationalization of selfishness.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being connected. Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." Connecting with the Body of Christ requires a death to expecting the Body to connect with me before I will connect to it. It is your and my responsibility to take the effort it requires to connect and stay connected. It requires a death to the lie that I can grow in my faith as a solo Christian.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being poured out. In Matthew 25 Jesus makes it clear that one day we will be judged based upon whether or not we fed, clothed, cared for, visited the "least of these brothers and sister of mine." Jesus makes it clear that if we are unwilling to die in giving our time, money and effort to those in need, then we will one day die forever. We do not serve others to save ourselves, but if we are saved then we will serve those in need in following the example of our Master, Jesus Christ.
This Sunday we will welcome 12 new members who are willing to accept the only perk to membership we offer and that is death in being real, transformed, connected and poured out. I want to thank all of our members who faithfully live up to the commitment you made to dieing with us. If we ever reach a point in our faith in which we are unwilling to die in being real, transformed, connected and poured out, then we are nothing but dead weight to the Body of Christ that needs to be cut off.
So, thank you for being church that does not expect any one else to wipe your behind. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ" Ephesians 4:15.
"Daddy, I am done going poopie," Seth called from the bathroom.
"That's great, Seth. Wipe your bottom, flush the toilet and wash your hands," I replied.
"I can't wipe my bottom. Daddy, can you do it?" Seth asks with the most pitiful voice he can muster.
I think to myself, "I can't blame the kid...why would he want to do the nasty business of wiping, if he has someone else willing to do the job?"
"Seth, you can do it, buddy."
"No, I don't want to. Pleeeeaaasssseee, Daddy."
"Seth, there comes a time in every big boy's life when he must learn to wipe his own behind. Today is that day for you," I said, followed by detailed instructions of which I will spare you.
The bathroom was quiet for a moment. Then I heard a flush of the toilet. Followed by a small, but very enthusiastic, "I did it, Daddy! I wiped my bottom all by myself!"
"Great, job, bud, I knew you could do it," followed by some applause and cheers on my part.
Church, there comes a time when every Follower of Jesus must wipe his or her own behind. It is called spiritual maturity. While it is much more pleasant for each of us to let other mature Followers of Jesus wipe our spiritual behinds, it is also spiritually deadly.
The Apostle Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 4:11-16. Here he offers a great encouragement to those who are willing to grow up in their faith:
"11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
I am thankful that you, my brothers and sister of Living Hope are willing to grow up in your faith. I was sharing in Living Hope 101 on Sunday that about a year ago a gentleman asked, "What are the perks of membership at Living Hope?" I am so glad he asked that tongue-in-cheek question. It has allowed me to directly state why we value membership at Living Hope.
Membership at Living Hope has only one perk and that is death. When you become a member of Living Hope you are making a commitment to die with us.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being real. "Confess your sins one to another and you will be healed," James 5:16. To risk that kind of vulnerability requires a death to pride, fear and personal preference.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being transformed. Romans 12:1-2 says, "Present you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Giving your whole self to God so that he might change you from the inside out from now until the day you see him face to face requires a death. It requires a death to justification of sin and rationalization of selfishness.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being connected. Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." Connecting with the Body of Christ requires a death to expecting the Body to connect with me before I will connect to it. It is your and my responsibility to take the effort it requires to connect and stay connected. It requires a death to the lie that I can grow in my faith as a solo Christian.
The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being poured out. In Matthew 25 Jesus makes it clear that one day we will be judged based upon whether or not we fed, clothed, cared for, visited the "least of these brothers and sister of mine." Jesus makes it clear that if we are unwilling to die in giving our time, money and effort to those in need, then we will one day die forever. We do not serve others to save ourselves, but if we are saved then we will serve those in need in following the example of our Master, Jesus Christ.
This Sunday we will welcome 12 new members who are willing to accept the only perk to membership we offer and that is death in being real, transformed, connected and poured out. I want to thank all of our members who faithfully live up to the commitment you made to dieing with us. If we ever reach a point in our faith in which we are unwilling to die in being real, transformed, connected and poured out, then we are nothing but dead weight to the Body of Christ that needs to be cut off.
So, thank you for being church that does not expect any one else to wipe your behind. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ" Ephesians 4:15.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
"Making Leaves Fall"
Yesterday, when we were taking a walk, we passed a lady who was pulling the leaves off of a tree in her yard. Apparently, the leaves were not falling fast enough for her. I assume she wanted to be done with raking. So, she figured, yesterday was the last day she would rake even if it meant her hand pulling every remaining leaf off of her tree. Seeing her make the leaves fall faster, made me laugh, shake my head and say, "What's the hurry?"
Of course, anyone could ask me the same question. Why do I tend to treat my kids bath time like a race? I often use the words, "Hurry up and get your clothes off so we can get you bath so you can have a snack before bed time." When I read books, I am a notorious skimmer and even skipper as I constantly look for what I deem important in a book. When I watch TV, I am a flipper...I watch 2 or 3 shows at the same time...flipping back and forth...drives Kimberly crazy. I have even been known to spend more time thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow, than appreciating today. I too have a tendency to try to make leaves fall faster. Any body else out there relate?
The question is why? Why do we try to make leaves fall faster? Why do we rush through today? Why do we focus on tomorrow before it is here? Why? So we can get to our casket sooner? I mean, really, why do we do this? What is our hurry? All we have is today and we are pulling leaves off the trees of life trying to make life pass more quickly? Are we crazy?
King Solomon was considered the wisest man in the world and yet he reflected on his life and realized that trying to make leaves fall faster makes life meaningless. He concluded that rather than make leaves fall faster, the one who lives with meaning is the one who comes to accept that,
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw a way, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace" Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
In this poem, Solomon reveals great wisdom from hard, learned experience. Rather than rush through the good or bad of life, take the time to walk through it all, learning from it all everything that one needs to live a well, meaning-filled life. Solomon is saying, "If we are not careful, we will try to make leaves fall faster and miss how good the good of life can be or we miss how beneficial, albeit painful, the difficulties of life can be."
This is my prayer for you and me today: "Father, help me to trust you enough to let the leaves fall at their own pace. Shape me in your contentment so that I may be able to appreciate the beauty of this life until the last leaf falls. Shape me in peace so that I may be able learn from every mess life gives me to rake up. But whatever, happens, Lord, please give me the wisdom not to make leaves fall faster, because life goes fast enough as it is. Thank you for the gift of today. Whatever it holds...positive or negative, in and through your love I can discover value and meaning."
Of course, anyone could ask me the same question. Why do I tend to treat my kids bath time like a race? I often use the words, "Hurry up and get your clothes off so we can get you bath so you can have a snack before bed time." When I read books, I am a notorious skimmer and even skipper as I constantly look for what I deem important in a book. When I watch TV, I am a flipper...I watch 2 or 3 shows at the same time...flipping back and forth...drives Kimberly crazy. I have even been known to spend more time thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow, than appreciating today. I too have a tendency to try to make leaves fall faster. Any body else out there relate?
The question is why? Why do we try to make leaves fall faster? Why do we rush through today? Why do we focus on tomorrow before it is here? Why? So we can get to our casket sooner? I mean, really, why do we do this? What is our hurry? All we have is today and we are pulling leaves off the trees of life trying to make life pass more quickly? Are we crazy?
King Solomon was considered the wisest man in the world and yet he reflected on his life and realized that trying to make leaves fall faster makes life meaningless. He concluded that rather than make leaves fall faster, the one who lives with meaning is the one who comes to accept that,
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw a way, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace" Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
In this poem, Solomon reveals great wisdom from hard, learned experience. Rather than rush through the good or bad of life, take the time to walk through it all, learning from it all everything that one needs to live a well, meaning-filled life. Solomon is saying, "If we are not careful, we will try to make leaves fall faster and miss how good the good of life can be or we miss how beneficial, albeit painful, the difficulties of life can be."
This is my prayer for you and me today: "Father, help me to trust you enough to let the leaves fall at their own pace. Shape me in your contentment so that I may be able to appreciate the beauty of this life until the last leaf falls. Shape me in peace so that I may be able learn from every mess life gives me to rake up. But whatever, happens, Lord, please give me the wisdom not to make leaves fall faster, because life goes fast enough as it is. Thank you for the gift of today. Whatever it holds...positive or negative, in and through your love I can discover value and meaning."
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
"Today"
"This is the day the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it," Psalm 118:24.
This is the first Bible verse we taught our children. Just about every morning we say it together because it reminds us of some important things about this day we call today.
"This is the day." Yesterday is gone. For good or bad, what happened yesterday is now part of the past. Tomorrow may or may not be. I must be careful not to be so focused on what is to come that I miss what is come. Will I live in this day?
"The Lord has made." Today is a gift from God. No matter what will or will not happen today, this day holds within it something that God wants me to see, hear or know from him. Even the worst of today need not be a waste when we see it in the hands of the one who promises to take all things and make them good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Ro. 8:28). Will I approach this day as a gift?
"Let us." It does not say, "Let me." This idea of embracing today as a gift from God is not something we are to do alone, but something we as Followers of Christ are to do together. In the context of real Christian community we find accountability, encouragement, challenge and support to make a choice to live this day as a gift from God. If we are struggling, then the question we are asked to confront is, are we going it alone or are we walking, intentionally and openly with other Followers of Christ?
"Rejoice and be glad." This is not a suggestion, but a command. Our culture lies to us and says we cannot do what we do not feel. The Bible reveals the truth our culture does not what us to hear. The truth is sometimes the only way to feel anything is to first act. Action invites feeling. If I will choose to rejoice, I can expect to then be glad. Will I make a choice to rejoice whether I feel like it or not?
"In it." In what? Today. If today presents you the mundane or the insane, celebration or tribulation...the "it" of today is not the determining factor of the value of your today. Rather the one who gave you this day is the one in whom you find value regardless of what "it" this day is made. The one whose love is the same yesterday, today and forever, is the one from whom we find a gift of love every day for which we have reason to rejoice and be glad.
Perhaps you say, "Wow! Chad, must be having a good day to write such words." The truth is this is my annual Random Thoughts dedicated to those who struggle with seasonal depression. I have once again entered into this time of seasonal blues. I will continue to watch my eating, exercise daily and take some vitamin supplements. However, with all that I must put my focus where this Psalm commands. My focus once again this year, during this time, with this struggle, must be on one...HIM...the one who gave me this day and gave gave me others with whom to walk through this day. And because He gave me this day it means there is a gift to unwrap which means I have reason to rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the first Bible verse we taught our children. Just about every morning we say it together because it reminds us of some important things about this day we call today.
"This is the day." Yesterday is gone. For good or bad, what happened yesterday is now part of the past. Tomorrow may or may not be. I must be careful not to be so focused on what is to come that I miss what is come. Will I live in this day?
"The Lord has made." Today is a gift from God. No matter what will or will not happen today, this day holds within it something that God wants me to see, hear or know from him. Even the worst of today need not be a waste when we see it in the hands of the one who promises to take all things and make them good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Ro. 8:28). Will I approach this day as a gift?
"Let us." It does not say, "Let me." This idea of embracing today as a gift from God is not something we are to do alone, but something we as Followers of Christ are to do together. In the context of real Christian community we find accountability, encouragement, challenge and support to make a choice to live this day as a gift from God. If we are struggling, then the question we are asked to confront is, are we going it alone or are we walking, intentionally and openly with other Followers of Christ?
"Rejoice and be glad." This is not a suggestion, but a command. Our culture lies to us and says we cannot do what we do not feel. The Bible reveals the truth our culture does not what us to hear. The truth is sometimes the only way to feel anything is to first act. Action invites feeling. If I will choose to rejoice, I can expect to then be glad. Will I make a choice to rejoice whether I feel like it or not?
"In it." In what? Today. If today presents you the mundane or the insane, celebration or tribulation...the "it" of today is not the determining factor of the value of your today. Rather the one who gave you this day is the one in whom you find value regardless of what "it" this day is made. The one whose love is the same yesterday, today and forever, is the one from whom we find a gift of love every day for which we have reason to rejoice and be glad.
Perhaps you say, "Wow! Chad, must be having a good day to write such words." The truth is this is my annual Random Thoughts dedicated to those who struggle with seasonal depression. I have once again entered into this time of seasonal blues. I will continue to watch my eating, exercise daily and take some vitamin supplements. However, with all that I must put my focus where this Psalm commands. My focus once again this year, during this time, with this struggle, must be on one...HIM...the one who gave me this day and gave gave me others with whom to walk through this day. And because He gave me this day it means there is a gift to unwrap which means I have reason to rejoice and be glad in it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)