Mar. 13: Too Young?

I recently spent some time with a bunch of teenagers who are excited about the difference God’s love and forgiveness has made in their lives and they want others to experience what they have. Their enthusiasm is contagious. They are not trying to force anyone to be like them, or believe like them. They are simply living joy-filled lives and making everyone around them wonder why they are so different than most the young people they read about or see on TV. They are excited to tell that their relationship with Jesus makes all the difference in their lives.

My young friend Tommy has his employer’s respect because of his enthusiasm and work ethic. He is a boss’s dream because of his punctuality, the attitude (even joy) with which he does his work, the positive way he relates to, and works with, his “teammates” in the food service industry. Tommy lives by Biblical wisdom: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)

I read recently that in Asia many of the churches that meet in homes are led by teenagers. The young people are hearing the Good News about Jesus and are leading the way in encouragement, worship and sharing the Gospel with others.

Timothy was a young man when the Apostle Paul handed off his ministry to him and gave this advice:
“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12) It is exciting to see young people setting a different standard of conduct, living by a more positive value system, from the one we usually see modeled in the media, or endorsed by young celebrities and entertainers. For many of them the difference is Jesus. What makes the big difference in your life?

~ Father, thank you for the example and passion of so many young Christians. Protect their steps and sustain their growth. Use them to strengthen Your Family of Faith. Encourage them in spirit today. Amen.

Mar. 12: Never too old

I attended a friend’s birthday party over the weekend—his 80th. I’ve heard 50 is the new 30. I guess 80 is the new 50. Octogenarians are becoming more common. In 1900 the average lifespan in America was in one’s mid-forties. For now, Americans are living longer, on average, than ever before.

When it comes to service, what’s age got to do with it? One of my favorite “heroes of the faith” is Caleb. When Moses led the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery he sent 12 spies to survey the land. It was all God had promised, but for fear of the inhabitants the spies advised against taking hold of the Promised Land—except two, Joshua and Caleb. (Numbers 30)

Because of their lack of faith, God had the nation wander in the desert for 40 years until that generation died off. Joshua succeeded Moses as the nation’s leader and a new generation was ready to go into the Land of Promise. I like the part of the story when we see Caleb, at age 85, reminding Joshua of a 45-year-old promise:

"You know what the LORD said to Moses…about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses…sent me to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.' "Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day.” (Joshua 14:6-12)

I love the picture of this 85-year-old running off with these 20-somethings to finally receive what he’s dreamed of for a life-time. Maybe your of retirement age, or middle age, and feeling too old to serve God, or feeling that the best years are behind you; take a page from one devoted octogenarian named Caleb: a person of conviction, wholehearted devotion, ready for action. Why not ask God to give you the heart of Caleb, the heart of a lion, in serving Him?

~ Father, strengthen me to be ready for service and ready to laid hold of Your promise. May I be measured by a heart of obedience rather than my chronological age. Amen.

Mar. 11: Leading With an Open Hand

In our American culture, it seems christians are known more for what we are 'against' rather than what we are 'for'. Rick Warren observes that "the Body of Christ" has been mostly "mouth" the past few decades. It is time we return to leading with an open hand. I'm not saying that we remain silent on important issues, but rather that we focus on being the "hands and feet" of Jesus first.

We might be better received if we approached people in loving service rather than with verbal debate. Actions first, then words; as opposed to lots of words with not much action. Remember the words of Jesus:

"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?'

Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me— you did it to me.' (Matthew 25:31-40, The Message)

~ Father, help me to lead with acts of love... and follow-through with words of love. Amen.

Mar. 10: Procrasti-nation

Procrastination, that fine art of putting off until tomorrow what could (or should) be done today. It’s not that the procrastinator just wants to put things off. There is a deep-down hope that if things are put off long enough they’ll simply just go away, they won’t ever have to be dealt with. That rarely happens. Maybe someone needs to start a recovery group: Procrastinators Anonymous; maybe someday someone will. :),

As “driven” as our nation has become, there also seems to be a pretty large demographic made up of procrastinators: a Procrasti-nation, if you will. But along with putting things off, hoping they’ll go away, is a great deal of anxiety, worry and mental anguish over the task one is seeking to avoid. Life would be a lot less stressful if we’d just go ahead and do whatever it is we are avoiding.

In addition to paying taxes and telling those closest to you that you love them, there are a couple of other things we should never procrastinate about:

“So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT)

“You must encourage each other every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.” (Hebrews 3:13, NLT)

What's the ONE THING you should do today, but you've been avoiding? Why have you put it off? What is painful about doing that task? Why not ask God for the strength, grit your teeth and, in the words of the NIKE ad, "JUST DO IT." By the way, nike is a greek word...it means victory."

~ Father, along with the other things I mustn’t put off, help me to make “doing good” and “encouraging each other” daily priorities. Give me the strength to do what I know I should and live in victory. Amen.

Mar. 9: God's Proven Word

King David of Israel often expressed himself in poetry and song. We have the lyrics to many of his songs preserved in an ancient text, The Hebrew Hymnal, or as it is usually known in Christian circles, The Book of Psalms in the Bible. Before he became King, David was King Saul's most valiant warrior and the target of the King's envy and murderous rage. Repeatedly God delivered David and protected him from his adversary.

Psalm 18 is one of my favorites. It is one of David's songs of praise and thanksgiving; "He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul."

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalms 18:1-3 (NIV)

He continues down in verse 30...
"As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."

I love that promise that God is a shield for everyone who takes refuge in Him. When the heat is turned up in life people look for refuge in many places, but only one really protects, only One really is a place of safety--we run for cover to God, who is our shield!

I also like the part where it says God's word is proven. Reminds me of when David was younger, perhaps a teenager, and was going out to fight the giant named Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17). King Saul wanted David to use the King’s armor when he went out to fight Goliath. Saul put an oversized bronze helmet on David's head, covered him with a coat of armor, and belted the king's sword around his waist. Saul was tall, he stood head and shoulders above all the other men. David no doubt was swallowed up in the outfit.

David the shepherd, who was an expert marksman with a sling, knew he would be a sitting duck in the King's armor and very diplomatically declined, saying, "I cannot fight in these because I have not proven them."

Aside from the fact that they didn't fit him, these articles had not passed the test in practice, how could he be sure of how they would react in a real battle? His sling, on the other hand, was familiar and tried. He had no doubt spent hours in target-practice, maybe even learning to hit a target while running in nearly full stride.

That's the picture. In Psalm 18:30 when is says, "the word of the Lord is proven", it means it is familiar and has been tested with daily practice, so it is trusted when the giant-sized battle is the order for the day. God's word not only encourages us and instructs us through the daily ups and downs of life, but we can trust it for the once-in-lifetime kinds of battles because it has been tested and proven to be reliable.

God speaks the truth...always. His word is reliable and trustworthy. As we read the written word of God we know His thoughts, His heart. John's gospel begins by telling us, "the Word (of God) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His (Jesus') glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Jesus, the Living Word, shows us what God is really like.

Spend time in the written Word and with the Living Word, test their wisdom in the daily stuff of life, and find them proven when it's time to face your giants. "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in Him."

~ Father, help me to live in Your word; to see it get me through the daily struggles and prove itself to be truth in the big battles of life. Thank you for Your written Word and the Living Word; help me to find life in both. Amen.

Mar. 8: Cross in a Box

Here in Southeast Virginia there is a battle raging over a brass cross. Here’s the short story: At Wren Chapel on the campus of William and Mary University in Williamsburg, VA an 18-inch tall brass cross had sat on the altar table for over 60 years. Back in October 2006 the school’s President, Gene Nichol, asked that it be stored out of sight when not in use; since the chapel is also used for secular activities, he wanted the room to feel more welcoming to all faiths.

Well, all you-know-what broke loose (including petition drives and at least one lawsuit) with the local news and even the national media getting in on the action. The school’s president later returned the cross to the altar on Sundays and created a committee to study the issue. The 14-member committee of students, alumni, faculty and others has reached a compromise that will put the controversial cross back on display…in a glass case in a "prominent, readily visible place" in the chapel - not on the altar – and will be described by a historical plaque.

All you-know-what broke loose again. Critics complain of “political-correctness run amok”. Some observers with a more cynical streak feel that the threat of donors (one recently withdrew a promised $12 million gift because of the controversy) had an impact on the decision. The local paper polled readers: “Do you agree with the W&M decision to permanently display the Wren Chapel cross in a glass case not on the altar?” to which 49.7% said yes, 46.6% said no, and 3.7% were undecided.

The community is pretty much split down the middle over the issue. One reader said, “This reminds me of when the Soviet Union turned churches into museums; "Here behind the glass is a cross that represented the imperialist government before our great party liberated the people and ushered in an area of enlightenment, free from the shackles of a so-called god. And now we live in peace, harmony, and prosperity.”

At least one reader didn’t think the move went far enough: Nelson T. of Norfolk wrote: “We who disdain our Christian heritage find this cross, this symbol of the Christian church, to be despicable, in that it may possibly offend others, especially those less fortunate, and might even encourage them to (gasp) dislike us. We demand it be removed from any and all positions of influence, be they public or private, and we promise to character-assassinate all those who continue to bear this cross. Change it. Move it. Better yet, remove it. We don't want it. Get it out of our society. We demand greater tolerance!”

How’s that for tolerance?! Anyway, it seems to me that if you put it in a box and put a historical marker on it you’re saying, "This is part of the past." The cross, more importantly the Savior whom it represents, should be part of our present. In fact, I’m not a big fan of brass crosses anyway. While symbols are important, it’s substance that counts—not what we say, but what we do. Not what we stick on an altar table or wear around our necks, but how we treat our fellow-travelers.

Jesus had something to say about the cross: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:23-24) If I follow Jesus like that, and love people the way He did, maybe guys like Nelson would see Jesus and His followers in a different light.

~ Father, help me to stay focused on what’s really important. Help me to care less about defending religious turf and more about seeing your lost children found, and those imprisoned set free. Amen.

Mar. 7: My First A.A. Meeting

Well, Monday night I attended my first AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting. I’ve been intending to go for a while, but didn’t have an urgent need. “Hello, my name is Jim, and I’m…”

What am I, exactly? I have some areas of weakness, but my Achilles’ Heel is not alcohol. I am a recovering legalistic Christian—on a journey to become an authentic Christ-follower. My friend Steve was speaking at the AA meeting and invited me to go along. We started off with a portion of The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

It was a lot like church but without the singing or the typical pretentiousness—it was honest in a way that church meetings usually aren’t. I learned that, “Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking… Their primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.”

They call the group a “fellowship” and have “The Big Book” of AA. It possessed some things most churches could use a little more of—a spirit of equality and acceptance, a genuine atmosphere of concern and accountability, a clear and unifying purpose, and a depth of courage and honesty too rarely encountered in most circles.

The Twelve Steps to recovery for those involved in the process are:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. (Copyright © A.A. World Services, Inc., Rev.5/9/02)

I couldn’t help wondering what our churches would look like if we pursued these steps to wholeness and transparent relationship with the same tenacity I witnessed there. We concluded the meeting, holding hands in a big circle, and saying The Lord’s Prayer together:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Yeah, it was a lot like what church should be, but I still need the singing.

~ Father, thank you for pursuing us in order to rescue us, no matter what our weakness. Give us the courage and honesty needed to find the healing You desire for us all. Amen.

Mar. 6: What's Your Kryptonite?

My friend Jim is a big guy, about 6-foot-5, around 280 pounds—a man’s man, a real-life Superman—at least his wife thinks so. She gives him cool gifts with the Superman logo emblazoned upon them to remind him that he’s her hero, her Superman.

You remember Superman—the man of steel, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound—that’s the guy. Even Superman had a weakness—kryptonite. This glowing rock from his former home planet was the only thing that could bring the Man of Steel to his knees, as weak as a baby.

What’s your kryptonite? Everybody I know has at least one area of weakness that dogs them for a lifetime, unless they find a way to master it and break its hold on their life. The Bible calls this a “besetting sin”, these parasitic sins that so easily entangle us and trip us up (see Hebrews 12:1). Sometimes the Enemy gets a particular stronghold in one area of our lives—maybe it’s alcoholism or substance abuse, self-loathing or lust—the possibilities are endless. They cripple us, stunt our growth, and kill our dreams. How does God respond to these weaknesses and our failures?

He knows our weaknesses and He knows what it is to be tempted, tested and pushed to the limit. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear…Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14, 16)

He not only knows our weakness and identifies with our suffering, but He empowers us and sets us free! “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom; and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) We sang the song as children, “Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so; little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.”

He not only sets us free, but turns our greatest weakness into our greatest strength. The Apostle wrote, “But the Lord 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) God can take our deepest wound, our greatest weakness, heal it, and then use it to encourage and heal others who are fighting the same battle.

So I ask you again, what’s your kryptonite? Jesus understands your struggle. Jesus can set you free. Jesus can use your wound, and its healing, to be a source of healing in other people’s lives. Rick Warren says, “God never wastes an experience.” Don’t hide your weakness or wound from God in fear or shame. Trust Him with it, He can set you free.

~ Father, thank you for clothing yourself in human flesh and walking in our shoes. Help me not to hide from You in fear or shame, but to trust You to set me free from the strongholds in my life. Amen.

Mar. 5: Coming Home

Our oldest child returned from college to spend a week at home—Spring Break! Now, I’m ever so grateful that the choice was to spend some time at home with dear ol’ Mom and Dad instead of heading south to some warm, exotic place for the “holiday”. (It couldn’t just be a lack of finances, could it? Nah.)

The truth is, we’re pretty tight as a family and enjoy each other’s company (yea, that’s it). Whatever the motives, we are glad to have everyone home for a little while. There’s always something about coming home. We love being together as a family. For some, the idea of going home is not always good, depending on what kind of “baggage” exists, what kind of pain and harsh words may have been exchanged in the past. Some people dread going home.

One of my favorite chunks of scripture is in Hebrews, chapters Ten through Twelve. The writer, at a point in the tenth chapter, begins to encourage believer; "do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised…we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” (vv. 35-39)

In the next chapter we find what’s often called “The Roll Call of Faith”, those men and women of the Bible and of history who kept the faith, who persevered, who did not shrink in the face of difficulty, nor wilt under the heat of persecution. “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did…by faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death…By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family…By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going…By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise; and so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.”

We are told that “all these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth… If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one; Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city (a home) for them.” (vv. 13-16).

He continues describing the faith of Old Testament heroes, and then begins to describe those who at the time he was writing modern-day heroes—martyrs of the faith: “Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released… Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”

Then in verse 40 he concludes, “God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” The plan will not be complete until people of faith, from all ages and all nations are united one day—now that’s a Home Coming! I don’t know about you, but I want to see that! I want to be part of that family!

Then he tells us how: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

~ Father, thank you for wanting to include me in Your Forever Family. Help me to persevere, to not grow weary and lose heart—help me to keep the faith; And when I stumble at times, thank You for keeping me even when I can’t keep it all together. Amen.

Mar. 4: What's Your Motivation?

I find that people are generally motivated by guilt, shame, fear, duty, desire for approval, a desire to correct others, greed, etc.,

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul revealed his motivation: “If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:13-15)

That word “compel” often means to force, require, coerce, make, twist someone’s arm or lean on. Here it simply means "motivates".

I’ve met some Christians (and used to be the type) that are motivated to persuade others to become "Christians" for all the wrong reasons.

Our “sharing our faith” must be less about convincing people they are sinners and selling them a ticket to heaven, and more about sharing the good news that a person can be set free to have a relationship with the God who created them and loves them. My friend Tom says, “We are sinners, but Jesus didn’t come to simply point out that fact, and then let us know what a nice person he was because he was willing to forgive our sins. He forgave our sins so that we could now be adopted as sons & daughters and be brought into a loving relationship with a God who is crazy about us!”

It’s less about a ticket to heaven and more about receiving forgiveness and reconciliation with God—abundant life here and now.

Jesus said, “If you love Me you will keep (obey) my commands. Our obedience should only be motivated by love and nothing else. Again, my friend Tom often reminds me, “If our obedience is motivated by fear (of judgment, punishment), guilt, duty, obligation, etc., then it is not the proper motivation. I honestly think that these forces motivate most of our Christian activity. We may say that we ‘love’ God, but it is a fair question to ask if ‘love’ is really the motivating force, or are there other motivating forces (‘right thing to do’, my duty as a ‘good Christian’, wanting to be respected by others in church, trying to earn God’s blessing, etc,). If we were truly honest, most of us are not motivated by love at all.”

So the proper order of things should be realizing that God loves you and loving Him in return; and realizing that since He loves you, He must love other people, too; and then your love for Him motivates you to love and serve other people like He does.

I recently received an ad for a HUGE Youth program; stadium events being held around the country with Big Name preachers and bands. The whole point was that we have to reach this generation NOW or else… "our pews will be empty, no one listen to your sermons, no one to put money in the plate unless we reach this generation of youth"—all the wrong motives. Whatever happened to serving and loving people because God loves them and wants them to be free?

~ Father, help me to do the right thing for the right reasons. Help me to love people just because You love them and want them to be free. Amen.

Mar. 3: Spring Cleaning

Today’s weather forecast for our neck of the woods calls for sunny and 68°. It looks like spring is here and it’s time for that annual ritual of spring cleaning. We’ll empty rooms of all their contents, wash curtains, scrub baseboards, vacuum the floors, sift through accumulated clutter, throwing things away, giving things away, preparing for a yard sale (yuk!), and placing back in the room only what is essential, now all spick and span. This is a process, not an event, and not for the weak of heart.

Just as we have a physical house-cleaning there are also traditions of spiritual “house-cleaning”. New Year’s is a time re-evaluating and making changes. The Christian season of Lent has and element of searching out any “un-confessed sin”, and repenting (turning away). Likewise the Jewish Passover begins with searching out any leaven (yeast) in the house and getting rid of it—the leaven being a symbol of anything unholy. There is a need to do regular “spiritual spring cleaning”, to allow God to search us and see if there are any destructive habits. We need to determine if there is any point at which we have believed Satan’s lies and allowed any enemy strongholds to be established in our lives.

King David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23-24)

In the New Testament we are instructed to, “come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:8-10)

Why not take some time today to be still and ask God to search and cleanse you, and let Him do a little spiritual spring-cleaning in your soul? Like our spring cleaning, this too is a process, not an event, and not for the weak of heart.

~ Father, search me and see if there is anything in me that is not pleasing to You. Give me the courage and trust to let You change me to be what You dream me to be. Amen.

Mar. 1: Bone-ified Jesus?

“Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones”

So the new big controversy is over some ossuaries that were discovered in 1980. There are those who claim these boxes hold the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and Mary Magdalene.

“Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones”

It seems to me that if the rumor was true that Jesus’ “disciples came during the night and stole him away while the Roman guards were asleep” (Matthew 12:13); that there was no resurrection as Christians have claimed for nearly 2,000 years; if those disciples were just a bunch of lying tomb-robbers trying to start a new religion, etc.,

Then it seems to me that they would have gotten rid of any evidence of a physical body in case someone came across the remains later and proved the whole claim to be a hoax. Why take a chance of being found out by leaving the evidence lying around? Had they been scheming they would have covered their tracks.

“Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones”

It seems to me that some folks bend over backwards to NOT believe the Bible. So the old question arises again, “what if the skeptics are right and I’m wrong?” Then I’ve spent my whole life believing a lie, trying to love and serve my fellow-man. But what if I’m right and they’re wrong? Then there is a God who has revealed Himself through creation, prophets, written scripture and clothing Himself in flesh to identify with humans and clarify His purpose and plans. What if the claims of the first Christ-followers are accurate?

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-7)

“Don’t you hear the word of the Lord?”

I’ll take my stand on the historical accuracy of the Bible. There are no bones to find. Jesus was raised from the dead, but He didn’t die again. Eyewitnesses recount that…
“After his suffering, Jesus showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)“when he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)
He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:9-11)
Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” (Luke 24:50-52)

I don’t know whose bones are in the box, but I don’t for one second believe they are the bones of the Jesus of the gospels in the New Testament of the Bible.

~ Father, help me not to be seduced into disbelief by the latest claims of skeptics. While some say, “seeing is believing”, help me to hold to the conviction that “believing is seeing.” Amen.