Grateful in Grace

10/04/15

Luke 17.10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty. – Jesus

I can see how it happens: somebody says something that gets passed along to someone else and slightly changed; and then someone else hears it and it gets changed again, and before you know it, what is now said is nothing like what was said originally. Like that game we play where we line up and a word or phrase is given to the first person and whispered into the ear of the next and the next, and at the end of the line it is completely different. Jesus said, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”

Somehow that got changed to: “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” In God’s Kingdom we are neither unworthy nor sinners. If we are, then what is the point? Yes, we were sinners; but we now are children. And I’m not sure in the greater scheme of things that we were ever unworthy – God didn’t do all He’s done for the unworthy, but for the worthy – that’s how much He thinks of us. (See Psalm 8.4 and Hebrews 2.6)

When Jesus said that we are to claim that we are unworthy servants, He was directing us to do what we are supposed to do as children of the Most High, but not claiming the glory, the praise, the accolades, the prestige – we are certainly unworthy in the sense of serving Him who is worthy. Humility goes a long way with God. Doing what is expected is commendable but it is only doing what is expected. Going beyond expectations is what is expected in the Kingdom. But doing the expected or going beyond the expected is only done in order to point to Him to whom all glory belongs.

Jesus’ audience was Jewish. There were certainly outsiders who heard Him who marveled at what He said, but Jesus spoke primarily to Jews. The Jews back then had come to believe that their favored status was something of a merit-badge; they deserved what they had, and who they were. That was the problem – none of us deserve anything, but God’s grace is extended to us all: what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? All I know is it has something to do with God.

I serve the King because He is King. I enjoy the King because He is King. I do what I do for the King not to garner points with Him, but because He has given me all the points I’ll ever need in His singular sacrifice for me. He did for me what I could never do for myself and for that I am eternally grateful. Unworthy? Nope. Deserving? Nope. Grateful? Yep.

Father God, help me to maintain the right attitude toward who I am in this world and who I am in Your Kingdom. In this world I want to do what is expected and go beyond that for the sake of others; but I will do what I do for Your glory and not my own. I am not worthy of glory as a servant but I receive grace as a child – thank You for that! Amen.

Great Grace

10/3/2015

Luke 16.10-11 10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” – Jesus

In my vocation, I work with other people’s money. I am held responsible for how it is handled and how it’s reported. If I make mistakes there are strict consequences. The shrewd manager in Luke 16 made some mistakes with his master’s money and the manager lost his job, but not before he greased a few palms and secured his future. His master commended him for his trickery, but he didn’t hire him back.

When we look back through recent history we find that there are almost endless cases of monetary shenanigans in our world. Not only is the love of money the root of all evil, but the desire for money and what it brings, is a powerful power, and has led to the ruin of many. To possess great wealth one must have great faithfulness, erstwhile it's not how much money one has but how much money has one. Money appeals to a very dangerous part of our lives.

Jesus said if we’re faithful with little, we can be faithful with much. His point, methinks, is that to honor wealth properly if one’s wealth is small, helps to honor wealth properly if one’s wealth is great. I think Jesus is speaking to our attitude toward money and our relationship with it.

In this world we relate to everything in our lives – money is just one of the many things to which we relate. A relationship with money is knowing how to treat it and knowing how it treats us. Though money isn’t a living thing, it still has an influence in our day to day living. Do we possess money or does it possess us? In our relationship with money who is in control, us, or it? What would happen in our living if we kept money in its proper place? I think this is what Jesus was getting at.

I marvel that in this great world there are things called wealth and economy. I am amazed that God in all His wisdom has allowed us to live in a world where there is the exchange of currency. I am amazed that we have valuation; that we have this understanding of wealth and its transfer. But I am not amazed that in the midst of all this transaction that God has called us to be wise in our relationship with it, and to it.

One of the strangest verses in all of Scripture is Ecclesiastes 10:19:

A feast is made for laughter,
    wine makes life merry,
    and money is the answer for everything. (NIV)

Hmmm, what would our world look like if we treated money with respect, and each other with love?

Faithfulness goes a long way with God. Humility goes even farther. And I think there is a great grace available to all who struggle in their relationship with money – rich and poor, and indebted. My prayer today is simply this:

Lord, as I work with people to be wise with their money, may I partake of Your great grace to be wise with my own. May I be found faithful with little or much, and may my relationship with money be a relationship that honors You. Amen

Finish My Course

09/30/15

Luke 13.31-32 31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.” – Dr. Luke, the Physician

What does one do with a death threat? Does one take it seriously? Does one become afraid? Or does one call someone’s bluff? Death threats can be real or they can be a façade. I suppose it all depends on who is making the death threat. In Jesus day, a death threat from the sitting ruler would have given most people pause, and cause to believe the threat was real – murder in Palestine was as old as Cain and Abel.

There are those who are threatened by a death threat and are afraid; then there are those who, when threatened, adopt the mentality: if it resorts to me being killed, I am going to continue doing what I do until I wind up in the morgue. Only death can stop such a one.

Jesus, on the other hand, knew He was going to die. He knew He came to die. But He knew when He was going to die and He wasn’t going to stop doing what He did until He died. And He knew He would rise again. The only way He knew all this was He was told all this by the Father and He believed. Belief isn’t the salvation here, it’s the Source of the information. Belief is key when God is in charge; death has no power when God is in charge.

Jesus, focused on what God told Him to do, took Herod’s threat in stride and stayed focused because He knew Herod wasn’t in charge of His death, God was. And God is in charge of the death of all His children: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Psalm 116.15). Their race is over, they kept the faith.

I’ve yet to receive a death threat; perhaps that day is yet to come. But I don’t lay awake at night and worry about it either. My goal is to keep the faith, run the race, and when it’s over, it’s over. In life it is more important to stay focused on what God says than on what someone else threatens. If I die in the process, then I die. But my goal is my goal and that is what I’m to stay focused on.

What I am more conscious of today is things like greed, pride, selfishness, and unbelief. What I am more afraid of is forgetting about God and just doing my own thing. The silent killers for me are those things that take me off my goal of staying focused on what God has called me to do. That’s my big concern.

Father, threats are threats and it wasn’t Herod who killed the Savior. Jesus stayed true to His mission and because He did, I am writing this, in faith, today. Help me to stay focused on Your mission and plan for my life, and to let distractions pass right on by. I need Your help in battling distractions and I need Your help to remain faithful. That is my concern and my prayer – amen.

Consideration

9/27/2015

Haggai 1.2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.”

I’ll get around to it. That’s what we say. Priorities. Scheduling. Importance. Necessity. When it becomes important, I’ll get it done, but in the meantime, I know I need to give it some attention at some point and when the timing is right, I’ll get around to it. When God says, Go, rebuild My House, then it probably ought to be done. It ought to get done.

Darius, the king of Persia felt like the Lord told him to send some people back home – whomever would go – and get His temple rebuilt. The days of the exile were ending and God knew one way to get His people off the stick was to give them a priority – something He knew they’d buy into – to go back home after a seventy year vacation. So God told Darius to tell the Jews, go back and rebuild.

It’s amazing what seventy years can do. Seventy years can change one’s perspective. Seventy years can age you. Seventy years of seeing the sun come up and go down can cause one to get used to one’s surroundings. Everything seems to be normal after seventy years. Most of the people reading this haven’t yet lived seventy years. For that matter, I haven’t lived seventy years, but I’ve lived sixty, and even now, I’ve aged, my perspective has changed, and things have become normal. I’ve yet to get to the point where what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work…

Life gets complicated. Stuff comes up. Lives need to be lived and houses need to be built. It seems the focus of Haggai is simply this: can we do all these things and still do them with God as our Priority? Apparently, the invitation to go home sounded exciting at first and then petered out to the usual personal preferences and priorities. Haggai was a wake-up call to not forget about God, which got them deported in the first place.

How many times do we put off the great and settle for the good? Nothing wrong with good but good can also mean comfort and inaction rather than action. I may not smoke and may not chew, and may not go with girls who do, but what really matters is what I am doing, making a difference in this world for the Kingdom of God? What has God called me to do, and is it my first (and really only) priority? I guess what Haggai said still has bearing upon all this today: Consider your ways.

I think considering my ways on a daily basis is probably more important than what I actually do. Is God a part of my process, or is God my process? I can flat talk myself out of things. It’s easy. But what I am called to is to do what God says first, and everything falls into place after that.

Lord, as I consider who I am and what I am to do, may it be in consideration of You. Help me to focus on the great and be real about the good. My best and my all trumps just showing up. You have spoken to me today, may I act in accordance with that – amen.

Divine Discussions Divine Decisions

9/23/2015

Luke 6.13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles... – St. Luke, the Doctor

There were many who followed Jesus, but the Lord chose only twelve. There were large crowds that followed Jesus but only a handful were selected to be His closest companions.

In Luke’s gospel it says in 6.12 “In these days [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” It was like God had handed Him a large tray full of precious jewels and Jesus examined them all and chose twelve to be His closest students. I can’t imagine the thought process involved. It is the power of prayer and the counsel of God.

I think there was a divine discussion as the Father said, “This one. That one. That one over there.” From before the foundation of the world was laid, God already knew who would be on Jesus’ team. It wasn’t a matter of popularity, or intellect, or good looks; it was a matter of divine decision. Prayer is part of the process.

I don’t know that I’ve ever prayed all night about something. I know I’ve worried all night as I’ve faced tough things. I know as I do what I do, prayer must be a part of all I do; as a husband, a father, a churchman, a business man; a citizen of this country; as a child of God. Most of the time I just wing it. Most of the time I think about praying for an instant and then fly off and do what I think I ought. Rarely have I set aside a period of time to have a divine discussion and really listened for the voice of God to show me: This one. That one, that one over there.

I love the way the New Living Translation puts it in Philippians, chapter 4, verse 6: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. That is great advice; especially for those who tend to worry about everything and fear the worst.

Today, I am reminded that I must pray. I almost wanted to say, I need to pray more; but quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality. I must pray. I must include God in all my doings; my comings and goings. I’m not keeping score, I simply look to God to help me as I seek divine decisions.

Father, awaken in me anew, the reality of prayer and the preciousness of Your presence. Help me to stop and discuss with You what I am trying to do, and to thank You for what You are doing, and what You’ve already done. It is a trust thing and I ask for Your help in this, this day. Amen

Greatly Loved

09/22/15

Daniel 10.19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” – Daniel, the Prophet

Last night as I laid down to sleepy land, I prayed for a man whose situation has changed dramatically. I think what he thought was true, wasn’t; and now life has changed. As I spoke with him on the phone I could hear tension and disappointment in his voice and I thought, hmmm, things are not as they were.

I started singing in my mind, Jesus Loves Me, as I prayed for this guy. Then I realized, Jesus loves me! I mean, I knew that, but it hit me pretty hard that Jesus does indeed love me. He loves me with a love that defies logic for He sees me in a way that defies my self-belief of who I am. I see me, mostly, as a miserable wretch; that’s the furthest thing from His mind. He sees me perfect and whole and in Him.

I read in the Book of Daniel this morning and I read the above which is what the angel Gabriel said to Daniel in a vision. If only I and the man I mentioned could hear those words we might think differently. But, we have heard those words. We are greatly loved. The Bible tells us so.

Daniel was greatly loved because he was doing the Lord’s bidding in a foreign land surrounded by pagan worship and fellow Jews who’d lost their belief. You and I are no different because we are loved by the same God who greatly loved Daniel and chose to have him serve a pagan king in a land filled with all sorts of weird and vile things. The love for us is expressed in the Savior who took our sins upon Himself and went to a cross to die the death meant for us. Great Love spared us from that fate.

And great love carries us through each day. Great love doesn’t spare us from great difficulties, but great love assures us that we too are to be “strong and of good courage” in the midst of things we find less than appealing. Jesus loves us, this we know, for the Bible tells us so.

I am going to visit the man this week. I’m going to find a way to encourage him and I’ve made up my mind that I’m going to find a way to pray for him. Is he perfect and without fault in his circumstances? Probably not. Is he a child of the Great King? I believe he is, even if he doesn’t fully recognize it. But since he is, he may need to be reminded that he, in his present situation, is greatly loved by the Great King who is with him is every moment of every day for all of his life.

Father, today I am reminded of just how much You love me. The Bible told me so. Today, I am out to serve You and help others in their situations to remember that as children of God, we too, are greatly loved. We are adored. And we are helped in our circumstances to remember just how loving, and wonderful, and patient You are with us – and Your great love drives You to do so. What is man that You are mindful of him? I haven’t figured that out, but I am glad You are! Amen

That Prayer

9/18/2015

Luke 1.13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” - Dr. Luke

I get it. As a former pastor, I get it. As a churchman I get it. As a spouse, a parent, a business owner, I get it. As an intercessor and child of God, I get it. God answers prayers, but He also answers that prayer.

Zechariah the priest was on duty and he was supposed to lift prayers and incense to God on behalf of God’s people. And he did; but Zechariah had a prayer of his own: God, I’d like a son. He might’ve even said, please, and he might’ve even said, thank You for what You are already doing. I get it.

There are times in our lives in which prayers are lifted, but there are also times in our lives when there is a prayer, something that just won’t go away from us personally. The deepest need. The deepest longing. The ache that won’t quit; that which just won’t go away. It’s that prayer.

And I think it was to that prayer to which the angel Gabriel referenced when he told Zechariah that God indeed had heard his prayer – that prayer. A son was on the way…

A friend of mine (quoting another) says God answers prayers like this: Yes. No. Wait. And, if you insist. There just may be some truth to that, but Zechariah, because of the then age-old importance of bearing offspring, probably made it a plea to the Most High. I think, for the longest time God told him, “wait”. And Zechariah did. And Zechariah may have thought the answer was, no; but he kept praying because his longing, his desire, his pain was so deep. And no one else could help.

Who’s at fault when a couple can’t bear kids? The husband? The wife? Doesn’t matter, and shouldn’t be a point of contention, but sometimes it is. We don’t culturally value children these days like they did in those, but to the ones who really want one and can’t they usually pray that prayer.

Childbearing may not be your issue – it might be a new job, or a new client, a healing, or a financial miracle. Whatever it is, it may be for you, that prayer. You may be in leadership, or in the shepherding of others, and you may offer up corporate prayers (and perhaps incense), but among or alongside whatever corporate stuff you pray for is that prayer and God is attuned to the heart that prays. And we shouldn’t be surprised on that day (angelic visitation or not) when the prayer gets answered.

God gives His kids what is best for them. The answer to prayer whether it’s yes, no, wait, or, if you insist, is all in perfect harmony with His loving heart. And His answers are in tune with His love and He never does anything apart from His love.

Lord, may we simply pray and trust You with whatever the answer is. It may have been Your will to say, no to old Zech, (in reality it wasn’t) but You heard his prayer and felt his heart. I trust You in our walk together it is no different. May I simply pray – Amen.