When People Come to Seek God

I recently read a passage of Scripture that hit me hard with its implications for me (us) in these days, especially as I look down the barrel of a new year.  See if it hits you the same way.
The prophet Zechariah hundreds of years before Jesus, looked ahead to a time when "many peoples will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord" and "ten men will take firm hold one Jew and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'"(Zech 8:20-23). 
As I read that passage it was as if God was telling me that in 2012 God would like to send many individuals and families from all places and walks of life to our church to seek Him; and He wants to send some who are hungry for the living God to me and others in our church so we can show them the way to God through Jesus Christ.
Why should we not believe that is precisely what God wants to do in 2012?  If that is to be the case, will we be ready?  We will be if our purpose is firmly grounded in the gospel of Christ and our lives are dominated by the power of the Holy Spirit.  That will be the evidence that God is with us.
I am praying that God will send spiritually hungry people to our church in the coming year and that He will use me to show them the way to Jesus.  I want to be ready!  How about you?

The Lord Our Light

It is a joy to drive through our neighborhood at night and see the beautiful displays of Christmas lights on the homes and in the yards.  Christmas can truly be called the season of light.  The prophet Isaiah looking ahead to the birth of Messiah wrote, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2 (NIV).
Even as I drive through our neighborhood with all the brightness and color, I know that behind the doors of some homes people struggle in the shadows of grief, suffering and guilt.  A few moments ago an ambulance rushed past our house to assist a neighbor in distress; a vivid reminder that trouble never takes a holiday.
The prophet Micah reflects on the suffering of his people and the darkness of sin that seems to engulf them and he offers these words of encouragement:  "Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." (Micah 7:8).
Let the bright and colorful lights of the Christmas season remind you that when darkness finds its way into your experience, the Lord will always be a never fading source of light for you.

The Power of 'Non-Anxious Presence'

This time of year we read and hear much on the topic of holiday stress and handling family conflict that can often arise at gatherings of relatives who seldom see each other except at Christmas.  Sometimes the greatest stress results from anticipating those gatherings where if anything is going to go wrong, that is when it will.
If you are one of those people who are expecting the worst and stressing out over what might happen, here is a tip from the Bible.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Romans 12:18 (NIV).
We cannot control what others might do or say; we can only control how we will respond or react.  Sometimes all that is needed to bring calm to a tense situation or to disarm a disruptive influence is to remain calm and avoid getting drawn into the drama.  When the anxiety level is on the rise, we can choose to be a 'non-anxious presence'.  We, with God's Spirit helping us, can do what we can to introduce peace into an otherwise tense and stressful time.  You can do only so much; as far as it depends on you but the peace you bring can have a profound effect on those around you.

My Favorite Fish Story

My favorite fish story really isn't about a fish at all.  It's about the One who made the fish and it's about us.  I'm talking about the story of Jonah, or as many know it, Jonah and the whale. 
Christmastime is a good season for another reading of Jonah.  Why would I suggest that?  Because the story of Jonah and the story of the birth of Jesus both reveal the extremes to which God will go to save sinners.
God loved the people of Nineveh so much that He chased down a defiant Jonah to have him deliver God's message of repentance and salvation to a sin-filled city.
That same God traveled from divine to human, from spirit to flesh, from heaven to earth in order to become a man who would save sinners.  He went to a lot of trouble for the human race; for sinners like you and me. 
Read Jonah this Christmas season and you will find a story of a God of relentless love; the same God who was willing to assume human form as a baby who would grow up to die to save you and me.

Are We There Yet?!

My sister and I asked, our kids asked and our grand kids ask.  Hardly a trip is made without boredom, impatience or just plain excitement taking over and we want to know "How much longer?!"
John heard a similar expression of eager anticipation, maybe even frustration in his Revelation vision.  He 'saw' and 'heard' the souls of the martyrs asking God, "How long Lord. . .until you avenge our blood?" (Rev 6:10-11).  God's answer came in two forms.  First, each of them was given a white robe to wear; then they were told that their waiting would be over when all who would ever die for the faith had died.  A time would come when God would destroy the enemies of God and of His people and there would be an end to martyrdom.  Meanwhile, He gave those who would wait a white robe.  He 'dressed' them for the wait.
Who of us have not asked, "How long Lord?"?  How much longer must I/we endure this situation, this condition.  It sometimes seems that there is no answer forthcoming.  John helps us here.
He teaches us that God is at work, behind the scenes of our frustration, our suffering, our impatience, even our eager expectancy, working things out to their conclusion.  Meanwhile, He dresses us in a garment of righteousness and strength; He equips us with the power of His Holy Spirit; we are "clothed in Christ" (Gal 3:27) and have "put on the full armor of God" (Eph 6:11).  Dressed like that, God's children can wait as long as He requires us to.

"To Him Who Can Keep You"

The title of this posting is from Jude verse 24.  What a powerful little phrase!  I have been reading the book of Daniel and, as is true in so much of the Bible, Daniel's life is a remarkable example of the power and truth of this phrase in Jude and what it holds for us.
Daniel along with others of God's people was snatched away from his homeland and taken into exile in a pagan, foreign land.  He was forced to serve a powerful king in a strange and unfamiliar culture.  He was thrown into a pit with man-eating lions.  Daniel was given a supernatural glimpse into a future that would be much worse than his present.  In short, Daniel's life was not easy.  But through it all he remained faithful to God, refusing to compromise on his beliefs.  At the same time God remained faithful to him.  Daniel experienced first-hand the presence, protection and providence of the God "who can keep you."
God did not spare Daniel the experience of exile and separation from all that was familiar and of value to him but He stood by him through it all.  God did not keep Daniel out of the lion's den but He kept him safe while he was there! 
We experience our own forms of 'exile' and times in the lion's den.  Just when we think conditions couldn't possibly get worse, they do.  But dear ones, we serve a God who can keep you!  The Bible assures us that life on this planet will get much, much worse before God puts an end to evil and suffering.  Meanwhile, as His people we can live in faith, confidence and courage as children of "Him who can keep YOU!"

Living a Bullet-Proof Life

I was recently summoned for jury duty and went through the jury selection process.  During the proceedings, one of the lawyers explained the principle of 'beyond reasonable doubt'.  I learned that there is no legal definition for that principle so its meaning for a jury is explained by relating it to other standards of evidence such as 'perponderance of the evidence' or 'clear and convincing proof'.  It is purposely the most difficult standard for a prosecutor to meet in establishing grounds for guilt.  One source I looked at said "the phrase is fraught with uncertainty as to meaning".
There are many things about which we are and can be uncertain and the consequences would be quite insignificant.  But the Bible addresses something about which we can be absolutely certain; something that has far reaching implications.
John writes to his readers, "My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion."
1 John 5:13 (MSG)
Everything John has said up to this point is so that his fellow followers of Jesus can be certain that they have eternal life; "beyond the shadow of a doubt".  In one sense, John is saying that we can be sure that we are spiritually bullet-proof in terms of our standing with God because of Jesus Christ; not just for this life but for all eternity!  Spiritually bullet-proof means that we can have the confidence to come to God with anything and to obey with courage anything and everything He says without fear of the outcome.  Read 1 John 5:13-21 and start living the bullet-proof life beyond the shadow of a doubt.  It's the most exciting life anyone can live!

The Cure for Condemnation

The Bible tells us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).  If God no longer holds sin against those who have placed their faith in Christ, how are we to get past that nagging and recurring self-condemnation that we often experience?  Perhaps you know what I'm referring to; those bouts of self-criticism and feelings of worthlessness that accompany memories of the old me and reminders of past sin no matter how they present themselves. 
I hate those feelings but I have learned that I don't have to live like that; there is a cure for self-condemnation for followers of Jesus and it can be found in 1 John 3:18-24. 
This passage tells me that self-condemnation is the result of disobedience to God particularly in the area of love for others.  This makes total sense to me when I think about it.  I used to be very critical of others; not loving but judgmental and fault-finding.  I could say that I loved others but my actions and attitude said otherwise.
Then the Spirit of God moved me to put His word to the test.  I began to love "with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18).  In other words I started trying to see others as God sees them (as He sees me!); as beloved and worth saving (truth).  And I started acting on that in my attitude and in the way I treat them.
Over time I began to experience another miracle of grace in my own life.  As I became more loving of others in attitude and actions, I became less and less critical of myself and the frequency and duration of incidents of self-condemnation decreased.  Amazing!
"This is his command: to believe. . .and to love. . .as He has commanded us" ( 1 John 3:23).  It's the certain cure for what ails us.

A Danger that Faces the Church

Every generation since the ascension of Jesus into heaven has thought that his promised return would be on their watch.  People have lived in expectancy, in dread, in hope, longing and even praying for his return.  Unbelievers have ridiculed even the idea that the Lord would come back by saying that if he really cared, he would have come back a long time ago and straightened out this mess we live in.
The Bible says that the Lord isn't stalling; he isn't making us sweat or stew in our own sin to teach us a lesson.  He is waiting until the last possible moment to give as many as possible a shot at his forgiveness and eternal salvation (2 Peter 3:8-9).  The fact is that Jesus is coming back when God says the time is right.
Meanwhile the Bible says that the Church is to live expecting that today could be the day.  That means guarding against being lured off the path of truth by bad theology, false teaching and good-sounding spirituality that sounds just enough 'christian' to sound believable (2 Peter 3:17).  The closer we get to the day of Jesus' return, the more pervasive this will become. 
The greatest danger facing the modern Church is not financial strain brought on by severe economic conditions nor is it declining membership.  It very well could be spiritual laziness on the part of those who claim to follow Jesus.
Laziness shows up in many ways in the Church but the greatest danger is when we fail to pursue our own growth and maturity in the faith (2 Peter 3:18).  This brand of laziness leaves us vulnerable to getting derailed by false religious doctrine, weakens our witness for Christ in the world and sets us up for a very unpleasant experience of judgment when we stand before the Lord.  Growth has eternal implications.  FAILURE to grow has even more!