In need of help...

I'm always amazed at how creative we are when we need to fix a problem. We are masters at making things work even when it appears there is no way to resolve the problem. We can make 3 wheel cars run, we can make crutches for the lame to walk, we can think through almost any problem and create a solution, but what we can't do is resolve our problem with God on our own....we are in need of help. It's not a simple thing that we can fix if we are only creative enough.

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God has told us we are broken and need a "fix", so we create our own "make-do" fixes to the problem of sin and God. We do good deeds, live good lives, help others and a hundred other things that, in our minds, should fix the problem but it doesn't. We are still limping along in need of a real solution to our problem.

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That's what Easter is all about....those of us in need of help discovering that God himself became a man to resolve our broken condition. The bible tells us we are sinners in need of a savior. We need to be "fixed", helped, forgiven...we need help. And there is nothing we can do on our own, even with our brilliant and creative minds, to fix this problem...it's simply too big. The only solution to this broken situation is that the creator come and do the repairs and restoration himself and he did. In this Easter week we Christians celebrate God's solution to our brokenness.

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The solution is not simply a patch or a mend. It's a completely new life and forgiveness made possible by what Jesus did on the cross. In that one act of sacrifice on the cross he solved our problem of sin and provided the fix to our brokenness. He paid our debt and provided not a patch or a mend, but a new life. It's available to anyone, in fact God has offered it to EVERYONE and he wants every one to be saved. He provided on sacrifice for all sin, for all people, for all time...

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"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him." -THE MESSAGE

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I'm so glad that he searched me out, he invited me to trust him and I did. In that moment my eternal problem of brokenness was resolved. He saved me. In our world today there are many who would tell you that we are not broken, we don't need a god to fix us, but just look around! Can you see that this is not true at all? We are in need of help and Easter is God's declaration that help, healing and salvation has come.

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Interesting....

The coming King

Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday. It's the day we remember Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey , fulfilling prophesy, declaring himself to be Messiah and King. As Jesus made this entrance everyone knew what it symbolized. Everyone knew what he was stating by his actions, and yet.....

....within just a few days they had rejected him as King and Messiah and on Friday crucified him. It appeared they had won and Jesus was just another failed Messiah pretender, but...

...three days later he rose from the dead. Clearly establishing another kind of kingdom ruled by a different kind of king. And this king, the gracious and loving savior, invites everyone into his kingdom. Admission is free, anyone can be part of it. The promises are wonderful. But this king is not finished yet...

...one day he will return and establish his rule and reign over all mankind. One day...

...one day at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

One day each of us will bow at Jesus feet and declare him Lord. One day the king of heaven will be king of all. Is he your king?

Monday's cartoon

Quote of the day

"How have we convinced ourselves that every view has to count?" -Sam Harris, atheist, in a speech on the topic of morality
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Saturday's cartoon

New to me....

I love music....all kinds. If you saw what I have on my I-pod you would wonder about my tastes. I listen to Christian, classical, pop, jazz, world music, acoustic, vocals, and a host of other formats. I like to discover new music that's unique and different. Two friends have recommended groups to me that I am really enjoying. They are completely different, but both very good. Here they are:

Big Daddy Weave is a group that Larry told me about. Larry and his wife are old friends with the members of the group. I have heard of them, but never paid much attention to their music. They are really good. Great vocals, great lyrics and very inspiring. In fact, I went to the I-tunes store and got a couple of their albums. Very good.

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The second group is one that Mike recommended on his blog- Archeology. It is very different. I would describe them as a rock choir with a guitar and drum. The group and the music is really good, but very different. I'm not even sure I could explain it well...you just have to hear them. I think you would like this group.

The artist's signature

Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

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The great claim of the Bible is that there is an eternal being, God by name, who has made EVERYTHING. It's the claim of an artist to his great work, "I made this, I painted this, I created all you see." That's the claim of God in the Bible. In fact, he is even bolder in his claims when he says, "I made it all in 6 days!" Now, there are great discussion about this, but the artist who made it all, the only one there to witness the work, says he did it and finished his art work in record time- 6 days.

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Science will tell you this cannot be. Clearly we have a disagreement. On one hand is the divine artist and creator claiming the work of art and telling us how he did it. On the other hand is the work of art responding, "No, you didn't make us and you sure didn't do it in 6 days!" And so, I have a decision to make. Do I believe the artist or the work of art itself? Do I trust the only witness or those who are still trying to figure out how it all fits together? The work of art is insistent that no artist painted this amazing work. They tell us this wonderful work of art "just happened...by accident."

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The artist who painted it all has put his signature on his work. Regardless of the protests of those he created, he still claims to have made it all. I have chosen to believe the artist instead of those he made. It seems clear to me that the artist would know more about his work than the work itself. How can we make this all so complicated when it's really so simple? In response to this short piece some would call me "simple." I would agree. I accept the title "simplistic literalist" willingly. I believe God whatever you call me. I trust the artist. He's never lied to me yet.

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Father.....

Have you ever come to a time when you want to, need to, desire to pray, but have nothing to say? There are no words. The heart cries out to God, but words don't come. There is a desire to ask, to plead with God for something, but what? Father....the heart cries, but the words are missing. There is so much that I need to talk to him about....family, the church, finances, health, our country, God's work in me....there is so much, but no words. Father....and with that I stop.
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I'm so glad he doesn't need my words, he knows my heart. I'm so grateful that the Holy Spirit speaks for me when words are absent. I want to ask, but do my words even ask for the right things? Does my mind even know what I really need? I realize there is so much that I don't know and that unknowing affects what I say to God. And why are my words all so selfish? All my thoughts are of me, my welfare, my good, my needs, my family, my health, my needs.....how can I come to God with thoughts of just me? He already knows what I need and is working on that. He's way ahead of me...light years ahead of me. He was working on the details of my life before he even made the universe. He loves me.
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And so, as I can only imagine a child feels when they raise up stretched arms to a parent to be held, I come to God with no word, only outstretched arms and a cry, Father....

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The angels sing...

One of my readers posted this comment today. I thought it worthy of a post of its own. Thank you, gm, for sharing this story,

"LIFE AS A VAPOR -Even in the last of the "vapor" youth and a new start. Last night at 9:pm an 89 year 'grumpy old man accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior - repented of his past and became a new baby in the Kingdom of Heaven. Twenty years of believing for his salvation. In the midst of his long suffering wife's birthday party the Holy Spirit held everyone in another room as he did his work of conviction, repentance, acknowledgment and confession... now born again into everlasting life - not just a vapor anymore! HIS WORD DOES NOT RETURN VOID BUT COMPLETES THE WORK IS WAS SENT TO DO!" -gm, a thankful witness!"

With eyes wide open

This is a most interesting time. Many would prefer to stick their head in the sand and pretend that nothing is changing, but in fact everything is changing. You can't hide from the days we live in or the days ahead.

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In thinking about our day my thoughts go back to the first century and the life of Paul. He lived in a most difficult time and yet in the midst of very difficult days he was excited about what God was doing around him. In Paul's day he lived under the rule of the Roman empire. Slavery was prevalent. Persecution was rising. His own people had turned their backs on him. He had been beaten and flogged more than once. There was every reason in the world for Paul to look for a place to hide, but instead he engages the world head on. He clearly thought differently about the world he lived in than we do in ours. He knew the only thing that could change his world was the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Paul didn't ridicule the government, instead he told believers to be submissive to the rulers over them. He said, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, that the government was placed there by God. The ruler at the time of these words was Nero.

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Paul didn't criticize slave owners, but instead told slave to be submissive to their masters.

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Paul didn't focus on changing the culture, he focused his energies on preaching the gospel...on changing lives. He knew the only way you can change a culture is from the inside, one heart at a time. If a man or woman trusts Christ as savior you have changed one life in the midst of a culture. It's that inside out change that will change an entire culture one life at a time. That was Paul's focus- the gospel, the heart, the individual.

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In our day we, as Christians, have focused our attention on changing culture from the outside through laws, phone calls to our congressman, signing petitions, calling talk shows. But what we forget is that you cannot change culture from the outside in....it only makes the culture around us mad. If culture is to change we must do it from the inside out. One person, one heart trusting Christ, one life changed by following Christ. The enemy has convinced us that we can do more through politics than through saved lives and changed hearts. We have been wrong to believe that lie.

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Like Paul we need to focus our energies on sharing Christ with a lost world. It's the changed lives that will change the culture. No matter how bad the culture becomes we are still called to one mission- preach Christ, make disciples. In spite of the choices of leaders and government our task never changes. It's the same message Paul preached in his most difficult days. It's the message of transformed lives that will transform the culture.

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It's time to once more become the church of Jesus Christ and boldly proclaim the gospel that will transform lives and ultimately change the culture. It's time to live with our eyes wide open focused on what God cares about most.

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Quote of the day

"The rejection of God is a matter of will, not of intellect," -James S. Spiegel, philosophy professor

Quote of the day

Key House Democrat: "There Are No Rules Here ... We Make Them Up As We Go Along" ...

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I don't usually deal with politics here, but I was so amazed at this comment made before cameras by one of our representatives that I had to comment on it. Clearly, this statement communicates to all of us that the Constitution we thought we lived by is no longer the rule of law in our land. If this is the first light of a new day be ready for everything to change.

Monday's cartoon

Since this is the first day back to school after our spring break I thought this would be an appropriate cartoon for the day. Funny how having a good God can cause confusion on so many issues.

Time passes too quickly

This morning I am doing some photo editing and came to this photo of my favorite person in the world. It was taken years before I knew her. As I tried to repair it I was struck that she and I have grown far past this age long ago. Our children are now years beyond this wonderful age as well. Now we look at grandchildren and they are quickly leaving these early years behind. It happens in a moment, and then it's gone.

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Time passes so quickly. Life is so short. I wish, at times, that we could have a remote that would slow down the moment. They all pass so quickly. It's amazing to me to see the years now roar by like a bullet train. As the Bible describes it, "we are a vapor, here for a moment and then gone." I'm quite aware of my vapor status this morning. I'm also most thankful that the God of the universe cares about vapor like me.

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Just some random thoughts of nostalgia on a cold Saturday morning.