Trust

A friend of mine reminded me of a passage in Jeremiah that got me thinking. He was captivated by the contrast of the passage. Let me share the passage and let's talk about it-

Jer 17:5-8- Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankindAnd makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. "For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

God is sure good at making things clear. He leaves us with no confusion about the lives of those who trust in him and those who don't. What a contrast! God makes it clear how these lives will turn out, doesn't he? To be a "tumbleweed" or a tree with an endless supply of water....let's see...which would be better? Wow, what a contrast. So it's obvious that who you trust in is really important. Trust in one who gives you some stability and life or trust in one who leaves you driven and tossed by every wind.

Sounds like it should be an easy choice, but I'm always surprised by my choices....I often realize that I have trusted in man in one way or another, and I am like that old tumbleweed when I do...unsure, unstable, not attached, not secure, wandering. Trusting in man is an unstable place to stand. I know better, but I do it so easily....that trusting in man thing. Trusting in man, at its best, will leave me dry, brittle, unstable, driven by every wind of emotion, lifeless, temporary.

But what a difference to trust in God...a tree by the stream...deep roots getting water...green leaves...not worried about drought. Now that's stability, security, life. I truly want to be like that tree- stable, strong, alive, productive, enduring.

Lord, help me to trust in the right things. Help me to keep my eyes on you. Help me to trust in you alone. I want to be like that tree by the spring...green and alive even in a drought. Make me aware of when I foolishly put my trust in man, and help me quickly deal with that sin. Thanks for being my stream of living water.

Living a present tense life

Mat 6:33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Mat 6:34 "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. -THE MESSAGE.

One of the great challenges of life is just the simple task of living in this moment, living a "present tense life." There are two great enemies of a walk with God that try to keep us from walking with God in the "now." One is "the fantasy of what could have been," and the other is "the fear of what might be." Let me address each one of these for a moment.

1. The fantasy of what could have been- We all live our lives looking back to the past or ahead to the future. It's rare that we live in the present tense. One of our enemies is the "fantasy of what could have been." We will often look with a longing for a change because of our present adversities- "If only I had married the other person," or "If only I had finished college," or "If only I hadn't made that horrible mistake" then life would be..... And our thoughts race to alternate present reality because of our dreams of "if only." Dreaming about what could have been can be a wonderful diversion, but it's sin plain and simple. The truth is that there is no "if only I had." There is only what is. Dreaming about an alternate life that would turn out different is a fantasy that brings nothing good to our present situation. It only makes the "now" harder because our fantasy solutions would have completely eliminated our real dilemmas and the need to trust the Lord with our real problems today. So, here is the first sin we often fall into. When you are tempted to visit the land of "if only I had..." make the decision not to go. It's a trip that only brings disappointment to what is your life right now.

2. The fear of what might be- The other problem I see many struggle with is "the fear of what might be." They are experts at worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet. There is no way any of us can see the future, so for us to worry about it before it ever gets here is a clear lack of faith in God to care for our tomorrows. Jesus clearly said, "don't worry about tomorrow." He knew we were tempted to do this, and warned us against it. Fear of what might be often keeps us from walking with God and trusting him RIGHT NOW. We miss the joy of a walk with God in the present tense.

We each have to live a present tense life intentionally. The distractions of fantasy about the past and fear about the future will easily get our attention away from a walk with the living God right now. I mentioned the word “walk” intentionally. It’s the word that the bible uses to talk about our lives of faith. The bible calls it a walk because there are some wonderful present tense elements to a walk that will help us stay focused on the now. Here they are quickly for your consideration- a walk demands a destination, but it can only be done one step at a time, one foot on the path toward the goal, one decision at a time to reach the goal. A walk demands a present tense life. That word, walk, often helps me get back to “now.”

As you go through your day living your life and find the temptation toward fantasy or fear, stop for a moment and ask the Lord, “Lord, where are we right now? What are we working on? Why am I tempted to leave this present tense walk with you?” That quick prayer and awareness of the temptation to thoughts of the impossible will make your present tense life an exciting place to be and will quiet those fantasies and calm those fears. Have a great day.

Fear

Fear is a vicious monster. It sprouts wings. It breathes fire. It threatens death and destruction whenever and wherever it appears. None of us are immune to its power. None of us escape its impact in our lives.

Fear has many forms- fear of man, fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of abandonment, fear of war, fear of poverty, of what other will think, and the list goes on. The bible even describes a fear of fear.

I know people who live in Iowa who are afraid of whales. Imagine that. They have never seen a whale nor been to the ocean, but their fears are real.

I've talked to others who are afraid to go out of their homes. They have become prisoners of their own imaginations, housebound because of fear.

I'm sure you could tell me stories of your fears as well. They are part of each of our lives. Fear is one of the results of man's fallen state. In fact, when God shows up after the fall his first question to man, "Where are you?" brought this response, "I hid because I was afraid."

The clinical name for fear is phobia. We now have phobias for everything and there is good reason to be afraid. We are a fearful creature. The human being, both man and woman, struggle with fears their entire life. It affects us mentally, physically and socially. It weaves it's threads through all we are and think.

When fear comes over us it feels like a panic attack, blood rushing to or from our head, heart racing, thoughts confused, it affects everything when it happens. Fear is that dragon that suddenly changes everything. It affects us all. None are immune to its power.

In the bible the topic of fear is addressed often and clearly. The angels have to introduce each visit with man with this caveat, "Fear not...." One of the things I know about fear is that it betrays all we know about God and reality, it happens...like that fire breathing dragon...when we least expect it, but it happens no matter how long you have walked with God.

Why this topic? Because fear struck me today. A situation happened that had no reason for fear, but fear rose and my body responded. I thought, how amazing that I would be afraid when I know no reason to fear. In that moment I thought, Why am I afraid? What caused this? Why is fear part of this situation? It made me revisit what I know about God. You see, it's what I know about God that will dispel fear. Fear is a focus on ME, the solution? an intentional focus on God. More about that another time.

The topic of fear is in the bible more than 300 times. Some, to be sure, simply describe a response, but many give us help and direction. Let me mention just one here. I think it's that simple to put this dragon to flight. Here it is,

^{1 Peter 5:7} Cast all your anxiety (fear) on him because he cares for you.

There it is. Fear has a solution, it's a big God. IF he is who he says he is (and he is) and IF he cares for me (and he does) THEN I can give him my fears and worries and trust him to take care of me. God is the ultimate dragon slayer. He's been dealing with these things since he made us. He is able and willing to help, so do not be afraid.

Quote of the day

A great quote for the day posted by my friend Tony. It's a wonderful reminder of our task....the task of loving the world as Christ loved us...

"If sinners be dammed, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for." - Charles H. Spurgeon

Monday's cartoon

The difference a day makes...

The tale of two day

It's the end of a great week of remembering what Jesus did for us....his death, his sacrifice, the resurrection and all that means to us. It's overwhelming if you think about the importance of these events. As I thought about the days around Friday and resurrection day it struck me that there are two days that are in complete contrast to each other.

The first day was Saturday. The day after the cross. It was a sabbath day. A time of rest, but a time of grief for Jesus' followers and probably the worse day of their lives. I can't imagine how they felt on that day as they thought through the last three years. The thoughts had to be about their hopes, their expectations. I'm sure they talked about it all. I can imagine the words, "but Peter, I thought he was the Messiah! How could he die like that? Were we fooled? What do we do now? Where do we go? What will the Jews do to us, we followed him for these last three years. How could the people vote for his crucifixion after he had done so much for them?" The questions had to be overwhelming, the discouragement, the depression must have felt like a dark cloud they couldn't escape.

But then Sunday happened. Jesus rose from the dead. It took nearly the entire day for the events of that morning to sink in. It wasn't until Jesus showed up in person that they finally understood....he was alive! And suddenly, in one day, everything changed.

Then comes the day that, as I thought about it, contrasts Saturday in a most dramatic way. Imagine these same men on Monday! Only one day between Saturday and Monday, but oh what a day that was! That day made all the difference. Imagine these same men on Monday. Smiles all around, giggles here and there, the cloud was gone, I'm sure the grief of Saturday was a distant memory. Now, in only a day, everything had changed. Now, in one day, all of humanity has changed. Hope was alive because Jesus was alive. One man changed everything in just a day....simply because he loved us.

As I think about this I realize this is still true today. The difference in our lives because of Jesus Christ is because, on a day in time he came to life in us. We trusted him and he saved us, forgave us, turned our sorrows into joy. In just a day everything changes and it's all because he loves us.

For me that day was December 8, 1964. It was an evening in church, but it was a day between darkness and light. What a difference a day makes, what a difference Jesus makes as he brings life into each of us as we trust him. What a difference a day makes!

He is Risen!

"Jesus Christ truly claimed He would rise from the dead. Only a small handful of self-deceived men have ever even suggested they might actually rise physically from the dead & their claims were eventually proven false. No one in human history did what Jesus did. He repeatedly & publicly predicted His death & resurrection, not only giving the specific manner of His death, but also the specific day of His resurrection." -John Ankerberg

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Today Christians celebrate an event of history that changed everything. On that early morning more than 2,000 years ago, Jesus rose from the dead.

It was an event that no one expected. It had never happened before or since. It changed everything for the human race. Now, there are two events of history that prove that God loves us- the cross and the empty tomb. Soon he's coming back. Soon we will see him. It's future history, but it's as sure as the fact that he rose from the dead. I can't wait to see him...the one who died for me.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Quote of the day

"The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity is a false religion. If it did take place, then Christ is God and the Christian faith is absolute truth." -Henry Morris

Saturday's cartoon

Good Friday

John 3:16-18 (The Message)

^16-18"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.

Great promises

There are some wonderful promises in the Bible that should be part of our lives. Promises from God give us hope, strength, build our faith and reassure us that God is not done with us yet. Here's one of those promises,

^{Romans 8:35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those words have been an encouragement in difficult days for millions over the centuries. These are rich words of promise, hope and reassurance from God that he will never stop loving us, but even more wonderful is this...nothing can separate us from his love. We are more than conquerors because God loves us. Victory comes not in battle, but in relationship. Conquest comes for us not in power, but in God's presence. Peace comes because in the midst of anything, any problem, any struggle, any pain, one thing is sure....God loves me.

How Christianity Started

A high calling

For several days now I've been thinking about a passage that is challenging me to think through its implications both in my own life and in the lives of those who call themselves Christians. Here are the words from Ephesians that have challenged me,

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;" -Eph. 5:1

I didn't get much further in the passage. That first phrase stopped me. This is such a high calling that most of us simply read over the implications. Stop for a moment and think about those eight words. What would change if that were your passion? How would you make choices with that as your model for life? How would your interaction with others change? What does this mean for your life today?

We all model someone. For most the models for our choices are the "celebrities" of television or politics. We all look to someone to emulate. We all have someone we have chosen as our hero, our mentor, the one we want to be like. It affects our choices. It molds our behavior. We all do it. Who are you imitating? What guides your choices?

The high calling of the Bible is to be imitators of God. For today, let me simply dangle that model in front of you for your consideration. "Be imitators of God, as beloved children." Look to him as your model for life, for choices, for how you interact with those around you. What would change if this were true of your life?

I'm still working on this in my life. I don't want to read further until I've worked out what these eight words mean for me.

Wisdom and understanding

^{Job 28:28} And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”

We are in a time when knowledge has increased exponentially, but sadly wisdom and understanding are hard to find. We know more than any generation in human history, but we apply less. Somehow we have disconnected knowledge from application. Somehow we think that what God says will not really apply to us. Somehow wisdom and understanding have declined as knowledge has increased.

The verse I noted is one of my favorites. It's the legend for these two keys words in scripture. In this short verse God defines words we wouldn't understand without his help. Here is the same verse from The Message, "Then he addressed the human race: 'Here it is! Fear-of-the-Lord—that's Wisdom, and Insight means shunning evil.'"

Wisdom is fear of God and the application is understanding, to shun (run from) evil (sin). Wisdom and understanding are knowing and doing. They are tied together. One produces the other. You don't have understanding (the application) without wisdom (the knowing). One, wisdom, causes the other, understanding, to act. Wisdom is the noun and understanding is the verb. Wisdom is fear of God. That's why Paul writes in 1 Corinthians that men in the world do not have the wisdom of God, or you might say that differently, men in the world do not fear God and you see the results in their lives...they live contrary to what God tells us in his word. They lack understanding, they don't run from evil, in fact they embrace it. For a man without God sin is an intimate friend.

Solomon explains this further when he wrote, Prov. 6:³² "Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul." How do we look at all of this? How did Solomon know this? It's clear. Wisdom is a fear of God, a reverence for him that affects your life, your choices. The results of wisdom are seen in a life. If I fear God then my life, my choices change, I live a life of understanding- a life that departs from and even avoids evil and sin. If I choose to sin, as Solomon describes, it's clear I have no understanding (a proper response to wisdom) and so his implication is that this man doesn't have wisdom either. No understanding, no wisdom. You can see by the choices a person makes if there is a real fear of God in their life.

My work as a pastor often deals with the choices people make and their results. Many come to me, as they would to an emergency room, hoping to prevent "death" after they have already made bad choices. I wish I could start much earlier and talk about wisdom and understanding, but many of my visits are with people who are now experiencing the results of living a life without wisdom and understanding. They come to me in an attempt to prevent the results of their choices. Paul talked about the results of bad choices when he wrote, "For the wages of sin is death." There is a payday for having things our way.

In a culture that deifies knowledge I would love to see a passion for wisdom

and it's application, understanding, become once more an important part of the Christian life. It would dramatically change the choices we make if a healthy fear of God was once more part of the Christian life.

Saturday's cartoon