A draught in the land

There is a passage of scripture in Amos 8 that describes a day when the word of God will be hard to find.  Here are the prophet's words from more than 2,500 years ago,

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—


not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    

but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 

Men will stagger from sea to sea
    

and wander from north to east,


searching for the word of the Lord,
    

but they will not find it."

Amos is one of my favorite prophets, but I never dreamed I would see the fulfillment of his words in my days.  Those days are here!  With churches on every corner it's hard to find a church that teaches God's word.  It's as if the pastors in our day don't trust the word of God to hold the attention of their people so they have turned to entertainment and by doing so have abandoned the very words that will give life to those who attend.


If you are a parishioner you know how difficult it is to find a good bible teaching church.  If you find yourself in the desert looking for God's word don't give up.  There are churches that teach God's word without apology.  Keep looking, you will find one.  


Pastors, preach the word!  It's the only thing, the only text that will change the lives of those in your church.  Trust God's word, preach the gospel, talk about Christ.....you might find that people will come to hear you because no one else is teaching the word of God in your area.  People are hungry, feed them the only food that will satisfy their souls....God's word.

Saturday's cartoon

What I'm reading now

A dear old friend and mentor recommended a book to me when I saw him a few weeks ago.  It's a book  written around the verse in Romans 8:28 that describes God's work in our lives.

I just finished it this morning and wanted to take a moment and recommend it to you as well.  It's a very encouraging book and one I think every Christian should read.

If you're struggling to see God in your life get a copy of "The Promise" and  work your way through it.  I know it will help you.

Rescued!

^{Col. 1:13} For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Rescue stories always make the news.  We love to hear about great stories of lives saved, rescued from the sea, rescued from a fallen building after an earthquake, saved from death as a ship sinks at sea.  We love redemption stories....they give us hope, promise, the vision of how things should be...of people helping others escape from certain doom.

This passage in Colossians 1 is a story of rescue.  It's the story of rescue for all of humanity by a loving God.  The rescue plan was conceived before time began and executed 2,000 years ago on behalf of a race that had no way of rescue on their own.  We desperately needed someone to come and help us.  That is what God declares he has done.  He has rescued us from the domain (dominion) of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.  The rescue is available to anyone who will reach out a hand of faith and ask for salvation. 

God's great rescue plan provides help to the helpless, a home in a new kingdom, redemption (bought back) and forgiveness of sins.  We all love rescue stories.  I think that's why I so love the story of God's rescue of mankind.  It's the ultimate story of sacrifice and love demonstrated to provide the ultimate solution for each of us who will reach out a hand of faith.  


Rescued.  


Transferred. 


Redeemed. 


Forgiven. 


What a rescue plan!

Success

Success is not about what you accomplish for others to see, but who you become that no one can see.

Sheep in a world of tigers

एक भेड़ के रूप में एक हजार साल से 
एक बाघ के रूप में एक दिन जीने के बेहतर

Yesterday I ran to the store to get some things for family coming over for dinner.  As I checked out I saw a middle aged woman behind me with the above phrase tattooed on her forearm.  I couldn't help myself, so I asked her, "What does it say?"  She replied, "Better to live one day as a tiger than a thousand years as a sheep." 


The quote comes from Tipu Sahib c 1750–99, sultan of Mysore in India.  It captivated my thoughts to wonder why a middle aged woman would have this saying tattooed on her forearm.  Why was it so important to her?  What inspired her to have this as her "life verse"?  It's quite a clear statement to the world that it's better to be the predator than the prey.  I wonder what kind of relationship she has with her husband?  


As I thought about this I realize we all, Christian or not, live by something.  We each adopt a motto, a world view to commentary our lives.  We each live by some written or unwritten philosophy of life.


A few months ago we had a waiter in a restaurant with "1 Corinthians 16:13" tattooed on his forearm.  Again I asked, "what does it say?"  He replied, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."  Quite a different message.


Many I have known have a life verse they have adopted.  The rule of life is determined by the heart and desire of the one who chooses it.  For years my verse was Philippians 1:21 "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain."  That was my life verse for a long time, but as I grew I realized it really wasn't true of me.  I'm still trying to figure out where I am now, what would describe my life today.


Whether written or not we each have a view of life, a driving force that determines how we act, interact and navigate.  Whether it's a tattoo or a verse or quote we gravitate toward something to give us a compass, a direction.  It's often the reason for conflict in relationships.  We don't realize the other person is operating by a different rule of life and we collide as we try to interact.


Whatever drives  your life make sure it gives you clear direction for the course ahead and realize that others are often going in the other direction, operating by a different rule of law.  For the Christian, whatever the words that guide you, the goal is the glory of God.  Realize, as you encounter the world, that this will always make us sheep in a world of tigers.

An amazing artist!

Here is another work of art by the best artist I have ever known.  What I love about this artist is his love of color and contrast.  His work has inspired millions and does so every day.  This is one of my favorite works of his. 

The Normal Christian Life

I've been thinking a lot lately about the Christian life. Specifically MY Christian life. I've been trying to evaluate my route of recent years. Why has my odyssey gone this way? Why have I struggled at different times and why have other days been easy and inspired? It's clear that my walk with God has not been a progressively growing and increasingly happy life. I don't think anyone has that kind of walk with God.

Let me see if I can describe the Christian life from my own walk and perspective. For me, as I walk with God, it seems that my walk looks more like a long walk through the desert with an occasional stop at an oasis for refreshment and rest. An oasis is a strange place. In the middle of miles of sand, suddenly and for no reason, water, trees and life appear. It's at the oasis where a weary traveler can rest, get water and gain new strength.

It's my experience that my walk with God can best be described this way- There are many dry days as I continue to walk with God. All the way I know God is with me and caring for me, but days of joy, inspiration and great victory are rare. Then, suddenly and for no reason, I come to an oasis. It's wonderful! Refreshment, rest, water and revival of spirit. If I can, I linger at the oasis for a while...it's such a wonderful place, but at some point I must continue my walk and so I head back into the desert to continue my walk with God.

The oasis is great. It's needed. I would get discouraged and might give up if it weren't for the occasional oasis, but life with God has to be a life of dependence. It must be a life in which I look to God and trust him. I won't find that relationship at the oasis. I have to go out into the desert to discover this kind of relationship. It's the dry days when I learn to trust God. It's the days in the desert when I look to him to help me and give me what I need for the day. It's the dry days in the desert when I grow in my faith the most.

Some pray for an eternal oasis. They never want to leave the cool springs, the wonderful shade of the fig trees, the comfort of the oasis. But if you depend on the oasis you will never learn to depend on God. So, off to the desert we are led. Led by God to meet with him there. Dry days when we will find our richest walk with God. As I've tried to think through my own walk with God I think this describes my odyssey so far. It's not glorious. It's not always full of great testimonies to share. It's often dry and difficult, but it's my time with God in the desert where I find an intimacy with God I can never find at the oasis.

This is what I would call the normal Christian life. I think it's the real life of every Christian. Many linger long at the oasis not wanting to leave the comfort there, but some find a hunger for God more powerful than the comfort of the oasis and so they head off into the desert. It's there we find an intimacy and relationship with God that will never be found at the oasis. It's this strange contrast between oasis and desert that describe the walk of the Christian. It's not always glorious, it's not always easy. It's not filled with wonderful stories although there are some. There are days when the best we can say is, with God's help, we got through the day, but between rest at the oasis and walking with God through the desert we grow in faith. The goal? A walk with God that is lived in dependence on him. As best as I can describe it, this is my walk with God.

Photo of the day

Photo of the hotel lobby ceiling last night as we waited for the Cirque du Soleil show to begin.

Hard hearts

My wife and I are in a place this week where hard hearts are the norm.  As we spend a week together in a different world it's clear that most people I meet (including me!) deal with hard hearts at one level or another.


Job wrote, “His heart is as hard as a stone, Even as hard as a lower millstone."  I think he was talking about me.  But being aware of my own heart and relationship with God I see it more clearly in others.  There is a hardening that must happen if we are to choose sin....especially if we are Christians!  The Holy Spirit will convict the Christian regarding sin and the only way we can choose the sin over obedience is to harden our hearts to God's voice, his conviction, his wooing of us.  And so we drag around this hard, cold heart that feels nothing for God or for anyone else.


Those in the world have a much easier time with the hard heart.  It's honestly their normal heart....hard to God, hard to conviction, hard to anything but what they want.  Sin's not a problem for a lost man because his hard heart has made it his normal way of life.  


In a number of places in the bible is this phrase, "Do not harden your hearts..."  Clearly it's a choice we make and one that we have a decision about.  It happens when we come to a decision of sin or obedience.  A choice between doing what we know is God's will and what we want to do.  At that point of decision something happens....we either obey God and walk with him or we have to harden our hearts to be able to disobey and sin.


The biggest problem in my life and I know in yours is the temptation and willingness to harden our hearts to God.  Hard hearts are miserable for the Christian, normal for the lost man, but never God's desire and so he invites us to this response....


"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart."  Today, as you face the choices to obey or sin know that a hard heart has lingering consequences...it very difficult to break up that hardened heart once it's set, so in the choices you face make the decision now to respond in this way, "Yes Lord, I will do as you ask." 


You will find it's a much better way to live than to deal with a hard heart.

Welcome to "life?"

Here's a fascinating look at "life" after death.  I thought you would like it. 

The impact of our lives

We are in a place this week where thousands come for vacation.  It's an adult disneyland in many ways.  Games, food, shows, music....everything you could want for distraction and entertainment.  It is an amazing place.


Passing by us, as we enjoy the city, are thousands of others.  Old and young from dozens of countries all gathered to see this amazing place and rest or play for a few days.


It's early morning here and I'm thinking about the brevity of our lives, how quickly these few moments of earthly existence pass.  As we move through each day a bit of us is left behind in the lives of those we encounter.  We leave a smile or a frown on the face we encounter.  We find a new friend or someone who wishes we would just go away.  Moment by moment, day by day we leave bits of our lives in our wake as we encounter other lives.  What follows in our wake?  What memory did we leave?  How did we touch that life?  What did we leave behind?


As one who is part of a greater kingdom I often think about these things as I live in this kingdom.  Day by day, as an ambassador of my kingdom, the kingdom of God, I'm representing God as I leave bits of my life behind each encounter with another person.  I've either sweetened their day or made it harder.  I've drawn them closer to the kingdom of God or pushed them away.  My walk through life is leaving a trail of encounters that touch other lives.


I wonder, do we realize the impact we make in the lives of those we meet?  Do we walk as citizens of the kingdom of God in a way that draws others to Christ or pushes them away?  I wonder....do we realize the impact of our lives?

From him, through him and to him

Romans 11:36
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.


I'm reading Karl Barth's book, God Here and Now, and as Barth describes the church he connects its life and reality to a living relationship with Jesus Christ.  I've known this truth, but leave it to a German theologian to put it in different words that capture my attention.  In his writing he doesn't refer to the verse in Romans specifically, but it's clear he's talking about this idea.


As I read, my mind wandered to the implications of this simple verse.  It's clear from the bible that all things come from Jesus.  He made it all.  All that is, all that exists, is here because he made it.  That very thought should change the way you read the gospels, the way you see Jesus living in the land of Israel.  The very creator of everything became part of the creation he made.  All that exists is from him....from Jesus.  To think about creation you have to think about Jesus, to know there is an intelligent designer you must know it's him, Jesus Christ.


And then he finishes with this- to him, to Jesus, are all things.  Everything will return to him.  Everyone will see him face to face.  Everything came from his creative hands and will finally return to him.  This also speaks of his eternity.  On either end of creation, the beginning and the end, is Jesus.....making it all and then finally receiving it all back into the hands that made it.


But in the middle is this amazing phrase, through Him are all things.  Through him, it's all sustained by Jesus, it all holds together and was meant to flow through and because of his power and life.  The great rebellion of the human race is the desire to not allow him to be part of our lives.  But Jesus is the beginning, the middle and the end of all things.  We cannot live rightly without him.  We are only pleasing God when we live through Christ.  The great rebellion says, "I will live my own life, I don't need you to be part of my life."  


This is the only portion of the rule of Christ in all of creation where our choice can be contrary to the very purpose we were made for.  We were designed to live through Jesus and when we refuse we deny the very design of Jesus for our lives.  We forfeit our specific purpose and design and declare we are gods of our own lives. In that declaration we deny the will of God for us because everything was meant to glorify Christ.  When we deny Christ's rule through us, we deny him the glory he is due and forsake the very purpose we were made for.


Jesus is the beginning, the middle and the end of all things.  The Lord of heaven and earth.  King of kings, Lord of lords.  Every knee will bow to him and confess he is Lord of all....forever and ever.

Talking about grace

I wish I had more time to read great books.  There are so many I haven't gotten to yet.  This is one I wish I had read decades ago, but just now am working through it.  It's Karl Barth's book, "God Here and Now".  What is fascinating about it are his thoughts on God.  He's a German theologian from the last generation, a neo-orthodox in thinking, but a wonderful writer.  


The chapter that has me thinking is his third chapter on grace.  It's probably one of the best writings on the topic of grace I have ever read.  I'm challenged and inspired and isn't that what the thoughts of others are supposed to do anyway?


Just wanted to share a bit of what I'm working on right now.

Forgetting to remember

I wish I could remember this every morning.  How do I forget this so easily?