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Philippians 3:4-11

11 Jul

…though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Philippians 3:4-11

Dear God, knowing Christ and becoming one with him. That’s the goal.

It makes me think of the best people I’ve ever known. None of them had to tell me how great they were. None of them told me about other people’s weaknesses and put them down. At their funerals, they are the kind of people about whom others say, “I never heard them say a negative thing about anyone else.” Those are people who know what grace is and have become completely comfortable in renouncing their own self-righteousness and embracing knowing Jesus and becoming one with him.

Father, move me closer to that today. Move me closer to being a builder and not a destroyer. Help me to reject the lie of self-righteousness and embrace the idea that my hope is built on nothing more or less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I pray all of this through the power of His name,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2018 in Philippians

 

Philippians 1:6

10 Jul

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:6

Dear God, I can feel myself getting better. Not that I am becoming a better and better person, but I am learning to lean more on you throughout the day when I run into struggles. I can think of two specific examples of tiles at work recently when I came up against something that flummoxed me, I prayed to you about it in real time, and you brought me an answer. There was no brilliance on my part. In both moments, I was scared and frustrated, and I silently talked to you about needing your help and intervention. In one case, you gave me the words to say. In another you actually gave me some small miracles in answer to my prayer.

I still have so much growing to do, but it is awfully nice to feel like I am maturing in you at least a little. Of course, I’ve been pursuing you as a discipline Christian for over 30 years so one could make the case that I’ve hardly grown at all over that time. But again, I’m grateful that I at least feel like I’m making progress, and I’m grateful that that progress is learning to lean more on you and less on me.

Father, I want get to the point where every breath I take is in communion with you. It’s hard to imagine ever getting there. And I have to wonder what kind of person I’d be like to live with if I got to that level. But I trust that any growth I have in you will bring me closer to my wife and who you need me to be for her, not push us apart. So today is another day. Bless the work of my hands, but do it for your glory’s sake and because it’s the work you want done.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 10, 2018 in Philippians

 

Ephesians 3:19-21

09 Jul

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:19-21

Dear God, so experiencing your love as much as possible will “make me complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” So what do I need to do to experience your love?

I was talking to a friend lately about how she experiences a lot of shame about things. Some of the things she did. Some of them she didn’t or they weren’t her fault. But according to her she just carries shame. She told me about some things she did as a teenager about 30 years ago that still make her feel bad. Now she sees her own teenager doing a lot of the same things and she sees it from the adult’s perspective and it makes her feel even worse. In reading this passage, I suppose there is a level of accepting your love and grace that is part of experiencing it. She is repentant, so that’s not the last step. Repentance is the first step, but accepting the grace must be done as well.

Father, help me to fully embrace the grace you have for me and to then extend it to others. I read some comments online the other day about a piece on judging others and someone said, “Judge not lest he be judged. Fine. Judge me because I’m going to judge others.” How foolish. Father, please don’t judge me. Please forgive me. That is the cry of my heart. And then fill my vessel with love so that others might be drawn into your power.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 9, 2018 in Ephesians

 

“Living Dangerously In the Hands of God”

08 Jul

“Living Dangerously in the Hands of God” by Steve Camp

How easily Jesus is forgotten
Amid the comfort of my life
How the flames become a flicker
And faith a brilliant disguise
Oh, Sundays become a holiday
Prayer an empty exercise
And the cost of real devotion
Seems so foreign to my life

Oh, to gladly risk it all
Oh, to be faithful to His call
Abandoned to grace
But anchored in His love
Living dangerously in the hands of God

Our Lord, He is a hiding place
His hold is strong and sure
Though the storms may rage around me
In His love I stand secure
So let me live like I believe it
And though my faith is prone to fail
Though I cower under trial
By His grace, I shall prevail

Oh, to gladly risk it all
Oh, to be faithful to His call
Abandoned to grace
But anchored in His love
Living dangerously in the hands of God

There’s safety in complacency
But God is calling us out
Of our comfort zone into a life
Of complete surrender to the cross
To live dangerously
Is not to live recklessly but righteously
And it is because of God’s radical grace for us
That we can risk living a life
Of radical obedience for Him

You’ve got to walk on
For the Lord, He walks with us
You’ve got to walk on
Oh, though it costs you everything
You’ve got to pray on

For the eyes of the Lord
Move to and fro throughout the earth
That He may strongly support those
Whose hearts are completely His

Oh, to gladly risk it all
Oh, to be faithful to His call
Abandoned to grace
But anchored in His love
Living dangerously
Are you living dangerously
Oh, we ought to be living dangerously
In the hands of God

Are you living dangerously
In the hands of God

Dear God, as I get ready to preach later this morning, I feel like this song holds the key to the message you want me to deliver today. I’m preaching to a church in peril. It is hard to come in as a once-a-month preacher and feel like I am doing them any good. Is  there anything I can possibly say today that will have an impact? Will I leave them with words from you? Am I preaching to an audience of one (you), or is there just one person in the audience this morning who will hear a word from you? I cannot waste this opportunity. 

I want to reference multiple parts of this song this morning. I have some time, so I’m going to try to sink my teeth into this song and see how it might apply to the sermon I’ve already prepared.

“…And faith a brilliant disguise…”

One thing I’ve known about myself for a while is that sometimes my faith in you can become more a philosophy by which I live my life rather than a relationship that draws me into pure and true worship. Worship in my words and from my heart, but also worship in how I live my days, relying on you for directly and strength. One of the real dangers is that I put up such a veneer of “faith” that I use it to mask how empty my life is.

“…the cost of real devotion seems so foreign to my life…”

Some would look at my life and see someone who does a lot of giving, but have I really allowed my devotion to cost me what you’ve called me to give up? The answer to this question might be yes, I am doing exactly what you’ve called me to do. But I also know there are times when I subconsciously throw up walls and don’t allow myself to go down a road that might lead to suffering, even if it might be you calling me down that road.

“…though the storms may rage around me, in His love I stand secure…”

I heard a pastor a couple of weeks ago talk about the disciples in the boat with Jesus when there was a big storm and Jesus gave the “Peace, be still” command to the wind and ocean. He said of Jesus talking to the disciples afterward that he didn’t tell them there was nothing to be afraid of. Instead he asked, “Why were you afraid?” Storms are going to come in my life. “In [your] love I stand secure. So let me live like I believe it. And though my faith is prone to fail.”

“…to live dangerously is not to live recklessly, but righteously…”

If I will wake up every morning and seek you, repenting for my mistakes and embracing you in worship then righteous living will lead me exactly where you need me to be. I will make mistakes. I will miss opportunities. But the Holy Spirit will move me as I work out my faith with fear and trembling. I will be drawn to you. I will be moved. 

“…abandoned to grace, but anchored in His love…”

Father, I am abandoned to your grace because it is my only hope. But my abandon does not just allow me to foolishly live my life, taking advantage of your love. My grace and my life and anchored to you. You are guiding me and leading me. You are calling me in every moment. I fail at home with my wife. I fail with my children. I fail at work. I don’t have a right to that failure. That failure is mine and I own it. BUT there is a grace. There is grace in your plan, but if I am going to be at all tolerable in any area of my life, I had better set my anchor straight into you and hold on. I must learn to draw deeper and deeper into you so that I might really understand what to do in any given moment and others might be blessed by my life.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 8, 2018 in Hymns and Songs

 

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2 Corinthians 12:2-10

06 Jul

I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Dear God, I think the key to this passage isn’t the part about the third heaven or the thorn, but the phrase, “to keep me from becoming proud.” Oh, how pride is a downfall for so many.

As I prepare for my sermon this Sunday, I’ve been thinking about David and what his life might have been if Samuel had never anointed him king. Would he have avoided some of the sins of his life? Might he have been the next “judge” of Israel after Samuel? But with being king comes a lot of power and pride.

I certainly know pride can be something for me, and goodness knows I have the flaws, vices, and “thorns” to help keep it in check, but it’s still a continuous struggle.

Here’s a confession. I’ve been jealous of some people who are my age lately. I learned of three people lately who have done some amazing things in their careers and it’s made me feel less than. I thought about this last night. It’s as if I’m thinking the life you’ve lead me on isn’t good enough for me. I’m sorry for that. The only reason I would want to trade for those lives is power and prestige. The vanity of those jobs is the only thing about them that attracts me, and it really reveals how shallow and selfish I can be.

Father, thank you for where you’ve lead me. Thank you for forgiving my foolishness. Thank you for overlooking my weaknesses and my missed opportunities. Thank you for forgiving my sin. As I turn my eyes upon you and look full in your wonderful face, the things of earth do grow strangely dim in the light of your glory and grace.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 6, 2018 in 2 Corinthians

 

The Most Popular Verses

05 Jul

Dear God, I’m a devoted reader of Fred Smith’s weekly blog, and I enjoyed what I read this morning about The Soil of Partial Truth. In it, he listed the five most popular verses in the Bible. This is the order in which he listed them. I don’t know if it is by popularity or not. I’d be surprised if it was. They were:

  • Jeremiah 29:11 – …”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “Plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope…”
  • Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, the comfort me.
  • Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
  • John 3:16 – “For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
  • Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Instead of looking at the meaning of each verse and going into whether or not they are out of context (for example, the Jeremiah 29:11 is REALLY out of context if you read that verse alone), I want to talk to you about why we are drawn to these specific verses and what it says about what we need from you.

With the Jeremiah verse, I think it means that our psyche needs to know that you are in charge and that things are going to work out well. Now, while you are, indeed, in charge, working out “well” is a relative term and needs the broader context. But our human hearts want to know that our circumstances are going to work out well for us.

The verse from Psalms is about addressing our fears. we need your comfort during the times that we are afraid–especially of death. Whether it is our death or the death of another, we need your comfort when we are afraid. And that’s okay.

Philippians 4:13 is about leaning on you and looking to you for our strength. It’s a good one and a good reminder that we need you. The Isaiah 40:31 about those that wait on you will mount up with wings like eagles is a good one for this sentiment too.

I love the John 3:16 one because it is actually right in the middle of Jesus’ rant to Nicodemus. He’s trying to explain being born again and gets on a roll. I actually enjoy this whole speech more than just this verse. But in the end, Jesus is convincing an unbelieving Pharisee to believe.

And the Romans 8 verse brings us back to the need to know that it’s all going to be okay. I think the danger here is that we know that sometimes those who love you suffer, and we are looking at these verses and hoping that the suffering will happen to someone else and not us.

Father, I think, at the end of the day, we are just looking for your comfort, your strength, and your reassurance. We need to be reassured that you are there, we have access to you, and that, at least on the other side of death, there is hope. It would probably be good for me to sit down and some point and talk about my favorite scriptures/stories of the Bible. I wonder what looking at that collection of passages would reveal about me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 5, 2018 in Jeremiah, John, Philippians, Psalms, Romans

 

Mark 6:1-13

04 Jul

1He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” 5And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Mark 6:1-13

 

Dear God, the other side of the “prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown” thing is that perhaps sometimes we ascribe too much awe to the people who come to us out of nowhere.

I was reading a memoir recently by someone who used to work at the highest levels of government. He said that once during one of his first high-level security meetings in the Oval Office with President Bush, the Vice President, the National Security Advisor, etc. shortly after 9/11, he looked around the room and considered that all of these important decisions were being made by humans who were much like anyone else. This wasn’t a knock against those in the office. He admired them. But still the fact remained that these were humans who were very capable of making mistakes, missing a detail, or drawing the wrong conclusion, just like the rest of us. In that moment, he felt a new sense that problems on this scale are often handled by common people who, through accomplishment and experience, worked their way into uncommon positions.

I say all of this because I think there is a tendency on my part sometimes to ascribe too much authority and power to those I don’t know. For example, if I write a book on a certain subject then all of a sudden I can somehow pass myself off as an expert on that subject. Even something as trivial as the football coach for a team I like can generate awe from me instead of just evaluating him as a human. A great example for me is Rich Mullins (Mother Teresa is another one). He was a Christian singer/songwriter who died over 20 years ago. I had a chance to meet him once and slobbered all over him. I literally felt sorry for him as we visited because he was having to deal with me and my fanboy-ness. But he was just a flawed guy who followed you. But he had his doubts, his vices, his selfishness, etc. Brennan Manning was another one. He had some great books about your love and grace, but when I met him at a retreat, he turned out to be really moody and could be mean. But to his credit, when he caught himself being mean, he apologized to the person publicly. And the story of Mother Teresa’s spiritual struggles and doubts are well-documented since her death. We are all just your people.

Father, as I prepare this sermon for Sunday about David and his life, one of the things I’m seeing is that he was just a common boy out in the field. He got up one morning and went to work. By the end of the day, Samuel had anointed him as king over Israel. What set him apart was his love for you and desire to serve you. But he certainly was not above vanity, lying to priests, vowing vengeance upon his enemies, murder, adultery, etc. Like other believers, he is worthy of our love, but he is also worthy of our skepticism and he is worthy of our prayers for him to work out his faith with fear and trembling like the rest of us do.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2018 in Mark, Uncategorized

 

Proverbs 14:32

03 Jul

The wicked are crushed by disaster, but the godly have a refuge when they die.

Proverbs 14:32

Dear God, I saw a Facebook post this morning about a pastor who was in a car accident last night with his wife and daughter. The pastor is in critical condition, but his wife and daughter are dead. So tragic. I don’t know how conscious the pastor is, but I can’t imagine experiencing something like this. Oh, my Jesus, please be in every aspect of this situation. There are probably family members who are terrified and mourning beyond belief. There is a man in critical condition and doctors trying to do their best. There is a church trying to figure out how to reach out and deal with their own pain. There are friends who feel helpless. I’m sure heaven is flooded with prayers for this situation right now. Oh, Father, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

Thank you that “the godly have a refuge when they die.” Thank you for hope. Thank you for a peace that passes understanding. Thank you that you are currently holding this man’s wife and child and that they now become part of his cloud of witnesses. Help everyone involved to feel your tangible presence and please make this pain count.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2018 in Proverbs

 

Jeremiah 17:9-10

02 Jul

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:9-10

Dear God, my first tendency is to read a passage like this and think of it in material terms. When I think of due rewards I think of you giving material things. But material things are such a small part of our existence.

Several years ago, I had a thought about the widow Jesus saw put just a couple of coins into the temple offering. He praised her to the disciples, but that’s where the story stops. As far as we know, she went home and remained as poor as she was when she woke up that morning. She never knew that Jesus had used her as an example. And she didn’t know that some guy would be including her example is his own prayers to you nearly 2,000 years later. I don’t know what kind of reward you had for her, but I’m thinking it included a lot of peace while she was living and a special place in heaven after her death.

Father, I confess that I’m not proud of everything you would find if you searched my heart. There are times when I am selfish, lethargic, and vain. Sometimes I am too easily angered and my fear of man outweighs my fear of you. So I tell you now that I’m sorry. Thank you for the grace you give. I appreciate and worship all that you are.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2018 in Jeremiah

 

Amazing Enough?

30 Jun

“With no one else around, his choice would always be gospel, losing and finding himself in the old spirituals. He was happiest when he was singing his way back to spiritual safety. But he didn’t stay long enough. Self-loathing was waiting back up at the house, where Elvis was seen shooting at his TV screens, the Bible open beside him at St. Paul’s great ode to love, Corinthians 13. Elvis clearly didn’t believe God’s grace was amazing enough.”

Bono, Rolling Stone Magazine, 2004

Dear God, a man wrote a good editorial about Elvis in the Dallas Morning News, and he used the quote above from Bono in a piece that Bono wrote for Rolling Stone Magazine in 2004. It’s that last sentence that gets me: “Elvis clearly didn’t believe that God’s grace was amazing enough.”

One of the things that convinces me that you are real is our deep longing for you in times of trouble. C.S. Lewis addressed it in The Problem of Pain. Humans, throughout history, have sought you out. You are there. You are watching. You care. You love. You forgive. The words “amazing grace” are a sweet, sweet sound that saved a wretch like me. All of my faults, sins, vices, arrogance, selfishness, self-righteousness, etc. are allotted for in your amazing grace. I was once lost, but I’m so grateful you found me. But I had an advantage in being found. You first found my father, and then my father showed me where you were.

I love how Bono paints a picture of Elvis being drawn back to “spiritual safety.” You are a bedrock when all else is shifting sand. Our temptation is to get off of our foundation and start expanding our dwellings beyond you. I do it as much as Elvis did–he just had more opportunity than I do. But when I’ve built something outside of the foundation you’ve laid for me, the crumbling will one day come. I’ve learned this time and time again. What nonbelievers don’t understand is that there is so much peace in seeking you and building only on the foundation that you laid. They see it as limiting, but it is our path to becoming as close to you as possible.

Father, I heard a song based on the prayer of St. Francis this morning that I want to close with. “It is in giving that I receive. It is in pardoning that I am pardoned. And it is in dying that I am born to eternal life. Make me an instrument of your peace. I want to know what it’s like to follow you. When people look at me I want them to see the light of the world inside.” (“A Simple Prayer”) And I’ll add, help me to fully understand just how amazing your grace is.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 30, 2018 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories, Uncategorized

 

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