Well Said Luther!

Many things I have tried to grasp, and have lost. That which I have placed in God's hands I still have.

-- Martin Luther

All I Want for Christmas Is... A Sack Full of Coal?

Children all over the world breathed sighs of relief as they opened and found sweets and toys in their stockings in stead of lumps of coal. Grace was showered, instead of wrath. For years, Christmas lore has told of the infamous lumps of coal bestowed upon those lads and lasses who were naughty and not nice. I, however, am longing for a whole sackful of coal this year.

There are a number of passages in Scripture that, regardless of who you are, if we all practiced the principles found therein, the world would be a different place. I think if the church alone wholeheartedly pursued excellence in this area, we would see issues of depression, poor "self-esteem" and mental health virtually disappear.

Although I read this passage days ago, I have been drawn back to it several times this week by the Spirit. A familiar passage in Isaiah 6 would rank in the number of aforementioned vital truths. The prophet is given a rare glance into the Holy presence of the Lord Almighty and he is shaken to the core. His response to God's Holiness is recorded in verse 5, "'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'"

His confession has to do with, of all things, his mouth. He is cut to the chase as to his speech is found lacking. I have heard him referred to as the potty mouth prophet or the cussing prophet. I am no Hebrew scholar, but based on this passage I do not see evidence that he had issues with expletives. Nevertheless, there is issue to be dealt with here. Along with other sins, we will all give an account for the inappropriate words that have slipped past our lips, and it should cause us to shutter.

Our verbal uncleanness comes in a variety of shapes and sizes that definitely bears a trip to the returns counter. Unfortunately, once it shoots past our teeth, it is gone, and often the damage done is lifelong. One of the of the stupidest tidbits of information passed off as truth to our kids is, "sticks and stones may break your, but name swill never hurt you!" What a lie! If that were true, why is it that hurtful things said to us decades ago still resonate in our minds? But still, we speak things that simply should not proceed out of the mouths of saints of God.

Far too many folks utter profanity. But verbal transgressions are not limited to those individuals who cannot articulate themselves without a random pattern of wingdings (@#$%@#!) The Word has much to say about the issue of the tongue. Click on these few passages and see which ones hit home with you: Psalm 34:13, Proverbs 25:18, Proverbs 29:20, James 1:26, and probably the most all inclusive Ephesians 4:29. These are just a few, and they have all tripped me up at one time or another. But I think the one that is the most scathing comes from the Savior Himself, "For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." (Luke 6:43-45)

Do you want a test of how deep your faith really is? Listen to that which comes out of your mouth. It bears witness against us. Is it cutting remarks? profanity? gossip? dirty jokes? The list can go on and I assure you there is a scriptural rebuke for each. But it basically comes down to this, if what we say does not build someone up, then we shouldn't say it. (or think it for that matter!) Now I am not talking about speaking the truth in love that corrects a sinful behavior. But even with that exhortation, the motivation must be in love, not condemnation.

I wonder if a whole sackful of burning coals would cleanse my lips of the terrible, cutting shameful things that I have uttered. Only by filling ourselves with the truth of God's Word can we begin to reverse the heart disease (cf. Romans 12:2).

So, what do I want for Christmas this year? A good start would be a sack full of burning coals.

Good Quote...

I received this after my morning post. It fits well...

"Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us.

-- Oswald Chambers

Spiritual DIY

I am not the typical man. Most men, like to work with their hands, build stuff and fix things. And yet, I find that, like Tim the Toolman, the more I try to repair stuff around the house, the more expensive the damage gets. All the while I should have picked up the phone and called someone who knows how to fix the trouble. Instead, I trust in my own ability to fix the problem. I have since resigned myself to enjoying the expertise of those talented individuals on the Do-It-Yourself channels on TV.

Once again veering from my study through the Books of the Law, I find myself reading a book I haven't read very often. As a matter of fact, much of my reading has been pieced together over the years. I am reading through the prophecy of Isaiah. While only a few chapters in, there is already much richness in the text. This morning I was reading through chapter 7, and several common threads jumped out to me as I often struggle with these same issues.

Isaiah is addressing King Ahaz, the grandson of the famous King Uzziah of Judah. Ahaz finds himself surrounded by nations that are conspiring against Judah to invade and conquer them. Needless to say the nation was shaking in their boots. Facing this scenario, Ahaz begins to make plans to do something drastic... align himself with one of the then enemies... Assyria. One commentator describes the foolishness of this by likening it to a mouse asking the cat to help against two rats. Being Italian, I think of it like one neighborhood family hiring the mafia to come help with a couple of local street gangs.

So, God sends Isaiah to Ahaz to address the situation, and here are some of the things that God tells Ahaz in verse 4a, "'Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted.'" Later, in verse 9b, He says, "'If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.'"

How many times have I faced multiple hardships, gotten nervous and decided to "fix" things myself. God isn't moving at the pace that I think He should move nor in the manner in which I think it should be done, so I am going to "help" things along by taking matters into my own hands. Now while, I have learned much from the dumb things I have done, I would have been saved much sorrow had I only trusted God and waited on Him and not tried to be a spiritual do-it-yourself-er. I am sure Ahaz and I are the only ones who struggle with spiritual DIY. Sometimes, I should have followed the revised cliche, "Don't just do something, stand there!" Call on the expert who not only has the blueprints, but is the Designer Himself.

A great passage to follow up with is Psalm 37. I tried to choose one verse to post, but it's all good, read it!

A Question to Ponder...

I have been thinking about this the last couple of days. I have for years heard the cliche, "they are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." What are your thoughts on that statement? Do you agree or disagree and what would that look like? Is that talking about a veiled false piety rooted in pride or legalism or is it an excuse to have worldly behaviors and sinful attitudes?

Break Free!

Many of you have seen the epic movie "Braveheart," the dramatized story of Sir William Wallace of Scotland, played by Mel Gibson. One of my favorite scenes is at the end when Wallace is being executed, and he is given the chance to utter his last words. Wallace summons every ounce of strength to boldly proclaim that for which he lays down his life... freedom!

Americans are somewhat familiar with the concept of freedom. After all, we live in the land of the free, right? However, I think the two prominent errors we see lived out in our country, is prevalent in the Body of Christ as well. We are either trying to take away the freedom of others, or we are using our freedom for selfish gain and to abuse the grace by which we live.

I read this quote this morning by David Edwards, "When purity is reduced to legalism, our hearts are no longer free; they are focused more on maintaining rituals and customs than on living out a genuine character change."

I wonder what our churches would be like if this statement really rang true? It seems that all too often we go from one set of shackles to another. If our desire to obey God is not rooted in a motivation of gratitude and love, we miss the point of the death and resurrection of Christ. Living under the law cheapens the work of Christ whether it is the Mosaic Law, your own law, or somebody else's. I am amazed at the vastness of legalism in the Body of Christ. When will we finally realize that we can never be loved or accepted by God any more than He already does? A few verses come to mind when I think about this topic:

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."

-- Galatians 5:1

"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'

'So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.'"

-- John 8:31-32, 36

Once we begin to live in true freedom, it is then when we live the way God intended, not to please our flesh.

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."

-- 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)

When we enjoy our freedom, we are set free not to do as we please and satisfy ourselves, but rather to do good for others' benefit. I have two important questions for you today:

1. Are you truly free?

2. If so, what are you doing with freedom?

They Sure Grow Up Fast!

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday. She is five years old and it has been five amazing years of getting to know her and getting to know myself as I have grown up with her. God has truly blessed me with the five years of knowing and loving my big girl. Happy Birthday Melody, you will always be my song of God's grace. You have taught me more than you will ever know. Through that Grace, I pray that God may bless me with many more years as your Daddy! You my princess!

I've Got a Secret

It would only take one look at me to realize that I was never much of an athlete. I played a little soccer in elementary and Jr High, but for the most part, none of my yearbooks were not filled with accolades of Athletic prowess. Truth be known, I was one of those who was usually picked last for teams. The feeling of rejection followed me through much of my life and even now, when I witness this today whether in person or on a movie, there is a sinking feeling in my stomach. There is one thing that I believe is at the heart of every human being... the need for acceptance and intimacy... specifically with God.

Look around you and you will see people, Christian and non-Christian alike, clamoring for that which is but a hollow shell of what they desire the most. Don't believe me, well then logic would say that if material wealth and popularity is what satisfies, then one would assume that those who live in Hollywood and Washington would be the most emotionally stable and healthy. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Last night in our small group we talked about this at length. We have been talking about the two parts of the Gospel: 1. Christ's death on the cross dealt completely with our sin, 2. Christ rose from the grave to give us new life. And it was no surprise to me that as I shared my heart in this second area from my own experience, the look on their faces told me they had never really fully grasped this part of their identity in Christ. This is one of the most important and yet I feel one of the most neglected aspects of the Gospel in the church today. And I have come to realize that, unlike Oprah's new fad cult "the secret,"this topic truly is the "The Secret" to the abundant life Christ refers to in John 10:10. I will admit that some can articulate these two parts, but so few in the Church really live in the truth of the second part.

This morning, I was reading and found this Thomas A Kempis quote that describes what we talked about: "The one who loves flies, runs, and is glad; he is free and not bound. He gives all for all, and has all in all, because he rests in one who is supreme above all things, from whom every good thing flows and goes forth." It wasn't until just a few years ago that I realized that although I was a follower of Christ, I was not free, but bound in slavery to my guilt and sin that Christ had overcome by His death. I was not living in the rest that is described here.

I remember growing up in the church and watching people get baptized, I would hear the pastor quote Romans 6:4 as he dunked them into the water, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." That odd little phrase was never explained to me, not really. I mean I understood that as a Christian I was to stop doing bad things, but it never was explained to me that my identity had changed and I actually had the power to do that. I was a new creature in Christ. (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17).

You see when we become new creatures in Christ, God actually gives us a new life. We are born again. That is not just a religious phrase, it is a new identity. The trouble is few people ever learn how to actually walk in that identity. Oh, they may do a lot of trying, but how many people in the Church do you know that are actually living the life of rest in the Supreme one that Kempis refers to? I sure wasn't. I thought the Christian life was hard-- it's not! It is impossible. Jesus describes eternal life best for us in John 17:3. It is about relationship with the Father. That is the Secret! Once I learned the Secret, I was set free by the Truth! Do I always hit the mark? Absolutely not, but I can rest in the fact that I don't have to because He is the One that has completed the work required for complete acceptance before the Father. I can now remain intimate with Him as long as I abide in him. I will spend the rest of my life sharing the Secret with those both in the Body and out.

Now you know the Secret! Go walk in newness of life by the power of Christ in you!