Friday, October 31, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 26

Understanding God's Mercy

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Grace has been described as "getting something you do not deserve". Mercy on the other hand has been described as "not getting what you do deserve". God's grace offers me forgiveness and eternal life and His mercy spares me the judgment and penalty I deserve for my sin.

Many times I find myself thinking that a person is just getting what they deserve and I am taking some delight in their pain or punishment. How merciless and graceless is that. To take delight in another's punishment is far from what God expects from his followers. This mercilessness also is seen at times when in I look down on others with a self righteous attitude. They are horrible sinners and I should have no contact with them after all I am to "avoid the very appearance of evil" (1 Thess 5:22). What a misuse of that verse in that context. We are not to avoid people who need the Lord, we are to go to them. We are not to participate in their evil but we are not to look down on them either. This can open a real can of worms for some people who want to nit-pick. Some people would build a "hedge of protection" around their families to keep them from being exposed or subjected to evil. I understand that desire but that same hedge that protects you keeps you from sharing the gospel with people who desperately need it. Jesus' prayer for us in John 17 was not to be taken out of the world but that He would take us through the world with his protection.

I get so irritated when I hear people in church trying to put artificial standards on who is welcome in our church. It is couched in "those people" terms. That was the problem Simon, the Pharisee, was having in the story the author related from Luke 7. He and the disciples were thinking in "those people" terms rather than in welcoming terms. Jesus saw the heart and Simon and the disciples were only thinking of their reputations.

I see myself way too much in the reading for today. I have worked on my attitude and behavior here for years and yet still from time to time see those old prejudices coming out. I must continue to focus on God's mercy, forgiveness and love in my life and then offer that to others. This showing of mercy and grace must characterize my life if I am to be the person God has called me to be.

What did this day's reading say to you?

Thursday, October 30, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 25

Say Now to Mercy

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 5:7 (NIV)

In his discussion of this beatitude D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his book of the Sermon on the Mount gives this insight into mercy. He teaches that "mercy" is allowing what breaks God's heart to break your heart. That speaks volumes to the reading for today on mercy. I agree with the author that integrity is removing the plank from your own eye first and mercy is then removing the speck from your brother's eye. The reason we remove the speck or at least try to do so is because the speck breaks God's heart. We are to be moved to action when we encounter things or situations that break God's heart because we love God and that demands that we love the people He created. How can we walk away from a hurting person without offering to help even as some personal risk. As the author said sometimes our mercy will be rejected or misrepresented or misunderstood but that cannot be allowed to keep us from showing mercy.

I wonder how often I have failed to show mercy because I left in a huff or thought the person deserved to hurt some more before a solution was offered. Too often I want my "pound of flesh" or I want someone to know just who does "have the power" or I just want some revenge. How ungodly are all of those reactions. It is interesting that even after acting that way I wonder why that person does not want to be around me.

When I show mercy I release all the negative and unrighteous feelings or desires that I have against the person. I give up my desire to get even or to get the upper hand. I release myself and them so that the relationship can grow and thrive. Interestingly enough when I show mercy to a friend I am likely to receive it back when I need it. Jesus really did know what he was talking about. When I show mercy I not only experience God's mercy in my life but I receive mercy from others, too.

What a great way to live!

What do you think?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 24

Say Yes to Integrity

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. 1 Chronicles 29:17a (NIV)

When I think about integrity my thoughts go immediately back to my childhood hero, "the Lone Ranger". I remember Tonto, speaking about a bad guy, saying, "He speaks with forked tongue." That person will say whatever is necessary at the moment regardless of the truth. You and I know these kinds of people. We know that you cannot trust anything they say. Integrity is lost when we speak with a "forked" tongue.

Integrity is when my words, behavior and heart are in agreement. When what I think, say and do are consistent. This must be done in the context of a Biblical morality and truth. I can be consistent in lies and deception but that is not integrity because the truth is not involved.

I hear people talk about the integrity of a building. What they mean is the quality, strength, and stability of the structure. For me a person of integrity has those same characteristics in their character. When you are around a person of integrity you sense and see these in their character.

Integrity is essential to building anything of value and our relationships are things of value.

When you think of integrity – what do you think about?


 

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 23

Say No to Hypocrisy

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Romans 12:9 (NLT)

Hypocrisy, pretending to be something you aren't, are issues we all struggle with at times. Last year Becky and I saw the stage production of "The Lion King" at the Wharton Center in Lansing. The costumes were spectacular and the actors performed behind these huge masks. The same was true when we saw "Finding Nemo" on stage at Disney's Animal Kingdom last month. The masks became the focal point and you quickly lost sight of the individual behind the mask. Now in these stage plays the masks are supposed to be what is seen. It is what makes the story come alive. These are all imaginary relationships with a script that brings the story to the end the author desires. In real life and real relationships though it is these masks that cloud and distort the story and confuse the relationship. Pretending to be something or someone we are not leaves us empty and our relationships bankrupt.

It seems to me that hypocrisy is usually associated with wanting to impress someone and you are fearful that you cannot do that so you pretend to be something you are not. It is also easy to condemn something in others that you struggle with yourself. Hypocrisy is a strange animal because you know it is a lie and yet it somehow feed your ego and makes you think you are better than others.

You cannot build deep meaningful relationships on lies. Let's stop pretending (especially that we have it all together) and begin to live lives that are true and faithful. The freedom that comes will amaze you and your life will soar.

Let's put down the masks and let others see the real you.

How do you deal with the urge to hypocrisy.

Monday, October 27, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 22

As you judge you will be judged

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

This is an interesting and tough subject because we all pass judgment on things every day. I appreciated the author's distinction between judgment and discernment. Judging others here has to do with being judgmental. That it seems to me comes from and plays into my prejudices. Someone looks different and therefore I judge them according to what I see and that may be way off base. Being judgmental makes me better than the other person and I let them know it.

My experience is that people are most judgmental in others about things they struggle with themselves. How often have you heard of a pastor rail against adultery only to find out they had been in an adulterous affair for years. Or one who rails against stealing and is later found to have embezzled money from the church. It is not just pastors though that have these problems. Being judgmental certainly does involve, as the author suggests, hypocrisy, lack of integrity and no mercy.

I want my life to reflect the life of Jesus so I must first get the log out of my eye, then help my brother with the dust in his eye and then offer forgiveness and mercy. O God, help me to live like that.

What difference would it make if we at FBC lived out these verses as Jesus instructs us to live?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 21

Troubleshooting Communication

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21 (NASB77)

Today the author deals with responding to different kinds of attacks in your communications. Two of these lessons from Jesus I have tried to learn over the years but find them incredibly tough. Jesus never let himself be sucked into someone else's agenda. When he was being questioned or challenged or criticized he never responded in kind. He never played on their turf. With a statement or most often a piercing question he brought them onto his turf and in that changed the nature and direction of the conversation. Too often I catch myself responding or reacting to what someone says rather than looking for the underlying agenda. Too often I am quick to speak or correct or offer an answer or react to a critic and I find myself sucked into a conversation that will not have a positive ending. I find myself in these situations when I do not listen carefully and fully to what is being said and I jump to a conclusion that may or may not be accurate and once in the battle I do not retreat. This is a lesson I need to learn and practice.

The second is that in some situations Jesus remained silent. Here was the Son of God who knew the right answer and what should and needed to be said and yet he remained silent. There are some conversations that are just not worth having. There are some who are only trying to catch you in your words and then use them against you. Throughout Jesus' trials there are many times He was silent. He chose not to engage the conversation or accusation. I am quick to set the record right and that only fuels a bad situation at times. I am getting better but still need practice the discipline of keeping silent when speaking will not move the conversation forward to a godly end.

As the author says, "communication is tough" and it is not for the weak or faint of heart. Tough but rewarding and worth the risk. Lord, teach me when to speak and when to keep my mouth shut. Help me to understand what is really going on and to address the real agendas when appropriate.

What are you learning about communication?

Saturday, October 25, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 20

How to Be Truly Heard

Today marks the half way point in our 40 day journey. It has been a challenging 20 days for me. I have been confronted with how often I do not love others the way the scriptures teach. I have had to learn to slow down and look and listen; to give priority to others rather than to my schedule; to honestly express my emotions to God. I can say that these few days of practicing what I am learning have been rewarding. So my encouragement to you is to stay on the journey and practice what you are learning.

Today I was again reminded about a kind and compassionate touch. Many times words are inadequate and what is needed is simply a touch or hug that says, "you are not alone, we are in this together." I often underestimate to power of a touch. I never want to be one of the "lizardy" (my word)touchers, where people feel used or manipulated after the touch. An honest compassionate touch can bring a great sense of relief to a person. We should practice this more.

I am in awe of how Jesus controlled conversations, especially those that were intended for confrontation. You never see Jesus raising his voice or ranting. In fact most often he answered a question with a question. He simply would not engage in the hostile conversation to escalate it. He always used questions to point people to their need of a relationship with the Father. I think of how often I engage the hostility – seek to win the argument – want my point to be heard (after all it is the correct answer). I want to learn to ask those questions that stay with people and cause them to ponder their relationship with God. What good is it to win an argument and have the person die without Christ.

Lord help me today to learn how to touch people so they sense your presence and how to ask questions that point them to you. Help me to park my ego and really love people as you love me. Amen

Friday, October 24, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 19

God Is In The Conversation

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'


Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)

Prayer is a challenge for everyone I know. We struggle with the silence and marvel when God answers. It is a conversation but not among equals. So often I hear people pray and it seems to me that they see themselves on equal footing with God. Now that is a stretch for any of us. Some think they can command God to act (many of these come from the "name it and claim it" crowd) and others are afraid to ask God anything for fear He won't answer. Neither of these extremes is good. God wants us to trust Him and to talk with Him.

Let em share a couple of thoughts on prayer.

    1. Vance Havner was a evangelist and author. In a meeting in my home town some 40 years ago now he told this story. During a drought in Texas a pastor called for a church prayer meeting for the specific purpose of praying for rain. The people arrived and the church was packed. At the appointed time to begin the pastor got up and sent everyone home saying, "Since no one brought an umbrella it is evident that we don't believe God will send rain so why waste our time and His." I wonder how often I pray not believing that God can or will act. The element of faith and trust is key to developing an effective prayer life.

    2. It is important not to try to "blow smoke" with the Lord. Many times I catch myself praying words I think God wants to hear rather than the words that are really in my heart. I might say, "God I know you don't make mistakes so I will trust you." When my heart is really saying, "God I know you don't make mistakes but I think you just made your first one." When I am honest with God about my emotions and thoughts I give Him the opportunity to change them but when I lie about them and refuse to acknowledge my true feelings I thwart God's opportunity to change me.

Prayer is something we all need to practice more and become more comfortable doing. It is a conversation with our Father and He loves us more than we can imagine. It's time we talked with him, honestly and reverently.

What is God teaching you about prayer?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 18

A New Kind of Honesty

Here is a subject that we all desire and all have real trouble with. We want honesty and yet we often do not speak it for fear of a variety of reasons: We don't want to hurt a person's feelings, don't want to start an argument, afraid of being called self-righteous or holier than thou. On and on the list could go and they are all excuses that we use to keep us from the hard work of honesty.

Honesty is hard work when you follow Jesus' example. Jesus never used honest words to hurt or maim people but only to point out their need for a right relationship with God. His words were hard at times but were covered with grace and love. Too often we use honesty as a weapon rather than as something redemptive. Honesty is the path to deep meaningful relationships and we cannot achieve them any other way. Meaningful relationships are based on truth and honesty and lived out in integrity.

Think for a moment about the deepest and most meaningful relationship you have. Truth and honesty are at the core. This core lays a foundation of trust on which a great relationship can be built. If the foundation crumbles the relationship crumbles too.

I pray that we all might build our relationships this way. I pray that you can identify at least one that is growing that way right now. Let's commit together to build our relationships with honesty and truth covered with love and grace. Let's watch our relationships grow deeper and become more meaningful.

Leave a comment and share what the Lord is teaching you about honesty.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 17

The Connection Between Mouth and Heart

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Matthew 12:34 (NIV)

This is one of those "in your face" teachings of Jesus. What fills my heart fills my mouth. When I listen to what I talk most about I get a clear read about what is first in my heart. Sometimes that is not a pretty or godly thing. When my heart is full of anger, my words are angry. When I am sarcastic my heart is full of sarcasm. When I am full of joy so are my words. There is that direct connection. My words reveals the content of my heart.

It is important to be aware of what is filling my heart and of the words coming out of our mouths. The author says that we should fight this battle on both fronts. We must start taking our hearts and words more seriously (pg 155). I can be so cavalier about what I say and that ignores what Jesus is teaching. If God takes my words seriously why do I think they don't matter much. After all we all say things we don't mean – people should give us a break. Problem is that Jesus does not allow that kind of attitude. We are responsible for what we say and that is directly connected to what fills our heart.

This 40 Days of Love journey is challenging me in many ways. This is one that is especially difficult. I want my words to reflect a heart that is full of love for God. I know where to start. I must begin with my heart and while focusing there I must guard what I say.

What do you think?

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 16

The Foundation is Trust

Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:37 (NIV)

The author went to meddling today. Jesus' instruction was to give a simple yes or no and mean it. How often do we qualify our responses with all kinds of escape clauses. If we practiced this command of Jesus we would not need lawyers to go over contracts or agreements. It would simplify our lives but we just cannot seem to get to this. It is an issue of trust and that trust is the foundation of any relationship we have. The qualifiers are only to protect me not the relationship. I need to do better.

Today I am going to focus on building trust in my relationships by letting my "'yes' be 'yes' and my 'no' be 'no'"

What do you think?

Monday, October 20, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 15

Communication Isn't Easy

Now there is a mouthful of words in a short title. Communication is hard and we must work at it for it to be effective. One principle I learned from Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary is, "what is said is not nearly as important as what is heard." Not that what I say isn't important but what is heard is more important. Let me illustrate with this example.
    In our early years of marriage my wife and I were on a church staff in Crestwood, KY. We had two preschool daughters and both of us had meetings after church on Wednesday night. Becky must have thought her meeting was more important than mine because she asked me "to take the girls home after church and get them to bed." I replied by saying, "I'll take care of it." I got one of the ladies in the church to take the girls home and I went to my meeting. Becky's meeting did not take as long as mine and when I got home she was a litter irritated. "You said you would bring the girls home." "No, I said I'd take care of it and I did." What I said earlier was not nearly as important as what Becky heard. Through the years I have tried to be sure that I was hearing correctly and that she was hearing me correctly.

Too often we hear what we want to hear rather than what is being said. As we learn about communication I hope we can keep that in mind because as the author says, "communication is the fuel of a relationship."

I was struck by the statistic the author gave that 25% of young people have never had a meaningful conversation with their father. Surely we can do better than that as followers of Jesus. Let me challenge you fathers to sit down with your son or daughter and have a conversation, not a lecture or an "in my day we…" but a conversation about things that are important to your child. Your children might not respond at first but give them a chance to process this new and foreign behavior you are displaying.

What do you think?

Sunday, October 19, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 14

Choose to Accept; Choose to Sacrifice

It (love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV)

This morning I was drawn by the illustration of the first century soldiers that tied their legs together so that they could not leave their partner behind to fight alone. I began to wonder who I have tied myself to. What relationships have I determined to be so important that I would tie myself to them in a way that we live and die together.

The first time I met my wife's parents was the night we told them we were getting married. They were not as thrilled as I had hoped they would be. In fact her mom leaned over to Becky and said, "Honey, if you are happy we will be happy." It wasn't happening that night though. After a night to sleep on it and another conversation her dad said, "Robin, promise me one thing, No divorces." His desire was that we would tie ourselves together and resolve not to leave but to stay and fight together. That is what we have done. We locked ourselves together and threw away the key. We are in this for better or worse. We resolved not to leave the other behind.

I am thankful for the example we each had from our parents of loving and committed relationships. All we had known was the kind of relationship where the two were tied together. Can that spill over into other important relationships? You bet it can. Do you have a best friend who sticks with you no matter what; who loves you and challenges you and holds you accountable and for whom you do the same? I hope so. I have a friend like that. We don't see each other as much as we would like, he is in WV, but we talk often and get together every chance we can.

Are you tied to someone?

Leave a comment and tell your story.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 13

Choose To Fellowship; Choose To Forgive

"What do you mean when you say, I love you?" was a sobering question. Do I really love like Jesus or do I love with a selfish or self-centered motive. Id my love tainted with a "because" or "if" clause. An honest answer says I have a lot of work and maturing to do as a follower of Jesus. That is not the answer I wanted but it points me to a Savior and the direction I need to take.

I find myself falling victim to the lure of electronic fellowship (computer, cell phone, etc.) because it is quick and easy. My life is diminished when I am not spending time with others in face to face conversation and relationship building. You really cannot express love from a distance or across the electronic media. You can share feelings and it is appropriate to write and call but that is no substitute for one on one time. Becky and I were on vacation a in September and did not take a computer and used our cell phones rarely (checked in with family). It was a wonderful week and a refreshing break from the technology and pace of life technology fosters. What would happen to our relationships if instead of an instant message we sat down and talked with our friends? It just might change us.

Choosing to forgive is topic for another blog. I have discussed it before and will again. We must forgive. I was interested in the distinction the author made between forgiveness and trust.

What are you thinking and learning – leave a comment and let me know.

Friday, October 17, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 12

Act Immediately, Act Radically

We all know that pent up or suppressed emotions and feelings will eventually find an outlet. Generally they are seen in an explosion of emotion in a seemingly insignificant situation. The encouragement to give immediate attention to them is important. "Don't let the sun go down on your anger" is good advice (or really a command). So often we neglect our hearts and it ends up costing us dearly in relationships. The acting radically does not mean to act irresponsibly or in ways that dishonor God. It does mean that we take radical steps to protect relationships and remove anything that harms them. In the movie "Fireproof" the husband has a problem with online pornography that makes his wife feel demeaned and unloved. His solution was to take a ball bat and crush the computer. Radical, yes, drastic, yes, because he valued and loved his wife more.

When I think of loving others I wonder what radical steps we should take as a church. What can we do to show the love of Jesus to the poor or homeless or unemployed or abandoned. What radical measure could we take that would honor God and show that we are serious in our desire to follow his commands.

What do you think?

Thursday, October 16, 2008

40 Days of Love - Day 11

Feelings are Important

Jesus expressed his emotions and controlled his feelings. He was never controlled by either but always expressed them appropriately. As I read today's devotion I wondered if there is a difference between feelings and emotions. The author seems to equate them but I think they are somewhat different. I think that emotions are deep seated and feelings are more from the surface. My feelings get hurt but my emotion is anger or rage. My feelings are elated but my emotion is happiness. I need to let the Lord help me control both. I cannot deny either and must deal with them both. I must allow the Holy Spirit to empower me to give proper expression to my emotions without losing control of my feelings.
I agree with the author that we are too often led by our feelings and that takes us places we don't want to be. A couple of days ago I shared the train illustration and the relationship between the truth and feelings. Feelings naturally follow the truth of God and His Word but when we try to lead with our feelings the train goes nowhere and we get a dirty caboose.
Our feelings are easily fooled so we must give them to Jesus so that we continue to love as He would and not out of selfish desires.
I thank God for my feelings and emotions. Life would be pretty dull without them. Apart from His control though they can lead to real trouble.
Lord, take my feelings and emotions and shape them and help me express them in ways that are real and bring honor to you. Amen

What are your thoughts?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 10

The Power of New

The New Testament, the new birth, a new commandment, a new power all have "old" counterparts. Each is gives a fresh and different understanding of the old. We have always been expected to love God and our neighbors but Jesus gives us a new twist or understanding on that. In fact he gives us an "impossible challenge" (see day 8) to love God and others as He does. How can I love like Jesus? Only when I do it with the power that He gives us through the Holy Spirit. That is where we begin.

The idea of making the routine new is an important one. We get in such a routing that many things become rote and lose their meaning. Today I want to breathe new life into those things that have become routine. How can I renew my love for God? How can I renew my love for Becky, the second most important relationship in my life? How can I renew my love for the relationships I have with friends?

I have a lot of work to do. How about you?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 9

The Power of Jesus' Command

Next to the command of Jesus to love God with all we have and are and to love others as ourselves, this may be the most important idea or concept the author will give us concerning loving others. "You can't command emotion but you can command action." God is not asking us to feel something but rather to do something. Whether I feel like it or not I can choose to act in a loving way toward others. I can choose to hold my tongue, say a kind word, fix dinner or wash dishes. Those are all acts of love whether I feel anything or not. Interestingly enough my emotions do follow my actions. L cannot act in a loving way very long without feeling love. Love follows action. It is like the train illustration where the engine is fact (or action), the coal car is my faith (where I put my energy) and the caboose is my feelings. To get the train moving I must put my faith into actions and then feelings naturally follow. But if I put my faith into my feelings the train goes nowhere and all I get is a dirty caboose.

Today I will choose to act in live and trust that feelings will follow. Whether the feelings come fast or slow I will choose to act in love. I will remember that love is something that you do.

What do you think?

Monday, October 13, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 8

The Impossible Challenge

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:34 (NIV)

Will I ever be able to love like Jesus loves me? Probably not in this world but that is the command. It is not to "try your best" or to be "as good or better than others," it is to be like Jesus. I am well aware that I cannot do this on my own. I can only do this with God's power and that comes by being filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit guides me it is the love of God that flows through me. It is then that I can love from the overflow of my life. This truly is impossible apart from trusting God.

The "one another" passages of the New Testament make for an interesting study of how we are to treat one another. We are to love, encourage, pray and support on one side and exhort, rebuke and restore on the other. These passages give direction for both the positive and corrective side of relationships. We are responsible to our sisters and brothers. We are to encourage and correct – we are to hold each other accountable before God. This is not in a mean or condescending way but rather out of love so that we both are walking in fellowship with the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In order to live like this I must slow the pace of my life because busyness and hurriedness will keep me from seeing real needs and responding to them.

As I write this my schedule is getting more and more crowded and the pace seems to be hurrying forward. The devil challenges each decision I make by pushing me toward good things but at the expense of better things. It is an impossible task but all things are possible with God.

Lord, Help me to slow down today and to see and listen to the people around me. Help me to love you more and others like Jesus would today. Amen

What are you thinking?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 7

Love Someone As Your Neighbor

Two thoughts caught my attention and reminded me of so lessons I learned long ago.

    1. Jesus loved the people He was with and made the most of each opportunity. So often I neglect the people I am with for some "more important" task like loving the people of the world. How often do I miss loving one because I am looking at the masses? Jesus never missed the individual. He loved the people He was with and so must I.

    2. Jesus took time to be alone with the Father. It was this time that energized Him when He was with people. In my early days of ministry on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary taught us this principle. "You can never do enough for people if you are always surrounded by people." This was an encouragement to have a consistent time alone with God. If Jesus needed it, how much more do I need it. It is this time with God that gives me those "higher priorities and higher motivations" (pg 75) out of which I begin to love individuals as my neighbor.

This is where Loving like Jesus really gets tough and messy because some of the people around me are not so lovable and their lives are a mess. But what better thing can I do than to bring them into contact with the One who will love them unconditionally and can clean up their mess.

Lord, teach me to love those I am with. Teach me to see individuals and not just the masses. Amen

My thoughts, What are yours?

Saturday, October 11, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 6

Love Everyone as Your Neighbor

Love your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27 (NIV)

I was not surprised that the author used the Good Samaritan story as an illustration for this reading. What intrigued me was his thoughts on hoe we limit loving others because of our differences or fears. This really goes to our prejudices. Most of us don't want to think of ourselves as prejudiced but fact is sometimes we are. Living in Charlotte we don't see many minorities and when we do sometimes we don't respond the way we should. Is it our differences or is it our fears. That is where Jesus wants to do a real work in our lives. To give us a color-blind view of people and to let us conquer our fears. This is not to say we are to put ourselves in harm's way but so many times we just love people who are just like us. I hope that as a church we would welcome each person that comes through our doors. No one regardless of race, economic standing, lifestyle, on and on the list could go. Everyone should be loved here so that we might help them have a life changing encounter with Jesus.

Lord, forgive me when I fail to show your love for others because of my fears or differences. Give me the courage to love as you would. Amen

What do you think?

40 Days of Love – Day 5

Love God with all your Mind and Strength

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Loving God with your mind obviously involves your thinking. The author encourages us to use the above verse as a guide for our thinking. That certainly is a challenge because so much of what surrounds us is the opposite of this verse. How then do we train our mind to think in ways that honor God?

Dr. Earl Radmacher gave a series of lectures he titled, "Right Thinking." The premise was that as we spend time with God and memorize the Scripture that then forms a filter over our minds. Then everything that comes through our eye and ear gates is filtered and also everything that comes from our minds. To have God's word filtering our thoughts both from outside and inside us. This is something I have tried to practice and in tough situations God brings to mind scripture that fits my needs at the moment. The kicker then is sin as always becomes a choice I make rather than something I was forced or coerced to do. When I practice "Right Thinking" my relationship with God grows. I am then loving God with my mind.

How do you think you "love God with your mind?

Thursday, October 9, 2008

40 Days of Love Day 4

Love God with All Your Soul

Passion, Personality, Decision

Although I understand and agree with the general direction and thought of the author in this reading I think he has something backwards. I appreciated the explanation of the words used in the Old and New Testaments. These point us to passion and personality. I do not recall the soul being described as the "decision center" (my words not the author's). In the context of his writing I can understand what he is trying to say.

I do think it is important for us to love God with all we are. The author says passionately and personally. With all we are and with all we have inside us. I cannot imagine anything more bland, unattractive and dissatisfying than passionless love and yet too many of us settle for that in our relationship with God and others. I like the emphasis on loving God as only I can (personally) because I am a unique individual. This is not a license for aberrant behavior but rather a call for uniquely personal expressions, those that come from your unique personality. It is so freeing not to have to be like someone else or to do something just like someone else. God expects us to love Him as only we can. I cannot be you and you do not want to be me. Let's not look for conformity but rather for community.

The one place I think the author got it backwards if when he writes, "our soul is the expression of our life passion" (pg 50). I think our life passion is a reflection of our soul. Wilberforce was passionate about the abolition of slavery because of his soul not the other way around. Jesus said "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt 12:34). Out of the heart come our passions. The things you are passionate about reflect or are expressions of your soul. Now that is a sobering thought. My soul is revealed in the things I am committed to. Can I love God with a "success at any cost" soul; a "money seeking" soul; a "NASCAR" soul? On and on I could go. The answer is that God wants us to love Him with all our soul whatever its condition. He also wants to mold and shape our soul into what He wants it to be. That can only happen when I have give it all to Him.

Today I have decided to love God passionately and personally with all that I am and have.

What do you think?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day 3

Love God With All Your Heart

    The devotion began with an interesting point and an important distinction. Knowing and feeling are not sufficient for life change. Intellectual assent or the "big time" tingles are simply not sufficient to bring about real life change. To have life change requires that we put out faith into practice. This involves our wills, our behaviors. Too often people mistake knowing and feeling for a genuine experience with the Lord. I certainly want those to be part but without the exercise of our faith in new behaviors then we are left with empty and shallow and temporary experiences.
    The heart we are talking about is not the blood pump in out chests but rather the control center of our emotions. Why are we so afraid to show our emotions in relation to our faith? I see fans get all worked up at sporting events – not afraid to show their emotions, they wear their school colors and cheer and cheer loudly. At NASCAR it seems that everyone is wearing something to let you know their favorite driver or make of car. I think we have fallen prey to the notion that to express our emotions is to somehow be intellectually dishonest or suspect, to be factually weak, or just downright ignorant. God forbid that we would ever get excited about Jesus and actually tell someone about our relationship with Him. After all isn't it the really smart seminary professors who have this all figured out? Not really. I cherish my seminary education and the time I spent with professors who loved the Lord and challenged me to learn as much as I could.
    In 1972 Dr. Earl Radmacher, president of what was then Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, gave me some advice about my education that I will never forget. He said, "Scholarship without enthusiasm leads to stagnation but enthusiasm without scholarship leads to fanaticism." You must develop both scholarship and enthusiasm. It was that advice that prompted me to go on to seminary and to continue the learning process through the years. This learning must be accompanied by continual attention to enthusiasm. As a college student there was a song that went something like this, "Get all excited, Go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is Lord."

    Today we are encouraged to love God with all our hearts, with all our emotion. I think it is a good suggestion to express yourself to God out loud. Give voice to your thoughts. Talk to your friend, Jesus. So, today I will pray out loud and express my feelings to the Lord. When I am honest about my emotions then the Lord has a chance to mold them and change them. When I am just "blowing smoke" with the Lord and telling Him what I think He wants to hear or what I think I should say, when I am not honest whit him or myself, I thwart God's opportunity to mold and change me. Today I will be honest about my feelings when I pray and anxious to see Him work in my life.

How will you express yourself to God today?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

40 Days of Love - Day Two

Navel Gazing and Other Useless Activities

IF we want our lives to change it will take more than introspection. It was called "navel gazing" when I was in college. Just pondering your life and what could be better. It was to "get in touch with yourself." There is absolutely nothing wrong with "getting in touch with yourself" except that without the corresponding behavior change nothing really changes. Here we have been challenged to let Jesus give us a new set of priorities and then we must act on them. It is not good enough to just ponder or think on them. We must put them into action.

Today the reading makes us aware of "The Attraction of Lesser Things." Those things that distract us and divert our attention away from the priorities Jesus set for us. The author gave two important warnings about "lesser things":
        1. The "lesser values almost always overwhelms the greater" (p.33)
        2. "the striking thing about the lesser values is that the more of them you achieve, the more you realize how little power they have to bring fulfillment." (p.34)

That is the problem with "navel gazing" it never gets us to where we want to be. All the desire in the world cannot bring fulfillment apart from being put into practice. Things and lesser values simply cannot satisfy or fulfill our lives. We were created for more. Lesser values keep our focus on temporal things that in the long run don't matter much. That is why Jesus tells us that there is more to life than "stuff" and He wants us to trust Him with our every need. Read again what He said:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Today I will act on the priorities Jesus has set and seek to keep lesser thing lesser and greater things greater.

Lord keep me focused on you and your priorities today. Help me to seek after greater values and not be tripped up by seeking the lesser. Amen

Monday, October 6, 2008

40 Days of Love – Day One

For the next 40 days I am going to use the daily readings from Tom Holladay's book, The Relationship Principles of Jesus, as my daily devotional. This will be instead of my daily reading in the Life Journal.

As we embark on this 40 day journey I want to share my thoughts on the readings with you. This journey has the potential to change you forever. We live in a world of screwed up relationships and any help we can get can certainly have a major impact on our lives. I appreciate that we are not being told to "just try harder" but rather will be given handles to hang on to as we move toward loving others as Jesus would have us love them. That is a tall order but the Lord offers to empower us to do what he asks and to experience all he has for us. It will be a great journey so let's get started.

Day One - Nothing Is More Important Than Relationships

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

I don't know anyone who would disagree with that statement until they look at their bank accounts or houses or cars. We say relationships are most important but our priorities reveal the truth. Too often we value things more than people. I wonder what the Lord thinks when I refuse to give to a charity in order to buy something for myself. I find that selfishness robs me for real life. Life as God intended it to be lived and experienced. I cannot receive what God has for me when my hands are closed tight around my things. God calls us to be givers especially of ourselves rather than just takers. The greatest gift I can give another is my focused attention, that is my time. So often I get to busy doing what I can in order to get more things that I neglect what is most important, time with the people the Lord has brought into my life. As I begin this 40 Days of Love journey I want to intentionally turn my focus from things to relationships and to invest quality time in growing those relationships. I hope you will join me as we invest in people not just stuff. We all have plenty of stuff so let's spend time loving each other and developing those relationships that will last forever.

Lord as I begin this journey help me to recognize when I am short changing the people in my life for the sake of things and stuff. Let me build deep and meaningful relationships that honor you and bring joy to my life. Amen

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Life Journal 10-05-2008 Be Specific

Be Specific

(S) Scripture
Luke 18:41-42 (NASB77)
41 "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!"
42 And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."

(O) Observation
    This chapter in Luke is a series of parables on prayer. In it we find this encounter of Jesus with a blind man. He asks Jesus to be merciful and jesus asks him to be specific in his request. "What do you want Me to do for you?" Jesus then answered his specific request.

(A) Application
    It is easy for me to be general in my prayers. Sometimes I think I am afraid to be specific because I really don't think God will answer. If I am vague in my prayer I can make almost any outcome fit that prayer. Jesus here suggests that we be specific so that we will recognize the answer when it comes. I want to trust God that much. I want to trust Him enough to be specific when I pray.

(P) Prayer
Lord help me to be specific when I pray so that I can recognize clearly your answers. Make me aware when I am being vague or general. Amen

Friday, October 3, 2008

Life Journal 10-03-2008 Being Lowly

Being Lowly

(S) Scripture
Psalm 138:6 (NASB77)
For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly; But the haughty He knows from afar.

(O) Observation
    David in this psalm reminds us that God is high and lifted up. He is exalted above everything. But even in that high and lifted place He takes note of the lowly and distances Himself from the haughty and proud.
    It seems that God draws close to the humble, those who trust Him, and stays away from those who trust in themselves or something else.
    It is comforting to know that the God of Heaven chooses to come near and take care of those who trust Him. Nothing is beyond His sight and care for the lowly. The haughty are depending on their own devices and God simply observes from a distance. Nothing in the lives of the haughty escapes Him either but He keeps His distance.

(A) Application
    What does it mean to be "lowly"? This is not an endorsement or call to be weak or shy or poor as the culture would define these things. To be "lowly" means to be "humble". Humility as I understand is to see yourself as God sees you, with strengths and weaknesses. We are to recognize that the Lord is the source of all we have and that we must depend on Him for the strength and power to use what He has given to us. We are to be aware of our weaknesses and know that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. In every way I am to trust God and never depend on my own abilities and devices. When I get haughty or proud God steps away and lets me go on my own and disaster will eventually come. When I am trusting and depending on the Lord, I experience His presence, strength and nearness. When God seems distant I can be sure that I have a pride problem.
    Today I will examine my life to be sure I am trusting in the Lord and not in myself. I want to experience God's nearness continually and never for Him to be far from me.

(P) Prayer
    Lord forgive my haughtiness and pride. Too often I forget that I cannot do anything on my own. Help me to trust you more and more each day. Thank you for giving me gifts and abilities that you can use in your kingdom. I ask that you draw near to me and use me today. Amen