February 24, 2011
God’s Patience
Today’s reading is a quick visit to the book of Judges (Chapter 10, Verses 6-16), which highlights the patience and the grace of God given to the Israelites who “did evil in the eyes of the Lord… they forsook the Lord and no longer served him.” Many times the Israelites had turned away from God to worship other gods; God’s justice quickly swept down upon them and misfortune came their way. Many times, the Israelites were conquered by other nations and they suffered under the oppression of their conquerors. Many times the Israelites were delivered from the hands of their oppressors by God. Eventually, the Israelites tried God’s patience to the point where a lesson needed to be learned:
The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the Gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” (Judges 10:11-14)
God challenged the Israelites to count on their foreign gods to save them; but they did not. God watched on as the Israelites were enslaved by their conquerors and they suffered greatly under the yoke of their captors. Yet, in these times of trouble for the Israelites, they became remorseful and their inside sincerity finally became true to their repentance towards God.
But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer. (Judges 10:15-16)
Even with so many transgressions against the Lord, the Lord still took back the Israelites with open arms. His patience with us is unfathomable. No matter how we may have sinned against Him, He always shows mercy to those who truly seek His forgiveness. For the same reason, we should extend the same mercy and patience for our spouses and our loved ones. No matter how frustrated we may become with the people in our lives, approaching them with patience and acceptance follows God’s example.
How can you communicate patience and mercy in your actions today?
February 23, 2011
Break It Down Again
© Tudor Stanica | Dreamstime.com
Sometimes when I look at the horizon, I have no idea if I am looking at a sunset – as if my whole world is coming to an end… many of the plans and ambitions that my life has created for myself have never come to light. I spent twelve years preparing for two different professions I never got a chance to advance and practice in my life. Even in my current profession, I am earning half the salary I originally was at over a decade ago. I have been skipped over for raises and promotions despite a diligent work ethic. Even attempts at self-promotion through tireless job hunting has lead to several years of fruitless and disappointing dead ends.
Lord, I give up.
Everything I have tried to do and achieve in this life has led me to here: sad, frustrated and broken. I am tired of struggling at work to do good work… then to only have a coworker or my boss snatch up my labors to take the credit. I am tired of being overlooked for promotions, awards or raises because despite my hard work these things seem totally out of my control.
Most of all, I am tired. I am weary because I have lost my way. I always thought that working hard, achieving and tireless ambition would bring to me success and prosperity in my life. I thought by now I would be living in a large house with my family, be an executive or some high ranking official in my original chosen area of work. Instead, I am here – at a crossroads – thunder and steam gone and the gleam in my eyes have faded away to a dull gray.
Then this morning, I turn to the First Book of Corinthians and started to read this:
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. (1 Corinthians 1:26)
I thought I was destined for nobility and influence in my life. But that is where I have made my mistake. Paul reminds us of the folly of pride and human achievement when he writes:
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intlligent I will frustrate.” (1 Corinthians 1:19)
And now it all makes better sense. Perfect grades and test scores in school, countless awards and personal achievements all spelled a recipe for success in my eyes… except God’s. God chooses the opposite of the things that mankind elevates and admires.
He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. (1 Corinthians 1:28)
Even Paul, a shining figure of Christianity came from a humble heart when he says
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and in fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that you faith might not rest on mens’ wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
When God chose his messengers of the Gospel, he did not pick from the rich and the haughty or the wise and the scholarly. Human knowledge and wisdom falls short of comprehension of God. I realize now that my ambitions or life plans were not the way God had planned for me. Every time I build myself up, He breaks it down with a crushing blow.
But God is a loving God.
I firmly believe that these crushing blows are God’s attempt to remove me from my ingrained, scholarly approach to life. These beliefs in human constructs an achievements were leading me away from Him. The moment I realized that my human failures were simply the result of God breaking through to my heart, it all made sense.
True, I am broken, tired and disappointed (in myself). True, I might not be achieving at the level that I believe I have earned through my labors. The life God calls us to isn’t about that. When life is over, God despises the man who is boastful before Him. For the “foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25) It’s about time that I settle down amongst my failures and take a large dose of humility.
I am at a crossroads in my professional life and there again, I have found God waiting for me; asking me to leave it all behind. It is not through my achievement that I have come this far. It is through His grace and guidance that has taken me here today.
This morning, as I look at the horizon. For certain it is a sunrise. It is a beginning. “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31) I am letting go of my self-promotion and have further resolve to promoting Christ the Lord, through whom we receive our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
February 14, 2011
Where Will You Be?
How Will You Spend It?
Today’s reflection isn’t on designer perfume, but on the concept of “Eternity”. I just found that the ad campaign for this Calvin Klein product seemed fancy and eye-catching enough for the discussion.Ironically, this symbol of “high fashion” is an example of the material comforts that do not last the test of time and in fact, are a part of what we leave behind when we die.
As believers in Christ, we are reminded that life on earth is a mere temporary stop on our journey. Life here is intended only as a testing ground for what lies ahead: an eternal feast in the true presence of the Lord our God.
John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
There is a place for us that is prepared and not one of us spends a day more than God intends us to have on this earth.
Many of us grieve when we have lost a loved one also often ask the question “why“? Author Max Lucado said it best when he writes: “You and I both know I can’t answer that question. Only God knows the reasons behind his actions. But here is a key truth on which we can stand. Our God is a good God.” (Traveling Light, Max Lucado). As inspired in the Book of Psalms: “You are good, Lord. The Lord is good and right.” (Psalms 25:7-8) God’s plan may not be revealed completely to us, but the motivations are pure and loving; it truly is “for the good” that these things happen.
But how could death be good? Isaiah writes: “Good people are taken away, but no one understands. Those who do right are being taken away from evil and are given peace. Those who live as God wants find rest in death.” Death is God’s way of taking people away from evil.What is this evil that the Bible speaks of? It could be a number of things, but mostly they are the things that turn us away from God or the things that harm us or cause unnecessary suffering in ourselves and in others.
That’s where eternity comes into the picture. What length of time is our life here on earth compared to eternity? It’s almost nothing… “In God’s plan every life is long enough and every death is timely.” (Lucado) We all have our season of life and our time, though highly unpredictable is completely intentional and planned by the Lord.
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
These “days” are the eternity that believers long for – for those of us left behind to live, we should take comfort in the loss knowing that the sacrifice of Christ has ensured the continuation of the journey for the dead in the life of the world to come.
January 31, 2011
Inspiration in Times of Trouble
As I sit down to write today’s article, I am reminded by a quote from Saint Nicholas of Flue who says that
Each stage of life has its special duties; by accomplishing them, one may find happiness.
Indeed there are many duties we are called to attend to, be it in our daily jobs, parenting roles, relationships and interactions. Try to find time to discover the fulfillment of each of our busy, daily tasks and relish the happiness that they bring to your life.
In times of trouble, we are often faced with the question… why? The answer is not always apparent, but with prayer and faith we learn to be at peace with the outcomes because these outcomes are always a product of God’s glory in this world.
To the question: Why is God testing me?
Rick Warren writes that “Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test.” Life is a test for the next world beyond. Character is something that you carry with you every day – it is shaped and formed by the Lord. It is a measure of the thing that God sees without fail. As the Bible writes: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God sees the heart.” What you should be concerned about is this measure that God sees in us… not in the outward nature that man looks at first.
At the “heart” of the matter, “Your true character is something that no one can injure but yourself.” -C.H. Spurgeon; We are constantly tested and molded in our character… a part of us that is of high importance in matters of faith.
To the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
“God doesn’t always change the circumstances, but He can change us to meet the circumstances. That’s what it means to live by faith.” – Warren Wiersbe
“Sometimes your medicine bottle says, ‘Shake well before using.’ That is what God has to do with some of His people. He has to shake them well before they are usable.” – Vance Havner
“After all, a crisis doesn’t make a person; it reveals what a person is made of.” – Warren Wiersbe
A crisis isn’t meant to be a punishment or a product of God’s wrath. Faith reminds us that the Lord is a loving God, watchful of our needs and constantly guiding us in matters of the heart. The circumstances we are under aren’t meant to bring us down – they should be treated as opportunities to “shake ourselves up” so that we are useful to the Lord and His purpose. God doesn’t abolish “bad” things or negative outcomes. These are circumstances intended to change us instead – they are opportunities to elevate ourselves to a stronger moral fiber and character.
To the question: How do I survive this difficult time?
To this, C.H. Spurgeon writes: “If you seek to know the path of your duty, use God as your compass.” Steer your way with faith. Pray for guidance and look carefully for the messages and the hints left behind for you to follow.
To the problems we encounter, Victor Hugo reminds us to
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”
Go in peace knowing that God is preparing you for the challenge and testing those changes so that you too will notice and give praise to Him for his greatness. Have courage because God is at the helm, steering your journey through life. Your role is to take heed and notice all the contributions He has made towards your character and your survival in this life.
Go in peace. God Bless.
January 29, 2011
A Bitter Pill to Swallow
What kind of message do you take home each time you read scripture? How about when you attend church? What lessons have you taken from countless sermons you’ve sat through on the Gospel of Christ? DO YOUR ACTIONS match the message that the Gospel wants us to hear? The truth is, many of us are living a contradiction in our lives. There are things that we like to hear and want to hear, but then there are things that we turn away from because the message is too strong or too poignant for us to bear.
From the second book of Timothy:
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. -2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV
I first discovered this scripture from a blog post challenging me with: What Path Are You On? The author aptly warns us through an interpretation of Timothy that:
They wanna hear its OK to do as you please and you are saved so there are no consequences for your actions now. They wanna hear that its OK to be in the world and partake of its evils. They don’t care about the sacrifice That Gods Son made for us or His Laws. They say disregard The Laws for you are under grace.
That time that Timothy warns us of is now. Confusion and mediocrity plagues the ranks of Christ’s followers because of this warning from God. It is too easy to follow “ala carte” faith: picking and choosing the elements that suit us and ignoring the ones that do not. Seeing this truth in ourselves as mediocre Christians may be a bitter pill to swallow. How can we be proud of a self image that is less than flattering? Jesus preached the truth and immediate obedience to the Lord and His Laws. Jesus did not preach obedience later. He did not preach obedience tomorrow. God’s Laws must be followed NOW. And what became of Him for sending this message? He was crucified for it.
Hear now that in this world, it is far too easy to let our faith take a backseat to all our worldly desires and worries. We scurry to pull together a meager (or even prosperous) living for ourselves and our families: show up to work on time, commute, shop, and do a thousand other things to “get ahead” in this life. This is what we do to “make a living”. We must pay attention however, to ALL the lessons of the Gospel at the same time. Salvation is not a buffet line of practices, formulas and prayers. Salvation is about turning your life around and dedicating it to the Lord… not the other way around.
Dedicating.
One more time:
Dedicating.
It bears repeating because as Timothy further reveals:
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy (2 Timothy 3:2 NIV)
Have you dedicated your life to yourself? Is your worship in a temple filled with your achievements or lined with your wealth? Have you put off your relationship with Christ as secondary to these temptations? Don’t let the worldly desires pull you away from the mission that should be paramount in your life. The Gospel warns us to avoid men that Timothy writes of. The time is now.
The story isn’t all doom and gloom. In Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” In it is the saving grace of the Lord, for even though Christ was crucified for bringing to the world God’s Truth, God isn’t coming to bring about destruction and ruin in return. On the contrary, he is comforting us to know that no other sacrifice except for His son is necessary to appease Him for our sinful nature. To FULFILL means that He is coming to fulfill His promises of salvation for those who choose to follow Christ. To FULFILL means that those who choose not to follow his laws will also be appropriately handled by Him. To FULFILL also means that we as Christian people must keep up our end by following the Lord obediently now. A man cannot serve two masters. Choose your master in this world wisely. Choose to follow God and do so with your whole heart.
January 28, 2011
Surviving Through Change
Change is inevitable. So goes the saying. As in a previous post on changing life circumstances, the book of Malachi presents God’s promise, “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6 NKJV). So, I may have to edit that adage and say that “Change (for us humans) is inevitable but we can put faith in the Lord that He will not change and His promises are non-negotiable.”
Here are some inspirational quotes from other historical figures and thinkers on the nature of change and the type of character-building experience they have to offer:
The only way a person can remain consistent amid changing circumstances is to change with them while preserving the same dominating purpose. – Winston Churchill
We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles. – Jimmy Carter
It is well and good if all things change, Lord, if we are rooted in You. – St. John of the Cross
He who is fretted by his own failings will not correct them; all profitable correction comes from a calm, peaceful mind. – St. Francis of Sales
Life is too short and the world too compassion-starved for you to keep subsisting in situations that drag you down and curtail your potential to help advance the Kingdom. There’s just too much at stake. – Bill Hybels
I think the quote from Bill Hybels is an important parting note for this post. In difficult times of change, we as Christians and born again followers of Christ have a mission that can’t be bogged down by the shifting sands of everyday life.
The scriptures tell us as Christians it is our duty to preach the Gospel to every living creature. And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” -Mark 16:15-16
He wasn’t asking us to do this. He was commanding us to do this. The advancement of the Kingdom is in the preaching of the Gospel. EVERYTHING is at stake when it comes to this. As Abiel Disciple posted in her blog post on preaching the gospel, she writes:
Every born-again believer has a responsibility to preach the Gospel, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified with lost sinners so that they can be forgiven and spend eternity in Heaven.
I like Winston Churchill’s words when he talks of a “dominating purpose”. As Christians we do have a dominating purpose to fulfill His command to preach and spread the word of the Gospel for all to hear… and it is a mark of our character as Christians. So when you are faced with adversity, seek God. When times get tough, stick to your principles. When you are challenged, remember your faith and God’s greater challenge to spread word and win believers for Christ our savior. Tough, changing times aren’t easy, but they are a hallmark of how circumstance builds our character and tests our resolve for Christ.
January 26, 2011
Purging Religious Yeast
The first book of Corinthians writes in a figurative sense about “yeast” when it says:
Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast – as you really are. For Christ, our passover lamb, has been sacrificed. – 1 Corinthians 5:7
From an old post on the blog “Finding the Motherlode” the author poses a theological discussion on the nature of religion. Religion (religious thoughts, rules, ways and means), the author writes, is selfish. It stems from self and revolves around self. This selfish sense of “religion” is present in all of us and like a speck of yeast, it is very difficult to spot and remove. Some examples of this sense of “religion” that we should be warned of:
- Religion is when I try to make something happen before God has ordained it.
- Religion is doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons.
- Religion is saying Hallelujah before having the faith to say Amen.
- Religion is saying “Yes” to God without saying “No” to ungodliness.
I think I have a sense from where the author is coming from and I offer up an example from another blog which studies the works of James and the warning “Faith Without Works is Dead.” This selfish notion of religion is in saying and doing things that are biblically advisable but not really making the effort to make it happen. That in itself is a contradiction. It’s in the contradiction that we find the “yeast” in our lives.
But if a brother or sister is naked and may be lacking in daily food and any one of you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, but does not give them the things the body needs, what gain [is it]? – James 2:14-15
This is a tough brand of yeast for me to purge from myself as I am faced daily with many homeless and poor individuals on the streets, all of whom are begging for their meager living. I usually pass them up knowing that a smile or a good word is not enough to fulfill their bodily needs, as the Bible demands. Finding ways of fulfilling my obligations to the poor is a lifelong challenge that faces me and possibly many others.
Like I said, once you recognize what yeast is in your life, it’s really, really hard to figure out how to remove it. It takes work and it takes sacrifice. As in the promise of salvation through Christ, we are challenged by Corinthians to prepare and make ourselves “new” (a new batch without yeast) to meet Christ’s sacrifice.
Fatherhood in Tough Times
Today’s reflection comes from Purpose for Everyday Living for Fathers, which really speaks to this current life and times facing families today. It talks about the nature of unpredictable change and the anxiousness that some fathers may feel about factors affecting their families that seem so far out of their control.
Our world is in a state of constant change. God is not. At times, the world seems to be trembling beneath our feet. But we can be comforted in the knowledge that our Heavenly Father is the rock that cannot be shaken. His word promises, “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6 NKJV)
The author reminds any father facing difficult circumstances that God is far bigger than any of those problems that you may face.
By putting your faith in the Father and His only begotten son: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV) Because the savior does not change “you can face your challenges with courage for today and hope for tomorrow.”
I myself as a father experience this anxiousness each day as I prepare my children for their day, struggle to pay the bills and expenses or hear about yet another violent crime happening in my community. Sometimes the number of troubles at my feet seem insurmountable and the pressure that comes from having a family count on me introduces a whole new level of change and uncertainty.
With God there is certainty. God will protect you if you ask Him. So ask Him and trust in Him to handle the many things that seem out of your control.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
Corinthians reminds us that we are meant to be beings of faith. If we succumb to what we see before us, it is certain that we will be overcome and overrun with the multitude of problems that face us. By walking with faith we look beyond and towards the Lord instead. With faith, we trust in Him to handle what seems out of our control allowing us to serve Him instead of the problems before us.
January 24, 2011
Where is Jesus?
Many of us are familiar with the promoted acronym: WWJD. For those who don’t, it stands for “What Would Jesus Do?”; it is a reminder for those who wear bracelets or accessories with the simple saying to consider their actions and decide if they are Christlike in nature. I’ve been reflecting on this saying and find it very catchy. It really gets to the point about a Christian’s journey seeking the path that Jesus has laid down for us to follow. On the other hand, in a post on “Eventful Journey“, a blogger makes an apt statement about the WWJD sentiment when he wrote:
Recently I have been rephrasing the bracelet: What WILL Jesus Do? This seems a much better way of looking at things. Jesus is not absent. Nor is he waiting to see if, through our own efforts, we can live up to his enormous expectations. Instead, he is in us, working through us by the same Holy Spirit that raised him from the dead (Romans 8:11). We are co-workers with him, not second-rate replacements for him. I have found this new way of thinking profoundly liberating.
I like that thinking because I agree that Jesus is NOT absent at all throughout our lives, our trials and our struggles. On the contrary, He is guiding our every action and gently leading the way. WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) is a nice sentiment, but to some people who consider its nuance will realize that the saying pits each of us alone at a crossroads, faced with decisions that are eminently beyond our ability to handle. As Jesus said in John 14:6: “no one comes to the Father except through me.” Our lives as Christians isn’t about rediscovering some hidden formula or path behind the life Jesus led on earth. It’s in finding Jesus Himself within the things that we pursue and the things that we do. So, where is Jesus? As in the beautiful poem about the footprints in the sand, we continue our life’s journey not alone and falling behind a trail Jesus has left behind. Instead we are right there, side by side with Jesus through whom we find our way to the heavenly Father.
Stormy Weather
Read a wonderful post titled: Surviving Storms today. It was a synopsis of a Sunday sermon witnessed by the author. The blogger begins: “We all have to endure storms. They show up in the form of financial, occupational, and/or personal crises.”; She uses Acts 27:19-41 to illustrate a story of Paul and others who were sailing to Rome when they got caught in a terrible storm.
The points of weathering a terrible storm was illustrated by their visiting pastor based on this reading including the following challenges:
- What is God asking you to throw overboard so you can survive the storm?
- What simple step is God asking you to do to move out of the storm?
- What opportunity does God want you to see right now?
I liked point #1: what kind of burdens do you carry now that keeps you from staying afloat? What are the most important things that will help us survive and stay afloat? Check out the passage and read the original blog entry; the discussion is as encouraging as it is wonderfully metaphorical. Remember that “It doesn’t matter how big your sail is… it matters how much wind is behind your sail. If you rely on God’s grace, you will always survive the storm.“
What kind of storms and hardships have you lived through in your life? What did you do to survive? What helped you to survive and see a future that is worthwhile?
For me, my job has been a daily source of pressure and unmitigated stress. I still wake up in the wee hours of the morning, every morning, from worry or doubt related to the previous day’s work. Though the conditions weighed me down, I was never expected to get rid of any of it. I had many grievances against my managers from past incidents – a past that was already set in a long ago time frame. Should I continue to address what angers me, or should I focus my energies on the new, future opportunities that were made available by God for me to grow.
