Monthly Archives: May 2014

God’s glory gives light

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Have you ever noticed how suffering has a way of stripping away the layers of who you think you are, to reveal who you really are inside?  Who I am as a man, as a leader, as a provider for my family – a father, husband, grandfather – a contributor to my church, an influencer of others for the kingdom of Christ… All these have changed, some in small ways, others more significantly, through the journey of Leukemia. This is good when it involved surrender to God and being molded in His image. But there is also a certain grieving of the journey from Gal 2:20 and 2 Cor 5:17. It seems we carry so many labels and hold some of these dearly close to us. Some aspects of these need to be stripped away. The remainder all need to be submissive to the one label of God’s child, devoted follower of Jesus.

 

Lately, I am reflecting on the glory of God filling his temple (2 Chron. 5:14 and many other verses). I think on 1 Cor 3:16 (and others) where we are reminded that we ourselves are the temple of God. It follows of course, that His glory should fill us, that others should see his glory when they observe our lives, filled with his presence.

 

It is like the story of the little girl who asked her mother, “Is it true that when we ask Jesus into our life that He lives in our heart?” The mother replied, “Well yes dear, that is right.” “And isn’t He the light of the world?” the girl continued. “Yes, that is true,” replied the mom. “Then shouldn’t others see Him shine through us?” the girl asked. Out of the mouth of babes comes a truth for us. Some extent of the glory of God should be revealed through us if His Son lives in us.

 

This label of glory-filled-holiness is a worthy (and daunting) one to consider.  It is our true identity that no one and no circumstance can strip away unless we let it.  It is a banner we can only carry by continual surrender to Christ in us, the hope of glory. When He carries this banner others can see Him…in us.

 

What other identity rivals this one? Let God’s glory shine in and through your day. For the glory of God gives light!

Waiting

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What do you do when you have to wait? We’ve grown accustomed to instant food, instant access, and instant gratification of nearly everything we want. We live in a “let’s get on with it” world that seems increasingly uncomfortable with silence and mindful inactivity. But waiting provides opportunities for us to GROW and to GLOW (go light our world):
Waiting at a stop light – pray for your fellow travelers. (Keep your eyes open so you don’t irritate them by missing the green light.:-))
Waiting in the checkout line – encourage a stranger in line with you. Share God’s love.
Waiting for someone to show up – pray for them. Ask for God’s discernment about your role in the meeting.
Waiting for an answer to prayer – carve out time to be quiet each day to pray and to listen to what God’s Word says. Say out loud the things for which you already are thankful.

 

God has a plan for us whereEVER we are, even in the Waiting Room of life. While you wait for a new mission, God has a mission for you right now, right where you are. David waited 14 years between being anointed as king and serving as king. Paul also waited 14 years between conversion and his first missionary journey. Moses of course waited even longer. Do you think they sat on the porch of life and twiddled their thumbs while they waited? No, and neither should we if we really want to seek God’s best in our lives.

 

God has a plan for each of us while we wait, actually three plans: to PROTECT us, to PREPARE us, and to PROVIDE for us. He protects us by keeping us from rushing into something that may be dangerous for us. He uses times of waiting which often seem like trials, to better prepare our hearts and to equip us for the next part of our journey. And He uses times of waiting to provide for us by ministering to our bodies, our minds, and our soul.

 

It has been two and a half years since we heard God’s call to serve Him in South America. Then leukemia came. During this time of waiting, He continues to remind us that we have a mission here, even though not completely revealed. But as we wait also for that we know His constant mission for each of us is to have us draw ever closer to Him, in dependence and in surrender. Always, we continue to learn what it means to really behave like a “new creation” in Christ. The answer is always found in submitting our will to the Holy Spirit and responding to that part of the mission that is clearly revealed.

In the still quiet moments of your day, ask him to reveal more of His nature to you. Draw closer to Him and submit your agenda for His, renewing your mind with His Spirit. Then receive His will for you, His good, perfect pleasing, and perfect will. . . Even as you wait.

Medical Update (May 2014) – fighting the battle

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Mostly good reports from this past week’s U of I visits:

Most blood counts continue within low normal range.

Low immune globulin but I am fighting infections well.

Excellent pulmonary functioning scores.

Can now wear short sleeves with sunscreen. Whoo hoo.

Received childhood vaccines for polio,Hep B, and H.influenza B.
(More to follow in coming visits.)

Bone density scan reveals osteopenia but not yet osteoporosis. (Adversely affected by chemo and prednisone treatments & age.)

Constant muscle/joint aches due to GVHD not RA.

Revisit in 6 weeks.

The interesting thing about the ongoing Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) skirmish is that all you can do is arm yourself with the protective ‘armor’ of medications, exercise, and rest. Then try to stand firm while the battle wars within. It is like the battle we each face daily against elements of the spiritual world. We cannot see the enemy, but we experience the blows. Our job each day is to put on the protective armor of God (Ephesians 6:10+) and to STAND firm. And when the fighting is over, to stand still.

Let’s be found standing firm, brothers and sisters, equipped with the belt of truth wrapped around us, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, praying always in all situations. Our own strength is not sufficient. But God’s is.

“Liar liar, pants on fire.”

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It will probably never happen, but if it did it certainly would make discernment an easy task! In the meantime, let’s depend on God’s Word to show us truth, be certain which side of the truth we are on, and keep a fire extinguisher handy. . . just in case.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

Believing lies about others

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Have you ever believed a lie about someone else and found your relationship with that person to be strained because of it?

Maybe it was a rumor, or something shared as a prayer concern that wasn’t all that accurate. Maybe it was something you saw the person actually do, but what you saw was out of context, not really the whole truth. Maybe it was the way you interpreted the words or action of the other person, and you let that filtered impression stand as truth. Or maybe you project your own feelings about yourself into someone else, giving you a false impression of them.

It is altogether to easy to form the wrong impression of a person. Trust me, though I don’t intend it, I have been there before. I’m guessing you have experienced this too. You don’t intend to judge someone else, and yet you see them through jaded glasses. Maybe you so fear someone will behave a certain way that you interpret anything they do as confirming that belief.

There is an old Lakota Indian proverb that counsels us “Never criticize anyone unless you have walked a mile in their moccasins.” Ephesians 6:15 says to be equipped “with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Putting on the right shoes helps us build understanding based in truth.

When we find ourselves thinking something to be true about another person, let’s presume goodness. That means that a curt reply or a hurtful word should not be too quickly taken to heart. Maybe the word was not actually meant to be hurtful, but rather it was our pride that interpreted it that way.

Let’s seek understanding as we follow God’s counsel to live in harmony and in an understanding way with one another. Be cautious in the face of a lie and quick to believe the truth, especially about others.

“I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” Colossians 2:4

Cheating ourselves – cheating others

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What really happens when we believe lies? We allow ourselves to temporarily ‘forget’ the truth we know. We suspend the reality of truth in order to believe a make-believe lie. In the end, we betray and cheat ourselves and others, even God.

I don’t think most of us purposely betray ourselves or those we love. Do you think anyone would so brashly cuddle the love of their life while holding hands with another lover? After all, the nature of love is to be patient, kind, self-less, humble, serving, honoring of others. It is not easily angered and rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

But what happens when we suspend or forget love? We say we love this person, but our love for self-indulgence, our hobbies, “my time”, work, or good works says, “I love this more.”

God points this out repeatedly. Throughout history He commands us to have no idols. He hates idolatry, in fact so much so that He often equates it with adultery. He compares putting other things before Him to sleeping with a harlot. He says, “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” (Isaiah 42:8) We may justify ourselves by claiming we have no idols, no little statues that we bow down to. Yet we are quick to share Him with so much else.

We are called to be Holy as He is Holy, but if we are honest with ourselves, don’t we believe lies that our love of the world will satisfy us more than God Himself? I don’t think we often consciously choose to disobey and betray God. It seems when we are too comfortable, we live in a state of semi-slumber, half awake but also half asleep. God says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

Just like someone who nudges you during a lecture or sermon to get you to wake up, let’s invite the Holy Spirit to nudge us throughout the day if we are found falling asleep. Let us wake up and remember our true love.

Swapping lies for Truth

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Ha. Can you associate with this picture of a guy who is proud to consume a diet coke so he can have a piece of regular cake? It’s an illustration of how we rationalize one way of thinking or behaving by another. It all comes down to choice, doesn’t it? We choose one thing to justify another.

We choose to spend money rather than spending time.
We choose apathy over action and action over adoration.
We choose temporary trinkets when we could have eternal treasures.
We treasure possessions more than people.

I choose to eat poorly when I feel down, because “I deserve it.” I don’t exercise because I “need to relax.” I skim through bible passages because “I already know what it says.”

The list goes on. And we have ‘rational’ reasons for each choice we make. But so often our ‘rationality’ is a cover up of a lie.

What other examples would you add to the list of ways we swap the truth for a lie? TODAY is a great time to turn the swap around. NOW is the perfect time to put down the lie and pick up the Truth. The way to put that in practice as a regular habit is to spend time in God’s Word. When a lie presents itself in life, God’s Word will reveal it for what it is compared with the real Truth.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:9,11

Rational Lies

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I confess, I have long been a fan of dry humor and witty puns and homonyms. The cleverest of puns still tickle me because of the unexpected twist that causes my mind to quickly think in a different way.

I discovered one such example years ago when I was contemplating the way I would sometimes “rationalize” things that weren’t true. Have you ever done that? Act or think in a wrong way yet ‘rationalize’ that you are actually right? It is pride’s attempt to excuse the need to look at oneself or a situation through eyes filtered by truth.

Saying the word “rationalize” out loud over and over and ever so slowly, I heard the words “rational lies.” And it occurred to me that while I was trying to rationalize/justify my behavior and thoughts, I was actually telling myself lies that my pride wanted to make rational: hence, rational lies.

Rationality is defined as “the quality or state of being reasonable. (It) implies the conformity of one’s beliefs with one’s reasons to believe, or of one’s actions with one’s reasons for action. A rational decision is one that is not just reasoned, but is also optimal for achieving a goal or solving a problem.”

One problem with human rationality is that our ‘reason’ is often twisted by our desire to solve a problem our own way and to our benefit. We perceive facts and situations through our own filters, not always as they really are. And when our “rationalizing” is based on our internalized and often misguided filtering, believing in “rational lies” is really an irrational behavior…”irrational rationality.”

I gave one example in an earlier blog post when as a small child, I rationalized that my mother had abandoned me in a large department store. After all, I suddenly found myself all alone, frightened and angry. So instead of dealing with the real truth that it was I who had strayed, I ‘rationalized’ that she had left me. With such rationalization, didn’t I have a ‘right’ be angry?

Isn’t it sometimes that way in our relationship with God? We begin to forget God’s presence in our lives, we turn away from His direction and go our own way. Suddenly, we find ourselves in a desperate situation and wonder why God abandoned us. But in reality, we were the ones who abandoned Him.

The way to deal with ‘rational lies’ is to bring them in comparison with Truth. It is the same way bankers examine potentially counterfeit bills; they compare them side by side with the real ones. Consider what ‘rational lies’ you sometimes believe and bring them to the One True God today. Let Him help you compare them to His truth.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Dealing with frustration

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It frustrates me to admit this but I sometimes still get frustrated, especially when I have to wait. How about you? The tell-tale sign is getting frustrated over small stuff that doesn’t really matter. But the big stuff especially causes us angst too, doesn’t it? Maybe it is an answer to prayer for a quicker recovery, a process to go more smoothly, a problem to be solved, or a conflict to be resolved. It is a challenge to be patient when it seems it has taken ‘long enough,’ isn’t it?

I tend to view infections and extreme weak days as setbacks and reminders of my vulnerability. I tell myself three infections in the last five months is worse than zero in the first 8 months. Wrong thinking, I know. The fact that feelings of frustration arise is not the problem; it is of course what we CHOOSE TO DO with them.

You have your own list of frustrating moments, right? The thing is, you can probably tell me the answer to dealing with my frustrations as I can with yours. I have to remind myself (or Marcia does) “This is how this day goes. What should I be thankful for? God is still with me.” I may be surprised by the circumstance but He isn’t. Nothing can separate us from His love, not even this time of waiting. I just need to remain in the vine. (John 15) Apart from God, I can do nothing. With Him, all things are possible.

As I write this (primarily to myself) I find myself again surprised by how simple it is…and how complicated I can make it when putting it into practice. 🙂 I hope your day is filled with the grace of staying connected to God who calls you by name, who knows your situation. Rest in Him and watch the frustrations dissipate.

Whom Then Shall I Fear?

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Let Chris Tomlin’s lyrics speak to your anxious and fearful thoughts today as you take them to the Lord.

Verse 1:

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear?

Verse 2:

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my Sword and Shield
Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear?

Chorus:

I know Who goes before me
I know Who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a Friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

Verse 3:

My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?

Bridge:

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in your hands
I’m holding onto Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in your hands
I’m holding onto Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful
You are faithful

Chorus:

I know Who goes before me
I know Who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a Friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side