Monthly Archives: February 2015

When your happiness is at odds with God’s glory

Why do you pray to God? Why do you praise Him?

Some say we should pray to God to get what we want…because God is bent on making our lives happy and comfortable. Victoria Osteen, with her husband Joel smiling approvingly at her side, said to her congregation (I quote):

“I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we’re not doing it for God – we’re doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we’re happy. That’s the thing that gives Him the greatest joy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you’re not doing it for God really. You’re doing it for yourself, because that’s what makes God happy. Amen?”

Really? Look, we all get it wrong sometimes. That is precisely why we need to hold everything up to the light of the full gospel to examine its truth… including Victoria’s and Joel’s messages and also this blog.

The bible is very clear in demonstrating that God wants the best for us. He has two plans for us, to save us and to provide for us according to His love. His love is so great that He sent His only Son to rescue us… while we were still sinners!

Yes, He wants you to experience great joy, especially the joy set before Jesus as he approached the cross. What joy is that? It is the joy of being united with our heavenly Father, right now and for all eternity. I doubt our sense of ‘happiness’ is the same as the joy Jesus considered on the way to the cross. But God doesn’t worship our happiness. Making sure we are tickled with life is not the object of His message. And it shouldn’t be the object of our worship.

GOD, the one and only, the now and always, the Almighty God, prince of peace, author of creation, our rock, our refuge, our strong tower, the one who saves, He who provides, the only one who really knows our heart and understands us…this Holy and perfect, powerful, just, faithful, and – thank you, Lord – ever so merciful God is the object of our worship. Our real happiness comes from our worship of such a great loving God. We don’t do it for ourselves, although we certainly benefit from it. Truthfully, we could be standing at the precipice of life, with one breath left and no chance of being saved, and still God would be worthy of our praise and worship!

Our joy doesn’t have to be at odds with God’s glory. We don’t have to give up joy to honor God. But let’s not make the mistake of making our happiness the object of our worship. The heart that is able to worship and praise their loving God regardless of their circumstances is the heart that finds abundant joy. Isn’t that what you want?

Be vigilant. Be wise as serpents, gentle as doves. Matthew 10:16.

Astonished!

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What one word you would choose to describe your encounter with Jesus?

One word that so often seems to jump off the pages of the New Testament is ASTONISHED! People who encountered Jesus were consistently astonished and amazed. They were astonished by:

His teaching
His authority
His integrity to speak and live the truth
His compassion
His miracles
His forgiveness
His obedience to His Heavenly Father
His wisdom
His sacrifice
His ability to know what was on the hearts of men
His grace
His power over death

Pilate was amazed by the character of Jesus when He remained silent in the face of accusations. The disciples saw Him walk on water, calm a violent storm, and feed five thousand people with a handful of small fish and loaves of bread. With their own eyes, crowds of people who encountered Jesus witnessed blind men seeing, lame men walking, mute men speaking, the deaf hearing, and those possessed by evil spirits freed from their bondage. They were so astonished they immediately praised God.

The people were also astonished by the lives of uneducated and ORDINARY men who were completely transformed by their own encounter with Jesus. By the power of the Spirit of Jesus, these men spoke with EXTRAORDINARY courage, authority, and wisdom. They too healed the sick and raised the dead. They lived lives compelled by compassion and desire to make sure everyone had opportunity to respond to the good news that changes lives for all eternity! Even Saul who actively and vehemently persecuted Christians found his life spun around in a complete 180. His new name, Paul, reflected his humble character, putting Christ and others first. But don’t confuse humility with timidity. A genuine encounter with Jesus changes things!

What words come to mind when you think about your encounter with the risen Jesus?

Jesus said some will hear His good news but will immediately forget them because the soil of their heart is like a hard worn rocky path, leaving no room for God to grow in their life.

He said some will respond eagerly to the encounter With His truth and grace but their excitement will soon fade like the seed that sprouts up but soon withers in the heat of the day.

Jesus said many will let His good news get strangled by their constant craving for things, the lust of what they see, and the endless boasting of achievements that don’t last.

BUT…

Jesus promises that those who experience a genuine encounter with Him will find their lives completely transformed, from a tiny seed to a large tree that stands firm in the storms. It sends its roots deep into the soil, and is able to withstand storms and droughts, a living testimony to enduring faith in the transformational power of God.

Nearly everyone who encountered Jesus was astonished. Are you? If so, let it show in the way you face your problems and opportunities today!

“I Still Do!”

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Valentine’s Day 2015

Forty two years, seven months, and 21 days ago, I spoke two words to a beautiful woman. Thankfully, she repeated them back to me. Though not an eloquent speech, these two simple words would shape the rest of our life together:

“I do.”

It was a great day. We both remember our faces hurting later from smiling so much. Within hours we were whisked away to a paradise flight that started our journey together. We had no idea where such journeys would take us through life: magnificent islands, stunning fjords, majestic mountains, amazing beaches, the rugged outback, active volcanoes, countless forests and meadows, and also the poorest of neighborhoods in devastated cities.

When we said “I do” to each other, we were also pronouncing these words to our future children and grandchildren. It remains a promise that love and faithfulness are for real. While we’ve desired to give ‘more’ to our children, the promise of “I do” was the gift that mom and dad were committed to each other and to them, always.

“I do” is as much a promise of commitment as it is a profession of love. The harsh reality is that we don’t always feel like loving and we aren’t always so lovable. Feelings wax and wane more than the moon. “I do” is not lived out perfectly in our marriage, our friendships, or our relationship with God. But faithfulness perseveres. In good times and troubled ones, faithfulness consistently speaks three words:

“I still do!”

“I do” signs the mortgage. “I still do” writes the checks.

“I still do” gets up when “I do” falls down.

“I do” gets tired. “I still do” presses on.

“I still do” speaks determination when “I do” doubts.

“I do” looks for good. “I still do” seeks the best.

“I still do” is a legacy commitment that looks beyond today.

“I still do” lights a candle wherever darkness falls.

“I still do” is the bedrock of God’s design for marriage. It brings us through the terrible twos and the troubled teens. It conquers where cancer corrupts. “I still do” fulfills when “I do falters.” God’s story consistently speaks, “I still do” to His people even when they are unfaithful. He’s saying it to you and me right now. He presents Jesus as our bridegroom and the church of true believers as the bride. When we say, “I believe” to God, we are really saying, “I will keep on believing” – “I still do”.

“I still do” is the daily payment on the promise note of “I do.” It is the test of truthfulness of the heart. “I still do” takes us from fairy tales to ‘for real’ ones. When “I do” fails, “I still do” becomes the promise of repentance, renewal, and restoration.

On this Valentine’s Day and always I’m saying, “I still do” to my bride. Let’s each of us as the bride of Christ say the same: “I still do.”

And then watch the love grow!

You can lead a horse to water…

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Maybe you saw the cute YouTube video of the horse that was hesitant to walk into the water. After a few unsuccessful tries to encourage the horse, the rider dismounted and gently and patiently led the horse slowly to the water’s edge. The horse put first one foot, then another into the water. Then it stomped its foot making big splashes. Seeming to enjoy this, the horse walked completely into the water, and delighted in making many more splashes!

A cousin of mine says she has experienced the same thing with her horses. She shares that horses are not so much afraid of water but hesitant because they don’t understand it. Once they get in the water, they will enjoy it so much they will lie down and roll, saddle and all, if you aren’t careful!

I’ve known a number of people who are hesitant to go into the water. I was too. When I was in college I took a class in Beginning Swimming. Then another in Intermediate, then Advanced, and finally a course in Life Saving. The more time I spent in the water, the more understanding I gained and the less hesitancy I had.

The saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” It seems to me that once the horse realizes how thirsty they are and the more gentle introduction they have, they become more interested in discovering how refreshing the water can be.

Think about people who are hesitant to come to the living water God offers. Our job is not to make people drink. But I think our job is to help them realize how thirsty they are and to provide them with the opportunity to experience the excitement that the living water of Jesus brings.

Does God quench your thirst in a most satisfied way? When others see that your thirst is quenched by all God brings to your life, they become more aware of their own thirst. Yes, coming to the water to drink is urgent. But we need to be gentle and patient as we help those around us overcome their hesitancy to enter the water.

The horse comes to the water because he trusts the trainer. What happens when others see that God is enough for us, as long as we have our football? God – and sports – is enough. God is enough as long as I can pay my bills. God – and my bike/car/(fill in the blank) – are enough.

Enjoy life. But make sure your own growing relationship with your Heavenly Father consumes your desires and quench your own thirst. Over time others may come to understand the value of thirsting for the gospel hope that is evident in your own life.

Taste and see that the Lord is great. – Psalm 34:8

Is it a sin to waste food?

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Is it a sin to waste food?

When I was a kid, I was cautioned to eat all the food on my plate…because there were starving children in Armenia! Or maybe it was Africa. All I remember is that others would be most grateful for what I had so I should be thankful too and eat it. Well, truthfully I also remember making occasional snide remarks like, “Go ahead, send it to THEM!”

Actually, if not a sin, wasting food might be a CRIME. Seattle is fining citizens who throw food in the garbage. They’re trying to encourage composting and reduce greenhouse gasses. But their “public education” campaign to mark trash cans with “Scarlet Letter” notices so neighbors can see who is composting and who is not seems a bit like a sin smear. Yikes.

Waste poses both environmental and economic problems and maybe is morally reprehensible. But is waste a sin?

Dante’s Divine Comedy considered seven ‘deadly’ sins, including:

Gluttony — Wasting food through eating too much, turning away food due to preference, or not giving food to the needy. (Mom was right!)

Greed — Always wanting more while discarding other things.

Sloth — Laziness wastes the one resource we cannot renew, time! Sloth may also be complacency of our spiritual desires, neglecting to “love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind, and all one’s soul.”

Pride – Pride is the sin that puts MY WANTS above OTHER’S NEEDS and even above God. Pride wastes everything that matters most in the pursuit of that which matters least.

Jesus taught that all sin is on the same level; cursing a brother is likened to murder, lusting is likened to adultery. He did specifically address the waste of food once, commanding his disciples after the miracle of feeding the 5,000.

“Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” John 6:12

I think God hates waste. Consider all his warnings about:

Wasted wealth – Proverbs 29:3
Wasted possessions – Luke 16:1
Wasted treasures – James 5:1-6
Wasted life – 1 Peter 4:3-5
Wasted faith – Jonah 2:8
Wasted time – John 12:35-36; Ephesians 5:16
Wasted talents – Matthew 25:14-30
Wasted opportunities – Galatians 6:10; Colossians 4:5

I don’t think God would put scarlet letters on garbage cans so we can all see who is ‘sinning.’ I don’t think he’s keeping tabs of every morsel of food that goes to your trashcan – or compost. So what does God want?

God wants us to act with justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with him. (Micah 6:8)

He wants us to honor him in everything we say and do. (Colossians 3:17)

Above all, he wants us to have pure hearts. (Matthew 5:8)

I don’t know that we need to fall to our knees in confession every time we throw away a scrap of food, let water run down the drain, or sit idly. But let’s aim higher today to keep our hearts pure and not waste the life and treasures He has given us!

“How blessed are those who are pure in heart, because it is they who will see God!” – Jesus in Matthew 5:8

One dollar – Day Eight

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One dollar – Day eight: (The last day?)
If you have made it this far, you might be thinking, “I see my one dollar – and even see people – differently, but what can I do to help? The need is so great, and I am only one person!”

There is no one answer to this question. We all have heard about food rotting on docks, supplies stolen by corrupt governments, and money squandered. If big organizations cannot end the poverty problem can one individual really change the world for one other person?

You CAN greatly impact another person’s life…for one dollar a day. What is impossible for us is more than possible for God in us.

You see, I’ve watched a $200 loan from Go Light Our World help desperate moms to generate income for their families. I’ve seen a $50 GLOW gift pay for the school tuition and supplies for a twelve-year-old girl who was otherwise destined to the streets. I’ve seen $25 buy medicine so a mom could keep working. I’ve seen $12 buy a child’s first pair of new leather shoes that fit. I’ve seen $50 buy hot nutritious meals for FORTY children.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a pitch for you to donate money to Go Light Our World. I’m not going to ask you for a dime. Maybe it is enough for now for you to keep that one dollar posted where you can think about it each day for another week, or more. I’m keeping mine in place. Talk with God about your one dollar. Likely, you will come up with more questions and ideas to discuss with Him. Write them down. Pray about them!

Maybe God will nudge you to join the GLOW team as a monthly supporter of one dollar a day. Or maybe He will move your heart to sponsor a child through Compassion International, or to buy a water filtration system through Samaritan’s Purse. Maybe He will convince you that it’s worth the effort to become a Big Brother or Big Sister. Who knows how God will move your heart when you ask Him to see other people through His eyes?!

Share your experience with others. Ask them to join you on a one dollar journey. Discuss it with your children and grandchildren. See how many ways you can discover to generate one dollar a day that could change someone’s life.

People living on one dollar a day are not just fighting for a better life. They are fighting for their life. Imagine what happens when we “live more simply so others may simply live” and how that could change the world for one other person.

You CAN impact another life with one dollar. But really, it’s not just about one dollar. It’s about your legacy. It’s about how important it is to you to actually change the world – one person at a time. Ask God for wisdom, courage, and strength of heart to see others as He sees them and to respond in His name.

Today is the last day of this adventure …

– or is it just the beginning?

One dollar – Day Seven

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One dollar – Day seven:
On one dollar a day, there is no emergency fund if the storm washes out your crop or carries off your house or even your small piece of land gets washed down the river. It is incredibly hard to save up to buy a cooking stove, never mind a hospital visit or medicine.

In a flash of thought your one dollar makes you ask, “What if I could get a loan to get by or to start a small business?” A $200 loan would start a weaving business. The profits could be used to buy thread and pay for studies. $120 to open a store to make money to fix the house so the water doesn’t come in, maybe to put in a real floor. $200 for an onion farm that could double your income to two dollars a day, if you can wait two months till harvest…and if it survives.

You find the one man you know who has a regular income from cleaning jobs. He is willing to give you a temporary loan. But most of what he makes goes to care for his own family. A small loan will require you to make payments of $7 every two weeks. You think to yourself, $7 is a week’s wages, sometimes more!

You go to the bank. To get a loan requires proof of income, utility bills for three months, and proof of steady income. But documentation isn’t provided for one dollar a day workers, you can’t afford utilities, and there is no guaranteed work. You find another bank is more willing to work with you. But you have to commit to a long-term savings account and you need every penny to survive. You discover a local church ministry provides small micro loans, but even at no interest you have to be reliable to repay the loan over time. You look at your one dollar and think, maybe this is my opportunity for my family to escape poverty.

Looking at your one dollar in the evening, you see your children studying by candlelight. They are so eager to learn! You’re trying to choose between keeping them in school or feeding them. It is your lot in life that holds them back; it is NOT who they are!

What opportunity do YOU see when you look at YOUR one dollar?

One dollar – Day Six

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One dollar – Day six:
As I brush my teeth, I notice the water run down my sink. I notice my one dollar stuck to the mirror and quickly shut off the water until I’m ready to rinse. You cannot afford to buy bottled water on one dollar a day. You will have to get it from a stream or lake or puddle or from the town’s tainted water supply. You know it will make you sick, but you need water to survive.

You look at your one dollar and realize that the doctor’s fee and medicine for just one stomach illness costs more than $30…a whole month of one dollars. On top of that there are the lost wages.

On one dollar a day you constantly think to yourself all day long, I have to stay healthy. I cannot get sick. I am tired of thinking about one dollar all the time! Wherever you go, whatever you do, the thought of one dollar crowds your mind. Maybe you wonder if there will be enough room left to think about God. You question if He thinks about you or if He cares about your one dollar. You know He does, but when you are honest, it feels like your one dollar doesn’t mean much to Him. Before you lay your head down on your mat tonight, what will you say to Him? Is He still the one you worship on one dollar a day?

I’ve never had to and probably won’t have to be concerned about getting down to my last one dollar. Probably you won’t either. Looking at my one dollar, I’m realizing this is not just about the money. For me, looking at my one dollar is like looking dimly through a window that sees beyond my little world. It reveals a view of some of God’s people I don’t think about every day. As you look at your one dollar, maybe you’ll ask God to show you what He sees when He looks at people, around the world AND in your path every day.

One dollar – Day Five

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One dollar – Day five:
As you look at your one dollar, what food will you buy for you and your family? You have to be careful, because it needs to be both safe and nutritious. Your toilet paper and other essentials also come from that same one dollar. What if one dollar per person per day buys you only flour and grain, maybe rice and beans to cook over an open fire? One dollar might provide enough food to generate maybe 800 calories per person. You soon realize that at 800 calories a day you will lose 20-30 pounds in a month. You grin, thinking that maybe you could stand to lose some weight. But then you wonder, “What happens after that?”

Look at your one dollar and ask, “How will I keep going if I can only afford 800 calories of food?” I must have enough strength to work or my family will not survive!” You realize that you used to think of poor people as being lazy, but on 800 calories a day you find fatigue and lethargy to be constant companions. You learn that if you mash your beans and refry them in lard, you will increase your calories consumed per day. But on some days when there is not even a dollar, your children eat only salt and tortillas. In Bolivia, many children and parents chew on coca leaves to reduce the hunger pains. Usually they have smiles and like to play games. Days like these, they are too tired even to play.

I wonder if your one dollar looks different from how it looked just a few days ago. Mine does. I’m thinking more about the one dollars I spend that really change my life at all. But I’m getting a better idea about how much one dollar COULD change the world for someone else.

One dollar – Day Four

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One dollar – Day four:
Where are you as you look at your one dollar today? I am sitting in my recliner in my comfortable house. As I look at my one dollar, I’m trying to imagine having a ten-year old daughter and looking into her eyes as I send her into the fields to work with me all day so she can help me support our family. To my dismay and shame, she has to earn her own one dollar a day. Gazing beyond this one dollar I know that she wants to be a teacher so she can help people. But I can’t afford the $25 for her school supplies. Like 40% of the other children in the village, she has to leave school before 6th grade, so she can help support our family. I know she sees other girls with shoes that actually fit and dresses that aren’t ragged. I see the tears in her eyes, knowing that her future seems already cast.

In modern countries, young children are warned from lifting weights. The little boy down the path works in the factory, carrying bricks all day. I look at my one dollar and wonder what he is thinking. Does he have dreams for a different life? I wonder if he had my one dollar how his life might change? Could one dollar really change his world?

Tell me, what do your eyes see when they look at your one dollar bill today? God, help us to see people through your eyes of love and compassion.