Thinking of Christ

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9).

Sometimes we can feel terribly alone. Our thoughts turn to ourselves, to how we perceive others are treating us or thinking of us. The reality is most of us don’t think all that much about others, we are too consumed with dealing with our own inner struggles.

That self-conscious thought pattern can be overcome. When we place our hearts and our thoughts on Jesus Christ and walk daily in the light of His Word, we find peace. Not a temporary or fleeting peace but a deep and abiding peace. And once the peace of God touches and then dwells in our hearts we don’t spend so much time dwelling on ourselves. We are at peace, we are content, and those inner needs are meet. We are freed to help others out of the love and peace that continues to grow and abound within our hearts.

A love placed there when we gave our hearts to Jesus Christ. When we looked deep within our hearts and found it cold, hard, and ugly and we gave Christ a chance. I remember doing that, I remember the struggle to give up myself off the throne of my heart. I remember not knowing anything much about Christ. But the one thing that became very apparent was his love and that he loved me. So as a young man I got on my knees and asked Christ to help me, hear me, and heal me and my life has never been the same.

None of us are the same once we meet the Lamb of God who willing gave his life so that we might have life and peace in him!

Anger or Thankfulness

“Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget.” (Proverbs 19:11 The Message)

I find that my anger does not work the righteousness of God (James 1:20). My anger can actually lead me to bitterness of heart and mind and away from the grace of Christ (Hebrews 12:15). The more anger, the more bitterness, the more bitter, the more depression can set in. Why? Deadly distractions are moving me away from the love of Christ.

Is there a cure for this kind of anger? The Bible says to “cease from anger, and forsake wrath” (Psalms 37:8) and to “let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you” (Ephesians 4:31).

The cure is to stop and repent (Romans 2:4). Repent means to humble yourself before God and to ask for his forgiveness and to turn from anger. Make a u-turn and go the other direction-that is repentance. And when you’ve repented, when your heart is clean you need to fill it. Fill it with thanksgiving.

Question. What is the opposite direction from anger, bitterness, and wrath?

Is it not being thankful? Is not having a thankful heart part of the will of God in your life? Consider: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

So, having a thankful heart is a part of God’s will for my life and yours.

Consider Job. He lost just about everything. His heart was crushed and I’m sure anger must have started to creep in… but what did Job say? Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

Giving thanks in the midst of great pain, great anguish, and great difficulty is an act of our will. In a time of crisis, in a time when someone or something crosses ‘our line’ and we feel disrespected… it’s then that we have a choice. We can become angry or meek. Meekness is not weakness. Moses was said to be the meekest man on the earth (Numbers 12:3). Meekness translated equals harnessed power. Meekness is having the full power to act, to attack, to get angry but controlling that urge. The Bible says “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

None of us can ‘rule our spirit’ by ourselves. It requires the grace of God. It requires a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Having a thankful heart and giving God thanks during the most trying times is very humbling and often heart-breaking; “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

When I’m angry at someone for what they did to me is pride. When I humble myself through the gift of being thankful… then God’s grace can heal me. Heal me enough to repent to God and to ask others for forgiveness.

Giving thanks at such a times is a “sacrifice of praise” something we must remember continually (Hebrews 13:15).

Like many of you I’ve faced trials and tests that have shaken and shaped my life. Like you I have memories that haunt me and scarred me. Some are too terrible for print. Yet, when I’ve turned those things over to God with thanksgiving at his direction for my life—they turned sweet in my memory. I can honestly and forthrightly state that I’m thankful for all that God’s allowed me to go through. I’m not thankful for evil but I now can see clearly to forgive the person and see the evil for what it is; a pure heart can separate the one from the other for a pure heart can see God at work (Matthew 5:8). The work of Christ in our hearts is to purify us through the instruments he allows to come into our lives. For Christ “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

When I’ve faced the most terrible news and fell on my face before God and turned my praise to him… even when I had no desire to give praise… even when my heart was breaking… even when every fiber within me wanted to be angry at God, wanted vengeance on someone who hurt me… when I at that very moment I turned those events over to God… and through grace gave God thanks… in that moment, the sting dissipated, the anger lifted, and clearness of heart and thought came to me. And every time, every time God immediately gave me a heart to give or serve someone else in need. God’s grace changed my view from self to others.

‘Heavenly Father, since the age of 17 you’ve worked this message into my life… into my heart. May you honor this writing and those who read that they may know that you seek those who have a broken heart. For “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Thank you Father, for everything that comes into our life. Thank you for everything that breaks our hearts. Thank you for loving us so much that you take the time to so carefully shape our lives through events and people that you’ve chosen for such tasks. Forgive me for not always being thankful, for responding with anger at those instruments who help shape my life for ultimately your glory. Thank you for your forgiveness, your great mercy, and your love in our lives.’

Purpose of God's Word

"I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.” (Romans 7:14 The Message)

There is a purpose for God’s Word. It shows us who we are and often that is a two-edged sword. God’s law shows us our sin, our nakedness, and our inability to walk before him in righteousness. The rules of God’s principles don’t beat us over the head, we often feel that way or think that way but such feelings and thoughts are wrong-thinking. (Romans 8:1)

It’s like this: God sets up a standard. That standard is the Word of God. We look at that standard and think, ‘well maybe I can do that, maybe this living God’s Word is not so tough after all.’ We think, ‘yea, I’m not like the person who steals, kills, or runs around acting foolish’. All the while not understanding that we’ve been judgmental, self-righteous, unmerciful, and pig-headed (sorry, H1N1-headed... oh brother!)

Anyway, after the course of time God’s grace allows us to see ourselves through the mirror of his Word. And naturally, our carnal flesh won’t fess-up, it will think of God as being a bully or being harsh.

When the real motive is to get us to look up and see our Redeemer, Jesus Christ and confess to him our sins and turn from our ways to his. It is through Christ that we acknowledge our inability to meet God’s standard. When we do that Christ stands up for us and calls us his own. He calls us kings and priests and the ‘apple of his eye’. The sacrifice of Christ covers our sins and we are hidden in him and through Him meet the standard. (Zechariah 2:8; Revelation 1:6)

So, Christian, no we are not perfect but we have a brother who is. He paid for your sins, he basically, said… ‘lay all their debt on me, I’ll pay it’ and this Christ did for us on Cavalry.

In the Presence of God

If I'd have given in and talked like this, I would have betrayed your dear children. Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache . . . Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture: The slippery road you've put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions. In the blink of an eye, disaster! A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare! We wake up and rub our eyes....Nothing. There's nothing to them. And there never was. When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I'm still in your presence, but you've taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me. (Psalm 73:15-24)

In the presence of God the hurt, the bitterness and the pain seem to go away. The pain is still there, it lingers, but once we’ve emptied our hearts before the God of all heaven and earth. When tears touch our cheeks and when sins are forgiven what once troubled our hearts so… fades. There is nothing like being alone with your Heavenly Father, your God and your King.

What people think. What people say. What others are doing becomes so insignificant once grace fills you heart before the throne of your merciful Father. The bondage of fear is replaced by the sheer awesomeness of Christ on the throne, surrounded by innumerable angels, floor like crystal-glass, and the call to worship of “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).

In all that you go through God is with you. God is for you, he is your strength, your hope, and your confidence.

Working Quietly and with Contentment

"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. 2-4"When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.” (Matthew 6:1)

Lots of folks want attention these days. In many circles the thing to do is get your fifteen minutes of fame. Yet, what is fifteen minutes compared to eternity?

Our loving God works behind the scenes of our lives. He doesn’t ask people to respect him. His name has never been on a cereal box. His advertising budget is zero. Yet His unconditional love draws our hearts to Him and we proclaim Him with every chance we get. We are not much in the eyes of this world but with as much respect as we can muster we give that right back to God. We can’t help it. We’ve fallen in love with God because he first loved us (1 John 4:10).

And when you love someone you naturally want to be like them, near them, and hear their voice. We want to be like our Savior. To work behind the scenes. To not work for praise, attention, or promotion but because we know that God’s given us this present work to perform and we want to do our best… for him. We want our lives to shine in the workplace by being unnoticed. By not calling attention to how we do something or why or when but to do our tasks well and with good order. For “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

‘Father, I’m sorry to admit but often I’m not content, often I get caught up in the rat race, forgive me. You’ve given me the work that is before me and for this I’m thankful. You’ve given me the leaders that are over me and I’m thankful for them as well, give them wisdom and peace as they struggle with the demands of today. Help me and teach me to work quietly, and with contentment.’

The Missing Ingredient

“Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence, pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness. They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words. They're full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace. People actually listen to them—can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words. What's going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody's tending the store. The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches. I've been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me? A long run of bad luck, that's what—a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.” Psalm 73:6-14

Sounds like a bad party if you ask me. Like you I’ve been there, done that… got the knocked in front teeth, the lonely table, the cold shoulder, and cold stares. And you know what, I’m d-u-n as someone told me in Korea, I’m done. I’ve tried to open the Gospel to certain groups of people, just as you have, and we get instead… arrogance, ridicule, whispers, and looks. It’s time to polish the boots and march on (Matthew 10:14). And that hurts because you know what comes after Revelation chapter 5; the worse reality show ever… and that is only the beginning.

So what does the Bible guide us to do? “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.” (Matthew 22:8-10)

Back when I tinkered on my teenage car the best way to ‘fix’ my faulty starter was to get half way under the thing and whack it a good one. Sometimes to get anywhere you just have to get a little dirty. Now Christians don’t like doing that. For some reason they think it will soil their ‘righteousness’; their self-righteousness more like it. For example: if someone is smoking a cigarette they wouldn’t dream of going over there and having a talk. Or if a neighbor is drinking a beer, or you name any other of the thousands of legalistic excuses that ‘Christians’ have conjured up. Hmm… we sound “pretentious and arrogant” ourselves. Maybe that is why folks won’t talk or associate with us… the carnal mind can smell hypocrisy a county away.

You know I wonder, has the church grown so luke-warm that we can no longer relate to the common person on the street? Is the heart of the church really towards the captives of this world or towards more building projects, capital investments, and pew populating techniques?

Where’s the church (the people) who love the lost enough to give up their “pampered and overfed” ways and get into circumstances where faith in God is active, alive, and prayer is fervent? Why? Because you are in over your head… and you are not in total control of the situation… the Bible calls that… faith.

Sidetracked

“No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have it made, who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.” Psalm 73:1-5

It’s easy to get sidetracked when you stop looking up and start looking around. When you compare who you are to the people around you (2 Cor. 10:12). If you are like me, you tend to come up short. God did not call you or me because we are wise, mighty, or noble. Who does he call? God calls the foolish, the weak, the base, the despised… the needy. Why? So that “no flesh should glory in his presence.” God will not share his glory with anyone (1 Cor. 1:19-31)!

Jesus Christ demonstrates his great love and power through broken vessels that this world discards. Like a scrap-yard for old and unwanted cars our Savior steps through the wrangled mess and whispers “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)...

And the seed of God’s Word broke through our stony hearts, took root, and now here we are… and if we are not diligent about living, growing, and sharing our first love with others—repenting of our sin, reading God’s Word because we crave it, praying, loving, helping, and standing for Christ then what are we?

We are those who looked at the world and liked what they saw. Those who compromised. Those who watered down the Gospel. Those who use canned preaching methodologies, building on mega church techniques, and not the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who seek to gain the world’s approval and not the approval of Almighty God (John 12:43). Those with a lukewarm approach to Christianity, so much so that they give the name ‘Christian’ a discredit (Revelation 3:14-22).

“These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (Jude 12-13).

Don’t compromise the truth of God’s Word. As Xanda my daughter would say, “it is what it is” and so is the Gospel. It will stand when thrown into the fiery furnace, it will stand when questioned, and it will stand in your heart when you feel rejected. Feelings lie. God’s Word does not. The Gospel will stand and it will offend, it will cut, it will divide, and it will sheer off that which is sin, shameful, unholy, unrighteous, unnatural, and unable to face the brightness of the glory of God (Genesis 3:22; Matthew 10:34; Acts 23:7).

You who bare the mark of Christ also know the goodness of Christ. You know his mercy. You know his forgiveness. You know comfort, deep abiding joy, and unknown courage that helps you to spread his Word. To broadcast seed in stony places. To trample through rotten weeds and prickly thorn patches in search of good earth… a needy heart willing to hear the Gospel (Mark 4) or return to the fold the brother or sister who went astray (Matthew 18:12).

Christian, we are different. The Comforter glows within our hearts and because of that “we are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). The Spirit of Truth resides in our hearts and it “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” and shows us “things to come” (John 14:17; 16:6-8,13). Our job is to live, to love, and to witness.

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” 1 Thessalonians 5.

Cross of Christ

“O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God." Selah. But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.” Psalm 3:1-8

As time races towards the rapture and Tribulation, lines are being drawn and sides taken. Those who are followers of Jesus Christ are viewed as strange, unyielding, sad, or even angry at times. We are set aside, dismissed, ignored, or ostracized because we will not compromise the truth of the Word of God. We will not yield to the swayings of a world where ‘anything goes’ or ‘do your own thing’. We’ve become an offense because of the cross of Jesus Christ; the truth that He is Lord and only Him and that salvation comes through no other name, religion, or philosophy.

True, oftentimes we are saddened. For there’s a war going on inside of us. The Lord is calling, ‘will you trust, will you obey me’? There’s the ever increasing evil of a fallen world and of those who will not hear, will not consider, and who choose a melting-pot-religion over the cross of Christ. We pray for the lost, we cry out for boldness and courage, and often we walk that path alone. We see the approaching judgment and we pray ever more, we cry ever more, we hope even more for salvation, for freedom, and for righteousness.

Our hearts are broken by the insensitivity of others towards the Good News of Jesus Christ. We mourn. We weep. Not because we are better. In no way, we are sinners saved by grace. Yet, as we see the season upon us our desires turn heaven-ward while many of our friends and family members are enjoying earthly things.

Oftentimes we can feel like outsiders. We are not invited, we are not welcomed warmly. Sometimes that happens because our attitudes stink and the captives can’t stand that smell, they’ve sensed it all too often. Sometimes ‘christians’ come off as ‘better than thou’ and that is a real turn off to just about everybody.

Or sometimes our facial expressions belie that we truly are not sad but praying. We truly are not depressed but concerned, for deep inside us glows the Spirit of God and that Spirit whispers… come up higher… leave the cares of this world… to me…

Truly, burning inside our hearts is the greatest joy, an abiding peace, a strength that comes from the Lord. We are not discouraged, but neither are we slap-happy either… we are anxiously awaiting the will of the Lord and his kingdom coming. As soldiers of the Lord we will defend His truth, we will not reject his name, and we will proclaim the coming day of our Lord!