Adoration (2/23/04)

I’ve got a 17 month old son named Evan. He is significantly younger than our other two children. In fact, he is our first child born after we were saved. I watch Evan grow and I look at his personality forming and I can’t help but think of the Christian analogies. He can be so defiant, very strong-willed and stubborn, selfish to the core, and more so than either of our previous children, oblivious to danger. Yet I love him so much. I can be so much like this little boy. So defiant, selfish, stubborn, reckless… I praise God for His infinite patience with me and His gentle instruction. This Wednesday we are adoring God. We will spend the whole day adoring our maker. He is so worthy of our Adoration. May we never forget that.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Perspective (2/16/04)

You've probably heard about the new Mel Gibson movie being released next week. It's all about the final hours of Christ. If you keep your eyes on the news at all, you probably also know that the movie is creating quite a stir. Newsweek ran a story claiming the movie:

"is reviving one of the most explosive questions ever. What history tells us about Jesus' last hours, the world in which he lived, anti-Semitism, Scripture and the nature of faith itself."

Of particular interest is the anti-Semitism concept. The worldly view looks at the passion and comes to the conclusion that Christians might blame Jews for the death of Jesus. I am struck by the foolishness of the argument. In my mind, it makes 2 big errors in logic:

1. It assumes that man could control the situation. As if the Jewish leadership that brought the charges against Jesus really had control of the situation. As Christians, we know God had decided that Jesus would die on the cross - no matter what human actions took place. God was, is, and always will be in control.
2. It looks at the passion as a tragic loss. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was the greatest gift of love ever given to mankind - nothing was lost and everything was gained. Jesus paid for our sins (past, present, and future), conquered death, and lives within us today.

All in all, it's an example of how worldly wisdom can be so opposite from heavenly wisdom. The perspectives are so different. The Passion should stir up pro-God thoughts - not anti-Semitic thoughts. 1 Corinthians 1: 17-21 says

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

So this week, let's pray for perspective. That our own perspective grows to be more heavenly each day. We are Christians but we are still constantly tempted and enticed by worldly wisdom. Also, pray that believers and non-believers out there with the worldly perspective will come to see the foolishness of their "wisdom". That they will re-commit to Christ or discover Him for the first time.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Living in the moment (2/9/04)

We had a visiting pastor at church this past week. In his sermon, he was referring to Luke 7:11-17 where Jesus heals the widow's son.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out--the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Some key things the pastor pointed out about this passage involved how observant and compassionate Jesus was. It was a great message and if you missed it, you should get a copy of the sermon.

But this week, we are talking about living in the moment. The pastor didn't talk specifically about this but it struck me as I was listening. In this story and many others in the bible, it's clear that Jesus lives in the moment. We as Christians are called to do the same. But not in a selfish way like many modern people. We are called to live in the moment the selfless way that Jesus did - "the first shall be last". When we accept Christ as our savior, God forgives our sins. We are washed clean so there is no need to lament and mourn our past sins and mistakes. If God forgave us, shouldn't we forgive ourselves? The past is past - so to speak. Likewise, our future is in God's hands - where it should be. When we worry about the future, we are saying "God, I'm not sure You're going to make this all come out the way it should". In reality, it will turn out exactly the way it should but we might be asked to grow along the way.

So this week, let's pray for ourselves and our brothers and sisters - that we stay focused on the here and now. That we don't lament the past or dread the future. That we continue to learn how to live in the moment for Him.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

So hard to be humble (2/2/04)

Some of you might remember the song below. I pulled the lyrics off the internet. It's a humorous look at pride taken to the point of delusion.

Pride is a big issue in our lives. It affects our decisions, emotions, actions, reactions, etc. Pride can really get in the way of this humble spirit God wants me to have :-) And it's so easy to be proud of things that we shouldn't be proud of. There are Christians who are proud they are saved - proud that they 'get it'. Christians proud of the person they've become since they've been saved - who think they're better than the un-saved. Proud of the gifts God has given them - like they had anything to do with it. Proud of their fiscal responsibility, their willingness to tithe, the amount of service they do… The list goes on and on.

I find it easy to write about this topic because I fall into all these pride traps on a routine basis. You name it - I've probably been proud of it. In the past, I've even been proud to hear "That was a good fasting and prayer topic message".

This week, let's pray for humility. A humble spirit. Let's pray for all our brothers and sisters. Everyone needs help in this area. I heard one pastor put it this way - "Some people need to pray about pride… The rest need to pray for honesty so they can pray about pride also".

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
Cuz I get better lookin each day

To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
But I'm doin' the best that I can

I used to have a girlfriend
But I guess she just couldn't compete
With all these love starved women
Who keep clamoring at my feet

Well I probably could find me another
But I guess they're all in awe of me
Who cares I never get lonesome
Cuz I treasure my own company

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
Cuz I get better lookin each day

To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
But I'm doin the best that I can

I guess you could say I am a loner
A cowboy all locked up and proud
Well I could have lots of friends if I wanted
But then I wouldn't stand out in a crowd

Some folks say that I'm egotistical
Hell I don't even know what that means
I guess it has something to do with the way
That I fill out my skin tight blue jeans