Repaired vs Resurrected

I just spent two hours with a HVAC repairman. The outcome: he will come back tomorrow when he has had a chance to research our unit. The problem: the unit won't turn on. That's a pretty important thing. When there is snow on the ground, it's nice for the heat to actually work.

Fortunately, it's in a part of the building that isn't being used today, and I'm sure our able repairman will discover the answer and have it working soon, but I also realize another reality. Even after he repairs it, our unit will one day break down again. Eventually, it will quit altogether, only to be replaced by another unit that will one day break down. This is why there will always be HVAC training schools.

Easter does not celebrate repair. Christ has not “fixed” our life only to have it break down again. We celebrate the Resurrection, not the Repair. What Christ accomplished that first Easter morning is nothing less than the defeat of death itself. That's worth celebrating!

2 Corinthians 4:13-14 (NIV)
¹³ It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.

How much do I truly hunger and thirst for God’s Word?

     As I have been studying for our Wednesday night youth service, a question kept coming to my mind. “How much do I truly hunger and thirst for God’s Word?” As I thought about this question, to be honest, I wonder sometimes if I hunger and thirst for God’s Word like I should. I live in America where we have the freedom to study God’s Word and Worship Him. Although many times, we busy our lives so much that God’s Word is often the last thing we think about. If we compare this to other places in the world we see a much different result. There are places in the world where the study of God’s Word and/or worshiping Him can cause someone to be thrown into jail or even killed. Does this stop believers in those countries? No. They continue to study God’s Word and worship Him for multiple hours a day. As I thought about this, I was reminded of an excerpt of a book that I had read. It has challenged me in my walk with God. I would like to share it with you, and pray it challenges you as well.

“Just imagine going to a worship gathering in one of those house churches. Not an all day training in the Word. Just a normal-three hour worship service late in the evening. The Asian believer who is taking you gives you the instructions. ‘Put on dark pants and a jacket with a hood on it. We will put you in the back of our car and drive you into the village. Please keep your hood on and your face down.’

            When you arrive in the village under the cover of night another Asian believer meets you at the door of the car. ‘Follow me,’ he says.

            With your hood over your head, you crawl out of the car, keeping your face toward the ground. You begin to walk with your eyes on the feet of the man in front of you as he leads you down a long and winding path with a small flashlight. You hear more and more footsteps around you as you progress down the trail. Then finally you round the corner and walk into a small room.

            Despite its size, sixty believers have crammed into it. They are all ages, from precious little girls to seventy-year-old men. They are sitting either on the floor or on a small stools, lined shoulder to shoulder, huddled together with their Bibles in their laps, The roof is low, and one light bulb dangles from the ceiling as the sole source of illumination.

            No sound system.

            No band.

            No guitar.

            No entertainment.

            No cushioned chairs.

            No heated or air-conditioned building.

            Noting but the people of God and the Word of God.

            And strangely, that’s enough.

            God’s Word is enough for millions of believers who gather in house churches just like this one. His Word is enough for millions of other believers who huddle in African jungles, South American rain forests, and Middle Eastern cities.

            BUT IS HIS WORD ENOUGH FOR US?”

Excerpt comes from David Platt, Radical (Colorado Springs, Co: Multnomah Books, 2010), 25-26.

We're having a baby!!!

Most of you already know that Suzy is pregnant, and we couldn't be more excited.  This past Tuesday, we went to the doctor for her regular check-up and the doctor says to Suzy, "So, we're practically half-way through this pregnancy, how are you doing? Any questions...?"  But my mind stopped at the "half-way through" part.  Really?!  Halfway through!  Didn't we just announce this to everyone?  How long is this supposed to last? 
 
Now, I know that pregnancies are 40 weeks.  And, I knew that we're in week 20 according to the app on my iPad.  But, it didn't register in my mind that we're halfway through. 
 
I have to say, that I've been trying to do my best as the husband/father to keep up with these important things.  Like I said, I have an app for that.  We've also accumulated all kind of books laying around the house that I flip through from time to time.  Books like: "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "You're Having a Baby".  So, I'm trying to do my best.  But, let's face it, I'm a guy, and I'm not going to understand and think about all those things that Suzy does. 
 
But, as I follow along on my iPad and  read through the books about what's going on in Mommy's tummy--like eyelashes developing and enamel forming on the teeth of our little baby, I'm in awe of the process that our Creator is taking our precious child through.  And, I find myself quoting David's Psalm:

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

David goes on to say...  

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

As I enjoy thinking about our baby growing and becoming all the beautiful things that I hope it will be, I'm overwhelmed to know this most wonderful truth for all of us: 
Our Creator is still forming us and making us into a beautiful treasure.   

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Yes, the Creator of the Universe, God Almighty, thinks of you often:

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

 

Psalm 139

 

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

Certain Forecast

I heard it a lot. As weather forecasters told us of the seemingly inevitable arrival of freezing rain, sleet, and frigid temperatures, people expressed comfort in the fact that it was, at least, late in the season. That made much easier to take than if it was early in winter with months to go. It might be bad for a short time, but relief and warmer temperatures are just around the corner!

Life for the believer is that way, too. Listening to the news, we hear that the economy is bad and violence is on the rise. We talk to friends, and hear of illness, betrayal, loss of life, disappointment, and other sadnesses. But, it is later in the 'season of life' than it ever has been before. Psalm 30:5 tells us that 'weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.' God has promised to walk with us through each season of our lives and get us through, and to provide the ultimate victory when He returns. The days to come are better than we can even dream possible (I Corinthians 2:9 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.')  And, we can take heart to know that 'our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us' (Romans 8:18).

We did get ice...and we groaned a lot about it. But the next morning, when the sun shone on that very same ice, it was beautiful, sparkling like polished diamonds. As I looked at it, I was reminded how our lives can also shine brightly when we let The SON shine on us and through us.

We sometimes joke about how many times the weather forecasters are wrong. But brighter days for Christians are not just a forecast, not just a prediction, they are a PROMISE, given by God, Whose promises are 100% infallible!

In the Trash

When I took out the trash last week, I had to walk carefully because of the sleet and ice on the ground. I rounded the corner of my house, walking down the gentle slop that leads to the spot where we store our trash cans. The sleet crunched under my feet, but didn't cause much problem until I was halfway down the hill. The sleet had apparently melted and refrozen in the shadow of our house. My tennis shoes became a size ten bobsled as I slid about fifteen feet down the hill. Fortunately, I slid all the way down without falling, grabbing one of the trash cans and performed a perfect three point stop. If there was an Olympic event for skating with trash bag in hand, I would have scored a perfect ten. Well, at least nine.

After depositing my trash and congratulating myself on a perfectly executed triple axel, I realized a new problem. I had no way to get back up the hill. My tennis shoes had absolutely no grip on the ice, and there was nothing to grab in order to pull myself up the hill. After wondering how long it would be until the spring thaw, I managed to pull myself along the fence to my neighbors house where I could grab their wall and pull myself back up the hill.

My midwinter adventure taught me yet another lesson about sin. The slope doesn't look so steep or slippery from the top of the hill, but don't be fooled. Give in to temptation, and sooner or later you wind up in the trash can. The good news is, God provides a way out.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Look for the way out, and remember, it's much easier to find at the top of the hill!

What You Said

“What You Said”

When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19, HCSB

Every time you speak, your words have the potential either to bring joy to others or to cause great pain.

Words of encouragement don't always come easily. Building up others requires that we first think about what they need to hear, and then allow the Holy Spirit time to give us the words he wants us to say. This requires setting aside the desire to do all the talking, focusing our attention instead on the other person. It means resisting the urge to interrupt every time we think of something to say.

A fool, on the other hand, doesn't think before speaking. A fool is never concerned about saying the right thing at the right time. Opportunities to say an encouraging word are often lost, because the fool is unprepared and preoccupied with selfish thoughts. Some of the deepest hurts people carry throughout life have come from careless words spoken to them by a fool.

Have you missed opportunities to bless others because you were too busy talking to listen to them? Are you in the habit of blurting out comments without thinking of the potential damage your words could cause?

Commit yourself to becoming a wise person whose words bring comfort and encouragement. Ask questions, listen more, and talk less. You'll be pleased with the results, and so will those around you.

As a I read the above devotional, I was reminded of this song:

“Words” by Hawk Nelson

They've made me feel like a prisoner
They've made me feel set free
They've made me feel like a criminal 
Made me feel like a king
They've lifted my heart to places I've never been
They've dragged me down back to where I began

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart
Or put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

You can heal the heartache
Speak over the fear
God, your voice is the only thing we need to hear

Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our hearts
Or put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
Let the words I say
Be the sound of Your grace
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

I want to speak Your love
Not just another noise
I want to be Your life
I want to be Your voice

                Are our words life-breathing or life-taking? Do they build up or tear down? May our words point people towards Christ.

The above devotional is courtesy of TQ.

Ups and Downs v. Constancy

Church work is always a matter of emotional ups and downs.  You see a person come to Christ, and you are on an emotional high… excited to see God at work in people’s lives.  Then you turn around and find out that a church member has a teenager who has turned their back on God, family, and everything else, and you are brought low as you hurt for and with this family that is going through a trial. 

But, you know, in both of those situations, you can find God at work.  Whether it’s a problem or a victory, if you look for it, you’ll see God’s hand and heart moving us closer to Him.  It just depends upon your perspective. 

In my brief 12 years of being in the ministry, God has reminded me time and time again to take note of where I’m focusing.  It’s so easy when you come into contact with so many people who are going through such varied life experiences to feel like you’re on a roller coaster of ups and downs.  But here’s what I always come back to:  am I looking to Him?—the author and perfecter (Hebrews 12:2) or am I looking around me?—driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-8) 

Perspective changes everything. 

You can always find two truths. 
1.  Change is inevitable. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)  2. God is constant.  (Hebrews  13:8)  

There are going to be ups and downs.  It’s just a part of life.  There are going to be good times and bad times.  There are going to be times of growth and times of pruning. 

If you focus on the change or the ups and downs in your life or in the lives of those around you, you’re looking at things from the wrong perspective.  If you focus on the constancy of God,… 

Well, that’s just what you’ve got to do!

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.  Hebrews 12:2 THE MESSAGE.