No Wasted Effort

Colossians 3:1-2 "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth."

This happened some years ago, but I still remember the hard learned lesson.  I was playing a pick-up flag football game  with some buddies, and I was going out for a long pass.  I was wide open when the pass was thrown, but it was heaved past me by a step or two.  Not thinking, and caught up in a moment of competition, I dove hoping to make a great catch.  You guessed it, I missed the ball by inches.  The guy who was covering me caught up and with a big smile hollered, great try, but wasted effort.  I got up and we both laughed, and I knew of course that he was right.  My near spectacular catch left me sore the next couple of days, but my scraped arms and legs took not days but weeks to heal.  I subjected myself to this pain for a missed pass in a meaningless pick-up flag football game.  My hard learned lesson was clear, don't waste energy, effort, or your body on unimportant things.  We all expend a good deal of effort and energy every single day.  I wonder how much of it is wasted effort, spent on things that ought not be top priority in our lives.  The above verses set forth a good challenge on how to spend our energy.  First we are exhorted to seek those things which are in heaven, where the Lord is.  The word "seek" is a strong word, giving the idea of expending energy and effort, literally meaning "strive to find".  We are told to give priority and our best efforts to strive after the things of God.  The next challenge of the verses, is to set our minds on the things above, not on the things on earth.  To "set your minds", is again another strong phrase having to do with our affections.  We are to set our affections toward the heavenly and eternal things, not the earthly and temporal things.  Today you will spend yourself and your energies on something, don't let this day be a day of wasted effort.  Spend your effort today on the things of Christ, if you do I promise it will not be a day of wasted effort.

Let's Be Fools

Hosea 9:7 "....Israel knows!  The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and great enmity."

I was standing and preaching in the free speech area at U.C. Irvine, when a professor broke through the crowd of students to stand right in front of me.  Most of the sixty or so students kept their distance from me.  They were standing in a ring around me, I'm guessing about twelve feet away.  As I spoke I would keep turning in a slow circle, but when the professor moved up close within a couple of feet, I stopped my slow spin and spoke just facing her.  I kept thinking she was going to try to enter into a debate at any moment, but she didn't say anything.  By her facial expressions I could see she was unhappy, then after a couple of minutes she sort of dismissed me with a wave of her hand and a loud ttttshshsh sound.  As she walked away shaking her head, her message to me and the students seemed pretty clear, she thought I was an ignorant crazy fool.  I felt a sadness not for what she thought of me, but because at the moment of the ttttshshsh, I wasn't setting forth my concepts or opinions, I was simply reading the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Mark.  We are living in days that mirror the days of the prophet Hosea.  Things had gotten so bad in Israel that God's prophets were considered fools and those who loved God were thought to be crazy, and yes it is that way today!  How sorry that when we proclaim the words of Jesus we are thought of as fools.  The issue for us today, is are we willing to appear foolish to the world for the sake of the truth?  Will we shine forth the Gospel in an ever darkening world, even if the think we're crazy?  Remember in these last days we shouldn't worry about what the world thinks of us, our main concern is to faithfully and lovingly proclaim our Savior Jesus.

You Are Beloved

"That Your beloved may be delivered.  Save with Your right hand, and hear me."  Psalm 108:6

In the above prayer the psalmist David refers to himself as the Lord's beloved.  David seemed to grasp a truth that many of us have a hard time laying hold of.  This man who had a heart after God, knew his relationship with his Lord was a tender loving relationship, he understood he was greatly loved and cherished.  It is easy for me to see God as liking me, or caring for me, or even me and God being "BFF", but being the Lord's beloved is a bit beyond me.  This truth of being the Lord's beloved may be hard to grasp, but it is a foundational truth that we all need to grow in.  Is the wonder of His great love for you fixed in your heart?  Do you know that God is crazy in love with you?  There is no greater proof for His love, in that He gave His life for you.  Take some time to ponder the fact that you truly are the Lord's beloved.  As you grow in the marvelous understanding of His great love for you, I promise you will have an increase of peace and joy and strength.  Oh how very much He loves you.

Fresh Hearts

"strengthening the souls of the disciples...." Acts 14:22

World War One had become a stalemate.  Neither side was winning and they were locked in horrible trench warfare.  The war had become a war of attrition, which is a slow grinding down process, until one side loses the will to fight or resist.  I am absolutely convinced through experience, that attrition is a favorite strategy of the enemy of our souls.  We all burden ourselves with a busy day to day grind which begins the attrition process.  Then the enemy or the world throws in who knows what....a physical ailment, an unexpected bill, your child's school project, a discouraging word, fearful news, a looming pay cut, a funny clunking noise from the car, or any number of things.  The daily toil can wear you down and weaken the soul.  The above words from Acts 14 describe Paul and Barnabas' ministry to the churches they had visited.  These shepherds knew that their disciples had been in tribulation and therefore needed their souls fortified.  I love J.B. Phillips' translation of the verse, he says, "they put fresh heart into the disciples."  I love the idea of the "fresh heart", because so often the daily onslaught leaves us disheartened, and unable to fight or resist.  God's desire is to strengthen our souls and make us stout of heart.  No doubt if Paul and Barnabas were passing through our town today they would look to put "fresh heart" into weary troops.  They would set our hearts right in reminding us that our battle is not a stalemate.  We have already won in Christ, the enemy is defeated and victory is assured.  The proper heavenly perspective is crucial.  If our eyes are fixed on the battle alone we will grow weary, but if we fix our hearts on the triumph of Jesus, we will be heartened.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony...."  Revelation 12:11

The River Is Full

Psalm 65:9 "You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; the river of God if full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it."

I can still see the drinking faucets in my mind.  These faucets were the most crowded place after the lunchtime recess at St. Joseph school.  There were six all together, three to the right, and three to the left.  The three on the left were for girls only, so this was forbidden territory, even for the most thirsty boy.  One day I ventured over to the girl's faucet and was very surprised to find that the girl's water tasted pretty much the same as the boy's water.  Unfortunately, a nun caught me committing this dastardly crime, and I had to spend the rest of the day kneeling next to my desk....but I digress.  To a sweaty thirsty boy after the lunchtime recess, the water faucets were frustrating and disappointing.  The line was too long, and there were way too many of us packed three across.  But the real disappointment was when I finally arrived at the much needed water source.  Due to poor water pressure and heavy use from all the thirsty boys, the water only came out in a trickle, and was warm.  There wasn't much else to do, these were the water faucets, it was the only place to get water in the school.  Remember this was before you carried a water bottle with you everywhere, mommy didn't put expensive store bought water in your fancy backpack with wheels.  In fact we didn't have backpacks, we carried our books in our arms, with rocks, in the snow....but I digress.  In John chapter four, Jesus spoke to a woman about spiritual thirst.  He promised that whoever drank of Him would never thirst, and His water would become a "fountain of water springing up into everlasting life".  We all know the letdown of standing in line at the world's faucet, slurping the warm trickle, and leaving dry.  The Lord's promise is sure, "the river of God is full of water".  His call to us all is to come to the river of life and freely drink, honest, you will not leave dry!

The Tomb Is Still Empty

Every Easter we reflect on the empty tomb and are reminded, that in spite of all the difficulties of this life, all is well, for Jesus Christ is alive.  But today is Monday, we are back to life, and life has a way of robbing us of the joy and confidence gained in knowing that Jesus is truly alive.  Jesus' resurrection puts a new light on everything, and though I may not understand life's headaches, or the Lord's methods and timing, this I do know He is alive and reigning.  I've discovered in my Christian journey that it is important for me to take a regular reflective pilgrimage to the empty tomb.  In doing so my heart and mind get centered and stable.  So, I know it's Monday, but the tomb is still empty.  I know that bill is still hanging over your head, but the tomb is still empty.  Your boss is a "#!$*%", but the tomb is still empty.  He or she or they were mean to you, but the tomb is still empty.  Those kids drain you and won't listen, but the tomb is still empty!  The power of His resurrection is available to us every single day, may you find in it strength and joy.

Watch Your Words

Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones."

I was told a funny story of a brand new state of the art music center at a major city here in the States.  Apparently this fancy opera house had an orchestra pit that could be raised and lowered by powerful lifts.  These lifts worked on a wireless system and would go into affect with the push of a button.  I don't know all the technical details, but the fact that this system somehow works using sound waves, caused a bit of a problem on opening night.  At some point in the evenings performance a woman with a beautiful and powerful operatic voice, hit a certain note or pitch, that caused the lifts for the orchestra pit to spring into action.   The orchestra was lifted into plain view, but not long after, the singer hit the same note and the orchestra slowly vanished.  This happened a number of times during her singing, and soon the serious song became a comedy act.  Laughter and applause followed every disappearance and reappearance of the orchestra.  What a great picture, this woman with the power of her voice was able to lift up, and to bring down.  The Bible teaches us, and warns us, that our voices have that very same power.  The words we use can encourage or discourage, can bring joy, or dejection, can carry up, or carry down.  Keep the picture of the orchestra pit in your mind as you speak.  When speaking of someone, or to someone, are your words lifting up, or bringing down?