A Gentle Prod.....Be Thankful

 

"And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: 

For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel. 

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid"

(Ezra 3:11).

The Lord gave me an important reminder through one of the children at church. I had just handed him a snack and he turned to run off, he got a few steps when his mom stopped him and explained that he needed to say thank you. The little guy acknowledged his mom, started running again, and gave a quick and less than heartfelt thank you.

I wasn't bothered at all by his response, his mom did the right thing and he was just being a child, but the incident was like a mirror of how we too often thank the Lord.  I think when it comes to thanking the Lord we regularly act like this little guy. We have to be reminded to give thanks, and when we do, too often it's a quick and less than heartfelt thanks while running through our busy lives.

The above verse describes a day somewhat like our Thanksgiving, it was a day that all the people were called together to celebrate and give corporate thanks to God. The foundation of the second temple had been laid and the people knew it was accomplished only by God's power and grace.

The whole passage tells us that the people put a good deal of effort into giving thanks to the Lord. We are told that the Levites brought out trumpets and cymbals and the people were singing and shouting, giving thanks to the Lord. They were in the midst of an important work that was being accomplished by God's hand and they were thankful, so they let God and everyone else hear it! 

God has blessed us all so very abundantly, let's stop and reflect and be specific in our blessing the Lord. Let's put more effort into thanks than cooking and eating! It's not turkey day, it's Thanksgiving day, so let's give our hearts in thanking our wonderful gracious God loudly and boldly that all may hear.     

Fearing God

"....I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9).

These are the words of Jonah. In my Bible I added a few question marks by this verse because what he says strikes me as odd. You see, Jonah was fleeing from God, he did not obey the Lord, he was resisting God, and was actually going the complete opposite direction from where God had commanded him to go. What strikes me as odd is that in the midst of running from God he says, "and I fear the LORD". My question marks are my way of saying, are you kidding me! How can Jonah be saying that he fears the Lord when he is absolutely running from Him?

To fear the Lord is to reverence, respect, and obey Him. To fear the Lord is to seek to obey Him in all things at all times. We are not to pick and choose to obey when we agree with Him, or when it's convenient.

One Sunday a young couple that was visiting our church came up to talk to me. They said they loved our church, the worship and teaching were a blessing, and the people were warm and welcoming. I was pleased to hear that, and of course thanked them. The couple then began to ask me a variety of questions including salvation by Jesus alone, and the issues of abortion and gay marriage. I opened the Bible and answered them. I was curious as to why so many questions, and asked them. They told me they were Christians who love Jesus and they were looking for a church that taught the Bible in a way that agreed with their personal and progressive beliefs. I then understood what the personal beliefs were, so I again tried to gently show them what the Bible had to say. They were not rude or argumentative, but they haven't come back.

The couple was basically saying, we want God and we want Jesus, but on our terms, in a way that is comfortable with us, and what we want. That couple is not alone, in fact their attitude is very prevalent in these days. There are many who pull a Jonah who said....I know I'm a Hebrew, I believe in God, in fact I'm a prophet, I just don't like what He wants me to do, I'll be going another direction.

God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and always right. It is best for us to learn humble maturity and realize that our will many times may not line up with God's will. If we love and fear Him, we admit He is right and we set our feelings aside and obey.

No Camouflaged Christians

 "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing form whom you have learned them" 

(2 Timothy 3:14).

I was walking on a trail in the hills and came across a rattle snake. I heard the snake before I saw it, and I was very grateful that the rattler started rattling or else I would have stepped way too close to my poisonous friend. The snake who was sharing the trail with me was about two feet in front of me.  The colors of this reptile blended perfectly with the dirt of the trail, and as I mentioned, I wouldn't even have seen it except for the rattle warning. The snake's camouflage worked ideally as he blended in with his surroundings.

The context of the above verse is Paul describing the world in the last days, and the prophetic picture he paints is not pretty at all. As Paul details the kind of things that will be going on, he three times says to Timothy, "but you". By the "but you", Paul is laying forth a contrast that should exist between Christians and the world. Followers of Jesus should look very different than the world especially in the days we are in.

Our tendency is to want to blend in, to fit in, and to not stick out. We like to be part of the crowd and not stand out too much. Like so many creatures of the animal kingdom we find security in camouflage, so we might mix in with our surroundings.

I like to fit in, I know this about myself, yet I also know Paul's "but you" applies to me. To walk in loving obedience to Christ provides a huge contrast to this world, and that can be a little scary and uncomfortable. We must realize there is no such thing as camouflaged Christians, by nature we stick out like sore thumbs, even as Jesus did. So let's give up on trying to fit in, and follow His calling to shine His light in this dark world! 

Stir The Fire

 

"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Timothy 1:6).

The apostle Paul seems to have some concern for Timothy his son in faith, as he reminds him to 'stir up the gift of God".  To "stir up" literally speaks of a fire that is losing its flame that needs to be stirred to get the flames going again.

There are many theories as to why Timothy's fire may have been waning.  Perhaps the pressures of being a young pastor of an important church weighted him down.  No doubt he was worried for his spiritual dad, Paul, who was in jail.  It may have been both of those things and more, but it is clear Paul wanted to encourage his son to be sure to stir up the Lord's fire afresh in his heart.

Picture with me a campfire.  The fire is blazing in the middle, flames rise up and the wood is crackling.  On the outer part of the fire there is some wood that is blackened by the fire but isn't really burning, the flames have had some affect but there is no fire.  Beyond the outer wood are the rocks that surround the fire, they may get some warmth but will never catch fire.

If you were to apply our campfire picture to your walk with the Lord, where would you find yourself?  Are you in the midst of the fire, ablaze for God, crackling with joy as His Holy Spirit burns within?  Are you on the outskirts of God's moving, touched by the Spirit occasionally, the fire may blacken a bit but doesn't remain?  Are you a rock, you enjoy the warmth of God, but are outside the fire of God?  Be honest with yourself, perhaps you need to stir up the fire, or allow God to start the fire for the very first time.

  The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as being like fire.  The best way to stir the fire of God in your heart is to surrender more of your life to the control of the Holy Spirit, and to set your heart and mind on spiritual priorities, through prayer, reading God's word, and being in fellowship. You know more than anyone how it goes with the Holy Spirit fire in your heart. It might be a good time to apply Paul's encouragement to yourself, stir up the coals and get the fire going.

Lord, breathe afresh upon us all, stir our hearts by the fire of Your Holy Spirit!

GLORIOUS

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace"

Numbers 6:24-26

 

As a young 20 year-old brand new baby believer, I was told of a great church filled with young people on fire that were Jesus Freaks. This church was called Calvary Chapel. A couple of friends and I figured we should go check it out. We arrived to a packed-out building and sat up front on the floor. When Pastor Chuck stood at the pulpit to teach, I confess I was a little surprised, I wondered how this guy who didn't really look all that hip, could reach all these hippies.

 

When he began to teach the Word of God, my surprise disappeared, it was very clear...this man was anointed by God.

 

So many of us have our Pastor Chuck stories, memories that stir up snapshots in our minds. I can still see him sitting on his office floor with my then three-year old daughter. He had pulled out a box of rocks he collected from Israel and was telling Melissa about David and Goliath....amazing!

 

My most lasting memories and thoughts of gratitude, go clear back to that first Bible study. At that study and countless studies to follow, he taught the Word, as the Word of God, with assurance and confidence, and it stirred in me a lifelong love for God's Word. I feel so blessed to have sat under such Spirit anointed teaching.

 

I am not alone in saying that as a pastor, I have looked to Chuck as my pastor. He was always rock steady, never tossed to and fro. I have taken his solid lead through the winds of Charizmania, and Y2K, through 9-11 and economic woes. His confidence in Jesus' love for the church was contagious.

Anyone who ever saw Pastor Chuck teach, had to know that he was crazy about Jesus. His love for the Lord was reflected in that great smile and those eyes. We are sad, yet we rejoice, for Pastor Chuck is now smiling bigger than ever, for he is beholding his First Love. We love you Pastor Chuck, well done.

Unmixed

 

"For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, 

and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:19).

In the above verse we are being exhorted to be "simple concerning evil". That word "simple" literally means unmixed, or without mixture of evil. The verse admonishes us to be holy and not allow evil to be mixed into our lives.  

A few years back one of our teachers in children's ministry did something to illustrate this principle very clearly. She brought a batch of her favorite chocolate chip cookies into class and set them right in front of the children. She told them they could have some, but first, because they were her favorite, she wanted to tell them how she made them. The cookies looked great and the students were ready to pounce on the tasty treats.

She began to reveal one at a time all the ingredients that were mixed together to make these yummy snacks, until she came to one last ingredient that set these cookies above all others, which is too disgusting to mention.   The cookies were then offered to the shocked little ones and of course there were no takers. If I remember the story right, the teacher's husband then jumped up and grabbed a cookie and gulped it down. What a rise that got out of the kids! None of us would have eaten those cookies if we thought that recipe was real, no matter how tasty they looked.

Because we are so bombarded with things of the world, it is easy to let evil get mixed in and defile our lives with hardly a notice. Things that ought to repulse us get mixed into our lives and we consume them without a care.

These days press us to live under a constant reminder that God has called us to be holy, to be set apart from the world, and to cling unto Him. We are in need of perceptive, discerning eyes, that we might be guarded against mixing with evil. Let's all take Paul's exhortation to heart and be simple concerning evil.

Slow To Anger

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, 

slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not 

produce the righteousness of God."

James 1:19-20

I was walking in a parking lot the other day and witnessed a woman doing a seemingly terrible thing. She started to back out of her parking place and didn't realize a car was approaching. The oncoming car was still a good distance away but stopped abruptly and laid on their horn for dear life. The poor lady backing out stopped, pulled back in her space and waved with a smile, to which she received an angry glare as if she had committed some sort of crime. This is not the first time I have seen such silliness, and most of you have seen similar displays, sadly it's too common.

Does it seem like people are more contentious these days? There was the guy at the gym yelling at the clerk because there were no paper towels, or the lady at McDonalds cursing some poor kid because there was ketchup on her burger. A young man at our church told me the story of a man harassing a flustered young cashier, she got so upset the whole check-out took way too long. The irate man turned to the young guy from our church and apologized for the girl taking so long, I was so proud of his response, he simply said, 'I'm not the one you should apologize to'.

My feeling is that these short-fuses are due to the days we live in. I know of so many people who live on the go, hardly ever slowing down. There are pressures from finances, work, family, car problems, dating problems, not being able to get a date so you can have dating problems, the list of the trials and troubles we can have in life is endless. On top of the usual hassles of life, you add in the twenty-four seven news cycle beamed nightly into our homes, so we witness worldwide troubles and tragedies. It's no wonder there are so many short-fuses waiting to be lit by the least little spark.

As Christians, we are not protected from the headaches of this world, but we are commanded to be slow to anger. Our best safeguard from a short-fuse is to be disciplined in stepping away from the pressure-cooker life and enjoy a daily Sabbath with the Lord. Jesus said that which flows out of our mouths is from the abundance of the heart. If our hearts are filled with His precious promises and praise towards the Lord, and if our hearts are at ease having spent time in His presence, than you can be sure your fuse will not be short. I won't add a new pressure to your life by insisting on an hour long daily Sabbath, that may not be realistic. I do know what is realistic; can you give the Lord ten minutes in His word, can you play some worship music in your car or home? Even those small steps will begin to bring the fruit of His peace. It is a powerful witness to the world when we Christians are able to walk in peace in the midst of this frazzled world.