It’s a Gift to See Your Sin
I was overcome with despair. I was profoundly discouraged with myself – with my sin
Feeling myself sliding down the steep slope of hopelessness into the pit of despondency I turned to the only place I could go – Jesus. I went for an emotional, tear-filled walk around our neighbourhood in Winnipeg. My prayer was pretty simple,
“Jesus, have mercy on me a wretched sinner. Forgive me and cleanse me.”
As I was slowly limping down the road with a broken spirit a friend who was driving up the street toward me slowed down to say “hi”. He was aware, for the most part, of the circumstance in which I now found myself.
“Hey Dave, how ya doin’?”, was his good-natured greeting.
When he saw my face he knew the answer.
“Kelly, I’m doing really bad. I’m seeing what a terrible person I am. I’m selfish, self-centered, arrogant, and manipulative. I have hurt way too many people – especially my wife. How can God love someone like me?”
My friend Kelly had known me for many years. He knew the good and the bad. He was not particularly known for his grace and gentleness. He calls it the way he sees it. He’s a straight shooter. He will say what needs to be said.
On this occasion he simply said,
“Dave, God has known that about you for years. He’s just letting you see it now. Gotta go.”
And with that he drove off.
My first thought was, “Jerk!”
But the Lord helped me to see that what Kelly had shared with me was a profound truth. Yes, God has known the depth of my sin for decades, and He loved me in spite of my sin. His gift to me now was to enable me to see my sin.
How is seeing the depth of my sin a gift from God?
Because we cannot know Him if we don’t see our sin. If we don’t see the depth of our sin we cannot experience the depth of His grace, mercy, forgiveness and love.
It actually felt like God was forcing me to look in the mirror to see the blackness of my depravity. He was not allowing me to look away until I was broken by my own brokenness. It felt as though He had His hand on the back of my head requiring me to take a long hard look at myself until how I saw myself was forever changed.
You see, my real problem was arrogance.
I thought I was a pretty good guy. I thought God was pretty lucky to have me on His team. I brought a lot of horsepower. People really liked me. In fact, I fed more on the approval and approbation of people than I did on the Truth of God. I loved the praise of man more than the praise of my Father. And, I used my gifts to serve myself instead of serving God.
I was really messed up. But, I didn’t know it.
At least I didn’t know it until the Lord had mercy on me and began to show me how messed up I was.
I began to dive into scripture to discover the Truth. The Psalms, Isaiah and Romans came particularly alive to me. And then it began to dawn on me. As I was reading Romans I began to discover the grace of God.
Wow. Nothing I can do can make me holy or right with God. It’s only by the grace and mercy of God I can be transformed – through the forgiveness of Christ and the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit. The righteous live by faith – faith in Jesus, not in my own goodness.
By faith in Christ we receive a new heart! We become a new creation! We don’t live, but Christ lives in us! I have nothing to prove because I am made whole in Jesus!
Ask the Lord to have mercy on you and help you see the depth of your sin, so by faith you can experience the depth of His grace, mercy, forgiveness and love.
It’s a gift to see your sin.
Romans 3:22-24
“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Calling All Sinners
Our son Benjamin is in the final year of his nursing degree. He is very interested in working in the operating room. In particular he likes orthopedic surgery. The best day of his clinical training was when he was present for a hip replacement – I’ve never seen him so excited about his schooling.
He also has some interest in volunteering to provide medical care to people in developing countries. We have a close friend in a global medical NGO who has indicated he could help facilitate a connection for Benjamin to be able to do this.
First things first though, he needs to graduate with his Bachelor of Nursing degree and start caring for people. His desire to do “bring healing” came about in a very unusual way…
We were in Costa Rica on a special family vacation. We were staying in an open air bamboo cottage surrounded by the wonders of the Costa Rican rain forest. On this particular day Anne and I went out for a short walk and left the boys to themselves to seek out whatever adventure any 13 and 14 year old boy could find in an area resplendent with howler monkeys, tamanduas, coatis, poison tree frogs and the like.
Anne and I were blissfully unaware of what they were up to, probably assuming they were inside the cottage laying low. However, they did not lie low, but went exploring. In their explorations they found a ravine. Over that ravine they found a rope swing. David tested it out by swinging over the ravine. The rope broke and he fell to the bottom where he tangled up in some old barbed wire.
Benjamin sprang into action, scrabbled down the ravine, hauled David up, ran back to the cottage to fetch the first aid kit, raced back, and proceeded to patch up David’s wounds like a boss. His desire to bring healing to others was born that day on edge of an equatorial rain forest ravine.
His medical aspirations have grown and been refined over the years, but that is the story of its genesis.
What would you think if Benjamin said he wanted to provide medical care to healthy people? You would probably think something was wrong – right? He doesn’t quite understand. It’s the sick who need a doctor, not healthy people.
Apparently the religious leaders of Jesus’ day didn’t quite understand this. They wondered why Jesus was hanging out with “sinners”. Jesus said that it wasn’t the healthy who need a doctor, it’s the sick. He came to call “sinners” to repentance.
It is actually our sin that qualifies us for the grace, mercy and forgiveness of God. If we did not sin we would not need the forgiveness of God. However, scripture tells us that anyone who thinks they are without sin is in error – everybody sins and falls short of the standards of God. We are all sick. We all sin.
Jesus came calling all sinners. Sin is like a cancer that steals our life – it leads to death. Sin ensures we live outside of God’s life for us – which is death. It’s not how we were created to live. Sin is really choosing to do life my way, not God’s way.
But Jesus came for sinners. Recognizing we sin; recognizing we fall short of that for which God created us qualifies us to receive the forgiveness Jesus purchased for us on the cross. Your sin does not disqualify you from the life of God, it actually qualifies you for the forgiveness of God – which leads to new life in Him.
The only thing that will disqualify you is arrogance. Arrogance will prohibit you from acknowledging your sin and your need for the forgiveness of God. And, therefore, you will miss the life God has for you and for others through you.
Let’s boldly confess our sin to the Lord and our need for His forgiveness that we may receive the life He offers us. Jesus came calling all sinners – we qualify!
Mark 2:17
“Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”
Romans 3:23
“ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 John 1:8, 9
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Courage Precedes the Kingdom
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
Moses addressed Israel in the wilderness at the cusp of entering the Promised Land. The Lord had told him he would not be taking the people in. Joshua was the one the Lord had anointed and appointed to lead Israel into their geographic and spiritual inheritance.
Then, the Lord Himself says to Joshua at the beginning of his leadership of the campaign to take the Promised Land,
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Paul, in chains and uncertain of his fate, but believing the Lord had called him to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Gentiles, has the Lord visit him in prison,
“The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.’” Acts 23:11
Then Paul exhorts the Corinthian Church, in order to take hold of God’s will for them,
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
We cannot enter the Promised Land without courage. We cannot take hold of our inheritance in God without courage.
Courage precedes the Kingdom.
So what is courage? Is it being fearless?
I don’t think so. We are all confronted with fear. We all have to deal with fear on a daily basis. What separates those who get hold of what God has promised, from those who do not, is what we do with that fear.
I love John Wayne’s definition of courage:
“Courage is being scared spitless, but saddling up anyway.”
Courage is a willingness to push through your fear and move forward. Cowardice is giving into the fear and letting it stop you.
Courage is not a gift. Courage is not an ability. Courage is a decision to move forward in the face of fear. Fear is actually the prerequisite for courage. If you aren’t afraid you don’t need courage to move forward.
Courage is an act of your will. It’s not an ability that some are more endowed with than others. Courage is simply a decision to keep moving forward when you are afraid.
And, the beauty of it is, when you “take courage” and move forward, the fear dissipates and that which once intimidated you no longer has the same impact on you. Fear loses its hold on you.
Courage comes by faith – faith in God’s Word. Why could the nation of Israel be strong and courageous? Because the Lord said, “…for the Lord your God goes with you, He will never leave you or forsake you.”
Your courage is found in believing the Truth of what God has said.
God promised He will be with you always, He will never leave you or forsake you. (Matthew 28:20) He promised He will complete His work in you. (Philippians 1:6) He promised that nothing can separate you from His love. (Romans 8:37-39) He promised that He will provide for all your needs according to His riches. (Philippians 4:19) In everything God is working for your good! (Romans 8:27)
Faith, wholehearted conviction, in the promises of God makes us courageous. God’s Truth makes us brave, but only if we believe it!
You can’t ask God for courage. Well, you can, but He won’t give it. He has already given us everything we need to be courageous: we have the Truth of His promises, and we have the free will to choose to believe it. We must “take” courage.
He makes you brave by putting you in fearful, intimidating situations, then invites you to stand on the truth of His promises and move forward through the fear to find Him.
You cannot take hold of all that God has for you, and for others through you, without courage. The beauty is, you have it in you to be brave!
Take courage – it’s a choice. Courage precedes the Kingdom.
Proverbs 28:1
“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
Don’t Give Up!
Do you ever want to throw in the towel?
“Throwing in the towel” is actually a boxing expression. If a trainer saw that his boxer was being severely beaten, he would throw a towel into the ring as a sign of defeat. It’s now a popular cultural expression meaning to quit or give up.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the stuff of life and want to throw in the towel. We can throw in the towel on any manner of issues: marriage, faith, your work, friendships, service, your church, God, or anything that feels like it’s gotten too difficult to go on.
I have no doubt that everyone battles giving up. I know I do.
I believe how easily we give up is one of those foundational issues of life. Vince Lombardi, one of the most respected and legendary football coaches of all time said, “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”
If you do a search for quotes on giving up you will discover a plethora of inspirational expressions:
“Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quit.”
“Failure doesn’t come from not falling down, it comes from not getting up.”
“If you feel like quitting, think about why you started.”
“Before you give up, think about why you held on for so long.”
“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that is true strength.”
“There are only 3 choices in life: give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got.”
You know why there are so many inspirational quotes about not giving up? Because we all battle it continually. Life is oftentimes like swimming upstream: it’s hard work, it’s tiring, and it can be overwhelming.
However, to give up is to lose all the ground we’ve already gained.
I recently found myself battling feelings of giving up. Giving up on what though? I don’t know. I just had a general sense of weariness. Feelings of being on a long, arduous journey; spent, having forgotten why I had started the journey in the first place, wondering how it was all going to end. I felt like I simply wanted to stop doing what I was doing, to escape.
There are 3 acquaintances I have known throughout the years. They often visit. They drop in when I least expect it. They want to stay, but they’re unwanted guests. They continually knock on the door of my heart trying to force their way in.
They are discouragement, despair and hopelessness. I have learned to say no to their repeated requests. I have learned to force them to leave. I have learned to get violent with them because they have one objective: to get me to give up.
Their goal is to get me to stop doing good; to stop living the way God has called me to live.
I have a sneaking suspicion that you may know my acquaintances as well. Their goal with you is the same as with me: to get you to give up, to stop you from doing good.
Like the workers rebuilding the wall in Nehemiah’s day, we need to carry a sword in one hand and work with the other. We need to fight and work. We need to exercise our authority and victory in Jesus over the opposition that seeks to intimidate us to give up, and to continue to do the good work God has put in our hands.
And, we need to encourage each other to keep doing the good work each of us is doing.
If you are experiencing feelings of discouragement, despair and hopelessness right now, rebuke them and kick them out. If you’re feeling like giving up, remind yourself about why you started in the first place. Remind yourself of the Truth of what God has promised. Saturate yourself in the Truth.
And, share where you’re at with someone who cares about you so they can remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing.
You make a difference – don’t give up!
Like Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Galatians 6:9
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Hebrews 10:35, 36
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Nehemiah 4:17-18
“…Those how carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked…”
Divine Diplomats
The Christian Embassy of Canada exists for one reason: to inspire leaders with the person and values of Jesus.
Since 1984 the Christian Embassy of Canada in Ottawa has been serving diplomats and their spouses, parliamentarians and business leaders of varied religious backgrounds. Their mission is to, “Inspire diplomatic, political and business leaders, giving them an opportunity to discover Jesus, to experience His life-changing power and to inspire others similarly.”
Until recently I had never heard of the concept of a Christian Embassy. The Canadian Christian Embassy is part of a network of 7 other Christian Embassies around the world in New York, Washington DC, London, Geneva, Pretoria, Dublin, and Manila.
What a fabulous work. These embassies are staffed with passionate followers of Jesus who want to make Him known at the highest levels of the federal government and in the international diplomatic community.
In late November I had the great pleasure and privilege to speak in Ottawa at the Christmas Gala of the Christian Embassy of Canada. With hundreds of people in attendance and over 50 countries represented it was an exhilarating occasion. I met scores of Ambassadors and High Commissioners.
I spoke on the HEART of a leader: humility, empathy, authenticity, risk and tenacity. I used this as a segue into explaining that Christmas is really the announcement of the world’s greatest free trade agreement. Through Jesus, God is offering mankind a free heart exchange. We can trade our broken heart for a healed heart, a hard heart for a soft heart, a heart of stone for a heart of flesh, a dark heart for one filled with light, a hateful heart for a loving heart, an imprisoned heart for a free heart.
I was enormously encouraged to hear from one of the Christian Embassy staff that during a follow up meeting with an ambassador, the ambassador had indicated a desire to make this heart trade. So, the staff member was able to introduce the ambassador to Christ, and a heart exchange was made.
This experience got me thinking more about the diplomatic community. There is a common mission that unites all diplomats in Canada:
To create good relations between their own country and Canada.
Christmas is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Jesus came to demonstrate and to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to make a way for mankind to live differently – to make a heart exchange so we can become citizens of the Kingdom of Light, set free from the Kingdom of Darkness.
In other words, Jesus came to establish the Government of God on earth. He taught us to pray for God’s Kingdom (government) to come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. And now that He has launched the Government of God on earth He has recruited His people to become the Divine Diplomats of His Government.
You and I are Ambassadors of the Government of God on earth. We are here to establish good relations between Jesus and all those around us. We are Divine Diplomats of God’s Kingdom – this is our full time mission. Yes, there is work we do each and every day, and this work is an opportunity to be Divine Diplomats of the Government of God in the lives of other people.
Like Jesus, we are called to demonstrate the nature of God’s Government, and to share with people how the Government of God can change their lives. As people learn about the culture of God’s Government, the heart exchange He offers us, and the freedom He has purchased for us from the evil dictatorship of the enemy of mankind, we can also have the eternal privilege of praying with people to change their citizenship and be born again into the Government of God.
We are governmental representatives. We are ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. As diplomats we are charged by God Himself to demonstrate and share the nature of His Government on earth as it is in Heaven.
Divine Diplomats – let’s live in the authority of that.
2 Corinthians 5:20
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
Colossians 1:13, 14
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Ezekiel 36:26
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Matthew 4:23 (The Message)
“From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God’s kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives.”
Where Do You Run To?
Between September 1940 and May 1941 the Nazis dropped 100s of tonnes of bombs on Britain.
London was attacked 71 times and bombarded for 57 consecutive nights. Over 1,000,000 homes were destroyed with tens of thousands of civilian casualties. This bombardment was known as the London Blitz. The destruction was overwhelming.
Bomb shelters deep beneath the ground provided the most protection against a direct hit. The British government began allowing the public to find shelter in the underground Tube stations as well. Each day orderly masses of people lined up in the afternoon to be allowed to enter the stations for the evening during the ongoing Nazi bombing raids. At the height of the bombing over 100,000 people were sleeping in the Tube stations.
Air raid sirens would warn residents of an impending attack. At the sound of the sirens residents would move as quickly as possible to the nearest air raid/bomb shelter to wait out the bombings in relative safety.
We toured a London air raid shelter as a family when the boys were younger. It was a moving experience to sit there in the cool, dimly lit corridors imagining what it would be like to fearfully wait through a long night of seemingly ceaseless bombing wondering what you would find when you emerged in the morning.
When a bombing attack was signaled by the air raid siren, there was no room for hesitation, you would run to the nearest bomb shelter whenever possible.
I thought of this recently during a time of particularly bad news. I received news from a number of people about all manner of calamity that was befalling them: sickness, disease, near death incidents, life-altering medical issues, relationship breakdowns, lost opportunities, broken dreams, and financial stresses, strains and collapse.
Life can sometimes feel like a bombardment can’t it? Oftentimes without any warning calamity can hit.
So where do you run to when the bombing starts?
Proverbs 18:10 tells us that “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
When difficulty or crisis hits do you run to the Lord? Do you find your refuge in Him? Is He your shelter?
We can have a tendency to run to the Lord only after we have exhausted other means available to us. Our first response is to put our heads down and push through things. We can often try to gut it out alone without the help or encouragement of others, and without seeking God in the midst of the difficulty.
However, the Lord is our strong tower; He is our refuge and our strength. The righteous run to him first. We would be wise to run to the Lord in prayer when difficulties befall us. When we find ourselves in the midst of a destructive bombardment we need to find our shelter in the Lord and in His truth.
And, oftentimes, it is God’s people who help us find encouragement in God. Trying to ride out difficulty alone simply prolongs and deepens the difficulty. Running to the Lord and seeking the encouragement of trusted Godly friends and family will sustain you amidst the bombardments of life.
Psalm 91 is a beautiful promise and encouragement to run to God – to find our shelter in Him:
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.”
“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”
“‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”
So where do you run to? Or should I say, “Who do you run to?”
Escaping Reality
I have a confession: I entertain thoughts of escaping reality and fleeing to the Discovery Islands or Sunshine Coast.
I imagine how wonderful it would be to live in a beautiful home on an isolated stretch of ocean; surrounded by temperate rainforest, hidden away from the rest of the world and oblivious to the craziness of life. I would divide my time between our oceanfront hideaway and my yacht in which I would cruise the idyllic waters of the Salish Sea.
I would be content in being blissfully unaware of the reality of everyday life.
I’ve always thought there was something wrong with me to have to battle thoughts of escaping reality on a regular basis. I recently asked a close friend of mine, who tirelessly serves and loves people and builds God’s Kingdom, if he ever battles similar thoughts of escaping reality.
I was preparing myself for him to say, “no”, and then be left to try to figure out why I alone have this problem. Much to my surprise, and I must say delight, he indicated that he did indeed regularly battle thoughts of escaping reality.
Yes! I’m not the only one!
If you find yourself often battling the desire to escape reality into some blissful state of unreality then you’re not alone – there are at least 2 more of us who do as well.
So, is there something deeply wrong with us? Well, yes and no. We long for heaven, we long for peace, we long for a world without evil and, therefore, strife, fear, discouragement, anxiety, stress, despair, pain, etc. That desire is good. However, we will not find the fulfillment of that this side of heaven. For now, we live in a broken world as broken people.
Can we experience more and more of God’s government of righteousness, peace and joy this side of heaven? Absolutely. But the Kingdom is now and not yet. It will one day come in its fullness with Jesus’ return, but not yet. For now we have work to do.
Do we need to get away from reality on occasion to breathe in the rest, restoration, recreation, and renewal of God? Absolutely. That’s what great holidays are for. However, we need to come down from the mountain and plug back into the reality of everyday life to be ambassadors of God’s government in the lives of those people in our sphere of influence and authority.
We stay faithful to the work God has put in our hands because He is faithful to us. We carry the responsibilities He has entrusted to us because we have surrendered our lives to Him. He has offered us His life here and now, and for eternity. He has called us to serve Him and serve others as our act of worship in response to the love He has poured out on us.
Not to earn His love, but in response to it.
Has He promised life will be easy? No. Has he promised we won’t have any problems in this life? No. Has he promised all the resources of heaven are at our disposal to make us happy and comfortable? No.
However, in the midst of our daily reality God has promised to provide for all of our needs. He has promised to make us willing and able to work according to His purposes. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He has promised to lead us and guide us, to counsel and watch over us. He has promised to make all grace abound to us so that all the time we will have what we need to do the work He has called us to do.
We need to soak in God’s presence like a shower. Strip off everything you hide behind, rest in God’s presence and ask Him to refresh and renew you. Linger in His presence like a renewing hot shower. Let His Truth, love and peace soak deep into your heart.
We also need to walk authentically with allies who remind us why we live the way we live. We need to encourage each other in the Truth.
Let’s escape reality only in God’s presence, so we can face it in His peace and power.
Matthew 11:28, 29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Philippians 2:12, 13
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Get a Grip
A good, firm handshake was very important to my father.
“You have to look a man in the eye, grip his hand, and give it a firm shake. Give him a taste of your character.”
He came from a generation where a man would be judged by his handshake. A firm handshake with good eye contact, according to my father, said a lot about a man. It said he was confident, secure, strong, assertive and bold.
In light of this, I was taught how to shake hands. I was taught that shaking hands with a woman was different than shaking hands with a man. A handshake with a woman was supposed to be gently and kinder, though not weak. Your objective with a woman was not to assert dominance, but to communicate care and connection.
However, the objective when shaking the hand of another man was to let him know you weren’t a pushover. You had to give him a little sense of your strength – of character and physical strength. But don’t try to crush his hand. If you do this you’ll come across as someone trying too hard. No, a simple, casual, strong, intentional grip with a little shake and 3 seconds of eye contact gets the message across.
I was taught to despise a weak handshake. You know the kind, when a man’s handshake is like shaking a dead fish. It’s limp and devoid of life.
“Seriously, is that the best you can do?”
I wonder if this philosophy of handshakes is where the phrase, “Get a grip!” comes from.
I’m sure you’ve heard someone say to you at some point in time, “Get a grip.” It typically means that you need to get your facts straight, or calm down and “get a hold of yourself”. Basically it can mean 2 things: get your emotions under control, or to understand how to deal with something.
We can get a grip on things, and things can get a grip on us.
We can be gripped by fear, or anxiety, or jealousy, or greed, or lust, or any manner of negative emotions and influences. Or, we can be gripped by any number of positive emotions and influences: in the grip of grace, gripped by compassion, or love, or righteous indignation, or conviction, or the like.
I believe what we get a grip on determines what gets a grip on us.
I was visiting a church in Ottawa recently. This is their mission:
“To make disciples of Jesus, gripped by the Gospel, living for God’s glory.”
That particular phrase, “Gripped by the Gospel” leapt out at me…
Hmmm, what am I gripped by? What do I have a grip on?
The only way we can be gripped by the Gospel is if we have a grip on the Gospel. We need to have a grip on Jesus and His Word if we are to have any hope of having the Gospel get a grip on us.
So what do you have a grip on? Do you have a grip on the things of this world? Do you have a grip on self-preservation? Do you have a grip on yourself and your own self-interests and desires?
What we have a grip on has a grip on us.
Are you willing to let go of everything except Jesus and His “Gospel” – His Good News, His Truth? Or are there things you want to hold onto, things you’re unwilling to surrender to God? Whatever we hold onto has a hold on us.
Let’s get a grip on Jesus.
But may that grip not be like a handshake. No, the kind of grip I think we need on Jesus is more like that of someone who is falling over a cliff and in a desperate, wholehearted, last ditch attempt to avoid falling to our death, we have reached out and gripped the hand of someone of the strength and stature to not only stop us from falling, but who can also pull us up to safety.
Let’s grip Jesus and His Word like our life depended upon it. Because in reality, it does.
When we grip Him, He grips us.
Get a grip!
Philippians 3:12
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
2 Thessalonians 2:15 (The Message)
“So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter.”
1 Timothy 1:19 (The Message)
“There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith.”
Hebrews 10:23 (The Message)
“Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.”
Entertaining Thoughts
How much do you entertain guests?
For some people entertaining is an art. Their ability to make people feel at home, as well as feel like special guests, is amazing. I know some people who always seem to be entertaining. Their home has a revolving door of guests.
Entertaining can take on myriad forms. Some people are more comfortable with hosting smaller more intimate gatherings of people – perhaps another couple or two at the most. Other people seem to believe “the more the merrier” is the order of the day and, therefore, their gatherings are more like large scale parties.
There are often a number of key components to any entertaining: good people, good food, good beverages, good conversation, good music, and good décor often combine for good times. You can feel the energy upon arriving at a gathering when the host opens the door, you hear the music and the cacophony of lively laughter and conversations taking place, smell the delightful aromas of delicious food and beverages, and begin to drink in the visual array of special lights, candles and decorations that may adorn the house.
I believe great entertaining is all about “blessing” people and not about “impressing” people. Sadly, for some people entertaining is more about trying to impress people than simply about caring for and enjoying people. We can entertain people for a variety of reasons – some that bear good fruit, and some that bear bad fruit.
Entertaining is simply about hosting guests in a delightful and delicious way. It’s about spending time with and taking care of people.
In the same way we entertain people we also entertain thoughts. In fact, we are far more prolific and generous entertainers of thought than we are entertainers of people. Every waking moment of every day we are entertaining thoughts.
I believe we are, and we become, what we think on. Our thoughts influence and determine what we believe, and what we believe determines how we do life.
“Metacognition” is an understanding and awareness of what you think about. It’s really thinking about your thinking, or being aware of your thoughts. Metacognition is critically important for us to be able to make the appropriate thought choices to believe the Truth and not be ensnared by lies.
How are your metacognition skills? Are you aware of the kind of thoughts you entertain?
Jesus asked some Pharisees an interesting question, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
So what constitutes “evil thoughts”?
I would like to suggest that an evil thought is any thought that doesn’t align with the truth. Any thoughts that don’t align with the heart of God are evil thoughts. That could be thoughts of lust, jealousy, revenge, resentment, bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness, as well as thoughts of discouragement, despair and loneliness – including thoughts about your own lack of worth, or about God’s lack of interest, and love for you.
We have to be aware of when we’re entertaining these kinds of “evil thoughts” and kick them out of our minds. Those are not the kinds of guests we want roaming around our hearts and minds.
Would you keep entertaining guests in your home who started trashing the place? Absolutely not! If guests you were entertaining started throwing garbage around, smashing treasured possessions and generally causing havoc you would get them out of the house ASAP – perhaps even calling on the authority of the police to evict them!
We need to have the same attitude toward the thoughts we entertain. We need to be aware when we begin to entertain “evil thoughts” that are trashing our peace, hope, faith, strength, encouragement, commitment, care and the like, and kick them out – stop entertaining them!
We need to be very discerning in regard to the kind of thoughts we entertain. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy is what we need to be thinking about. We have authority over what we think about. We need to be aware of what thoughts we’re entertaining and kick them out if they’re not in line with the truth.
Let’s think about our thoughts and ensure we are entertaining good thoughts.
What thoughts are you entertaining?
Matthew 9:4
“Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?’”
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
The Company You Keep
You eat fat greasy food and you become a fat greasy dude.
I think we all know the adage, “You are what you eat.” Whatever we put in our bodies we will somehow see the effects of in our bodies. This is true for what we eat and drink, but I believe it is true for the kind of company we keep as well.
I remember as a little boy there was a particular uncle whom I did not really like being around. He was mean-spirited and drank excessively. He tended to be sarcastic, harsh and unkind. His humor was often at the expense of others – he was a bit of a social bully.
However, what I disliked the most about visiting him was the effect he had on my father. I noticed than when my father was with him, my father often became more like him. My dad tended to drink more and became less kind and more sarcastic. Even as a young boy I remember wondering why my dad let my uncle influence him in this way.
When my dad kept the company of my uncle he became like him. My dad allowed himself to be influenced by my uncle in a negative way.
Have you ever experienced that? Have you been around people who tended to bring the worst out of you? How about the corollary – have you been around people who brought the best out in you?
I am motivated when I am in the company of men and women who are passionate, committed followers of Jesus, who are wholeheartedly pursuing God’s purposes for them and for others through them. They are laying their lives down for God’s Kingdom. Wow – they cause me to up my game. I want to become like them. They encourage me to be my best.
The people whose company we keep matters. Studies have indicated that a young person’s peer group has a very significant influence on who they become as adults. We can have friend groups that provide negative peer pressure, or positive peer pressure.
“Don not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33
Paul didn’t pull any punches when he talked about the influence of our peers. Basically he is saying that we become the company we keep.
What kind of influence do your friends have on you? Do they encourage you to be your best? Or, do they somehow influence you to sink to the lowest common denominator? I would encourage you to surround yourself with friends who help you to be your best – who inspire you to set high standards for yourself.
Choose your friends well.
There is another aspect to this truth though. We can keep the company of many people in many different forums. We keep the company of people through TV, through movies, through music, through videos, through all sorts of media. I have realized that often I let the wrong company influence me through the television or the internet.
Have you ever sat through a particular TV show, while you were just “vegging”, and you watched something that was not calling out the best in you, but was actually dragging you down to a standard you were not happy with? I know I have.
In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, most of what we watch on TV would often fall into the “bad company” exhortation Paul gave us. I think it would behoove us to more closely scrutinize the media we expose ourselves to through the lens of “the company we keep”.
If bad company corrupts good character, then we would be wise to evaluate the company we keep on TV, and on the internet. Sure, we understand the ills of pornography. But, look at what is on TV every night in popular shows through the lens of 1 Corinthians 15:33 and we certainly become far more discerning in what we watch.
The company we keep matters. And the company we keep through media certainly influences us as well – for better or for worse.
Choose wisely. Let’s choose the company that encourages and empowers us to be our best.
Proverbs 22:24, 25
“Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself.”
Proverbs 13:20
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Psalm 1:1-3
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”
Proverbs 4:23
“Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Hidden Treasure
The seas were raging. The anger of the ocean was overwhelming. This would be their end.
All was lost.
They had tried to outrun the hurricane, but there was no escaping its deadly embrace. They dropped anchor in the shallow waters off the Florida Keys in an attempt to keep the ship off the rocks, but it was no use. The relentless assault of the waves and wind did their worst and she sunk.
The Nuestra Señora de Atocha was a very significant ship in the Spanish fleet. She was carrying half a billion dollars of gold, silver and jewels. But all her wealth could not save her. Her riches were scattered across the ocean floor in 55 feet of water on September 6th, 1622.
For over 60 years the Spanish searched for the treasure, but it was not to be found. For hundreds of years it lay hidden in the depths, slowly being further hidden by the shifting sands of time and all manner of organic and inorganic matter. Many had tried to find the treasure over the centuries, but none had succeeded.
Then in 1969, at 47 years of age, an optimistic treasure hunter named Mel Fisher took up the quest to find the riches of the Atocha. He dedicated his life to finding this wildly valuable hidden treasure. He found just enough treasure over the years to continue funding his quest.
For 16 years he gave himself wholeheartedly to uncover the riches the sea had buried. He persevered through all manner of storms and setbacks. He fought and won over 100 court battles. He spent millions. He engaged investors to help provide the resources to continue his search. He lost his own ship to a storm; sadly, his son and daughter in law were lost as well.
Though Mel was buffeted by all manner of resistance – financial, emotional, physical, and legal – he never gave up. He continued to move forward in the face of opposition. He was continuously optimistic in spite of disappointment after disappointment. He would get up every day and declare,
“Today is the day!”
For 16 years, over 5840 times, he declared, “Today is the day!”, until 1985 when he and his team finally discovered the $450 million dollar treasure cache or “Atocha Mother Lode”. Over 40 tons of silver and gold were located including over 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as “Pieces of Eight”, gold coins, Columbian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars.
After 16 years of optimistic perseverance July 20, 1985 was the day. At the age of 63 he found a treasure of unfathomable value. He had demonstrated commitment to his quest unlike any other undersea treasure hunter of his generation, and he was richly rewarded for his efforts.
Scripture tells us something about treasure. We are encouraged not to seek the treasures of this world, but to store up treasures in heaven – to seek everlasting riches. We are also encouraged to pursue the Kingdom of God like a field filled with buried treasure. Jesus said that we should sell all we have to obtain the riches of the Kingdom.
King Solomon exhorted his son to seek wisdom, understanding and insight like it was hidden treasure. He considered wisdom to be true wealth, as it leads to the knowledge of God.
I don’t know about you, but I am not as passionate about finding hidden treasure as Mel Fisher was. I am referring to true treasure: the riches of the Kingdom. I want to have the same kind of optimism, perseverance and reckless abandonment toward seeking the true riches of the Kingdom that Mel Fisher had toward the riches of this world.
I think the greatest treasure of the Kingdom is God Himself. If we seek Him we will find Him if we seek Him wholeheartedly. And with the discovery of God Himself we obtain all that is in His heart toward us – His Kingdom. Righteousness, peace, joy, faith, hope, strength, healing, wisdom, understanding, discernment, and myriad other valuables to enrichen our lives.
However, the true riches of the Kingdom take effort to discover. We must seek first His Kingdom like buried treasure.
The hidden treasure of the Kingdom is worth our very best effort.
Matthew 13:44
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
Proverbs 2:1-5
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Proverbs 25:2
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
Renovations of the Heart
Have you ever done a home renovation?
If you have, you know they are awesome. Just a ton of fun. Well, maybe for some, but for me…not really.
Anne and I own an old house. It was built in 1960. We love our house. We love our property. We love our location. But we’ve done a lot of work to our house and to our property – a LOT of work.
Now I know some of you guys are extremely talented when it comes to building things, and all things “handy”. Sadly, this is not an area of gifting for me. I can do simple things, but home renovations are not my strong suit. Once I tried to put new baseboards in our bathroom and the joints were so wide you could drive a pick-up truck through them.
So, when it came to doing serious renovations to our home, we brought in the professionals. We’ve done 3 major renovations to our home: One involving the bedroom side of the house – moving walls, ripping out bathrooms, putting in new ones, etc. Another one involving the kitchen – again tearing out walls, building new ones, lighting, counter tops, appliances, changing cupboards, etc. And, another one involving flooring, painting, casings, baseboards, etc. in other areas of the house.
We have lived through our fair share of renovations and I have learned something. Well, I have learned many things, but one in particular: It always looks worse before it gets better.
Once you take the big gulp and decide to do the demolition, which comes before the rebuilding, you know that it’s going to be uncomfortable and ugly before it gets functional and fantastic. During our first renovation of the bedrooms and bathrooms we had to move our bed into the living room and the boy’s bunk beds into the family room. We all shared a powder room off the kitchen – with no shower.
Dirty, dusty, smelly, awkward, uncomfortable and unenjoyable. Sometimes even painful. We began to lose patience and even lose hope that it would get better. However, you can’t stop in the midst of it or it definitely won’t get better. You have to go through the entire process. You have to go through the pain and inconvenience if you want to experience the pleasure and the new found freedom of a renovated home.
It’s no different with regard to personal growth. If you want to upgrade habits, attitudes, beliefs, coping mechanisms, and the like, it’s going to take some effort and commitment to persevere through the discomfort and inconvenience to new found freedom. It can be fearful to look at the process you need to go through to create the change you want to see in your life – like doing a significant home renovation.
However, you have to be willing to commit to the process and do the “heavy lifting”.
You also have to be willing to live in a worse state before you can live in a better state. It will get worse before it gets better. You will feel worse before you feel better. You will be tempted to go back to the way it was, to go back to how you used to do things. Remember though, you will not find increased freedom if you don’t persevere through the heart renovation process.
Jesus is the Master Craftsman who is the general contractor for your heart renovation. He will use different subcontractors to do different jobs in your heart. Some of them you may not like very much, but you need to trust that Jesus knows what He’s doing and can work through imperfect laborers. And, He’ll even ask you to do some of the work.
Jesus invites us to entrust our hearts to Him to begin the heart renovation process of demolishing and rebuilding habits, emotions, attitudes and beliefs. We can trust Him with our hearts, but it will look and feel worse before it gets better. Don’t give up. Persevere through the difficulty and discomfort so you can experience the freedom of His work.
Heart renovations take time, and like a great home renovation, are worth your effort and your commitment so your latter glory is greater than your former glory.
Philippians 3:14
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 1:18, 19a
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
Hebrews 12: 5b, 6
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Hebrews 12:11
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Mountainside Motivationals
I was beat like a rented mule, and I was close to being done. This mountain was getting the best of me.
We had dared challenge the might of the Monashee Mountains in a glorious region known as the Pinnacles – named for the towering granite spires that shot straight up like spiritual steeples in the cathedral of creation.
It all began simply enough. David, Benjamin and I had decided we would begin a tradition of going away as MacLean Men once a year to do some kind of manly trip. This was our first of what we would later call our annual “testicle festival”.
We packed up the Durango for an overnighter, drove up past Cherryville and followed a 20 km gravel road to its end. This was the beginning of the Monashee Lake trail. We spent an uncomfortable, smelly night sleeping in the back of the SUV before beginning our quest to conquer the mountain the next morning.
I had not done a lot of research to determine the difficulty of this hike. Hey, how hard could it be? David was 9, Benjamin was 8, and I was still not quite 40. We were strong, we were together and we were motivated. We could do this.
According to an online description of the trail,
“A steep, no-nonsense charge upward to an alpine meadow and small lake…things get tricky…look up at the long debris chute – you’re going up that. It doesn’t matter how, since you will undoubtedly lose the snippets of trail along the way….at times you have to grope for roots and rocks, hoping they won’t come loose, and it feels like you’re gaining more height than distance. There are moments where you think “this must be the end of it” but it isn’t…this only happens a few tear-inducing times before you find yourself in a very alpine-ish meadow with large boulders and snow patches which signifies the true end of the climb.”
Half way up we found ourselves on a particularly “tear-inducing” section. I was done. I wanted to go back down. Sure it’s beautiful. I have no doubt it must be spectacular at the top. But nothing can be worth this much discomfort.
That’s how I felt, but I knew better.
This was the make or break moment in our journey. Either we would overcome our emotions, and bring our bodies in submission to our wills, or we would limp home defeated and weaker for it.
It was time for a Mountainside Motivational.
We needed to speak the truth to ourselves. We needed to engage in positive self-talk. We needed our wills to override our emotions and engage in the decision to keep moving forward. We needed to actually shift our emotions and not allow our emotions to shift us.
So, I dug deep and basically said,
“Boys, this is hard isn’t it? It’s tough! I feel like quitting and going back – how about you? But you know what? We didn’t come here to give up. We came here to overcome. We have more strength than we realize. So let’s decide that we’re not giving up. We’re not giving in to our emotions. We’re going to choose to keep moving forward. We’re going to walk 50 paces and stop to encourage each other. Then we will start up again and do it over and over until we reach the top. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!”
And we did it. We made it to the top. In fact, when the boys crested the mountainside and crossed over into the lake area they started jumping up and down with joy. Their hearts grew 10 sizes that day. They realized they had more strength than they thought.
I have no doubt you have found yourself on a mountainside of sorts from time to time – perhaps even now. You may want to give up. You may want to pack it in.
Don’t give up. Give yourself a Mountainside Motivational.
Who do you talk to more than anyone? Yourself. So start speaking truth to yourself. Start combating those thoughts and internal voices that are trying to convince you to give up. Ensure your opinions are God’s opinions. Bring your emotions in line with your will.
Make Mountainside Motivationals a daily ritual and you will climb mountains you never thought possible.
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Joshua 1:8
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Psalm 103:1-5
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
What Are You Full Of?
“That guy’s full of ____ !”
Fill in the blank.
We can be filled with a number of things. Have you ever met a guy who was full of “himself”? Undoubtedly you have. How about someone who was full of “bitterness”? Ever come across a man full of “apathy”?
We can be full of myriad negative things: anger, resentment, malice, hatred, jealousy, fear, anxiety, worry, doubt, lust, passivity, aggression, regret, self-pity… and the list goes on and on…
I started thinking about this recently when reading Acts chapter 6. The early church was experiencing some issues that needed to be addressed. The disciples decided it would be best to find some good men to take care of things for them.
So, they outlined 2 qualities they wanted these good men to have. There were 2 things they wanted the men to be full of: the Holy Spirit and wisdom. The prerequisite for doing the work that needed to be done – which was the distribution of food to widows – was that these men would be full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom.
Two verses later we are introduced to Stephen – “…a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” Then Stephen was referred to again as being, “…a man full of God’s grace and power…”.
I noticed that a key prerequisite for partnering with the Lord in His work was being “full of the Holy Spirit”. This was the first quality the disciples were looking for. This would imply that there were other good men, followers of Jesus, who were not necessarily “full” of the Holy Spirit. So, I surmise that it is possible to be a follower of Jesus and not be “full” of the Holy Spirit.
There is only one way we can be born again and that’s through the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us that if we believe in Him we will have streams of living water flow up within us. By this He meant the Holy Spirit. (John 7:38, 39) John told us that one of the ministries of Jesus was to baptize us in the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11)
Do I believe all followers of Jesus have the Holy Spirit and are redeemed and sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit within us? Yes. Do I believe we are all “full” of the Holy Spirit? No.
My personal experience has involved numerous occasions in my walk with Jesus where I certainly felt more full of the Holy Spirit than other times. Why is that? Well, quite simply I think I “leak”. I do not understand why or how, but it certainly seems in my experience that I need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. I need to continue to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me up.
I wish I could find another more spiritual word than “leak”, but I believe it communicates my experience. I want to be a man full of the Holy Spirit, and full of the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation as Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17. So, I ask the Lord to continually fill me up.
Jesus encouraged us to persevere in prayer – to keep asking and don’t give up. He then wraps up His teaching with this exhortation,
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13
There should be evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” Galatians 5:22, 23
Yes, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and I believe there is more of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can ask for. We are encouraged to be filled with the Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, to keep step with the Spirit, to live in the Spirit, and be led by the Spirit.
Do you want more of the Holy Spirit? Let’s keep asking for more of Him…
May we be men who are “full” of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 6:3
“Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Ephesians 5:18b
“…be filled with the Spirit.”
The 4 Deadly “Uns”
Do you remember the ad campaign for 7-Up back in the 1970s? They positioned themselves as the “Un-Cola”. “7-Up – the Un-Cola”. Not AN un-cola, but THE Un-Cola, thereby creating a separate category of carbonated beverages. You have colas, and then you have the Un-Cola. Brilliant actually. And the campaign worked brilliantly for them.
The concept of un-cola recently raced through my mind when I was thinking through the life Jesus has purchased for us. Galatians 5:1 tells us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”
Why is it that so many of us do not live in the fullness of the life, love, freedom, hope, faith, strength, joy, peace, and myriad other attributes of the new life that is ours in Christ?
I believe it is because of the 4 deadly “Uns”. I’m not talking about the un-cola now, I’m talking about the un-life we live instead of the life we have in Christ. Our un-life is caused by the 4 deadly Uns:
- Unforgiving
- Unbelieving
- Unrepentant
- Unwilling
Why do we miss the life Jesus has for us? We are unforgiving, or unbelieving, or unrepentant, or unwilling.
We must choose to forgive others. Jesus tells us that if we do not forgive others our Father does not forgive us:
“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:15
If we do not choose to forgive others we stand in opposition to God. If we want to live in the grace, mercy and forgiveness of God we must extend forgiveness to others. Unforgiveness prevents us from living in the favor of God.
Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping it harms the other person.
Who do you need to forgive?
Unbelieving keeps us from the life Jesus has for us because we remain trapped in the lies of the enemy. We choose to believe lies instead of the Truth of God. Jesus told us,
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Without believing the Truth we are imprisoned by lies we have believed for years. Jesus told us He is the Way, the Life and the Truth. He told us He will send the Spirit of Truth to guide us in all Truth. He also told us,
“’The time has come’, he said. ‘The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” Mark 1:15
An unbelieving heart knows not the life of Christ.
What Truth do you need to believe?
“God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:5, 6
Being unrepentant is the epitome of pride. Repenting is choosing to humble ourselves to receive the grace and favor of God. New life always begins with repentance. Repentance is exchanging our death for God’s life. True repentance always leads to life.
Unrepentance keeps you trapped in the death of sin, not knowing the new life of God.
From what do you need to repent?
Unwillingness is refusing to make the choices you need to make and taking the action you need to take. Unwillingness lies at the bottom of the other deadly uns. We can be unwilling to repent, forgive and believe. Willingness though, is not passive. It is not a weak admission to the Lord that we are willing for Him to do all the work.
No, it is a willingness to roll up our spiritual sleeves and do the work. We must choose to obey Jesus and “work out our salvation”.
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12
Apprehending the life of Christ requires your effort.
What work have you been unwilling to do to work out your salvation?
Being unforgiving, unbelieving, unrepentant and unwilling will prohibit you from living the life Christ has for you, and for others through you.
Beware the 4 deadly “Uns”.
Pursuit is Proof of Desire
“This is a battle. It’s all going to come down to who wants it more.”
Have you ever heard a commentator say something like that during a sporting competition of some sort? Boxing, MMA, football, rugby, hockey – you name the sport and the victor is often the one who wants it more.
I recently read an article about Mario Andretti in Success magazine. He talked about a key component of his success being his desire. The article said, “Andretti doesn’t want to hear excuses for not pursuing your passions, either. He meets guys all the time who tell him they also could have been race drivers but their wives wouldn’t let them or some other excuse. Nonsense, Andretti says: ‘They didn’t really want it.’”
You really find out how much you want something when it starts to get difficult. When things get tough men of character dig deeper and keep moving forward to push through the difficulty. We’ve all heard the old adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
It’s during difficulty that we really find out how much we want something. As Andretti suggests, quitters really didn’t want it badly enough. It’s easy in that moment to try to shift the blame to someone or something else. We can convince ourselves that the reason we quit something was for a variety of reasons, none of which was our lack of desire.
Recently a good friend sent me a text that had this phrase in it,
“Pursuit is proof of desire.”
For some reason it leapt off my phone at me. Such a simple, yet profound phrase. In other words, if we want something we will pursue it. Period. If we are not pursuing it, then we really don’t want it.
This has profound implications to our walk with Jesus.
If you say you want to be free from some bad habits, then what are you doing about it? How are you pursuing holiness? If you say you want to have more faith, what are you doing about it? If you say you want a better relationship with your wife, what are you doing about it? If you say you want to know God more, what are you doing about it?
If you want it, do something about it! Like my father used to tell me, “You have to take the bull by the horns son!” In other words, you have to be bold and do something about it if you want anything to change.
I remember hearing a testimony from a man who wanted to quit smoking. He had tried many different programs, but nothing seemed to work. When he was praying about it one day, telling the Lord how much he wanted to quit and whining about how hard it was, he felt the Lord say something that rattled him.
“No you don’t”
What do you mean?
“You don’t want to quit – you like smoking.”
The Lord helped him realize the truth was that he really didn’t want to quit smoking. He liked smoking. He really enjoyed it. When he finally got honest with the Lord about his true desire, the Lord met him there.
He was then able to quit smoking, because the Lord changed his heart – his desire – in regard to smoking.
Sadly many Christians are content to coast in their spiritual lives. I don’t believe that is pleasing to God. We are encouraged to “work out our salvation”, to put some effort into getting hold of the redeemed life the Lord purchased for us through His death and resurrection. The effort is not trying to please God with our good works, it’s our act of loving worship to the one who invites us to be holy as He is holy.
Pursue the Lord wholeheartedly. Press on to lay hold of all He has for you and for others through you. And, if you don’t want it, repent from complacency and ask Him to change your heart. There are 2 pedals to this bike: personal responsibility and divine sovereignty.
He deserves our best effort, and He will change our hearts in the process.
Pursuit is proof of desire.
Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 4:7b-8
“…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Hebrews 12:11
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Wisdom Shouts in the Streets
I paid for university by working for a man in our church who owned a landscape company. I worked for him in the summers between university terms.
Bill Davies mentored me. Whether he was trying to or not, whether I realized it or not, he mentored me. I learned from him valuable life lessons that have served me well.
I recently reconnected with him: we reminisced, we enjoyed each others’ company and we prayed together. He sent me a text after our time together and offered me the following life lessons he has extracted from his decades of journeying with Jesus. It is my pleasure to now offer them to you…
- Sometimes God will have to knock the stuffing out of us before we learn that He desires us to humble ourselves under His mighty hand.
- He who desires to live a life pleasing to God purifies himself because God is pure. Sanctification comes by a concerted effort of seeking God to deal with our personal sins. Unless you purpose to be holy, and consider righteousness a pearl of great price, it’s not going to happen. Pursuit is the proof of desire.
- My practice has been to wake up before dawn to spend an hour or so reading the scriptures and worshiping Him. It’s like a tithe of the first fruits of my day to Him. It’s the anchor of my day and without it God becomes distant. When we give God our best, he is no man’s debtor and we won’t be disappointed.
- I make it a habit to always be prepared to give account for the hope that lies within me. At any time I try to be prepared to give a sermon on a current word from God. It seems that there’s always an opportunity to share it, as long as it’s a fresh word.
- There are 3 people groups in the OT that are repeatedly mentioned as being important to God. If it’s important to God, I need to make it important to me. The “fatherless, the widow, and the sojourner”. To bless those is to incur God’s blessing. In business it’s a secret weapon for success, and a guarantee against insolvency.
- In a race, second place is the first looser. Para-church will never substitute real church. Church is God’s plan A for the world, and He doesn’t have a plan B. This is the bride of Christ we’re talking about, so if I want to get along with God, I better be nice to His girl! Learn to love and serve His church and never bad mouth her.
- Always own the property you conduct your business on. Any long term investment should always have property as a base. Implement “The magic of compounded interest” and you change from being the victim to being in the driver’s seat.
- When you go to sell your business, if it rotates around you and your personality, you have nothing to sell. The size of your business is limited to your ability to delegate responsibility and to release the authority to accomplish it. A poor delegator is a poor businessman.
- Risk taking is a godly characteristic and life style. Gambling is for fools. The degree of risk you take is a direct function of the degree of the potential profitability.
- By far the most valuable asset you have as a businessman is your integrity. Your good reputation can be lost by a split second decision, and take years to regain.
- If it doesn’t work at home, it doesn’t work. Many have shipwrecked their lives by not paying attention to their home base. At the end of our lives, no one regrets not spending more time in the office.
- I’m a full time minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ through business. Being a Christian businessman is every bit as much a holy vocation and calling of God as being a pastor.
- It’s not about me. It’s all about the lord Jesus. Deviation from that will get us into all sorts of trouble. The ditches are full of people who were deceived by man-centred versions of the truth.
- A silent witness is for deaf people. For the rest of the population, we use words. Unless of course I’m ashamed of Jesus? We will be required to give account for the words we should have spoken, but didn’t. If we’re not pointing people to Jesus, just where are we pointing them?
Thank you Bill!
Proverbs 1:20-23
“Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.”
Take Your Medication!
Do you take any medication?
I do. I have a genetic condition I inherited from my mother. In fact, it was this condition that killed my mother when I was 9 years old. It’s called FH – Familial Hypercholesterolaemia.
According to Wikipedia, FH is “…a genetic disorder characterized by high cholesterol levels, specifically very high levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL, “bad cholesterol”), in the blood, and early cardiovascular disease. Since individuals’ with FH underlying body biochemistry is slightly different, their high cholesterol levels are less responsive to the kinds of cholesterol control methods which are usually more effective in people without FH (such as dietary modification and statin tablets). Nevertheless, treatment (including higher statin doses) is usually effective.”
In light of this I am on a high daily dose of Crestor, which is a statin medication. My daily Crestor pill keeps me alive. It has some side effects such as memory loss, muscle aches, some muscle cramping and potential liver damage, but it keeps me alive.
I talked with my doctor about some of the side effects – particularly memory loss – and he said this,
“Well, you can take the pill and suffer some side effects like memory loss. Or, you can not take the pill and suffer some side effects like death. Which would you prefer?”
I’ve chosen the former option. Chances are, without my medication I would have suffered a heart attack already and died. I have a 50% blockage in one artery and a 20% in another – which has not progressed thanks to my medication.
So, it is fairly accurate to say that my medication keeps me alive.
Recently I was spending time with a man who was suffering a number of ailments – you may be familiar with these: Hopelessness, despair, loneliness, apathy, self-hatred, resentment, jealousy, anger, rage, lust, etc. These feeling are merely the symptoms of poisonous lies he has believed. I have no doubt many of you can empathize with his struggle. I know I can.
If left untreated, these ailments will kill him. He will die to all the life Jesus has for him. He will not experience all that his heart longs for; all that for which he was created. Though not physical, it is a life and death situation for this man. These ailments will poison all his relationships: with God, with himself, and with others.
It is no different for each one of us. We battle lies that have been sent from the pit of hell to steal, kill and destroy us. Lies that, if we choose to believe them, will keep us trapped in despair, hopelessness, loneliness, lust, hatred, jealousy and the like.
However, there is a medication we can take that will combat these ailments. The medication we have access to will cure us of these things. We can be free from that which poisons us and the accompanying emotions they create.
What is this miracle medication?
Truth.
It is Truth, made digestible by the redemptive work of Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, which sets us free from the poisonous lies of our spiritual enemy and their horrendous side effects in our lives.
So, we all suffer from the same condition caused by believing that which is not true. The lies are poisonous and will kill us if we don’t take our medication. Truth is the medication that sets us free from the infection of the lies. And, the medication is readily available to us all. So, the question really is,
Do you take your medication?
Do you marinate in the Truth? Do you read, memorize and meditate on the Word of God?
“Devotions” are not meant to be a cute little religious duty we perform to put a check on our Godly score card. Devotions are a life and death exercise designed to digest lifesaving doses of the Truth to rid us of the poisonous effects of believing the lies of our spiritual enemy. Lies that are sent to deceive us from the Truth of God’s heart for us and for this world.
I implore you, set aside time to marinate in, memorize and meditate on scripture.
Take your medication!
John 8:32
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
2 Timothy 3:16
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
The Great Deceiver
“My lord, Gandalf the Grey is coming… He is a herald of woe.”, whispers the deceiver.
“The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King.”, replied Gandalf.
“He is not welcome.”, continues the deceiver.
“Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Storm crow?”, inquires the fully deceived King Théoden.
“…Late is hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. ‘Lathspell’ I call him – ill news is an ill guest.”, boldly accuses the deceiver.
“”Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!”, rebukes Gandalf
And the fight is on…
This powerful scene is taken from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
This scene depicts the incredible power deception has over a once vibrant King Théoden. Théoden has become a mere shadow of his former glory because he’s chosen to listen to the deceptive words of Wormtongue. Wormtongue was sent by Théoden’s enemy to destroy him and his kingdom from the inside out – through deception and lies.
Gandalf is Théoden’s greatest ally. Following a quick fight with Wormtongue and his henchmen, Gandalf is the one who sets Théoden free from the curse of Wormtongue’s deception. However, prior to Théoden’s deliverance he believed Gandalf was not friend, but foe.
This scene is such a powerful depiction of the battle you and I face every single day.
We have a spiritual Wormtongue sent to deceive and keep us from the Truth. Our enemy’s battle plan is an assault of deception and lies to captivate our hearts and minds so we don’t live in Truth. And it is the Truth that sets us free.
Why does Jesus say it is Truth that frees us? Because it is lies that have captivated mankind. Revelation 20:3 tells us that Satan’s objective is to deceive the nations.
Do you notice the subtlety of Wormtongue’s deception?
He calls Théoden’s greatest ally a “Herald of Woe” and “Lathspell”, and says that Gandalf is not welcome. Basically he is saying that Gandalf is bad news. Whenever Gandalf shows up bad things happen. “Lathspell” means ‘bad or ill news’, the opposite of “Gospel”, which means ‘good news’.
This is such a clear demonstration of our spiritual enemy’s strategy of deception and lies. His objective is to convince us to believe lies that separate man from God, friend from friend, family member from family, husband from wife, and children from parents.
How many situations do you know of where this is happening right now?
I know of numerous situations in my circle of relationships where Christians are believing deceptive spirits sent from the pit of hell to destroy them. I can see the deception, others can see the deception, but they don’t.
However, we have the answer. We have the antidote. We have the weapon that will set captives free from the prison of lies and deception – Truth. Our only hope of gaining victory over the relentless assault of deception and lies waged against us is the Truth.
We must marinate in, memorize and meditate on scripture. We must choose to ingest the Word of Truth to combat the lies of the great deceiver. It is only Truth that sets us free from lies.
We must also choose to walk in humility with other people of the Word. Why? Because we all have blind spots and need the help of allies who love us enough to point out what we are not seeing. We need allies who can help us see the Truth, as well as the deception we may be embracing.
Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, and, therefore, in his name we have power over deceptive spirits. In His name we can pray against the deception in which people are trapped to enable them to see the Truth, and then choose to embrace it.
I love what Gandalf says to Théoden after he has set him free,
“Your fingers will remember their own strength better if they grasped your sword.”
May we be men who fully grasp the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and wield it well.
2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
1 Timothy 4:1
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
John 8:32
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Run Forrest Run!
He stood there talking with his best friend Jenny. They weren’t bothering anyone, they were simply standing chatting in the shade of a large canopy of trees on the dirt road on the way home from school.
Then the bullies arrived.
They mocked him and threw things at him, all because he wore braces on his legs.
He had weak legs as a young boy so the doctors fitted him with metal braces to help his legs grow true. However, they were very cumbersome and prohibited him from moving at anything but a very slow, awkward, methodical gait.
However, this day all of that would change. As the bullies moved in for the kill like a pack of wolves, Jenny turned Forrest around, gave him a shove forward and yelled,
“Run Forrest run!”
Forrest obeyed.
He took off as fast as his feeble legs could carry him. He hobbled down that dirt road with an uncoordinated intentionality. But something happened as he set himself to move forward. Something transformed in him as he forcefully chose to move in spite of his limitations – his limitations became less limiting. In fact, eventually his legs braces blew off and he shot forward running at a pace he had never dreamed possible.
He became a “running fool” as the townsfolk called him! He ran everywhere. He couldn’t be stopped.
This scene from the movie Forrest Gump recently came to mind as I had the pleasure and privilege of praying for a young man struggling with a number of things, including complacency. He realized he needed to repent from the lies that he had believed. He had given the enemy legal right to imprison and limit him in various ways.
He also realized that he has the authority to reject the strategy of the enemy set against him, by stepping into his God-given authority, and by beginning to feed on the Truth. However, he is battling complacency in regard to all of this…
Complacency is defined as, “a feeling of pleasure or security, while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation or condition.”
I define it as an attitude of, “I don’t really care to change. I’m fine”. It can come across as an unwillingness to move forward.
Complacency is a little bit like Forrest Gump’s leg braces: it inhibits you from moving forward out of your current condition into one of greater freedom.
The young man we were praying for saw his need to move forward out of his current situation. He wanted to choose to go deeper with Jesus and change what he believes, and how he lives, but complacency was restricting his moving forward like leg braces.
As we prayed and talked through his situation we realized he needed to learn a lesson from Forrest Gump…
Just take a step forward. You may not be able to begin running right away, but you can take a step forward. You can choose to care enough to take a step, then another, then another, then a bigger step, and another bigger step. And the next thing you know you’re further than you thought you would be and you’re moving with a determined strength you never thought possible.
Are you like my friend, do you battle complacency? Do you lack motivation to change your situation? Are you apathetic and afraid about your ability to move forward in your relationship with Jesus, or your wife, or anyone else?
Think of Forrest Gump. Think of a hobbling little boy sick and tired of being bullied, who is willing to put one foot in front of the other with a bold determination motivated by an intense desire to move to a different place and move away from that which is oppressing him.
Be like Forrest and take a step forward, no matter how awkward it may feel. Then take another, and another. As you move forward into the Truth, complacency will begin to break off you like Forrest’s leg braces.
Run Forrest run!
John 8:32, 36
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Proverbs 1:32
“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;”
Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
We’re All Screwed Up
He came up to me at the conclusion of one of our weekend Boot Camps. I could tell he had something on his mind. He looked me in the eye, with the fire of rekindled hope in his. He cleared his throat and spoke,
“Dave, I just wanted to let you know that you are a huge encouragement to me…”
I heard what he said, but knew there was more that was going to come out. In a nano-second my mind raced ahead to anticipate what he may be preparing to say. I thought that perhaps he was going to suggest I had an exceptional ability to communicate, or amazing wisdom when I spoke, or that a powerful anointing infused my words. I was preparing to receive his encouragement, yet not let it go to my head.
What came next, what he said, was not even close to what I was anticipating;
“…because you are such a screw up, but God uses you anyways! That gives me hope for me!”
There was a brief silence between us and then we both broke out into gales of laughter.
He was right.
Throughout the weekend I shared my journey with Jesus. It is a story of Jesus time and time again pursuing me with His love in the midst of my brokenness and failures. He is faithful even when I am not.
The reality is, I’m screwed up. I have issues. I’m not as bad as I was, and I’m not as good as I’m going to be. I am on a journey to greater and greater freedom, and greater and greater glory.
As are you – we all are.
The reality is, no one is perfect – not this side of heaven. And God doesn’t demand perfection from you before He can work through you. He is looking for men who understand they are flawed, but are willing to offer their flaws and brokenness to the Lord, and trust Him to do His work in and through us.
The only people God has to work with are flawed humans. The ones he prefers to work with are those who know they are flawed and realize that God is bigger than our flaws. It’s not about your limitations, it’s about God’s limitlessness. God works in and through the humble – those who think about themselves less, not think less of themselves.
The lowly one is home for the Holy One. God chooses the weak and foolish things of this work to confound the wise and shame the strong. When we offer our weaknesses to the Lord he transforms us by His strength.
Years ago I was having breakfast with a Christian leader. He was asking me why I wasn’t stepping up and leading. I told him that I didn’t want to lead anything until I was sure my motivations were pure and I wasn’t seeking my own glory. I’ll never forget what he said to me next,
“Then I guess you won’t ever lead anything, because your motivations will never be 100% pure this side of heaven.”
He helped me to understand that God calls us to partner with Him in the midst of our brokenness. He’s not waiting for us to get our act together before we can partner with Him to serve others with our own giftedness. We are transformed in the journey.
As we offer our weakness, our brokenness, our flaws, our foibles, our messes, and our mistakes the Lord miraculously transforms us into His likeness. It is our willingness to bow in repentance and accept the Lord’s divine do-overs that we continue to move forward in the renewal of the Holy Spirit. We are made new in Him.
Are we all screwed up? Yup. Some more than others? Perhaps, but the fact is, we are all way more screwed up than we realize. God sees how messed up you are, and yet He still invites you to partner with Him to serve others. Offer your weakness to Him.
God is looking for men who recognize we’re messed up, but understand it’s not about us, it’s about Jesus in us. And that changes everything.
1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9, 10
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 3:4, 5
“Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”
I’m Ready!
He loved being a grandpa and he was so looking forward to this.
His daughter had called him and asked if he could look after his 2 year old granddaughter for a few hours. Absolutely! He loved any opportunity he could get to spend time with her. Her perspective on the world was so refreshing.
A 2 year old see things very differently than a 50-something year old. Everything is new. Everything is exciting. Everything is a wonder. Everything is an adventure. And everything seems possible.
Even as he drove to his daughter’s home he was anticipating the kind of time they would have…
Maybe they would go for a walk in the woods. Perhaps they would go to the beach. Or, they could go to a nearby park and play on the swings and the slide. They would definitely hold hands and stroll. At some point in time she would want him to put her on his shoulders and carry her.
They would have to eat something as well. Definitely fries. What’s better than sharing some ketchup soaked French fries with your granddaughter? Not much. And, they would finish things off with ice cream. He would help her try to get through her cone without dripping too much on herself. Then he would carefully wipe her face clean of all the smears and remnants of an excellent feast.
As they drove home he would steal glimpses, in the rear view mirror, of her slowly falling asleep in her car seat after an excellent day with grandpa. He was so excited, and he hadn’t even picked her up yet.
When he arrived at his daughter’s house he could tell his granddaughter was as excited as he was. After he had knocked on the door he could hear squeals of excitement from inside the house. His daughter opened the door and invited him inside. She told him that they weren’t quite ready yet.
And then, in the blink of an eye, his granddaughter ran into the foyer from down the hall. She certainly was not quite ready yet – she was totally naked. With all the enthusiasm one would expect from an energetic 2 year old, she ran up to him with her arms outstretched and yelled,
“I’m ready!”
I love this story a speaker shared recently at our church service. I want to be like that little girl. I want to have that kind of passion toward my Heavenly Father. I want to start each day with an enthusiastic, “I’m ready!”
“I’m ready to walk with you today. I’m ready to spend time with you today. I’m ready to listen to you today. I’m ready to enjoy being with you today. I’m ready to obey you today. I’m ready to do what you want to do today. I just want to spend this day with you.
“Here I am naked before you God. I am not trying to hide anything. I’m not faking anything. I know there is nothing I can bring that is worthy of you except a humble and surrendered heart. I know all that you want is all of me. As best I know how I am offering myself anew to you today.
“You are my priority today. I want You more than anything. There is nothing on this earth I want more than You. I want to live in Your love, delight and presence today.”
What a great way to start the day. Our Heavenly Father delights in us. And just like this grandpa, our Father eagerly anticipates how we will walk with Him each day – how we will share our time and our heart with Him.
Yes, God is calling us to be courageous men of virtue who wholeheartedly partner with him in the epic adventure of the Kingdom of God in us and through us for the benefit of others. And, He is inviting us as vulnerable, carefree little boys to excitedly dive into time with Him – just for the joy of being with Him.
May we start each day with arms outstretched toward our Father passionately declaring,
“I’m ready!”
Romans 8:15-17 (The Message)
“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”
Psalm 51:17
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart O God, you will not despise.”
Revelation 3:17
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
A Monkey On A Rope
Our crossing of the Gulfo Dulce had been magical: calm blue waters, cloudless skies, brilliant warm sunshine and a personal escort by a pod of dolphins.
The arrival at our destination was like a scene out of Jurassic Park. The gentle lapping ocean gave way to a black sand beach that was no more than 10’ deep to the point where the thick Costa Rican rain forest covered the shore as far as the eye could see. The skipper of the small boat that transported our family across the gulf pulled the vessel up on the beach in front of a small clearing in the jungle.
We were greeted by our hosts, a couple from California who had moved here years before to start a wildlife sanctuary. This was a very particular sanctuary that catered only to monkeys: injured or deformed monkeys to be exact. Spider, Kampuchean and Howler monkeys of all shapes and sizes were everywhere.
Until you have held a docile yet affectionate Howler monkey in your arms like a small child you cannot appreciate the wonder of how God created these amazing animals. This was an experience we would not soon forget. Most of the day was spent interacting with these incredible creatures.
There was one particular monkey that caught my attention. While all the other monkeys were free to move around the sanctuary, or within their large enclosures, there was one monkey that was tied to a huge tree. This Spidey monkey had a 100’ rope tied to its neck, with the other end tied to the tree. He would climb and swing around his tree dragging his rope with him.
When I inquired what the reason was behind the rope I was told a fascinating story…
The owners of the sanctuary had taken in this Spider Monkey that had been kept on a 3’ leash its whole life. They brought the monkey to the sanctuary, examined it, found it to be healthy, and they took the leash off. When they took the leash off, the monkey threw itself on the ground in what appeared to be an epileptic fit. When they put the leash back on, the monkey returned to normal.
Later they tried a different strategy by cutting the leash and allowing the monkey to run freely dragging its leash behind it. The monkey had the same violent epileptic-like reaction.
The strategy they had now adopted was to leave a leash on the monkey, but lengthen it to the point where the monkey can climb and swing in the tree even though it is still tied to the tree. And there he was dragging 100’ of rope around his tree, comfortable in his captivity.
I couldn’t help but see this as a picture of how some people choose to live their lives.
We can actually become comfortable with our captivity. We can hold onto the lies we have believed and the wounds we have endured so firmly that we refuse to let go of them to take hold of the truth, healing and freedom that the Lord has purchased for us.
In order to take hold of all that the Lord has promised us we must let go of that which has captivated us. We must let go of false beliefs we have about ourselves, the Lord and others. We have to let go of the offenses we have carried toward others. We have to let go of the jealousy, resentments, anger and bitterness we have picked up over the years of hurt. We have to let go of unforgiveness.
Too many Christians are like the Spider monkey tied to the tree on a long leash – they are not experiencing all the life, healing and freedom Jesus has for them because they are unwilling to let go of that which has bound them, perhaps that which has defined them.
Don’t be like the Spider monkey on the leash, still tied to the tree, comfortable in its captivity, unwilling to let go of that which has kept it captive. Surrender to Jesus the lies that have bound you. Let it all go to Him.
What are you dragging around that you need to let go of?
Don’t be a monkey on a rope.
Isaiah 28:15b
“…for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
Galatians 5:1
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Hebrews 12:1, 2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
Wow!
Wow!
I didn’t know what else to say.
Wow!
Around every corner there was another incredible spectacle of the majesty and greatness of God. I was overwhelmed. I was overcome. I was… speechless.
Sure, there were myriad other words I could have chosen; words that would have better described the grandeur unfolding before our eyes. Awesome, spectacular, stupendous, phenomenal, breathtaking, magnificent, wonderful, sensational, amazing, dazzling, marvelous, and incredible were all words I could have chosen to use, but all I could say was…
Wow!
I know, a little weak. In literary terms, pathetic. However, the truth is, that’s all that kept effusively gushing out of my mouth.
Anne and I were driving on a gloriously clear, sunny, summer day on the Icefields Parkway – Highway 93 – from Lake Louise to Jasper. The highway begins in Banff National Park and continues on into Jasper National Park. This 230 kilometre stretch of road is considered one of the most spectacular drives in the world.
The highway is named for its tremendous glaciers which flank its western side. It weaves up and around the mountains between Banff and Jasper National Parks, paralleling the Great Divide. The mountains are the “wow” in the drive. While driving you are surrounded by massive, majestic, mountainous, fortress-like cathedrals to the glory of God.
We were in the presence of giants: great, grand, glorious, gargantuan guardians of the glory of God.
I wanted to savour this time in the mountains, but it was sadly just a part of the journey, not our ultimate destination. I left feeling enriched and satisfied, yet hungry and thirsty for more. Like experiencing a precious touch of God during a time of prayer and worship, my heart was full, but I longed for more…
Mountains are found throughout scripture. There are over three hundred references to mountains in the Bible. God called Moses from the burning bush on Mount Horeb. God gave Moses the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai. Jesus regularly went up a mountain to pray and to get away from the crowds. Jesus was transfigured and met with Moses and Elijah on a mountain.
Daniel’s vision as documented in Daniel chapter 2 depicts God’s Kingdom as a mountain that fills the whole earth. Scripture often refers to God’s Holy Mountain where He resides. God’s righteousness is described as the highest mountain.
King David asks, “Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who can stand in His holy place?” We are told by Isaiah in chapter 57:13 “But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” Later on in verse 15 of chapter 57 the Lord tells us,
“I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.”
God’s glory, His holiness, His Kingdom, His righteousness and His presence are all metaphorically associated with mountains. Why? Because I believe there is nothing more awesome and breathtaking on earth than a massive, majestic mountain.
We have done a fair bit of hiking and climbing in the mountains over the years. Here is something I have learned about the mountains: though stunningly gorgeous, they are not easily accessed. It takes effort to get to the top of a mountain.
To have a “mountain top experience” takes effort.
I believe it is the same with God. He is stunningly gorgeous and glorious, and it takes effort to discover and experience the true riches of His presence and purposes. If we seek God we will find Him if we seek Him with all our hearts. Seeking God with all our hearts takes effort. Loving God with all our heart, soul mind and strength takes effort. Taking refuge in Him takes effort.
Having clean hands, a pure heart and not lifting up your soul to idols takes effort. Choosing to be humble and contrite takes effort. Choosing to live courageously, in confession and communion with God, in community with His people, and in combat with our spiritual foes takes effort.
To truly experience the “wow” of God, takes effort. But oh, is He worth our effort.
God. Wow!
Psalm 24:3-6
“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.”
Jeremiah 29:13
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Psalm 95: 3, 4
“For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.”