A few years ago we use to have a saying at one of my former workplaces for times when somebody complained about an unfair situation. The complainer would be chided with this not-so-sympathetic comment: "Here comes bitter, party of one".
Face it, no one enjoys being around a bitter person. Nothing kills a festive occasion or a positive experience like a person with a sour disposition or someone who is constantly whining or complaining. And for the bitter person, the worst thing is that they almost always are oblivious to the damage they cause themselves--relationally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Charles Stanley once said, "Bitterness is a poison that we concoct for someone else that we wind up drinking ourselves." Hebrews 12:15 reminds us that when the root of bitterness springs up, it causes trouble and defiles us. Since God's mercy to us is unconditional, how can we ever justify harboring any bitterness toward others?
This is serious business for God's men. There are over 300 warnings in Scripture about anger and bitterness and probably the clearest one is found in Ephesians 4:31--Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Allowing any of these emotions to take up residence in our heart has the spiritual effect of rolling out the welcome mat for Satan to enter in. Our testimony to others is too important to allow this to happen. Make "bitter, party of one" an invitation we always decline.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Obtain the Prize
One of the key lessons to be learned in growing spiritually is that God works all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). This can be a difficult lesson; especially when adversity seems to destroy the very things that we work hard for and strive to accomplish.
I had the opportunity to witness something special last Friday night. My daughter's school, Red Lion Christian Academy http://www.redlionca.org/ completed their football season with a 51-0 win over a local rival. An impressive win, but what I saw was much more impressive than the final score. Coming off a very difficult and painful week in which they had to forfeit an opportunity to continue their season in the playoffs, these kids and their coaches represented RLCA as true champions in their season finale.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity and lamenting what could have been, the RLCA football team chose instead to go out as winners; playing hard with dignity and class. Rather than speak poorly of those who contributed to the adversity they endured, they chose instead to enjoy the culmination of a great season and celebrate with their fans, friends and family on the field after the game. Among the post game highlights, the team gathered as one facing their fans in the stands and in unison chanted 1 Corinthians 9:24--Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
Obtaining the prize involves exercising self control (v.25), not running aimlessly (v.26) and disciplining ourselves so as to not disqualify ourselves by damaging our testimony to others (v.27). God never promised us this would be easy, but he promised to never leave us or forsake us (Joshua 1:5) and that his plans for us are to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
I had the opportunity to witness something special last Friday night. My daughter's school, Red Lion Christian Academy http://www.redlionca.org/ completed their football season with a 51-0 win over a local rival. An impressive win, but what I saw was much more impressive than the final score. Coming off a very difficult and painful week in which they had to forfeit an opportunity to continue their season in the playoffs, these kids and their coaches represented RLCA as true champions in their season finale.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity and lamenting what could have been, the RLCA football team chose instead to go out as winners; playing hard with dignity and class. Rather than speak poorly of those who contributed to the adversity they endured, they chose instead to enjoy the culmination of a great season and celebrate with their fans, friends and family on the field after the game. Among the post game highlights, the team gathered as one facing their fans in the stands and in unison chanted 1 Corinthians 9:24--Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
Obtaining the prize involves exercising self control (v.25), not running aimlessly (v.26) and disciplining ourselves so as to not disqualify ourselves by damaging our testimony to others (v.27). God never promised us this would be easy, but he promised to never leave us or forsake us (Joshua 1:5) and that his plans for us are to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
It's Okay to Shout
I can't think of anything that has caused more division in good churches than worship style. I grew up in a church with a traditional style of worship; signing age-old hymns which I still enjoy. But my preference is contemporary worship with guitars and drums. Thankfully, we have both styles at Ogletown; giving us a cross-generational appeal that should be a cause for praise.
While we worship corporately as a church family on Sunday, we should never pass judgement on a person's worship style or preference (as long as it doesn't disrupt the service!). I've worshipped with hands held high toward my Savior in heaven. I've worshipped with my eyes closed in prayerful remembrance of what he's done for me. I've worshipped with tears streaming down my face in sorrow for my sins or in need of intervention from Him. In every case, it is me in my sinful state coming to worship a loving, gracious and merciful Father who allowed his only son to die so that I may live.
During Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Luke records that the disciples were praising God in loud voices. The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke the disciples for making so much noise, to which he responded, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40)". Psalms 95, 98 and 100 all speak of making a joyful noise to our Creator. There is no need to question whether God is offended by exuberant praise directed toward him.
Whether your desire is to sing out Rock of Ages or Hail to the King (two very different worship styles!), what matters most are the words of praise to Him and the heart of worship we bring as we lift our voices toward heaven. God would rather hear our joyful noise than the stones any day.
While we worship corporately as a church family on Sunday, we should never pass judgement on a person's worship style or preference (as long as it doesn't disrupt the service!). I've worshipped with hands held high toward my Savior in heaven. I've worshipped with my eyes closed in prayerful remembrance of what he's done for me. I've worshipped with tears streaming down my face in sorrow for my sins or in need of intervention from Him. In every case, it is me in my sinful state coming to worship a loving, gracious and merciful Father who allowed his only son to die so that I may live.
During Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Luke records that the disciples were praising God in loud voices. The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke the disciples for making so much noise, to which he responded, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40)". Psalms 95, 98 and 100 all speak of making a joyful noise to our Creator. There is no need to question whether God is offended by exuberant praise directed toward him.
Whether your desire is to sing out Rock of Ages or Hail to the King (two very different worship styles!), what matters most are the words of praise to Him and the heart of worship we bring as we lift our voices toward heaven. God would rather hear our joyful noise than the stones any day.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Making Disciples
Jesus' final words to his disciples before he ascended to heaven included this command: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Although this instruction seems pretty clear, I often wonder if we really understand the concept of making disciples.
While this command clearly calls us to share the Gospel and witness to unbelievers, I believe the idea of making disciples goes much deeper. A disciple isn't just a believer or a person on the church membership roll. A disciple is someone who commits to serving Jesus as his Master and Lord. A disciple is someone who pours his God-given gifts into the lives of others for God's glory. A disciple is someone who views his life as an opportunity to advance God's Kingdom. A disciple is someone who disciples others and encourages them to make disciples and disciple others.
If we observe the lives of Jesus' disciples, we see a group of men who learned from him and watched him minister to others. The disciples learned by seeing Jesus meet human need with divine resources and they learned life lessons that our Savior taught them through parables and real-life experiences. Once we recognize that our life experiences have value and can be shared with others for the purpose of discipleship, we begin to fulfill Christ's final earthly command.
A person who witnesses and shares the gospel can certainly add to Christ's church, but a disciple who makes disciples actually multiplies the church; which will make heaven a much more populated place.
While this command clearly calls us to share the Gospel and witness to unbelievers, I believe the idea of making disciples goes much deeper. A disciple isn't just a believer or a person on the church membership roll. A disciple is someone who commits to serving Jesus as his Master and Lord. A disciple is someone who pours his God-given gifts into the lives of others for God's glory. A disciple is someone who views his life as an opportunity to advance God's Kingdom. A disciple is someone who disciples others and encourages them to make disciples and disciple others.
If we observe the lives of Jesus' disciples, we see a group of men who learned from him and watched him minister to others. The disciples learned by seeing Jesus meet human need with divine resources and they learned life lessons that our Savior taught them through parables and real-life experiences. Once we recognize that our life experiences have value and can be shared with others for the purpose of discipleship, we begin to fulfill Christ's final earthly command.
A person who witnesses and shares the gospel can certainly add to Christ's church, but a disciple who makes disciples actually multiplies the church; which will make heaven a much more populated place.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
God's Character
In response to Moses' request for God to show him his glory, (Exodus 33:18) our Heavenly Father instead chose to reveal to him his character. As sinful people, we cannot fully see his glory. We can only know him by what he does and how he acts.
Accordingly, God's response to Moses was "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means will clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children and the children's children, to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6-7).
The message here is clear: God is faithful and merciful. He stands ready to forgive us. He is abundantly patient with those who seek him. But make no mistake, God hates evil and will not overlook unrepentant sin. As God's men, we must keep our sin accounts short and confess and forsake known sin in our lives. Our sinful actions, as well as our godly influence, impact our children and generations to come.
The bottom line is that we cannot comprehend God as he is apart from Jesus Christ, who promised to show himself to those who believe (John 14:9-21). The only way we can clear our guilty status before the Father is by claiming the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who paid our sin debt and reconciled us to Him.
Accordingly, God's response to Moses was "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means will clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children and the children's children, to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6-7).
The message here is clear: God is faithful and merciful. He stands ready to forgive us. He is abundantly patient with those who seek him. But make no mistake, God hates evil and will not overlook unrepentant sin. As God's men, we must keep our sin accounts short and confess and forsake known sin in our lives. Our sinful actions, as well as our godly influence, impact our children and generations to come.
The bottom line is that we cannot comprehend God as he is apart from Jesus Christ, who promised to show himself to those who believe (John 14:9-21). The only way we can clear our guilty status before the Father is by claiming the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who paid our sin debt and reconciled us to Him.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Every Thought Captive
During a recent discussion with a couple of close friends of mine, the question was raised: Has there ever been a commandment of God that you've heard and then made the conscious decision to disobey it? That's one of the many things I love about hanging out with godly men; men who aren't afraid to bare their souls, drop their pretenses and be real. Talk about soul searching! The question isn't whether I ever have disobeyed, but rather how many different commands and how many times have I disobeyed. Where do I begin?
After spending some time mulling over this question, a Scripture verse (2 Corinthians 10:5) came to mind--We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. I believe this verse explains as well as any why we fail to keep God's commands--we don't take our thoughts captive. Our thoughts, as well as our words, come from the wellspring of our hearts--which are deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The battlefield in spiritual warfare is in our minds. Because of our rebellious nature, our thoughts are often going to lead us away from God and our toward own sinful desires. Taking every thought captive means examining every thing we think in light of what God has revealed to us in His Word.
Listen to the proclamation delivered in Psalm 119:11--I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. The psalmist cannot possibly say this without being immersed in Scripture; seeking to know our Lord's will and practically applying it to his life. Taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ is not possible any other way. And the best part of doing this is that pride, greed, envy, lust, bitterness, malice and hate lose their place in our lives.
After spending some time mulling over this question, a Scripture verse (2 Corinthians 10:5) came to mind--We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. I believe this verse explains as well as any why we fail to keep God's commands--we don't take our thoughts captive. Our thoughts, as well as our words, come from the wellspring of our hearts--which are deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The battlefield in spiritual warfare is in our minds. Because of our rebellious nature, our thoughts are often going to lead us away from God and our toward own sinful desires. Taking every thought captive means examining every thing we think in light of what God has revealed to us in His Word.
Listen to the proclamation delivered in Psalm 119:11--I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. The psalmist cannot possibly say this without being immersed in Scripture; seeking to know our Lord's will and practically applying it to his life. Taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ is not possible any other way. And the best part of doing this is that pride, greed, envy, lust, bitterness, malice and hate lose their place in our lives.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Grace is not Optional
If we are ever going to grow as God's men, grace is a notion we absolutely must wrap our arms around. There have been many definitions of grace (my favorite--God's Riches at Christ's Expense) but in practical terms for us, grace is a gift that is given willingly for which there is nothing expected in return.
God didn't allow Jesus to die on the cross so that we would have to earn our way into heaven. The notion of allowing my child to die to save someone else is beyond what I can grasp, but allowing it if it wasn't absolutely necessary in completely unfathomable. Grace takes performance on our part out of the equation; replacing it with faith and trust in Christ alone. Grace is our Heavenly Father saying to us: "I love you and spending eternity apart from you is the absolute last thing I want to have happen." He made a sacrifice that is truly beyond our capability and understanding.
Scripture reminds us that it is by God's grace that we are saved, not by any of our own works (Ephesians 2:8); removing any notion of self-reliance. God's grace is sufficient for any need we face (2 Corinthians 12:9), it is available to all just by asking (Romans 5:15), it gifts us to accomplish his purpose and plan (Ephesians 3:7) and allows us to meet the needs of others (1 Peter 4:10). What more reason do we need to allow grace to permeate everything we think, say or do?
God didn't allow Jesus to die on the cross so that we would have to earn our way into heaven. The notion of allowing my child to die to save someone else is beyond what I can grasp, but allowing it if it wasn't absolutely necessary in completely unfathomable. Grace takes performance on our part out of the equation; replacing it with faith and trust in Christ alone. Grace is our Heavenly Father saying to us: "I love you and spending eternity apart from you is the absolute last thing I want to have happen." He made a sacrifice that is truly beyond our capability and understanding.
Scripture reminds us that it is by God's grace that we are saved, not by any of our own works (Ephesians 2:8); removing any notion of self-reliance. God's grace is sufficient for any need we face (2 Corinthians 12:9), it is available to all just by asking (Romans 5:15), it gifts us to accomplish his purpose and plan (Ephesians 3:7) and allows us to meet the needs of others (1 Peter 4:10). What more reason do we need to allow grace to permeate everything we think, say or do?
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