Don't always wear your strong suit!

In college my roommates had a friend visit and he locked his keys in his car. It was a 90’s Camaro, if I remember correctly, which allowed us to pry the window out a bit because it was not framed in by the door.  Anyway, we tried using a hanger to push the switch to open but it was too flimsy. So I got it in my head to put together a shim that would flip the switch. I went in and got my roommate’s sword, an Allen wrench, and some duct tape. I put the Allen wrench on the end of the sword and taped it so that the hook of the wrench would catch the switch. It worked and I will forever be able to say I opened a car door with a sword, Allen wrench, and duct tape. 

Thinking about the Christian life, I have had many experiences of doing things that I was not particularly gifted at doing. Whether it was organizing VBS, cleaning, building game booths, or painting, I would call none of those things my strong suit. I was not programmed to work that way or to do those things. Sort of like how a sword is not meant to open a car door. Sometimes I have to remember that the tool doesn’t decide its use, the worker does. And I am not the worker, I am the tool.

Remember the Potter in Jeremiah 18.  “3. So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.  4. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.”

Now the context of this passage is that of mercy to the repentant and wrath to the unrepentant, but the fact remains we are the clay and we don’t decide what we will be used for. We can be reworked as the potter (God) sees fit.

I have heard Christians say things like, “that’s not my gift” or “that’s not my calling,” to justify their inaction. And yet I find very little evidence in scripture for such excuses. Sure there are areas that some are gifted in more than others but we have a responsibility to be competent for Christ in all kinds of things. There is no such thing as a Christian Specialist. Christians are not called to be assembly line workers doing one task all day. What happens to the church when the “light-bulb” guy dies? Do we switch to candle light services? It may sound comical but this is often how things happen. A family leaves so the homeless ministry dies. The VBS lady is sick so we are going to have to cancel this year.

And in more personal aspects we use this same attitude.  Maybe you never really have bible study at home with others because hospitality is not your gift.  Or perhaps teaching is not your gift, so you just let someone else raise your kids in Christ. It’s possible that evangelism is not your gift so you don’t need to worry about sharing Jesus with others.

Just because you are a sword doesn’t mean you can’t open a door. 

Think about Paul, he was a Missionary, Evangelist, Church Planter, Teacher, and Tent Maker.  Obviously this is not an exhaustive list of Paul’s gifts, talents, or activities, but perhaps there was some truth behind him writing Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Lovely Lips and Lying Hearts

I tell my wife that I love her often, multiple times a day. My love manifests itself in many ways. I lust after other women, despite the fact that she is far more beautiful. I drink alcohol to escape my responsibilities, even though she prefers me sober and clear headed. I let my anger get the best of me, regardless of the fear and anxiety I cause her.

If this were the case (and praise God it’s not), how could I love my wife in this manner and still call it LOVE?

Do we not realize that we treat God this way all the time? We love with lip service, but practically we act as if Jesus means very little to us. There is good reason to call ourselves wretched: we are.

Maybe this is you, personally. Perhaps it’s not just a general overview of Christians today, but you feel like you are this way.  Maybe you know you “love” God but you certainly show it in odd ways.

Isaiah 1:12-15 talks about how our false adoration, worship, and love are disgusting to Him. He even says He will not hear our prayers (v.15).  Maybe this is where you are. 

But Isaiah 1:27 gives us hope: “Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those who repent, by righteousness.”

Repentance is turning away from the former way of life and running after Jesus. It’s a 180 alteration of your life, not just your speech.  We can’t keep living life as if loving Jesus were something done only with our words or our church attendance. It has to be a life of love. 

All About Him

We, as Christians, must dispel the idea that Christ is a "thing" for us. As though He were a possession for us to use as we please.  We often live, as if Jesus were a seasoning and when times are tough just throw on some Jesus. If money’s tight, add a pinch of Jesus.  If you lose your job, drizzle some Jesus on it. If life is too much, sprinkle a little Jesus on it and you will be able to tolerate it.

The message Jesus gives to us in Scripture is not that He is ours, but that we are His. We are His creation. We are His Children. We are adopted into His family. Salvation is not about adding Jesus to our life. Salvation comes in complete surrender to the King and having His spirit consume every facet of your being. Jesus is not something we simply put here or there in our life. Christianity not something you add to the list of things to do. Being a Christ follower is a state of being. It’s what we are.

Colossians 1:15-23 says,
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Verses 15-20 illustrate who Jesus is, while 21-23 tells of where we stand.

We sometimes forget to view Jesus in awesome worship and adoration because of the image of Him we hear preached. We hear about friendly, loving, intimate Jesus and while those are true they are only part of the story. Jesus is creator of all things. Jesus is before all things and He holds all creation together. He is the head of the Church. He is ranked first among all things. He is Fully God.

I know I am just writing the verses over again, but what else can be said about how magnificent Jesus is or why he deserves to be more than just a garnish on our plate. Notice verse 20 and how He reconciles all things to himself.  Jesus is not an “add-on”. You don’t buy into the “Christian thing.” Jesus buys you.

Verse 21 says that we were alienated or separated from God. Verse 22 tells us that Jesus reconciled or restored us in His body by His death, in order to present us holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Jesus is the one who reconciles us. Jesus is the one who presents us. And to make it even more about Him, He presents us to Himself. It’s all about Jesus, so we need to be all about Jesus. We have a great promise here because Jesus is a constant; He is unchanging, and always true. If we move to verse 23, there is no doubt that this is a conditional clause. If we do not have faith in Christ we will not be reconciled and we will be subjected to eternal separation from God in Hell.  However, those that follow Jesus in Faith have the greatest assurance of all: God promising to make us holy and blameless and thus qualifying us for eternal fellowship with Him in Heaven.

Should not such a great promise demand from us a great response?

Highest Form of Flattery

Ephesians 5:1 says "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children."

Could there be a more convicting verse? Read it again and ask yourself, "Did I wake up with this as my goal?" Probably not, right. Some of you may not even be thinking about it right now, because it seems like a hopeless task that cannot be accomplished. But maybe it's because your focus is too much on the command and not the assurance.

There are a few things that I’ve always considered manly.

1.      Drinking unsweet tea and eating the ice

2.      Facial hair

3.      Tools and home repair

4.      Aqua Velva

5.      Salt and Pepper hair

6.      Kissing your kids goodnight

You may be thinking what does this have to do with the verse, but bear with me.
I don’t pick these because they are things that I have, use, or do.  Though all these are part of my life, I am really imitating the manliest man I know: My Dad.

I grew up thinking that real men drink bitter iced tea and then eat the ice. Hair begins turning silver (not gray) the manlier you are and mustaches are grown, the way nature intended. Even if nature had not intended it mustaches would be grown with sheer will power, because that’s what men do. Men should smell like Aqua Velva. Tools are “man toys” and “repair” means “man play time.” Children are not only told, “I love you” everyday but they are hugged and kissed goodnight.
My Dad rocked and I too, through imitation, will Rock.

I hope this conjures fond feelings of your own families. I hope you give thanks to God for them, but more than that, I hope it draws you into the verse above. Do you imitate God with more zeal than all others? As great as my Dad was, he is not my savior. He put up with a lot from me and loved me very much, but Jesus loved me enough to go to the cross so that I might have eternal life in Him.

Perhaps our problem with following the command is that we stop our view of God at the transcendent, sovereign, and mysterious instead of reaching to the loving Father, saving Son, and helping Spirit. God LOVES us. Should not such a loving relationship cause us to walk and talk, like our eternal Father?
Notice the verse says, “as beloved children.” The “beloved” used here in the Greek has “Agape” as its root and has the understanding of being loved completely and unconditionally, even being a favorite. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior we are adopted into the family of God as His precious children. And as God’s beloved children we should strive to be like our eternal Dad, identified as His by the way we live.

We have a transcendent, all powerful God who is nothing like us and yet through Christ He bridged that gap and through the Spirit He is closer than the skin we wear. Our God is a Father that longs to have His Children wrapped in His arms, “Oh, How He Loves Us!”

My Dad was the definition of manliness because he was my Dad. I knew his love and that defined everything else. I know God’s love and that too defines everything. I can strive to keep the command because it holds the assurance of the greatest love of all, illustrated in verse 2 “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

When we focus on the Grace of God and live as members of His family, perhaps someone will pay us the ultimate compliment, “you act a lot like your father.”

Matter of Perspective

  

I was listening to some Thrice today and the song, “In Exile” came on. It never ceases to amaze me how much it changes my perspective. When we keep an eternal perspective, instead of our natural short sided tendencies, we can withstand anything.  I think about the time I worked for Albertson’s and someone destroyed the restrooms. I was so worried I’d be picked to clean it and I thought to myself, “they don’t pay me enough.” I couldn’t balance the cost with the money I earned. 

When we think about Christ and what He has done for us and offered to us how can we sit with our arms extended to our side and weigh the cost. Jesus has given us more than we could ever hope for even that which is, at times, beyond our imagination: Heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 says:

Our Heavenly Dwelling

1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

 -ESV

Our troubles here are temporary. We have a promise through Jesus Christ, of life to the full (Jn10:10). I will do well to remember that there is no need to weigh my worries or sufferings against my following of Jesus, He is always worth it.  In Christ we have a permanent dwelling beyond this life and one which is governed by Love Himself: Jesus. (1 jn 4:8)