The cure for blindness

I think I have stumbled on to something big.  I believe that I just might have a cure for blindness, and it even works on fixing one who is little shortsighted.  It seems that the cure was right there in front of us all along.  We just could not see it (no pun intended…well maybe) The Apostle Peter tells us of this miraculous cure in his letters to the church. 

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” 2 Peter 1:5-9(NKJV)

It seems that we still have some work to do.  We need to be getting our math books out and figuring out all of this addition stuff.  This looks like it may take some time to accomplish so I think I will wait and get started when I have time.  If it were only that easy!  God knows that a person possessing all of these attributes will be a person that He can be proud of, and that will make Him smile.  He does not create some magic, mystical formula for all these things.  He simply leaves it up to us to gather them in as we mature in our walk with Christ.  All of these things flow out of our attitudes and actions towards others.  Each of these will make themselves evident when we are trying to weave our way through the jungle of this world, cutting here and chopping there in order to make sure we can plant and grow more of these good tasting crops.  When we do this, when we wear these things out in the open, we make it easier for people to see.  We make it easier for others to recognize Christ because they can see Him through us, through our actions. 

Trust me, I can hear the wheels turning, and they are probably my wheels.  I have a difficult time being able to control my emotions, my actions and my thoughts.  We are all human, and God knows that displaying all of these will not happen overnight.  That’s why he talks of the mathematics of the whole situation.  We are to add, to grow this stuff in our walk with Christ.  We are to demonstrate these things once we have made them a part of who we are.  I’m of the belief that over time, we all can do this, but we will never get there until we get started. 

We can’t see the light until we fix our blindness.

“in the world, not of the world”

Choking the flow of Living Water

Do you ever feel like things are just not flowing like they used to.  The economy can play tricks like this on us, making sure that we keep guessing, and keep searching for the next big thing so that we can fill our cups to the brim before things fall apart again. It seems that this flow has been stopped up, or dammed, never flowing to the bottom like it used to. It may be that this flow, the flow that drives the economy and the world, has been dammed up by those who can afford the building materials for the dam. It seems that we may be in for a wild ride because these folks are simply not turning on the faucet, allowing those who are searching or thirsting to be quenched.  Maybe it’s time we took a few notes from the early church as described in the Book of Acts.

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” Acts 2:44-45(NKJV)

Now I know this would be a very radical thing to do, after all, things were far simpler, less complicated in the days following Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven.  This would mean that these folks could pull this off, selling their few possessions and dividing them.  When you have less, there is less work to this concept, and I would imagine these people had less. But when we fast forward a few thousand years, things get a bit more complicated.  Selling everything and dividing everything seems ludicrous and absurd. But maybe this is what God wants from us, after all, He sent His Son here to tell us this and other things. 

It may be that our pride, our self-centered obsession with ourselves and our ability to amass huge piles of stuff that looks good and is better than what our neighbor can amass, that gets in the way of living biblically. It may be that we simply want more in order to live “comfortably” or “leisurely.” It may be that we are determined to make more money than our neighbor so that we can live more expensively or extravagantly.  Some people even go as far as amassing wealth because they feel that the more money they have to spend, the longer they have to spend it. What is the saying, “you can’t take it with you?” 

“Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’” Luke 12:16-21(NKJV)

I can’t think of a more convincing message. I can imagine that you are asking yourselves just how I am supposed to be able to have a secure future, a guaranteed income and a flow of money that will take me until the end of my days to spend it. I have had the same questions at times, trying to determine just how much to set aside, or how much to invest. But those things change when you lose the source of this income. Things become stopped up, or “dammed up” due to the flow being cut off upstream. 

Our God is a loving, caring God. Why would He send His own Son to die on a cross so that we could be with Him forever? I have felt God’s love several times over and I’m living proof that He is a good God. But that does not get me off the hook when it comes to obeying His commands, His guiding advice that Jesus so eloquently delivered in the parables.  His love for me, and for you, needs to be reciprocated, and the way to do this is to love His children, all of His children. Whether they be downstream of your dam, or across the reservoir.

Turn on your faucets and let the “living waters” flow.

“in the world, not of the world”

How much good is good enough

How much good is good enough?

I’m not sure about you, but there are times when I simply grow tired, tired of trying to do what is right, or trying to be good.  The question that begins to roll around in my head is “how much of this good behavior or this good deed is good enough?” When can I stop being “good?  It can become a struggle, particularly when we live in a world that seems to favor the “good enough” plateau in place of excellence.  We can simply do just enough to get by and move on to yet another challenge, where we have predetermined the level that should be “good enough.”  God has a different scale by which all things should be measured.  God has His standard by which our lives should be lived.  The Apostle Peter tells us this in his letters.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:13-16(NKJV)

Now, that would be a tall order for anyone to fill.  I know that I would never match my God with my sinful behaviors or even my sinful thoughts.  When Peter tells us to “gird up the loins of your mind” he is warning us of even thinking bad things.  I’m not sure about you, but my mind tends to go places and think things before I can even put a stop to them.  (I think they removed the brakes with the last surgery J) Anyway, I know that God wants His children to be “holy in all your conduct,” so my goal is to strive to be more like Jesus every day.  This is not the easiest of tasks, but how can I disregard an order from our God and not even try to reach this lofty goal.  I’m convinced that although we will never reach this status while on this earth, we are rewarded for our efforts. 

There are times when we feel that if we can’t make the mark, or reach the goal, then we need not waste our time with the effort.  But this is the time to drop that way of thinking.  Jesus reminds us of this when He gives His parting directions to His disciples, telling them to continue “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  We can make the effort each day, all day long.  We will never reach the level that we are striving for, but it’s in the effort that we see the glory of our God come through.  When we attempt to imitate our Savior in our behavior towards others, in our actions when faced with adversity, and our attitudes when facing evil, we make progress towards the goal. 

What we can’t do is behave in a way that will simply get us by, or be “good enough.” 

“in the world, not of the world”

stop bugging me

Ok, Ok, Ok…stop bugging me!

I can hear my parents saying this to me when I was growing up.  I was a very persistent little tyke and could wear them down in order to get something I wanted.  We all did this when we were young, demanding things over and over until we had worn them down and they would simply give up, give in and give us what we wanted.  This type of perseverance was like money in the bank when it came to getting things we wanted, or getting our way when we needed it.  Our Parent in Heaven, our Father God, also favors this persistence and perseverance when it comes to all things good. 

“And He said to them, ‘which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he will answer from within and say, Do not trouble me; the door is shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you.  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.’” Luke 11:5-8(NKJV)

Persistence can be a powerful tool when used correctly.  Persistence can also be your worst enemy if we are being persistent about being sinful, or asking for wants and desires versus petitioning our God for something we need to serve His purpose.  God created us in order to serve His purpose here on this earth.  He has equipped us with the Holy Spirit in order to make sure we are aware of not only His purpose, but the things we need in order to make it happen.  God did not create us to live our life the way we feel it needs to be lived.  If that were the case, we would never want for anything, or have the desire to have more because there would be no need.  God gives us a promise, through His Son Jesus Christ.  “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:11-13(NKJV)

The way I see it, the only task we have left to accomplish is to ask for things that are part of God’s will for our lives.  We do this by being persistent with these requests, never making half-hearted, lifeless petitions to our God for the things He knows we need.  God reminds us of this preferred stubbornness that He favors in several passages.  In Hebrews, we are told to “run with perseverance the race set before us.” Hebrews 12:1(NRSV)

“But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31(NRSV)

We just need to be persistent about doing His will, His way, because it’s His world, His universe.  We even pray for this when we say “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10(NRSV)  I know you are being “persistent” about praying the Lord’s prayer.  May pastor even talked about this in his sermon Sunday, reminding us that this is a very important piece to solving the world’s problems. 

“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given; search and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10(NRSV)

We just need to be the nagging little child and keep asking, seeking and knocking.  How annoying is that?

“in the world, not of the world”

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

 

Earlier I posted about how we can’t be too selective about how we share the gospel.  It is truth, and no one can be selective about the truth, God’s truth.  We often will talk to someone, or speak to a group, trying to speak only those things they will agree with, or find pleasing.  When we attempt to share the gospel with someone, we often will speak in a manner that waters it down, or makes it more appealing to the person we are talking to.  God tells us that we should be aware that it is He who we want to impress, and not our audience. “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” 1 Thessalonians 2:4(NKJV)

 

When we get the opportunity to share the gospel with someone, or a group of people, we should not have to adjust our approach based on our audience.  It is Truth that we are speaking of, and the last time I looked, there was no wiggle room left when sharing the gospel.  The story needs to be told consistently and effectively.  We do not need to water it down, or leave out a few details in order to please our audience.  We need to share the gospel, and the last time I looked, it had not changed or been updated.  It is the same truth that has been told century after century.  The last time I checked, Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, then rose again.  He paid the price for our salvation, and all we have to do is accept it.  The last time I looked, our sins had been forgiven.  My last visit to the Bible gave me hope in a God who loves me.  It never changes, nor will it ever change.  I could go on but I will keep it brief.   

 

The only trick to telling the story is believing that it’s true.  We must be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is just who He claims to be, and that He sits at the right hand of God, and that belief insures our seeing Him on the throne.  We must share this confidence with our audience that we know, and that they can have this same knowledge.  The trick is being confident in your own words.  I will use a statement made every day in the courtrooms across the nation.  This statement is bold, confident and beyond reproach.  We must be all about “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God!”

 

Now place your right hand on the Bible and repeat after me.

 

“in the world, not of the world”

“You can’t always get what you want”

Wow, I’m having a flashback to my earlier years of listening to rock music.  I was reading in the Gospels this morning, trying to figure out why there is so much confusion over why we can’t have what we pray for.  There is always something that we feel we just can’t survive without, so we pray to our God for this particular means or blessing to come into our lives, only to find that we are having to do without it.  I’m not sure if Mick Jagger had this in mind when singing the song lyrics, but in a way, it fits.  We can’t always have what we want. 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14(NKJV) When we first read this passage, it sounds as if we have been given a blank check, or in these times a new debit card with an unlimited balance.  But that’s not quite what Jesus was trying to say.  A deeper reflection into the passage is needed in order to understand the meaning. 

When we pray for something, then end the prayer with “in Jesus’ name” we feel that we have done our part in asking.  But God has something else in mind.  What this truly means is three-fold.  “First, the believer’s prayer should be for His (God’s) purposes and kingdom and not selfish reasons.  Second, the believer’s prayer should be on the basis of His merits and not any personal merit or worthiness.  Third, the believer’s prayer should be in pursuit of His glory alone.” MacArthur Study Bible, Notes on John 14:13,14 NKJV  When we look at how Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He clearly states that “Thy kingdom come, thy (God’s) will be done.” Matthew 6:10(NKJV)  This tells me that it’s God’s will we are praying for and not ours. 

We will often confuse our will for God’s, hoping that God sees things the same way we do.  I have news for you, and for me as well.  God sees things very differently.  God is the God of the universe, and His will is the only thing He is concerned with.  It’s His world, His creation and “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”  We are not the sole occupants of this earth, nor are we able to operate in that manner.  Our God is a loving, caring God, and will give us what we need in order to love others appropriately.  This is His will, but unfortunately not always ours.  In Matthew, Jesus taught us how to pray, and when we do, things will come to us if it is God’s will that we have it.  I think it would make this whole process much easier if we took the time to ask for things that we know are a part of God’s will for His people, and not the selfish things we sometimes petition our God for.  Just remember, “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try (prayer) sometimes, you might just find, you get what you need.” 

 Anyone seen my Rolling Stones album?

“in the world, not of the world”