The Blessing of Peace

I was rudely interrupted while trying to explain a concept. I guess the look on my face betrayed what I was thinking. My friend whispered to me, "Pray for her." As soon as I began silently to pray for her I became less agitated and more relaxed. I prayed first for forgiveness from the Lord and then for me to be more compassionate and forgiving of the person and for the Lord to bless her..

"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3: 8--9

As I continued to observe the rude woman's countenance and behavior, it was obvious that she was experiencing a difficulty. I didn't need to know what the problem was, it was in the Lord's hands. I thanked my friend for reminding me that we are not to be revengeful of another's behavior. Jesus came to us so we would have peace. As members of his body, the church universal, we are to repay unpleasantness in others with a blessing. Silent blessings can be lifted as prayers at any time. And usually the blessing comes back to us, as it did to me, in the form of peace.

God's Gift of Forgiveness

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:1-5

Remember those dead days? It may not have dawned on you how disobedient you were. I know I was stupid and did things I regret. But be cause of God's great love for me, his mercy and grace, those days are gone and totally forgiven. I have to ask him daily to help me resist the temptations to go back.

I believe it was easier for him to forgive me than it was for me to forgive myself. I enjoy the feeling of being alive in Christ so much more than the other way. But it took me awhile to realize I was deserving of God's grace. We all meet folks who are in this situation. They've done wrong! But they don't want to live that way anymore. Reach out your hand and your heart in love. Share your story and tell them they are loved. Walk beside them and encourage them to see God's loving forgiveness is directed to them. It's time to humble ourselves so others can know what it is like to be alive in Christ. It's his gift to us.

THE BIG DECEPTION

Think of a time when you were deceived. Who deceived you? What happened? We have all met with someone who was so convincing that they actually tried to or did change our mind about something we felt strongly about. What were the consequences?

Deceived in a relationship is perhaps one of the most heart breaking and one that it takes awhile to recover from. In college there was a thing called "late dating". A guy would date you, bring you back to the dorm at the right time, then go out with someone who had a later curfew. I was convinced I'd found the love of my life only to discover from overhearing some upper class women talking that he, a real charmer, was also seeing someone and had given her an engagement ring. I was crushed.

Then there was the dishonest investor who wanted to sell me gold and silver. It was a scam plane and simple but he made it sound like I was going to become a millionaire. Something just didn't feel right, although a lot of my friends bought into this. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit gave me a nudge and brought in a person from my church who clued me in on the danger. A couple of years later I found that the investor, a real charmer, was serving a sentence.

The deceiver is described throughout scripture. His story doesn't end in the Garden. This was only the beginning and he becomes more crafty with each generation:

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5

Listen carefully to scripture and to discernment from the Holy Spirit. Pray before accepting what may seem questionable. Pray through relationships and business dealing. Ask God to protect you from the deceiver in all you think and do.

This is another lenten opportunity...to reflect on the work of the deceiver in your life, what happened and how can you prevent him from getting hold on you. Pray for your family and friends that they are not deceived. Like in the Garden, God is the one who planted the tree and is the one to seek in what is right and wrong. The deceiver still stalks us like a hungry tiger. Don't be caught in the BIG DECEPTION.

SPIRITUAL WALKS

SPIRITUAL WALKS

I think of the miles Jesus and the Disciples, Paul and the Apostles walked through sand to spread the Word. In the desert the temperature of the sand rises with the heat. Their sandals did not keep the hot sand off their feet very well. The whole idea sounds very uncomfortable. We just hop in our cars and drive to where we want to go, usually in air controlled comfort.

We know that walking is good for our health. It's great for all of our organs when done correctly and is a blessing for our mental health as well. Walking can serve as a time for prayer and meditation, experiencing God's wisdom in his world. I can received a lot of inspiration from a walk. But like our cars, we have gadgets in our homes now for walking and riding so we don't have to get outside. The conveniences save us time, but are they always good for us?

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." Galatians 5:16-17

Do we use our "tools" that save us time in the right way or do we use extra time in unhealthy or unwise pursuits? Lent is a time to consider how we can use our time wisely in service to the Lord and our neighbors. Today is a day set aside for most of us as a worship day. Taking a spiritual walk would be a good way to meditate and evaluate where we are going in our spiritual journey. Who knows, SPIRITUAL WALKS might become a daily habit.

WISE LIVING

WISE LIVING

My high school Geometry teacher was the wisest woman I knew. She even had a face that reminded me of an owl. "Be sure your sins will find you out," was her favorite saying. She hated cheating. Every statement had to be proven. She was a taskmaster. So to me at that time, wisdom came from knowledge and I had to prove it.

But then I read the following, and other verses implying that wisdom was from God, not just books and theorems and proving the solution to problems.

"How can a young person live a clean life?
    By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I’m single-minded in pursuit of you;
    don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart
    so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
    train me in your ways of wise living.
I’ll transfer to my lips
    all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
    than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
    I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
I relish everything you’ve told me of life,
    I won’t forget a word of it." Ps 119:1-9

Instead of standing up in front of a class scribbling rules on a blackboard, I look into the Bible for facts and promises. I take these into my heart and then apply them in my life. My proof comes from the blessings I receive, not what I say.

Lent provides me encouragement to spend more time reading and applying scripture into my life. As I focus on God's love for me through his Son, I gain more confidence in seeking his will and believing he will help me to follow it. Just a few extra minutes each day helps me find and focus on words that I need to know and put into practice. I truly desire wise living which comes from keeping God's word in my heart and then taking the action Jesus guides me to. Even though I sin....or fall short of the goal......Jesus died so I could have life abundant. Wisdom is from him.

WHY LENT?

 "Time Out's" are not very popular with children, but for adults the are very helpful before beginning a new project. Spending time in thought and reflection taps into new ideas and solutions when trying to solve a problem. Doing a "dress review" of teaching a lesson or making a presentation can identify areas that need to be refined. There are many ways that time out's can be refreshing times and help us to perform a task better than just rushing into it.

Before I learned the blessing of stepping back to gather my thoughts before taking action, I would trudge forth into oblivion, usually awkwardly tripping over my feet, falling flat on my face or putting my foot into my mouth and gagging on my thoughts. Prophets, disciples and even Jesus also learned the importance of withdrawing to gain the necessary perspective on what needed to take place next. Some also discovered that if they didn't do this on their own, then perhaps the Lord did it for them to insure they were listening to his commands.

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." Deuteronomy 8:2

Lent provides 40 days in which we can work on our humility and obedience to better know and keep God's commands. He has called us to ministry and service. What is it? We humble ourselves when we come before the lord. We humble ourselves when we are waiting for his answer. What have you decided to give up to give you more opportunity and time to focus on the Lord's desires for your time?

Sacrificing a candy bar, taking one day out of the week to fast, or saving all your change each day to donate are not much of a sacrifice in view of the Lord's sacrifice of our Savior's life for our sins. Taking time to reflect on the meaning to you of Christ and his life is as important time as that TV show you are missing or watching a DVD. Rehearsing for a class you will teach during Lent is time well spent when you want to get your point across as succinctly and positively as you can. And just being quiet so you can feel his breath and hear his whisper as the Lord helps you to understand what he wants from you.

This is "Why Lent". So you can deepen your relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So you can gather information and strength for your next step in your Christian life and faith. So you can better meet Jesus at the Cross. So you can celebrate renewal and new life at the Resurrection. Appreciate all the opportunity afforded you in your Lenten Time Out. Praise be to God!

Obedience through Humility

OBEDIENCE THROUGH HUMILITY

These words remind me of teaching my own children the lesson of obedience. On the way to the punishment room (time out) they became very humble, begging for forgiveness and making promises for repentance with tears streaming down their face. It was quite a scene. Usually the drama did not match the offense and frequently I had to hide my face to keep from laughing. The scene last night as we gathered to receive our ashes in penance was a bit different, though a few tears did flow.

 As folks knelt at the altar while  Pastors Phil and Kyle placed ashes on our foreheads last night, we were reminded of the sacrifice Jesus would make on our behalf. Are we deserving of it. Indeed not? The son of the God of the universe, of all there is to have and to own, would sacrifice his life for ours.?That's absurd. What have I done to deserve this? Tell me, please. They say I just have to accept his love for me.

A humbling experience. You bet. Kneeling at the cross and having ashes placed on our foreheads was humbling indeed. But being reminded that I "came from dust and to dust I shall return" definitely reminded me of how fleeting our humanity and all we accomplish is. It doesn't help to puff ourselves up or think too highly of ourselves when we consider ourselves nothing but a pile of dust.

Ash Wednesday and Lent seem to me to be lessons in humility. Giving up something we love to focus on the Lord and being humble is a way of obeying Jesus' message. I love these verses from Philippians that remind us of the importance of humility in all of our relationships, especially our relationship with the Lord.

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8

"HE HUMBLED HIMSELF BY BECOMING OBEDIENT TO DEATH--EVEN DEATH UPON THE CROSS." Phil1:8