Lent 2023 | Day 25: The Gospel’s Requirements

The Gospel is the constant reminder that only God could save us. Only God could restore us. Only God could provide the means of return to Him.

Of the many things I have heard people ask on their faith journey, the one that seems most prominent is this: “What does God want from me?”

This desire to know what God expects is normal. It is also good for us to consider. If we want to understand what we are supposed to do now that we have a relationship with God, then reflecting on this topic is important.

What I find to be most challenging in the discussion is, too often, we are talking about what God wants with a proper frame of reference. We want an answer but we have fully appreciated what God has already done to point us in the right direction. This is where the Gospel helps us know what God is “looking for.”

The Gospel’s requirements are the way we know what God wants. By starting where God starts with regard to our reconciliation with Him, we can better understand how we please God with our lives.

In order for us to have a relationship with God, our sins must be addressed. This is the impediment that keeps us from God. Jesus entered the world, died, was buried, and was raised on the third day for our redemption. If we put our trust in Jesus and his work, we will be saved. This salvation is the gift of God to those who no longer depend on themselves, but have instead accepted the power of the blood of Jesus to cover the effects of sin.

These are the essential realities of the Gospel. Any one of these realities could take multiple volumes to fully tease out. But for our purposes, this provides an overview of what God has done and what we must accept.

One of the great challenges here is that in order for any of this to happen, we have to accept what God has said is the problem. We have to agree with God that our sin is the principal hindrance to our relationship with Him. And, to go one step further, we have to acknowledge that we cannot overcome this obstacle in our own strength or authority.

So, what is it that the Gospel requires? It actually requires only one thing. The Gospel requires humility.

The Gospel is a constant reminder that only God could save us. Only God could restore us. Only God could provide the means of return to Him.

But if we refuse to accept God’s plan, if we demand for God to alter what He has provided, we are not functioning out of humility. We are operating out of pride.

Bishop Luis Scott has often said the Church is the only place where the price of membership is standing up and admitting there’s something wrong with you. In every other institution, we are presenting our best face. We are putting the highlights of our successes. But not in the Church.

Humility is the price of entry. This is what the Gospel requires. That we would agree with God regarding our needs. And that we would accept what God has provided as the remedy for that need.

Lent 2023 Series

Lent 2022 | Day 6: Humility

I don’t recall who said it at the moment, but I will never forget these words: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself less.”

One of the most difficult attributes of our character to train is humility. In some ways, humility runs counter to our natural tendencies. The natural instinct to preserve ourselves is not only good but is necessary in order to live in this world. One of the problems is the tension that exists between protecting our lives and not allowing our ego to make us the center of the universe. Whether that be in our own minds or in the relationships we have with others.

Of the many challenges that exist in the Christian life learning to follow Christ in his example of humility is one of the greatest. There are several reasons for this. The first of which is we find ourselves comparing ourselves to Jesus. And while there is some sense in which this is the right approach, this can also lead to a certain kind of despair and disappointment in our failure to live up to his example.

One of the realizations that I’ve made in recent years, is that we should look to the lives of the disciples as it relates to our ability to fulfill Christ’s example to us. What do I mean by this? I mean that if the disciples, with all of their struggles and failures, could become such powerful instruments in the proclamation of the gospel then there is hope for us today.

It is in serving without any desire for compensation that we see how deeply the humility of Christ has penetrated our lives.
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This may seem to be somewhat simplistic but I don’t think so. And here’s why. If the requirement of becoming humble is to be Jesus then we will all fail. But if what Jesus taught those initial disciples can be re-taught to us there is hope that we can become the kinds of disciples that reflect Christ’s humility in the world.

The older I get the more convinced I become that what humility is, is not what I think it is. Too often we think of humility as requiring a humiliation of who we are. But this is not what Jesus requires of us. Jesus is not calling us to distort or destroy the image of God within us. He is called us to look at those around us and to uplift the image of God in them. This may seem like a minor difference, but I find it to be a difference of eternal significance.

When we make serving others the guide for how we will measure our growth in humility, we will see those places in our lives where we struggle to be like Christ. It is in serving without any desire for compensation that we see how deeply the humility of Christ has penetrated our lives. This is not to say there will not be days when we find ourselves struggling to be humble. It just means if there are more days we find serving others fulfilling and natural we can say we have learned what it means to be humble. Even as we continue to grow in humility.

The season of Lent is a season of reflection. It is a time when we stop and look at those areas of life that require attention. And when we compare not only ourselves to Christ but also to the example of the disciples, we can learn the lesson of living a Christ-like example in a world that trends toward seeking only its own selfish ambitions.

I would like to encourage you to not feel as though you have failed to live up to the call of Christ to be humble. Rather, it would be better to strive to embody and perform a deeper service to those around us. In our serving, we will learn who we are becoming. And we will also find ourselves awakened to those places where Christ must continue to grow in us.

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God Remembers that we are Dust

God is interested in doing more than merely punishing people. … God desires for us to have a relationship with him.

I was reading this morning and Psalm 103 and I was struck by a section of the passage. It began in verse 10.

¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgression from us. ¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. ¹⁴ For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. … ¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s generation, ¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
Psalm 103:10-14, 17-18 ESV

What I found interesting about this passage is the way in which the author relates God’s dealing with us is the reason for the way he deals with us. In verse 10 he says, “he does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” What I find interesting is that too often in the church we believe that God is punishing us because of our sin. And to some degree that’s correct, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. There is something else at work that the psalmist is trying to teach us.

God is interested in doing more than merely punishing people. A good father disciplines his children. We see that in Scripture. But there is something else that God is after as it relates to our relationship with him. And what is that? God desires for us to have a relationship with him.

God doesn’t deal with us according to our sins or iniquities because, according to verse 14, “he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust.” God is not blind nor is he ignorant to who we are or what we are. This should not only give us comfort but it should remind us that there is something beyond our failures that God is interested in. What is that? It is our relationship with him. I want to repeat this point because I think it’s too often misunderstood or left unsaid.

One of the implications of this passage is that if we do not relate to God as he desires then there is a sense in which our sin and our iniquities and our frame and the fact that we are dust will have consequences on our lives. But if we relate to God as he desires, if we understand what is at stake and what it is that we’re supposed to be doing, then it becomes easier for us to not fear God in terror but to fear God in reverence.

Several times in the passage we see what it is that God is looking for, as a way of knowing that we understand what he is looking for.

In verse 11 we see him say that his steadfast love toward us is “toward those who fear him.”

In verse 13 it says that the Lord shows compassion “to those who fear him.”

In verse 17 the “steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him.”

And then in verse 18, we see that this everlasting love is “to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.”

What can we learn from this? I think we can learn that we tend to put expectations upon ourselves about what God desires from us and for us that may not be consistent with who he is what he has said.

I think this is a healthy reminder as we begin the new year.

Lent 2019 | Day 28: Sorrow

Salvation is a gift, one that can never be revoked. However, our obedience is constantly being challenged.

What is the difference between sorrow and despair?

Most people don’t know the difference. The difference is hope. Sorrow is a state we pass through. Despair is a place we make a home in. We should do the former and avoid the latter as much as possible. If we claim the name of Jesus, we have been born again to a living hope. This means that we should not despair, even when we might feel there are reasons to. We have to reorient our minds and hearts to hold onto the promises of God in Christ.

As Christians, sorrow is a critical part of our lives. There are three reasons for this.

1. Godly sorrow brings about repentance.

Paul says that the byproduct of godly sorrow is repentance. If we are going to be faithful Christians, then we must live a life that is in line with our repentance. We are not constantly repenting for salvation, but for a lack of obedience.

Salvation is a gift, one that can never be revoked. However, our obedience is constantly being challenged. We have to strive for deeper and lasting obedience every day.

2. Godly sorrow cultivates compassion.

When we have been transformed by the grace of God, we are given a new heart. With this new heart, we are called to see the world through new eyes. It is in this new “seeing” that we become aware of God’s love for his creation. Compassion is a something we have to work at. It does not come naturally to most of us because we are instinctively selfish.

Our sorrow over our sin helps us to see the needs of others in theirs. As our sensitivity to this reality increases, so will our compassion. Compassion is the sacrifice we make to enter into the sorrow of others. It will be costly and it may even hurt.

3. Godly sorrow promotes a humble spirit.

Repentance and compassion are two vital fruits of godly sorrow. But, this last one is key to continued growth in the purposes of God for our lives. Humility is difficult, not because we don’t want it. Humility is difficult because we don’t often like what we get.

Humility many times looks like being taken advantage of. Humility often times looks like being a pushover. Humility many times looks like being old-fashioned. But, humility does not seek to be right all the time or to defeat others. Humility is a disposition of the inner spirit, that no longers seeks or finds satisfaction in what the world champions.

When we understand the nature of our sin through repentance; and when we see the state of affairs of the world with compassion, then we can live in humility. The first two create the conditions for humility to flourish in our lives.

Surrender to God in repentance.

See the world with the love of God in compassion.

Live humbly before God.

Lent 2019 | Day 24: Sincerity

Sincerity provides us with the ability to be comfortable with who God is remaking us into.

One of the most important attributes we can foster is sincerity. It is not something we talk about very much in our world, but it should be something we strive to improve in ourselves. Why?

I think there are two fundamental reasons for being sincere. First, when we are sincere we are authentically expressing ourselves. The amount of work it takes to “put on” a persona for any and every situation is just exhausting. And to me, it just isn’t worth it.

When I worked at a church that had both a contemporary worship service and a traditional worship service, I would often dress for the second service (the traditional one). So, I would wear my coat and tie to the early service. When people asked why, I would answer by saying, “I don’t like doing the costume change.” I would have preferred the more casual clothes, but I just didn’t see the need to get all worked up about it. I was the same person regardless of the clothes. I was going to do my job the same, regardless of the context. My statement was not a judgment on those who did change. It just wasn’t for me, so I didn’t pretend that I liked doing it.

This is one of the keys to sincerity, being comfortable in your own skin without being a jerk! You don’t have to explain yourself to everyone, but you should not be offended either when someone wonders about your reasons. Most of us are not bothered by offering an explanation. We are bothered with feeling belittled or trivialized. But, even then, we have to accept that there will be consequences for the choices we make about how we will live our lives.

The second fundamental reason for being sincere is that it makes it easier for others to know who they are dealing with. When I am sincere, it makes me more consistent. I have, on more than one occasion, been told that people ask me for my opinion because they know I will offer them a straightforward and non-judgmental response. That hasn’t always been easy for me, or for the other person. But, it has made my life easier as I relate to others. And I accept the challenges and consequences of being sincere.

I know that I may say things others don’t like, not because I am trying to be hurtful, but because I want to be helpful. But in helping someone see the situation as rightly as they can, they will learn about some of the flaws in their thinking, or some of the obstacles they will have to overcome. We all want to believe that we can handle anything that happens in life, but sometimes we need someone to tell us hard things. This can’t happen without sincerity, and the fruit of sincerity, consistency.

I don’t want to leave the impression that I am never wrong. I am wrong more often than I care to admit. But, I also make a conscientious choice to get as much information as I can before I open my mouth. This reduces the damage if I am not on target.

In the end, sincerity provides us with the ability to be comfortable with who God is remaking us into and it provides others with knowledge that there is not a “Mr. Hyde” waiting around the corner.

Be sincere. It will worth the effort. And it is the most humble thing you can do.

Lent 2019 | Day 21: The Humility of Obedience

One of the most difficult times in our journey of obedience is when we are confronted with a choice. A choice between what we think we should do and what we know we should do.

What this means is that there will be times in our lives when our obedience will not appear humble. And the reason it will not be understood as being humble is because we will be required to stand our ground. This is the great challenge of obedience. Recognizing that concession and accommodation will put us on the path toward anarchy and disobedience.

I don’t know too many people who like to fight. But, we don’t have to come to blows to engage in warfare. We don’t have to get physical or behave in an obnoxious way to become antagonistic. We do that when we allow ourselves to be moved from what we know God has proclaimed and commanded.

It takes great courage to remain steady when the voices we hear from the world are beckoning us to abandon our post. And it takes great humility to not think ourselves wiser than God and continue in obedience.

The Pastor’s Greatest Enemy

It was one of the most pronounced encounters with the Holy Spirit of my life because I knew that I had crossed a line in my relationship with God.

I have shared this story in a couple of places, but I will share it again here for those who may not be familiar with it. It is the best example I have of what can happen to those of us called to vocational ministry if we are not watchful over our lives. I actually give thanks to God for his grace in teaching me through the events you will read below about how wrong my thinking was with regard to my place in God’s great plan.

I was 19 years old and had accepted the position as Interim Pastor of a small, country church. I want to say from the outset that this was a wonderful church filled with some of the finest folks I have ever known. This is not a story about them exactly even though God used the intersection of our paths to teach me an important lesson.

My responsibilities were to preach on Sunday morning and evening and to teach a Wednesday night bible study. At the time I was trying to figure out what I should be doing because I knew God had called me into full-time ministry. At the campus ministry where I was involved, I saw an advertisement had been posted for someone to come and preach. After some “encouragement” (a story for another day) I called and made plans to go and preach. For the next three weeks, I was asked to return and preach the following week. After the fourth week, I told the members (all 7 of them) that I would continue to preach until they were able to find someone to take over the position full-time. I was still in school and did not feel that I should take on the church.

Everything was going wonderfully (or so I thought). After several months I was growing frustrated because I felt that my talents were being wasted in this small, country church. I decided to vent to my dad as I was driving home one Wednesday night. I can’t remember if I actually said these words, but they capture the sentiment from which I was speaking. To summarize, I was essentially telling my dad, “I am too good for this place.”

Even now as I write those words it is shocking how pretentious and arrogant they are. But that is how I was feeling at the ripe old age of 20. My dad reminded me that I wouldn’t be there forever; that God was using that small church to help teach me some things about preaching and ministry. I don’t remember everything he said, but I do remember not being entirely satisfied with his words.

A few days later it was Sunday again. The service was going as normal. We typically sang a song before the message and this morning a song I had never heard before was chosen. It is called “Little Is Much If God Is In It” by Kittle L. Suffield.

Here is a rendition of that song by The Gaither Vocal Band.

They do a much better version of the song than I heard that day. However, I can tell you, as God is my witness, I will never forget how the Holy Spirit used that moment and that song to absolutely take a wrecking ball to my pride.

In particular, the second verse brought on me such a heavy weight of conviction after the things I had said and thought in the days prior, that I began to weep. I lost all control. It was one of the most pronounced encounters with the Holy Spirit of my life because I knew that I had crossed a line in my relationship with God. I could not deny it and I accepted the burden of my shame. I had not only been disobedient, I had become rebellious against God’s purposes in my life.

The second verse goes like this:

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.

Refrain:
Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There’s a crown, and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.

After that day, I made a promise to God. I told God that I would NEVER hold back in my preaching or shy away from any opportunity to share the Gospel. I promised to never look at the numbers and determine how good I was going to preaching. If all I was called to preach to were 7 (as was the case in that small church), I would preach with everything within me. And if it was to 700 or 7,000, I would preach with the same energy and passion. I have not gone back on my promise.

If you are a pastor or called to some form of vocational ministry, you have a great enemy. But, that enemy does not exist “out there.” That enemy is that small voice that keeps telling you that some task is beneath you. It is that feeling that you are too good for some assignment or that you are too talented to listen to someone of lesser ability. That is not the posture of a servant of God.

Your calling is a gift to you. God did not have to call you, but he did. But your calling is also a gift to those to whom you are sent. When you accept an assignment you are there to take what God has placed within you and share it with others.

That is why when we hold back we are doing harm to both them and us. We harm those we serve because we deny them the best we can offer. And, we harm ourselves because we grieve God with our disobedience, causing a rift in our relationship with him.

I want to encourage you to not give ground or to give in to this enemy. Never forget that where you are is where you are supposed to be. God is at work if we are available to work alongside.

I’ll say this as final thought. It’s something my dad says frequently: “I want to be so available to God that he has no choice but to use me.” That has become a helpful reminder to me.

How about you? How available are you to God?

On Chewbacca Masks and God’s Glory

When we lift up the name of God we are living into the ultimate purpose for our existence.

Candace Payne is a stay-at-home mom who decided to share a short video with some friends about something that really made her excited. The video has now gone viral with over 110 million views and over 3 million shares on Facebook (as of this post).

I’ll be honest. I saw it come on my news feed several times and just rolled my eyes about another stupid viral video. But, as is the way of social media, I gave in and watched. And I am glad I did. I have included it here. Watch it and meet me below.

There are two thoughts that came to mind when I saw this video. One, I love her laugh. Someone who can laugh so genuinely is a person I know I will like. I love to laugh. It is such a rejuvinating thing. And, I love to laugh in such a way that I can’t help it. When it happens spontaneously. This video gifted me with one of those.

Two, I wanted to know more about this crazy lady that would post a video like this. And for that, I offer this second video. I encourage you to watch the whole thing. There is some talk about what it has been like since the video went viral. That is all well and good. However, in the last couple of minutes, she talks about her faith and what she has learned in her walk with God and what she would say to her 16-year-old self. Watch it and I will say one final thing.

What Candace shared is powerful and true. I could not agree with her more. It was so impactful that I decided to write these few words about it.

Right at the very end she said something that has left an impression on me. She talks about the three things that she would say. If you watched the video you know what they are. But there is something that she says as the video comes to a close that just punched me in gut. Not in the “Victor, you have to watch out for this kind of way.” Even though I do.

What hit me so strongly was that I have for the longest time known that what matters most is making God great. What I mean is that when we lift up the name of God we are living into the ultimate purpose for our existence. Lifting up His name should not be a burden. It should be a joy and an opportunity to remind ourselves, most of all, that there is more to life than being famous. What I did not have was the language. In one short and poignant sentence, Candace articulated why we should continue to make great the majesty and wonder of God and not our own. What did she say?

I love this statement. I will be using it and it will be helping me stay focused on what matters most.

Video Spotlight | “More, Holy Spirit” By Covenant Worship

Came across this song this week. It is a simple song with power and straightforward prayer. I hope it ministers to you as it has to me in the last couple of days.

Lyrics

//: Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh://

Holy Spirit Break Us, Come and Overtake Us You’re The One We’re Living For.
Holy Spirit Lead Us to The Heart Of Jesus, There Is Nothing We Want More.

Teach Us How To Live Beyond Ourselves Let Everything We Say And Do…
Bring Glory To Your Name And Bless Your Heart, God Show Us How To Live Like You

Holy Spirit Break Us, Come and Overtake Us You’re The One We’re Living For.
Holy Spirit Lead Us to The Heart Of Jesus, There Is Nothing We Want More.

We Want More! We Want More!

Strip Away My Pride And Selfishness
Take me Back to My First Love.
Falling On My Knees Now I Confess
That You Will Always Be Enough

//: Holy Spirit Break Us, Come and Overtake Us You’re The One We’re Living For.
Holy Spirit Lead Us to The Heart Of Jesus, There Is Nothing We Want More.://

We want More! We Want More! We Want More! We Want More!

//: I Decrease As You Increase, It’s All About You! It’s Not About Me!://

//: It’s all About You! It’s Not About Me://

Holy Spirit Break Us, Come and Overtake Us You’re The One We’re Living For.
Holy Spirit Lead Us to The Heart Of Jesus, There Is Nothing We Want More.

//: We want More! We Want More! We Want More! We Want More!://

//: I Decrease As You Increase, It’s All About You! It’s Not About Me!://

Stacie Orrico | “Strong Enough”

There are so many things that can drive a wedge between us as God. We have to overcome the first of all enemies, the sin that so easily besets us [Hebrews 12:1]. This devious foe has been conquered through and by the blood of Jesus that was shed upon the cross on Calvary [1 Corinthians 15:50-58]. And yet on this side of God’s grace-filled application of Christ’s righteousness upon our sin-stained souls we can still fall prey to the lies of the Devil. I know that I find myself wondering, “Could it be true that You are strong enough?” My amazement at God’s ability to forgive Sin is paled only in comparison to God’s ability to withhold His righteous and rightful judgment upon me.

Will my weakness for an hour make me suffer for a lifetime?
Is there anyway to be made whole again?
If I’m healed, renewed, and find forgiveness
find the strength I’ve never had
Will my scars forever ruin all God’s plan?

NO! it won’t. God’s eternal purposes will be accomplished [Psalm 138:8, Psalm 57:2; Isaiah 55:11, Isaiah 46:10]. God is not made impotent, by my failures. He shall forever be faithful [1 Corinthians 1:9]. Not for my sake, but for His. I find this song moving every time I hear it. I have included a prayer I wrote after having listened to it.

Oh God, have mercy upon me a sinner. Father, Your love overwhelms me and yet I fight the tender strength of Your grip. Help me to see that Your love is true. That You have not withheld any of Yourself from me. It is I who have failed to rely upon and rest in You.

Father I thank You. I thank You for Your manifold blessings. I thank You for Your entrusting of Your daughter’s into my feeble care. I thank You that You have been long-suffering with me until the force of Your mercies and love have buffeted me, like waves breaking against the stubbornness of my pride. You are my great God and heavenly Father are strong enough. You are stronger than any mythological god or any evil this world can concoct. You are worthy of my praise, yes You are. You are worthy of my loyalty and devotion. You alone stand as the great and might creator and sustainer of existence itself. You are the ground of reality and not merely its dynamic force or animating agent.

Continue to work within me the work of salvation that will not be fulfilled until Your Son returns to this earth in final and ultimate victory. Your ability to withstand the tantrums of a flawed man and not feel any distress upon Your character or authority demonstrates Your amazing attributes. Father, I am in need of You. I hunger and thirst for You and I ask that You supply my needs according to Your riches and wisdom. Do not allow me to think that I know what is best for me. According to Your will, let it be unto me. Now and forever, Amen.