Tag: Lent 2018

Lent 2018 | Day #12: Transformation

It can be rather startling to think that we all are in need of transformation. The problem for many of us is that we do not see and understand the invasive nature of sin.

At the heart of the Gospel is the undeniable and unrelenting reality that every soul who is saved will be transformed. This is not optional. It cannot be escaped nor can it be stopped. Now, there are some who would like to think that it can be avoided, but they are only fooling themselves. God will not be defeated in his goal of redemption.

It can be rather startling to think that we all are in need of transformation. The problem for many of us is that we do not see and understand the invasive nature of sin. Sin corrupts completely. It leaves no aspect of our being untouched. It reaches into every crevice of the human soul. That is why anytime we think that there is only a little remodeling required in our lives we do not approach God as we should. We come to God looking for a bargain on an upgrade.

Transformation is the solution God has decided fits the problem of sin. We need a new mind because the old one does not think the thoughts of God. We need a new heart because the old one is cold and petrified by the effect of sin. We need a new body because this old one is drawn to everything God has called us to avoid. Everything about us, without Jesus, works against the purposes and will of God. This is why we need to be transformed. Not from an older version of ourselves to a new one. We need to be transformed from what we are to what Jesus is—perfect, pure, and imperishable.

During the season of Lent, we are called to consider what in us needs to be transformed. And while the answer is “everything,” God is patient and leads us kindly through each of the stages of transformation. And so, during this season, what is God bringing up to your attention that he wants to replace? Don’t run from it. Embrace it as the next step in this process of transformation you entered into when the Spirit of God entered into you!

Lent 2018 | Day #11: Wonder

The reality is that the more we enjoy God’s presence the closer we will be. Our enjoyment of God points to the undeniable power of relationship.

As I have gotten older I find that my sense of wonder has dulled. It’s not that I do not find things that capture my imagination or fill me with a sense of wonder. What I mean is that it seems to take more to “impress” me.

I say this with a deep sadness. On one occasion, as Jesus was teaching, some children were making a fuss all around, and the adults became annoyed. They were not to pleased to have all the noise as they were trying to hear and learn the “deep” things of God. I imagine that as Jesus watched the scene unfold he was struck by how easily adults lose sight of what really matters.

The more we learn about God does not draw us closer to him. The reality is that the more we enjoy God’s presence the closer we will be. Our enjoyment of God points to the undeniable power of relationship. When visiting friends whose company we enjoy, the lateness of the hour does not matter. The “inconvenience” of their being in our home is not given a second thought. And time itself seems to fly and our time of fellowship is gone too fast, leaving us with the sense that it was not long enough.

When Jesus looked around at those gathered he corrected their understanding of the situation. It is not the well put together and intellectually astute who will win the heart of God. No, it is the one who comes like a little child that has the best chance of entering the kingdom of God.

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:1-4)

And in Matthew 19:14, Jesus says this, echoing the sentiment above.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Children find such joy in the simplest of things. And they are able to do the same activity again and again. They never seem to grow tired of the same thing.

Here is a great elaboration of this remarkable phenomenon from the incomparable G. K. Chesterton. I will let it speak for itself and serve as our concluding thought.

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” [Source]

Lent 2018 | Day #10: Courage

Obedience is a courageous act. Every time we fight against our own tendency and do what God has commanded it is courageous.

Courage is a word that many people use, but I don’t think we fully understand. What does it mean to be courageous? What does it mean to have courage? I have wondered if this word would describe me? I would like to think so. But, I won’t presume it is true.

We often associate courage with great deeds. A fireman runs into a burning building. A police officer confronts an armed criminal. A soldier goes into a fight not knowing how many of the enemy he will find. These are just a few of the more common images we think about when we think about courage. And I will grant it does take courage to do these things. To confront our fear and to do what most people would consider crazy can be a courageous act.

What strikes me as odd is that in the Scriptures, we find obedience to God’s will described as courageous. One of the best examples is Jesus as he was waiting to be arrested. He is in prayer in the garden and he knows he has been betrayed. It will only be a matter of time before his traitor returns. He prays to God the Father and asks for the cup of wrath that awaits him at the cross to pass. But, instead of demanding this, he simply adds, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Not my will.

Obedience is a courageous act. Every time we fight against our own tendency and do what God has commanded it is courageous. Multiplying this obedience by every day is also an act of courage. I think that over the years obedience has become something that we can do or not. Something that if we get it right then we are good to go. However, this attitude does a great disservice to our witness. Every time we “slip up” we are reaffirming in the minds of those who are observing our lives, that this faith thing we claim to have does not really have a grip on us.

You see, fighting to obey when what we really want to do is give in takes courage. It is difficult and it is what God expects from us. We are not supposed to run when God commands that we love our enemies. We are not supposed to cringe in fear when God calls us to give up all our riches for those in need. We are not supposed to give up when the circumstances of our lives did not turn out the way we had hoped, dreamed, or envisioned.

Fighting through to obedience is courageous. And God is calling us to a “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9). To not allow what is happening around us to distract us from the vow we have made to serve and obey God, our King.

The season of Lent challenges us to remain persistent until the end. Just like Jesus!

Lent 2018 | Day #9: Fear

When fear cripples us it puts us in a position where we cannot hear God. Every true thing God wants to say gets blocked out by our fear.

Fear is one of the most common emotions in the human experience. The things people are afraid of are as widely varied as the number of people. Some people seem to show no fear at all. My mom, she is deathly afraid of frogs. I don’t know what happened when she was a little girl, but she hates them! She hates frogs so much she won’t even go to a great Mexican Restaurant in town because the name is the word frog in Spanish, and they have figurines of frogs as decorations. It is rather comical.

However, the reasons we fear are not as important as the effect fear has on us. We become paralyzed by it. Our ability to think becomes impaired, to the point we could actually be described as being irrational. This is what happens when fear takes over. When we are unable to use our fear the way it was intended, as a warning for possible danger, we can’t think straight.

When fear cripples us it puts us in a position where we cannot hear God. Every true thing God wants to say gets blocked out by our fear. This is why these words recorded by the Prophet Isaiah to God’s people are so comforting. Let’s look at them right now.

8But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 10fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:8-10)

Verse 10 is such a wonderful reminder of God’s goodness. Just like he said to Israel, God says to us, “Fear not!” Are there things in the world that can be very scary? Yes, there are. But, those things, no matter how bad cannot control the purpose God has for us nor can alter our destiny.

What makes this verse even more comforting is the reason why we do not have to fear. God says we have no need to fear because he is with us. He tells us that his closeness sustains us and keeps us from being dismayed because he is not merely “a” god. No! God is “the” only God. And what’s more, he desires to be “my” God.

There are some very powerful benefits to have a living relationship with God. The prophet records it like this: “[God] will strengthen you, [God] will help you, [God] will uphold you by [his] righteous right hand.” Amen and amen to this great promise.

As we draw this first full week of Lent to a close, I want to remind you that our God is with us and that he has given us so many reasons to not fear.

Lent 2018 | Day #8: Perspective

The cross of Calvary forces us to see the world not from the ground looking into heaven, but from heaven down.

This is one of the most difficult disciplines to develop. And possibly the only thing more difficult may be not losing it once you get it. What I am talking about is PERSPECTIVE. It can be elusive and confusion. We could probably name a multitude of reason for this, but without perspective we will become victims of our own biases.

The cross of Calvary forces us to see the world not from the ground looking into heaven, but from heaven down. We are forced to see what God thinks about sin and the lengths to which God has gone to provide a means of redemption. This is the power of perspective, it changes not only what we see, but more importantly, how we see it. And this is the true value of having a good perspective, we are given safeguards against any temptation to take ourselves too seriously.

One of my favorite “kid” movies is Ratatouille. It is the story of a rat that dreams of being a chef. Over the course of the movie, Remy, discovers his passion and risks everything to achieve it. As the movie draws to a close, Remy faces his greatest challenge, a food critic by the name of Anton Ego. Anton believes that he knows what “good food” is. He goes so far as to claim that if the food is not good he does not swallow! (A rather funny line.)

The reason I bring this up is because in the final showdown, Anton provides an interesting illustration of what perspective is. The irony is that he thought he knew what it was until his was changed! I have linked to clip of this scene below.

I will conclude by saying, work to know and understand God’s perspective. When we do we will better off because we will see the world and our lives from God’s vantage point.

rtdis21

Lent 2018 | Day #7: Promise

There are many things to love and appreciate about God. Among them all, there is one attribute that rises to the top for me. It is that God does not change.

There are many things to love and appreciate about God. Among them all, there is one attribute that rises to the top for me. It is that God does not change (Malachi 3:6). Just think about that. God is able to stay true to his nature and never forgets who he is, no matter what happens in the world he created.

He is constant in his character and in the way that he treats the world and the people found in this world. He is constant in his justice and does not arbitrarily decide that some don’t have to pay for their sin. God is constant. It is both a terrifying reality and a comforting one.

It is terrifying because it means that we can never get one over on God. God cannot be fooled and he will not be fooled. God cannot be deceived and he will not be deceived. God sees all and knows all and can do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. There is no escaping his watchful eye or hiding from his penetrating gaze. This is a sobering truth.

But, God’s constant nature and character is also a comfort. It means that God will never abuse us or take advantage of us because he is good. God will never falsely accuse us or punish us for someone else’s transgression. God will be just in all of his ways toward us.

Not only can we trust God do what is right there is a second area in which God’s constant and unchanging nature brings me great joy. God will never leave a promise unfulfilled!

Every word God has ever spoken will come to pass. God will make sure that every promise he has ever made will be accomplished. This is good for those of us who have accepted the call of the Gospel. Who have acknowledged our sin and our need for the forgiveness offered through Jesus’s death on the cross? Every promise that pertains to those called a son or daughter of God I can claim, on this side of my surrender and God’s glorious salvation of my soul.

This is one of the great truths of God’s nature: He is a promise keeper, not just a promise maker. Glory be to the one and true God!

Lent 2018 | Day #6: Purpose

Our purpose is not about what will satisfy our desire for recognition. I think that we have to let go of the world’s definition of purpose.

One of the most common questions people ask me is, “What’s is God’s will for my life?” I am not sure why people think I can answer this question. I am also looking for the answer to this question! And, I don’t feel particularly qualified to answer it even if I wanted to try.

There may be as many reasons to ask this question as there are people in the world. But, if we dig a little deeper, I think that everyone who asks this question wants to know if there is a greater purpose to life here on earth. When we talk about purpose we are wanting life to make sense. That there is something meaningful to our existence. That we are not just floating around, bouncing off each other (or the walls) aimlessly.

I don’t know how many people make this connection, but they should. The search for purpose is good and important. However, what tends to happen during the search is it is colored by the desires or wishes we are offered by the world. If this purpose we are searching for does not make us wealthy or famous, if it does not give us greater influence or, at the very least, more talented, then is it really a purpose worth having? And there is the danger.

Our purpose is not about what will satisfy our desire for recognition. I think that we have to let go of the world’s definition of purpose. The world is mosaic being composed by God. And it is God who sees the greater picture he is working together. Our place in the work of art is unique and ordinary at the same time. We are valuable for what we contribute, but we are also not better than every other piece God chooses. For many, this is not satisfying. It feels like a letdown, but why do we feel this way? Could it be because we have our own ideas of what will make us happy?

The farther we move away from what God is leading and prompting us to do, the greater our discontent. But, the closer we draw to God, the clearer we see what God is trying to do in us and through us. So, don’t jump to the second part without accepting the first. God wants to do something in us first. Then, and only then, can what he wants to do through us become possible. Until our hearts are right, we will fight God for credit for stuff that God is doing. Just look at what Paul said to the Ephesian church.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

The works that we are going to do were prepared by God beforehand. That means that our living into and accomplishing our purpose begins with listening. Listening to God and asking him what work he has prepared for us to do. When I think about this I have to ask myself, “Why do I find myself wondering if the work God has prepared will be a drudgery?” Do I honestly believe that God will give me something to do that will be a drain on my life and soul?

We should trust God’s judgment. He has a purpose and a part of that purpose is helping us find our place inside of it.

Lent 2018 | Day #5: Peace

I desire to have more peace, to grow in peace, to experience higher levels of peace. But, all of this can only happen by drawing closer to Jesus. There is no other way.

If there is a subject that is difficult to discuss it has to be spiritual peace. How do we get? What causes it to go away? Is there anything we can do to make it last?

I am sure that there are more questions that have been asked. I know I have asked them too. In spite of the difficulty in talking about peace, there is one key reality that gives me comfort. And it is this, there is someone who not only understands it, to be with him is to have the very peace of God in you, surrounding you, and sustaining you.

One of my favorite descriptions of Jesus is that he is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Now I know that Peace is not a country, a physical place. But for the sake of this conversation what if it was? What if when the Bible described Jesus as the Prince “of” Peace that it meant it like some earthly royal is the king of this place or the queen of the other place. What if peace were a place and not just something that we experienced within us?

I like this idea. I know that this is not the primary way, or even the best way, of interpreting what this phrase means. However, it is something that I have wondered about on several occasions. While Peace is not a place on the map, Jesus is a very real person. And to be with him is to be where peace is because he is the embodiment of this quality of being.

I desire to have more peace, to grow in peace, to experience higher levels of peace. But, all of this can only happen by drawing closer to Jesus. There is no other way.

As we continue to contemplate God’s love in Jesus, we should give thanks that God sent peace to reign in our lives because of Jesus. To have Jesus is to know true and everlasting peace.

I know that many have seen the image below on shirts or bumper stickers, but it is still true even if has become cliched in the minds of some.

know jesus know peace.gif

Lent 2018 | Day #4: Joy

When we are denying ourselves something, it is difficult to see any reason to be joyful.

During the season of Lent, it is common practice to forgo something as a sacrificial act. And, along with the privation of this item you are supposed to add a time of intentional reflection on a spiritual reality or truth. While at the beginning that can be easy to do, as the weeks go by, it becomes increasingly challenging. I remember a friend giving up coffee one year. Let’s just say they were not a happy camper for about a week, at least until their body adjusted to not getting that caffeine.

When we are denying ourselves something, it is difficult to see any reason to be joyful. How could we? We are denying ourselves something that we enjoy. What is interesting is that it reveals something important about what “joy” is and how we maintain an attitude defined by this idea.

Joy is something we must choose to maintain. What I mean is this, if our denial of something thing we enjoy affects how we feel, then what we feel is not properly called joy, it is happiness. Joy is what we have when we can focus our attention on what is good and right and noble. Joy is what we have when we commit to holding onto those things we know to be true, rather than the circumstances we find ourselves in. How we think about joy has to change if we are going to experience what Jesus modeled for us. That is what we should be trying to do. Let’s look at a couple of interesting verses in Hebrews 12.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

The part that really stands out and the part I want us to notice is there in verse 2. The writer of Hebrews says that for the “joy set before him,” Jesus “endured the cross.” Just think about that for a minute. Jesus was able to endure the current circumstances because he was able to think about something that was far more joy-inducing than the cross was pain-inducing. It is simply staggering to me what that could be. But whatever it could be it was worth the cost of the cross!

As we continue contemplating this journey of faith, it is important to consider if we have something that inspires such joy that we can endure the various and many trials of this life. We all need something to hold onto and if it is not found in God we may very well find ourselves disappointed when what we are holding onto crumbles through our fingertips.

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