Is the Glass Half-full or Half-empty?

According to a recent Super Bowl add, it’s half-time in America, a rather ambiguous appellation. Will America's 'game' be finished in another 200 years? 

 The answer to the question “do you see the glass half-full or half-empty?” purportedly reveals a person's optimism or pessimism. Neither is biblical. Using this metaphor, we'd have to say Jesus was a "glass full" Person. 

Do you know how some single persons will say they are looking for their “other half” or a how a married man (a smart one) will introduce his spouse as his “better half?” Those notions are only half right.  Each of us is whole and complete in Christ. When Jesus was on earth, He was fully human, but full of God's fullness. And now that He is “in us,” we have received His fullness (Col.2:9-10).

Sure, there is a process whereby our fullness is becoming more experiential. But knowing that you are full of Christ is half the battle. How unfortunate that too many of us spend only half our time, and even then only half-trying to experience Jesus' fullness. I think we haven't learned the half of what it means to be “filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:19)

“The Perfect Storm” edited from an article by prophetic scholar Jack Kelley

What we are seeing in the world is a perfect storm for regional war in the Middle East.

1) Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei wants to put an end to Israel and the U.S.( the Great Satan), thereby accelerating the return of Islam’s messiah to Earth.
2) Israel is deciding whether to attack Iran or not.
3) Syria’s President Assad has repeatedly said if the international community interferes with his government, he’ll start a regional war that will put all of the Middle East in flames.
4) Russia is sending weapons to Syria and has its own contingency of military forces in the area.
5) The U.S. has several aircraft carriers in, and is moving  100,000 ground troops to, the Persian Gulf.
6) Various political analysts (and Leon Panetta) are speculating that Iran could be at war with Europe, Israel, the US or some combination this Spring.

If this is God’s timing, the world will soon suffer through a brief but intense regional war in the Middle East. And after it ends, while they’re saying “Peace and Safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman… (1 Thess. 5:3). The sudden destruction to which Paul referred will signal the beginning of the end of the world as we know it.

Fasting or Feasting

“To eat or not to eat” is a major theme threaded throughout the Scriptures. For example, Adam lost his kingdom because of eating; Esau lost his birthright over a single meal; some of the Israelites forfeited Canaan after rejecting a meatless diet; and by refusing to eat, Jesus regained the kingdom.

Throughout His life, Jesus fasted.  And on one such occasion, the disciples brought him food, and were surprised when He said: “I have food to eat that you don’t know about,” explaining, “My food is to do the will of my father in heaven.” (John 4:34) At that moment, Jesus re-defined fasting.

Frankly, we think of fasting as a deprivation. But while Jesus was fasting, He was actually feasting on His Father's fare! Pleasing His Father, doing His work is what sustained and nourished Jesus. Centuries earlier, God said, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deut 8:3). Paul said, The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).  Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matt. 5:6). This certainly changes my view of fasting, or should I say "feasting!"

I can’t stop thinking about “nothing.”

We talk about giving “everything” to the Lord. But how often do we speak of giving Him “nothing.” Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you.” If we look under the words, we’ll see that the net result of giving everything is having nothing. That's just what Jesus wanted from them!  The Son of God does His best work with nothing. He created the heavens and the earth from nothing.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrates the “nothing” principle. Early on, his mother came to Him with a request for help—their host has run out of wine; they have nothing.  Having nothing to work with, Jesus makes mature wine. There are many examples of this “nothingness”: the woman at the well has nothing, symbolically, but empty water pots; Jesus feeds 5,000 who have no food—nothing; Jesus gives sight to a man who was born blind, who could see nothing; and what about the rich young man who comes to Jesus and is told, “go away and come back when you have nothing.”

Even in writing this post, the Lord has shown me how much of my esteem is related to "doing" things . “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3). Yikes! Jesus repeatedly said, “I do nothing on my own initiative” (John 5:19; 5:30; 8:28).  I think I'm getting it: we think God needs "something" from us to work with.  But God wants “nothing” from us.

What’s Holding You Up?

After writing yesterday’s post about ‘things,’ it occurred to me that if you let go of your things, if you had no thing, you would have “nothing.” It’s not easy letting go of our things, because we think the things we possess and the things we do are who we are. Without these things, we believe we are nothings!  That's what holds up our progress in faith.

We hold tightly the belief that our things are what holds us together.  So God holds up His Son as an example of one who wouldn't be held back, by things of the world.  It behooves us to consider what things are holding our attention, and may be holding us down.  We need to make an honest assessment of what prevents us from laying hold of the very truth that holds the key to life.  In the following verses, look at how Paul approached his holdings.

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. That means I examine every "thing" carefully, holding fast to that which is good (godliness) since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (Phil. 3:12; 1Thess. 5:21; 1 Tim 4:8). Paul would let nothing (no thing) hold him up.

When Things Don't Work Out

A.W. Tozer said: “Before God made man, He first prepared a world of useful and pleasant things for him. But in the deep heart of man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come, until sin entered, and God was forced out of His shrine, as things were allowed to enter, and take over.”

“Thing” is such an odd word—meaning nothing and everything at once. Miriam Webster says a “thing” is property and belongings, but also ideas and activities. We all have things occupying us.  And more to the point, we are painfully aware of the things that force God out of the shrine of our hearts.

We live in a world where we measure our worth by how many things we have and how well we get things done. We value making things or collecting things, but are not shy about throwing things away. We like shiny things and tiny things. We despise useless things. We like to allow things to happen, try new things, shake things up, and set things straight. And we hate it when things fall apart.

When Jesus came to the home of Mary and Martha, He gave them a lesson on “things.” While Mary sat at the Lord's feet, listening to Him, Martha was distracted by her preparations. Telling Him about the “things” she had to do, Jesus said, "you are worried and bothered about too many “things,” when only one “thing” matters; and that's the “thing” Mary has chosen.  While Martha was busy doing her thing, Mary had set her mind on things above. Now that is some thing to think about.

The President and the Pill: Declaring War on the Church

Last week, the White House announced that the final rule on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) mandates coverage of birth control even if the employer happens to be a religious institution that objects to it.  This will be a particular issue for the Roman Catholic Church which employs 1,000's in its 600 hospitals (Catholics and non-Catholics alike), and does not offer such coverage to any of  them.

Ironically, the Catholic Church was one of Obama’s strongest allies in his health care initiatives. But now they are angry.  The Obama administration has no plans to reverse its decision even though the Bishops have signaled their intention to defy the law rather than to violate their conscience.

What is the significance of this for us? Well, beyond the obvious First Amendment issue, it is an example of the secularization of America. Secularization neutralizes religious ideas and institutions until they have lost their social and moral significance, and have no influence on society. (Europe has been secularized.)  Scripture says the true Church will decline in influence at the last days, as apostasy increases.  Who can argue that the Church no longer has the influence it once did. The Obama ruling is a test of that influence; we should pay attention to how this plays out.  Something is going on here between the President and the Church that is more important than the pill.

Is He The Beast or The Lion?

Last August, Turkey’s Foreign Minister warned Syrian President Assad that if he didn't stop the slaughter of his people, NATO would intercede. Assad retorted: "Six hours after the first shot is fired against Syria, we will destroy Tel Aviv and set the entire Middle East on fire. God help you if anything befalls this regime."

Iran (Syria's ally) also has plans to "wipe Israel off the map." Last Sunday on "60 Minutes,” Leon Panetta, expressing concern about Iran’s nuclear program, said "we will take whatever steps are necessary to stop it."  And considering Russia's economic and military assistance to both countries, you can't help but see a 'time bomb' ready for detonation. Some political analysts say war is inevitable. And I agree.

Even the U.S. , which has been reluctant to get involved, is speaking out. This week Hillary Clinton, on route to NY to meet with the UN Security Council, said: "The status quo is unsustainable and the resulting instability could spill over throughout the region." (Tel Aviv is only 50 miles from Damascus.)

While I don't believe Assad is the antichrist, I find it fascinating that Assad’s family name used to be Wahash, which means "beast," until they changed it to Assad, which means "lion." Therefore, Assad was a “Beast," and is now a "Lion" (Rev. 13:5-6).  The Bible says in the last days the “king of the north" will attack Israel (Ez. 38:10-12); and the "beast" will take part in it (Rev. 19:19).  I think we better keep our eyes on Syria.

DON’T PUT ME ON HOLD!

Yesterday I had a long-winded conversation with a phone answering robot before hearing those dreaded words: "PLEASE HOLD.”  Lately, it seems many of them have been re-programmed with a courtesy chip that says, “The approximate waiting time for the next representative will be __ minutes.”  I really like that feature because it allows me to adjust my expectations.

To say I get disappointed when a service provider tells me he will arrive at my home in 30 minutes, but doesn't for 2 hours, is an understatement. If they would just tell me the truth, it would prevent so much frustration: the stronger the expectation, the greater the disappointment. As long as I am given realistic expectations, I can contentedly occupy myself until he arrives.

Isaiah tells us “God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him” (Is. 64:4). That means that while I am waiting, He is acting. That gives me a peace of mind, knowing He is working ‘behind the scenes,’ and will respond to me when He is finished doing whatever it is He needs to do before He speaks.  Being “on hold” with God is not frustrating if I know He is going to answer me in His time. Whenever I start to become impatient, I remind myself: “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed" (Rom. 10:11).

Are You Ready for the Rapture?

The passengers on the Costa Concordia were given a safety briefing within 24 hours of leaving port. But most did not attend. Lulled by two decades of accident-free cruising, the majority gave little thought to disaster preparedness.  It reminds me of how few airline passengers pay any attention to the flight attendants as they give safety instructions!  Or similarly, how many Americans are unprepared for disaster despite repeated FEMA warnings.

The parallel of course is the apathy by all too many Christians toward the return of the Lord. Perhaps 20 centuries of waiting has lulled them into apathy. "Where is the promise of His coming?" (2 Peter 3:4). Perhaps too many false alarms have turned them into skeptics.

As foolish as it is to be unprepared for a natural disaster, how much more for the Bride of Christ NOT to be eagerly anticipating, and ready for, the return of her Groom! (Matthew 25: the 10 virgins) No one knows when Christ will return, but when He does, John says there will be those who will "shrink away from Him in shame" (Jn. 2:28) for lack of readiness. Christ’s return is a reason for rejoicing, so I certainly do not mean to compare it to a disaster. But I am afraid it will be for those who are unprepared.

“Return to Me”

Today's post is not about a movie starring Minnie Driver or  a love song by Dean Martin...
“Return to Me” is a recurring theme in the Old Testament (Jer. 4:1; Joel 2:12; Zech 1:3). When a person's world is turned upside down, he either turns to God or turns away—more commonly the latter. Do you remember when, right after God turned the tables on the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea, the people turned on Moses angrily for turning them into victims of a waterless desert.  Then when God turned the desert rocks into springs of water, their hearts were turned around. You'd think it would have been a turning point for them, but that’s not exactly how it turned out.

Whenever trouble turned up, they were all too quick to turn and run. Centuries later, threatened by war with Assyria, they turned to Egypt. Did they really think God would turn a blind eye to their offense?  He graciously warned them that before things took a turn for the worse, they'd better turn back: “In returning to Me, you will be saved” (Is. 30:15).

Where do you turn when God turns up the heat?  Do you turn down God's opportunities for growth?  Well, as it turns out, you have a God who is too full of love to turn the page on you.  He is waiting for you to "return to Me with all your heart” (Is. 30:18; Joel 2:12). And when you do, He will turn your enemies on their head, and turn your trials inside out (Ro. 8:28; 37).

Stop Pointing the Finger

By now you’ve all heard about the infamous “finger wagging” encounter between President Obama and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Regardless of why it happened, or “who started it,” it was arguably improper for Brewer to point her finger in the President’s face. 

“Pointing the finger” is an action of blaming, reprimanding, or warning, and worse, a gesture of contempt.  Who can forget how President Clinton used it to scold his accusers.  And recently,  during a Republican debate, Rick Perry pointed condescendingly at Ron Paul. 

Finger pointing is as old as Adam who pointed the finger at Eve who pointed the finger at the serpent.  It is natural to want to "wag your finger" to point out someone else's error, to justify yourself.  Or, to shift the blame when you feel threatened.  

"Finger pointing" is soundly condemned by God (Is. 58:9) because of what it is. But He promises if we stop pointing at others, and instead, ask Him to point out our faults, He will bring our relationships to the point of restoration. (Is 58:9-12).  Then, instead of pointing at people, we can point people to God, which is really the point of our salvation, isn't it!

When Faced with Death

We live in a world where it is more normal to be persecuted for your faith than not. We who live in the “free” world must never forget those who live in the face of death every day. Strangely, our nation is allied with countries where Christians are faced with death for following Christ—Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are each on the list of the top ten where Christians have almost no freedom to worship.
                                                                     
Perhaps you read about the brutal murders of Christians in Nigeria this month? One attack was at the Deeper Life Bible Church in the capital: 9 worshipers killed, 19 wounded. One witness said, “There was blood all over the church; it was a horrible sight.” 

Can you imagine living every day facing death?  But in fact, we do. Dying to 'self.'  Every time God shows us the things in our heart we love more than Him (Jn. 14:24).  Long before our friends in Nigeria were martyred for Christ, they had already made that decision to love Jesus more than their own lives, even when faced with death (Rev. 12:11).  Imagine this: Jesus looks into your eyes and says: "Do you love me more than ____?" (Jn 21:16).

The Empire Strikes Back

During the time of the early church, the Roman Empire ruled the world.  Most conservative scholars believe there will be a re-emergence of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe in the last days. (Daniel 9:26; Rev 17:9-10) This is why it is so important that we pay close attention to what is happening in Europe.  Bible scholars have studied the formation of the European Union from the 1990's until the present with great interest. 

As of this writing (things seem to change daily) Europe is said to be on the cliff of economic disaster.  This week, it is reported that Greece is unable to come to an agreement on the terms of a European bank loan.  And both Greece and Italy's citizens are protesting the austerity measures being forced on them.  It is not at all unlikely that Europe’s problems will be the catalyst for a major re-configuration of the European Union in 2012. The weaker economies—Greece, Italy, Ireland—may be cut off to avoid bringing down the stronger ones. How the E.U. handles this severe economic test will be a determinant in 21st century geopolitics. Keep your eyes on Europe for the possible return of the Empire.