Persecuted in Afghanistan

Now here’s a story you won’t find in any newspaper. Dr. Said Musa, an employee of the International Red Cross in Kabul has been in prison since May, for his faith in Christ. He and other Afghan Christians were arrested after a local TV station broadcast images of their Christian worship service. Converting to Christianity is punishable by death under Islamic law.

Dr. Musa’s plight came to international attention when he sent a letter to President Obama and the heads of NATO that he was being sexually abused, beaten, and sleep-deprived because of his faith in Jesus. But, he went on to declare, “I would be willing to suffer for my faith in order to encourage and strengthen other Christians in theirs.” I have to ask myself ‘what would my attitude be under such circumstances?'

Then the Spirit brought to mind Peter’s amazing attitude toward suffering: “Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through… instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in His suffering. And afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing His glory when it is displayed to the entire world. Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you… [And you will] praise God for the privilege of being called by his wonderful name!” (1 Peter 4:13-16 NLT). (Peter was eventually martyred for his faith.)

Where do you want to spend the rest of your life?

My pastor was out of town yesterday, so I got to preach! My sermon—“Where do you live?—was taken from Paul’s words in Romans 6:2: “How can we who died to sin still LIVE in it,” meaning, since we died with Christ to the kingdom of sin and death (Romans 6:1-12), why would we want to continue living as though we were still alive to it. Rather, Paul calls us to live (walk) in the newness of life [in Christ].

This scripture brought to my mind the story of the lame man lying by the pool of Bethesda for 38 years in his crippled condition. Jesus says, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5). Jesus was giving the man a choice: to continue the rest of his life lying by the pool OR to get up and walk away from his past!

When you’ve been living in the same place (and the same way) for 38 years, it takes a mountain of faith to believe you really can “walk differently” (Eph. 4:17). You may 'feel' hopeless because of past mistakes and failures. It takes faith to believe Jesus and say: "Lord, I believe; and I will arise from this place, and walk with you for the rest of my life.” Our choice is the same as Jesus offered the lame man: we can either live in the shadow of past failures or walk in the newness of life in Christ. No matter how long you have been schlepping around your pool of Bethesda, you don’t have to spend the rest of your life there.

Black Friday

Arriving at my 24-Hour Fitness at 6 a.m., I got a shocking reminder: this is Black Friday—parking lots full and department stores already packed with bargain hunters. Yes, in America, the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, kicking off the Christmas shopping season. If “consumerism” were a religion (does idolatry come to mind?) wouldn't this be its most sanctified day?

Ironically, "black" is also the 'color' ascribed to catastrophic stock market days. In 1989—one of the greatest declines in ‘market’ history was dubbed "Black Monday. And it was “Black Tuesday” that set in motion the Great Depression of 1929. Black seems to be the color of money!

Black is the color of the night, and of evil. Black is void and empty. It represents sorrow or mourning—the traditional color of death. But, and I think most significantly, black is the ‘color’ that does not emit or reflect light. John says: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all." And goes on to warn that we have no fellowship with God if we live in spiritual darkness (1 John 1:5-6 NLT).

So go ahead you who are godly “bargain hunters.” Do your thing today. But remember this: “For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil; and some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10). And wouldn't that be a black day!

Thank-You Therapy

In 1989, Don Baker wrote a book of the above title about the therapeutic effects of thankfulness. The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thes. 5:18). But let's be honest; for most of us thankfulness is not natural; we're 'complainers,' by nature. But the therapeutic effect of thankfulness is that it can help us transcend our circumstances.

Please note that Paul doesn’t ‘command’ us to give thanks FOR all circumstances, but IN all circumstances—which challenges us to find reasons to be thankful even in the worst times. Look at a very abbreviated list of David’s Psalms of “Thanksgiving." King David thanks God for His holiness (7:17), His works (9:1), His guidance (16:7), for hope and salvation, and the joy of His presence (16: 9-11).

When you find yourself in “hard-to-thank-you-God” circumstances, these Psalms can help you transcend your troubles. Paul reminds us we have a God who causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). Our circumstances may or may not change, but as we align ourselves with God's purposes, we transcend our circumstances. And that is the real therapeutic benefit of thankfulness.

A Crisis of Belief

In his book “Experiencing God: Knowing and Understanding the Will of God,” Henry Blackaby writes:
"Will God ever ask you to do something you are not able to do? The answer is yes—all the time! It must be that way, for God's glory and kingdom… [And] when God tells you what He wants to do, you will face a “crisis of belief.”

Whenever God calls us to one of our divine assignments, we will face resistance—from within and without. At such a point in his ministry, Paul said “for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9 NASB). Sometimes the voice of the ‘adversary’—the opposition—is not only the voices of others, but the voice of doubt and fear within us.

As anyone who has walked with Jesus for any length of time knows, we will face obstacles at every turn. But these obstacles—adversaries, opponents—are necessary to prove our faith (James 1:3). As the Israelites journeyed through the Wilderness to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, many adversaries told them not to go. And unfortunately, at the moment of their “crisis of belief”—the test of faith—they failed. What crisis of faith are you facing right now? Is God calling you to do something you think you are not able to do? At the moment of his "crisis," Paul said, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13 NKJ).

Cars, Cows, and Currency

The pundits are pronouncing that Obama’s diplomatic mission to Asia (last week) resulted in next to nothing. The Indians agreed to some trade changes, but the Indonesians and South Koreans were respectfully resistant, yielding little toward fixing trade imbalance. Probably the biggest disappointment was South Korea’s refusal to increase imports of American cars and beef. Then at the G-20 confab, Obama was rebuffed by China when he accused them of trying to gain an advantage in global markets by suppressing the value of their currency. They simply rebutted his claim by pointing out our hypocrisy: the Fed’s recent action to print 600 billion dollars and inject it into the U.S. economy.

What does this have to do with us? As I reflected on the almost-silliness of the world’s market place—all about cows and cars—I was very grateful that my life is not about such things. John reminds us that if we love the world (cows and cars and cash) we won’t love Jesus. Cars, cows, and cash are fading away. But if you invest your time, attention, and energy in God, you will obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and will not fade away, being reserved for you in heaven (a paraphrase of 1 John 2:17; 1 Peter 1:4). Be mindful of where you are investing these days—it is probably best to stay away from cars and cows and currency. More than ever it is the time to invest in that which is imperishable.

Benard is Fasting for the Right Reason

I had to fast for 12 hours yesterday before getting a blood test. I really missed my morning coffee. Jesus said you are not to tell anyone when you are fasting. But I don’t think that applies to this situation!

Then yesterday morning I received an email from our new pastor friend Benard in rural Africa who says “we sometimes go fasting for 2 days to spare the food for the orphans.” (He and his wife have taken 40 orphaned children into their home.) Suddenly my 12-hour fast (most of which was while I slept) and the deprivation of my morning coffee seemed pretty pathetic.

I’ll be honest with you, fasting is not part of my spiritual regimen. Have I become part of an affluent American Christianity that views fasting with ambivalence? As I reflect on this today, I am also painfully aware that our reasons for fasting (unlike my Kenyan brother who is fasting in order to serve others) are relatively self-serving. No, I am not saying it is wrong to fast in order to quiet your spirit to listen to God, or to gain wisdom for making decisions. But these things remind me of the words of Isaiah: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen… to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe him… (Is. 58:6-7 NIV). I think our Kenyan brother Benard has the right idea.

Future Shock: “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”

We got an email last week from a pastor in a rural village in Kenya, Africa, who found the Well of Life Ministries website and had begun listening (or watching) the Treasures of Truth. What an amazing thing has happened in our lifetime—a world-wide-web of instant communication.

When I was a college student in 1970, everyone was reading the book “Future Shock”—a term by author Alvin Toffler describing the psychological state of individuals and entire societies from "too much change in too short a period of time." Popularizing the term “information overload,” he believed these future changes would cause people to feel overwhelmed, disoriented, stressed and disconnected.

Forty years later, the future shock has become a present reality. And sociologists and psychologists are pondering its mental & emotional effects on individuals and societies. Remember when Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz said: “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Well as much as we’d like to, we can’t just click our heals and go back to the way things used to be.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed these days, reflect on Jesus’ timeless words. “Come to me, all of you who are suffering from information overload, and I will teach you how you to rest in these stressful times when things are changing so fast” (Mat 11:28-29, Greg’s paraphrase!). When the cosmic commotion was too much for Jesus, He found His rest in God's unchanging Presence.

Running On Empty?

Someone has said we too often run on fumes rather than a full tank. This is especially true of pastors and spiritual leaders. And while it may be especially true of caregivers, all of us are guilty of it. Rather than taking time alone with the Lord to get filled, we are driven by the urgent needs of people and projects.

Even with all the demands on Him, Jesus never ran on empty. Everyday He withdrew into the wilderness—a quiet place—to seek to be filled. “For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness of God to dwell in Him (Col 1:19; 2:9). And, amazingly, that same fullness is ours: “And from his fullness have we all received” (John 1:16).

Unfortunately, most of us are more conscious of our emptiness than His fulness. Is it because we are filling ourselves with empty things, so full of our friends on Facebook, our jobs, our families, even our ministries that we neglect withdrawing to be filled by Jesus? If you are feeling more empty than full, what are you full of? Whatever it is, you know it will never be enough ‘fuel’ to last you through the day. Take a close look at your spiritual diet and ask yourself: “Why spend money on what is not bread, and labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare [and you will be full]” (Is. 55:2).

Where's the Spirit of Sacrifice?

The battle for extending the Bush tax cuts starts today. While I am not wanting to turn this devotional blog into a political opinion column, doesn’t common sense dictate that eventually we are going to have to pay higher taxes? All economists agree on this one thing: our grandchildren will have a huge debt (in the form of enormous taxes) if we don’t stop spending “their” money. Not taxing ourselves now only delays the inevitable. But no one is willing to sacrifice their comfort.

A spirit of sacrifice existed during World War II that is conspicuously absent today. Sugar, butter, meat, cheese, eggs, milk, tea, chocolate, clothes, rubber, and gasoline were all rationed (willingly) in order to aid the war effort. But Stanford University historian David M. Kennedy says, "We are now waging war on the cheap, and not asking much either materially or psychologically from the society at large." But if war costs and casualties grow, Kennedy wonders "will the public be prepared to embrace a spirit of sacrifice at home" in the form of higher taxes or economic restrictions. "I'd surely bet against it," he said.

I can’t help but wonder how much this age of narcissist entitlement is affecting our spiritual warfare mentality? Are we trying to "wage war on the cheap," with as little cost to our comfort as possible? Do we have the spirit of sacrifice? Will we still be picking up our cross and following Jesus when it hurts? When it's messy? Are we prepared to embrace the spirit of sacrifice? Jesus said when you go to war, you need to consider the cost (Luke 14:31).

The Nightmare Cruise

When I lived in Afghanistan, I was not able to have a hot bath or shower for a year and a half! Although we had cold-water plumbing, the majority of Afghans did not. (And yes, I did bathe every day—we called it a ‘bucket’ bath!) Perhaps my abiding appreciation for hot & cold running water is compelling me to comment on today’s news story of the crippled Carnival Cruise ship. Due to a fire in the engines, the passengers endured two days without electricity, backed-up toilets, and worst of all, according to many of them, cold showers (and they had to eat canned food!). It will evermore be known as the ‘nightmare’ cruise.

As I read the article, I was reminded of the 3 billion people on our planet who live without access to proper sanitation, of the 2 billion people who have no electricity, of the 1.1 billion who do not have access to clean drinking water, and the 22,000 children who die each day of starvation and preventable diseases.

Something is really wrong when we think what happened on the Carnival Cruise ship is a nightmare. It was nothing more than an inconvenience (nobody was injured; no one died). As our American culture of consumerism and narcissism increases, can I ask you to join me today to remember and recommit ourselves to the attitude of Jesus (who lived his entire life without hot and cold running water, power or indoor plumbing) as expressed by the words of Paul: If we have food & clothing, let us be content (1 Tim. 6:8).

Are There Any ‘Grown-Ups’ in God’s Kingdom?

Yesterday, I spent a few hours with a pastor friend to get his counsel and insight on circumstances in my life—I knew I needed help to get to the next level of faith. The reason I’m telling you this is that I think it is easy for us to forget that our pastors, teachers, and leaders are people, who like us, are still growing!

The other day, I was reading a commentary on the story of Moses taking counsel from his father-in-law Jethro. What makes the incident somewhat remarkable is that Moses, preeminent leader of the Hebrews, took advice from an unrenowned farmer from the outback. Moses’ humility and teachable spirit is remarkable—recognizing his need for help to keep growing.

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden (a born again Christian) was an inspiring example of continual learning and growing. After he had already won a national championship, he changed the offense he had used for years and learned a completely new one in order to maximize the potential of a new team and the talents of one player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The result: his team moved to an even higher level of play and won three consecutive national championships.

What is the point? We may look at someone like John Wooden, an accomplished coach, or our pastors and leaders and think they are all ‘grown up’! It is too easy to forget they are still growing; and they need our prayer and support. If we could consider anyone all ‘grown up’ it would be Paul. Yet he said “I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be” (Phil. 3:12). Nearing the end of his life, Paul was still growing. As are all of us.

Why Pray if God is Omniscient?

Do you wonder why Jesus said: "Your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:8), while, at the same time, telling us how to pray? Does it seem a bit contradictory to inform God of our needs if He already knows we need them? A misunderstanding of this can result in a passive and ambivalent prayer life.

Prayer should not be viewed simply as telling God of our needs for the purpose of influencing Him to give us things. Prayer is a conversational alignment, meant to line us up with God's will. You know how it is when you and your friend (or wife, husband, son, daughter) haven't talked for awhile and then after a good conversation you gain understanding and feel closer! It's the same way with prayer.

Moreover, prayer is an expression of dependence, aligning us with our Creator/creature relationship. More than once, Paul simply says “I bow my knees” rather than saying “I prayed.” Unless we come face to face with the fact that we are creatures of need, then we can soon develop a spirit of independence and withdraw ourselves from close contact with Him. When we pray, we are being God-reliant. (Come to think of it, self-reliant people probably don’t pray very much.) If you find yourself feeling a little ambivalent in your prayer life, maybe you need a conversational alignment.

God is Never in a Hurry

Being in Belize where the pace of life is slower, I wondered if God is more like a Belizean than a North American—at least where “time” is concerned. In regard to our prayer lives, I wonder if most of us have a hard time lining up with God's sense of time. We seem to pray most earnestly when in a state of crisis: and if God doesn’t respond with comparable immediacy, we panic. It’s so hard for us to slow down and wait.

So we pray like David: “In the day when I call, answer me speedily” (Psalm 102:2); or “I am in trouble: hear me speedily” (Psalm 69:17). The Hebrew word could be translated “right now, hurry up!” David was saying, “Lord, I put my trust in you—but please hurry." (Of course we know that David grew to trust God's timing as he matured in his walk with God.)

But God is in no hurry. Habakkuk was perplexed when God didn’t immediately answer his prayer of crisis: the Chaldean's were coming, and they were about to destroy Jerusalem. God’s answer: wait, the answer will come at just the right time. And so, Habakkuk relented, “I will wait for your answer” (2:1-4). The people who wait on the Lord, without wavering, demonstrate mature faith. They know there is an appointed time for everything. God is never late, never falls behind in His work, and is never in a hurry.

Should We Tithe?

We all know the Old Covenant required a tithe of 10% (Leviticus 27:30). But did you know that the New Covenant requires no tithe—but something greater: generous giving! In fact, Paul admonishes the Corinthians to sow generously, explaining that each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6:7). Only God knows if we are being generous and cheerful in our giving.

But think of this. You could be giving a tithe—10% of your income—and not be giving generously. Or you could be giving a tithe under compulsion, not cheerfully, but with a “have to” approach. I think this “have to” mind-set is evidenced by the question: “Should I (do I have to) tithe on my gross or net income?” For many wealthy people, giving a tenth is probably of little consequence to their disposable income. On the other hand, giving a tenth may be sacrificial for a poorer person.

This story about John Wesley captures Paul’s philosophy of giving. When John Wesley made thirty pounds, he lived on twenty-eight pounds and gave away two. Then when he made sixty pounds, he knew he could live on twenty-eight pounds, so he gave away thirty-two. The next year, his income rose to ninety pounds, but he still lived on twenty-eight pounds and gave away the rest. He understood that the tithe is not the real issue. It’s whether you believe it all belongs to God.

Run!—Don’t Walk!

One of my treasured friends refers to me as his running partner. No, I don’t jog with him; nor have we ever done a marathon together. But we do consider ourselves to be running a race together—“let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us” (Heb. 12:1).

Paul tells Timothy to “run away from evil things” and “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11, NLT, NASB). The Hebrew word for “pursue” means “to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after.” If you’ve been “walking” with Jesus for any length of time, you’ve learned that acquiring these qualities is no ‘stroll in the park.’ To succeed in these qualities, you have to be a runner—running toward them while you run away from their opposite.

Is God allowing you to go through hard times? Then now is a great time to pursue endurance! Don't quit. Don't give up hope. Endurance is essential if you are going to run, and finish, the race He has assigned you. And what about pursuing love? Has God joined you in some way with a person who's very hard to love? Are you tempted to run away? Don’t. Rather, run to God in prayer—ask to love that person as God does. Who said it would be easy? Does anyone really think Christian character just walks into your life one day?

A Week of Winners and Losers

This has been a week of contests: the San Francisco Giants defeat the Texas Rangers to win the coveted World Series; Jerry Brown triumphed over Meg Whitman to become governor of California; Barbara Boxer, Gavin Newsom, Harry Reid—all winners! And their opponents—are they all losers? Well, of course no one would say that losing a game or a political competition makes you a ‘loser’—meaning a failure in modern-day vernacular—any more than winning a competition makes you a winner—a person of good fortune and character. Perhaps this is an opportunity to remind ourselves of what really matters in God’s economy.

Perhaps we could paraphrase Jesus words in Matthew 19:30: "many that are winners shall be losers, and the losers shall be the winners." More to the point, Jesus said: “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Mat. 16:25-26)

Power-hungry politicians or glory-seeking athletes may win the contests of this world but still be losers in the Kingdom of God. And it is all too easy for we who are Evangelical Christians to adapt to this view of winners and losers. Who has never thought to himself that the pastor who has a large congregation and a national radio program is more successful than the pastor with a flock of fifty? In the end “God will open wide the gates of heaven for them,” with the rewarding words: "Well done my good and faithful servant": winners all! (2 Pet. 1:11; Mat. 25:23)

Fretting

One of everybody’s favorite Psalms, 37, begins with the command don’t 'fret.' Fret is an old English word which has fallen out of common usage, meaning to be worried, angry, or vexed (another old English word!). It also means to chaff or rub, which is what happens to your finger tips when you press down on the ‘frets’ of a stringed instrument. We all know about fretting! According to the Psalmist, the cure for fretting is to “delight yourself in the LORD,” even adding, “and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

This is a real attention grabber, since we all want to be given the desires of our heart. But the promise is conditional: are we first delighting ourselves in the Lord? The Psalmist sets up his reasoning as one of priorities—first things first. The Hebrew word “delight” means to be happy or make merry. In the New Testament we “make merry” by “rejoicing,” a faith-based demonstration of our sincere gratitude for what God has done for us.

And as for the desires of our heart, He means we are to let God place in our hearts the things He desires for us. The Psalmist is telling us to concentrate on the cause of delight (the Lord) and let Him effect our hearts—His and our desires becoming one. In these fretful and vexing days, we need to set our thoughts and affections on things above (Col. 3:2)—not on the fretful and vexing things on earth!

What Do You See?

Have you been in a conflict with a close friend or relative that seemed irreconcilable because you can’t seem to get on the same page, to see things the same way? One of the challenges of relationships is that others don't always see things the way you do. But what really matters is not my view or yours, but to see what God is doing.

When Elisha’s servant saw the hordes of soldiers surrounding Jerusalem, Elisha saw God's horses and chariots of fire. When, as the Egyptian armies thundered on them, the Israelites saw the Red Sea as a dead end, Moses saw God’s clear path of deliverance. When the exiled Jews returning to build the walls of Jerusalem encountered obstruction and harassment, Nehemiah saw opportunity for unity and communicated a vision that resulted in the people seeing the finished project.

When others don't see what you see, or can’t, do what Elisha, Moses, and Nehemiah did. Look to see what God is doing. Yes, you should communicate what you see with clarity and conviction, but with a teachable spirit. And trust that the Holy Spirit will cause you both to see God's will and way. In the end, it isn’t my view or your view that matters. So when we find ourselves in one of these irreconcilable conflicts, let us pray as the Psalmist did: "open my eyes" (Ps. 119:18).

Divine Disruptions

When a soldier receives His orders, he does not question them—he follows them, wherever they direct him to go. And not only that, but the ‘orders’ can change without any notice. So it is with God’s deployment. Likewise, last week in Belize our plans changed suddenly, and without notice, when Hurricane Richard hit the tiny country of Belize head-on.

Subsequently, two of the missionaries we had planned to meet with were unavailable. And another we had not arranged to meet with showed up out of the blue! Any devoted disciple of Jesus learns quickly that following the Lord is not always comfortable, often fraught with unpredictable pauses—shall I say, divine disruptions. But if you will follow Him attentively, He will lead you to experiences you would never have imagined. The opposite may appear safe, but is, well, boring. And much worse, you will fail to get acquainted with the God is able to accomplish infinitely more than you would ever dare to ask or hope (Ephesians 3:20 NLT).

Can you say: "Lord, I accept your orders for me today. Deploy me wherever I am needed. I am at your disposal. And move me, without notice, into the place that's right for You and best for me”? As Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army (2 Timothy 2:4).