2010: More Losses than Gains?

Though we might wish to be upbeat about 2010, it’s hard to ignore the facts: it was a year of loss, beginning with a massive earthquake in Haiti—our hemisphere’s poorest country—killing 250 thousand and leaving millions homeless. Only a month later, another earthquake jolted Chile, causing the death of 775 and $30 billion in damage. In April the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion killed 11 men and caused unknown billions of $ in damage to local communities and businesses and unknown loss of marine life. Meanwhile the recession was unabated; more people lost their jobs as unemployment hovered at 10%. And finally, a loss to our nation’s financial health as the national debt doubled in size to $14 trillion.

But it wasn’t all loss. Probably, the most inspiring event of the year, if not the decade, was the dramatic October rescue of the Chilean miners from a collapsed coal mine. It was a ‘gain’ for humanity—a tribute to the abilities of men.

Gains and losses: that’s how man measures his years. So once again I am reminded by Watchman Nee: “In spiritual matters, we measure ourselves not in terms of gains, but in losses,” of course referring to Jesus' warning: “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it” (Mat. 10:39). So the question I ask myself today is “how much of ‘me’ did I lose this year?” Is there less of ‘Greg’ and more of Jesus? And that is how I will judge 2010.

"Now Run Yours"

The movie "Secretariat" was Altha’s and my favorite movie of the year. It chronicles the stunning journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Secretariat’s owner Penny Tweedy, a suburban housewife and mother from Colorado, takes over her ailing father's horse breeding ranch in Virginia and, without experience, turns outs a champion horse.

Against the backdrop of horse racing, this Disney film “Secretariat” provides a metaphoric, awe-inspiring portrait of aspiration and endurance each of us needs in order to run his race. At a particularly desperate and challenging time in her own life, the feisty Penny says "You never know how far you can go unless you run.” And on the night before Secretariat’s final Triple Crown competition, Penny realizes that she has accomplished what she set out to do (produce a champion horse). Aware that she has finished her race, she says to Secretariat: “I have run my race; now run yours.” The next day, to the delight of fans and surprise of critics, the spirited horse won the race in record time, and by 31 lengths.

The Movie’s (admittedly cliché) moral is this: each of us has been designed by God to run his race. The ‘racing’ theme is a fitting one for us. After years of walking with God, Paul wrote, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” And then of himself, Paul says “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (1 Cor. 9:24; 1 Tim. 4:7). Now run yours.

Stop Complaining and Eat Your Vegetables

Do any of you make New Year’s Resolutions? While I don’t, I do find the beginning of the new year to be a good time for self-examination, for taking inventory of my gains and losses, for making “certain about His calling” (2 Peter 1:10) on my life, and for making corrections. One of the things I will be most painfully aware this year of is my continuing penchant for complaining.

There’s a startling episode in Israel’s journey through the Wilderness where they complained about the “manna” God gave them to eat. They started craving meat (Nu. 11:4). God was angry (Nu. 11:33). And His response to their complaint of a meatless diet may be the source of the unbiblical phrase “Be careful what you ask for.” Sending enough flocks of quail to over-satiate, they must have said ‘I hope I never eat another quail as long as I live.' (More complaining.) The end of this story is not pretty—as “the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people” many were killed by a deadly plague (Nu. 11:33).

It is all too easy for me to excuse my complaining as a natural human tendency. But God hates it. It is worse than a rejection of His provision—it is a flat-out rejection of Him (Nu. 11:20; 14:27). We should pay close attention to Paul’s warning: “All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close. If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin” (1 Cor. 10:11-12 NLT).

Something's Out of Whack!

Have you ever read the words “God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Cor. 10:13), and thought to yourself, something must be out of whack—because what I am going through is unbearable? You look around at others whose life seems to be a lot easier than yours, and try to quiet that accusing inner voice that says “God, why are you doing this to me?”

As impertinent as that question sounds, it's OK to ask, as long as you do it without the attitude! Moses’ complained to God: “Why are you treating me, your servant, so miserably? What did I do to deserve the burden of a people like this … I'd rather you killed me than treat me like this. Please spare me this misery!” (Num. 11:11, 15 NLT). To say something was out of whack with Moses and God is an understatement.

Whenever I feel this way, the Spirit reminds me of Jesus’ promise “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30), and I say “something must be out of whack, because this burden is too much.” The logical conclusion is that either 1) I am carrying something I’m not supposed to, or 2) God doesn’t expect me to bear it alone. Such was God’s answer to Moses. "Bring me seventy elders of Israel who are known to you as leaders." The 70 would bear the burden of the people; Moses was not to bear it alone. Have you considered the reason your burden seems unbearable is that God does not expect you to carry it alone? Share each other's troubles and problems, and thus fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2 NLT, NASB). When something's out of whack, it's time for a re-alignment with the Word.

Waiting for Christmas Day

The word “Christmas” is a compound word made up of the name “Christ” plus the word “mass”—which means celebration. "Christ" is not a name as much as a Greek word or title, meaning "anointed"—equivalent to the Hebrew word "Messiah." Based on the words of the prophets, the Jews of Palestine were waiting for the day they would celebrate the promised Messiah—they were waiting for Christmas.

Although Jesus came 2,000 years ago to deliver us from sin, we are yet waiting for His second coming when He will truly be celebrated by Israel (and the whole world) as the Messiah. It is then we will truly celebrate Christ—it will be the authentic Christmas! And that ‘day’ will go on forever.

But that Christmas day will only be celebrated by those who love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8), who have been eagerly waiting for His glory and to be revealed as His sons (Rom. 8:18-19). On that Christmas day death and sin will be no more (1 Cor. 15:54). On that Christmas day we will be changed forever (1 Cor. 15:51), and receive eternal rewards (1 Cor. 3:14; Rev. 22:12). On that Christmas day, we will be given to Jesus by the Father as His long-awaited present—His virgin Bride (2 Cor. 11:2). We are still waiting for that Christmas—when the curse will be lifted, the saints glorified, Christ worshiped, and the whole creation liberated.

What a sadly watered-down version of Christmas day most people (even Christians!) will be celebrating tomorrow—without fully appreciating the one yet to come: the Christmas day we are waiting for.

The Mullah Who Stole Christmas

Iraq’s Christian leaders have cancelled public Christmas celebrations and warned believers against decorating their homes. The reason? New threats of terror attacks by al-Qaida against Iraqi Christians. Two months ago, al-Qaida insurgents brutally attacked Christian worshippers during a church service in Baghdad, killing 68 men, women and children. Since then, al-Qaida terrorists have proudly claimed responsibility for bombing Christian homes and neighborhoods throughout the Capital. No Christmas displays in Iraq this year!

Before you say “that could never happen here,” listen to this: In May, students at a Massachusetts public middle school took a field trip to a local mosque where they participated in a prayer and listened to lectures on Islam. Parents, who gave signed permission for students to visit the mosque, were not informed in advance that the students would hear a Mosque spokesperson denigrate Western civilization and glorify Islam. What is most astonishing is that this occurred in the same state where public displays of the nativity have been prohibited and firefighters forced to remove a "Merry Christmas" sign from their station.

At every sales interaction, we are reminded that the 'reason for the season' has all but disappeared, as we endure the innocuous greeting "Happy Holidays." Considering the increasing intolerance of Christianity and acceptance of Islam, it seems the theft of Christmas can no longer be blamed on the Grinch.

Giving Up The Way Things Used to Be

Though I can’t see Russia from my house, I can see an ugly old airport hangar at Moffett Field, a Navy base. "Hangar One" as it is called, was built during the Depression—one of the largest unsupported structures in the country, covering eight acres (10 football fields.)

Though it is useless today, Hangar One is the center of a spirited debate. Historians would like to preserve it as a historic landmark: plans that have been put on hold since it was learned the structure is full of toxic chemicals leaking into the wetlands around San Francisco bay. The issue is whether to tear down the hangar and reuse the land, or to clean the toxic waste from the site and refurbish the hangar. Even Lenny Siegel of the Save Hangar One Committee admitted that the hangar may be too unstable to save.

This “save the hangar’ thing seems awfully impractical, if not just bizarre. Why is Hangar One of such historic value? It’s just a big old empty garage. Of course you know I am going to point out a spiritual parallel. Who does not know the struggle of letting go of the past—giving up something that is familiar (a part of us). This is true both psychologically and spiritually. But giving up the old is an essential part of mental and spiritual growth. And when people refuse to give up “the way things used to be” (the “old self”) they become both psychologically and spiritually arrested.

I think holding on to toxic Hangar One is like holding on to what Paul calls the “old self.” “Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through... Instead... You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness” (Eph 4:22-24). In other words, the old 'you' cannot be remodeled. It must be razed! “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1).

Don't Over-Spend

Last week was one of those whirlwind weeks of actvity. They are both exciting and stressful. At such times, my capacity for dealing with stress feels small. As long as they come one at a time, allowing me to re-charge before the next, I’m fine. But when they come in multiples of 3…well, you get the picture.

We need to be very careful about ‘over-spending’ [pun intended] this time of year. Too much stress leads to fatigue, irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety and depression. It is dangerous if we don’t take time to re-charge. Rick Warren recently wrote in his daily blog "Without margin in your life, you'll think, Oh no! Another thing to do! Sorry, God, I'd like to do that, but I'm just too busy.”

One of the worst things we can do is squeeze out our daily quiet time with God. It is the margin at the top and bottom of every page—the beginning and end of each day. Our quiet time shuts us in with God—where we get re-charged by the Word, the Spirit, and prayer. There we find an infinite supply of life and energy. As we “set our minds and affections on things above”(Colossians 3:2) we find the margins of our life—and we are refreshed and recharged.

When God holds your heart, He handles your headaches

Are your mortgage, a maxed-out credit card, and a multi-year car loan driving you to the edge of madness? Are you tempted to leave it all behind and move to a place where you can actually live on your salary, find a house you can afford, and pay off your debt?

During a time of stress in Canaan (a famine), Abraham packed up his family and moved to Egypt. It is not an unusual strategy for people in crisis. These “Egypt’s” attract us with their appearance of prosperity and comfort—hope for a better life, i.e., “greener grass.” But our solution won’t be found in a different state, but a different state of mind.

Given the option, would you rather sell all your possessions and move to Costa Rica, or would you like to wake up tomorrow morning with the exact same demands and pressures but with confidence that God is going to use them to make your life more useful to Him; to put you in the path of people who need your touch; and to give you new insight for the next big challenge you'll face!?

The solution is a single-minded purpose to love and serve Him through every circumstance in your life. “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9), or translated into modern jargon: When God holds your heart, He handles your headaches.

"I see dead people"

Who can forget this line by Haley Joel Osment’s character in "The Sixth Sense"—a story about a troubled boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who tries to help him. Well, guess what! I see dead people too—and so do you. They are standing behind you in line at Safeway, sitting in the cubicle next to yours at work, and even parked in the back pews of your church. They are dead in their sins (Eph. 2:1): deeply troubled people.

But unlike the Bruce Willis character [spoiler warning] who cannot help because he is one of the dead, we who are alive in Christ can see things other people can’t see. And we can hear too (John 10:27). Of course if you tell this to the ‘dead’ people, they will think you are crazy. But we who have been made alive with Christ (Eph. 2:5) have these supernatural powers—of seeing and hearing. Having “God’s eyes,” we see people and circumstances as God does.

But (paradoxically) to exercise these powers, you must be dead to this world—crucified with Christ. Only those who are dead to their own ideas, opinions and assumptions can really see and hear His. This is why Jesus spoke in parables: “I am using these stories to conceal everything about it from outsiders, so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: `They see what I do, but they don't really see; they hear what I say, but they don't understand.” (Luke 8:10 NLT) So to us, Jesus says: “Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?...He who has ears to hear [and eyes to see], let him hear [and see]" (Mark 8:18; Matt. 11:15).

Is the Bible Relevant?

I listen to a lot of different radio teachers when I’m in the car. I’ve noticed the one thing the really popular radio teachers have in common is ‘relevance’—they have learned how to speak to what-we-call people’s ‘felt needs.’ This is a buzz word from the 80’s, when psychology began driving church programs and when seeker-sensitivity became the new ethic.

Anyone who has read one of the many “church growth” books on the market today knows that one of the fundamental tenets of a seeker sensitive church is a "relevant” Sunday morning message. But I fear this emphasis on ‘relevance’ is doing harm to the teaching of sound doctrine. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but … they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). Where ‘felt needs’ and relevance become the guiding principle behind the church’s pulpit and programs, does it not imply that the Bible has little to say about current issues?

Zac Poonen says “There is not a single situation that you can ever face in life for which the solution is not found somewhere in the Bible. The answer will always be there in the experience of some Biblical character that parallels your own, or in some teaching of Scripture.” Leonard Ravenhill said: "The Bible is either absolute, or it's obsolete."

Covered in Jesus' Dust

Yesterday, I was blessed again to give the Sunday morning message. You won’t be surprised to hear that my theme was discipleship: pointing out that when Jesus called people, they had to get “out of the box.” Getting out of the box means leaving behind your assumptions and expectations, even comfort and safety—it involves risk.

The more I study discipleship, the more I wonder whether we 21st century Americans have truly grasped its meaning. To be chosen by a rabbi in Jesus’ day was the highest honor bestowed on a young man. When a Rabbi said, "Come, Follow me,” there was an old Jewish saying that said to follow a rabbi was to "be covered with the dust of his feet." When Jesus said, "Come and follow me,” the disciples knew exactly what he meant. It was the Hebrew custom to walk very close to your rabbi or teacher so that you could learn of his ways in every area of life. Following so close, you would wear his dust.

After awhile, a disciple would begin to look like and act like his Rabbi. In the same way, Jesus' disciples are meant to be conformed to His image. People should look at us and see Jesus. Can we even call ourselves disciples if we are not covered in His dust?

My Brother had a Hidden Heart Condition

Tomorrow is the birthday of my younger brother Jeff. He would be 55 this year. But he died—suddenly and unexpectedly—at the age of 38, of a hidden heart condition. Had he known, he would have received treatment; perhaps he would be alive today. We’ll never know…

This week I learned that a younger sister in the Lord has had a moral failure. I was shocked of course. But I was able to put it in perspective by remembering that my sister has a heart condition—a spiritual one; and it went untreated. I had been her counselor off and on—her spiritual ‘doctor,’ you might say. Had I known she had this heart condition, perhaps I could have prescribed a daily dose of truth to be applied to her vulnerability. But it was not to be; her heart condition remained hidden—all the while eroding her good health by shutting off the flow of Jesus’ life through her spiritual veins.

Several years ago, my older brother Ken had a massive heart attack—again, a hidden heart condition. My response? I immediately scheduled an appointment for a thorough examination by a cardiologist, to make certain I had no hidden heart condition.

So when our sister or brother has one of these spiritual ‘heart attacks,’ does it not motivate each of us to take inventory of our own hearts, that God might show us our own deep-seated vulnerabilities? And if we should find a weakness, to begin working on a treatment plan? “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart; [for I know] You desire truth in my innermost being” (Psalm 56:2: 51:6).

The Urban Legend of Blaise Pascal

The phrase “there is God-shaped vacuum inside each of us” is attributed to 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal. In my Internet research the other day, I discovered that Pascal never said those exact words. It’s what-we-call an “urban legend”—a myth or some misinformation that has been repeated so often and for so long, it is now considered to be true. What he really said is a bit more eloquent (if not also loquacious).

What else does this craving proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object, in other words, by God himself. -Pascal, "Pensees"

God designed us to have a relationship with Him: to belong, to love and be loved, to know we matter to Him. This means that deep within our being is a longing for God which will not go away. On some level, we are always conscious of our longing for God. But during times of stress, these longings increase, as does our need to satisfy them. Our attempts to fill the longings with anything other than God are like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole: the wrong shape—which, in this case, needs to be ‘God-shaped’ (whether Pascal used those words, or not!).

Who was Thirstier?

One thing all nutritionists and dietitians seem to agree on is that regardless of your diet or lifestyle, you should be drinking a great deal of water—and the recommended amount: 64 ounces! It’s hard for me to drink 8 glasses of water a day—I’m just not that thirsty!

On this blog yesterday, I posed the question “does God have longings?” And while researching the subject, I discovered an insightful interpretation of the familiar story of the Woman at the Well: Jesus was thirsty!

This may be what-we-call a “loaded” statement. Is there a reason John draws attention to Jesus’ thirst? Nearly everything Jesus did in the physical realm had a spiritual parallel. Thirst is defined as the craving for fluids—it is a basic human instinct. What is the spiritual parallel? What was Jesus thirsty for? What satisfies Jesus’ thirst? I think Jesus longed (craved, thirsted) to give “living water” to this hurting woman.

Is this not God’s unquenchable desire? To get us to leave behind the water pots we have been using to draw from cracked wells that hold no water, and to fill us up from His fountain of living water? (Jer. 2:13) The woman didn’t even know how thirsty she was until Jesus offered her the “living water.” But Jesus knew; and He was thirsty to tell her.

What Does God Long For?

Miriam Webster defines “longing” as “a strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled.” We are aware of our longing for God (Psalm 42:1-2; 63:1-2). But does the God of the Universe have longings? “Unfulfilled” longings?

The answer lies in looking at Jesus. God’s longing is seen through Jesus as He seeks to heal those who are hurt and sick and held captive to sin. Does Jesus not say “I have come to seek to save that which was lost?” (Luke 19:10) Is this not the longing of God's heart.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories of longings—each one representing the “Father-heart” of God: the shepherd searching for the one lost sheep out of a hundred, of a woman who searches for a lost coin, and of a father who welcomes his wayward son home. Each parable pictures a longing—even an urgency—to find that which was loved and lost. In our sometimes self-centered (please-meet-my-needs) search for God, we forget it is God, initially and preveniently, who is longing for us.

God Knows Your Name

Here’s an astonishing fact for a mundane Monday morning: a new study by scientists suggests that instead of 10 trillion stars in the universe (as formerly calculated), there are more than 300 sextillion stars—a ‘3’ followed by ‘23’ zeroes. And here’s an amazing thought: God knows the number of stars and calls them all by name (Ps. 147:4). Daunting, isn’t it!

Now let’s bring this down to earth and make it more personal. Jesus says our Heavenly Father knows how many hairs are on your head (Luke 12:7). How personal is that! But of course what Jesus is really telling us is that God knows us—intimately. Moreover, He thinks about us. The Psalmist says: “Many, O Lord my God, are…Your thoughts toward us… If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count” (40:5) (Probably more than 300 sextillion?)

On a cold, rainy, dreary Monday morning like this one, the humdrum of life on earth threatens to move God to the margins of our minds. So think about this: the God who knows the numbers and names of the stars, knows you, and certainly knows your name. And is thinking about you right now. (1 Chron. 28:9)

Do We Look Like a Pile of Dry Bones?

Last month, I preached a sermon on Ezekiel 37—the passage where a huge pile of dry bones comes to life (if you’re not familiar with it, you must read it). Through the prophet, God breathes into the bones, quickening them to life—a picture of the energizing power of the Holy Spirit flowing from limb to limb, resulting in a huge army of God: the Church.

This brings to mind Paul’s description of the Body of Christ: “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Eph. 4:16, NIV). Paul says we are a body, a living organism, made up of individual bones, sinews, joints.

Sometimes it’s hard to be ‘fitted’ to someone else. We are quite sure it won’t work. But a proper fit will require each member, or bone, to be broken of his own rights and his own way to fit into God’s plan, or His way—otherwise we will look like a pile of dry bones. "Lord, please break me of my own way so that I can be properly fitted to those around me."

Do You Have a Plan for Overcoming Temptation?

Do you know what were Jesus’ last words to His disciples (in the Garden of Gethsemane)? Keep alert and pray; otherwise temptation will overpower you (Matt. 26:41 NLT)—and not just for that moment: Jesus was warning them to live proactively. Not unlike the famous adage “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.”

Another truism is that as we grow in faith in Christ, our temptations increase (and they come with bigger consequences)—being IN Christ does not make us immune to sin’s attraction. Paul offered Timothy three ways to plan for temptation: Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22).

First, flee from temptation. The best defense against temptation is get away from it—not to linger there and see how strong we are! Second, get into Jesus. As long as Timothy was pouring his energies into pursuing godliness, he'd be less tempted to sin. Third, spend time with serious disciples of Jesus. It's far easier to resist temptation when we're surrounded by Christians who encourage us. The hard truth is that temptation will be a lifelong reality. And the crucial question is: Do I have a plan for overcoming it?

The Temptation to Compromise

Today’s USA Today front page story says Afghanistan is increasingly Obama’s war—40% of Americans now believe it was a mistake to go to war. As the war efforts droned on in 2010 with marginal success, the Obama administration, eager to find a political solution, encouraged the Karzai government to negotiate, i.e., compromise, with the Taliban (who are allied with Al Quaeda). And so, discussions began…

Until last week, when it was revealed that the top-level Taliban commander the U.S./NATO alliance had been negotiating with was an impostor—he had no authority to speak for the Taliban at all. The Taliban must be laughing their heads off! But this is no laughing matter—decisions about winding down the war by 2014 were based on these deceptive discussions. I wonder what affect this will have on our Administration’s future attempts at negotiation and compromise with the enemy!

The SPIRITUAL parallel is inescapable. When the pressure of warfare increases, so does the temptation to compromise. Growing weary of the conflict of flesh & spirit (Gal. 5:17; Rom. 13:14), we are tempted to relax our stance. Or conflicts with co-workers, friends or family who oppose our godly principles (Matt. 10:36) may result in our acquiescence! We are rapidly moving toward a cultural crisis where intolerance (refusal to compromise) will not be tolerated. But James says “…don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God?” (4:4).