1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another…"

When many of us were growing up there was a set of clothes, two if you were lucky, that were set aside as your “Sunday-go-to-meeting” clothes.  They were special, set apart, in other words…you didn’t horse around in those things.  I can’t remember how many times I got grass stains on the knees of my Sunday-go-to-meeting pants but I know it was more than a few.  The fact of the matter is that it was a state of mind…there were some things that were set aside for church.  The clothes.  A special bible.  Even Sunday morning itself was set aside as Sunday-go-to-meeting time.  You just didn’t mess with that day and you didn’t mess with the clothes.  The last thing I wanted to have happen was to have my momma find those clothes with dirt and grass stains ground into the very fibers of those britches.

Needless to say our society, culture, and attitude has changed over the past few decades.  Good, bad, or otherwise, no matter how you look at it, there is a new normal.

Isaiah 61:10 reads this way “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” 

Our salvation changes us.  It creates in us a new heart.  By it the Lord dresses us in His righteousness. How much more precious, priceless, and costly is my salvation than any pair of pants that I ever wore to church.

Perhaps we have allowed those things that were set apart for the Lord to be pushed aside at times.  Perhaps we have horsed around a bit too much while dressed in our Sunday-go-to-meeting salvation best. Perhaps we have allowed the dirt of this world to be ground deep into to the very fibers of our christian lives so that we no longer look like so much like that precious garment of salvation.

I certainly didn’t want my momma to find my Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes stained.   But one thing I fear more than that…and that is to have my Lord find me with stains of this world all over those precious, righteous garments of my salvation that he paid such a high price for.  My salvation, our salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, isn’t just for Sunday; we wear those righteous garments every day of our lives. Perhaps it is time to put on that Sunday-go-to-meeting state of mind once again and remember the precious price that was paid for you to be dressed in garments of His righteousness.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”  Romans 5:6

My wife and I had the wonderful opportunity to help my son and his wife move recently.  It involved the usual bunch of boxes, furniture, food stuff, etc.  We rented a U-Haul set about the task of packing it up.  Getting all the “stuff” packed was not that hard but we were up against the clock because a winter storm was approaching and we needed to get on the road early the next day.  I thought we were in pretty good shape. However, in the morning when we were getting the final things in the truck I felt a slight twinge in my back.  I was being reminded of the fact that I really cannot do any lifting and in the 20 degree weather I was pushing my luck.  So I backed off and relied on others to do the heavy lifting.

Finally with all the stuff loaded we hit the road…the journey to our final destination was pretty normal, a few slow downs here and there but in the back of my mind I was wondering how I was going to get everything unloaded from the car, pickup truck and U-Haul before the snow and rain set in. I felt utterly helpless knowing that what lied ahead I could not do on my own.  Fear of suffering with back pain again was not an option.

If you know me at all you will know that I hate feeling helpless. I think most of us hate that feeling.  Our society tell us that if you set your mind to it you can do anything.  Well…that just isn’t true folks…trust me on that one. Once you bust your back and have to have surgery, the reality of what you can and can’t do become much more clear. So this is where God loves to have us.  It is at this point that God uses people to remind us of what Christ’s love is like.

By the time we got to our final destination, where we were going, there were people just pulling in to help.  Four friends from church came to our rescue…my rescue.  They laid down their lives for a couple of hours to help someone that couldn’t help themselves.  You may think this is a sign of weakness or something, but I began to tear up standing in the back of the U-Haul as I was reminded of the love of Christ for me.  I saw the perfect love of Christ being lived out and demonstrated in the simple act of helping unload cars and trucks full of stuff.

You see, I could not be forgiven of my sins or go to heaven on my own.  I was helpless to get that job done on my own.  I had stuff in my life, sin, and frankly it was more than a few moving vans full.  I needed someone that was qualified and capable to do that job for me.

That is where Christ stepped in.

The passage at the beginning of this post says that “…while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

I was helpless yesterday, overwhelmed by my inability to do that job myself.  But in my helpless state others stepped in, demonstrating the love of Christ to me and my family, getting us to our final destination with joy, delight, and a few laughs along the way.  All I could do is accept the help with a humble, grateful heart.

We all have stuff.  We all sin.  But Jesus Christ, the one who we celebrate at this time of year, is the only one that can step in and help us.  Jesus Christ is the only way to get to heaven.  He is the only one that can move the sin out of our life.

I pray that as we celebrate this Christmas holiday, that you too are reminded of the precious gift of Jesus Christ.  That he came as a babe, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, was buried, and three days later rose again from the grave.  He reigns in heaven and longs to show you his never ending love.  I pray that you too know that eternal hope and perfect help that comes from Christ alone.  He is more than able to help you.  If you feel helpless this season, trust in Christ, turn to him and give him your stuff, trust him with your eternal salvation.

I saw a compelling video online the other day about the dangers of using your phone while driving.  It was gut wrenching to watch.  Why is it that so many of us have this compelling urge, an almost irresistible compulsion to read and respond immediately to every chat, text, email, tweet, almost regardless of where we are or what we are doing?  Why is it that, like Pavlov’s dog, when we hear that ringtone or text notification we simply cannot restrain that instinct to reach for our phone?

Perhaps we have been conditioned to think and feel that if we don’t read that text or respond to that message we will be missing out on something.  Or perhaps “Susie” will think we are ignoring her.  Or maybe “Jimmy” will think I don’t like him anymore because I didn’t get right back to him in 3 seconds or less.  Whatever the reasons, real or imagined, it would seem that we may have developed some unhealthy habits.

The video made me think about how I communicate with God.

Do I jump up and run across the house if He is “calling”?  How do I respond if I get a “message” from Him?  Do I impatiently look for his responses, hitting “refresh” every 2 seconds to see if he has replied?  Have I reduced my conversations with the Lord to a style that more closely resembles text messages – using emoticons, acronyms, and slang?   Do I start tapping my foot on the floor if he does not answer in 30 seconds?  or perhaps the alternative is the case…do I communicate with him even 1/10th of the amount that I text with friends and family?  

Have I taken today’s expectations for communicating and applied it to my relationship and conversations with God?

When you wake in the morning do you check your phone first or are you excited to start a conversation with God?  Do you rush to check for new Facebook posts, or do you start reading His Word to see what new things he wants to share with you?  Do you have an irresistible urge to communicate with God?  To pray?  To read His Holy Word?  Are you like Samuel when the Lord wanted to talk to him and Samuel replied “Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.”  Do you reach out to God asking like the Psalmist did “Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.”

Honestly, I have a bunch of work to do in this area of my own life.  But if I want to have honest, deep, meaningful conversations with my heavenly Father and hear what he has to say to me, that is going to a concerted and deliberate effort…it is going to take time and commitment on my part.  And there is no time like the present to start…

So, here we are on the other side of this most recent election season.  It was a season that many folks would like to do over, or perhaps just forget about for a whole of host of reasons.  For some folks, perhaps it is because we didn’t vote for either of the two horses in the race.  For others it might be because we don’t like the way the race ended.  But for nearly all of us, I would venture to say that we were appalled by the vitriolic tone in which the race was run.  It was hard to listen to, hard to watch, and nearly impossible to fathom the depths to which these candidates would go to destroy the other.  The amount of money that was spent during this election on slander, malice, and anger was simply staggering.

When did integrity and discernment get kicked to the curb?  When did values and character get hijacked?   When did we become an unloving nation?  It may sound stupid but it seems love has become a four letter word.

Perhaps you have seen a plaque in a store or someones house that has these words…

“Love is patient, love is kind.”

Maybe you know the rest of the words that go along with that passage that say…

“It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The words above talk about real love, true love.  True love is found in God.  In fact, 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.”   To be loving, the way God loved us, is to be demonstrating that kind of Christ-like love. The verses above in 1 Corinthians tell us that real love, Godly love, is patient, kind, rejoices with the truth, protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. So what does that look like in a nutshell?

Love is patient.  Even with those people that say or do things that would cause us to be unloving towards them. So just how long are you willing to be loving before you stop being loving?  It is taking the time to understand and not pre-judge.  It is taking the time to reason together.

Love is kind.  That is not just saying a kind word, it is being kind in many ways including our speech, actions, and thoughts…even when others are unlovable!

Love rejoices with the truth.  That is the truth about how God loved us when we were unlovable.  And I know that the truth about me is that I was COMPLETELY UNLOVABLE.

Love protects.  Would you be willing to protect the person that voted for the other candidate?  Think about this for a moment…do you think that the men and women of our military choose to lay down their lives only for those that they agree with on voting day?  No…in fact the greatest form of love is lay down your life for another and these folks are willing to lay down their lives for you and for me…regardless of who we voted for.  That is love folks and don’t ever forget it.

Love always trusts.  I am going to have to do a little homework in my life on this one.  Sadly when it comes to trust, we often make people jump through some mighty small hoops before we will trust them and then that trust is conditional or short term.  If ever really trust them at all.

Love hopes.  Sometimes this verse says “Love hopes all things”.  That means that I hope for the best in a person.  I want them to succeed.  I want to believe that they are doing their best and have other folks best interest at heart…including me.  Call me naive, but I want to hope all things.  I really do.

Love perseveres.  You know that saying that goes “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”.  Well now think of this “When the people get unlovable, the loving love more.”  True love for another sticks it out.  Nobody said it was easy. What if Christ decided he was was not going to persevere the weight and disgustingness of our sins when he gave his life on the cross.  What if he decided to stop loving us because he found us unlovable.

Now for the even harder part.  As if it wasn’t enough to be proactive and intentional in doing the things that love does do, here is the list of the things that love does not do.  You might want to be sitting down because I can almost guarantee you that one of these has stopped by for a visit in your life recently…

Love does not envy.  I wanted my candidate to win!  But don’t think I am picking on folks on one side…read the next one.  

Love does not boast.  My candidate won and yours didn’t!   Yah…that means that neither of us should be blowing our horns.

Love is not proud.  This is the natural progression from boasting.  And we all know what pride comes before.

Love does not dishonor others.  The amount of hurt that came in the form of dishonoring others for the sake of getting votes before, during, and after this election is unconscionable and it just has to stop. We need to be able to discuss things, politics, religion, schools, drugs, anything in a way that does not dishonor another person in any way.  God loves them just like he loves you!

Love is not self-seeking.  Who do you love more…yourself or others?  What are my motives each and every day?   

Love is not easily angered.  Take a look at the news tonight and tell me anger doesn’t make up a part of at least one of the headlines. Now consider your own life.  True love is not easily angered.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.  What is the statute of limitations on the offenses people have committed against you?  How long will you hold that “wrong” up and against them?

Love does not delight in evil.  I don’t have the time or energy to get into it but it is safe to say that evil permeates our society in bold and subtle ways.  True love sees evil for what it really is and simply does not delight in it.  Watch TV for 5 minutes or crank up Youtube for a moment and take a look at what is “trending”.  True love does not delight in that stuff.

I wrote all of this in large part to remind myself of what love is and what it is not.  I also wrote it to remind us all that as we go about our lives and if we are truly desiring to love others, we will resist doing those things that true love does not do and we will commit ourselves to doing those things that demonstrate true love.  Let’s commit, this very day, to living out that kind of love.  Let’s devote ourselves to being patient, kind, rejoicing with the truth, protecting, always trusting, always hoping, and always persevering.

The reason that this is so important is because we saw it modeled perfectly by Christ Jesus himself.   “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

God bless.  TK

 

I was reading a passage today in Galatians and it reminded me of the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval”.  Perhaps you have heard of it or even considered it when purchasing something.  The company has a long history dating back to the late 19th century.  On their web page it talks about the history and mission of the Seal.  Part of that article reads:

“On May 2, 1885, Clark W. Bryan published the first edition of Good Housekeeping, setting forth the purpose of the magazine as “a family journal conducted in the interests of the higher life of the household.” He said the publication had a “mission to fulfill compounded of about equal portions of public duty and private enterprise…to produce and perpetuate perfection as may be obtained in the household.“

That is a pretty lofty goal…”to produce and perpetuate perfection as may be obtained in the household“.  Good Housekeeping has gone through many changes through the years, but the seal was, and still is, a significant achievement for any product to receive.

In Galatians 1 Paul, writing starts his letter to the church talking about the issue of a product and manufacturer that did not have the seal of approval.  He was talking about those folks that were teaching a perverted Gospel.  He goes on to write about how those individuals and their product were causing confusion and deception in the church.  The motives of those folks were not to please God in their preaching, but to please man.

In Galatians 1:10 Paul says: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” A true servant of Christ seeks to please God in all things.  The care and attention that a pastor or teacher gives to the presentation of the Gospel gives evidence or proof to the One that they are ultimately seeking to get approval from. 

As believers we too should be concerned about the approval of God.  In his letter to the church in Colossi, Paul writes “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24).

As we live our lives for Christ, let us love, serve, and share the truth of Christ with others seeking God’s seal of approval.  That is a seal of approval that is worth pursuing at any price!

In February of 2016 I experienced a pretty severe back injury that turned my life upside down.  It took two trips to the ER, a round of cortisone steroids in the spine, two MRIs, and nearly four weeks of heavy duty medications before I was able to have the surgery for my back.  In the midst of all of that I had withdrawals from the medications which resulted in my having symptoms similar to a heart attack which of course led to an EKG, a chest CT, a stomach CT, and the real fun…a chemically induced stress test.  What a trip.  I could end the story there but it you wouldn’t have heard the half of it and it most certainly would not be enough to give full testimony to the glory of God, declare his loving provision, and it most certainly would not begin to help you understand why I am so thankful for the manifold grace and mercy of God.

The injury happened on February 22nd, but what was coming down the pike for me and my family was anything but a quite mid-winter season of relaxation.  Here’s why…

• On 5/7 one of our two sons was graduating from college in Pennsylvania.
• On 5/14 our other son was graduating from college in Virginia.
• On 5/21 the first graduate was getting married in western NY.
• On 6/7 the other son was getting married on Long Island.
• I was just beginning to teach a new series at church on the book of First Corinthians.
• I was serving on a search committee at our church and we were in the throes of an 18 month long search for a new Senior Pastor; in fact we were in the home stretch of final interviews with a candidate that we believed the Lord was providing for our church.  We actually Skype’d from my family room after my surgery!

Now I could go on and on about all the different things that the Lord has taught me through this experience.  How he got me to spend more time in prayer and study.  How He reminded me of the need to constantly be vigilant to make sure I am serving in His power and seeking His will in all that I do.  Of the need to be fully trusting in the Lord.  The list goes on and on.  But what I want to share is actually not about me…it is about you.  It is about how God uses people in perfect harmony and in His perfect time, to encourage, care for, and love each other.  It is about how in the most difficult of times you can serve in the simplest and smallest of ways but that bring joy and healing to others, and that bring glory and blessings to God.  So what did you do that meant so much to me and that brought glory to God?

It was in the cards that came in the mail every day.

It was in the hot meals that were delivered to the house by folks that have no idea what we like to eat, but that were prepared with love and thoughtfulness.

It was in the prayers in the hospital when you came to me when I was most vulnerable, I was weak, and I was despairing.

It was in the times when you, my sister in the Lord that is a nurse in the wing where I was be treated, got to encourage me and the added blessing of seeing the toilet back up the hospital room and laughing about it for days.

It was in the flowers that showed up at the door unexpectedly.

It was in the encouraging words from a brother that had been through this kind of thing himself and that knew just how hard it is to have your whole life seemingly put on hold.

It was in the simple text from a friend that said “praying for you today”. 

It was the gentle hugs from those that didn’t quite know what to say but that wanted to just be there to encourage and care.

It was in the handshake and precious smile of a friend that couldn’t share in words but that wanted to express just how much he cared.

It was in the heartfelt prayers and words of the family who was going through something far worse than I was when they assured me that they were on their knees praying for me – even while they were suffering beyond compare themselves.

I cannot begin to express my thankfulness.  I cannot begin to tell you how precious your actions, words, and prayers are to me.

First Peter 4:8-11 says:

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

God called time out in my life for a whole host of reasons that I am still learning from. But perhaps the gift that is the most precious to me was to learn just how much you love me, how much I need you all, and how much we need each other to be that loving, caring, stewards of God’s grace in all of your amazing forms.

To God be the glory, praise, and power through Jesus Christ for all that you have done.  Thank you all.

 

I stagger and am in awe of the mercy that God shows to me each day.  Who am I that He would show me mercy?

In Matthew 5:7, in the amazing list of Beatitudes, Jesus says “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”   As a child of God we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are a new creation.  Being merciful is a reflection of God that is lived out and demonstrated in that new creation.  It is a part of who we are, how we think, and how we act.

Why does this matter?  Why should we be merciful?  Let me give just three reasons…(there are plenty more though)

First, being merciful is evidence of who we are in Christ.  It gives testimony to the working of God in our lives and allows us to demonstrate the mercy of God that he has shown towards us.  We live our lives in the light of the truth that we will not be judged for our sins but will instead be shown mercy.

Second, it is in the light of His mercy that we live a life of sacrifice for Him.  Paul reminds us in Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  In the light of, and simply because of the mercies of God, we live our lives as spiritual worship to God.  We present ourselves as that living sacrifice, in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, because of the abundant and undeserved mercy that he has shown us.

Lastly, we are commanded to be merciful.  In Luke 6:36 Jesus gives perhaps the most simple and concrete command to his followers.  He says “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”  This command sounds a lot like the Lord’s command to “Be holy because I am holy” found in Leviticus 11, 19, and 20 as well as in Peter’s reminder to the church found in 1 Peter 1:16.  We cannot be perfectly merciful in the same manner that God is merciful any more than we can be completely holy.  But mercy is a part of God’s character and we are to reflect His mercy to others.  We are to demonstrate, declare, and show people of the mercy that He has shown to us.  We reflect His mercy when we give testimony to His sustaining work in our lives.  We reflect His mercy when we give a reason for the hope that is within us.  We reflect His mercy when we live our lives for Him and only Him.  That is what mercy looks like when it is reflected in our lives.

 Mercy, without reflecting and crediting its Author and Creator, is simply human magnanimousness.  True mercy is a reflection of Almighty God, His richness, and gives Him alone all the honor and glory!