That Old Word Called Love

My command unto you is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

John 15:12 (NIV)

It is good to remind ourselves from time to time on our journey that God has tasked us with loving each other the same way he loves us. It is a nice sentiment, but it raises the question, just how does he love us? Already we know he loves us freely. Yet, perhaps the most astounding way he loves is permanently. Therefore, we will know we love like him when our love becomes an unshakable faith in another and an impenetrable strength defending what God brings together. We will know when our love produces an unquenchable desire for the other's good, a bottomless pit of patience, and an ocean of forgetfulness. Most of all, our love will always be there waiting, desperately needing to be used up, yet mysteriously never running dry.

Memories of Tomorrow

According to the Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionary, the word radical carries many meanings depending on its usage.  In politics, it means to advocate for extreme reformation in government or social conditions by overturning and changing the existing state of things.  I think that’s a pretty good definition of what should happen in a person’s life, mind, soul and spirit after professing faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.  Why?

Because, with salvation, life suddenly switches from being all about me to how can I serve the Lord and bring glory to Christ Jesus in all that I say and do?  To be sure, that is a pretty tall order, radical if you will, even for the most devout and dedicated.  Nevertheless, it does become our purpose in life after we have laid all trust and hope in his hands. 

But we shy away from the word radical, I think, because with all the political and  religious strife fouling the world these days we do not want to be associated with fanaticism, violence, death and misery.

Yet, radical devotion to God is exactly what he desires.  He desires radical devotion to him in this moment, in what we do with this moment.  He wants us to learn that what we do with this moment influences who we are tomorrow.  Our allegiance to him should be so radical that we feel the same insult for his honor a small boy shepherd felt deeply enough to die for when Goliath mocked God and his people.  Our passion for God should be so irrational that we, like Daniel, will enter a lion's den to prove his protection.  Stephen could have lived had he kept silent about Christ, yet the stones flew.  Is there a more radical example of the conviction that what we do today matters tomorrow, than our Lord going willingly to the cross?

In a way, God gives us a responsibility with our salvation.  And that responsibility is to always remember tomorrow.  Not fretting, or morbidly dwelling on tomorrow, but remembering we face tomorrow what we do today.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow to the idol because they knew that today and tomorrow are inseparable in God's eyes.  It was not possible for them to fake idol worship today and carry on tomorrow as if they had not shamed themselves before God the day before.  What they did today mattered to them tomorrow-to eternity.

So think on this for a moment.  Remembering tomorrow acts as a check on every decision we make today.  Why else do we distract and numb ourselves in various ways when we fall short, other than we hope to forget tomorrow.  We are without choice in this matter, however, for within hours the sun does rise, we do face yesterday and we will look back on each of our yesterdays with either sorrow or satisfaction.  So the right choice for the Christian is living radically wholehearted for God today so that we can be satisfied tomorrow with all of our yesterdays.      

As Always, In Christ,   David M. Cornell    GOD MOMENTS

 

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

When times get bad it is so easy to remind ourselves, to pray, to encourage others to "Just lean on Jesus." But given the state of the church today I wonder if we really know what it means to lean, how to lean, or what "leaning" even looks like.  If we could answer those questions in the affirmative it seems to me there would be less strife in the church, Christian families, and in society.  So just what does leaning on Jesus look like?  I am glad you asked because I would like to take a stab at the answer.

We have all seen a shovel leaning against a tree, or a three old child leaning against mom in the
Wal-Mart isle.  Its all about support, not falling over, staying upright with the help of someone or something.  But for us leaning also requires admitting a need, giving in to weakness, confessing an inability to go it alone; all things we are usually reluctant to do.  We are raised to stand on our own two feet, no pain no gain, and not letting on to anyone we might need a helping hand.  These are all good qualities to learn, but by the time we reach adulthood I think quite often they have morphed into pride and stubbornness. 

So, even though we sing the familiar words and hum the comforting tune of, "Leaning, leaning," I think we also, at the same time, let a little bit of that stubbornness seep into our thoughts and once the song is over we continue on our own merry way.  "Yeah, God, I know you are there, but really, I've got this one.  Thanks for being there though." 

And God kindly answers, "Okay.  Come back when you're ready.  I'll be here." 

So leaning on the everlasting arms requires humility and honesty and looks like two friends walking down the street together, working side by side, sharing a load, and accomplishing a great task together.  It has nothing to do with admitting weakness or exposing an inability.  Leaning is just two friends getting through life together.

God is the BFF of BFFs.  Lean on him every day.  That's all he asks.

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell

GOD MOMENTS

Jesus Didn't Come Through for Me. Why Should I Trust Him?

I get asked that question a lot and at first glance it seems a fair question, a real stumper for the Christian faced with coming up with an answer. But with a little reflection the answer is simple and obvious- Christ made only two promises.

The first is found in John 3:16- "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The second is found in Romans 8:28- "And we know that in all things (including the bad) God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Christ never promised to make our problems go away, or that we would get everything we ask for, not even some of the good things we ask for.  What he promises for those who have made the first promise theirs is this: with him by their side they will survive all the hard times, trials, disappointments and losses in life and become better people in the process. 

Any other promises we want him to keep are just us wanting to tell him what he has to do for us and if he doesn't then we will be mad at him.

So the answer is ready for the Christian.  Everyone is faced with a choice.  Choose to make the first promise personal and know then that no matter what comes in the future Christ is with them.  Or choose to ignore, or not like, how God works in the affairs of men and women and keep getting mad when they don't get what they want from him. 

As always in Christ,  David M. Cornell

GOD MOMENTS

The Pick Pocket

 

           Its winter, 1959, in Bettendorf, Iowa and after school a small herd of Washington Elementary first graders was roaming the streets toward home on a cold, gray afternoon.  I was in that herd, strolling through a couple of alleys, and jumping a fence, we shouldn't have, to get to the street most of us lived on.  All would have gone well for me that afternoon if I had just minded my own business and kept on walking.  If only.  

          We were still several blocks from home when I spotted two girls walking a couple of houses ahead.  What made me take notice of them was one of the girls had a pair of gray, warm looking gloves hanging out of her coat's right pocket and I decided it would be cool if I could sneak up behind her and heist the gloves without her knowing.  Then, after whispering the scheme to my buddies, which they wholeheartedly endorsed, I quietly accelerated up behind my target, eyes glued on the mitts.  Heisting them was easier than I thought it would be.  The girls had no idea I was behind them, so far, so good.  After trailing behind a few steps I thought this was too easy, reached for the gloves and slid them out so smooth it would have made a professional pick-pocket proud, if not his mother.  With glee, I turned back to my cronies and silently waved the prize at them in triumph.  They raised their fists back in triumph and, was I proud, as the girls rounded the corner and disappeared unaware of my shenanigans. 

          Now I was in a dilemma, however.  I expected to her to catch me in the act and then laugh it off, no harm done.  Yet there I stood, successful in thievery and not wanting to admit the deed.  What do I do now, I thought to myself.  I couldn't run to her and give them back with everyone watching.  That is not cool and if I do she might tell her mom and she would call my mom and that wouldn't be good.  Therefore, I did what all self respecting thieves do with the evidence; I dumped it.  As I continued home I passed a trash can sitting on the curb, and without breaking stride, deftly pulled the lid up, and threw the gray knit inside.  Smart, quick thinking I thought, and continued home sure my crime would avoid detection.

          Oh, I was so wrong and you know what, I have been a parent myself for some 33 years now and still do not know exactly how, in just the time it took me to finish walking home, my mother found out about the criminal activity.  It had to be less than five minutes later when I got home.  I guess a fellow herdsman immediately rated me out, but to this day, dear mom has never told me how she found out so quickly.  I still bring it up from time to time, but all she does is smile. 

          However, she was not smiling that day I pranced in the kitchen expecting a warm hello: not even close.  Mom comes from a long line of Morgans you see, and many of their clansmen have what we call the Morgan look.  We have all seen it from someone, the look that requires no words.  The look you hope comes with no words, and which produces immediate silence and calm.  Lips tight, eyes squinted with a gaze that burns right through you, vein popping out in the forehead.  When you walk into it, you feel like you have been hit by a Mack truck and the best you can hope for is just minimal damage. 

          Well, as I came through the back kitchen door the “look” stopped me dead, and I knew someone's lifestyle was about to be modified and not my older sister who was standing in the doorway to the living room.  Knowing I needed to keep the modifications to a minimum, I confessed to the crime as quickly as possible.  Mom passed sentence immediately and within moments, she had the family's budding criminal headed back out the rear door, briskly skimming over the stepping-stones leading to the detached garage by the alley and climbing into the cream-colored 1950 Dodge waiting inside.    

          Within minutes, we are parking in front of the victim's house.  Mom stops the car, hands me a dollar bill, tells me it was my allowance for four weeks, and orders me to the front door to apologize for my thievery and make restitution.  She also gives an instruction, which, at the time, I did not understand at all and liked even less than having to confess.  Just before I closed the door she says sternly, “David, when you talk to them I want you to look them in the eye and tell the whole truth about what you did.” 

          That was the longest short walk I had ever taken.  As I climbed the porch steps and approached the door, I was still puzzled over why I had to look them in the eye.  What difference did it make?  It made no sense at all.  One thing I was sure of though, Mom had eyes everywhere and she would know if I failed to look them in the eye. 

          I stretch my fist toward the door, not sure which I am more afraid of, confessing or looking.  I knock on the door.  My knees knock louder than my fist.  I am desperate for no one to answer.  I hear footsteps inside.  I watch the doorknob twist clockwise.   I am almost sick.  The victim answers the door.  My mortification is complete.     

          Now what do I do?  She quickly solved the dilemma. 

          “Mom, can you come here?  David's here,” she called out.

          After what seemed an eternity of being stared at by this girl, her mother finally pulled the door open wide and asked, “Can I help you?”

          With eyes down, all I could get out was, “I'm sorry.”  Then remembering to look up I said, “I took her gloves and threw them in a trash can, this is my allowance,” and held the George Washington out towards her.  She accepted the bill and the apology with a smile and thanked me for being honest.  Then she looked up to acknowledge mom at curbside, which I took as my cue to wheel around and run back to the car relieved the ordeal was over.

          I spent years wondering why mom ordered me to look that woman in the eyes.  What did it have to do with apologizing?  I'm not sure even she knew back then.  It may have just been a feeling she had, but the answer came several years later in the form of an Easter sermon.  The preacher was vividly describing Jesus' last night before his betrayal.  He explained how Jesus prayed so fervently that he sweat drops of blood, and that he anguished over the dread responsibility of the torture and crucifixion awaiting him.  Then the old preacher said of Jesus, “He looked death right in the eye that night in Gethsemane and accepted the responsibility God had for him to fulfill.  Had he not had the courage to 'look it in the eye' he would have shrunk from the task and there would never have been salvation for the world.”

          There it is.  What my mother knew, if only intuitively back in 1958, is what God displayed for us so graphically that long ago night; life is about responsibility.  Christ was not a victim as some scholars want to describe him today.  He spent thirty-three years intentionally plodding toward his vocation and when the time arrived, he accepted what was his to shoulder.  We would say Christ was treated unfairly by the system, and he was!  He could have appealed his sentence.  I would have.  Ask for mercy.  I would have.  Play to the emotions of the crowd.  I would have.  He didn't do any of that.  He never defended himself, nor did he complain to the Sanhedrin, to Pilate, Herod, or the mob screaming, “Crucify him.”  As the old preacher might have said, “Jesus made his decision then lived and died with it.”   

          Wise mothers (and fathers) the world over know that life is not fair and never will be.  They teach their children to make the best quality decisions they can and then deal with the outcomes, good or bad, rather than blame poor decisions and worse outcomes on “the system.” 

          I chose to steal a little girl's gloves and my mother would not let me make excuses or look for a way out.  Instead, she instilled in me a little of the courage I needed to face the responsibility of the shame that came with my decision.

          In a way, responsibility is about living courageously and having the courage to live responsibly is as easy as linking two simple scriptures together and letting their combined truths guide all that we do. 

All things work for good to those who love the Lord . . . Romans 8:28 (NIV

I can do all things through him who gives me strength, Philippians 3:14 (NIV)

          We have to decide, either these scriptures are true or they are not.  But know this, coupled together these two verses are the key to facing life, including the bad decisions we make, head on, no excuses, no complaints, no victims.  The decision is ours, and so are the consequences.

          Such is the nature of responsibility. 

Not Enough Time

Let me ask you.  Do you have plans?  Make them diligently.  Do you have responsibilities?  Handle them with care and efficiency.  However, are you also swamped, breathless, ready to go under?  Stop for a moment. You have a moment.  Wherever you are, lean against the wall, sit down in the chair, linger in your car, turn off the television, and silence the phone.  Listen, listen; faith is calling you.  Have the courage to prove God loves you, that faith works.  Test his promise to work out all things for your good, then sit back and watch with awe and wonder as he does it.  Such is the nature of faith.

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell

God Moments

Sharing Christ in the Market Place

I have spent the past month on Google+ talking to people.  Well, actually engaging them in debates.  And I have seen many posts and comments against religion, religious people, and perhaps against Christians the most.  The arguments and criticisms they make against Christians are all pretty much the same and familiar. We are hypocrites, pushy, arrogant, and judgemental and how can a good God allow bad to happen to good people.  As a result many say they will not consider being a religious person, coming to Christ, etc.  But what is quite clear through this experience is that not one critic has said anything bad about Christ.  They have all been angry at Christians.  In other words, it seems to me that WE, NOT CHRIST, are the biggest stumbling block preventing people from coming to Christ.  As much as this true, it must grieve the heart of Christ.

Perhaps a lesson from the Apostle Paul would be helpful.  While he never shied away from a good debate, and defended the faith with vigor and passion, nowhere do we see an example of him losing his cool, emotionally beating people into accepting Christ, or becoming exasperated with a non-believer and writing them off as a lost cause because they wouldn't convert.  What he did was quite simple and we can do it too.  All he did was present the Gospel of Christ, every time he could fit it in to the debate/discussion, clearly, sincerely, and with an honest passion.  From there, he left the results up to God.

Paul's trick, if you want to call it that, was that he knew who he was in Christ.  He had what I call Christ assurance which gave him the inner confidence to not think about himself or how he was doing in the middle of a debate.  He did not worry about losing or being embarrassed or not having something to say.  Scoring points was not why he engaged his adversaries. The debate was an opportunity to present the Gospel to his adversaries and let God take over from there.

So to be effective for Christ in the market place a few tips from Paul may help.

1.  Faith is not logical in the typical use of the word logic. 
2.  Therefore, no matter how many points we "score" someone who doesn't want to hear will always come up with another reason to object.
3.  Therefore, you will not win a logic only debate because the Gospel is not based on "logical" reasoning.
4.  Therefore, its not about winning the arguement, its about focusing on presenting the Gospel and leaving it to God.
5.  If we become angry and exasperated we are doing it for ourselves, not for Christ.
6.  Do not force the Gospel.  Look for natural opportunities to graciously present it.

And this is perhaps what I want to stress most.  Sharing the Gospel is far more than just telling someone they need Jesus and then walking away.  Especially if they do not at first respond as we would like to see.  Sharing the Gospel is long term and when we share with a person, we take on the responsibility of seeing them through. 

So make sure WE do not offend.  If the Gospel offends that is one thing.  But Heaven forbid WE should ever be the reason a person decides against Christ.

As Always, in Christ,  David M. Cornell

GOD MOMENTS  available at Amazon.com  key words David M Cornell god moments.
If you can't afford a copy email me at davidmcornell@aol.com and arrangements can be made to send you a copy. 

The Source

Know this - God's love is the only reason we exist.  He does not require our affection, but he does DESIRE it.  Therefore, our journeys all begin in the heart of God.  Where they end depends on our's!

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell

God Moments 

Conquering Your Fear of Failure

          Failure at anything, practical or spiritual, can be good because it forces us nearer to the side of Christ.  Acknowledging failure introduces us to God's forgiveness and as our intimacy with God's forgiveness grows over the years, it becomes clear failure holds no dread for the believer, no fear of God's rejection.  For the seasoned-follower Christ's daily encouragement transforms failures into measuring sticks by which we can judge our progress.  After all, without failure how can we judge success?
          Practically speaking, consider marriage.  Where does the depth of character come from to hold marriages together?  In large measure, it comes from our mistakes and the humility they force on husbands and wives as their personal failures mercilessly expose each to the other for what they truly are: fragile and so human.  Then out of their mutual exposure grows the mutual patience, love, and respect that glue two together as one. 
         Spiritually speaking, trust and faith flourish in our failures as well for no one can claim they were mature in either category the first time they called upon the Savior.  But how do failures transform vaporous words like faith and trust into the solid gold hearts and minds of the committed?  For sure, trust and faith germinate in the moment of our salvation, when we say for the first time my trust is in Christ alone.  However, as wonderful as these moments are, they are naive as well.  For when we uttered those words, we did not understand what they were going to demand of us, nor did we have the vision to see the journey they would be taking us on in the years ahead.  This is probably good though or we might concede the race at the starting line. 
            So cocooned in our innocence, we naively bask in the first glow of salvation and it is not until after the new wears off that genuine trust and faith begin to drive their roots deep into our hearts.  When the new does wear off, and it does, we must face up to the sinner we still are, and accept the challenges of the changes that lay ahead.  To be sure, when we accept the challenge of becoming God's person, our inexperience in spiritual warfare assures we will suffer failure.  
          Yet, while accepting the challenge to grow does present opportunities for failure, the challenge also presents opportunities to lean on God: chances to see him work directly in our lives!  In others words, if we know we can do this thing called Christianity on our own, why do we need God?  Trust would have nothing to do with it.  No, to be real, to be in tandem with God, faith must stretch our limits, and even frighten us at times.  We must let it take us where we have never been before.  The only way to prove God will catch us is by jumping before being convinced He will.   
          This then is the alchemy that converts failures into true faith and trust.  The path we walk with God is not all smooth and paved.  There are potholes in our way; places where the road, washed out completely, forces us to become expert long jumpers if we are going to walk with God any distance.  There is no other way and with each leap, our trust grows stronger, our courage enhanced.  The expert jumper then, risks failure to find success alongside Christ.  Jumping and failing is not terminal.  In other words, God's eternal forgiveness makes it better to have jumped and fallen short at times, than to have never jumped at all.  Now, how far can you jump?

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell
God Moments

         

Bombs, Death, Sorrow and Friends

What do you say to someone who has lost a loved one?  Especially in a terrorist's attack!  "I'm sorry," just does not rise to the occasion. So most of the time we say very little or nothing at all. But eventually something must be said.  Broken hearts need healing, shattered dreams should be repaired and tortured souls must find relief. So what do we say in moments of deep sorrow?  What are the words that heal, repair and relieve?

Our first thoughts should be, "Give me grace and wisdom, that I might be their strength."

Perhaps our first words are silent ones, spoken with eyes that acknowledge pain, steady hands that softly hold those that are trembling and strong arms wrapped in firm gentleness round tired shoulders stooped with grief and tears. Silence says, "I am here for you only. Lost are my burdens.  This is your time. Ask what you will, or ask nothing at all. Today you are my focus, your need my need."

Action follows silence. What have we wanted or needed when it was our time?

"What can I do?" will most likely be followed by, "Nothing, but thanks anyway."

We know better.  Do something. Let the cat out. Collect the mail. Groceries on the counter. Mow the yard, change a diaper, take the kids to school.  Do something. 

Eventually the moment comes and the pain will be acknowledged. Rage, tears, questions, frustration, anger, fear, doubt, and resentment. It is the only way to release the pressure, mend the tattered soul, repair the broken heart, for hope to renew itself.  These moments may show themselves soon or well down sorrow's path. Friends do not count days. In patience and love, they too, trod this path, waiting and prepared for the moment-for this is when the words will come. And they will be right and they will heal.

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell

God Moments





 

The Consumer Nation

We have the Constitutional right in America to define happiness for ourselves and determine on our own what will make us happy - money, education, careers, cars, family, fame, property or prestige; you name it, in America you can go for it. And we are rightly thankful for this privilege.

         But think about contentment for a moment.  It is not a right of acquisition protected by a two-hundred-thirty-eight year old piece of parchment. We do not earn it and it has nothing to do with politics. It is about relationships and is a free gift from God.  And he never intended for us to work for our contentment.  That was not a part of his original design.  How do we know that?  I am so glad you asked. 

         Remember the creation story.  God created us (Adam and Eve) not to think about ourselves at all, but to walk by his side and worship him all day every day.  As such, we were utterly without self-conscience before the fall. For us contentment simply was and we had no thought for its manufacture or acquisition.  God's presence was our contentment and we simply were.

         Happiness, on the other hand, is a feeling you can experience at any given moment, which can vanish instantly with just a phone call or the mail.  Thankfully, contentment is more than a feeling. It is a result.  Let me repeat that. Contentment is the result of being in God's presence.  It never changes and it envelops today and tomorrow for all eternity and as long as we linger in his presence, we will be content. This is why achieving contentment through self-help books, CDs, and DVDs is doomed. We cannot produce our own contentment.  We possess neither the skills nor the means of production.  God designed us simply to experience it.  God produces it and we consume it.

         So, I guess that means God’s people are the original consumer nation!   

 

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell

GOD MOMENTS

        

The Rhythm of Life

I remember as a small boy 4 or 5 walking alongside my dad down a sidewalk and watching his feet. I noticed his toes pointed out just a little with each step, so I made sure my toes pointed out the same way; just a little. Then I tried to match his rhythm, keep pace with him, and stay at his side. It was difficult. My legs were just too short. Soon I was taking two or three steps to his one to keep up, but I tried.

The trick to Christianity, if you want to call it that, is learning God’s rhythm, matching his pace, keeping in step with him: what I call lingering long in the cool of his shadow. 

My mom says I was running outside getting dark suntans when I was 2 years old. I believe it. I love summer time. If I could have it my way, it would be in the 90s all year long.  However, I also learned to love the shade.

Remember playing or working outside in the summer heat? After too much sun what do you do? You start to sweat, turn red, grow feint. Wiping your brow with your shirtsleeve, you start looking for trees or the north sides of houses and buildings to get out of the sun and in the shade.

Why? To cool off and refresh yourself. And you hope there is at least a slight breeze blowing across your sweaty arms, legs, neck, face. Man how good does that feel? Refreshing are those cool summer breezes! You linger there as long as you can.

Well that is what it is like walking with God. He casts a huge shadow. Therefore, it is good to learn his rhythm, walk at his pace, rather than behind or out front. Because after we work up a sweat over our lives, let stress jack our heart rates up, and  come to the point of feinting, if we are at his side we don’t have to look or run to find shade. We can just nudge a little closer under his shadow, and let the gentle breeze of his protection; love and caring cool our emotions, and refresh our souls. 

Lingering long in the cool of God’s shadow quenches our anxieties, re-energizes our souls and chills our passions when we need them to be.

Let me recommend we all learn to linger there as much as possible, as long as we can.

As Always in Christ-David M. Cornell

God Moments

Taking Charge and Getting it Done

The following are hard questions I know, but given the current state of the church, I for sure need to ask them of myself.  Have we taken charge of our salvation, using it as a tool to change lives and bring glory to Christ?  Or have we let our salvation become just a wrinkled up, frayed ticket to heaven, faded and forgotten in the linted bottom of our purses or that little slot in our wallets we clean out only once or twice a year?

God never intended for salvation to be just a prize, a trophy, collecting dust on a shelf, seen only by the select few we allow into our worlds. Our salvation is not just for us.  Let me say that again.  Salvation is not just for us.  It is about our purposeful, daily involvement for Christ in the lives of the unsaved.  With that in mind, salvation becomes God's holy boot camp, to which He calls us, and then trains us to be His ambassadors to the unsaved world.  So think on this for a moment.  Ambassadors are pro-active, always trying to mend broken relationships, establish new ones, and dynamically represent the one whom sent them.  Therefore, we will know we have taken charge of our salvation if we are regularly involved in openly representing Christ in our communities, cultures and nations.  If we are not so inclined it may be time for us to go on our knees before God and let Him have His way with us. 

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell

GOD MOMENTS available on Amazon.com and at tatepublishing.com.   

Changing the Impossible

Many believe things have gotten so bad in the world that there is no hope.  I was told the other day by a brother in Christ that we can't change anything, so we might as well just hunker down, protect our own and wait for Christ to return.  I have to disagree.  Up until the moment of His return the Great Commission remains in full force and affect, "...go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).  Until His return we still have the full force and authority of the King of Kings, the Ruler of All That Is behind us, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:18-19).  We still have the high honor of representing Christ, we also have the power and authority to do so with boldness, compassion and dignity for all.  We have no excuse not to.

Any culture, your culture, can still be changed, each nation, your nation, can still turn away from sin to Christ and every government, your government, can still choose to honor God and acknowledge His Son as Lord and Savior.  All it takes is you; you with the Christ-assurance to face the resistance with calm and integrity, you walking confidently with Christ boldly declaring His name and never giving up.  The Apostle Paul did it, so can you.

 

The Front Porch

          In 1957, our house in Bettendorf, Iowa was one of those arts and craft bungalows built by the thousands in the early 1900s all across America.  You know the kind.  The Norman Rockwell houses you still see in the old part of town; the ones that make you think of home, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I vividly remember the wide   front porch on ours because it is where life introduced me, a four year old, to daddy long leg spiders.  My seven- year old brother and I had strung a sheet across the porch forming a makeshift tent and we had permission to camp out that night.  All went well at first and I fell asleep without any trouble.  Sometime later in the night, however, I woke up to a tickling sensation on the back of my right hand, which was resting on my down filled pillow in front of my face.  So when I opened my eyes I saw the most frightful creature I had ever seen staring back at me, not two inches from my nose.  My shrieks and screams woke my parents who came running, angered my brother, and probably disrupted the entire neighborhood.  I finished the night in the safety of my bed, but my brother braved it out on the porch.  To this day spiders still give me the heebie-jeebies. 

          That porch also had four steps leading down to a narrow sidewalk that turned left and went around the east side of our house into the backyard.  Each side of those steps was flank by a large brick pillar with a flat concrete slab on top.  Those slabs were about thirty inches off the ground and it was easy to get on top of them from the steps.  I had been ascending these flat topped mountains all during that spring of the spider, but had not yet mustered the courage to hurdle myself off, when one day my father meandered around from the east side of the house.  My brother and some friends were playing on the porch.  He was perhaps telling them I was chicken of spiders because I remember them laughing. 

          Dad must have known I was contemplating a daring feat by my stance at the edge, and sharp focus on the sidewalk below.  I was hesitant though, so he stopped in front of me, perhaps four feet away and said, “Go ahead.  You'll be okay.”

          His reassuring words and smile helped, but were not enough.  “Are you sure?”  I asked. 

          My brother, being not as reassuring, teased me with, “Na, you're going to fall!”

          I looked at my dad with pleading eyes and he replied with an even bigger smile, “Yes, I'm sure,” and holding his arms out said, “I'll catch you.”

          That was all I needed.  “Okay, I'm going to jump!” I proclaimed and with my eyes locked on my father's, focused all the strength my forty-eight months of leg muscle could summon and flung myself out into the great and terrifying unknown.  In an instant, the safety of his arms banished the fear that had gripped me for days and I was running back up the steps to do it again. 

          After two more safe landings in his arms, he stepped back and said, “Okay.  Now do it without me.”   

          After a moment's panic, I said I would, raced back to the top, moved to the edge, looked for the strength in his eyes again and risked my first solo flight.  My eyes were squeezed shut as I landed on my hands and knees expecting disaster, but found none. 

          Wiping the grit off my palms and knees, I looked up at my father in delight. He said kindly, “See, I told you,” and then continued around the west side of the house.   

          With the new courage that swept over me, I don't remember how many solo jumps I took that afternoon, but there were several.  Now, if my father were alive today, he might not even remember that moment.  It didn't take more than a minute and to him, it was probably just a break in his day, lost in yard work, and taking out the garbage. 

          However, it was a liberating moment for a four year old; not unlike what God has waiting for us in his arms.  He is always around the house somewhere, coming around the corner, engaged in running the universe.  He is never too busy to stop and take a moment out of his day just for us, just for you, and say, “Come on.  You can do it.  I'll catch you.”

          It is in those moments when we do not really believe, when we squeeze our eyes shut anyway and fling ourselves out into the great unknown, that we experience real faith.  Standing on the edge and talking to God may be gratifying, but proves nothing.  He will not push nor grab us off the ledge.  The action is ours now.  His Son already died for us, for you.  Faith is jumping into the dark.  There is no other way of proving God's love to yourself, and that his arms really are there, outstretched and waiting.  Jump while he is calling you.  Jump before he walks around to the other side of the house.

Why Be a Christian?

Why be a Christian?  What are the benefits?  Do Christians have easier lives than others?  No.  Do we make more money than others?  Well, not just because we are Christian.  In fact Jesus died a total pauper, owning only the robe on his back.  Do we live longer on average than others?  No.  We have all the same problems with our health that non-Christians have.  God even said he will make the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).  And he said Christians should expect to suffer for their faith (Romans 8:17).  Wow.  Can God be proven to be real the same way we know two plus two will always equal four?  No, not anymore so than evolution can be proven in the same way.  So what's the big deal about being a Christian?  Why go to all the trouble?  Any old religion will do won't it?

I am so glad you asked. 

The reason for me is found in the Gospel of John.  In it Jesus tells his disciples that "I and the Father are one," "the Father is in me," and "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 10:30, 14:6,9).  Without arrogance, Jesus simply claimed to be God on earth.  No big show, no fanfare, no press agents, DVDs, reality shows, Tweets, BTWs, or OMGs. He didn't even go to Rome, the center of trade, commerce and politics in his day.  In a forgotten, dusty little backwater province, hated by most of the world to this day, a homespun preacher made a simple, almost secret claim to few uneducated commoners and then followed through on it despite the terrible consequences for his own life. 

That such an innocuous, unknown claim, made by such an absolute nobody in society, in a land forsaken by all, could, in just a little over 300 years, without spears, arrows, swords, or threats, conquer the greatest miltary empire on earth, gives tremendous weight to the claim of Godhood.  It simply cannot be ignored, no matter how hard we try.  And that this religous faith alone has been attacked unceasingly without mercy for over 2000 years now, without defeating it, speaks even louder for its validity (no one is trying to prove the Easter Bunny a fake).

Either the man, Jesus of Nazareth, was Jesus the Christ, God on earth or he was not.  There is no middle ground.  No room for shades of gray.  100% yes or 100% no.  What this does for me is set my mind and soul at ease in a worriesome world.  Think about it.  The God of all, the Creator of everything, loves you.  He even provided a way for us to be able to find our way home, ie., the death of his only Son.  Only the real God would have the willingness and the ability to sacrifice himself to full death and yet while dead, not be dead at all.  What a wondrous God indeed.  Incredible, that God looks out for us 24/7. What do we have to worry about, really?

So, yes, for the most part life is not any different for Christians than for those who believe differently.  Accept for one thing.  The moment I gave my life to Christ in that little Methodist Church in eastern Oklahoma in February, 1971, my heart changed.  It changed as sure as ice turns to water when exposed to heat.  I know that as sure as I know two plus two will always equal four.  It cannot be denied, defeated or discredited.  It is true, the one true God loved me/you enough to provide the way to salvation and heaven.  We don't have to figure it out for oursleves.

Why be a Christian?  What is it all about?  One thing only.  The amazing priviledge of telling others about the love and saving grace of Christ Jesus our Lord.
 

Thinking Like Kings and Queens-Are You Content With Just the Cross

As the years have passed all my excuses seem to have boiled down to answering just one question; am I content at the cross, or to ask it in a more embarrassing way, am I content with just the cross?  Do I need more than just Christ’s death on the cross to feel good about myself and to believe I can successfully tackle the drudgery of each day?  Do I need more in my life than just the assurance Christ loves me, to be able to deal calmly with people who anger and disappoint me?  Can I struggle with circumstances beyond my control, without losing my self-control, just by remembering what Christ did for me on a dusty hill outside Jerusalem?  Do I have the courage to make bold, urgent decisions without enough information just because Christ paid the price?  When the floodwaters overwhelm will just reminding myself God is all I need keep me afloat, or will I instead depend on bottles or pills to summon the courage to carry on day after day?   Finally, will just the comfort of his presence be enough to distract me from this all too real world, or will I instead turn to magazines, the internet, or the latest fad in self-help psychology?  

Are you content with just the cross?

My Opinion of HIS Opinion

Have you ever asked yourself, what is my opinion of God's opinion of me? Look close at the question. It isn't, what is God's opinion of me, it's what is MY opinion of God's opinion of me? Asking it that way puts a whole new light on the issue because I know God loves me, I am supposed to say that. But do I have the same opinion about myself that God does? Think about that for a moment because it can radically change your life. Genesis 1:26 says God put us in charge over the earth and John 3:16 says he loved us enough to give up his son. So God must trust us a whole lot to put is in charge and he must have the highest respect and love for us as can be, after all, he is God! Wow! What a great God we serve. Here's to living with a little more confidence today.   

How Did Paul Do What He Did?-Part 5

How to Change the World in Three Easy Steps-Or Something Like That

Christians face perhaps the most frustrating task known to humankind.  Change the world. (…go and make disciples of all nations…Matthew 28:18)  But many have “changed” the world.  Alexander, Galileo, Guttenberg, Columbus, Franklin, Newton, Marx, Lincoln, Einstein, Gates, to name just a few, all fundamentally altered how we live. So what makes the Christian task so compelling?  It is compelling because of how we are to accomplish it. We are to change the world with no military might to bend people to our way of thinking, no great scientific breakthroughs to wow impress the masses with, no fancy new political ideas or super leaps in technology to wow with. In fact, our only tool if you want to call it that is our mouths. (Go into the world and preach the good news to all creation… Mark 16:15)                                  

Not only that, but on the surface, our strategy does not look too promising either. We must boldly declare to the world an idea that we know it mostly rejects, which is: Christ is the only way to God. (No one comes to the father accept through me. John 14:6)  And we are to do so without compromise as we call this mostly hostile environment home.  In other words, in a rigid, insistent world, we are not to give an inch on the person and purpose of Christ.  Yet we are still to live life so affirmatively, so alluringly, that people will chose to listen to what we have to say about Christ. It seems an almost impossible task.  

Is it any wonder then that, in our oh-so politically charged and correct world, many perhaps most, Christians hesitate to share their faith?  Courageous, indeed, are those who step proudly forth for Christ.  Yet, it takes more than audacity to speak unflinchingly of Christ and persuade of Him at the same time. Using one sentence to both convict of sin and heal that sin in the same moment requires more than just daring. It requires two common C words, but in supernatural abundance, both of which Paul had-confidence and contentment. We will need them in like supply as well to accomplish our task.

So let’s talk first about confidence for awhile. What is it? Well, it’s easy enough to define. Just open the American Heritage Desk Dictionary and one learns that it is, “A feeling of assurance, especially of self-assurance…a firm belief in one’s own power…being sure of oneself.” But we know this. It is nothing new. We have all experienced the oomph and exhilaration of confidence… lost it… found it again, and have even helped other people experience it as well. So we know what it is and how it feels because it is tied to our emotions. And generally our feelings of confidence rise and fall according to what is happening around us at the moment. Therefore, such things as our jobs, if we have one, how much money we make and can we pay the bills, how good the kids are doing in school, did the car start this morning, the state of our marriage and other relationships, our health, whether the Dallas Cowboys win or lose and so forth, all impact our self-confidence.  And I think if asked most of us would say that we are, through it all, confident people. We handle the up’s and downs of life okay, and when struggles confront us we, for the most part, deal with them successfully and come out the other side in good shape.

But in all honesty I think if we measured our self-confidence by the effect we are having on our world for Christ (that is by the number of souls who will follow each of us into Paradise) most of us would be embarrassed. Why is that?  Again, it goes back to our task of confronting a hostile world with the person of Jesus Christ and convincing that world to relinquish its hostility. Let’s be honest, we are intimidated.  So we need to ask, where did Paul’s supernatural confidence come from?  The easy answer is that it comes from God, so this may seem an obvious and perhaps trite question to some.  But I suggest if it were so obvious and easy to answer then there would be significantly less strife, anger and bloodshed in our world today. We would all be leading lost souls to the Lord on a regular basis and churches worldwide would be bursting at the seams.  But those things do not seem apparent, at least not to me.  Yes, it comes from God, but we need to know how He plants it inside us and then where does the water come from that causes it to grow? 

It’s like knowing there is a jack in the trunk of your car, but never learning how to use it.  Its nice to know it’s there, but if you can’t put it to work it will be useless to you when that rusty nail pierces the left rear tire.  But, if you take the time to pull that jack out of the trunk and practice with it, before that nail does its damage, then you will be prepared to take advantage of all the jack has to offer when you need it.  So it is with confidence, if all we know is that it comes from God, but we have not studied how it works and why, then when we need it most, we will be ill prepared to make use of it in our lives.

Getting long here, so more later. 

When Nothing Else Works Try. . .

There is much noise in the world. Politics, religion, wars, terrorists, oil, revolutions and more.  Everyone has answers, but nothing changes. FRUSTRATING. It's going to take a technique our Founding Fathers used to make genuine headway. Theirs was an imp...ossible task, form a new nation out of chaos. Over and over they called on Divine Providence. The Declaration of Independence references "Natures's God," "their Creator," "the Supreme Judge of the World," and "the protection of Divine Providence." And it wasn't a big deal to them. Calling on God was just what they did, what they knew to do. We need to do the same. We just need to be who and what we are-a people of prayer and power. Christians have been distracted from using their most powerful tool in recent decades. It may sound trite, but it works. America's Founding Fathers proved it. A nation of prayors (not prayers) is the most powerful tool for change. So, I'm challenging all my Friends everywhere to everyday be like America's Founding Fathers and call on Divine Providence. God hears and change is sure to follow.  

How Did Paul Do What He Did? Part 4

So we considered in earlier blogs that Paul’s strategy for revolutionizing the Roman world did not involve the military, political parties, the latest in technology or launching mega ad campaigns. His strategy centered on training new believers how to rethink who they were and what they were capable of accomplishing by tapping into the real and absolute power of their salvation. The mind was a common theme running throughout his letters. He repeatedly speaks of our minds and the part they play in learning to have confidence in who we are in Christ. No less than 39 times he writes of things such as being of one mind, having the mind of Christ, humbleness of mind and having a sound mind. In Romans 12:2, he exhorts us to,

“…not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your MIND.” (emphasis mine, NIV)

We have arrived at the heart of what I am trying to say in these blogs, so please stay with me at this point. Here lies the key to Paul’s success. This is how he did what he did. By renewing his mind in Christ, Paul grew to understand and believe all the following. First, God has all power and no one can stop what He chooses to accomplish. Second, God has a desire and a plan to achieve it. Third, that desire is that everyone should hear the name of Jesus and have an opportunity to accept Him as their Lord and Savior, thereby changing cultures, societies and nations. Fourth, His plan is to use us, you, to talk Jesus up in our various cultures, nations and societies, just as Paul did. Fifth, anyone who joins with God in this plan, just as Paul did, automatically taps the power of God. Finally, and most importantly, because God’s plan cannot be thwarted those who join Him are guaranteed success in changing their culture for Christ, just as Paul was.

Which century or decade makes no difference; success is certain. What country and which culture makes no difference; success is certain. No matter how depraved a society, success is certain. No matter what political system is in vogue, whether nationalism, capitalism, socialism, communism or some other “ism”, success is certain. In other words, failure is simply not possible to achieve in God’s plan. If a person, a group or a nation chooses to join God in the simplest of ideas (talk about Jesus); they will succeed in changing their society and culture.

We are the only variable that matters. The only real question to ask yourself is, will you be a part of God's plan or not? You do not have to be. God will find someone to replace you if you decline the invite. Therefore, how confident are we in our salvation and the power it holds? Do we really believe all things are possible through Christ who strengthens us? Do we really believe that, or is it just a feel-good fairy tale we pull out when things go wrong? If we, you, do believe, then there is no question about it. America (any nation for that matter) can still today, experience the full and awesome revolutionizing power of the Gospel simply because the faithful stop complaining about what has been lost, give up longing for the past, and start gossiping about Jesus with everyone we know, everywhere we go.   Only then will America “go back" to what it used to be.  That is what Paul knew and believed and that is how he did what he did. 

I am already starting to hear the groans and the “it’s easier said than done's.” That’s okay. Those groans and chuckles come from minds still awaiting training and renewal in Christ-minds that still lack the confidence to see the possible. For only the confidence gained by the renewing of our minds can overcome the inner doubt we can do it, silence the, it is too difficult objections, and calm the reluctance to move forward caused by timidity and fear of rejection.

So we need to talk about that confidence, where it comes from and how it should look in our lives.  We also need to discuss what it means to gossip about Jesus. For now all I will say is that it does not mean being obnoxious.  More later.   

A Big Thank You.

To all my Facebook friends and readers. I just want to take a moment here to say thanks for your friendships and all your views and reads. I truly enjoy writing and each of your clicks is more encouragement than you may ever know. Please also feel free to comment. In Christ, D.M.C.

Don't Give Up-Part 3 How Did Paul Do What He Did?

With all the dysfunction, corruption, endless bloviating, and petty whining going on these days across this great land of ours I think the number one question on everyone’s mind is can America ever be the country we want it to be? Can America really change? Can we reverse the loose morals of our times? We ask, are we doomed to spiral ever downward as a nation into an abyss of total moral depravity? We nostalgically want to know, will we as a people ever again see the magnificence of self-reliance as opposed to the unimaginative dullness of relying on government? We sense inside that it is the right way to live so we wonder can we stop blaming our problems on everyone else and see the grandeur of accepting responsibility for ourselves.  Can each America find the courage and strength to shed the heavy cloak of victimhood we have learned to wear so well in the past few decades? Will we once again stand proud in the liberty and splendor of rugged individualism? Can we regain the brilliance of knowing that failure is the most important part of success? Are we to regain the wondrous vision that even the lowliest of hard, honest work lifts the soul high then, grasp the nobility of charity not being a lifestyle?

But most of all, I think Americans are just plain tired. They are tired of being shamed out of their pride of country by those who would exact acceptance of all viewpoints accept the traditional American viewpoint. They are tired of being intimidated out of speaking up for right and against wrong by narrow-minded cries of intolerance from those who understand tolerance the least. And right now, we are tired of being spent into poverty as a nation through the biggest Ponzi scheme ever foisted on a people.  All that said what do we do about it?

As I mentioned in Part 2, complaining about our problems is also plentiful in America but does not constitute involvement or lead to solutions.  It is an easy, poor substitute and gives the false impression of caring and doing something about the problems we face as a nation. Therefore, gripe sessions are not going to work. And I keep talking about how the Apostle Paul, without firing a single shot, set the stage for the downfall of the pagan Roman Empire and keep asking how he did that? The real question here is of course, how can we use his 1^st Century model to change our 21^st Century America?  A tall order to be sure, but we can do it.

So what was his model? We already know it was not military. Neither was it political, scientific, or based on the legal system, social programs or technology. He brought down the Romans simply by knowing who he was in Christ and having the confidence to keep going no matter what dangers and turmoil he faced. Only supreme confidence in himself because he first had supreme confidence in his Commanding General, gave him the moxie to stand up over and over again to keep preaching Jesus in a hostile, deadly, pagan culture. He did it by transferring that confidence to new Christians from Jerusalem to Rome and perhaps Spain, building churches everywhere he traveled and training up his own replacements before he died a martyr’s death.

Yes, he built his strategy for changing a culture and continent by tapping the power that dwells in knowing who we are in Christ. And if he can do it, so can we.     More later.    

Take a Chance on Love

Remember falling in love: the awe, the excitement, the tension, the confusion, that need to see them, hear their voice, be near them. Remember when you first woke up in the morning how ordinary the world was, until the magic of the instant they crossed your mind for the first time that day brightening everything and transforming your world into a place where anything was possible.  Remember how, regardless of whatever else you had to get done during the day, you always found a way to be together, even if it was for just a moment. Where does all that come from?  Its comes from God! He created us so he could fall head over heels in love with us. And he has been in love with us like that since the beginning of time. Excited about us, confused by us for sure at times, wanting to hear from us, spend time with us. And in His world everything is possible, because we can do all things through Christ. So fall in love with God all over again. He won't grow tired of you, he will always listen to you, have time for you, and every time you walk out in a huff, he will hang around, waiting for you to come back. And when you do he will greet you with open arms. So give it a try.  Fall in love again!

When Someday is Today-Part 5

It came to my attention this day that I did not followup with the results of my surgery for possible cancer back in June. I closed out Part 4 on a very positive note about the power of prayer and fellowship had the surgery on June 3, which went very well and just moved on.  My apologies to those who may still be wondering, but I am cancer free. In fact surgery went very well. I was a little sore but up and about the next day.  Thanks again for all the prayers.