Amazing Love

Whenever I find myself struggling—depressed, and disillusioned with my life, eventually, I am reminded that it was because I took my eyes off of Christ and instead, am focused on some crappy circumstances that I am temporarily suffering through.

What I keep forgetting, is that the crappy circumstances of this life are just that—temporary.

This always happens when I forget to be thankful for what I do have and for what God has done for me. 

The secret to experiencing true joy is all about remembering what Jesus did for me on the Cross and then constantly have an attitude of gratitude—thanking Him for what He did—despite my current circumstances.

I'm glad that we take communion on a regular basis at our church because I need to be reminded of what Jesus did by sacrificing Himself for me, because of God's amazing love for this lost world.

As I've said many times before, the root cause of most of our depression is due to an inordinate self-focus. So, take your eyes off yourself and your problems and set your heart on the risen Lord, Who loved you and gave Himself for you.

Last night I started reading a book on worship.  And unfortunately, like so many books on the topic, it's more of a "how to" book about methods or a prescription, than it is about the Person of Christ.

Worship is not about "how"—it's about Who.

It's all about Jesus.

The words from the following song always put worship in the right perspective:

"I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken.
I'm accepted, You were condemned.
And I'm alive and well, Your Spirit lives within me,
Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love, how can it be,
That You, my King would die for me?
Amazing love, I know it's true,
And it's my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.

Jesus You... are my King."

Listen to this amazing song here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwoCbcSXlSM 

How can that be?

Jesus said:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." - (John 3:16-17)

Remember Jesus today—what He did on the Cross for you—and then love Him enough to thank Him for it.

And then in all that you do, seek to honor Christ because you love Him.

     —Blessings to you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

A Double-Minded Man

"A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways."

I read an article about double-mindedness this morning that basically stated: "being double-minded means you can't make a decision." 

And while that may at times be true, the inability—or more accurately—the refusal to make a decision, is only a symptom of being double-minded.

But what is the root of the problem?

Look at the photo of the snake above. It's a two-headed monster. One head wants to go south, while the other wants to go north, or, just stay where it's at. 

Two minds opposed to one another, always competing against each other.

That's being double-minded.

The apostle James writes:

"Consider it all as joy my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, for he is a double-minded man—unstable in all of his ways." (James 1:2-8)

That's a very exposing and painful diagnosis of a double-minded man.  "Unstable in all of his ways."

I once heard an old pastor say: 

"Being double-minded is like being stuck straddling a barbed wire fence—one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world."

That says it all.

When we surrender our lives to Christ, we have to be all-in.  We're either all-in the kingdom of God, or we're all-in the kingdom of this fallen world.

A double-minded man (or woman) is easily known by the fruit of their life. They are never happy or content with the situations in their life. Rarely, if ever, are they thankful for what they do have. Always murmuring and complaining, saying things like: "My job sucks!"  "I hate the teaching at this church!"  "Why don't they play the songs that I like!"  Etc, etc.

Never content with anything.

Further evidence of a double-minded person is they have little to no discipline or self-control. They don't take care of themselves. They secretly succumb to every lust or fleshly appetite. They claim to be a Christian but still live a totally worldly lifestyle. They can't manage their money. They are always late to work, school or church.  They wait until the last minute to do anything, and then do only the minimum required to get by. They talk a good game, but never follow through and actually take any action to do what they say.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Picture a big gold-plated throne. Now picture a person sitting on it.  And all around the foot of the throne, they have neatly arranged all the aspects of their life. Their job, their relationships or marriage, their money, their hobbies, their TV/entertainment time, their spiritual/church life, their responsibilities, and, oh yeah, God is placed around there somewhere—when (or if) they have time for Him.

This is the reality of the lives of many people who call themselves "christian."  

I am personally convicted by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit this morning, who is reminding me of God's Word which says:

"Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

It's 2:15 AM, and in my self-examination this morning, before God, I have to ask myself:  "Have I truly come down off the throne of my life, and surrendered all of my heart, mind and will to God?"

"Search me O' God and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)

So I ask you today what I ask myself:  are you all-in?

My prayer is:

"Lord Jesus, I ask for Your forgiveness for all of the areas of my life that I have not surrendered to You, and I invite You once again to take the rightful place of Your Glory on the throne of my heart. May my life and body be a pleasing sacrifice to You.  I give it to You freely. I'm all-in.  Please give me the strength to do the things that I need to do and not just talk about them. In Your name I pray and give thanks."  

-Amen.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Don't Quit

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."(Galatians 6:10)

Feel like throwing in the towel lately?

You're not alone.  

Life on this ball of dirt tends to have a way of beating you down, wearing you out.  It's so easy to want to just give up and say, "I'm not winning anyway, so why keep trying!"

But please, don't quit.

I love the Biblical analogy of a farmer who sows his seed, tends his field, and then he waits ever-so-patiently for the precious harvest that will come, later.

"See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and springs rains." (James 5:7)

But we're not usually like that farmer.  We, in our "self"-centered, instant gratification society, want everything right now.  

We simply don't wait well.

One of my favorite one-liners is from Tommy Tenney:

"We're into microwaving—but God's into marinating."

Our problem is if we have to wait long for something, our natural tendency is to quit.  "If the going gets tough, the weak jump ship."   Sound familiar?

Since I've been a follower of Christ, I've heard the following expression more times than I can count: "Don't try to do anything in your own strength."

What?  How else can you do anything?

The Bible says:  "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."

So how do you get God's grace?

Jesus said: "You receive not because you ask not."

You have to confess your absolute weakness before God, and then humble yourself and ask Him for His strength. 

Husbands, you can't be the leader, protector and provider God made you to be in your own strength.  Wives, you can't surrender your fears to Jesus and trust your husband to be the spiritual leader of the family without God's strength. Parents, you can't begin to raise a child properly (and remain sane) without God's strength.  Employee, you can't succeed at your job unless the Lord gives you His wisdom and strength to do so.

Trust me, I've repeatedly tried doing everything in my own strength, and have failed miserably, every time.

Jesus said:

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

It's odd, how so many non-Christians tend to over generalize and say that Christians are the most self-righteous people around.  And maybe some are.

But it's the atheist, agnostic and secular humanist who says "I don't need a God" who are actually "self"-righteous because they think they already are good, or they can make themselves 'good' apart from God.  That is truly being "self"-righteous. 

A true follower of Christ is a person who humbles themselves before God, surrendering their heart and hurts to Him, confessing they are not good, but rather, a sinner who desperately need God's mercy, forgiveness and salvation. 

A person who is truly humble before God confesses, "I can never climb my own way up to God."

On the opposite side of the coin is the "self"-righteous person tries to climb up a man made ladder of their own good works, trying to attain or earn "enlightenment" or what they perceive to be "heaven."

So what kind of person are you?

If you have surrendered your heart and life to Jesus Christ, you will be the person who daily confesses your utter weakness to Him and then ask Him to fill you afresh with His Spirit and give you His wisdom and strength to do and become all that He has foreordained that you do and become.

It truly is that simple.

But you have to ask, and then you have to take that step of faith to do what Christ actually directs you to do.  

Until you take that step of faith—trusting God to give you the strength and wisdom He has promised—you will remain powerless.  But once you take the first step of faith, God will give you His strength to take the next step, and the next, and then the next.  

It's a divine partnership if you will.  

God can do all things, and most certainly, He can do them without us. But He in His sovereignty, has chosen to do much of His will through His people.  And then, only through His people who ask Him for wisdom and strength, and then rely wholly on Him to complete whatever good work He has begun in their lives.

That's what the Biblical word "faith" means:  to trust wholly in God.

So if you're weary, burdened, and in the process of throwing in the towel, stop. And then surrender and respond to the voice of Jesus who beckons you to come to Him.

He will give you rest for your weary soul.

God's promise to those of us who fully place our trust in Him, is that we can be absolutely confident that, 

"He who began a good work in you will carry in on to completion until the Day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

And God always keeps His promises.

Place your trust in Him today, and then ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and strengthen you.

He won't turn you away.

You can strive and plow the ground and then toil over planting seed.  But only God can make it rain.

     —Call on Him today.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.