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You Are What You Eat

October 22, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.”
~Jeremiah 15:16EatTheWord

When we meditate on the words of God, they become a part of us. These words deal specifically with our souls and they’re written to transform us into people who reflect the glory of God. A daily diet of Scripture allows these holy words to enter our souls just like food enters our stomachs. It spreads through our entire system of blood and air and organs and nerves and functions. We assimilate it. And it becomes holiness and love and wisdom.

The same is true of prayer. It’s a complex act of speaking to and listening to the Creator of heaven and earth. It’s an act of submission. It’s a declaration of faith. It’s basking in the presence of our God, delighting in his love and grace, and taking comfort in his mercy and forgiveness.

Reading God’s Word and praying to the Father are not intellectual exercises. It’s not a hobby or a pastime. This is life and death. It’s urgent. It’s right now. It speaks to every facet of our everyday lives. It nourishes us. It transforms us. It gives us the Holy Spirit strength we need to live as mature disciples in a hostile world.

You are what you eat. When I look in the mirror, I can see that the Whataburgers and Oreos have become a part of me — the biggest part of me. Yesterday, we fasted and prayed together as a church family in preparation for our Missions Sunday. Fasting and praying. I was focused on the Word yesterday. I was zeroed in on prayer all day. I didn’t eat. And no Dr Pepper. But at the end of the day I was full. Satisfied. I was changed, if only a little. I assimilated a little more of God’s Word and his nature into my soul. I had grown.

Jesus made a habit of withdrawing “privately to a solitary place.” Our Lord spent much of his time in Scripture and prayer: listening to God, speaking with him, communing with him. As his followers, we too set aside a time every day for prayer and Bible reading. Thirty minutes. An hour. In the morning. During lunch. Bedtime. The time and place are not important. Making this communion with God a daily priority is very important. It’s a vital part of “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Peace,

Allan

Live to Give

October 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us — see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” ~2 Corinthians 8:7

GivingConsistent and sacrificial giving is an act of Christian gratitude. It reveals a true grasp of the magnitude of God’s salvation gifts to us through Christ. It has very little to do with obedience and nothing at all to do with the size of your bank account.

Our giving is an act of Christian faith. It declares that God is the giver of all things and we are merely recipients. It reflects a confidence that our gracious Father will always keep his promises to provide for his children. It’s an act of dependence on him. To withhold our money or to give it grudgingly or with hesitation reflects and insecurity that denies the very thing the Church teaches.

We also believe real giving serves to sanctify us — to shape us and mold us more into the image of Jesus — which is the whole point of our being saved. When we give away our money, we’re becoming like Christ as we act in our context the same way our Lord acted in his. We give up our physical resources for others because of our spiritual riches in God. When we give, we’re considering the needs of others more important than our own. That’s what it means to “attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Excelling in giving has nothing to do with personal resources. It’s all about experiencing and participating in God’s mercy and grace.

Peace,

Allan

He Gave

October 19, 2015 / / 0 Comments

JesusCrossDark“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” ~Romans 8:32

Scripture says God gave the land to Abraham. The Lord gave success to Joseph. God gave his children manna in the desert. The Bible tells us our God gave his people deliverers when they were in trouble. Through Christ, God gave us the right to become his children.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” ~John 3:16

In the Gospels, Jesus says I give you eternal life. I give you my peace. I give you the Spirit. This is my body given for you. The Kingdom of God is given to you. I give you victory. Paul says God has freely given us of his glorious grace.

God created in order to give. Jesus came to earth in order to give. He lived and died and rose again and reigns at the right hand of the Father in heaven so he can give.

“Life a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” ~Ephesians 5:2

That’s the Good News. God gave. Now I give. Freely you have received, freely give. God through Christ gave. Everything. To me. Now I give. Everything. To him. That’s the Gospel. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Peace,

Allan

Trading Places

October 13, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as children, the redemption of our bodies.” ~Romans 8:22-23

HealingCrowdsScripture gives us many metaphors for what God is up to in this world. One of the most prominent word pictures or set of images is the motif of changing places. Switching roles. The rich and powerful being brought down and the poor and weak being lifted up. God is turning things upside down. It’s Freaky Friday to the max. Actually, it’s more like Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places, only without the one dollar bet and gorilla costume.

The way the world is right now, all the power structures, the way things are: all the people in charge and all the people in the streets; the people who are oppressed and the people without a care in the world; people who are trapped in hopeless cycles of despair and people who are living high on the hog — God is working to totally flip it all around. God’s day of glory is going to be opposite day!

We look around at all the brokenness — there’s a lot of it — and we groan. We see the devastation in Syria, and we groan. We see the body bags in Iraq and Afghanistan and Oregon, and we groan. Deadly flooding. Racism and violence. Senseless crime. Extreme drought. We see the rich get richer and the poor get poorer; we see the innocent oppressed and watch the guilty go free. Creation is not in harmony with its maker, the nations do not bow down to God, and we don’t even like our neighbors! And we groan.

Jesus&JairusWe know it’s going to change. We know it’s coming. We can sense it. We can feel it. It’s going to happen. We don’t groan because we don’t know what’s going to happen; we groan because we know exactly what’s going to happen. Everything is going to be turned upside down.

The psalmist groans. He can feel it. Sense it. Anticipate it. It’s going to happen.

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord!” ~Psalm 113:7-9

He’s actually borrowing from Hannah’s prayer. Listen to the reversal language here. Trading places.

“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes.” ~1 Samuel 2:4-8

Hannah can feel it. She knows it. She’s waiting for it. She groans.

Mary the mother of Jesus knows what the coming of the Christ means and she expresses it in praise to our God.

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” ~Luke 1:52-53

Then Jesus comes! Yes, finally, the Holy One of Israel comes! And what does he preach?

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh…” ~Luke 6:20-22

JesusHealsManThis is Act Four of the Story of God. The Creator comes to us in the Messiah Lord. Emmanuel. God with us. Jesus comes to us to reverse the curse. Jesus is all about turning things upside down.

He heals the Centurion’s servant. He brings the widow’s dead son back to life. He drives out demons and heals the sick. And he doesn’t just heal the physical things. When Jesus heals, he fixes everything: physical, spiritual, emotional, relational. God works through Christ to totally restore. Peace. Shalom. Wholeness. Completeness.

The woman caught in adultery. Jesus gets involved and she moves from her day of public execution to a brand new life without sin. Lazarus is dead, he’s been dead for four days. His sisters are groaning, all of Bethany is groaning and grieving. And Jesus says this is not how things are supposed to be. And he reverses the curse.

Jesus is dying on the cross. He’s suffering and suffocating. He’s moments away from dying. And I imagine he lifts his head up and prays to his Father:  “Dear Father, please let me do it one more time. Let me fix one more thing. Let me turn one more person’s life upside down.”

And the criminal being hung on Jesus’ right turns to him. And he groans. “Jesus, remember me.” And Jesus says, “Done. You’re with me.”

Everyone Jesus met, he saw as beautiful. Beautiful because of what they were meant to be. Beautiful because of what they were created to be. Beautiful because he saw in them what they were actually going to be. They were groaning and he turned their lives upside down.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” ~Romans 8:18

God is giving glory to his people and to his entire creation. God is working right now to transform his people into the perfect image of the Christ. That’s the climax. That’s where we’re headed. Us and all of creation.

The groanings in the world, the groanings in your own life, I’d say, are actually proof that the God who began a good work in you, in us, is indeed bringing it to completion.

Peace,

Allan

What Are You Afraid Of?

October 12, 2015 / / 0 Comments

JesusWalkingThe third servant in Jesus’ story in Matthew 25 buried his master’s talent in the ground because he was afraid. He was afraid if he didn’t perform well, he would be punished. He was afraid of displeasing his master, of making his master angry. He believed it was better to play it safe, better to minimize the potential risk, better to avoid embarrassment or loss, by just sitting on the talent and returning it to the master unharmed. That third servant was afraid.

What are you afraid of?

We are God’s children, remember? We are disciples of the Christ, right? We’re not merely talking about faith or teaching religious principles or believing theological ideas or keeping biblical rules. We are living our lives — our whole entire lives! — with God in Christ.

And we can’t be scared.

God doesn’t just give us talents. He gives us life. And the life given to us by God is not to be lived in some kind of rigid, cramped, crowded, small, compromised, legalistic way. We are empowered by God’s Spirit to live life in a full, wild, joyful, exuberant, cheerful, celebratory way. We courageously live in ways that apprehend and assimilate the freedoms we have in our Lord. Those holy freedoms radiate out of our bold actions, Christ’s commission pulsates through our radical works. It’s brakes-off, no-looking-back, full-steam-ahead salvation activity that blesses others with God’s mercy and grace.

What are you afraid of?

Are you scared that, while showing radical mercy and grace, you might mess something up? While forgiving and healing, blessing and helping others, you might make God mad? Are there rules you’re afraid you might break if you try to advance the Kingdom? Are there people you’re scared you might upset if you think outside the box?

The way I see it, a full grasp of the life we have in Christ and the grace and mercy we receive from our Father means we’re no longer afraid of messing up. We don’t hold back because of an anxiety over doing something that might displease God. At the very least, avoiding sin should not be the main thing that drives us as we partner with God in his salvation mission for the world.

Our God wants his beloved children to operate out of joy and freedom and faith to do what is good and right, not out of fear of making a mistake. Isn’t that the whole point of the story in Matthew 25? If we faithfully pursue his mission and maybe — maybe! — mess something up, he’s not going to punish us. He’s going to use it for his purposes and to his eternal glory and praise.

So, don’t just sit there on your talent. Go do something. Do something bold and outrageous, something you’ve never tried before, something for the sake of somebody else in the name and manner of our Lord. Trust God to make it work, even if you don’t see the results immediately. Have faith that God isn’t concerned about the results — that’s his job, by the way, not yours — as much as he is about your eagerness to enter his mission.

And don’t be scared. We know the Master.

Peace,

Allan

Important Questions

October 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

I’ve never gone to a restaurant in order to watch a game on TV. Yes, I’ve watched parts of plenty of games in restaurants while enjoying a meal with family and friends. But I’ve never gone to a dining establishment for the sole reason of sitting at a table for three hours so I can watch a ballgame from start to finish.Bunting

Until today.

The Rangers play Game Two of the ALDS at 11:45 this morning on MLB Network. Because neither the Rangers nor the Blue Jays have significant national followings and, therefore, do not command large national TV ratings, the first two games are relegated to (1) weekday afternoons and (2) on little known networks with limited availability. SuddenLink, our local cable provider in Amarillo, does not carry MLB Network. They don’t even offer it. I called them yesterday. Even if I drove to SuddenLink’s Amarillo headquarters at 45th and Bell and wrote them a $500 check, they can’t provide MLB Network. So, we’re going to Buffalo Wild Wings. About seven or eight of us are meeting there to cheer on Cole Hamels and the Rangers. I was wanting to meet early so we can pray first for Adrian Beltre’s back, but I think most everybody’s doing well just to make it for first pitch.

How does one do this? What are the obligations? Do I drink Diet Dr Pepper for three hours out of the same cup, or am I expected to pay for each refill? We’re going to tie up a table or two for the entire lunch shift — are we obligated to tip the waiter for four or five meals worth of time, or do they plan for super-low turnover? Can I order one meal during the fourth inning and not order anything else for the entire three hours, or am I expected to keep ordering and eating from the first pitch to the last out to hang onto my table? I know I can’t expect them to pause the broadcast while I visit the restroom or go back on the DVR so I can try to read a subtle glance between Andrus and Alberto following a fumbled exchange. But, is it OK to switch tables in the seventh inning in an effort to change mojo?

I don’t know!

I do know Beltre’s out of the lineup for today. I don’t know yet the condition of Bautista or Donaldson for the Jays. But I would be really surprised if Texas doesn’t take this game and fly back to Arlington up two games to none. These kids are going to play inspired baseball for their sidelined leader who, no doubt, will be a strong and emotional presence in the Rangers dugout. And this is not Hamels’ first rodeo. And I probably am not going to need any dinner tonight.

Let’s Go, Rangers.
Clap. Clap.
Clap, Clap, Clap.

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