When we want to win....

But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels, and the bondservant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth 2 Timothy 2:23-25

I have started this post at least ten times. But each time, I can’t seem to quite get it right. I don’t know - maybe I chicken out, fearing rejection or being misunderstodd. Today, I am going to get these thoughts down and pray that the Lord speaks instead of me…

Let me begin by saying I love to win. I am not one of those “it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, just have fun playing” kind of people. Nope. I like to WIN. Whether it’s an argument or a board game or a ball game (well, my TEAM - I don’t play anything :) ), I like to win.

And while I am uncomfortably sure that my pride is involved in liking to win (at least the arguments, anyway), it is important to acknowledge that I want to be on the side of RIGHT. Not merely BEING right but being on the side of right. More than a few times, I have changed by position after study and contemplation when I became convinced that I was initially on the wrong side.

So let’s begin with understanding that I am by no means a “peace at all costs” or “avoid confrontation” kind of gal. Not at all. Remember - I like to win!

That said….I want to talk about us Christians and our arguments. Or “stands” or “convictions” or maybe you have another term for when we take issue with another viewpoint and attack. We’ve all seen different issues play out on social media and maybe even in person. And often, we jump right in, on one side or the other, in an attempt to prove we are right…to win. So many times, I want to react to posts or comments and share “my two cents’worth” but the verse from 2 Timothy often restrains me.

I have seen alot of attacks and arguments. But I have lately seen alot of humble and gentle correction. And I just want to applaud those who are standing for truth - not so much in an effort to “win” but it seems instead a desire to lead those who are in opposition TO TRUTH….to Christ. How I pray that we all can see that our desire to argue or attack is an indication of pride. Respectful, gentle debate in pursuit of truth should rather be our goal. But may we do so NOT out of a desire to please MAN but rather to honor GOD. The fear of man leads to a snare…but whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe (Proverbs 29:25.

And ultimately, what we want is for others to see that JESUS is right…not us.

Celebrate Easter

This Sunday, we will head to church to celebrate Easter. New clothes, pretty flowers, yummy food. All good things but what are we celebrating? The arrival of spring? An obligatory religious observation?  Let's take a few minutes to focus on what the day really means.

Jesus died. The One who healed folks who couldn't see or walk. He even brought some back to life. The One who fed the hungry. The One who loved people to wholeness, showed them how to live. The One who called people to repentance from sin. The One who said if we saw Him, then we had seen the Father.

This One, the Hope for all the world, died. And He said He had to. That it was why He came. To be the perfect sacrifice, required for the sin of the world. Can you imagine how His followers felt? Talk about grief and disappointment and confusion. I mean, really, they followed this Man and believed that He was going to change the world. They gave up their way of life to answer His call. They saw actual miracles and placed all their hope in Him.

 Then He ups and dies. Certainly they must have had a few moments of doubt - if He were really who He claimed to be, wouldn't He have asserted a little Divine power and wiped out the bad guys?? Ponder for a moment what your feelings would have been – disappointment, confusion, disillusionment, fear, maybe even anger?

Then, to the amazement of them all....even though He had told them...His body isn't in the tomb. He appears! Living and breathing! NO WAY!!!

The initial response must have been shock. Then, I imagine that Jesus’s words and explanations from the preceding three years began to sink in. They finally grasped what He meant, why He came, why He died and that He had come back to life. I wonder how long it took for them to understand what His death on the cross accomplished.

He paid the debt we owe God . Sin is costly - it exacts death from those who commit it. And Jesus's voluntary death was the only means by which our debt could be paid. So He paid it. Mercy. Amazing mercy. Love beyond compare. I hope we never get over being amazed at such great love!

But then He did the impossible. He defeated Death! No longer would man have to fear Death because Jesus overcame it! Not only can our sin be paid for so that we can be acceptable to God, but we now don't have to fear Death. He conquered it! Because of His resurrecting Himself, He gives to us the promise of resurrection. To live forever, without sin or death. Oh hallelujah!

This year, as we celebrate Easter,let's focus on what His death AND His resurrection do for us. And ponder, just for a moment, that this same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in us. NOW. Is there anything in your life that could use some resurrection power? A relationship? A dream? Finances? Self-control? Joy? Hope? Because of Easter, that power, that Glory, can be present in our lives through Jesus. Those of us who are Christ-followers have resurrection power that enables us to live supernatural lives. If that doesn't describe you, do you want it to?

Celebrate Easter. For real.

Snakebites

This post originally appeared on March 8, 2014. 

She sat at my kitchen table, tears pooling in her big brown eyes, and then silently slipping into the Diet Coke she was trying to choke down.  Her heart was broken. I cried with her. 

Her story felt unique to her, but sadly, I knew it wasn't.  The refrain of "I can't believe this happened to me.  I know better" has been sung too many times before. Ignoring the signs that warn "danger".  Climbing over the rails put there to protect. Lingering long in the dwelling place of snakes can eventually lead to snakebite.

I live in a college town and I've watched this scene way more times than I'd like to say.  Sweet kid leaves home.  Seems to "have it all together".  But underneath that smiling exterior is a heart that leaps at this chance to "be free".  A heart that sees the restrictions and rules as unnecessary for the wanna-be adult inside. A heart that disbelieves that the warning signs and guardrails are protective but rather a barrier to fun.

So the migration begins.  Little things, at first.  Things that seem to be "personal preference", nothing that seems consequential.  Choice of friends.  Of places to be.  Appearance.  Activities.  It feels so fun and feels far from harmful.

Then stuff happens.  Things never planned or desired.  Things that cannot be undone.  And often, there comes a scene at somebody's kitchen table, in tears and disbelief.

Things can be repaired, though.  And I told her that.  We talked about new beginnings and forgiveness and restoration.  To address her amazement that "this" had happened to her, I gently pointed out that if you poke around a lot in the habitat of snakes, you're probably gonna get bitten.

If you've gotten bitten, I want you to know with all my heart that there is a chance to begin again.  There is grace enough to cover all mistakes of every kind.  And there can be beauty from ashes, mourning can be turned into joy.  It's gonna take some work and some time but I've seen it happen.  I know that it can happen for you.

But please listen to this next line:
If you're not yet bitten but you are frequenting places where snakebites happen, I beg you to pull away.  Guardrails are there for protection, not to prevent fun.  What you look at, listen to, and long for matters.  Who you have fun with matters.  It all matters.  And if you disregard the guardrails and the signs of warning and remain in the territory of snakebites.....

Whether you're in college or long past it.


After she left my table, I spilled tears into my own Diet Coke.  For her.  Not so much for what's happened but mostly because she didn't seem convinced that the guardrails are necessary.  I fear she won't stay away from the terrain of the snakes.  First bites are bad enough but it's really really really hard to recover from subsequent ones.

This post originally appeared on March 8, 2014.  It bears repeating.

 

The cycle of giving

Luke 6:38 - Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return.

I love this verse that Dr. Luke pens for us! It is such a beautiful expression of the generosity of God. “Pressed down, shaken together, running over” - not “whatever you give, you will get” . Instead it is a picture of uncontainable abundance.

The verse is usually thought of in terms of financial giving and certainly its application includes that. Other verses express the same exhortation for us to be lavish in giving back to God what He has given to us, and that God will not only notice but also reward that. Proverbs 22:9 - He who is generous will be blessed for he gives some of his food to the poor. 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 - Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, He scattered abroad, He gave to the poor, His righteousness abides forever. Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

Indeed, we can understand the verse from Luke to apply to how we give our money and invest for Eternity. But we miss a great portion of its application if we don’t look at it in context. Verse 35 is smack dab in the middle of a passage where Jesus is majoring on how we treat others, particularly those who don’t treat us well or cannot do anything beneficial for us in return. Focusing in on just verses 35-38 gives us a broader idea of what this particular verse has for us: But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful and do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon and you will be pardoned. Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return.

We see that the meaning goes far beyond our checkbook. Jesus is including how we treat people, how we view them, how we judge them. He calls us to be merciful - not condoning sin but rather not giving others the judgment they deserve. Extending grace and the benefit of the doubt, rather than condemnation. Making allowances for their failures and offering understanding for their shortcomings. “Pardon” - releasing them from our expectations of what we believe they owe us. I don’t think this calls us to pretend the wrong behavior isn’t there - rather it is just not insisting that others conform to how we think they should behave and instead letting them answer to God.

The consequences of our choices, the standard we use towards others - whether financial or otherwise - is more of the same towards ourselves. And I believe these results happen in this present life as well as in Eternity. The measure we use towards others is the same God will apply to us. Multiplied.

May this truth grip our hearts and encourage us towards great mercy and generosity. Because we all want that to come back to our own lives!

What's the difference between our soul and our spirit?

There is a phrase in I Thessalonians that offers some cool insight into us humans. It’s easy to glide right past but one day I really saw it and from there, the Lord clarified some truths for me. Chater 5, verse 23 - Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth be told, there is a whole lot of divine treasure in that one little verse!!!! But we are just looking at one little phrase - “spirit and soul and body”.

I grew up hearing the words “soul” and “spirit” used interchangeably and for a long time, never pondered if there was any difference between them. But one day, I got to wondering :)

So I investigated. What I learned was helpful to me so I want to pass it along to you in case you get to wondering too :)

Everyone has a body (sometimes we don’t like the one we’ve been given but that’s another post!). That part of “who we are” is easy to grasp. One day, these bodies of ours will each one cease to exist in this form and those of us in Christ will receive a new body. (Hallelujah!) One that is imperishable, will not die, incorruptible, incapable of sin, and eternal. (I Corinthians 15:35-58 tells us about this glorious truth!) But we know that we are not merely physical bodies. Our bodies are not the essence of “who we are”.

That is where “soul” comes in. Everyone has a soul. (Christians and non-Christians alike). This is the essence of “who we are” - our minds, emotions, wills, personalities, etc. Like the body, the soul is created by God. It will survive our physical death and pass into either Heaven or Hell. As George MacDonald said, “You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”

What about the spirit?

It’s like three concentric circles that we see on a target. The outer circle represents the body, which we can see. The middle circle represents the soul. And the very inner circle symbolizes the spirit. Before we are in Christ, we do not have this circle. Scripture says we are dead in our sin - no spirit. But when Jesus comes to live within us, in the form of the Holy Spirit, we then have this third circle! The presence of the Holy Spirit within us is what works to sanctify our soul and will one day transform our mortal bodies into immortal ones. That is the distinction between our soul and our spirit.

That is what I Thessalonians 5:23 is talking about. And Philippians 2:12,13 which exhorts us to work OUT our salvation, for it is God who is at work within us, changing our will and our ways to please Him. The work of the Spirit within us to transform our souls is what Scripture means by “sanctification”.