Just how dependent are we as humans? Are we mostly dependent, somewhat dependent or totally dependent? That depends on how human you want to be. To be the most human one can possibly be, one must be 100% dependent. Independent humans are less human--less alive. Jesus was 100% dependent and it showed in the depth of humanity and love. Jesus was fully alive.
I love to think of God's grace in this way. Grace is God giving to me what He demands of me and what He wants for me.
Take a minute to read the following verses found in Ezekiel 36:26-27
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
Look at what is given by God to equip them to be fully human-fully alive.
How human do you really want to be? Increase your dependence on God in Jesus and the very best you will emerge out of the abundance of God's grace. What he demands of us, he gives to us. Choose to receive as your first human act of every day and every moment.
Awaken each day and say "Jesus, you are welcome here! I receive all you are."
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Ignoring a fever
Some habits I do not want to break. One habit I treasure is reading Oswald Chamber's daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest.
What an incredible source of light and comfort this reading has been. Today was no exception.
The reading is entitled "The Inevitable Penalty". This is a typical Chambers title. He loved words like "Inevitable". He leaves no doubt that this will happen. More than 30 years testing these words of Chambers which he crafted from careful Bible study and life observation have convinced me to take his carefully chosen words seriously.
Chambers quotes Jesus' words in Matt. 5:26 "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny." Jesus is warning his followers that unresolved conflicts are not ever allowed in the Kingdom of God's love. In other words, we must never think a conflict is going away on its own. We must see the conflict as serious and unavoidable until it is resolved.
Chambers goes on to say that this human tendency to think conflicts are no big deal is rooted in "the disposition of your right to yourself." I am used to Chamber's language but I still need to look for a more modern way to say what he is saying. This "disposition of your right to yourself" means to me "the illusion of human autonomy." Humans are not autonomous. We are derivative and dependent. We must begin at zero before God. Zero before God is the 98.6 temperature of spiritual normality and health in the kingdom of God. "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" This is 98.6 for spirituality.
To ignore a conflict and refuse to actively seek its end is to ignore a fever that will kill you and infect others. God will seek out the cause of the fever--human autonomy--and bring it to zero. The world is sick to death with this fever and God will bring it to an end and he begins in his own.
Right now there are millions of Christians with high and low grade conflict fevers. God's cure is "inevitable". He will bring the fever down. Ignoring the fever is a waste of the precious little time we have for glorifying God here and now. Go to zero before God and seek peace with all.
What an incredible source of light and comfort this reading has been. Today was no exception.
The reading is entitled "The Inevitable Penalty". This is a typical Chambers title. He loved words like "Inevitable". He leaves no doubt that this will happen. More than 30 years testing these words of Chambers which he crafted from careful Bible study and life observation have convinced me to take his carefully chosen words seriously.
Chambers quotes Jesus' words in Matt. 5:26 "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny." Jesus is warning his followers that unresolved conflicts are not ever allowed in the Kingdom of God's love. In other words, we must never think a conflict is going away on its own. We must see the conflict as serious and unavoidable until it is resolved.
Chambers goes on to say that this human tendency to think conflicts are no big deal is rooted in "the disposition of your right to yourself." I am used to Chamber's language but I still need to look for a more modern way to say what he is saying. This "disposition of your right to yourself" means to me "the illusion of human autonomy." Humans are not autonomous. We are derivative and dependent. We must begin at zero before God. Zero before God is the 98.6 temperature of spiritual normality and health in the kingdom of God. "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" This is 98.6 for spirituality.
To ignore a conflict and refuse to actively seek its end is to ignore a fever that will kill you and infect others. God will seek out the cause of the fever--human autonomy--and bring it to zero. The world is sick to death with this fever and God will bring it to an end and he begins in his own.
Right now there are millions of Christians with high and low grade conflict fevers. God's cure is "inevitable". He will bring the fever down. Ignoring the fever is a waste of the precious little time we have for glorifying God here and now. Go to zero before God and seek peace with all.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Why Abide?
I have been repeatedly asked when I am going to "move on" from the Abide emphasis that has taken root in my life. When I was first asked this question I was a little offended. Today I just smile when asked.
Auhor Mike Wells tells the story of an old man sitting in a park in a poor country. The old man sits there day after day guitar in hand. Whenever a person draws close to him he offers to play any song they name. When they name the song he plays it.
What is unusual is that he plays every song with his hand on the guitar frets always in the exact same position.
When he is asked why he never moves the position of his fingers on the frets, he says, "Why should I move them? I found what everyone else is looking for?"
To me, abiding is finding what everyone else (including me) is looking for in spiritual formation.
Abiding is the perfect picture of spiritual formation for every disciple.
Abiding is the perfect moment by moment process for glorifying God.
Abiding the perfect power for overcoming sin and loving continuously.
Abiding is the perfect Person in me--Jesus.
I won't be moving my hand off the abiding frets any time soon. I like this music and I would love to hear how you play the music of abiding in Jesus moment by moment.
Auhor Mike Wells tells the story of an old man sitting in a park in a poor country. The old man sits there day after day guitar in hand. Whenever a person draws close to him he offers to play any song they name. When they name the song he plays it.
What is unusual is that he plays every song with his hand on the guitar frets always in the exact same position.
When he is asked why he never moves the position of his fingers on the frets, he says, "Why should I move them? I found what everyone else is looking for?"
To me, abiding is finding what everyone else (including me) is looking for in spiritual formation.
Abiding is the perfect picture of spiritual formation for every disciple.
Abiding is the perfect moment by moment process for glorifying God.
Abiding the perfect power for overcoming sin and loving continuously.
Abiding is the perfect Person in me--Jesus.
I won't be moving my hand off the abiding frets any time soon. I like this music and I would love to hear how you play the music of abiding in Jesus moment by moment.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Rio--Protected by sustained love
Rio, the marvelous city as the Brazilians call it, is a city of enormous contrasts, conflicts and challenges. In this city much has changed and much as stayed the same.
The city is home to over 200 slums called "favelas". Some of these "favelas" are over 60 years old. They are home to millions and they are now so entrenched into the fabric of Rio's day to day life that they will always be part of this complex social fabric.
On June 1st and 2nd I was invited by the Evangelical Assembly of God church of Bom Successo to help them celebrate their 50th anniversary. It was an honor.
The abide ministry is rooted in the First Baptist Church of São José dos Campos. Even so, I have been given an opportunity to minister in many Brazilian denominations. Why? Because I have determined to know only Christ and Christ crucified. In other words, I believe I have been called to help all Christian rediscover their first and only love--Jesus.
While in Rio with the church Pastor Jaime Suarez took me to see six of their 50 congregations. Most of these congregations are in the slums. Some of these congregations are as old as the slums. Some have memberships of over 500.
We had to enter the slums in the church van. Pastor Jaime instructed me to look straight ahead and not make eye contact the with young men standing guard at the entrances to slums. They were armed with rifles, handguns and machine guns. They are drug gangs that literally control the slums. We could only enter, because the church is welcome but the police are not.
It was like going into a war zone.
Once inside the "favela" we visited the beautiful, clean and happy congregations. For over 50 years these churches have served their community with Jesus' love. Inside the slum it didn't seem important to me that I was with Pentecostal brothers even though I am not pentecostal. I was protected by their sustained love for Jesus and for the people of the slum. I was safe in their sustained love for these incredibly poor but precious people.
I have deep respect for doctrine, but I have greater respect for doctrine that is turned in to sustained love.
Enjoy a few pictures from Rio. Be proud of the love of your brother's in Christ. Jesus is so very proud of them!
(The tiny shack pictured is home to mom, dad and 7 kids. Mom is pregnant again. The church is helping them as they are new arrivals in the slum. Click on pictures to enlarge.)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Crops and Barns
In Luke 12 we have recorded one of Jesus' parables. A rich man is doing so well at accumulating crops, that he says..."What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?" On the surface this seems to be a great problem to have and a completely normal question to ask. In reality this question reveals the sad state of this man's heart. He actually thinks he is blessed by the earth and the Creator of the earth to bless himself and in so doing find rest for his soul.
What could he have done with the abundance that had come into his hands from God's earth? He could have asked God why he had more than he needed. He could have asked God who needed what he had received. He could have seen the abundance as a sign that His ability to bless others had increased. He could have asked God, but he chose to ask himself. Big mistake.
Getting the answer from his own fearful mind, he tears down his existing barns and builds new ones to calm his soul. Then he dies and his soul is judged for its behavior on earth. He loses his soul. This is what will happen to every human being sooner or later. Our souls will be required of us and we will have no argument other than what we did with our soul--our mind, emotions and will.
The human soul was originally designed to receive and deliver love's abundance. When we have in our possession the means to bless others and we decide to build new barns instead, we offend the very nature of our souls and the nature of the universe.
In this parable, even the earth is smarter than this man. The earth that produced the crops for this man was generous with what it produced. The earth delivers what it produces over and over again into this man's hands. The man who produced nothing and received everything should have said "Who can I love with this?" Since he did not see the crops as being received by grace, he concluded that he had produced the wealth himself and could do with it whatever he pleased.
If he had asked about who should be loved with this, certainly God would have led him to care for his most intimate relationships first just as the earth is generous with all who live from its wealth and lets those who work the land eat first. Beyond caring well for his family, this man would have then been led into a life of generosity and love toward others. His soul would have been resting as he delivered what he received. Receiving much and delivering well allows the soul to rest
When you are blessed be careful not to seek rest for your soul through the building of bigger barns. Build bigger relationships through delivering love. Trust that the Creator will be contiinuously generous to you as you continue to be generous to others. If we can trust the earth to keep producing crops, we can certainly trust the Creator to keep taking care of us.
What could he have done with the abundance that had come into his hands from God's earth? He could have asked God why he had more than he needed. He could have asked God who needed what he had received. He could have seen the abundance as a sign that His ability to bless others had increased. He could have asked God, but he chose to ask himself. Big mistake.
Getting the answer from his own fearful mind, he tears down his existing barns and builds new ones to calm his soul. Then he dies and his soul is judged for its behavior on earth. He loses his soul. This is what will happen to every human being sooner or later. Our souls will be required of us and we will have no argument other than what we did with our soul--our mind, emotions and will.
The human soul was originally designed to receive and deliver love's abundance. When we have in our possession the means to bless others and we decide to build new barns instead, we offend the very nature of our souls and the nature of the universe.
In this parable, even the earth is smarter than this man. The earth that produced the crops for this man was generous with what it produced. The earth delivers what it produces over and over again into this man's hands. The man who produced nothing and received everything should have said "Who can I love with this?" Since he did not see the crops as being received by grace, he concluded that he had produced the wealth himself and could do with it whatever he pleased.
If he had asked about who should be loved with this, certainly God would have led him to care for his most intimate relationships first just as the earth is generous with all who live from its wealth and lets those who work the land eat first. Beyond caring well for his family, this man would have then been led into a life of generosity and love toward others. His soul would have been resting as he delivered what he received. Receiving much and delivering well allows the soul to rest
When you are blessed be careful not to seek rest for your soul through the building of bigger barns. Build bigger relationships through delivering love. Trust that the Creator will be contiinuously generous to you as you continue to be generous to others. If we can trust the earth to keep producing crops, we can certainly trust the Creator to keep taking care of us.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Worth the Effort
The trip to China was a major effort in so many ways. At times such an effort can leave one wondering about the cost and about the effort. It only takes some word from those to whom we ministered to make the effort seem worthwhile.
Here is a word I got this morning. I am not going to correct the english errors. The person writing is a very, very sharp business leader who leads a major company and a person who has paid a great price for living their faith. This is from a believer who knows Jesus deeply and knows her way around the corporate world.
As you read her words rejoice with us that the book The Satisfying Life has found a place in the hearts of those who need it.
The e-mail was addressed to the Chinese friend who was my guide in China and also responsible for the translation of the book into Chinese.
Dear brother Shu Su Yee;
RE: THE SATISFYING LIFE
I NEED SPEND LOTS TIME TO READ IT DUE TO ALL THE MESSAGE FOR ME REALLY IS GOD SPEAK TO ME
LOTS THINKING ----THE TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK IN CHINESES IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL COULDN;T BELIEVE IS FIRST TIME
YOU USED THIS MATERIAL IN CHINESES
THIS BOOK CAN HELP LOTS PEOPLE I AM GOING TO ASK ALL MY BIBBLE STUDY READ SLOWLY AND DISCUSSING THIS BOOK SLOWLY TOO ( THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ALL THE CHRIST LOTS FAITH AND LOTS OF TEARS)
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL YOUR WORK IN CHINA I WILL REPORT AGAIN DUE TO I AM READ IS NOT BOOK IS GOD WORDS TALK TO ME AND TOUCH MY HEART I NEED TIME ABSORB ALL THE WORDS
THANK YOU FOR YOU COMING OUR BIBBLE STUDY
BEST REGARDS
BECKY
Trying to communicate across a language barrier is exactly what makes these efforts so difficult. Even so, a letter like this one makes it all worth the effort.
For those who supported this effort--It was worth it! For those who are supporting the same effort in Brazil, Portugal. Angola and other places--it is worth the effort.
Here is a word I got this morning. I am not going to correct the english errors. The person writing is a very, very sharp business leader who leads a major company and a person who has paid a great price for living their faith. This is from a believer who knows Jesus deeply and knows her way around the corporate world.
As you read her words rejoice with us that the book The Satisfying Life has found a place in the hearts of those who need it.
The e-mail was addressed to the Chinese friend who was my guide in China and also responsible for the translation of the book into Chinese.
Dear brother Shu Su Yee;
RE: THE SATISFYING LIFE
I NEED SPEND LOTS TIME TO READ IT DUE TO ALL THE MESSAGE FOR ME REALLY IS GOD SPEAK TO ME
LOTS THINKING ----THE TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK IN CHINESES IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL COULDN;T BELIEVE IS FIRST TIME
YOU USED THIS MATERIAL IN CHINESES
THIS BOOK CAN HELP LOTS PEOPLE I AM GOING TO ASK ALL MY BIBBLE STUDY READ SLOWLY AND DISCUSSING THIS BOOK SLOWLY TOO ( THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ALL THE CHRIST LOTS FAITH AND LOTS OF TEARS)
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL YOUR WORK IN CHINA I WILL REPORT AGAIN DUE TO I AM READ IS NOT BOOK IS GOD WORDS TALK TO ME AND TOUCH MY HEART I NEED TIME ABSORB ALL THE WORDS
THANK YOU FOR YOU COMING OUR BIBBLE STUDY
BEST REGARDS
BECKY
Trying to communicate across a language barrier is exactly what makes these efforts so difficult. Even so, a letter like this one makes it all worth the effort.
For those who supported this effort--It was worth it! For those who are supporting the same effort in Brazil, Portugal. Angola and other places--it is worth the effort.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Lost in Translation
I visited a 1000 year old Pagoda today in China. The thing I will long remember about the Pagoda was the translation on the wall that was trying to tell all English speakers not to drop things from the open windows and not to smoke. If you don't think trying to learn another language is a challenge, take a look at the translations.
The pagoda is old China. The bullet train is the new China.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
