Abiding

Psalm 91:1--4

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the 

        Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his

        faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

 

* * *

 

What a beautiful, powerful account of God's promise of God's protection! God is a refuge for every believer, our  "shield and buckler."  But how many read the first verse closely:  "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High."  Dwelling implies the believer "lives there;" it's not just a place to run to in times of trouble; our dwelling is place we abide in the good times and in the bad.  Just as we protect our family members who live under our roof (i.e. dwell in our home), our Heavenly Father provides protection and shelter for those who abide in Him.  

 

This Psalm also implies that those who "dwell in the shelter of the Most High" have unrestrained communion with God.  We can share every need, burden, doubt, anxiety, sorrow, and joy with our Heavenly Father, just as we share those intimate thoughts and feelings with our family members.  These verses assure believers that we are able to lodge (dwell) quietly and securely in under the sheltering shadow of El Shaddai.  Song of Solomon 2:3 states that, "I sat down under His shadow with great delight." 

 

This passage contains both a condition and a promise: if we "dwell in the shelter" we shall also "abide under the shadow."  What comfort believers can take from this passage:  we have intimate communion with the Most High; we can rest in His presence; we can rejoice in His favor and protection; and we can trust Him as El Shaddai.

 

* * *

 

Dear Lord,

May we truly learn to abide in your secret place, under the shadow of Your wings.  May we rest in You and experience your protection and provision as we abide fearlessly in You.

                       Amen





But Prayer

". . .but prayer. . . " Acts 12:5

 

In our less than perfect world, we often overlook the power of the conjunction; it changes the context of the sentence--and our situation.  In its entirety, Acts 12: 5 reads, "So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church" (ESV).  Peter was in a bad spot; he was in prison; his hands were tied (in more ways than one); he was powerless on his own.  Then, the conjunction presents the turn--"but prayer"--Peter's situation was changed; he was supernaturally freed.  One can only speculate what would have happened if there had been no prayer.  Would Peter have remained in prison?  Would he have been killed?  The beginning of the chapter indicates that Herod had "laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church" (Acts 12:1, ESV). Certainly, Peter's fate didn't look promising.  Prayer was the key to changing his situation--earnest prayer.  The saints of the church were serious when they prayed.  Or were they?  When Peter shows up at their door, they don't believe Rhoda, the servant girl; they dismiss her as being delusional.  They were actually surprised to see Peter standing at the door!  Isn't that what they had been praying for?

 

I fear that too many believers today have the unbelieving mindset of those who prayed for Peter.  They prayed for Peter's release, but they didn't really believe he would be set free.  We pray, but do we really expect God to answer?  Are we surprised when He does?  It's easy to believe IN God, but it's much more difficult to actually BELIEVE God.  Far too often we limit God because we think we know what He can do.  Will He really heal a disease the doctors say is too far advanced?  Can He really reverse damage to an organ doctors say can't be reversed?  Psalms 103:  2--3 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, and who heals all your diseases (ESV, emphasis mine).  It doesn't say He heals some of your diseases; it says all your diseases.  We should expect the unexpected; we should believe He can do more than we expect--He is The Great I AM.  Our prayers are God's opportunities; don't limit Him!

 

Admittedly, this is easier said than done.  I'm a perfect example.  My husband, Max, has been diagnosed with kidney failure; he's in Stage 3 according to the doctors.  His nephrologist is talking about dialysis--that's scary.  We were told kidney disease can't be reversed; dialysis is inevitable.  The easy thing to do is to accept the diagnosis; from a medical standpoint, my husband's situation won't get better.  But (there's that powerful conjunction again), I believe God can do the impossible.  I believe God has healed my husband's kidney disease. 

 

In August 2015, I was in a prayer service that I believed resulted in my Max's healing.  I believe prayer is powerful, and I'm determined not to limit God.  This determination also prompted me to step outside my comfort zone and declare my husband's healing.  It was easy to tell my friends who are also believers, but I felt I needed to speak this to others who don't believe.  This is not easy for me; I'm not one to speak out.  I'm plagued by thoughts of unbelief, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to speak to others about Max's healing.  I began to speak words of life and healing; acknowledging the miracle I believe God had performed in Max's life.  One of those non-believers I felt I needed to speak to was Max's nephrologist.  I went with Max to an office visit several weeks after the prayer service, and we received an encouraging report--Max's blood work showed no increase.  While the numbers had not gone down; they were not higher (they had been progressively increasing).  I told his nephrologist to expect a miracle (he only looked at the chart).  I realized also that others are not required to believe; we're only expected to obey.  Additionally, if I expect a miracle, changes need to be made to line up with that expectation.  As a result, we've made dietary changes such as eliminating virtually all processed foods and reducing our salt usage.  We've actually switched to unrefined salt.  We've also stopped eating out at restaurants.  I believe God expects us to be good stewards of our bodies. 

 

While I don't know what's in our future, I believe that prayer changes things.  I believe God still heals, and I'm going to expect good reports from doctors.  May I, may we,  never limit what God can do through our unbelief.  May I, may we, "having done all, . . . stand firm" (Ephesians 6:13, ESV).







Troubling Times

We live in troubling times.  People are dealing with financial stress as a result of work hours being cut or their job eliminated altogether.  It’s very difficult for the average family to make ends meet.  I can’t imagine facing such troubling times without God, yet many people blame God for all the bad things that happen to them.  Matthew 6:25—34 says:

            Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will

            drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body

            more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor

            gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not more value than

            they? . . .Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet

            I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  . . .

            Therefore do not worry . . .For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these

            things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall

            be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry

            about its own things. 

This is the difference between people of faith and people who do not have faith—we know our Lord truly does care about us.  Unfortunately, it’s still very difficult to get through times of financial need, sickness, unemployment, lost wages, and family strife.  I was thinking about this just the other day; I know how that putting this faith into practice is much easier said than done.  I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but I feel impressed to also include a section from my favorite devotional Streams in the Desert. While I didn’t write the following section, it always speaks to the depths of my soul every time I read it. I pray it speaks to the depth of your soul as well:

This think is from me (I Kings 12:24)

Life’s disappointments are veiled love’s appointments.

        My child, I have a message for you today; let me whisper it in your ear, that it may gild with glory any storm clouds which may arise, and smooth the rough places upon which you may have to tread.  It is short, only five words, but let them sink into your inmost soul; use them as a pillow upon

which to rest your weary head.  This thing is from ME.

            Have you ever thought of it, that all that concerns you concerns Me too?  For “he that toucheth the apple of mine eye” (Zech. 2:8). You are very precious in My sight. (Isa. 43:4).  Therefore, it is My special delight to educate you.

            I would have you learn when temptations assail you, and the “enemy comes in like a flood,” that this thing is from Me, that your weakness needs My might, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

            Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by peoples who do not understand you, who never consult your taste, who put you in the background?  This thing is from Me.  I am the God of circumstances.

            Thou camest not to thy place by accident, it is the very place God meant for thee.

            Have you not asked to be made humble?  See then, I have placed you in the very school where this lesson is taught; your surroundings and companions are only working out My will.

            Are you in money difficulties?  Is it hard to make both ends meet?  This thing is from Me, for I am your purse-bearer and would have you draw from and depend upon Me.  My supplies are limitless (Phil. 4:19).  I would have your prove my promises.  Let it not be said of you, “In this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God” (Deut. 1:32).

            Are you passing through a night of sorrow?  This thing is from Me.  I am the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief.  I have let earthly comforters fail you, that by turning to Me you may obtain everlasting consolation (2 Thess. 2:16—17).  Have you longed to do some great work for Me and instead have been laid aside on a bed of pain and weakness?  This thing is from Me.  I could not get your attention in your busy days and I want to teach you some of My deepest lessons.  “They also serve who only stand and wait” (“Upon is Blindness, Milton).  Some of My greatest workers are those shut out from active service, that they may learn to wield the weapon of all-prayer.

            This day I place in your hand this pot of holy oil.  Make use of it free, My child.  Let every circumstance that arises, every word that pains you, every interruption that would make you impatient, every revelation of your weakness be anointed with it.  The sting will go as you learn to see Me in all things. LAURA A. BARTER SNOW.

 

I’ll end with this—God is faithful; He’s proved Himself over and over in my life.  Trust Him; He’s waiting for you to rely on Him.  In a perfect world, this would be easy . . .

Fruits of Faithfulness

In my office, I have a favorite piece of artwork; it’s entitled “Praying Women,” and it consists of three wooden carvings of faceless women.  I have them arranged in a prayer circle.  I look at them often and stand in awe at the power of prayer. These statuettes remind me of a story from my favorite devotional book, Streams in the Desert.  This is the story:

“There is an old and beautiful story of how one Christian woman dreamed she saw three others at prayer.  As they knelt in prayer, the Master drew near to them.  As He  approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music.  Leaving her, He came to the next but  only placed His hand upon her bowed head, and gave her one look of loving approval.  The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance.  The woman in her dream said to herself, “How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave one look of loving approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look.  I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them?”

            As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said:  “O woman! How wrongly hast thou interpreted Me.  The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of My tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way.  She needs My love, thought, and help every moment of the day.  Without it she would fail and fall.  The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things go and whatever people do.  The third woman, whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service.  She knows Me so intimately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval.  She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel—because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.  I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to My love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth.”

            The examples of these three praying women ring true for my life; I look back and see how the hand of the Lord has ordered my life and kept me in the hollow of His Hand. At various points in my life, I’ve been in the situation of each example of the praying women in the story. But I wasn’t always like one of these women; the early years of my life, before I came to know the Lord, were full of fear.  Fear of finding myself alone once again  in a room with an uncle bent on victimizing a little girl who didn’t know how to stop the molestation.  But even then, I believe God protected me—I just didn’t know it then.  When I was 13, I accepted the Lord as my Savior during a revival.  I still remember the evangelist—Kleddie Keith—and the wooden, tear-stained altar I knelt before and asked Jesus to be Lord of my life.  It was then that I moved into the example of the first praying woman. As a teenager and new Christian, I needed constant affirmation of my salvation.  Shortly after my conversion, I was filled with the Holy Spirit—another experience that is still very vivid in my mind.  But it was still a difficult time; my parents only attended church sporadically at that time, but I had grandparents who faithfully took me to church.  I credit them with instilling a sense of faithfulness in me.  Even though the first praying woman is in constant need of God’s attention as I was at this point, she is still praying, and God loves her even in her weakness.  I am thankful that God loved me in all my frailty as a young Christian.

            I believe I was still living the example of the first praying woman when I left home right after high school.  No one ever talked to me about what I wanted to do with my life; in fact, I went through high school believing I wasn’t going to college.  No one suggested that I should.  It wasn’t until the end of my senior year that I made a spur of the moment decision to attend Texas State Technical College and pursue a degree in commercial art—of all things.  It was during these few years that I believe I began to transition to the example of the second praying woman.  I learned a great deal about living by faith in those years, and perhaps for the first time, I began to seriously pray and study God’s word.  I learned to hear God’s voice as I spent time reading scripture.  I would like to tell you that my life was trouble free during this time, but that would not be true.  The reality is I made many mistakes; this was the first time I had ever been on my own and temptation was and is everywhere in a secular college.  But God kept His hand upon me just as He placed His hand upon the head of the second praying woman.  It was also during these years that I met my future husband, Max. I wasn’t completely aware of it at the time, but I was right where God wanted me to be. 

            Thankfully, it wasn’t God’s will for me to be a commercial artist; He had other plans.  Max and I married and settled into a routine of work, home, church, and children.  Many of those years have been difficult ones.  We often struggled financially in those early years and lost our third child through miscarriage.  God used this tragedy as a pivot point for me;  it hurt deeply; it made me stronger; it made me sure of God’s love, and I learned to have a deeper trust in Him.  I was beginning to transition into the example of the third woman.  Let me say, the example of the third woman is a difficult place, but it’s a secure place when you have the confidence that “God has your back.”  Through all those difficult years—the years of raising our children; the years of financial struggle—God was faithful and my trust in Him grew steadily.    

            That faith was tested again a few years ago in 2006, during a routine medical test, and I realized I still needed the reassuring touch received by the second praying woman.   My world stopped spinning a few days after the test when I received a call from the hospital; the doctor wanted additional tests because of “something” suspicious.  I couldn’t breathe; this was a disease women fear most, but there was a calmness that I don’t think I had ever experienced before.  For some reason, I felt I shouldn’t tell many people.  I called a close friend to pray, and I told Max—no one else. My next move was to grab my Bible; I needed to read scripture about healing—or so I thought.  I dutifully began searching for scriptures dealing with healing, but found myself reading scripture about fear.  God directed me to Isaiah 41:13, “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” It was then that I realized the real battle was against fear as I waited for the results of the additional tests, but I held firm to that promise—I wouldn’t allow myself to give in to the fear; I constantly read God’s promise, holding it close to my heart.  The Lord was faithful; the results were good—no cancer.  A couple of years later, I received the same phone call from the hospital after another test.  Another test of faith was at hand.  Again, I went to God’s word.  This time, I immediately went back to Isaiah 41, but that wasn’t God’s promise this time.  This time, God directed me to Isaiah 43:13, “Yes, from ancient of days I am He.  No one can deliver out of my hand.  When I act, who can reverse it?”  My promise was clear.  Again, a good report from additional tests.

Looking back, all those difficult times of my life prepared me for what was to be my greatest challenge to date—the challenge that placed me squarely in the position of the third praying woman—trusting Him when my granddaughter Avery was born.  I already had three beautiful, healthy granddaughters and expected no different with Avery.  When she was born with a heart defect that could have ended her life; my world once again stopped spinning.  My heart broke not only at the possibility of losing Avery, but with the agony of watching my own daughter suffer as she watched her new daughter struggle to hold on to life.  I had never been asked to place the life of someone I loved dearly completely in the hands of God—until that moment.  I steadfastly refused to believe anything except that God had Avery’s life in His hands.  I am, and will always be, eternally grateful for all the prayers offered up by students, staff, faculty, and administration at SAGU; those prayers made a difference.  A few nights after Avery’s birth and heart surgery in which the surgeon, as he explained it, literally filleted and reconstructed her heart, God directed me to Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”  This was the only “word” I felt the Lord speak to me concerning Avery, but it was at that moment, I knew I had God’s certain promise that all was well.   Over the next several months, standing firm on that promise was often a difficult thing to do, especially when every doctor who came into Avery’s intensive care room had something negative to report.  It was then that I realized something about the example of the third praying woman; God was always with her, and I believe she could feel His presence.  It has taught me to know that God is always present and faithful, even when He is seemingly silent.  Today, Avery is a beautiful, healthy 2-year old little girl who has amazed her doctors by proving all their dire predictions about her future health wrong. 

            The dream of the Christian woman of the three praying women, although just a story, serves as a strong lesson for us all.  God is patient with us and loves us in spite of ourselves.  Let us all strive to have the faith and confidence of the third praying woman, the confidence that God always “has our back,”  and “having done all, to stand.”

 

Resolutions

Looking back over the last year, my blogging efforts have been dismal.  In a perfect world, this would not be the case.  I can honestly say that procrastination has been a close friend over the course of this past year.  I’ve put off grading, recording lectures, and cleaning out junk in my house. Heck, I’ve even procrastinated in my reading—and I love to read! 

Truthfully, there are many reasons people procrastinate.  Some of these reasons are legitimate; we simply can’t control some things.  Even these situations that are out of our control give us a sense of guilt.  Why can’t we control all the circumstances in our life?  That would happen in a perfect world.  Some reasons for procrastination are not legitimate.  We simply don’t do what needs to be done.  We’re busy (that again!); we’re distracted; we’re tired; we’re simply not interested. 

Every year I resolve to do better, and this year is no exception.  So, this year:

I resolve to be more faithful in my devotional time.  This is one area in which I’m already relatively faithful.  Typically, I get up around 5:00 a.m. most days (translated to mean week days, more specifically week days during the semester).  I pour a cup of coffee, my Bible, and my devotional Streams in the Desert.  The next half hour is spent in prayer and reading scripture and my devotional. This sounds great, but many mornings I find myself rushing through my scripture reading.  The result is that I have no real recollection of the scripture I’ve just read. This year, I resolve to savor scripture, even if I read fewer verses and chapters.  I want God’s word to sink deep into the chambers of my heart.  I also resolve not to allow my devotional time to fall apart between semesters and during the summer.  The lure of sleeping later on holidays is difficult to overcome.  It’s not really the sleeping later that’s a problem; it’s that voice that says “It’s already 8:00 a.m.; there’s no real time for prayer and scripture.”  That is not the voice of God, and I resolve to ignore that voice this year.

I resolve to be more faithful in my church attendance.  The truth of the matter is that the past couple of years have been fraught with health issues.  It seemed as though someone was always ill, resulting in a missed church service.  I’ve also allowed the fact that I’ve procrastinated in grading to be the cause of missing church.  When grading piles up, I have to catch-up; that catch-up time usually occurs on Sunday. 

I resolve to be more consistent in keeping current with my work.   This will be my most difficult challenge.  I always intend to stay current with my grading, but it just never seems to happen.  I always end up with a mountain of assignments to grade.  Falling behind in grading is compounded by the fact that I’m also a slow grader.  I simply can’t bring myself to simply slap a grade on a paper; I feel that I must read every word and make comments on each paper.  While I may not gain any speed in grading, I resolve to be more consistent in the time I spend grading.  Perhaps if I spend at least a few minutes every day, I can keep the mountain from getting completely out of control.

I resolve to be more consistent with my reading. Frankly, I’m appalled that this should be considered as a resolution because I love to read.  For far too long, though, I’ve pushed my love of reading aside.  There was always a myriad of reasons to forego my love:  I was working on my doctorate, I had things to grade, I needed to read “academic” things.  I always regarded reading something I loved as a guilty pleasure; I felt I should be doing something more important—like grading. 

I resolve cook more.  I love to cook, but, once again, I pushed this aside because I was “busy” with other things.  However, ignoring this resolution can have deadly consequences.  I firmly believe our health is connected to the things we eat, so cooking healthy meals really isn’t an option.  This year, my goal is try new recipes that help bring health to my family.

I resolve to exercise more consistently.  I always have good intentions when it comes to exercising.  My husband even bought me a very nice treadmill.  Unfortunately, procrastination once again rears its ugly head and tells me that I don’t have time to get on the treadmill.  This year, I plan to begin a consistent walking regime. 

I resolve to do the things I love more consistently.  In a perfect world, this would be a simple task.  I would have plenty of time to stay current with my teaching and grading responsibilities and still have time to read, play the piano, and dabble in watercolors.  While this is not really realistic, my goal is to at least carve some time for these hobbies.  Life is simply too short not to do the things we love.

Will I be able to keep all these resolutions?  Probably not.  In a perfect world, I would keep all the resolutions I’ve made in the coming year.  However, in the imperfect world in which we live, the real tragedy is not failing to keep the resolutions, but in not making them and accepting the apathy.  I resolve to more closer to a perfect world.

Loving as Christ Loves

In a perfect world, all Christians would love others and extend forgiveness in the same spirit Christ loved and forgave those He encountered.  Unfortunately, that is often not the case with Christians.  It is a sad fact that far too many Christians look for opportunities to tear other Christians down in order to promote the façade of being “holy.”  I’m sure almost everyone has a story of a fellow Christian who was maligned or perhaps even fired from a job because another Christian felt it was their “Christian duty” to point out a perceived shortcoming to a supervisor.  How unfortunate that we as Christians don’t stop to ask ourselves how Christ might have approached the same situation.  Would Jesus have reported a perceived “sin” to a superior, or would He have gently but firmly tried to help that one who had allegedly strayed off the path to realize the folly of the action?  Certainly, illegal activity shouldn’t be ignored, but often the “report” concerns a perceived personal failure. 

I recently read Ted Dekker’s novel Outlaw, which deals with the concept of unconditional love and forgiveness.  Admittedly, it was a difficult novel to read in the sense that it calls Christians on the carpet about the way we tend to treat and judge others.  In the novel, Julian is a young, widowed mother of a young son, Stephen, who is the pride and joy of her life.  In fact, Julian’s life revolved around Stephen.  Following a “dream,” which she interprets to be a call of God, Julian takes Stephen and embarks on a journey to Indonesia.  An unexpected storm leaves her a captive in a barbaric (to the Western paradigm) culture and believing her young son is dead.  The first half of the novel will be offensive to some Christians because of the stark portrayal of the lifestyle and dress of a tribal people; many Christians, no doubt, will condemn some of Julian’s actions.  At times, Julian questions whether she even believes in a God who has seemingly abandoned her.  That’s one of the first issues Dekker addresses in this novel—Christians who quickly “jump ship” when their life isn’t easy and comfortable.  But God had a plan for Julian (and her son); a plan that isn’t revealed until the end of the novel. 

Ultimately, it’s the end of the novel that will prove to be the real stumbling block for many Christians. The novel illustrates the power of unconditional love and forgiveness; it shows how God’s nature and power can manifest itself in a life that is completely surrendered to Him and willing to do whatever God asks.  This last half of the novel truly touched my heart and made me ask myself how often I have been unwilling to extend forgiveness and unconditional love to those who have wronged or offended me.  It’s very easy to hold a grudge and act in ways we feel will avenge the wrong, but in most cases, that type of action doesn’t resolve anything—it only leads to more anger, bitterness, and resentment.  I’m always amazed at the vitriol that seems to come so easily to many Christians; it’s so easy to cloak ourselves in self-righteousness and point condemning fingers at other Christians who may have strayed.  What would happen if we could bring ourselves to completely forgive those who have wronged us?  True, it might not affect the other person, but the effect on us would be immeasurable.  Why do so many Christians attack other believers?  What if we simply loved them back to God’s truth?  One of the best examples of this is the way in which Christians treat homosexuals.  Christians are quick to condemn, but very slow to love.  “Christians” call for boycotts  of businesses owned and operated by homosexuals and say some very vitriolic things.  What if, instead of condemning them, we show them the love of Christ; it is, after all, His place to convict, not ours.  Christ didn’t boycott sinners; He sought them out; He dined with them; He showed them the love of the Father.  I read a one review of Outlaw that claimed love and forgiveness doesn’t  always conquer all.  Perhaps not, but our judgmental approach isn’t really working all that well either.  One point that the novel never strays from is that God’s truth must never be compromised.  Julian and her son never compromise their faith even though Julian lives in a state of spiritual defeat throughout much of the novel, but this is precisely the state in which many modern day Christians dwell. 

In a perfect world, Christians would love and forgive unconditionally.  Luke 6:35 says, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”  This doesn’t mean that Christians must accept every philosophy or lifestyle that comes along, but it does mean that we need to love those who engage in those philosophies or lifestyles back to Christ.  Condemnation, which is easy, doesn’t persuade anyone to change, but unconditional love “does no harm to its neighbor” (Romans 13:10).

Safely Home

"Is this the day that I die?" In Randy Alcorn's novel Safely Home, Li Quan asks himself this question every day upon awakening.  It's a difficult question; it's a question very few American Christians must face.  Perhaps we should all ask ourselves this question every day.  Would we be a different type of Christian if we did? 

Unquestionably, Christians in America are blessed; I am truly thankful for the privilege of being about to attend church, read and purchase Bibles and other religious books and materials, and to worship God freely.  It's a privilege that millions around the world can only dream of having.  In Alcorn's novel, a successful American businessman, Ben Fielding, is sent to China on business.  He re-connects reluctantly with a Chinese citizen who had been his roommate in college.  Ben Fielding is reluctant to reconnect with Li Quan because Ben has drifted away from God and he is afraid his Chinese roommate has not.  Ironically, Ben is the one who helped bring Li Quan to Christ, but that's where Ben's discipleship ends.  Ben has become caught up in the successes of life.  His goal is to be CEO of his company, even though that goal has cost him his family.  Nothing matters except financial success, right?

Upon arriving at his friend's home in China, Ben is struck by the poverty in which his friend lives.  He knows that Quan's goals were to become a university professor and write books.  Imagine Ben's surprise when he finds out neither dream came to fruition for his friend.  It is here that the discipleship tables are turned and Quan begins the task of bringing his American friend back to faith.  Some of the things Quan says to Ben may sound harsh.  For example, Quan tells Ben that America's idols are "Materialism. Pleasure. Entertainment. Worship of celebrities. Obsession with sex. Food. Fame" (p 71).  Quan is absolutely right.  Take a good look at the list.  How many of those can be applied to the American Church?  How often are church services judged by how "good" the worship service is?  How often are worship services that don't incorporate a dazzling show deemed inferior?  American culture is obssessed with entertainment.  It's an obsession that infiltrates everything.  School isn't "fun" if it's not entertaining.  The days in which students studied out of book or listened to a teacher simply talk about a subject are ridiculed.  Nope, we need the powerpoint, the prezi, the video.  In many ways, Church today has become a series of Lights! Camera! Action!  We don't want to listen to a divinely inspired message; we want entertainment.  Is the preacher a quiet, soft-spoken individual--he/she must be ineffectual--it takes charisma and razzle-dazzle to be a great preacher.  Often the fact that such "dynamic" speakers actually have little say is lost in all the spiritual gymnastics.

However, before you tag me as someone who thinks that we should all sit quietly and sing ancient hymns, let me assure you that is not the case.  I long for the move of the Holy Spirit, for the operation of the gifts of the Spirit, and the might move of God in our services.  Too often today, though, the gifts of the spirit are downplayed.  We're told to "seek the Giver of the Gift, not the gift."  This is true, but it's being used against those who ernestly seek a move of God.  We're tagged as "emotional," and told that our services must be "seeker-friendly."  We don't want to scare anyone off.  Really?  Was Christ ever afraid of scaring anyone off?  I think not.

Even our churches worship celebrities.  Perhaps we don't run after the Hollywood actor, but we very often run after the lastes and greatest spiritual trend and personality.  Hence the rise of the mega-church; it takes a big personality to attract that many people.  Now don't misunderstand; there's nothing wrong with wanting our churches to grow.  Growth is a sign of a healthy church.  The problem arises when the focus is on the number of people in the pew and not the number being discipled for Christ.  If the focus is on discipleship, the numbers will take care of themselves.

Far too often, Christians judge others within our churches and decide that there are those within the church body that are too wierd or non-traditional to associate with.  Often even church leaders warn new members to be careful about the friendships they make within the church as not everyone is considered suitable or desireable.  How many would have gone unreached if Christ refused to associate with anyone except the affluent or those considered part of the "in-crowd"?  Every Christian needs to adopt Quan's question:  Is this the day that I die?  Think what an impact we could have in our homes, in our churches, in our schools, in our businesses, in our communities, in our nation, and in our world?

In a perfect world . . . It's not too late . . .