Category Archives: General Thoughts

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Thoughts on the Boston Terror

Satan is a master of disguise. Scripture says he even masquerades as an angel of light. Particularly in American society, he has perfected the art of subtlety and sophistication. But he is still the devil—and eventually his nature to kill, steal and destroy comes out in stunningly unadulterated evil.

“The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10)

It’s like the old parable of the scorpion and the frog:

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, “How do I know you won’t sting me?”

The scorpion says, “Because if I do, I will die too.”

The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown, but has just enough time to gasp “Why?”

Replies the scorpion: “Its my nature…”

Evil, destruction and terror is Satan’s stock in trade.  Eventually he has to reveal himself that way—it’s his nature.  So we should not be surprised at such things; in fact, we probably should ask, “why does this evil not happen more often?”

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (I Peter 4:12)

But the good news for believers is, while evil may prevail in this present moment—even rearing its ugly head in acts of senseless terror, as we witnessed this past week in the Boston Marathon bombing—Jesus will step in one day soon to set things aright. In the meantime, especially at moments like this, we must lean into what Jesus himself promised,

“I have told you all this so that you may find your peace in me. You will find trouble in the world—but, never lose heart, I have conquered the world!” (John 16;33, Phillips)

Don’t forget: Satan is always going to be Satan.  But God is always going to be God!

“When the Author walks onto the stage, the play is over.” ~C.S. Lewis

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Congratulations—You Will Suffer!

 

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Acts 14
Meditation: Acts 14:22

Paul and Barnabas strengthened the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.

Shift Your Focus… Now there’s a great recruitment campaign for Christianity, wouldn’t you say! “Just accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, and after you go through a bunch of trials and tribulations, then you can enter the kingdom of God!”

You sure don’t hear that dose of reality theology preached much these days—unfortunately. Far too often, spiritual leaders feel like they have to sugarcoat the gospel to get people’s buy-in. Converts are led to believe that if they just give their lives to Jesus, he will most certainly make them healthy, wealthy and wise. In modern day Christianity, following Christ is equated with happiness, success and comfort. It is now quite common for America’s most popular pulpiteers to spout a message of easy believism while their high profile churches traffic in what amounts to nothing more than cheap grace.

Make no mistake—nothing is further from the theology of the New Testament. The Gospel makes no such claims to an easy Christianity. In fact, what the Bible does claim is that following Christ will be costly, painful, and difficult. However, it also promises that whatever pain our faith leads us into now will be miniscule by comparison to the deep satisfaction of intimately walking with Jesus, the enduring significance of being used by God, and the incomparable satisfaction of possessing eternal life.

In no way is Paul trying to minimize suffering. He is not saying that pain is no big deal. He is not suggesting that when we go through a trial, we should just buck up and get over it. Paul himself understood like few others the high cost of what it meant to suffer for Christ. Don’t forget that just a few verses prior to this one, we read that Paul was stoned and left for dead for ministering in Christ’s name. He is speaking here with the authority of one who has humbly suffered for Jesus.

What Paul and Barnabas, as well as Peter, John and the other New Testament writers want us to know is that when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we become strangers and pilgrims in a world hostile to the kingdom values by which we live. That hostility will at times produce great tribulation for us. But when such tribulation strikes, we must allow it to remind us that a better kingdom awaits. As Paul would later say to the Christians in Corinth,

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:17-19)

So get ready. Some tribulation is coming—if it hasn’t already. But that tribulation is just a holy reminder that far better things are ahead.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” ~C.S. Lewis

Prayer… Lord, toughen me for the battles I must fight before I enter your eternal kingdom. Let them remind me that I was made for a better world.

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Merry Christmas and Fear Not

Reflection:
Luke 2:10-12 (TEV)

The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

It is interesting that the very first words in the announcement of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2 were, “don’t be afraid!”

There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! 12 And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great army of heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”

With so much fear in our world right now, our worshipful celebration of the anniversary of Christ’s birth reminds us that Christmas really is the Good News. Not only did the arrival of Jesus mean we now have a Savior, it also meant that we no longer have to live in fear.

So how do we enter into that “no fear” living?  It’s quite simple really; nothing complicated about it at all.  The angels said what is repeated another 364 times throughout Scripture: Fear not.  In other words, quit worrying.  And to do that, we must do what the angels went on to instruct the shepherds to do: “Find the Christ-child and worship him.”

I’m pretty sure what those heavenly heralds were, and are, calling for is to simply replace worry with sustained worship. That is the antidote to fear. That is what will defeat the anxiety the evil in this world causes in our hearts.  That is what reminds us that embracing the Christ-child as Savior and Lord truly is Good News.

With that in mind, take courage, it’s Christmas!

“Fear is faith in Satan; Faith is fearing God.”

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Pre-Ordered Steps

Reflection:
Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.”

What is the best way to do the will of God, to always act in ways that please him and invite his blessings not only on the big decisions but on the daily details of life as well?  It is simply to place before him the offering of a godly life.  The Contemporary English Version translates Psalm 37:23 this way:

“If you do what the Lord wants, he will make certain each step you take is sure.”

Perhaps you have experienced, like me, that life has only become more complex as the years go by.  It is often very difficult to discern the will of God between better and best.  Sometimes there is a gray fuzziness that clouds the right path where the road forks in our journey. And since we usually don’t hear the audible voice of God saying, “this is the way, walk ye in it!” or have his undeniable hand steering our every forward movement, we are left wondering, “what am I to do?”

According to the psalmist, we can trust that God himself has closely attended our journey on the path of righteousness—even when we don’t see it.  We have been guaranteed that the Lord has been with us all along the way, and is there now, even in the smallest details of our lives, making sure that our journey will lead to where he pleases.

What a comforting thought—that “the steps of a righteous person are ordered of the Lord”!  So, since our steps are pre-ordered, when you come to a fork in the road, as Yogi Berra would say, “take it”.  If you have been doing your part—praying, obeying, trusting and honoring God, being in fellowship with his people and accountable for your life, studying his Word—God has directed steps that have led you to where you are now.  Now take the fork, God will have directed that as well.

Proverbs 3:5-9 reminds us,

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!

Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! 

Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.

Abe Poeman, a fourth-century Egyptian monk, said, “If you think little about yourself, you will have rest wherever you reside… If you are silent, you will possess peace wherever you live…To throw yourself before God, to not measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will—these are the instruments for the work of the soul…Give not your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.”

In other words, delight yourself in the way of God and you will find that he has made your way delightful.

“There are no promises in God’s Word more precious to the person who wishes to do His will, and who realizes the goodness of His will, than the promises of God’s guidance. What a cheering, gladdening, inspiring thought is that contained in the Word, that we may have the guidance of infinite wisdom and love at every turn of life and that we have it to the end of our earthly pilgrimage.”  ~Ruben Archer Torrey

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In The Wake Of Tragedy

Reflection:
Psalm 9:9-10 (MSG)

“God’s a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked.”

Answers. That’s what people desperately desire in the face of unspeakable grief.  And there will be plenty of people offering their opinion, trying to make sense out of that which is utterly senseless.  But to those of us who would venture an explanation, the words H.L. Mencken stand as a sobering reminder,

“Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.”

No—I don’t have an answer to the senseless tragedy that took place in Newtown, Connecticut any more that you do.  But I do know of an action you and I can take in the aftermath of this, and any other horror we will witness or even experience in life.  We can run to God.  The psalmist wrote in Psalm 9:9-10

The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you,
O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

I am so thankful that my trust is in the Lord.  He is indeed a shelter and a refuge. Not that I have been kept from hardship and tragedy—neither have you.  We’ve had our share, and perhaps will experience more in the future.  As Jesus said, the rain falls on the just and unjust alike.  The difference is, we know to whom we can run when it’s raining—our loving Shelter.  We know where to go in times of trouble—our great Refuge.

That is one of the things I love most about the faith that I’ve placed in Jesus Christ as my Savior. No matter what, I win! When trouble hits, I win because God delivers me from all of my troubles. (Psalm 34:17, Psalm 41:1) Even when I or a loved-one goes through the tragedy of terminal illness, relational heartbreak, economic disaster, or premature death—or even when I’m grieving the slaughter of innocent children—I belong to a God who

Holds my hand—“I never will I leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Provides my daily bread—“My God will supply all your needs.” (Philippians 4:19)

Turns my tragedy to triumph—“In all things God works for the good.” (Romans 8:28)

Trumps death with eternal life—“He who believes in me, even though he dies, will live again.” (John 11:24-26)

Permanently turn my tears to joy and make everything new one day soon—“He will wipe away every tear.” (Revelation 21:4)

Even though life doesn’t always turn out as we have planned, God will never abandon us. He has a track record of faithfulness and goodness going all the way back to the beginning. So determine now to trust him at all times, and when the tough times come around, don’t abandon the only one who will never abandon you.

“Don’t forget in the darkness what you learned in the light.”  ~Joseph Bayly

Reflect and Apply: Read and reflect on what Hebrews 10:35-37 says: “So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised. ‘For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.’” In light of the unspeakable horror you have witnessed in this world, or the personal tragedy you have experienced in your own life, what is this verse saying to you?

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Give Thanks

“Be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

That’s what the Apostle Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 5:16-18. Be joyful—always! Be prayerful—always!  Be grateful—always! That’s quite a challenge, wouldn’t you agree?  In fact, I would say it is next to impossible to live that command out continually.  That is, unless you practice slowing to view all the reasons why God has given you to be joyful, prayerful and thankful—which is the genius of having a holiday like Thanksgiving.

There’s a chorus we used to sing in our church called Hallelujah, Thank You Lord.  The song has a line that says, “Who could ever list your miracles?  Who could praise you half enough?” 

That’s so true!  How can any of us narrow down all the many reasons we have for thanksgiving to just a few words? Yet whenever I begin to count the many blessings in my life—like family and friends and the fellowship of the church, prosperity and provision, health and wholeness, and so many other wonderful blessings that come in the form of people, things and experiences—I always come down to  this bottom line reason for my gratitude:

God’s grace and mercy in my life! 

That’s really the reason I’m most thankful.

In Lamentations 3:22, the prophet Jeremiah summed up this whole idea of grace and mercy in one of my favorite verses, where he wrote these words:

Because of the Lord’s great love 
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.

Think about it:  If it weren’t for the great love of the Lord, none of us would be able to sit at the Thanksgiving table with our loved ones to recount our reasons for gratitude.  That’s God’s mercy.  In his rich and unending mercy, God didn’t give us what we really deserve: judgment and complete separation from his presence.

So on the one hand, I’m sure thankful for what I don’t have, what I didn’t get, what I do really deserve: God’s wrath poured out on me.

On the other hand, I’m thankful for what I did get—and what I got is what I really didn’t deserve: God’s favor in the form of his love, his friendship, his protection and his provision both for this life and for the next.

Unlimited mercy and undeserved grace! I don’t think I’ll ever recover from that—and I don’t really want to.

And that’s why I am most grateful.

“Gratitude has been called the gateway to the virtues. As Cicero put it, ‘Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues, but the parent of all others,’ opening the heart to deeper appreciation, compassion, repentance, forgiveness, generosity and wisdom. Giving thanks should be cultivated as a habit. It is a kind of therapy for the spirit.” ~Bruce Chapman

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Walking With Christ—Where Are You Going In 2012?

Discipleship is a relational journey—a daily walk with Jesus empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit—taking us more deeply into a love relationship with the Heavenly Father, a more compassionate love for our fellow man, and increasing likeness, in sum and substance, to the Son, Jesus Christ.

It is also an intentional and strategic activity on our part.  There are certain things that disciples actively do to grow—it doesn’t just happen passively. And nothing is more vital to a growing discipleship than reading and reflecting on the Word of God in a deliberate and consistent way.

I hope you have a plan for that in 2012.  I do…as does the fellowship where I serve as pastor.  I want to invite you to adopt the plan that I will use this year, and join me in this exciting journey of growth.

The plan calls for weekly, intentional and strategic engagement in the Bible…and it is two-fold.  It calls for reading key passages and memorizing key verses.  Here is how it will unfold:

The Essential 100

The Essential 100 Challenge (E100) helps you get an overview of the Bible… without getting bogged down. The Plan guides you through 50 Old Testament passages and 50 New Testament passages — The Essential 100 — so you can see the big picture of God’s Word, and form a daily Bible reading habit in the process. Below is the link to this creative plan:

http://www.pcctoday.com/life-learning/bible-reading-plan/

You can take the challenge and read these passages during the first hundred days of 2012.  Or you can slow it down a bit and work through these 100 passages at a pace of two per week, enabling you to complete this challenge in one year. That’s what I plan to do.  And if you like, you can link your reading to this blog, which will follow the plan throughout 2012.  Two blogs will appear each week, one on Wednesday and one on Friday, as I work my way through the Essential 100.

Project 52

Project 52 will help you to hide one key verse from God’s living and active Word in your heart each week during 2012.  Imagine that … 52 verses committed to memory this year!  Sounds like an elephant-sized task; but as the old saying goes, you can eat an elephant—one bite at a time.

Join me in committing these verses to memory.  And to get them rooted deeply in our hearts, I will write a devotional blog each Monday on the selected verse for that week. I am looking forward to this project—and to doing it in partnership with you!

You can find the verses we will be memorizing in the same location as the reading plan:

http://www.pcctoday.com/life-learning/bible-reading-plan/

You can also grab a Memory Verse Desktop Wallpaper each week for your computer to help you meditate each day on the scheduled verse. Check here to see our first screensaver verse: http://www.pcctoday.com/_img/wp/Desk_1024_768.jpg

I am stoked about my walk with Jesus in 2012.  With the ever-present help of the Holy Spirit and a few intentional practices on my part, I plan on looking a little (hopefully a lot) more like Jesus by the end of next year.

Happy New Year!  May God perfect everything that concerns you in 2012.

Ray