Take that Step: Healthier, stronger, and moving forward

Jimmy recently downloaded a fitness app on his phone. Among its many “smart” capabilities, it tracks the number of steps he takes each day. I guess we can add pedometer to the list of many gadgets now replaced by smartphones. The health and fitness app guided him through setting up a series of health goals, including how far he’d like to walk each day. He set the goal at 10,000 steps/day.

Health and fitness aren’t going to just happen in our lives. We won’t wake up some morning and find we’ve arrived at a certain weight, cholesterol level, or body mass index unless we take regular, active steps to make them reality.

We all know walking is a good, safe option to help us achieve our desired health and fitness goals. As we walk, we become stronger, healthier, and reach our destination.

I started thinking about these three outcomes that walking has on our lives after I posted last week’s article, Don’t Stand Still. The American church is familiar with a phenomenon we call pew sitters. They are people who come to church, sit in the pew for the sermon, and leave again with no real impact on their lives. Well, last week I classified another group of us – the standers. We’re involved in a few activities, have some Christian influence outside the church building, and try to live a fairly good life.

Maybe you read that article. Maybe you thought, “Isn’t that what we call the Christian walk? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?” Maybe you’re right.

But I think there’s more.

Think about that app Jimmy downloaded on his phone. After several weeks of use, yesterday he finally reached his goal of 10,000 steps in one day. It didn’t happen because he sat at his desk all day nor did it happen because he stood around talking. He reached that goal because he was up, moving, getting things done, and being active.

When we walk, we become healthier, stronger, and we move forward. That’s why I see a difference between those who are spiritually standing still and those who are spiritually walking. I see lots of us doing a lot of Christian things each day but we’re not becoming healthier, stronger, or moving forward.

Healthier

We all deal with stuff; you know, the baggage we carry around due to bad experiences in our past. We have those experiences because we live in a messed up world that does everything it can to fight God’s design.

God’s Word doesn’t lay out a twelve-step program for overcoming drug addiction. It doesn’t give us three steps to recovering from divorce. You can’t turn to a certain page and find out exactly how to deal with various forms of child abuse, depression, or negative self-image.

But, if we’re walking with God – rather than sitting or standing still – then we’re going to become mentally and spiritually healthier as we learn to let go of the baggage that weighs us down. We’re going to be in an active, growing relationship with the one who can bring health through prayer and an understanding of various Scriptures. We’re going to see truth in His Word come to life in a way we never would have believed possible.

Stronger

We’re all unsure; we all have doubts. We all look at the path that lies before us and feel inadequate to the job. Our weakness overwhelms us.

The Bible doesn’t give us a mathematical formula to incorporate faith into our life. It doesn’t promise trust will come to those who say a certain prayer. The Bible doesn’t give power to those who at most skim through its topics.

But, if we’re walking with God – rather than sitting or standing still – then we’re going to become mentally and spiritually stronger. We’ll see God work in our circumstances even in the midst of our hard times; our faith will grow as we realize His strength will be sufficient for us in future trials. We will face impossible situations with the recognition that our only option is to trust Him. It will make us almost sick to our stomachs as we empty the situation of our own ability and trust completely in Him. And yet, we’ll look back and know that is when the trust in our relationship grew stronger. We will face insurmountable odds; rather than become weak and overwhelmed, we will remember a Bible verse we studied and claim its power and authority for that moment. We will see the power of God work mightily in our lives to conquer and destroy that which would hold us back from all God desires.

Move Forward

We all want to stay where we are because everything is safe, secure, and familiar. We know what to expect and how everything works in our current location. It’s easy to stand still because it doesn’t require us to stretch ourselves or step out into the unknown.

But, if we’re walking with God – rather than sitting or standing still – then we’re going to move forward. We’re going to look back 5 or 10 years and realize we’re closer to God now than we were then. Our spiritual illnesses and weaknesses will be fewer and farther behind us than they once were. We’re going to look forward with excitement, trust, and faith at where God might lead us. We’ll look forward and see that God didn’t seem as far away as He once did.

Take that Step

God gave us everything we need to start a revolution of love… an overflow of hope… an explosion of faith. But we’re not going to see any of it until we change some things in our own lives. God gave us a message of faith, hope, and love with which to transform the world, starting with ourselves. We won’t have the privilege of seeing that message go anywhere until we stop standing still and start walking – to become healthier, stronger, and closer to Him who gave His life to deliver us.

Loving the Unloved: Life's lessons outside the classroom

One of my teenage daughters had a story she wanted to tell… so I’m giving her a platform to do it. I hope you enjoy but even more I hope we can learn as adults what she’s learning as a teen.

A few months ago I went on a service day trip to a local Christian school for underprivileged kids with my small group from school. Being a first year school, they had one kindergarten class of 14 and they plan to grow one class per year. This trip opened my eyes to the poverty in our own community, not just third-world countries.

When we arrived, they put us straight to work cleaning three of the classrooms. They didn’t have time to clean them since they only have 5 or 6 regular staff members, so we jumped at the opportunity to help in this area. Once we finished cleaning the rooms, it was close to lunch time so three other girls and I went to prepare lunch for the kids. However, we didn’t know we would be able to actually eat with the kids!

After lunch was ready we went into the cafeteria to wait for the kids. I sat at a table with some friends and we talked about our experience until the kids came. After a few minutes, the kids came running in with huge grins on their faces. You wouldn’t even know these kids lived rough lives at home by their expressions when they saw us. The three kids with us at our table were Kistin, Markiel, and Brendan. Kistin and I sat together and talked the most. She was the kindest, sassiest, funniest little girl. About half way into lunch she turned to me, took out one of her hair clips - a navy bow - and said with a smile, “You are awesome, take this and keep it!” I later heard her telling one of my friends about how that was a good bow, not a cheap one. Even a girl who had so little was so generous with what she did have. I still have that hair clip and always will.

After lunch we went outside for recess. This was my favorite part of the day. The kids had little bikes they would ride down the hill. Daniya asked if she could ride down the hill with me. So – keep in mind that I’m about 5’9” – I sat down on the tiny bike that didn’t even come up to my knee. Daniya climbed on my back and we rolled down the hill together at least 5 times. But it was totally worth the awkward discomfort of a tall girl on a short bike to see the smile on that girl’s face and hear her beautiful laugh. To most people, this may seem like a common thing. I mean, she’s a little girl; of course she’s going to smile and laugh all the time, right? That’s what I thought too until I saw her crying inside one of the tunnels on the playground. I figured she had fallen or something. I went in to try to calm her down and I asked what was wrong. She said, “I’m just having so much fun here with you and all your friends and I don’t want it to end because I know what’s going to happen when I go home.” I was brought to tears. Right then and there I knew why we were sent there – to love the unloved. I had noticed before how skinny and possibly malnourished she was, but I didn’t think too much of it until she said those words. “What’s going to happen?” I wondered. I could only fear the worst. I wanted to scoop up her little body right then and there and take her home with me. The people who seem happy all the time still have struggles and pain in their lives. The people who smile the brightest are usually the saddest; that’s why it is such a beautiful thing to see them laugh.

The kids showed us how to whip and “nae-nae,” play basketball, and ride a bike. They also made us “salads,” and some even gave us parting gifts. They impacted our lives so much and they don’t even know it. I can only hope we impacted them as well and they remember the 12 girls that love them and will always have them in their hearts and prayers. Even more, I hope they remember that God loves them with a never ending love.

Just imagine how all of those kids are treated at home: neglected, abused, starving. They are beautiful children who don’t deserve any of this. If it wasn’t for the wonderful ladies and volunteers that teach, cook, and clean to make the school possible, they would be in that environment all day, every day. Instead, they are taught the alphabet, counting, and shapes at school. Some kids came to the school not even knowing how to spell “cat” and now they can read and write sentences as kindergarteners!

It’s been awhile, but I contacted all the girls that went on the trip and asked them what they remember most about the kids…

“They were so lovin’ and sweet and I remember one saying, ‘Come at me, I’ll beat you at basketball!’ and another one saying, ‘I love God and the world.’”

“I thought it was cool how the school leaders said the kids have such hard lives but you wouldn’t know it by how they act and by their innocence. Their sweetness was so genuine.”

“The thing that stuck out the most to me was Daniya talking about her abusive life and everything going on in her life.”

“I mostly remember the fun times we had just playing with the kids and letting them forget everything that has happened in their lives for a little while. I remember them saying they didn’t want to go home and even one child whose parents sold all her stuff so they could pay their bills.”

“I remember playing with them at recess and eating lunch with them. That was a party! Then I remember my girl Armya saying they took her daddy and her other daddy and then they took her stuff like her fishing pole. That’s what I remember and seeing the beautiful innocent little face she had. It’s making me almost cry thinking about her; I don’t know what’s going on in her life but I’m praying for her.”

Sometimes we have to get out of the classroom to learn the most important lessons. My day with these kids helped me realize that poverty isn’t only a third-world problem. It’s right here with us. We think we have so little when we actually have so much. If an underprivileged kindergartener can be generous with a hair bow, how much more can I give to others? If they can be happy in such a hard place in life, then I can be happy in the circumstances my life has given me. Finally, it’s easy to love those around us in our normal life. Most people are scared or don’t think they can love people who are different or in not-so-easy lifestyles. It turns out it’s easy to love those in different places and conditions. All you have to do is love like God loves – by loving the unloved.

Priorities: My Children aren't that Important

You probably think my title is an attention grabber to pique your curiosity. Sorry, that’s not the case. My kids really aren’t that important.

Let me explain before you skip the rest of the article to leave me a nasty comment. But before I explain, I want to share some of this year’s Mother’s Day moments.

Fourth Child

My youngest is a pure expression of creativity. Her unique views of the world never cease to amaze. Many people create acrostic poems for Mother’s Day – even the well-known Proverbs 31 passage is an acrostic! Leave it to my youngest, however, to make an acrostic based on the second letter of each word. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think that’s kind of impressive for her age.

Third Child

My younger middle child thrives on the beauty of musical order. She mixes structure with creativity and rhythm with emotion to bring music to life. She’s had a song in her heart since the day she was born. No wonder that she shared her feelings in poetry.

Second Child

My older middle child gets it – whatever “it” is. Her quick mind, sharp wit, and logical comprehension not only make her hysterically entertaining but also provide a deep understanding of situations. She was the first to find me Mother’s Day morning to share her love. Also no surprise that she was the one that turned to social media to further share her feelings. Yeah, I know, I need to work on my "duck face."

First Child

My firstborn and I have something I’ll never have with my other daughters. For her first years, it was her and I each day. She’s always been a daddy’s girl but we made many memories those first years before my second daughter joined us. Her independence level will soon take a final giant leap as she branches out into God’s plan for her life. However, we still remember those first days together; they influenced her gift this year.

My Korean Daughter

She’s been with us for two years and, God willing, she’ll be with us two more. She’s part of our family, though. She’s the one to take care of what needs done – how else could her grades average 100% for all classes while learning in a second language? No surprise, then, that she found time and opportunity to buy a card. She’s also as sweet as she is smart as you’d see if you read her message inside the card which began, “Dear My American Mom.”

How can I say they aren’t that important?

They’re amazing – beautiful, creative, intelligent, compassionate, expressive, and all the things we hope for in children. I love each of them to the moon and back.

But they aren’t the most important.

God is. I love Him more.

I’ve been seeing these cute little graphics on social media recently. They say things like,

• “Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you.”
• “Children aren’t a distraction from the most important thing. They are the most important thing.”
• “The most magical day of my life was the day I became a mom.”

They all seem pleasant and sweet on the surface but lies, failures, and disappointments hide in the details of each one.

Greatest Gift
My daughters are each a great gift, but they aren’t the greatest. My husband is a great gift, too. He ranks right up there with my girls. I won’t insult him by saying they are a better gift than he is. Even he’s not the greatest, though. Only one of God’s gifts is the greatest – that of His Son. That’s the only gift in my life that covers all my inadequacies, forgives all my mistakes, and keeps giving grace and love no matter what situations come.

Most Important
They are each so important. God created them unique to fulfill a role in His kingdom. I know He has an incredible plan for each of them – just like being their mom is part of His incredible plan for me. However, being Jimmy’s wife is also part of His plan for me and it’s every bit as important as them. Only God’s plan is the most important; I’m blessed that He chose to include them as part of that plan. His is the only plan that can meet the needs of a hurting world, bring salvation to the nations, and give us significance and importance through serving rather than exaltation.

Most Magical… or Amazing
God doesn’t work with magic, so let’s use the word “amazing” instead of “magical.” I think it still fits with the original intent. I clearly remember the moment each child lay in my arms for the first time. All four were absolutely amazing. They were incredible. But they weren’t the most amazing moments of my life. I remember standing at the front of a church, facing Jimmy as we promised our lives to each other. That was pretty amazing. I remember the moment each daughter accepted Jesus as her Savior. Those moments of spiritual birth were even more amazing than the ones of physical birth. My own personal moment of spiritual birth was amazing as well.

In fact, every time I consider God’s offer of grace and expression of sacrificial love through His Son, I experience the most amazing moment. I’m amazed that the Creator of the universe could love us so passionately that He couldn’t allow sin to separate us from Him. I’m amazed that God the Son lived in holy, perfect beauty with the Father and Spirit and yet chose to leave heaven to come to this dirt-clod we call earth. I’m amazed by His power that willingly laid down His own life and defeated death by resurrecting back to life. I’m amazed by His power to someday return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem with footsteps that will split the mountain in half. Jesus is the most amazing moment.

Finding Balance

I love my girls… they are a great gift, they’re important, and they’re amazing. However, only God is the greatest, most important, most amazing part of my life.

I base my identity on my position as a child of God, not on my position as someone’s mother. My success in life is loving and serving Him, not my ability to bear or raise children.

As women, we have seven different roles. We stay busy as wives, mothers, businesswomen, friends, servants, and homemakers. They’re all important but none of them is most important. Can we say an unmarried woman is less because being a wife isn’t part of her roles? Are women without children less because they’ve never birthed or raised a child? Are women who don’t engage in the workplace less because they don’t earn a paycheck? Are women with a messy home less because they don’t live in spotless perfection? Of course not!

Only the seventh role is the most important – our role as the beloved daughter of God Most High. It’s the umbrella that covers, protects, and sustains the other six. Then we can say, “Many women are capable, but you surpass them all! Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised” (Proverbs 31:29-30).


For more on finding balance and women's roles, please check out Seven Roles, One Woman: You Expect Me to do All That?

What's the Point: Living hope in a violent world

Stories of horror at the hands of ISIS’ members continue to pour out of the Middle East. In fact, what began as a trickle of atrocities has grown into a raging river as incidents increase in frequency and barbarity. This week, they reportedly kidnapped approximately 150 Christians from a region in northeast Syria. Early reports put this number at about 90; subsequent reports have increased it to 150. I say with a prayerful sorrow the future is bleak for those followers of Jesus. News reports have also surfaced that ISIS funds their operation in part through harvesting organs, such as kidneys, from prisoners. An alternate source of their income is selling young girls and women into sex trafficking.

My older two daughters asked me the same question at different times last week. “Is this it? Is our world falling apart? Is this the end?”

My daughters were two and newborn when Al-Qaeda flew airplanes into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. I realized the world they grew up in would look very different than did my childhood environment. I realized that was their reality – better to help them deal with it than sugar coat their exposures. I answered, “We don’t know for sure. ISIS’ behavior is consistent with biblical prophecies of the end times. Many Christians are sensing that this will lead to that time soon.”

They both responded in similar ways; basically, “Then what’s the point?”

What is the point?

Our purpose doesn’t change
God gave us signs to watch for which indicate the end is drawing near. However, He chose to withhold exactly when those events would begin. I believe one reason why is because our job doesn’t change whether we know the exact time or not.

• Love God with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
• Love other people as much as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39).
• Love faithfulness, act justly, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

It doesn’t matter if Jesus returns today, in a decade, or in a century, our call as Jesus’ followers is the same. We are to know, love, and serve God. We are to love and encourage a hurting world. We are to behave in a way that honors God and glorifies His name.

We have a message of hope
Current events in the Middle East may or may not lead to the fulfillment of biblical end-time prophecies. Either way, we have a message of hope for the world. I don’t know about you, but the number of hurting people in my life is increasing. Economic problems, family relationships, drugs, unemployment, and many others are all surface indicators of hard times. Below the surface, though, much bigger problems arise under names such as fear, depression, rejection, bitterness, insecurity, disbelief, and deception. Followers of Jesus, we have a message of unconditional love, strengthening joy, unsurpassable peace and gentleness, limitless patience, sacrificial kindness and goodness, unwavering faith, and supernatural self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We have everything we need to accomplish the task to which He calls us – the task of reaching the world with His gospel of grace (2 Peter 1:3, Philippians 1:6, Matthew 28:19-20).

We have hope even in midst of persecution
I can’t speak for the hundreds of Christians held captive in Syria right now. But I can speak for countless others throughout history who’ve faced persecution for following Jesus. I can speak the words of Paul who endured a lifetime of persecution, “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

In studying Paul’s testimony, along with others in the New Testament, I discovered seven aspects of persecution that seem contradictory to human thinking…

• Serves to advance the Gospel
• Encourages others and reduces fear
• Causes rejoicing
• Promotes patient endurance
• Teaches us to trust God and about the power of prayer
• Is a source of comfort
• Brings us to maturity

You may read more in depth on this area in Everything We Need: God’s Path to Know Him Better.

The point is Jesus, the Messiah

I’d like to give you rose-colored glasses through which to view the world. I’d like to give solutions for defeating ISIS and promises that bloody religious persecution will never reach America’s shores. Just like I realized when my daughters were babies, that isn’t the world in which we live anymore. We can ignore it or deny it; reality doesn’t change.

But I can give you a point – a reason – to endure it. I can give you a message of hope. Our hope and reason are both in the name of Jesus. One day, after seven years of tribulation, He will return and reign peacefully over the entire earth. Until then, we have a purpose that doesn’t change. We are to love and serve God, love and encourage others to believe in Him, and live in a way that glorifies His name. In the midst of all the turmoil, only Jesus’ followers have a message of hope found in salvation through faith in Jesus. He alone has the power to bring comfort, encouragement, patience, rejoicing, and more out of barbaric persecution.

American Sniper: What would Jesus do?

If a man burst into our home or approached me on the street with a loaded weapon intent on killing me, I would be ok with Jimmy shooting him. In fact, I would expect him to do everything within his power to protect me. It’s his job.

It was Chris Kyle’s job to do so as well.

Chris is the hero of the blockbuster movie “American Sniper,” a true story based on his military career as a Navy SEAL. Chris’s accuracy with a sniper rifle saved the lives of countless Americans throughout four tours of duty in Iraq. His accomplishments earned him the nickname “Legend” among his military brothers. The movie isn’t only Chris’s struggle on the battlefield, however, just as Chris Kyle’s life wasn’t only as a military hero. Chris was also a husband and dad; balancing the aggression of the battlefield with the compassion of the home may have been his greatest battle just as it is for many who return home from war.

Despite his heroic actions, the movie has met with strong criticism in social media. One tweet has caught my attention more than others. I saw the movie Saturday night; the movie was still fresh in my pondering mind when I read this tweet,

I admit it – the expression “What would Jesus do?” is kind of worn out. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone wearing a WWJD bracelet. Besides, the question of what Jesus would do is pointless as He doesn’t need a sniper’s rifle to strike down his enemy. The power of His spoken word will be adequate when the time comes. Don’t believe me? Read Revelation 19:11-21. But that’s another battle for another day and time.

All joking aside, I think we understand the point of the tweeter’s question, “What would Jesus do?” The question really asks “How should I – as a follower of Jesus – respond to this situation?” Or, sometimes people use the question to indicate, “What is Jesus’ teaching on this issue?” To that end, I’ve come up with six areas where Chris Kyle is a good example for us as followers of Christ as we engage in the battle.

He enlisted.

It seems basic but we all have to start somewhere, don’t we? Yet, some of us never enlist in the battle. We assume life can be all happy thoughts, peaceful moments, and kumbaya campfires. That’s not reality, though. We may find personal peace in Christ but neither the spiritual nor physical worlds will experience complete peace until eternity begins. Only then will God “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Until then, we better come to grips with reality; wars and rumors of wars will continue until the end (Matthew 24:6) and “we will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33).

He developed his skill.

Chris Kyle appears to have had some natural talent with a rifle. Natural talent doesn’t make you the most successful sniper in American history, however. The movie doesn’t go in to much detail in this area but common sense tells me that Chris spent hours practicing and developing his skill so he would be ready when deployment came.

As followers of Christ, we have a gift as well – a special area where God has given us the capacity to serve Him. The capacity to serve is only as effective as natural talent, however. It will get some work done but serving at a higher level requires the development of that capacity. Then we can step into the battle ready to do some damage against the enemy.

He knew his purpose.

Chris Kyle’s job was to protect his fellow soldiers. Period. He didn’t spend time cooking in the mess hall or analyzing intelligence in the offices. His duty – his purpose – was to spend hours staring down the scope of a rifle watching for those who might harm his brothers. That’s what he did and it made him a legend.

We have a purpose as well; we have to know what it is. We can waste a lot of hours doing good things that keep us from the best thing, however. In fact, I believe this is one of Satan’s primary methods of attack for those who follow Christ. He can keep us so busy doing good things that we aren’t effective in our true area of purpose, whatever that might be. The more our relationship with Jesus grows, the more we will know our true purpose. Then, we will be the one striking down the enemy on the battlefield.

He did his job.

He developed his skill. He knew his purpose. All of that is worthless if we don’t step up and do the job. Hours of practice and tons of head knowledge didn’t make Chris a legend. He was a legend because he put it into practice on the battlefield.

When the enemy entered his view on the cross hairs of his rifle scope, Chris pulled the trigger. He didn’t enjoy it but he didn’t regret it either. It was his job to protect the lives of his fellow servicemen. Pulling the trigger accomplished that mission.

Chris also recognized the ripple effects of his job performance. Yes, he took the lives of Iraqis, but doing so saved the lives of countless others. In the immediate sense, it saved the lives of those at the other end of the Iraqi’s gun. It also rippled out into the future as each Iraqi he killed couldn’t kill American soldiers in the weeks, months, and years ahead. The ripples didn’t even stop there. Each time Chris successfully fired his rifle, he took one more step toward keeping the battle off American soil and away from his wife and kids.

Chris served faithfully.

His service was hard. His family suffered as did his health. Sometimes he was unable to save his military brothers. He lived in humble conditions while deployed. No one ever said it was easy to be a Navy SEAL. Likewise, no one ever said it will be easy to follow Christ. If it was, God could have called bunnies and kittens to fight the forces of evil. Instead, He called us – those He created in His image and in whom His Spirit dwells – because through Him He knew we could win the battle.

His service was met with criticism. Obviously, not everyone agrees with what Chris Kyle did. Yet Chris knew his purpose, did his job, and would do so again if he could as he knew it was the right thing to do. Similarly, not everyone is going to agree with or understand when we step up to the spiritual battle. That doesn’t matter; we do it because God called us to do it and it’s the right thing to do.

So in the end

War will continue on this planet. Even more, war will continue in the spiritual realm. Our enemy isn’t a person lined up in our crosshairs; our battle is against forces of evil and powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). Some of us would like to sit in our pews, following a Christianity that denies hell and demonic forces where everyone lives pretty, peaceful lives. Recognition of Jesus’ teaching realizes, however, that following Christ sometimes means war. We have to enlist in the battle, develop our skill, study to know our purpose, do our job, and serve faithfully until the end.

A Christian Hijab: Two signs that show you follow Jesus

I ran several errands in my local community the other day. While out and about, I noticed several women wearing a hijab (Muslim head scarf). My Christian friend wears a hijab since she lives in a Muslim country and works among Muslim people. She wears it as a sign of respect to their culture.

 

However, a woman only wears a hijab in the heart of Midwest America if she’s Muslim. She may wear the hijab out of a sense of obligation or the force of habit but – rather intentional or not – if she wears a hijab in my local culture, she is proclaiming her religious beliefs.

I stood in line at Target, considering one such woman in line behind me. I wondered to myself, “If I had to consistently wear something that so publicly declared my religious beliefs, would I do so? What would I wear?”

Would I wear my Christian hoodie with the clever tagline? Would I wear a cross necklace?

 

Would I wear it if my religious system made it a requirement? After all, I'm not very good at following the rules. Tell me I have to do something; it’s a sure fire way to keep me from doing it.

Here’s the reality, though. Following Christ doesn’t require any outer sign on my part. I don’t have to wear a head covering, fix my hair in a certain style, make any marks on my skin, or perform any other outer religious modifications to who I am.

I can be me.

You could place me in a line up with several other women and you’d see no distinguishing marks of my decision to follow Christ.

During the times of the Old Testament, God did require an outer mark – circumcision. “This is My covenant, which you are to keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every one of your males must be circumcised” (Genesis 17:10).

Even during that time, however, God said that sign would eventually change. He later wrote of a then future time when “The Lord God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). We’re living in the midst of that fulfillment now, but that’s another article.

This verse from Deuteronomy sums up a lot about signs of our relationship with Jesus. We base our relationship on two signs – an inner circumcision of the heart and a little thing called love.

Inner Circumcision of the Heart

Paul recalled Moses’ words from Deuteronomy when he wrote, “circumcision is of the heart – by the Spirit” (Romans 2:29). A cross around our neck isn’t a sign of our salvation; the sign is the presence of the Spirit of God within us. “When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).

He marks us as a follower of Christ in a way that’s more impacting and permanent than any tattoo could ever be.

Going back to the idea of placing me in a line up to pick out the Christian… The presence of the Spirit of God within us isn’t very visible to the world is it? That’s where love comes in.

It’s all about love

God left us with another kind of sign. This one also comes from inside us – love for God and for each other.

Jesus emphasized this transition from outer signs to inner transformation when a Jewish rabbi asked Him which command from the Old Testament is the greatest. He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets depend on these two commands” (Matthew 22:37-40).

Christianity doesn’t require me to wear a certain headscarf or any other outer modification or adornment. It asks that I love God. People aren’t able to see that one quite so easily, though, so it doesn’t end there. Jesus made it really clear when He said, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). When you look at love in the Bible, you quickly realize that God’s kind of love looks a lot like service and sacrifice.

It flows with generosity.

It aches with compassion.

It's exhausted by perseverance.

It dares with kindness.

What’s my sign?

Wear a cross necklace if you want. Enjoy your Christian t-shirts with clever taglines on them. But those things aren’t going to reach the world. Your waitress or store clerk might give you a little, “Hey, I like your shirt” quietly indicating that they are a believer as well. That’s probably all your outer sign is going to accomplish.

The world is changed and lives are transformed when people see us serving and sacrificing – in short, loving – in a way that’s only possible by the presence of the Spirit of God in our lives. The sacrificial love of God will mark us as different.

Immanuel: All He ever wanted was to be God with us

Christmas isn’t about Santa, $5 gift exchanges at endless holiday parties, and elaborate trays of special cookies and candies.

I think we all know that.

Christmas isn’t about family either, though. It’s isn’t the blessing of being together with loved ones. It’s not a child’s eyes as she bursts into the living room on Christmas morning. It’s not dinner around the table with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.

I’m not sure we all know that, though.

Perhaps that’s why the holidays disappoint for many year after year. We dread that one relative that will point out everything wrong in our family relationships. We stress over the one child who eagerly tears open the gift only to be upset he didn’t get what he wanted. We worry the table may not look like the pictures on Pinterest. We remember the family members who aren’t with us as bitterness and unforgiveness have pulled us apart.

We invest a lot of time, money, and energy trying to find fulfillment in areas that can’t fulfill. We place expectations on people and situations that can’t live up to them.

So What’s the Point?

Enjoy the blessings of Christmas – the joy of giving, the comfort of a special meal, the connection of beloved family members. You can enjoy these moments when you don’t enter the holiday expecting them to fulfill your dreams of a magical holiday.

We find the joy, the comfort, the connection, and the abundance of blessings when we focus first on Christmas as seen in one biblical word – Immanuel.

 

Immanuel

It’s a Hebrew word only used a few times in the whole Bible. God inspired Isaiah to call the awaited Messiah by the name Immanuel. Later, Matthew confirmed the fulfillment of the prophecy in his gospel when he wrote of Mary’s baby, Jesus. Matthew wrote, “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel” (Matthew 1:22-23).

Immanuel; it translates to English as “God with us.” Hebrew is a pictorial language so sometimes we can see another level of significance in the letter pictures the ancient Hebrews used to form the words. This one has given me reason to sit and reflect as I write this article. The Hebrew shows pictures of a God who experienced chaos, life, and nails. Wow.

You see, God was in heaven enjoying the glory of ultimate, sinless beauty and perfection. Yet, He chose to leave that place of divine triune intimacy and experience the chaos of a world thrown out of whack by sin. He chose to experience life. The experience of life meant He would also experience death because of the permeation of that same sin corruption. He chose to experience the nails pierced through His hands and feet because of the condemnation of sin. He chose to be God with us in the midst of all of our chaos, sin, pain, life, and death.

God with us

That had been the plan all along, though. In the beginning, the plan of God with us didn’t include the chaos, death, and nails brought in by sin. In the beginning, He was God with us in a perfect garden free from the destruction of sin. It was there that God walked with Adam and Eve as they experienced relationship together. However, what was a place of peaceful interaction became a place of fear and hiding as Adam and Eve chose the pleasure of a sinful moment (Genesis 3:8). From the beginning, God desired to be God with us. We blew it.

So God inspired Isaiah to write that the Son of the virgin would be Immanuel. That way He could be God with us once again. Even if being God with us meant joining us in our own chaotic mess of life to experience the nails.

He became God with us in our mess to restore the peaceful interaction of our former garden relationship; to create the opportunity for that relationship once again in the glory of eternity. He became God with us to experience our chaos so that one day we will experience “God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

God experienced the chaos, life, and death of the nails so that we wouldn’t have too. He experienced them so that He might remove them from our lives and someday wipe away our tears, grief, and pain. He became God with us so He could be the fulfillment of all our hopes and expectations.

“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Be Flexible: God has a plan

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… (Ephesians 1:3).

This was the main point of my pastor's sermon. His sub-points came from the continuing verses but those points aren't my point so I'll stay quiet on those for today. 

At the end of the service he asked us to share why we will bless the Lord. “I will bless the Lord because...”

I answered, “I bless Him because He is sovereign. He is absolutely in control of every detail.” At the time, Jimmy was flying somewhere over the Mediterranean Sea.

I received a text from him a few hours later, “Just landed. No bags. Did not make the flight in. Tuesday maybe.”

Neither his nor Big Daddy R’s luggage had made it onto their plane. Many of us have had this happen; we all know it’s an annoyance more than a catastrophe.

But here’s the deal…

Jimmy and Big Daddy R had to leave their city of arrival in less than 24 hours – a small plane waited to fly them to their remote work site. The bags wouldn’t arrive for a minimum of two days. They couldn’t stay in the city until the bags arrived; the bags wouldn’t have a way to get to them when they did arrive.

Here’s the other deal…

The two men came to do a job – a job they only have a few days to accomplish. Their tools and supplies are in those bags. They can’t complete the job until they have those items.

To be continued…

Remember, nothing random happens in God’s kingdom. If you wonder, read God’s declarations in Job 38-41 to which Job replies, “I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted (Job 42:2). Experience has taught us that He has a plan in all that He does. I’m reminded of when I led a group to do a project in Haiti and our luggage also didn’t arrive. By the end of the week God had blessed us to see His mighty work through our divine inconvenience.

So this article will have to be continued. As of right now, we don’t know why Jimmy and Big Daddy R are in Africa to do a job while their tools and supplies sit in Europe somewhere. But we know God has a plan in it – a reason for the annoyance.

As Jimmy stated in a later text, “Be flexible.” The plan was to go, work, and get the job done. God apparently has a different plan. So Jimmy and Big Daddy R will flex with the situation as they seek to accomplish God’s plan – not their own.

Hope in the Battle

"One of the great themes of Christianity is triumphant hope. Not just hope as in a distant, vague dream, but TRIUMPHANT hope, the kind of hope where all things end right. In the midst of the struggles and the storms and suffering of life, we can advance our thoughts beyond today and see relief....triumph...victory. Because, in the end, God does indeed win" (Charles Swindoll).

I focused this month on prophecies of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Facebook, Twitter, Google+). As Passover and Resurrection Sunday ended, my focus shifted for the rest of the month. The fulfillment of prophecy didn’t end with Jesus’ resurrection; He has more to do. Here’s the connection – the fact that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of His death and resurrection are our guarantee that He will fulfill the prophecies of His second coming, millennial kingdom, and final judgment.

Jesus never taught on hope

Jesus’ fulfillment of these future prophecies completes our hope! And yet, Jesus never taught on hope. Does that surprise you? It did me.

Jesus – every part man and every part God – sees the whole picture without the limits of time. For Him, the certainty of the fulfillment of prophecy was as sure as the soil upon which His feet walked. As absolute as His role in the creation of that soil. Present, past, future – He sees them all.

Jesus’ teaching “is delivered in the language of One to whom the realities of the next world and of the future are perfectly familiar; the tone is not that of prediction so much as it is that of the statement of obvious facts. In other words, ‘hope’ to Christ is ‘certainty,’ and the word ‘hope’ is never on His lips” (ISBE).

Hope isn’t a distant, vague dream; through Jesus, hope is realized - completed - finished - fulfilled.

What is our hope?

Jesus' fulfilled prophecy at His first coming; this gives us an absolute hope for the fulfillment of still future prophecies. So, for what do we hope?

Our hope is…

• For God to be glorified (Romans 5:1-5)
• For creation and our own bodies to be set free from decay (Romans 8:20-24)
• To reflect the glory of God (2 Corinthians 3:7-18)
• A calling God wants us to know (Ephesians 1:18)
• Stored up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5)
• The message of the gospel (Colossians 1:22-23)
• Salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
• Eternal life (Titus 1:2-3)
• The second coming of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13)
• Alive (1 Peter 1:3)
• Grace (1 Peter 1:13)
• In God (1 Peter 1:21)
• Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:1)

Hope in the Battle

From Jesus’ timeless perspective, it may have been easy to see the certainty of future hope. It’s not always so easy for us. Here are a few helps from Scripture to make hope a greater reality in your life.

Hope protects our mind & thoughts

“But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).

A helmet guards the head and the mind. Our mind is how we understand the world around us; with it, we utilize wisdom and discernment. Our mind helps us to make a judgment or maintain determination. Like a helmet, hope in Christ protects our understanding, thoughts, and purpose. Hope helps us to look at a battle, discern the truth, and see the victory. When we lose focus on the hope before us – the hope of His future fulfillment of prophecy – our thoughts steer us off course.

Hope is a requirement for action

“Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

We prepare our mind for action by remaining calm and collected (serious) and by focusing on our hope. Keep your thoughts focused on the hope of what lies ahead; doing so helps us keep the battles of this life in perspective. Then we can take effective action rather than lose control in a response based entirely on our emotions.

Hope can do the job

“But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

Once hope is protecting our mind, thoughts, and understanding… Once we have prepared our mind for action through our hope… Then, hope is ready to do its job in the battle. Hope doesn’t fly off on irrational, emotional appeals. A prepared mind provides a logical understanding for why we hope as we do although it does so with gentleness and respect.

Jesus’ past fulfillment of prophecy guarantees His future fulfillment. That certainty is our hope! 

Consider the Why, Rebels of God

The people have suffered.

The Servant has suffered.

With this week we reach the middle – the pinnacle – of Isaiah’s Song of the Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). In the midst of this week’s stanza lies the point of the servant’s suffering; the “Why?” which we have all questioned.

The people and the city of God suffered under oppression and slavery just as the Servant would also have to suffer (Article one of this series – Wake Up, City of God).

God would have to become a man – forsaking all rights and entitlements – no matter how hard it might be to believe such a thing (Article two of this series – Believe It, People of God).

Why?

• Why did Israel suffer?
• Why did the Servant suffer?
• Why did He come as a man?

We may know the “what” of the Servant’s suffering – the characters, the details, the methods, the timing, and the place. All of that is worthless, though, unless we know the “why.” Why gives the suffering purpose.

“Why?” takes a random execution and gives it meaning. This execution held significance for all people for all time.

The Connection

A little Hebrew wordplay in Isaiah 53:3-4 ties together the suffering of the Servant Man with the reason for why He had to suffer. Verse three describes Him as “a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.” As is common in Hebrew poetry, Isaiah repeated these ideas – in reverse order and with more explanation – in verse four. “He Himself bore our sicknesses and He carried our pains.” In the pictures below, the words highlighted with the same color are the same word in Hebrew.

Yes, the Servant was a man. All men are familiar with suffering, sickness, and sorrow. The first line doesn’t tell us much that’s new. The connection between the first line and the second shows us the significance. The Servant knew pain and sickness because He knew OUR pain and sickness. Isaiah’s. The Jews’. The Gentile’s. Yours. Mine.

Another Hebrew repetition reveals even more significance to the Servant’s suffering. In verse three, when we thought the Servant was just some man who suffered, we couldn’t even be bothered with it; didn’t give it a second thought. “We didn’t value Him.” In verse four, Isaiah told us it’s our suffering that the Servant carried. And so our response changes – we do take the time to think about it. Our conclusion? We “regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.”

Yeah, we thought about it. We decided He’s just a man so God must have…

• Reached out to strike Him as a sinner
• Wounded and killed Him
• Brought Him down low

But we distort the truth

Whether or not we believe something doesn’t change whether or not it is true. Truth is truth regardless of whether we believe it or not. That’s the case here.

We may choose to believe that Jesus was just a man – brought low, wounded, and killed. But that doesn’t change the reality. Remember, it was our sickness which He bore and our pain which He carried. But there's more...

• Our rebellion pierced Him.
• Our distortion of the truth crushed Him.
• We needed discipline to restore our covenant relationship with God but the discipline fell upon the Servant.
• Every hit He received brought healing to us.

He never rebelled, He never distorted the truth, He never needed discipline to restore His relationship with the Father, and He never needed healing. If He was just a man He would have needed all of these things. But He’s more – He’s God. The Servant is a man; the Servant is God. Together in one.

There’s another reason

He carried our sickness and pain. He restored our relationship. In case that’s not enough, the Servant’s suffering is significant for one more reason in this stanza. God created us to go on a certain path but we wandered off it. We turned to our own path instead. We distort God’s truth as we wander aimlessly down our own chaotic path. The result of our wandering was punishment. 

But Love stepped in. The punishment that was supposed to fall on us – God made it fall on the Servant instead.

So the answer to "Why?" is this...

He did it so He could carry our sickness and pain instead of us.

He did it to restore our relationship with God, despite the rebellion and distortion of truth that is within us.

He did it to bring us back onto the right path – the path for which He created us.

Read about the fourth stanza, Isaiah 53:7-9, by clicking here: Behold the Lamb, Children of God.

Read about the fifth stanza, Isaiah 53:10-12, by clicking here: Receive the Victory, Children of God.