I am enamored with Instagram. Truth be told it's not the app itself that captures my attention...pictures do.
I love looking at pictures. Funny faces, frozen faces, smiling faces, sad faces, weird faces, wild faces. Automobiles, barns, cats, dogs, ears, feet, groups, houses, igloos, jokes, kangaroos, laughter, monstrous mountains, nerdy nephews, orbiting orbs, pitchers, quacks, restrooms, saloons, toddlers, universes, valentines, washboards, exes, yokels, and the Zambezi zinger. All may be imprisoned forever.
The "magic" of photography first was recorded by Aristotle and Euclid in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. (Wikipedia makes everyone sound so stinking smart.) Societies the world over have wondered after the marvel of piece of history frozen in time. Photos are fascinating.
Pictures to me are the antithesis of a Christian's life. While pictures take hold of points in time and captures them for eternity, a Christian's life is fluid, moving, ever-changing. The enemy loves to present pictures of who we have been as evidence of why we cannot be something different. But the truth is we cannot allow points in our past define who we can/will be today. Sure, we deal with the consequences of the events recorded in the pictures of our past, but those effigies of history are forgotten by God at our request.
Thankfully our sinfulness is not (generally) plastered on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for the world's consumption. But even if it is, do not let the weight of the evidence seared in your memory cripple your walk with Jesus Christ. Your journey continues despite the pictures of the past.
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Deep and Wide
You probably grew up singing about a fountain flowing deep and wide. That fountain, though not explicit, is the fountain of grace. Did you know why we need a fountain grace to flow deep and wide? Because of the depth and width of our selfishness.
The vein of narcissism runs deep and wide through our core. We are born with a streak of darkness and sin so deep only a deeper and wider fountain of grace can overcome it.
"Moreover the law entered that offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,..." (Romans 5:20)
The valley of our selfishness is nowhere near as deep as the valley of grace. The chasm of our narcissism is nowhere near as wide as the bridge of mercy.
"For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm103:11,12)
God's forgiveness is deeper than deep, wider than wide.
The vein of narcissism runs deep and wide through our core. We are born with a streak of darkness and sin so deep only a deeper and wider fountain of grace can overcome it.
"Moreover the law entered that offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,..." (Romans 5:20)
The valley of our selfishness is nowhere near as deep as the valley of grace. The chasm of our narcissism is nowhere near as wide as the bridge of mercy.
"For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm103:11,12)
God's forgiveness is deeper than deep, wider than wide.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Something from Nothing
"Then God said, 'Let there be light; and there was light.'" -Genesis 1:3 (emphasis added)
The power of God gives me a headache sometimes. Everything on our planet involves a beginning and end. Life is conceived, born, lived and, finally, closed with death. Marriages are conceived, experienced and shared, and, finally, end in death of one kind or another (physical, emotional, spiritual). Every relationship we have follows a natural life cycle. Watch National Geographic long enough and you see the "circle of life" played out over and again.
What I have a hard time imagining is God taking nothing and speaking something into existence. Even harder on my poor brain is considering what I'll call the non-beginning of God Himself. Without getting too off track, God has always been, is now and will always be. How can this be possible?
The overwhelming power of God's words floors me. They brought something from nothing. They stopped waves from capsizing a boat and the wind from blowing. His words brought forgiveness to the unforgivable. They gave strength to legs which had never taken a step. They commanded the realm of darkness from a tortured man and into the pigs. His words proclaimed the end of sin's deathly reach in our world and brought hope to men and women of all ages, races, creeds, societies, languages, and nations.
God's words bring something from nothing even today. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
There is no aspect of your life where the words of God cannot bring new life and redemption. There is no portion of your life where God cannot speak His word and create something from nothing. There is no limit to His creative power. There is no expiration date on His words. May the words of Genesis speak to the darkness in your life. May God say, "Let there be light', and there is light.
The power of God gives me a headache sometimes. Everything on our planet involves a beginning and end. Life is conceived, born, lived and, finally, closed with death. Marriages are conceived, experienced and shared, and, finally, end in death of one kind or another (physical, emotional, spiritual). Every relationship we have follows a natural life cycle. Watch National Geographic long enough and you see the "circle of life" played out over and again.
What I have a hard time imagining is God taking nothing and speaking something into existence. Even harder on my poor brain is considering what I'll call the non-beginning of God Himself. Without getting too off track, God has always been, is now and will always be. How can this be possible?
The overwhelming power of God's words floors me. They brought something from nothing. They stopped waves from capsizing a boat and the wind from blowing. His words brought forgiveness to the unforgivable. They gave strength to legs which had never taken a step. They commanded the realm of darkness from a tortured man and into the pigs. His words proclaimed the end of sin's deathly reach in our world and brought hope to men and women of all ages, races, creeds, societies, languages, and nations.
God's words bring something from nothing even today. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
There is no aspect of your life where the words of God cannot bring new life and redemption. There is no portion of your life where God cannot speak His word and create something from nothing. There is no limit to His creative power. There is no expiration date on His words. May the words of Genesis speak to the darkness in your life. May God say, "Let there be light', and there is light.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Etch-A-Sketch Mind
Our minds are incredible storage facilities. I used to fall asleep by imagining walking to a room full of filing cabinets, taking out a file and stepping into whatever scene was in the file. (A little "Inception-esque" before Inception was even heard of.)
Truthfully I wish my mind was like an Etch-A-Sketch sometimes. When you see a troubling image, just shake it out of your memory and start fresh. When you make a mistake, just wig out a little and it's gone. I really wish this was possible when it comes to sin.
1 John 1 shares the familiar verse about Christ being willing to forgive us and cleanse us of all our sins and unrighteousnesses if we only confess. The problem I always have is the memory of the sin. I know God promises to make my sins white like snow, but for some reason they linger in my memory like the smell of my wife's perfume. And just like her perfume, places, smells, words, images or people trigger the memories of my failures. Really it can be quite unnerving.
I believe God allows the memory of sin for a time so we learn from our pasts. He does not intend for us to continue to dig up the rotting carcass of our sins and ask perpetual forgiveness for something He's already forgotten. We are supposed to take Him at His word that our sins are cast to the deepest part of the ocean.
I may not have a room full of filing cabinets in my head or an Etch-A-Sketch for a memory, but I believe in my God's power and passion to forgive. Today I will live in the peace of His forgiveness.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Beatitudinal Adjustment: The Poor in Spirit
Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
We start an 8-part series on the Beatitudes in my district this month. So every week I'll share thoughts on the next Beatitude in the series.
Matthew is significant as a gospel writer as he depicts Christ as King of kings. Throughout Matthew the phraseology reflects the kingdom of heaven and the coming rulership of Jesus. As Matthew 5 opens, the famous Sermon on the Mount places Jesus in a parallel with Moses on Mount Sinai in the mind of the Jewish reader. Jesus prepares to expound upon the Testimonies given at Sinai without changing them. It should be noted that in Matthew 7:28 the people sit in awe of Jesus and the authority He speaks with just as the children of Israel were in awe of Moses after he spoke with God.
Jesus begins His sermon by speaking blessings upon the people. He starts with "the poor in spirit." The contemporary culture of Jesus' day saw poverty as a curse from the gods. They were ostracized, marginalized and often given lower positions (if any) during worship services or mealtimes. Jesus begins to tear down this misconception. In the eyes of Christ wealth and positions of grandeur are greater burdens than poverty and little or no authority. (see Matthew 19:21-24)
Rather than trumpeting our outward, temporal successes, Christians are called to a life of self-denial, introspection, and humility before The Holy God. Take Isaiah 66:1-2, for example.
"Thus says the LORD: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,' says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.'"
God is not interested in how big and beautiful we can build our churches/temples/shrines/monuments in honor of Him. God already made the heavens and the earth and they serve as a much greater throne and footstool than we could ever build or even design/dream. The LORD is looking for people who recognize they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17)
Christ's message stands in perfect contrast to the teaching of the proud Pharisees and pious Scribes of old. His message still stands against the common empty teachings of today. You are most successful in life when you are humbled by your sinfulness and lying face down before Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to show God's compassion to the poor and suffering (both physically and spiritually). He removed the wall of to the Most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary allowing all to approach the throne of grace. He showed us the accessibility of God. He took, and still takes, the lowest of the low and raises them to the lofty heights of the Most High.
He opened the gates of heaven for you. What will you do about it?
"And he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'
"So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'"
(Acts 16:30-31)
We start an 8-part series on the Beatitudes in my district this month. So every week I'll share thoughts on the next Beatitude in the series.
Matthew is significant as a gospel writer as he depicts Christ as King of kings. Throughout Matthew the phraseology reflects the kingdom of heaven and the coming rulership of Jesus. As Matthew 5 opens, the famous Sermon on the Mount places Jesus in a parallel with Moses on Mount Sinai in the mind of the Jewish reader. Jesus prepares to expound upon the Testimonies given at Sinai without changing them. It should be noted that in Matthew 7:28 the people sit in awe of Jesus and the authority He speaks with just as the children of Israel were in awe of Moses after he spoke with God.
Jesus begins His sermon by speaking blessings upon the people. He starts with "the poor in spirit." The contemporary culture of Jesus' day saw poverty as a curse from the gods. They were ostracized, marginalized and often given lower positions (if any) during worship services or mealtimes. Jesus begins to tear down this misconception. In the eyes of Christ wealth and positions of grandeur are greater burdens than poverty and little or no authority. (see Matthew 19:21-24)
Rather than trumpeting our outward, temporal successes, Christians are called to a life of self-denial, introspection, and humility before The Holy God. Take Isaiah 66:1-2, for example.
"Thus says the LORD: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,' says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.'"
God is not interested in how big and beautiful we can build our churches/temples/shrines/monuments in honor of Him. God already made the heavens and the earth and they serve as a much greater throne and footstool than we could ever build or even design/dream. The LORD is looking for people who recognize they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17)
Christ's message stands in perfect contrast to the teaching of the proud Pharisees and pious Scribes of old. His message still stands against the common empty teachings of today. You are most successful in life when you are humbled by your sinfulness and lying face down before Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to show God's compassion to the poor and suffering (both physically and spiritually). He removed the wall of to the Most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary allowing all to approach the throne of grace. He showed us the accessibility of God. He took, and still takes, the lowest of the low and raises them to the lofty heights of the Most High.
He opened the gates of heaven for you. What will you do about it?
"And he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'
"So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'"
(Acts 16:30-31)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Death to Death
This year starts out with funerals. A close friend of our family buried his dad this week after he died on Christmas. A church member buries her daughter-in-law today after six months-to-live turned out to be ten days. Tomorrow another close family friend buries his brother. Death is never fun and almost certainly inconvenient to all the parties effected.
I have had the unfortunate responsibility of presiding over several funerals in my short pastoral tenure. Only one for someone I knew personally. Funerals are my least favorite pastoral duty to perform. I'm always honored to be asked to perform the funeral, but I definitely do not want to become the funeral expert.
Hearing other pastors give eulogies intrigues me. Most of the sermons I've heard have been from those who believe in the instant transfer from the grave to heaven. I often wonder where they read in Scripture that as pastors we are granted the authority to declare a person's eternal destination. I haven't found it yet. I do find plenty of evidence of death as a sleep which will only be disturbed when the trumpets of heaven and voice of Christ Himself serves as the ultimate alarm clock. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) I do find hope in the soon return of Christ. I do find solace in the judgment of God alone and, despite my observations and judgments of person's character and supposed relationship (or lack of one) with Christ, God will decide eternity for the deceased.
God does not wish that any should perish: now or eternally. He looks forward to His coming with the same, if not greater, anticipation than ours. It will be a day of great rejoicing and reunion. It will signal the death of death. Jesus holds the key to Hades and He can't wait to share it with His beloved.
I have had the unfortunate responsibility of presiding over several funerals in my short pastoral tenure. Only one for someone I knew personally. Funerals are my least favorite pastoral duty to perform. I'm always honored to be asked to perform the funeral, but I definitely do not want to become the funeral expert.
Hearing other pastors give eulogies intrigues me. Most of the sermons I've heard have been from those who believe in the instant transfer from the grave to heaven. I often wonder where they read in Scripture that as pastors we are granted the authority to declare a person's eternal destination. I haven't found it yet. I do find plenty of evidence of death as a sleep which will only be disturbed when the trumpets of heaven and voice of Christ Himself serves as the ultimate alarm clock. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) I do find hope in the soon return of Christ. I do find solace in the judgment of God alone and, despite my observations and judgments of person's character and supposed relationship (or lack of one) with Christ, God will decide eternity for the deceased.
God does not wish that any should perish: now or eternally. He looks forward to His coming with the same, if not greater, anticipation than ours. It will be a day of great rejoicing and reunion. It will signal the death of death. Jesus holds the key to Hades and He can't wait to share it with His beloved.
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