Live the Gospel

I'm assuming most of you remember the story of the Gadarene demoniac--the man possessed of a "legion" of demons, living naked among the tombs, cutting himself, unable to be bound or calmed by any man. And yet in a matter of moments after meeting Jesus, he was sitting calmly and quietly at His feet, "clothed and in his right mind." The Gadarene is a picture of man, lost and saved, we know. But the part that I find interesting is that, when Jesus was about to leave the region, and the man asked to go with Him, Jesus said no. He told the former demoniac to stay and tell everyone what had happened to him.
Funny...'cause that's exactly what we're to do! God didn't save us and take us to heaven. No, we have to wait to be with Him, but there's a reason: He wants us to tell everyone what He has done for us! That's what being a witness is--just telling what has happened in our hearts and our lives. It's not complex doctrine; it's just sharing. That simple. Don't misunderstand, there's nothing wrong with door-to-door soulwinning. But I often wonder if it isn't almost a way out for many. In some ways, it's easier to go knock on a stranger's door (hoping no one's home,) passing out tracks and talking to people we don't know, than it is to live and share Jesus day in and day out with those who know us. But THAT is what we're commanded to do. Are we doing it?

Learning How To Live Again

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14
I'm fairly confident that everyone reading this is human. That means you have a human nature which means it's not your tendancy to smile and be nice to someone being a jerk with you. Not hardly! But as Christians, we're expected to be better than human--we're expected (by God and man) to react like the Christ Whose name we bear. That's not even easy to think about, much less actually live! So we have to train ourselves; we have to program our minds to stop and respond with love and compassion--even when we're being dealt spite and abuse. I can't give you a magic formula to make this easy. There's only one thing I know that can make this doable at all: accept that you cannot change anyone but yourself. Living blow for blow with the world is not going to make the world act any better towards you--it'll just get you a beat-down. Recognize that the only thing you can do is refuse to let them affect you; learn to go with the flow...with a smile on your face.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Philippians 1:3
I wonder, would people say this of me? Do people think of me, and thank God for the blessing that I am or have been to them? Or do they think of me, roll their eyes, and sigh? Don't know about you, but I want to be someone that God hears in the thank-yous, not the why-Lords! I want to be, as the Philippian church was to Paul, a good friend--one whose fellowship and friendship is faithful and dependable. I want people to think of me and know that they can turn to me for anything at any time, and if it's in my power to give, it's theirs. That is what real Christianity is all about: showing the love of Christ every day in every way to every one.

Forgiveness

Have you ever wondered why it's so hard to forgive people? Forgiveness seems like a simple thing--and it is--but simple and easy are not the same! There's really one thing that stands in the way of forgiving others: pride. That's trait the first of the sin nature! It was Lucifer's first sin, and if you think about it, it was Eve's first sin--the reason she disobeyed! We struggle to forgive because we fail to die to self. An old preacher once said, "If you hurt me, it's my fault--I'm not dead. You can't hurt a dead man." How true! If we can just learn to set aside our pride, to die to self, we could forgive.
But here's the catch: you have to do it every day! We want to say, "I forgive you," and it's all over. If we could really forgive and forget, like God, we could pull that off. We're not God, and we don't forget. Every day we have to decide for that day to die to self, to set aside our pride, and forgive. The next day...well...you'll have to worry about that then!

Rest In Him

Did you know that only a Christian can experience real, complete rest? It's really very simple. See, in our flesh, we have only ourselves to depend on. Problems are constantly coming at us, hitting us from every direction, and as soon as one goes away, another (or two others) comes to take its place. The natural man cannot rest, because he's constantly battling. But a child of God can turn it all over to Him. We don't have to fight our battles, because He's there to do it for us! And yet, even believers often don't rest. Even we can only rest in Him--and until we give Him our problems and trials, they're still ours to bear. Don't struggle on uselessly and pointlessly; give it all to Jesus and experience true rest and peace.

Learning to Let Go

I've probably mentioned "The Serenity Prayer" before. You've heard it, I'm sure: "Lord, grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference." As I travel through life, I realize more and more that there is far more in that second (can't change) category than in the first (can change.) Don't know about you, but I'd rather not waste precious time and resources pushing against a brick wall, trying to change something I cannot. And yet I spend so much of that time and resource worrying about those same things! I'm halfway there--I know what I can't change, but I still have to work on accepting that...and will always have to work on it. Every day I find new things that I have no control over, and every day I must have God's peace and serenity to accept that. Maybe we should pray this little prayer every day.

Opportunity to Recieve

I'm poor. Well, not poor--like any American, I have more than much of the world, and really have no room to complain--but certainly broke! There's so much I'd like to do, and some that I should do, that I simply cannot, because my finances will not allow it. I'm of very limited resources. But every time I feel like I have reached the end of my rope, that my resources have all given out, I'm reminded that my Father is nowhere near broke. Our Lord has everything we need and plenty of it, and He's just waiting for an opportunity to bless us with it! Don't look at limited resources as a lack--look at it as an opportunity for your heavenly Father to show how much He does have and how much He loves you!

Pleased...With Me!

A verse caught my eye today and I saw it in a new light. The verse I mean is Matthew 3:17 when John baptizes Jesus..."And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." That's exciting! See, when we're saved we become "in Him"--a part of the body of Christ, joint heirs, one with Him. And when God looks at us, He sees Jesus; therefore, when I read, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," I know that He isn't just talking about Christ...He means me, too! When God looks at me, He sees Jesus' completed work...and He is pleased! Awesome!

Show Forth The Source

The world is dissatisfied, have you ever noticed? We're wealthier than any have ever been, yet we're less happy. The reason, really, is very simple: we stopped looking at what we have and where we came from, and started looking only at what little we don't have. There's a serious focus problem there, but that's only a symptom of a bigger problem--hopelessness. Mankind is plagued with a lack of peace and hope. The crazy thing is we've got that peace and hope--and it's free! Why then, are so few taking advantage of this amazing opportunity? Because we who have it aren't showing it. We act just as lost and hopeless as those who are! Jesus instructed us to let our light shine before men; it's time we started doing that. Strive every day to show the peace and love and hope of God to everyone you meet.

Of Trains and God

When I was in third grade we got a new girl in my class whose family had just fled Cuba. Her English was fair, but still rough. One day just after school started, a train passed. Not a big deal to most people--we see trains all the time. But to this little girl it was huge! She'd seen few if any in her life, so she leaped from her desk, ran to the window, and shouted, "The choo-choo! The choo-choo!" Of course 30 other third graders burst into laughter.
Here's the thing: to the rest of us, that train--a miracle of engineering, a monster of a machine--was just background noise. To her it was still a miracle--a monster--a symbol of freedom to travel from the pines of North Carolina, over the treed Appalachians, across grassy plains, over the snowy Rockies to the redwoods of California. It was still fresh and new to her.
That's how our Christian life is. Over a period of time, things get old and become background noise. Bible reading, prayer, the leading of the Spirit--we start to take it for granted. When we catch ourselves doing this, it's important for us to take the time to go back, to make ourselves appreciate the little things that aren't, after all, so little.