Forever

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. Psalm 107:1

Sometimes you don't know what to think or feel, much less say. Tonight my mother died. And with all the platitudes we say to people when they go through something like this, wondering the whole time if they sound as cliche to the person hurting as they do to us, there's only one thing I can say to you from this side: God is good. When things are good, God is good; when things are bad, God is perfect. He is as merciful and gracious today as He was yesterday, and He'll be the same tomorrow. O give thanks unto the LORD.

Where Is Your Faith?

And he said unto them, Where is your faith? Luke 8:25a

You have faith. No matter who you are, no matter how little it may be, no matter how shaken it may become, every one of you has faith. The question isn't, "Why don't you have faith?" but rather, "Where are you placing your faith?" See, the primary power of faith is not in the quantity or quality of the faith, but in the object of the faith. Christ didn't ask the disciples why they didn't have faith because they did. Their problem lay in the fact that their faith was not where it should have been. They trusted the boat and their own experience (which, I might point out, was substantial--these men grew up on this sea and worked on it), but they failed to place their trust in the Savior until all else failed. Why? Why not go to Him FIRST? When we see a storm heading our way, we need to ask ourselves, "Where is my faith?" before the storm gets there. It'll save us alot of freaking out.

The Fine Art Of Forgetting

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3:13

I'm not someone who lets go of things very easily. When I get something stuck in my head, it doesn't go away. I'm an obsessive personality. I'm sure more than a few of you are much the same. And forgetting things from the past does not come naturally to us. But it's a necessary part of spiritual growth. We cannot move forward until we let go of what we're holding onto from the past. It's kind've like the scene from the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (how d'ya like THAT reference, huh?!) where the woman is trying to reach back for the "Holy Grail" and hold onto Indy, too. She can't. And we cannot both reach forward AND cling to the past at the same time, either. We have to learn to forgive--both ourselves and others--and let go of the hurt and shame so that we can move forward. If we're dwelling on past betrayals, we'll miss our current blessings. If we're dwelling on past failures, we'll find ourselves mired there and repeating them. Forgetting is an art...one we must master.

Jangling

From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 1 Timothy 1:6

It's funny how the Bible so often nails religion to the wall. Here the young pastor Timothy is warned about what happens to people who leave the formula of true Christianity (ie--love, following one's conscience, and living by faith). The result Paul says: turning to "vain jangling." You gotta love that...jangling. It seems such a fitting word for most of what modern churches of every denomination and creed produce. Pointless, ineffectual noise. When we get away from love, faith and living in good conscience we end up rambling about rules or traditions or rituals. There is no exception to this. It doesn't matter how solid your doctrine is on the Bible or salvation. When you stray from those three basic tenets, confusion and loss of focus WILL ensue. Listen to yourself. Are you hearing faith, love and a sound mind? Or are you hearing a bunch of jangling?

Yet

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me. Psalm 129:2

People and circumstances will come against you in life. It's not a matter of it, but of when. It's going to happen, and probably a lot. The test of a person is not how many trials they face, but how they face the trials. Are you going to let people get to you when they attack you? Are you going to allow circumstances to overcome you when they rise up? Or are you going to say with the psalmist, "Yet they have not prevailed against me"?

Why I Don't Care About The Christian Flag Debate

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

For the many of you who won't know, a small town not far from me recently stopped displaying the Christian flag at the Town Hall. This created a small uproar among alot of the professing Christians in the area. I, however, could barely care less, and I'm going to tell you why in as little time as possible.

The Christian flag was created quite literally by accident when a man was called upon to improvise a Sunday School lesson in the late 19th century. That means Christianity existed for almost 1900 years without it. And it represents (are you ready for this?)...NOTHING! That's right, nothing. A flag's purpose is to represent a nation, creed, or allegiance. The Christian flag, however, does not do that. It's claimed by people of so many denominations and varied belief systems that it is virtually worthless as a symbol of belief. People claim it who don't even accept the Christ for Whom it was named. People claim it who don't accept His Word. It represents too much to actually represent anything.

But more importantly, the only banner of true Christianity given in the Scripture is the believer himself. This is not a situation like taking the Bible and prayer out of the school system. And it's not like denying people the right to pray publicly in Christ's name. This is about a completely unbiblical, man-made concept that has aided in making true believers passive about the sharing of their faith. WE are supposed to be the Christian flag. WE are supposed to represent Christ and His kingdom. I can't help but wonder how many...or few...of the people so indignant about this whole deal actually live in a way that well-represents Christ and Christianity. It is our responsibility to be salt and light and ambassadors. And I feel like we try to use things like a flag or a bumper sticker or a plaque in the kitchen as a surrogate for actually being the witnesses we ought be.

That's why I don't care about the "Christian flag debate". It's not a piece of cloth's job to claim my town for Christ. It's mine. It's yours. It's OURS. Are we doing our job? Or are we hoping a generic piece of cloth will do it for us?

Make Some Noise

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 1 Samuel 4:6

Christians these days are a pretty quiet lot. We try to fly under the radar alot. Too much. It seems like the only time you hear about a "Christian" is when a high-profile celebri-pastor (yeah, I just made that up, what do you think?) gets caught in a scandal or when some nutcase does something insane--like threatening to have a Quran burning--in the name of Christianity. It's time for us to raise our voices a little. We have the biggest, best news in history. We have a "product" that every single person on the planet truly needs. We have the solution--or at the very least, the source thereof--for every problem people are facing, both individually and corporately. And we're trying to AVOID attention?! How irresponsible of us! Christians, stop being ashamed. Stop being shy. Stop being intimidated. Draw some attention. Dust off your shout of triumph. Make some noise!

Diamond In The Rough

...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 b

Have you ever heard "The Master's Hand" poem/song? Quick breakdown: it's about an old violin (analogied to a human life) being auctioned for a few dollars until an old man stands, takes the violin, tunes and plays it. Then it sells for a few thousand dollars. When asked what made the difference in the violin's worth, the auctioneer says, "The touch of the master's hand." The poem is wrong. The value of the violin didn't change AT ALL! The violin was worth just as much before the master played it as it was afterwards. What changed was how the people saw it. The difference was that the master showed how truly valuable the violin was. He knew what it was capable of when the crowd did not. People are often the same. Don't judge a person's worth based on what you can see. God knows they're true value. He sees what we can't. So let's avoid those snap judgements that can devalue a person. Like David, they could be something more special than we could ever imagine.

Mysterious Ways

Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: When they were but a few in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it. Psalm 105:11-12

God moves when it makes no earthly sense to do so. He chose a couple barren and well into old age with which to start a chosen race. He chose a little shepherd, the runt of his family, to rule and establish His people. He chose fishermen and tax collectors to build His church with. He chose the man most actively involved in trying to destroy His message to spread that message across the world. God doesn't pick the people and ways and times that we think make sense. He moves in ways we can't understand. But, if you'll notice, His way always works out. That old couple produced one of the most enduring races in history. That little shepherd became one of the greatest rulers of all time. Those fishermen built a church that has lasted two thousand years. That opposer successfully and powerfully spread His message throughout most of the known world. Remember that when things don't make any sense to you, God's probably doing His best work.

Let It Go, Already!

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. Hebrews 10:3

Do you ever beat yourself up over things? I know I do. Sometimes I catch myself confessing the same sin for the third time and going on to God about it. And sometimes it's almost like I can imagine Him saying, "I heard you the first time; shut up already." We're told that if we confess our sins, He will forgive them AND cleanse us from them. That means it's time to let it go. Don't beat yourself up over it. Don't dwell on it. Don't mourn over it. Don't keep confessing over and over. He took care of it the first time around. We're not under the old law that dredged up sins from the past year and threw them up in one's face. Christ ushered in a new way; one that wipes the slate clean, completely and permanently pardons. So don't dwell. Let it go, already!