Every Moment

We spent some time talking to our grandchildren overseas this morning. When I tip-toed through the kitchen and out the back door to make the call, Mom's light was on. Several minutes later, my husband joined me. Still no Mom. Scott and I laughed while our grandchildren showed us pictures they had drawn, and their parents snitched about their unruly behavior at the store earlier in the day. Still no Mom. I can imagine what you're thinking, but despite Mom's (really) advanced age, that thought rarely enters my mind. Mom is healthy as an ox and determined, I believe, to outlive us all. So, what I was thinking was, "I'm going to pay for this." Mom had been restless when we put her to bed the night before; now, her light was on, and she still hadn't appeared. Those things usually indicate some sort of mess: clothes strewn about, or furniture moved (Yes, she moves the furniture!), or something new --'cause there's always something new. Sure enough, by the time Mom appeared at the door, she was completely clothed in winter gear she'd retrieved from the back of her closet. I headed to her room and began doing my penance. "Every moment of peace comes with a price," I thought. And at that moment, I was extremely grateful for Jesus.

Jesus turns the "reality" of life in this world on its head. The pound of flesh that is currently being demanded for anything that even remotely smacks of racism or discrimination or injustice is not God's way and it's a great example of how ineffective law really is. I mean, how do you fix a price on legitimate racism or discrimination or injustice or any sort of impropriety? How do you regulate perceived offenses? Who are these folks who set the penalties and establish the rules? Are they more righteous than others? But, even sinful, mortal men have an innate desire for justice in some form. Natural law requires a price be paid. All have sinned and the true extent to which we fall short of God's standard is pretty inconceivable to us. The cost of that disparity is an eternal death spent in hell. BUT GOD! Through Jesus Christ, God demonstrates love toward His children by taking the penalty we owe upon Himself and paying our debt in full. It is by our identification with Christ in death: dying to self, taking up our cross, giving ourselves in sacrifice, and our identification with Christ in resurrection: being raised to a new life, leaving our sinful and fatal past behind, submitting to His commands, living a life of holiness, and walking in His Spirit, that we receive the grace and glory of God. Grace -- undeserved favor. And glory! Imagine that! What a far cry from retributive justice!

And another thing, not only do we receive it and benefit from it personally, but we pass the good news of God's liberation along. We work for God's kingdom here on earth in which all who are called, all who would take unto themselves the gospel, are living in freedom from the law and the bondage of sin and death. And, rather than every moment of peace requiring a price, we praise God for the assurance that every moment of peace comes by God's grace.

Be All You Are

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by someone's simple kindness that you are the only one in the room standing in a puddle of tears? They were merely doing something they wanted to do, but it touched you so deeply, it made you cry. Their actions demonstrated to you their character -- or what you believed to be their character. They saw it through a different lens; they were simply "being them." Heroes who rush into a burning building to save someone usually tend to think they were just doing what anyone would do. True philanthropists look back and see how they could have given more. Wonderful parents review every moment of their child-rearing days, sometimes wishing they had been better equipped, or less pressured by others, or more involved. Those saved, helped, or raised, see their champion as selfless and invaluable. They see things through a different lens.

God sees through a different lens, also. God sees us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:7b tells us, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from unrighteousness. God looks on us through the blood of Christ and sees righteous people, blameless people. Are you blameless? I'm certainly not. I mess up daily, but the blood of Jesus justifies, making it "just-if-I'd" never sinned. I know I sin, and God knows, too-- He's not foolish or ignorant --but, by His grace, He chooses to see me as made righteous by the blood of Jesus. It is only His grace that makes such a phenomenon possible. He refuses to see me any other way.

When Scott and I met, he thought I was WOW! Now, I don't even see myself as wow and honestly, I thought his judgment to be a bit questionable. I kept saying things like, "Wait until you see me first thing in the morning," and "You haven't seen that side of me yet." But he was insistent; he saw me as WOW! Here's the funny thing, the more he insisted, the more I wanted to be WOW! He didn't expect me to be that way -- he already saw me that way; I just wanted to do everything to live up to the way he saw me. I wanted to become exactly what he already thought I was.

Through the lens of Christ's work on the cross, God sees those in faith as righteous. He calls us forgiven, justified, righteous children of light. Our love for Him should cause us to want to live up to that. I mean, I love Scott, I really do, but his opinion is just his opinion. What God says of His children is truth! Let's face it, if the opinions of those we love can rouse us to want to be all they believe us to be, how much more the truth of the God we adore? How much more can our love for Him persuade us to live up to the identity in Christ which He confers upon His saints?

Called to Worship

What is worship? Webster's dictionary defines worship as "1 : reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power also, an act of expressing such reverence. 2 : a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual. 3 : extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem." Both the Hebrew (saha) and Greek (proskuneo) words translated "worship" throughout the Bible mean to bow or fall down (think prostrate, face to the ground). We sometimes refer to our Sunday morning church services as "worship," or the person who leads the singing as a "worship" leader. But is that all there is to it? We worship on Sunday mornings or in our small groups or maybe in our cars as we sing (well or badly-- God doesn't care) along to the local Christian radio station, and that's it? Worship consists of "spiritual" things: songs, maybe prayer, sitting silently during the sermon, or getting dressed in your best, right?

The concept of worship has been swirling around in my head quite a bit the last few days. If worship is something that pours from us because of our reverence for God or in response to our devotion to Him, the Psalms are wonderful expressions. "I will praise you as long as I live" (Psalm 63:4), and "Sing to God, sing in praise of his name!" (Psalm 68:4). Sounds like worship, doesn't it? But, if worship is the act of falling on my face before One much greater than I, of humbling myself and recognizing that outside of the grace of God I am nothing, of giving over all He has given me in service to Him, perhaps worship is more than singing.

1 Chronicles 16:29 says,

"Give to the Lord the glory due His name;

Bring an offering, and come before Him.

Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!"

Giving God the glory that is due Him -- worship -- is described as bringing Him an offering, coming into His presence, and showing our adoration through the beauty of holiness. Obviously, there is no longer a need to make offerings and sacrifices at the temple, but what offerings can we bring? Sure, there's the collection plate, "taking an offering," but that's precisely where it got its name: offering whatever God has given us in this world right back to Him in worship. Like time. We serve at church or help out at a shelter (human or animal); we pick up trash, phone someone who's been sick, or take the time to send them a card. Giving time is worship. What about our jobs? Are we driving to work each day thinking of how we can give back to God at our job? Are we encouraging the folks who work with us? Are we conscious of our testimony through our work ethic? For those raising children, are we planting eternal seeds in the hearts and minds of our children? And I'm not talking about some legalistic "being Christ to the masses" type of thing; I'm talking about being in Christ as we go about our day. That is worship. Longing to give whatever we have back to Him in worship, whether it's time, talents, money, speech, song, encouragement, prayer... And our presence! Let's not forget the last two portions of the verse: coming before Him and worshiping in the beauty of holiness. 

Going throughout our day as though we are in the very presence of God, acknowledging the myriad ways He blesses us all day long: meals, water, friends, sunshine; talking to Him and about Him, being conscious of His Spirit with us. And doing it all "in the beauty of holiness." Set apart, so unlike others that we are radiant; having a beautiful uniqueness about us that we resemble the perfect love and goodness of our Heavenly Father. Now that's worship!

How is God calling you to worship today?

Sound Check

Technology is a wonderful thing, isn't it? As I type on a device that can send my message across the globe in seconds, I'm munching on popcorn I just made in the microwave. Even Tinkerbell enjoys that kind of crunchy good technology! I've been listening to music from the 70s, albums I tossed long ago, but technology has placed them at my fingertips again. And there's not one pop or crackle anywhere! The music has been remastered. There's just one small issue, my brain has not. Despite the tremendous improvement technology has had on the quality of the music pouring into my ears, my brain installs hisses and snaps where they once were. I can see the 33 wobbling on the spindle, keeping time with the melody. I feel the smooth cardboard cover between my fingertips. I'm pretty sure I can still smell the vinyl. 

Romans 12:2 says, "...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (emphasis mine) When God talks of being "conformed to this world," what He's referring to is patterns and behaviors typical of people, patterns and behaviors that are human by nature as opposed to godlike in nature. Is it human nature to be selfish? Yes. Is it God's nature to be kind? Yes. Selfishness is conformity to the world's, or humanity's way of doing things. Kindness is conformity to Spirit-filled living. 

When God talks about transformation, He's talking about leaving one way of thinking, speaking, and living for another. Just as the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly doesn't happen overnight, neither does the transformation of our thoughts, words, and actions, but it does begin the moment the Holy Spirit enters us at rebirth. So, we acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit begins to dwell within us, and immediately gets to work. 

Here is the pivotal point of all this: the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the will of the believer. Imagine hiring a designer to redo your entire home. Everything the designer suggests, you refuse. You want the same furniture, the same color scheme, the same layout. The designer leaves in frustration. You've not trusted his expertise, and you've obviously not determined to allow him to do what he does best. The transformation of the Holy Spirit requires a quest for and a commitment to what is true and what is God's plan. If we genuinely trust God as the Master of our lives, we need to allow His Spirit to make the changes that will be best for us and will conform us to God's will. We need to read Scripture and fill our minds with things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. When we feed our minds with the healthy food of God's Word, it becomes a transformation incubator. As our thoughts, words, and actions are transformed we not only look more like our Heavenly Father, but we understand Him more closely and accurately. Knowing who He is and how He works will "remaster" your mind. Your mind will no longer install the hisses, pops, or crackles of your previous record. You will hear and think with better quality. The things of the past will no longer bleed into the story of your future. And that sure sounds good to me!