The Reason for the Season

Right now, our little corner of the world is experiencing temps in the low 90s and humidity levels ranging from unbearable to ridiculous. 'Tis the season. This one is particularly difficult for those with breathing issues or those working out in the heat for any length of time. Some seasons are easier than others, of course, but it's merely weather. You do what you can do to beat the heat, stay hydrated, and look forward to autumn. And you hope you don't have seasonal allergies, 'cause in the fall, they can throw you for a loop. 

Our lives are no different, really. We go through seasons. We just went through one where we had resources to share. So we did. Now, we're in a season where we're wondering where the basics are gonna come from. Of course, we know God will provide just what we need when we need it, but as it is with nature, some seasons are easier than others. For instance, the past season was pretty convenient, bless others with our extras: write the check, take the time, offer the expertise. This season restricts those types of blessings but opens the door to others: pray without ceasing, send the card, make the call. I'm going to be completely honest here, I liked last season better.

I am busy. I don't mean that my schedule is full every single day, or that I am of such great import that my phone is ringing off the hook. What I mean is, if I have two errands to run in an hour, I will try to run three -- maybe four. I over-schedule and seek to overachieve. The idea of staying active, of do-ing something, appeals to me. The discipline of sitting quietly before the Lord until He says I can go, or chatting on the phone with someone who can definitely use a pick-me-up? Not so much. But there's a reason for times like this, just as there's a reason for each season in nature. Growth and fruit-bearing and harvest and rest need to take place in a human life as much as in a garden. So, I ask the Holy Spirit to show me purpose in each season and to help me make the most of it to the glory of God.

What season does God have you in? Ask God to show you how to use it purposefully for Him.

"To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Something New

I don't usually post on Thursdays, but I just had to tell you: I've lost over two thousand pounds and I feel GREAT! 

In 2016, Scott and I dumped a boatload of money into my old Explorer, believing we would hold onto her for a long while. Less than two months later, she was totaled. Desperately needing wheels to get back and forth to work, we began what I thought would be the unpleasant task of shopping and paying for a vehicle. God delivered. A ruby-red beauty I lovingly named Jolene. She was more than I could have asked for, and I told her story to anyone who would listen. She was evidence of God's provision for us. Exceedingly abundantly. Today, no longer needing to get to work every day, I gave her back. 

God has been teaching me to hold things loosely and live simply. A friend of mine lost her husband a while back. It was a shock. She handled it by digging into Scripture, drawing close to the Lord, and following His lead when He instructed her to make room for new things. She knows she'll see her husband again and she knows God has it all under control. Her example was an encouragement to me when my life was turned upside down. So, I have dug more deeply into God's Word, drawn more closely to Him, and I've been listening carefully when He's told me to make way for new things. Retiring and getting rid of my truck were a couple of those new things.

Sometimes God gives us things forever. Sometimes God gives us things only for a season. Jolene, I believe, was for a season. One that is now over. I can't say God asked to have her back; I simply wanted to give her back. The money can be used to bless someone else. Walking to the store is better for my health, and I'm out talking to people again. No more oil changes or inspections or wax on/ wax off. But, the biggest thing is, I am feeling unencumbered. Instead of holding things tightly, I am sitting with hands open wide, waiting for God to give me something else to do, waiting for God to give me something else to steward, waiting for God to put empty hands to work, waiting for God to do something new.

Telling It Like It Is: Does the Church Need a Rockstar Gospel?

When was the last time you watched a televangelist? How many can you name? Even Oprah has had half a dozen of them on her shows. Have you ever attended a Billy Graham crusade? Lots of music and big names. Thousands of people sobbing and swaying. America's churches have lasers, multiple drum kits, LOUD! music, and mosh pits. There are churches with kid's clubs that rival Great Adventure, and coffee shops that rival Starbucks, and book stores that rival Barnes & Noble. There are podcasts and overflow rooms and valet parking. Churches in America can get downright crazy! Is this what Jesus had in mind when He talked about the church? 

Well, Peter told a crowd of Jews they murdered their long-awaited Messiah, and after he was thrown into the klink for preaching, he returned to preach in the temple right after he was released. Paul and Barnabas rolled into someone else's 'hood and told them to throw their useless idols out! None of that sounds seeker-sensitive to me. How did they expect to appeal to the masses with that sort of behavior? I'm not saying today's churches in America have the amenities and activities they do just to entertain or woo the populous, but I am saying things appear to have been very different back then. And what were their results? Thousands were cut to the heart and continued living and serving together in a community of genuine believers. The apostles committed to obeying God and rejoiced in their persecution: it lit a fire in them and strengthened their resolve to preach Jesus wherever they went! Paul was stoned almost to death, miraculously and publicly raised to health, and walked sixty miles to the next city the following day. Talk about a testimony! No flea markets or guitar solos.

Maybe your church requires a basketball court or a budget for fireworks. Maybe your church needs to get back to really serving God and not only the neighborhood. We should worship in a way that brings us into the presence of the Living God, reverently and fearfully. Americans don't like to talk much about things like reverence or fear. Or humble -- we tend to really dislike humble. But all of those things are part of our relationship with our Father God, and with one another. The gospel needs to be preached in its entirety within the walls of our churches -- not just the "feel good" parts, but every part. We need to talk about things like sin and hell and repentance and sacrifice. We need to testify and, perhaps, even demonstrate that the road is not an easy road. It's important we don't hide or water down the message in an effort to make the gospel more palatable or attractive to the masses. The apostles certainly didn't.

True Story

Have you ever been lied to? If it was someone you care for who lied to you, your heart may break a little for them. You might ache because you know they are better than that. You want them to trust you and see you as someone who wants the best for them. If you've been lied to by someone who is supposed to care for you, that can hurt a lot. You may feel betrayed. You might feel like a fool. You might wonder how long they have been lying to you, or about what other things. You might wonder why they lied or why you ever trusted them. But there is something worse, you could be lying to yourself.

Have you ever told yourself that the number you see on the bathroom scale reflects your value as a person? I mean, I'm sure you didn't say it in quite that way, but how did you feel when you first got up? Ready to slip into your favorite jeans? But when you stepped off of that scale, you went straight to the closet and grabbed your sweats. Your confidence was dashed by a number staring back at you from the bathroom floor, and you told yourself that today was a wash. Have you ever told yourself you were worth it? That has been L'Oreal Cosmetics' slogan for years. Translated in over forty languages, they have been telling women they were worth it since 1971. Clearly, there is an ulterior motive: buy their products. But, when we tell ourselves that, why can't we seem to recognize we're selling ourselves a bill of goods? Why don't we see an ulterior motive in that? 

The Bible's message is not, nor has it ever been our worth. The Bible's message is not that we are inconsequential or unloved, nor is it that we are worthy of anything but the penalty we choose, either by accepting the death of our Lord on the cross as our own or rejecting God's grace. When God looked on His creation after He had formed man, He called it "very good." The Bible celebrates our design, saying we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." But the Bible tells us we are like sheep, prone to wander from the safety and goodness of God. Whatever wisdom or righteousness we can manufacture in and of ourselves is evil, disgusting, and utterly without value. The Bible says we really need to have a firm grasp on the truth when we think about who we are. Its message is God's worth. Because of God's worth, those who are in Christ Jesus have a new identity. It's not self-esteem, but Christ-esteem. We are children of God, friends of Jesus, freemen, more than conquerors, new creations, redeemed, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own special people, walking in light -- just to name a few. 

Our hearts are deceitful; they will lie to us and tell us what we want to hear so that our plans go smoothly, or rejection doesn't hurt, or we don't have to obey what God is calling us to do, or any one of a million reasons. But God tells us the truth -- always. Isn't it time we follow His lead?

Jesus Said to Do It

Anybody remember Flip Wilson? He was a popular comedian in the '60s and '70s. His tagline was, "The devil made me do it." Whatever went wrong, blame it on the devil and remove personal culpability. Say something mean? "The devil made me do it." Overspend, overeat, or overindulge? "The devil made me do it." It was a joke, but there might just be a little bit of truth in it --not in the excuse itself, but in the way some of us might consider the excuse valid. What did Adam say, when God confronted him about his sin? "The woman You gave me...", right? It was God's fault and Eve's fault. And "the woman's" response? "The serpent tricked me." In the wilderness, God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would pour forth, but he whacked it instead. Whose fault was it? According to him, the Israelites. 

Finger-pointing. We've all done it. Sometimes we blame others or circumstances, but how often do we cry, "The devil made me do it!" and chalk our troubles up to "satanic attack"? I'm speaking from experience, here. I'd like to be able to call myself a poor, unfortunate victim of deception or affliction, but I know me. I know how self-centered and egotistical I can be; I know how angry I can get. I can be sarcastic and passive-aggressive. I can withdraw from others and internalize everything. I can insist on my own way. I know how busyness can become my god and I will decline to sit quietly and hear God speak. That's me; that's my flesh. It's not an attack, it's not Satan's fault; the devil did not make me do it. It's just me, yielding to the flesh, forsaking a renewed mind and a circumcised heart. When I refuse the work the Holy Spirit is laboring to do in me, when I have issues I withhold from His correction, when I rebel against His sanctification by choosing self-amelioration or simply choosing to remain where I am, that is not the devil. That is me and those are my choices. Our flesh can be one of his greatest allies in our homes, our relationships, and in our minds. Our flesh is weak and not to be relied upon. The things of the flesh are opposite the things of the Spirit, bringing condemnation. Our flesh is filthy and unholy, and unable to make anyone perfect. When we give in to the temptations of our flesh Satan doesn't need to attack; we have given him the victory. No amount of finger-pointing can stop the truth: the devil didn't make us do it; he took a break while we did the work for him. 

Galatians 5:24 says, "And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says we must all take up our cross, putting to death our natural or fleshly motives and impulses, and deny ourselves, refusing to give ground to that which is against the Spirit. And He says to take it up daily. It's an ongoing process. It's a daily practice, like brushing your teeth; you can't take a day off and expect the junk to remain at bay. It's not hopeless, but it is hard, and by God's grace, the Holy Spirit leads us as we toil. It's time we ditch the finger-pointing and the excuses; Jesus said to do it.