Qualified

Mike Luzine picked us up at the Calgary airport.  We'd been invited to speak at a marriage retreat for the churches in Calgary and Edmonton.  The thought crossed my mind that upon sight of me he might rethink the invitation.

I had been having allergies that made my eyes look like I had ended a three-day crying jag with a night of serious drinking.  Fortunately, Mike did not jump to conclusions.  With great courtesy (and possibly great restraint), he didn't even mention my scarlet complexion or my swollen, bloodshot eyes.

I actually don't drink at all.  Alcohol reminds me of my childhood gagging down cough medicine.  Now, I know that I could rise above those unpleasant memories and develop a taste for the stuff, but I've seen the calorie count.  Why try to overcome an aversion that's working in my favor?

I cry pretty easily, but the truth is I don't have much reason to cry.  However, I rarely take communion without shedding tears.  There is something about facing who I am without God,and the price he was willing to pay to save me--it's that combination of grief and gratitude that taps into my deepest emotions. 

Communion is God saying: "Come celebrate with me the victory of the cross, my child."

And it's me responding: "Thank you!  I want my whole life to be a thank you to you!"

Colossians 1:12
...and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritnce of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

I'm qualified--not by my effort, but by the power of his blood.  Joyful and thankful!

The Cross Says It All

         
          Those Levitical priests in the Old Testament had a lot on their plates!  Can you imagine trying to keep up with every rite and ritual, every feast and memorial, every sacrifice or scapegoat--and all the specific commands attending each?  I wonder how they managed a master calendar (it's not like they had iPhones)?
           It's fascinating--all those detailed events to keep the Israelites connected to their history with God and grounded in their faith. In light of that, it is interesting that in the New Testament under the law of Christ we are given only two memorials and they each point to the same event.  Both baptism and communion symbolize the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  It is this minimalism that highlights the focus God wants for us.  The cross claims the single spotlight in the history of Chritianity.  The cross says it all.

Galatians 5:14
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
     

Jesus Is

          When our children were still at home we unfailingly set aside Monday nights for family devotionals.  They were always lots of fun.  We'd usually key off of one scripture and have a discussion or game that everyone could participate in. 
          One of the games we played was called "Jesus Is."  We'd make a long list of everything we could collectively come up with:  Savior, King, Lord....then we'd move on from titles to characteristics: humble, powerful, compassionate....
          A variation on this game was "Jesus Is My."  This was more personal, and really gave us insight into each other's faith and relationships with Jesus.  We listed things like:  Jesus is my friend, my teacher, my helper, my advocate (sometimes definitions were required, but they came up naturally as we discussed why we had chosen each descriptor).
Jesus is my hope--I Timothy 1:1
Jesus is my righteousness, holiness and redemption--I Corinthians 1:1
          One of the few nights that we played this game, I remember saying, "Jesus is my sanity."  And he really was and is.  It is Jesus who makes sense of my world.  He pulls into perspective the love of God. He guarantees that good will ultimately triumph over evil.   He demonstrates how to feel about and respond to living in a fallen world.  He offers sweet, cleansing freedom from the guilt of all the things I wish I'd never done.  Jesus is my happiness.

You Belong to Me

          I dropped my 15yr. old granddaughter, Emma, off at school this morning.  We sat in a line of cars whose mission was the same as ours--get the kid to school on time.  Students on foot passed us, about a half dozen of them, couples, walking hand in hand or arm in arm.  Aren't they too young for this?  I wanted to cover Emma's eyes and tell her not to want that.
          Adolescent love--these kids don't even have well developed friendship skills yet.  But the hormones rage; insecurities abound; drama is prized; a sense of belonging is coveted.
          Belonging.  What a beautiful word and how we all long for the warnth and security and
identity-defining aspects of belonging to someone.  Psychologists have posited that the appeal of gangs is the need to belong.  How tragic the lengths we'll go to and the compromises we'll make and the lousy substitutes we'll accept to seek the fulfillment of belonging to someone.
          God understands this basic human longing. I expect he created it with high purposes in mind and that it is a part of our being made in his image.  He has provided for us richly in this need to belong.  He assures us in I Peter 2:9  that as Christians we are "a people belonging to God."  Romans 1:6 lets us know that we have been "called to belong to Christ."  And just so we have visible, concrete connections right here with our feet in the dirt, he gives us a spiritual family to be a part of:

Romans 12:5
So, in Christ we...form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

          I love this!  You belong to me.  I belong to you.  This gives me such a happy heart!

Coincidence or Conspiracy

          The Bible is a remarkable book that stands alone in all literature.  Penned by 40 different authors over a period of 2000 years, it stays absolutely consistent in its story line, promises, prophecies, moral teachings, and the depictions of the nature and purposes of God who is "the same yesterday, today and forever."
          I can conceive that a single author could create a mystical tome as a hoax, or that a handful of conspirators could fabricate a progressive fantasy to pass off as eternal truth.  But for 40 authors--most of them unacquainted--whose writings span centuries to continue a story with a single thread of intention, fulfilled prophecies, and historical facts (born out by secular writings and archeological findings)?  Coincidence or conspiracy are unlikely in the extreme!  I see no plausible explanation apart from divine inspiration.

Psalm 119:138, 140
The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.

Lemons and Moons

          The current, and perhaps overused axiom is "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade."  it seemed really clever when I first heard it; now it seems like a tiresome cliche, a pat answer that ignores hardship and pain.  Still, there is a residue of inspiration in it.
          It is not a new thought to see misfortune through a lens that opposes self-pity.  The 17th century Japanese poet, Mizuta Masahide said, "Barn's burned down, now I can see the moon." 
          Christians have the comfort of knowing that God can use any circumstance, no matter how horrible, unjust or painful for our benefit.  Who else in the world has this assurance?  How often have you heard someone say that it was in the darkest hour of their life that they finally turned to God and found peace and hope and purpose and joy?
          This refreshing perspective is surely one of the ways God transforms our thinking.  How desperately we all need a new way to view a fallen world.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Seeking the Highest Good

          Yesterday I wrote about seeking the highest good of others at our expense.  I wrote in reference to giving to the poor.  Today I'd like to broaden the application of that principle to other areas of life.
          Chritianity is a lifestyle that embodies self-sacrifice.  (Romans 12:1,2)  We are admonished to die to ourselves and take up our cross daily.  (Luke 14:25-27)  We are committed to becoming like Jesus in our speech and our actions. (Philippians 2:5-8)   That's an amazing journey of growth and impact.  Everyday interactions will present us with decisions to make about how to treat people whether they are friends or enemies; whether they are nice, neutral or nasty. 

Philippians 2:3, 4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.

          Jesus practiced this perfectly; none of us will, but it is the aim of the Christian life.  The relationship decisions we will struggle with daily were the same that confronted Jesus while he was here on earth.  He understood and embodied perfection.

Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

          Jesus took hold of us so that we could love the way he loved.  If we break down I Corinthians 13 into the separate components of love and apply the previous axiom ("seeking the highest good of others at your own expense"), it reveals a deeper application of this scripture.  Following are some examples.
          Love is patient.  Let's imagine a parent trying to apply this principle to a disobedient child.  Should they define patience as tolerance and overlook the child's rebellion?  That is surely not seeking the child's highest good!  No, the parent should patiently reinforce whatever direction they had given with appropriate consequences for misbehavior.  The child's highest good is learning to obey  and allowing his character to be shaped by wiser adults.  It may not be what the child wants but it is surely what he needs.  He also needs the security that comes from being able to depend on his parents' meaning what they say--letting their "yes" be yes, and their "no" be no.  The expense to the parent may be the displeasure of the child and the hard task of consistency, but it is a cost worth paying for the good of the child's future.
          Love is kind.  This seems so simple, but sometimes it is costly.  There are the times when you're tired and just grouchy--normal human tendencies.  But the effort of a Christian will be to set aside the selfishness of giving in to a bad mood and dig deep to continue being pleasant to be around.  Kindness is hard (expensive) when we are ineracting with someone who is unkind to us.  But Jesus said to love our enemies and do good to them.  (Luke 7:27-28)  Kindness is also hard when you disagree with someone.  The expense you risk is becoming the enemy of someone who opposes your viewpoint.  The risk is worth it if you are "speaking the truth in love" and seeking their highest good.  (Ephesians 4:25)
          Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  Oh my!  How do I know when I'm giving someone the opportunity to rejoice with me over some blessing or accomplishment as opposed to bragging?  I must assess my own heart (am I competitive and trying to outdo someone?) and my hearer's highest needs (are they able to share my joy or will they be discouraged?).  The expense to the speaker is the forfeiting of the pleasure of stroking our own egos.

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

          These few examples are only representative of the application of this definition of love.  This is not a simple equation to guarantee a perfect outcome with every encounter, but it's a great guideline to have at the back of your mind everyday.  I've found that it has made me keener in my evalution of my own behavior and always gives me a high mark for growth to become more like my Savior.         
         

Defining Love

          I have a fuzzy memory of being in Toronto many years ago and hearing someone say, "Love is seeking the highest good of others at your own expense."  I wish the memory would come into clear focus so I could give proper credit to whoever said this because it has become one of my favorite personal quotes and a foundation for decision making.
          I had shared it recently with a friend who seemed to regard that definition with some skepticism and only replied, "I'll have to think about that."  I can see why it would be easily misunderstood if your reference for the concept of expense lay primarily in the monetary catagory.
          But in the spiritual catagory the cross is the supreme example of this principle.  God sought our highest good--forgiveness and eternal life--at his own expense by sacrificing his only Son.  Since I cannot die for anyone's sins, how can I practice this principle?

I John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his live for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

          Approaching every need we see with a desire to help someone spiritually gives us a whole new context from which to assess our responsibility in individual situations.  The idea is not to give money to the poor until they are rich and we are poor, but to give them the best shot  at knowing the will of God.  That may mean sharing our faith with them.  It may mean just giving them a meal.  It may mean contributing to non-profits or agencies that assist with needs beyond an individual's ability to help  (HOPE WW comes to mind).
          When we encounter beggars on the street, we cannot always accurately judge whether our gifts are received by people whose unfortunate circumstances are beyond their control or whether they have chosen an unhealthy dependence on the benevolence of others.  What we do know is that Jesus counsels us to be genereous and to give without expecting anything in return.

Luke 6:30
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

          On a bitterly cold night in London last week, my granddaughter and I ascended from the tube to find two homeless beggars sitting bundled in blankets on the icy ground.  We passed them without putting any coins into their outstretched hands.  Instead, we went into a nearby store and purchased food and took it back to them.
          Was that their highest need?  Not completely, but it gave them a glimpse of kindness and perhaps another day to come to know God.  Might it have been in their best interests for us to have given them our hotel room for the night?  I cannot know.  Should we have given them money instead?  Perhaps.  Should we have offered them our Bibles or quoted scripture to them?  Who can know for sure?  In their situation, what would I have hoped someone would do for me?  It was not in my power to change their circumstances for the long range.  But sometimes we do nothing because we know we cannot do enough.

Matthew 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you....

          What would those beggars have had us do for them?  From immediate appearances, they'd have wanted us to give them money.  (Acts 3:2-8)  Maybe they'd have rather had our hotel room than a sandwich.  Surely they wanted our compassion put into some kind of helpful action.  The things people want are not always the things they most need.  But what was their highest good?  Only God can use our inadequate gifts to accomplish great good in the lives of others.
          Seeking the highest good of others--will we hit the mark every time?  Certainly not, but it is still my favorite guideline for what to do living in a needy world.  Not everyone is poor, but everyone is needy.

Hurry Up, God!

          When was the last time you gave up on something you were praying for because God seemed to be taking too long to reply?  You concluded the answer was "no" and embraced your disappointment, but not necessarily with contentment.  We just think time is up--God would've come through by now if he were going to at all.
          We tend to run ahead of God, instead of follow.  We try to make our own way, create our own blessings and control our own destinies.  There are lessons to be learned on such occasions--like the limits of your faith or the depth of your impatience or the strength or weakness of your perseverence.  God is always trying to show us who we really are.
          God has another view of time.  He counsels us to persevere (James 1:2, 3). He likes it when we are persistent (Luke 18:1-8).  Perhaps most of all, he wants us to wait in faith.  The Bible talks alot about the fact that sometimes waiting is a central part of God's plan.

Psalm 130: 5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 

Psalm 33:20
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

Isaiah 30:18
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are those who wait for him!

Lamentations 3:25, 26
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

          God has perfect purposes in making us wait.  He is most likely at work on things we wouldn't even understand if he explained it all to us.  While we are chomping at the bit he is taking care of business with perfect priorities in place and a perfect timeline for achieving his will and meeting our highest needs--which may not coincide with our most urgent wants.  So we must wait.  Wait patiently, faithfully, hopefully, peacefully, confidently.  Wait.  He alone knows the perfect time for everything.  (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

God Keeps a Diary

          On a mellow, sunny afternoon I was sitting at a table outside a cafe sharing coffee and conversation with a friend.  We had no agenda; we were just friends who wanted time together.  In the free flow of conversation and the random segues, we began talking about the ways God had changed us.
          I was sharing about fighting pride in my life and all the ways (well, really not all the ways--there are too many to cover in a single conversation, but enough to be transparent) it has reared its ugly head in my speech and behavior, and how it had effected relationships--expecially in my marriage  We each reflected on memories of specific incidents where we had struggled, failed or triumphed.
          A quest for humility is a valient effort.  Any quest for godly traits is a worthy battle.  We moved on from there to talk about family and our weeks' activities and a dozen other inconsequential things that friends will share, but the influence of God in our lives was the thread that ran through it all.
           As we were parting, I smiled at my friend and said, "I have a favorite Bible verse that comes to mind right now.  I think we just made God happy.  I think he wrote a little summary of our chat down because he'd like to remember it and enjoy it later." 
           I don't really get this because it seems illogical that God would have to write anything down to remember it, but....  I love the thought, anyway, that God makes notes on the talks we have down here that touch his heart.  God keeps a diary.  I hope I make it's pages.

Malachi 3:16
Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.  A scroll of remebrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

Blessings

          We boarded a plane at London's Heathrow airport and chased the sun across the sky westward to California in an arc near the top of the world.  We never saw darkness on our 11hr. journey home. 
          Weary, but awash in wonderous memories of a week of playing together as tourists, my granddaughter, Emma (15) and I were torn between hating to leave and longing for home.  Beauty and history combine in England to make it a tourist's paradise.
          I am living beyond my dreams.  It seems that almost daily I'm aware--and in awe of--blessings lavished on me that I would never have thought nor dared to request of God.  I surely do not feel entitled to such joy.  Most of this joy comes from loving and being loved by an incredible family: my husband, my children, their spouses and their children.  Their lives are a constant fascination and delight to me.  I am fully aware that these are unmerited gifts from God.  I am currently a bit stunned that I got to take a trip like this with one of my wonderful grandchildren--I just never dreamed and then it happened!
        Amid the wonders of this adventure, we read the Bible together everyday.  I shared a hundred memories from my own life.  We worshipped on Easter Sunday with the church in Holborn, where we hooked up with another of my granddaughters, Sara (21),who is studying abroad for a bit.  We bought food in a grocery to carry to some homeless beggers at the entrance of our tube station.  We shared a tiny hotel room that we left each day to brave temperatures in the 30's F in order not to miss a thing while walking miles together.  We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben at night, rode the London Eye (although I am averse to heights--anything for love of a grandchild), had high tea overlooking the Thames where we later took a river cruise, rode the train to Bath, saw "Chorus Line" at the Paladium--did I say I am living beyond my dreams?  I still can't believe I got to do this!
          I've never asked, "Why me?" in adversity, but I sure ask it a lot now as I enjoy the wonderful surprises of this stage of life.  It is part of the American culture to dread aging, but only living awhile that can give you these kind of blessings.