Babes

I held forty-three babies yesterday.  They had short tender little arms and curled-up legs eager to find some solid ground in which to stretch-out.  They had no heads and were green all over of course, but each one had it's own unique look and personality.

Some had sprouted quickly from seedling while others were a bit more stubborn.  Jerry Thompson, their caregiver, talked to me about each one, how he had nutured them in his windowsill during the cold winter days and fathered them with just the right conditions to give them everything they needed for life and fruitfulness.

Apparently, little tomato plants need a lot of attention in their early days if they are going to have any chance of surviving, let alone bearing fruit.  From the moment they poke their little heads through the soil, they lean toward the sun.  Jerry said they must be rotated everday or they will just grow sideways, all laid-over reaching for the light.  And their stems need resistance to make their bodies strong, so Jerry turns on the ceiling fan in his sunroom to gently discipline the sprouts to stand tall.

By the time I saw them, each baby tomato plant was eager to spread it's roots and show what it could do.  Gently and with special attention to hole depth and just the right amount of fertilizer, we tucked each plant into it’s garden bed, willing each one to do it’s best.  And I could not help but think of God’s hand on each one of us.

He knits us together in our mother’s womb and smiles with pride as we uncurl our legs to find our feet on the solid ground he offers.  He designed us for the Light but allows sometimes gentle breezes and sometimes even storms because disciplining is good for us; it makes us stand stronger in that Light.  He has prepared a bed of nourishment is for us through Christ in His Spirit in which we can take root and bear the fruit he intends, and he’s willing each of us to do our best. Clearly, apart from his soil we can do nothing.  

God has wonderful things planned for us in his garden.  I invite you to spend a little time with him there.

Happy New Year!

Blessings, and Happy New Year!

The Open Door church of Christ is beginning its second year as a congregation of the Lord's people. The past year has been a blur - and full of peaks and valleys - but, we are greatly encouraged as we continue to build strong relationships with each other.

Our focus has not changed. As individuals, we are committed to "living a life worthy of the calling [we] have received," a phrase taken from Paul's letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 4:1). As a congregation, we are committed to enriching the community of Broken Arrow. As a family, we are committed to encouraging and building up each other. As members of the kingdom of God, we are committed to seeking His will first in our everyday lives.

Our resolve has not changed. We seek to serve as He served, love as He loved, and honor the Father as He honored the Father. We seek to create transparent Biblical leadership through our ministers and recently appointed deacons. We seek to add people-focused shepherds as soon as possible. We seek to find those works He "has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph.2:10)".

Our spirit has not changed. We will strive to build intimate spiritual relationships with one another. We will strive to resolve conflict directly and in love. We will "make every effort" to grow in goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love (2 Peter 1).

Our hope is that we will identify and confront our failures at every turn, forgive and ask forgiveness in every circumstance, and petition the Father in prayer at every opportunity. We ask for your prayers...and encourage you to join us in service to the King!

Shoe-Polish Epitaphs

“Rest in Peace. You will be missed.”

Teenagers scrawl various sophomoric proclamations on their car windows with shoe polish, but I noticed a couple recently of a more sobering sort – memorial messages to fallen classmates. Some kids apparently had died in a tragic car accident and their friends honored their memories with a few words in white shoe polish on their windshields.

The thing about shoe polish, of course, is that it doesn’t last. It washes away after a while and is gone forever. Most of the statements that can be made about our lives, truth be told, are little more than shoe-polish epitaphs – remarks that are doomed to fade away because they have little significance in the eternal scheme. The only statements about us that will really matter in the end are those describing our relationship to the eternal.

Enoch’s epitaph was simple and moving: He walked with God. That’s the only kind of epitaph, the only summing-up statement, that can transcend its ephemeral medium and last through all tomorrows.

A New Heart and a New Spirit

Our Daily Bible reading this week has ventured into the book of Ezekiel, where God's anger against Israel continues to be revealed. In direct contrast to what we often assume about God, his anger is not incidental or without great justification. Quite the contrary, God has been overwhelmingly patient in sending a message of repentance to his people, and, instead of listening to His prophets' message - a call to repentance - the Israelites choose to listen to other false prophets who suggest that "all is well; those other prophets are just negative naysayers."

There is a warning for us in this teaching from the Old Testament (see Romans 15:4). When we are comfortable, enjoying the luxuries of life, and seemingly all is well, it may be good to ask if we are pleasing ourselves or pleasing the Lord. Are we hearing what we want to hear? Do we disdain the Lord's message: to repent, to come out of the world, to be God's people?

At the end of Ezekiel 18, God says, "Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and an new spirit." This Old Testament admonition is a powerful message for me today - to seek out a new "heart" and a new "spirit." It reminds me of the words of Paul in Romans 12:2:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

A recurring theme in the Old Testament is Israel falling into idolatry - even though God, through his covenant, has promised them blessing beyond comprehension. Thankfully, we don't have that challenge today.....do we?

What Was Wrong With Lamar

Something was wrong with Lamar.

There just had to have been. To commit suicide is bad enough. But to do it that way -- to walk out to a dark highway, to pick out the next pair of emerging headlights, to turn toward them, waiting, and then at last to step in front of them. I’d like to think that their eyes -- Lamar’s and the driver’s -- locked in that moment before impact. And the horror in hers helped drive the haze from his, granting him a nanosecond of clarity, time for one urgent “Forgive me, Father” before he had his life crushed out of him.

But that’s just wishful speculation. All I really know is that something was seriously wrong with Lamar.

What was wrong with him, of course, is what is wrong with me and you. I did a post last week about a writer who became fascinated with the preserved remains of a two-headed calf and how she came to associate that freakish image with our own divided natures as sinful human beings. She described how the calf’s own deformity had apparently worked to destroy it, how its one perfectly formed head had embraced life, and how its other head, misshapen and hideous, had sought death, to the point even of spitting out all the nourishment its counterpart took in.

The idea was put forward that we are all two-headed calves -- creatures burdened with split natures, each of our halves working against the other, always at cross purposes. There’s an answer to our internal division and it involves a Cross and a purpose. But if we do not avail ourselves of it, the death head will win out like it did with Lamar. It is only by the Cross that we will find life and wholeness.

The Prophet's Curse

One of the definitions for a prophet is "a spokesman for God." In the Old Testament, the prophets of Israel received inspiration from God and were commanded to preach repentance to a drifting nation. These men often foretold the future -- for nations and for individuals.

In re-reading about the prophets, as a part of our weekly Bible study groups, I have come to appreciate these unique men in a deeper way. Of course, their own people did not appreciate them. Society viewed these men as misguided zealots, troublemakers, misfits, unsophisticated, and even insane. All were persecuted (Acts 7:52); many were slain for their preaching. Interestingly enough, many times that were posthumously viewed with reverence, once their preaching had been silenced and they were gone from the earth.

Although not directly inspired, today's gospel preachers are spokesmen for God. As they read, study and preach and teach -- remaining faithful to God's Word -- they are no less His prophets than those men of old that we read about.

They are also often viewed as misguided zealots, troublemakers, misfits, etc.

Faithful preachers command us (yes, they have that authority as they speak the truth in love) to be pure, faithful, love each other, love the Christ, and repent from our sins.

Faithful preachers command elders to shepherd the flock, to visit the sick, to pray for the church, to teach and set an example.

Faithful preachers point out the "exceeding sinfulness of sin" and the destination of the lost if they do not obey the gospel.

Like the prophets of old, the prophets of today are not perfect. Sometimes we -- like the Israelites of old -- want to point out their imperfections so that their message of repentance is obscured. We want a reprieve from our conscience so we rally ourselves against their imperfections and allow ourselves to become indignant at their humanity.

It's easy in that environment for a preacher to feel alone (1 Kings 18:22). It's easy for the preacher to feel like no one is listening (v. 21). Recently we read about Elijah and his confrontation with the "prophets" of Baal. What intrigues me about this confrontation is the response of the congregation when Elijah challenges them: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."

The Bible says, "But the people said NOTHING."

The next time a spokesman for God challenges us to be more Christ-like, to shepherd, to renounce the morality of the world, to resolve disputes, and to love each other... what will be our response?

The prophet's curse is that he is often not appreciated until it is too late. Thank God for men who preach, teach and live lives to encourage us to change; thank Him while you still have breath.

Thank the men themselves for overcoming their own insecurity, loneliness, and humanity to speak God's truth to us; thank them every week.

At Open Door, we are privileged to have two wonderful preachers. If you are blessed to hear them week by week, THANK THEM. If you have not had the opportunity to hear them, come and see.

Practical Christianity #1

Practical Christianity -- putting our faith into practice -- is kind of like yard work. I'm not being trite -- this is a serious comparison! But an active faith is really like yard work.

If you are like me, you spend some time on your yard so that it's healthy, looks good and you can enjoy it. Yard work involves some kind of activity nearly every day. There are days when we cut the grass and prune the trees and bushes. There are days when we pull weeds. There are days for fertilizer. There are days for thatching. There are lots of days for watering -- especially in these hot Oklahoma summers! All of these activities, done in the proper proportions and at the appropriate times, ensure that our lawn is healthy and suitable for our enjoyment.

Isn't practical Christianity that way? Don't we have to perform certain activities in the proper proportions and at the appropriate times in order to ensure that our lives are suitable for serving Christ?

For me, I have to constantly pull the weeds out of my life. I'm not talking about the superficial modifications that we are sometimes called upon to make by psuedo-Christians. In Jesus' day, he was confronted by the religious leaders of the day about a bad "habit" his disciples had: "Your followers don't wash their hands!", said the Pharisees (Matt. 15:2). Jesus cleared that one up quickly: "It's not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man", he said, "but what comes out of the mouth... that's what defiles the man (v. 11)... the things that come out of the mouth proceed first from the heart: evil thoughts, murders, adulteries... these are what defile a man" (v. 19). My weed pulling takes place in my heart.

But the activity of weed pulling -- in the yard and in the heart -- is made easier if we use what the lawn people call "pre-emergent". That's a substance that is put on the yard in the spring and early fall to catch the weeds before they ever go to seed. Don't we need to do that spiritually too? I find that its important to keep the truth of God's word in my heart so that when the "weeds" come, I am convicted about my thoughts or behavior (Ps. 119:9). I have also found it important to have people in my life that hold me accountable. I make it a point to tell them that I am giving them permission to take me to task when they observe me being inconsistent.

My heart -- just like my lawn -- needs constant watering. I receive that watering/refreshing from God's presence in my heart. Jesus clearly said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23). The New Testament speaks often of the Spirit of God living in us. What a spectacular thought that our love for God is reciprocated by His dwelling in our hearts: "Christ in me!" (Rom. 8:10).

I find my fertilizer from my private Bible reading and study and from our corporate worship. These things energize and strengthen me. They prepare me for the trials and tribulations of life.

Finally, there's one of these yard activities that I find that God does for me: cutting the grass! Yes, while I'm pretty good at using the lawn mower and wielding the tree and bush pruners for my physical yard, only God can bring the right things into my life to "prune" it. Hardship, trial, unwanted change, and even suffering seem unfair most of the time. But God uses certain events of our lives to get rid of things that are unnecessary or unwelcome. Like someone has said, "You learn a whole lot more from failure than you do from success."

Living out my faith in a practical, godly way is like keeping my yard healthy: it takes all of the important elements and activities -- in the proper proportions and at the right times -- to obtain the results that God wants for me.

The next time you are working in your yard, think about how similar it is to God working in your life. We are his vineyard (Matt. 20:1) after all. At the Open Door Church, we can help you apply the proper elements to your life to make it healthy. Here, we're not afraid to ask questions, discuss the hard topics, and subject our own egos to God's will. Come and see.

My Reason

Why are you a Christian? Is it to escape Hell? Is it to be a better person or to have a happy life? Or, is it more?

My daughter and I have a game we play. When she wants something, like a cookie, or to enter my office, or for me to do something for her, she asks. And, according to what I deem good and necessary, I answer. But to complete the interaction, whatever it may be, I always say, “You’ve got to pay the toll,” to which her trained response is a hug around daddy’s neck and a smiling kiss.

I call this a game, but I considerate it vital to our interaction, because the lesson for my little child is that my love for her and her love for me is far more important than anything I could ever give or do for her or she could ever give or do for me.

The truth is, the only thing I want from my children is their love. I doubt many parents would say differently.

Knowing this then, why do you think God called you to Christianity? Is it for you to escape Hell? Is it simply so that you will be a better person or have a happy life? Or is it more?

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:34-38

Trapped by Good Intentions

From Oswald Chambers' devotional (My Utmost for His Highest) on July 12:

"The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization."

It is surprising how easily we can be distracted from the ultimate purpose God has given us. While congregations work diligently to develop ministries and programs that can be very useful and beneficial to its members, it is not unusual to see those things become a means rather than an end.

For example, I have found myself in the past more concerned about developing a ministry or participating in a worthwhile "program" than seeking out the individuals those programs are intended to benefit - failing in the process to encourage, fellowship with, or simply listen to the needs of those people. It was, however, quite easy to develop a sense of accomplishment and self-worth by contributing some time and effort to the activities of the ministry or program.

I wouldn't suggest that everyone falls prey to this trap; I do, however, think it is easy to be deceived by the process of creating activities for the church to participate in with the objective of simply creating participation. Programs and ministries can create a lot of activity and, proportionately, they may create a false sense of security. Again, it's not the ministry or the program that is a bad thing - it is allowing those things to substitute for serving the needs of others in a consistent, personal, and heart-felt way.

If the objective of our congregation were to become more about developing the organization than our "faith expressing itself in love" (Galatians 5:6) as we serve our members and the community, we will have walked right into a bear trap - with a big smile on our faces.

A Heart That Seeks God

Hezekiah, the King of Judah and a religious reformer without equal during the era of the kings, dedicated himself to bringing his wayward people back to God and recommitting the nation to its covenant responsibilities. In the midst of this great return to law-keeping and right worship, the following episode, part of this week’s reading, is recorded:

Hezekiah invited the northern tribes to join Judah in celebrating Passover. Many of them accepted, but of the people who did, most did not purify themselves before eating the Passover meal, a clear violation of God’s commands.

But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying “May the Lord, who is good pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God -- the Lord, the God of his fathers -- even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

There’s an important principle here, one that Hezekiah understood. The external does matter. But the internal -- having a heart that seeks God -- is what matters most. Keeping God’s commands is as vital under the New Covenant as it was under the Old, but God is most concerned, now as then, with your heart.

To sincerely desire, out of love and gratitude, to keep his commands is the true sign of a heart that seeks Him. Neither a legalistic obsession with rule-keeping nor a cavalier disdain for the very notion of rules -- tendencies that are alive and well in the Church -- are possible for that kind of heart.

Peace! Be Still.

It’s raining again. Thunder, lighting, wind, wet, duck-and-cover - that’s Oklahoma rain! I just cleaned up a tree in our backyard the last storm twisted off the trunk. But the loss of our tree is nothing compared to what many are facing in the Midwest.

Entire cities are flooding. Families are losing their homes. And with each disaster, the economy retaliates with even higher prices for everything. Many are wondering how they will survive this season.

Here is what James says:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).

Truthfully, these words are little comfort in the middle of a storm unless you’re a spiritual giant. Who sees joy in suffering when they are suffering? Even Jesus prayed for his cup to pass if it were possible! So, where is the comfort? Where is the pure joy? Keep reading…

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:5-6).

The two great questions in the storm are “Why” and “How.” Why is this happening, and how are we going to get through it. James says, God promises to answer both if we’ll but seek him with faith.

Often, what we lack is the conviction that God is always with us, and that He is still in control. Our immaturity is our self-reliance. The blessing of the storm is the opportunity to deepen our dependence on God.

Now if you are in Iowa, you may well ask, “What’s God going to do? I’ve lost my house, all my possessions and I don’t have a roof over my head. What can he possibly do?” My only answer is, I don’t know…but he does. And, this is the faith to which we are called.

The perseverance to which James calls us is not simply to strain to endure or survive the trial itself, but rather to relentlessly decide to trust God again and again and again, no matter what is happening around us.

Lasting comfort is not found in the easing of the storm, but in the presence of the One who commands the storm. Joy is not in the trial, but in the facing of the trial with the One who cannot be concurred.

When all to Jesus we have surrendered, the feelings of being blown and tossed about cease, and we find we lack nothing, because He who is over all, through all and in all has commanded, “Peace, be still.”

One Another

Love one another. (1 Peter 1:22)

Encourage one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Bear one another's burdens. (Galatians 6:2)

Be devoted to one another. (Romans 12:10a)

Honor one another. (Romans 12:10b)

Be kind and compassionate to one another. (Ephesians 4:32)

Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. (Colossians 3:13)

Live in harmony with one another. (1 Peter 3:8)

If we're not careful, we might get the idea that the primary mission of Jesus was to create loving relationships; to teach his followers the value of "one another." Well... Actually, that is exactly what Christ intended:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 2:3-5)

I have often wondered if I am serving God according to His will. Now I think I can know the answer: Am I serving others? Looking to their interests as well as my own? Considering them better than myself?

Do I value "one another"?

How Much Strength?

How much strength did God give you today? I ask you this because Paul says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).

According to this, Paul could handle the stress of getting a tent made in time for his customer. He could contain his frustration and temper. He could make good judgments. He could see and seize the opportunities God put in front of him throughout the day to bring God glory. Through Christ he was able to keep his thoughts captive and at the same time set his heart free to love unconditionally. He could be content in every situation! Through Christ, Paul says he could do all things!

But how!? It’s one thing to know and even believe this declaration, but it is something entirely different to share in it. How do we tap into this super-human strength that took Paul beyond the limits of our own experience?

Be THANKFUL.

(Phil. 4:4-6,10,19) Paul says…“Rejoice in the Lord always I will say it again: Rejoice ...The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God…I rejoice greatly in the Lord ...And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

(Col. 3:17) "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Paul learned that being thank-full makes us self-less. Giving thanks to God the Father in whatever we do keeps us focused on Him, who is our strength, enabling Him to take us beyond our selfish limits.

There is no room for stress when the One who controls the universe is continually on our mind. Frustration and all selfish anger die with thoughts of a dying savior, crucified on a cross for my sin. And, what greater motivation or reminder to love without limit than this very visage! There is no room for unholy thought or deed when our minds are filled with “the great things He hath done.”

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. And so can you! It starts with being THANKFUL.

Nehemiah 8:10b

Was Blind, But Now I See

A blind girl hated life because of her disability. Her hatred extended to others around her, because they could see and she could not. The only exception was her boyfriend, who was always there for her and had won her heart through love and devotion. When her boyfriend brought up the subject of marriage, she would say, "If only I could see, I would marry you."

One day, her doctor informed her that a pair of eyes had been donated to her. The operation was performed and when the bandages were taken off, she was able to see! She could see the world, she could see her surroundings, she could see her boyfriend. To her horror, she discovered that her boyfriend was blind also. She was shocked to see his closed eyelids.

He asked her, "Now that you can see, will you finally marry me?"

She declined, stating that she hadn't expected him to be blind, and she didn't think she could go through the rest of her life caring for him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later composed a note to her saying, "Take good care of your eyes my dear. Before they were yours, they were mine."

It's funny how the human brain works. When our status "changes", few of us remember what life was like before, who our friends were -- and who was always by our side.

One faithful church member told the preacher, "If I were a rich man, I would surely give much more to the church for the sake of the gospel." Shortly thereafter, oil was found on his land and he became a millionaire. As the money began to roll in, his attendance at church services became more sporadic, to the point that soon he failed to attend at all.

The minister went to visit him. "Brother," the preacher said, "you were always so faithful in your attendance and your involvement before you made all this money. We have all noticed that you are not coming to worship with us lately. You're not taking part in church projects. What's happened?"

"Preacher", the newly made millionaire said, "Before I had the money, I had the desire. Now that I have the money, I don't have the desire anymore."

Where is your commitment level to Christ? Has something changed in your life that has distracted you? Turned you in another direction? Provided you with different priorities?

Our Master said to "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). Regardless of our status in life, our disabilities, our challenges, or our privileges, it is His will and way that we are to seek.

Will you consider joining us at the Open Door church of Christ in seeking to live as Christ has directed? As a community of Christians, we're devoted to one another and to truly living the life Christ wants for us, regardless of economic status, job title, or the challenges of life. Of course we each have our emotional "ups and downs", but it is surprising how helpful it is to have a family member to talk to and share life's challenges with.

We'd be privileged to share with you also. Come and see.

[Photo: Copyright 2008 Faye White. See this image at http://www.pbase.com/fayewhite/image/67254848]

The Simple Struggle

How do I become the man of God I want to be? How do I live each day as I long to live, escaping the temptations, attaining the righteousness both God and I want for me? I don’t understand why I fail. Do I not love enough? Is my faith too weak?

Marrying our spiritual life with our “every-day” is a battle. There is no question about it. The apostles, Peter, Paul, John, and all the others, they struggled the same way. Just read Romans 7! These guys wrote with empathy, not condescension. Paul even writes,

Not that I’ve already obtained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Phil. 3:12)

First, what beautiful, comforting words! Not so much the confession, but the proclamation “that Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Paul means that not just for himself, but for you and me, too! He’s got us! Jesus has taken hold! What a wonderful thought!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1a)

Second, listen to these words of the Psalmist…

The unfolding of your words gives light;

it gives understanding to the simple.

I open my mouth and pant,

longing for your commands.

Turn to me and have mercy on me,

as you always do to those who love your name.

Direct my footsteps according to your word;

let no sin rule over me.

Redeem me from the oppression of men,

that I may obey your precepts.

Make your face shine upon your servant

and teach me your decrees.

Streams of tears flow from my eyes,

for your law is not obeyed.

(from Psalm 119:130-136)

Look at the bold words. On whom are you relying?

God has tremendously high expectations for us:

Be perfect…as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt. 5:48)

”...be holy, because I am holy. (Lev. 11:44; and echoed in 1 Peter 1:16)

But, God never planned for us to do anything alone. Our job is to seek Him and His word. He means for the rest to come out of the overflow of our time with Him. That’s it! That’s the secret! It is that simple.

The truth is, you know this, and so do I – and so does Satan.

Father, give us understanding of the simple. Please help us. And let us find the joy you’ve prepared for us there.

Peace Beyond Harvest

Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.

You have filled my heart with greater joy

Than when their grain and new wine abound.

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

For you alone, O Lord,

Make me dwell in safety.

(David, from Psalm 4)

Laced through the chronicles of David, where we are currently reading, are many of David’s Psalms.

At first, I was struggling with them. What did they mean? Not just what did they mean, but what do they mean for me? Honestly, David rants a lot. And, I was growing weary. But then, as my heart softened, I started to hear his honesty, and faith, and love for a God that was too much for David…too good, and too gracious, and patient.

Then David’s heart started speaking to mine, and suddenly I was feeling David’s words. I was sharing his longing and awe for God.

This is the miracle of God’s living Word: He writes it on our hearts!

We are still asking, “Who can show us any good?” We spend much time looking to the better time – the time to come – when things won’t be so hard, when our harvest of grain and new wine, which might be for us that new job, or the end of a project or activity, or a raise, or whatever -- will come and bring us peace and joy.

David’s thought is that while others spend their time and energy looking for what will bring them peace and joy, David spends his time with the One who is peace and joy.

So "tonight" -- every night -- David slept well, because God is, and David knew Him. (2 Tim.1:12)

How are you sleeping?

More of Him is your answer. You have to give Him time -- time to let the light of His face make His impression on your heart. And that will make all the difference.

Note: Many at Open Door are reading through the Bible this year. We’re using The Daily Bible, arranged by F. Lagard Smith. He has organized the text chronologically to give readers the sense of scope and sequence of God’s work for the world through the generations of the Hebrews. Why don’t you join us and share in our blessings...?

Spirit Gum

Have you ever tried pushing a string? It’s old imagery, but the picture is so clear in our minds. The challenge is seeing and knowing when and how the metaphor applies to us personally!

The idea is that we are at the wrong end of things.

Here is some Spirit gum……a little something to chew on.

“He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” John 14:24

What is the goal of your faith?

DIY Sanctification

The post on Tuesday, April 29 got me to thinking:

We know there’s nothing we can do to earn justification from God. He declares us guilt-free as an act of sheer grace, not because he’s obligated to us or because we deserve it.

I have to wonder, though: Once we’re saved, do we revert to do-it-yourself mode? Are we in some sense trying to earn our sanctification? I don’t think it’s intentional. But I do think it’s the natural consequence of our traditionally conflicted attitude toward the Holy Spirit.

We concede the Spirit has a role to play in principle, but let’s face it — in practice, we’ve been at best reluctant recipients of this gift. At worst, we’ve effectively shut Him out altogether, I fear.

Divine mysteries don’t fit so well in the fixed easy-to-follow formulas we crave.

But if the Spirit’s not driving us, a state of arrested spiritual development is the best we can hope for. We can go through the motions, do the overt acts of service which in themselves are good. But if the Spirit isn’t generating them, do they point to real internal transformation?

Don’t we often wonder why we don’t love more, give more, why our assemblies seem perfunctory and joyless, why our numbers are declining, why the truths we hold dear seem increasingly irrelevant to the culture at large, why we search our souls for answers but they elude us — why we demand lockstep allegiance on doctrine and yet so readily ignore the weightier matters when somebody, God help him, disagrees.

Maybe it’s the best a spiritually stunted people can do.

Is the Spirit Working?

Have you ever found yourself asking if God is truly working in your life? Have you ever wondered if the Spirit is really influencing your thoughts or your actions?

I have. There was a point in my life where I found myself in prayer asking God for wisdom and for spiritual discernment. I asked God to help me grow spiritually. As I studied the Scripture, I tried to "make every effort" to add to my faith the traits outlined in 2 Peter 1: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

One evening, as I was reading Scripture, I found myself in Galatians 5:22 where the "fruits" of the Spirit are recorded. I would be proud to say that I had them memorized; yes, indeed, I have been able to recite them for years. But, that day, I was struck by something profound. As I looked at those "fruits" that my mind had committed to memory - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control - I realized that I was sorely lacking in many of them.

Joy? Not so stellar. Peace? Occasionally. Patience? Nope. Kindness? If absolutely necessary. Goodness? Yes, I think so. Gentleness? Ouch. Faithfulness? Again, I think so. Self-control? Seriously? Why did self-control have to be in this list?

Is the Spirit working in your life? It shouldn't be a difficult question to answer. You can readily tell by the evidence of "fruit." As trees grow and mature, so does the fruit produced by the tree. At that moment I looked at my life and realized that I was not allowing the Spirit to manifest His works in my life. I needed to make significant strides in patience and kindness and gentleness. And definitely in self-control.

So, I made that my priority. It is always a huge victory for me, and a source of thanksgiving, when I recognize that the Spirit produces behavior in these areas that I could never produce on my own. Those are the times that I am completely assured that He is influencing my thoughts and actions.

And when I fail, sometimes miserably so, I thank God for the pruning and pray that the Spirit will call me to be more faithful.

Heart of darkness

John’s lesson this past Sunday referenced David’s appeal to God to “create in me a clean heart.”

Sometimes we forget just how badly we need God to do that. In his book Heart of Darkness, one of my favorites, Joseph Conrad uses a steamboat voyage into the heart of darkest Africa as a metaphorical vehicle for transporting readers into a region no less dark and savage: the human heart.

The idea is that if you look deep inside yourself — beyond the make-up and stage props, past the civilizing effects of law and social convention, right through to the real you, your innermost self, what you discover will frighten you. It’s a jungle in there. Sinful desires that could swallow a man whole prowl there freely.

A common conceit we Christians, and most everyone else for that matter, indulge in is that because we keep the law, work hard and provide for our families we must be generally good people. But Conrad’s nightmarish images are sobering. They remind us what we’re really capable of — what we must look like to God and what he finds after he takes up residence in our hearts when we put on Christ.

Scripture tells us our heart becomes the sanctuary of the Spirit. It also tells us that some major changes are in order, if we let the Spirit work.

About those sinful desires that could swallow you whole: The cage of law and social convention we erect and maintain to keep them at bay does permit civilization to continue functioning. But external restraining devices like laws and social norms lack real transformative power. For that kind of change to happen, someone has to descend into those deep-down scary places and drive out the dark things personally.

Hence David’s appeal to “create in me a clean heart.” The Man After God’s Own Heart had to face a bitter fact: After all the triumphs God had granted him, after all the time he'd spent in His presence, he was still, in his weaker moments, capable of unimagineable evil. And he was powerless, by himself, to change that fact.

That’s the way it works. We can follow the motions and rituals to perfection, but real change must occur on the inside and it must come from another Source.

Joseph Conrad didn’t believe in that Source. But his insights into life without it were prophetic; his book essentially forecasts the coming 20^th Century, a time when humankind’s capacity for evil would prove not only fathomless but capable of endless reinvention.