Daniel 3:17-18 4/25/2017

^" If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

The group Mercy Me, recently released a song called "Even if" based on this verse.  Listening to it, I wonder if we have lost the perspective these three teenage boys had as they stood before King Nebuchadnezzar.

So many of us fall away because we feel our prayers have gone unanswered, simply because the answer is no. Jesus himself, prayed that He could avoid the cross. His prayer was so intense that  He sweated blood, but thankfully for us, the answer was still "no", and His final comment was,..."not My will, but Yours".

Does that describe your prayer life?  Do you come to God with questions ... or with answers?...   Even when the intensity of our prayer feels like we will sweat blood ... do we remember who you are talking to?

Our prayer life becomes worship when "in Jesus' name" means what it is supposed to mean.  Too often it becomes a magic incantation, a rubbing of the lamp so the Genie will produce what we want, and that pollutes our prayer life and makes it something it was never intended to be.

I remember as a child, the relief that would wash over me when I could finally tell my Dad about whatever problem I was facing.  Then I could relax.  I put it in his hands, and knew he would handle it properly. Do I have that kind of confidence in God?   Does relief flood my soul when I speak to my Heavenly Father?

If we can remember that we are speaking to The All Powerful God Of The Universe.  And also remember that He loves us beyond our ability to comprehend.  We can make prayer what it was intended to be ... the ultimate spiritual pre-workout . We should rise from our knees energized, confident, and at peace.

This verse is not an escape clause to release God of responsibility in case He cannot deliver.

He can. He is able, He is all knowing, and He answers prayer.

...But even if the answer is not what we asked for ... our hope, our confidence, and our salvation... remains steadfastly in Him.

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”
― Mother Teresa

Ephesians 2:3 4/18/17

"We all lived among them at one time in the cravings of our flesh, indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath."

Jesus didn't die because He loves us...He died because we sinned.  
He chose to die because He loves, but our sin made it necessary.

We were terminal.  Infected by our sinfulness and His sacrifice saved us.  If we now ignore the sins of others in the name of tolerance, we lose the opportunity to show them the path to healing.  If we shun those who suffer with the same disease we have been delivered from, we become the ultimate hypocrites.

I have never met a Cancer survivor who doesn't hate cancer, and at the same time deeply love those who suffer with it.  Never would they ignore the disease, nor shun those who have it.
We can never condone sin, nor reject those suffering from it.

We must realize our sin was not ignored, it was paid for...we were children of wrath...destined for destruction. But we have been redeemed, and that changes our mission.

As Christians we are not hospice workers...we are first responders. We are not here to avoid offending those who are perishing and make them comfortable.  We are here to aggressively deal with what is killing them, and provide the healing truth of the gospel, all the while remembering that we were healed by the same free grace we offer them.

Keep both of these points clear and you will be an effective minister ... confuse either one and you will be of no use in the battle against sin.

"He who has felt his own ruin will not imagine the case of any to be hopeless; nor will he think them too fallen to be worthy his regard." - Charles Spurgeon

1 Cor. 15:19 4/11/2017

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."

Easter is the ballgame...it changes everything.

If Jesus didn't rise from the dead then we are pitiful fools worthy of the worlds sympathy.

If Christ was just a good guy,  who had some useful advice, and was martyred for His opinions, then we have nothing but some interesting stories, and a mentor.

But if the grave is empty...that changes who, and what we are.

So there is no hedging your bet, no playing it safe...
Christ Himself said pick up your cross, give all you have away, leave all you know ... and follow me. That is not a mentor, that is a King. So it is either nothing, or everything,  and Easter is the determining factor.

If they found His body, then He lied and we are fools.  But if His tomb is empty we are redeemed. Those are your two logical choices. But the most common choice is somewhere in the middle and Paul says that is lunacy.

 If you follow a guy who falsely claimed to be God,  because you like some of the things He said,  that is irrational.   If you believe Jesus is God and rose from the grave, and yet it doesn't impact  how you live,  that too is insanity. So make the call.

This Easter make a decision ... if He is who He said He is ... it should change you.  If faith, in fact, changes your eternal destination, then it is worth living and dying  for and should impact everything you do from this moment on.

Easter is our deliverance, it is the most important event in human history and it is the only reason for Christmas and the Cross.  When Christ walked out of that grave He changed our eternity.

This Easter don't be distracted by the pageantry.  Instead contemplate the single moment in time that changed everything - and let it change you.

“Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.”
― Billy Graham

Proverbs 15:31 4/4/2017*

^"Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise."

We often discuss how we should talk to others ... but what about how we should listen?

This verse talks about the side of the transaction that we sometimes neglect.  When is the last time you appreciated a correction?  When someone admonishes you, what is your initial response?

Most of us only hear about half of a reprimand before we begin to prepare our defense ... and our defense inevitably contains a counter- attack against the reprimand-er.

What if we changed that?  What if we actually considered the content when someone filed a complaint against us....even if the rebuke was delivered poorly, it may have some validity, and it's consideration could have a positive impact on us.

Real wisdom and positive change can only come from humility ... and humility can only come from confidence.

That sounds counter intuitive, but it is true. Confidence in your worth as a Child of God, releases you from any obligation to defend yourself, and allows you to consider all information without feeling threatened.  This puts you in a position to improve.

This week let's try an experiment. When someone reprimands you, hold your tongue for a moment
- and listen.

Honestly consider the information and determine what part, if any, has merit. After considering the input, respond in a appreciative, and respectful manner and see what happens.  My guess is, it will bless those who are honestly trying to help you, and greatly confuse those who are not. 

Either way, you will display maturity,  and process information that could help you. This is the only response that in the end, benefits you and makes you  at home among the wise. 

"The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. "
Helmut Schmidt