THE GOD WHO SEEKS YOU

I remember distinctly when the idea of seeking God first became a reality in my life. I was 17 years old, and one of my older brothers had been “born again.” I didn’t know exactly what that meant. We were not-so-good Catholics at the time, and although we believed in God, and prayed from time to time, around my house there was never any real life in those things. But suddenly this brother of mine had found something real. When he and his wife would visit for the weekend and talk about God at the dinner table, you could feel what I now know is the presence of God. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and tugged on my heart.

Although I was more interested in girls and partying at the time, something awoke on the inside of me. I believe the Bible is the Word of God, so I believe that God created us for a relationship with Himself, because that is what the Bible says. I believe that every man, woman, and child among us is created with in innate sense of the eternal, and an internal homing beacon that points to God. I believe the words that my brother shared around our family table, coupled with the prayers and faith of my Mother, ignited that desire to seek God in my heart. It wasn’t too long before instead of sneaking off to my room in the basement to smoke a joint, I was sneaking down there to read the Bible (Actually there was a significant period where those two activities overlapped in my life. I was always careful to read first and smoke after, thinking that was the proper way to do it - oh my - but that’s another post). I didn’t need to hide my faith, my parents would have been thrilled, but I was still in stealth mode about the whole thing.

What I want to get at today is that while our seeking after God is a wonderful and foundational part of what Christianity is all about, there is something even more amazing to consider. In nearly every kind of “religion” on earth, at least those that portray God as a living being, there is some doctrinal concept of seeking God, or taking actions to appease a god or the gods. But unique to Christianity is the portrayal of a God who seeks after us. Jesus taught us that the Father is pleased to share His Kingdom with us (Luke 12:32). In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells three stories in a row designed to convey the idea that God thinks of us in terms of having great value, and that He is willing to work hard to search for us until He can have us and hold us again.

All the while, most of us have been spending our time avoiding God for a variety of reasons. Even most Christian people have no idea how high a value God has placed on them, let alone people who don’t know Him. Many Christians still see themselves as an embarrassment or a disappointment to God. They spend their time trying to achieve a level of morality, or a position in the church, that will make them feel acceptable to God. The truth is that God the Father gave Himself up in the person of His Son as an exchange for you and I. God not only said, but demonstrated the fact, that you are as valuable to Him as Jesus. I know, it’s hard to grasp, but that is the message of the Bible.

But wait, there’s more… what would you pay for… sorry, never mind, too many infomercials. God did all of this while we were still rejecting Him with all our might. He paid the price of our redemption, then started to chase after us, and woo us to Himself. Wow! We do serve an amazing God. Once you really get this, there is no need, and no room for all of the cheap substitutes for this relationship.

–Now go make some great choices!

FACEBOOK? ME?

So, some of the younger and far more in touch, members of my leadership team have suggested that doing the facebook thing is a great way to introduce this blog to more people. We were talking about effective ways of getting the Gospel message out to the greatest number of people, and it was said that more and more people communicate through online social networks. While I know that, I have never had any interest in getting involved in one. It was actually Duncan Callahan that convinced me that, especially for communicating with younger people, something like facebook can be very effective.

Since our mission is to bring God's Word to as many people as possible, it seemed like a no-brainer to take the plunge and learn another new technology. This is no different than going to a coffee shop, or mall food court (something I try to avoid like the plague) in order to connect with people. We Christians have to be where people are so that we can win some - right?

So as of today, I'm a facebooker, or a facebookee, I've been facebooked - you get the idea. So if you want to see my face I guess, there is a link over to your right. Gosh, we could even be friends!

A CLEAN FRESH FLOW

I felt like a second-grader walking home from school. My feet were wet and cold, my pants covered with light brown silt from the muddy water. The sounds of trickling snowmelt were all around me, and the shy was leaden gray. The problem was, I was not a second-grader walking home from school, but a pastor trying to keep the church parking lot from being flooded by runoff from the adjacent highway.

Our church property sits pretty low, and its drainage is barely adequate for the snow that falls in our parking lot. It may be the middle of winter, but the temperatures went from single digits to 40 degrees overnight, causing some serious melting to begin. Today, we discovered that a stream of water was flowing into our property from both Highway 135, and the bike path that runs in front of the church. So, Karen and I broke out the shovels and a pick, and went to work creating a trench to channel the water off the parking lot and into the drainage ditch where it belongs. We know these temperatures can’t last forever, and we don’t want to become Gunnison’s newest ice rink.

So there we were making little channels in the ice and snow and encouraging the water toward the drain. Little by little, the water would soften the ice on which it was running, and we could make the channel a little deeper, and a little longer. Finally we reached the actual drainage culvert that exits our property. All at once we broke through the final ice barrier, and the water started to move freely. Now the task was to widen and deepen the trench until we could confidently turn our backs and let physics do the rest. Occasionally, tiny chunks of ice and slush would create little dams that would impede the movement. A quick stab with the shovel was usually sufficient to get the water moving freely again.

As we worked, I began to think about how this process paralleled that of keeping a clean fresh flow of God’s life in our hearts. Just like water wants to flow downhill, God’s own desire to flow in and through us creates a “positive pressure” from Him to us. I think Christians waste a lot of time trying to convince God to speak to them, or to work in their lives. I know, I know, you are saying, “but sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is paying attention, or that He necessarily wants to communicate with me.” Well, even though we may not “feel” it all the time, God’s Word is filled with His assurances that he will never turn His back, doze off at a crucial moment, or neglect us in any way. Consider just these two passages:

I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore. (Psalms 121:1-8 NIV)

God lives in a state of sleepless vigilance over the lives of the people He loves so much. We have to remember at times to lift up our eyes and ask ourselves the question, where does my help really come from? It comes from the Lord, and I will trust in him today!

He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax my hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5 Amplified Bible)

What an assurance! God is active and vigilant, and you can take that to the bank.

Draining the parking lot that day, we discovered three things: First, it only takes a small channel to get things moving the right way. All we had to do was scratch a line in the ice, and the water started its natural downhill movement. In the same way, it only takes a small effort on our part, basically making a place for God in our day and our thinking, to start the flow of His life to and through us. Jesus described Himself as, not only standing at our door, but knocking. He said all we have to do is open up and let Him in, and He will come and eat supper with us. He shows up with takeout, and we just open the door – what a deal.

In the same way, once things were flowing the right direction, the water itself expanded its own channel. We did some digging later to help that process, but as soon as the water started to move, the flow began to increase. Once we open the door to the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives, He will begin to soften our hearts, and encourage a stronger and deeper flow of life, revelation, and the love of God.

And finally, we noticed that it only took a small blockage to begin to plug things up and slow the whole process. After a short time, our job consisted mostly of keeping an eye out for little piles of slush that would gang together and impede the flow. A quick jab with the shovel was all it took to get things moving freely again. Spiritual parasites like unforgiveness, fear, and apathy, must be eradicated quickly, and on a regular basis. It doesn’t take much effort if you catch them early. It just takes genuine repentance.

So be encouraged. God loves you, and He is constantly working to make Himself known to you. Open the door for Him, and quickly remove any blockages that He points out to you. Your life will be flowing like a river in no time flat.

More R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Today I want to try to sketch a picture of respect. How does respect look in a home or other relationship?

Respect is all about value. We know that God Himself has ascribed an unsurpassable worth to every human being. How do we know that? Because God, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was willing to lay aside the expression of divinity, become one of us, then die a gruesome death on a cross to elevate us into relationship with Himself. In covenant terms, He exchanged His life for ours, or fully and eternally shared His life with us on an equal basis.

So we are valuable in God’s sight, but we don’t always treat each other as valuable. As we enter into various levels of relationship, we have various opportunities to express the value that we hold in our hearts toward one another. Respect is the expression of value in practical terms. I can express value to a stranger by allowing them to pull up to the gas pump ahead of me. I can stop my car and allow someone to cross the street on foot, or pull through the intersection. I can hold a door, or pick up something they dropped. All of these actions say, “I see you, I know you are there, and you deserve my attention at this very moment.” Not doing things like this says something too. It says, “I am only aware of myself, my needs, and the pressing concerns of my day, which are clearly more important than your needs and concerns.”

This is the underlying truth behind actions that communicate either respect, or disrespect – while they may seem insignificant to you, they communicate with the utmost clarity what you really feel toward the other person at that moment. You might as well have put a billboard that says, “You are my greatest treasure”, or “on my radar screen, you are a flea on a dead porcupine’s belly.” Well, you might use different words there.

Respect gives full attention. Respect does not continue to do other things, even though one might be able to, while conversing with the object of respect. Respect might put down the sports page, turn down the music or the game, set aside the financial report, or hang up the phone, just to listen to the object of respect.

Respect makes eye contact. Respect squares the shoulders, and looks into the eyes. Respect does not stand or sit half turned away from the person you are interacting with. Respect doesn’t slouch or roll the eyes. Respect knows how to give a firm handshake.

Respect listens to what another says. Listening is not just hearing. Listening is giving value to an opinion. A listener goes on to consider and weigh what another person has said. A listener often asks questions to make sure that one has understood the words of the object of our respect. Even when you decide you disagree with someone, respect will not respond with a personal attack, or resort to name-calling.

Respect speaks politely. Respect uses words that do not demean the other person. Respect never talks behind the other persons back, or causes public humiliation. Respect does not make jokes with friends at the other person’s expense.

I could go on and on, but this is a blog, not a novel. The point is that we are constantly communicating respect, or disrespect, to one another with words, eyes, and body-language. In our culture of self-centered individualism, respect is a dying art form. It is up to those of us who understand its value, to practice it and train our children in it.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

This morning, Karen and I were talking about respect. We were discussing the fact that it is very important to have some people in your life that you really respect. People we respect often become the role models, and depending on the level of relationship, the coaches in our lives. The opinion of a person you respect matters to you. You value their insight and perspective.

Sometimes, I find people that seem to care about everyone’s opinion. They really struggle in life if someone disagrees with them, or Heaven forbid, doesn’t like them. That is a very hard way to live. You simply can’t please everyone, and while everyone does deserve a basic level of respect as a person and a creation of God, not everyone deserves your respect where their ideas or lifestyle is concerned. For example, I really don’t care about what a person who does not know or walk with God thinks about my Christianity, my lifestyle, or this church. Don’t get me wrong, I care about these people, I want them to experience all the wonderful things that God has for them, but I don’t care what they think of me. I may even be interested in their opinion as a means of understanding and better reaching our culture. But I will not change the way I live to suit them, or lose any sleep over their words.

Karen and I thought about what causes us to respect someone. We decided it was mostly about a person’s character. I highly respect people that demonstrate Godly character. I especially respect people that I know have gone through hard times, rejection, or unfair treatment, but have maintained their integrity through the whole thing. I respect people that in the face of chaotic and stressful circumstances, have kept their head, and continued to live by their principles. These are the people I want to emulate, and it is the opinion of these people that I really care about. I want to know what makes them tick, and I value their input into my life.

Now, respect should be the default attitude between a husband and wife don’t you think? So, what does that look like on a daily basis? Well, that’s a great question, and will make an interesting article. Maybe tomorrow or the next day.

- Now go out and make some great choices.

ARE YOU WILLING?

Have you ever read Exodus 35? It's a chapter about the gathering of materials and skilled labor for the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness. God was building a place that would be dedicated to one single purpose - the gathering of His people for worship. In this one chapter, the word willing appears at least 5 times depending on the translation you read. God asks those who are willing to bring a variety of goods "from what they have" so the tabernacle could be constructed. He also asks for laborers who are skilled and willing to do the work.

Why didn't God just command that the materials be brought and the work be done? Because genuine worship comes only from willing hearts. You can coerce behavior, but not worship or real relationship. Wasn't God taking a risk here? What if most of the goods were in the hands of unwilling people? Maybe to get what He needed, God should have forced the issue. After all, He is God, and people simply need to obey Him. If conformity, and correct behavior were God's top priorities, maybe He would exercise His power and authority in a different way. But because genuine relationship is His priority, God allows us to make choices, and seeks the willing heart. Today God is still building a place of worship - it's called The Church. And He still builds it from willing hearts.

In 20 years of full time ministry, I have found that a willing heart is the key ingredient to seeing a dynamic flow of God's power. When working with struggling marriages, a willingness to let Jesus be Lord, to consider the other person's viewpoint, to be the first to serve, or love, or forgive, is all that God needs to begin a miraculous healing process. When facing any large project, the resources that come from those who are willing, always seem to be more than enough.

Isaiah 1:19 says, "If you are willing, and obedient, you will eat the best from the land." We tend to focus on the obedience, and no doubt, God loves obedience. But it is williness that opens the door to a flood of God's favor and life (we call that grace) that enables us to be joyfully, and eagerly, obedient.

Willingness is simply the act of humbling the heart before God. It is the opposite of obstinate, stubborn, resistant. Willingness yields, says yes, lowers the defenses. What is God saying to you today? What is He asking? Are you willing?

Now, go make some great choices.

GROUNDHOG DAY

Great News! The groundhog saw his shadow! Technically, the groundhog seeing his shadow is supposed to mean six more weeks of winter. The people in Pennsylvania were saying "woe is me", but we live in Gunnison. Only six more weeks of winter means by the end of March, or mid-April at the latest, we could be riding the trails at Hartman's instead of skiing them. Sounds like good news to me.

Have you noticed that when people talk about Groundhog Day now, they always use it as a reference to something that is endless and repetitive? Obviously because that was the message of the movie Groundhog Day. But just a few years ago, that term had nothing to do with an endless cycle of sameness. That is just an example of the way language changes over time. That's why it is so important to have accurate, but modern translations of the Bible. A good translation does two things: first it understands the original meaning that the author intended to convey with the words he or she chose. Then, it brings that meaning into the language of the modern reader. Both of those elements must exist for a translation to be accurate and useful.

Postmodernism contends that the reader, rather than the author, has the right to interpret the meaning of words in any way that suits them. Applied to the Bible, that would mean that I could read the words, but decide, apart from any reference to history, or the revealed nature of God, what those words mean to me. I could even decide that some of the words are simply not relevant, because they were written in a different time period. I could also change the meaning of words to suit my personal preferences or "my personal truth" - whatever that means.

So, words are important. Understanding the roots and original meaning the Bible's text is important. And we are only looking at six more weeks of winter if that East Coast Marmot wanna-be knows what he's talking about.

Go out and make great choices!