Category Archives: Faith

God’s Bad Rap

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How could a good God send anyone to Hell?  You’ve heard that question and maybe asked it.  Fact is, God gets a bad rap; He doesn’t send anyone to Hell.  We do that.  What God does is try to rescue as many as possible.

“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”  –  (Ezekiel 18:31)

Why wouldn’t He rescue everybody?  It is because He doesn’t want to take away one of His most precious gifts to us:  Free will.  God wants to protect you from Hell, but only if you are willing.

Willing to do what?  Turn around.

Turn from what to what?  Turn from all the stress and temporary stuff of this world, stuff that promises to make you happy and fulfill you, but doesn’t.  Turn to Jesus to receive His gift of abundant, eternal life, and a get out of Hell pass.

Why do I have to turn?  If you are fixated on the temporary and unfulfilling stuff, striving for it and stressed out by the rat race, you won’t be able to understand about Jesus.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.   – (2 Corinthians 4:4 New Living Translation)

 

Best Kind of Famous

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Here’s a riddle:  if God knows everything, then what does.this mean?

But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.  ( 1 Corinthians 8:3)

Doesn’t God know everyone?  To understand this better, think back to your first day at a new school, where you were a complete stranger.  Or your first day of basic training.  Or eating alone in a restaurant on a business trip.  Remember how you felt?  Now, a voice in the crowd, “Hey! I know you!”. You turn and there is an old friend.  You are known.

Now, before you connected,.you were known but you didn’t know you were known. You did not experience being known. This illustrates the powerful difference one experiences when, through faith in Jesus, she or he begins a relationship of love with God. Instead of being alone in the crowd in this life, now you are known.

On Belay

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You look at the yawning chasm, the thin rope bridge and think, “No way!” But, it turns out, there is a way. Rope courses are designed to show how much more you can do than you thought possible.  You can muster up the courage to try if you trust the safety harness.   They have you “on belay.” The instructor shouts, “Go ahead; I got you!  You can do it”  And if you trust him, you just might screw up your courage and give it a shot.  If you fall, the harness keeps you safe (hopefully…).

With that in mind, read this:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.  –  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

A big reason people fall from rope courses is their fear that they can’t make it.  When they trust the harness and step out in confidence, they discover they can make it. In a similar way, in our struggle against various temptations, frequently the belief that we will fail becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  But when you trust Jesus, His Holy Spirit lives within you. I’m a very real sense you are “on belay. ”  In that condition, God may allow you to experience temptation, but only in a measure you can withstand.  The trick is to trust His “harness” will truly keep you safe.  Trust Him, and with each step across the temptation, focus on how God has provided a way of escape.

Notice, the “escape” is not from the temptation, but from failing.  The “escape” allows you to withstand the temptation.  To endure it.  To not fall.

Next time you face that familiar temptation – the one that has come to your mind right now, the one that has caused you to fall so many times in the past – picture God calling out to you, “Go ahead; I’ve got you on belay.  You can do it!  Trust Me!”  Then screw up your courage and give it a shot…

Bound Up and Freed

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If the ability to fix broken hearts is an identifying mark of the Messiah (See the previous post: “What to Do with a Broken Heart”), what about James Taylor?  Remember his song,”Handyman?”

Hey girls, gather round, listen to what I’m putting down.
Hey babe, I’m your handy man.
I’m not the kind to use a pencil or rule, I’m handy with love and I’m no fool,
I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can.

Nobody who starts out with “Hey girls, gather round…” knows how to truly fix a broken heart.  I think the same critique can be leveled against a newer song by the group, Indecent Obsession.  (“Fixing a Broken Heart”  –  Really?  With an indecent obsession?  Give me a break!)   When Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted, it was by the power of the Holy Spirit, a genuine healing, not the temporary whitewash of a new infatuation.  It was that genuine healing or “binding up” that marked Him as the Messiah.

But it was not the only identifying role of the Messiah.  Here’s a bit of the rest of what Isaiah prophesied:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound  –  (Isaiah 61:1)

There is more to it, but some of what the Messiah (Jesus) was sent to do was to bind up broken hearts and to set free those whose hearts were bound up as prisoners or slaves.  Most of us know what it is to be broken-hearted.  And most of us know what it is to be stuck or bound in our hearts with an unhealthy habit or addiction.  Jesus came to fix both circumstances, especially since the things that bind our hearts are frequently also what caused our hearts to be broken.  Much of the time, I suspect, this is the case.

Before you try to grapple with the deeper issues of sin and atonement, the cross and resurrection of Jesus, make sure you understand this part of what He came to do for you.  He came to repair what is broken in your heart and to set free what has been held captive there.

Why would He do that for you?  Because He made you and He loves you.

What to Do with a Broken Heart

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Whoever coined the expression, “brokenhearted,”  got it right. In times of deep sorrow it really does seem that our hearts have been broken beyond repair.  We can feel the broken pieces, like shards of pottery.  Brokenhearted is more than just being temporarily sad. Deeper and more permanent, brokenhearted has lost hope. What is done is done and there is no fixing it. The pieces cannot be mended.  If you can relate, if you are brokenhearted as you read this, my heart goes out to you.  That is another expression for,  “I can identify with how painful it is for you right now” and “I would like to touch your heart with my own, if such a thing was possible.”  Some people come close in a very comforting way.  It’s a special gift.  But they cannot truly fix a broken heart.

Which makes these lines from Isaiah especially meaningful.  By quoting these words at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah:  

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,… ”  –   (Isaiah 61:1a)

If you ask, “When God sent Jesus, what was He supposed to do?” I suspect not many people would include fixing broken hearts in the list.  And yet, it was the nearly the first identifying mark of the Messiah – binding up the pieces of broken hearts, restoring hope, healing a pain that could not be wished away.  How could anyone, even the Messiah, accomplish such a seemingly impossible task?  Here is another quote from Isaiah:

“And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.”  –  (Isaiah 25:7-8)

The One Who can conquer death can certainly mend a broken heart.  Jesus proved  He was able by His resurrection.  If your heart is broken, take the pieces to Jesus.  He will bind them and heal them.  Let Him have your heart.  You will not be sorry.

Beyond “Wisdom”

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“Help! Rape!”  My little boy eyes bulged as wide as yo-yo’s as I read the damp message I’d found in a bottle, floating in the lake.  I knew it was something bad, but back then, little boys were not taught much about rape, or even sex.  I had no recourse but to ask my mother what it meant.  I laugh to think back on that moment, the look on her face, because she would have been profoundly uncomfortable if I’d asked her what necking was!  She went through a few inarticulate false starts and then informed me that rape meant “misbehavior.”  Aha!  New information, I thought.  I hurried over to my brother to impress him with my advanced knowledge and wisdom.  “I know what rape means,” I proclaimed.  “Really?”  “Yes,” I said, drawing myself up to my full, second grade stature, “it means misbehavior!”   That was a moment of great pride for me.   That is, until I began to realize how incomplete my lofty wisdom really was.

There have always been people who think they know it all, who draw themselves up and make proclamations based on the fullness of their great wisdom.  God laughs.  In their wisdom they have been blinded to some of the most basic elements of reality.  So Paul wrote:

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”.  (1 Corinthians 3:18-19)

Every year about this time, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, we hear from the “wise” who consider us foolish. They draw themselves up and proclaim how ludicrous it is to believe in a God Who would allow His Son to be tortured, and how naive it is to think He could have been restored to life.  Which is tragic, because Jesus endured that torment out of love for them, to rescue them.  And they cannot see it.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”  –  (1 Corinthians 1:18-19)

Before you bet your life on the wisdom of those who sound smug, consider the difference between what it means to be “perishing” and “saved.”  No doubt, there were some experts on the Titanic who knew it was folly to think such a ship could go down.  After all, it had been designed by the best engineers to prevent such a thing.  If only they had been able to see beyond their own wisdom…    Just possibly, the God of the Universe knows a bit more than those who think they are wise here on earth.

All the Difference

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The third time the disciples saw Jesus after He came back to life, it happened like this:

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. …  (John 21:4-7a)

This wasn’t just a startling way for Jesus to identify Himself.  Jesus didn’t spread His arms and shout, “Ta Da!”  It was a lesson for them, a lesson for us.   If you want to work with Jesus, pay attention to what He tells you to do.  It makes all the difference.   Notice, I said, “If you want to work WITH Jesus,” not, “work FOR Jesus.”  That too makes all the difference.  Jesus had taught His disciples:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.   (John 15:5)

Nothing.  A nice round number with a hole in it.  If you decide to work FOR Jesus, you will probably accomplish nothing.  That is, unless you pay close attention to what He tells you to do, in which case you will be working WITH Jesus.  A friend of mine used to say, “Always ride a horse in the direction he is going.”  The same principle applies for those who would work with Jesus.  And that makes all the difference.

Fisherman’s Tale

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This wasn’t about the one that got away but the ones that didn’t.

So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. (John 21:11)
Not “about 150” but “153.”  Why that exact number?  Fishermen always counted their catch because their next stop would be to sell them.  John said 153 because that is how many they caught.  And because he was there!  When you read the Gospel of John you are reading an eyewitness account written by a close personal friend of Jesus.  Friends know friends better than anyone else.  When John wrote his account of Jesus, he tagged it with these words, referring to himself in the third person:

This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.  (John 21:24)
In the light of that, reflect on this other statement by John:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  (John 20:30-31)

What Joy Looks Like

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Whenever I get a chance to spend time with Sam (not his real name), I come away filled with excitement and a kind of deep joy.  This morning was no exception.  He travels the world, visiting and encouraging small outposts of Jesus’ followers in some of the most unlikely places.  Like Lebanon, Syria, or Egypt.  He was bursting with enthusiasm and told me, “All over the world, people are coming to know Jesus in amazing numbers.  More than that, Christians of all different denominations and backgrounds, many of whom have been stuck in centuries of dead tradition, are waking up with renewed life and working together in creative ways to spread the good news.”  And then, with the same gleam in his eye, he said, “And everywhere this new life in Christ is cropping up, the opposition is really ramping up.  It is an exciting time!”

Sam is not exaggerating.  We are good friends and I know him well.  I’ve traveled with him on some pretty wild adventures.  When he says the new life of the kingdom of Jesus is popping out all over, you can take that to the bank. And, when he talks about opposition that naturally follows, he does so with the same credibility.  You might think the opposition, much of it extremely violent – churches being torched, Christians hauled off the bus and shot in the head because they cannot quote the Koran – would discourage him.  But he justs gets more excited.

Reminds me of Paul’s attitude when he wrote:

…I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.  (1 Corinthians 16:8b-9)

Sam understands something Paul knew: The greatest opportunities for introducing people to Jesus frequently lie in the midst of your greatest opposition.  He knows his enemies are not any of the people who attack him, but rather the spiritual forces in league with Satan who have them in their grip.  The more someone fights against him, the more he knows that person needs a Savior.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

In the previous post, I wrote about Jesus giving us Real Joy.  If you met Sam, you would  see what that joy looks like.  It isn’t dependent upon how successful or tough his circumstances seem to be, but emanates from the thrill of walking and working with a powerful Savior.  And it is infectious!

Believing is Seeing

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Online dating is risky.  We imagine the person with whom we have connected, but rarely get it right.  When we actually meet, it can be quite a shock.  Believing in God is similar.  The God of our imagination may be very different from the character and personality of the real God.  This can be disillusioning, to say the least.  I know a man who genuinely believed that God would never allow anything bad to happen to him.  When tough times clobbered him, it was a real crisis for his faith.  He told me he no longer believed in God.  I suggested he consider if perhaps the God he no longer believed in was not  the real God.  This is a common problem.  You frequently hear people say, “My God wouldn’t let that happen…”  Understandable, since no one has ever seen God.  Our relationship with Him is a bit like online dating.

Except for this:  God sent His Son.  A “son,” in first century Jewish thinking, was someone who embodied the character and personality of another person.  Jesus called a couple of his disciples “Sons of Thunder,” because their personalities resembled rolling thunder.  He spoke of how His followers might become “Sons of light,” might take on character traits of His “light.”   To say Jesus was the “Son” of God was to say He was the embodiment of God’s character and personality.

As the author of Hebrews stated it,

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…”  –  (Hebrews 1:3a)

Jesus affirmed this.  He said, 

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”    –  (John 14:10b)

Therefore, our belief in God will align with Who God really is, what He is really like, as we believe in Jesus.  To put it another way, if we say we believe in God, but do not accept Jesus, then the God of our belief does not really match the character and personality of the True God.  That is what Jesus meant by these words:

“Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.”  –  (John 12:44b-45)

If you believe in the real God, not merely an imaginary god, you believe in the One Who so loved the world so deeply that He sent Jesus, His Son.  And, in your belief in Him, have attained eternal life. (Paraphrase of John 3:16)