What Will You Do on Wednesday? (April 4, 2021)

Welcome to Holy Week.

Depending on when you get the chance to read this devotional, Holy Week is happening, and that is a good thing.  No, that is a great thing.  

It is also a difficult, and painful, and heart-wrenching time.  After all, this is the week where we should be spending some time remembering all that Jesus went through on our behalf.  Let’s do a brief recap.  (Just so we are aware, there is some disagreement/ambiguity over the exact details of each day.  This is one possible timeline based primarily on the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark & Luke, but readings from John are not excluded.)

Sunday ~ Palm Sunday.  Things started off great!  Jesus enters into Jerusalem with his disciples, and people are excited.  The crowds gather.  The palm branches are waved.  Cloaks are laid on the ground to cover the path that Jesus is traveling.  People cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest heaven!”  (Matthew 21:9)

Monday ~ Jesus clears the Temple.  In some sense, this is to be expected, right?  After all, what do you do when a party is over at your house?  I know what happens at mine.  We clean up.  The celebration of Palm Sunday has ended.  Jesus does some cleaning of his house.  

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.  And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Tuesday ~ Time for class.  On this day, Jesus teaches in the Temple.  Just the day before, Jesus had cleaned it up so now it is time for him to instruct, to teach, to guide.  (Just as an aside, this is the last time that Jesus would teach in the Temple before he was arrested.)  So, what does he teach?  He teaches that he has authority, and that he has no need of telling the Pharisees where he gets his authority. (Matthew 21:23-27)  He teaches of two sons, one who said that he wouldn’t obey, but did.  The other that said he would obey, but didn’t. (Matthew 21:28-32)  He taught about tenants, who were wicked and evil, beating and killing the landowner’s servants who had come to collect what was owed.  They proceeded to kill the landowner’s son as well.  Not a good group. (Matthew 21:33-46)  He taught about a wedding banquet, paying taxes, marriage, the greatest commandment, the Son of David, hypocrisy, warnings against the teachers of the law, and more.  (See Matthew 23-25)  These words of Christ were important, were valuable.  They taught many lessons and provided insight into the kingdom of God for the people who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened.  They will do the same for us today…if we are willing to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen.  I encourage you to spend some time in these Scriptures.  Listen to Jesus.  Sit at his feet.

Wednesday ~ Jesus returns to Bethany.  Not much is known about what Jesus did on this day.  More is known about what two others did on this day…we will get to that later.

Thursday ~ The Last Supper & the Garden of Gethsemane.  Here is where the week gets exceptionally emotional.  Throughout the day on Thursday, Jesus displays love in ways that go beyond words as he stoops to wash his disciples’ feet. (John 13:1-17)  He shows a willingness to have fellowship with those who would betray him as he dips his bread into the bowl and eats with Judas.  (Matthew 17:20-25)  He establishes a new covenant with his followers.  His body, the bread.  His blood, the wine.  Broken and poured out. (Matthew 17:26-30)  He remains loyal, even when he knows that those who are closest to him will not do the same. (Matthew 17:31-35)  He shows what it means to be surrendered to the will of the Father, anguished to the point where his sweat became droplets of blood. (Luke 22:44)  In addition to ALL of this (plus more that I did not mention in this brief summary), Jesus demonstrates humility, allowing himself to be arrested, to stand trial, to be spit upon, mocked and struck. (Matthew 17:47-67)

Friday ~ Good Friday.  The Cross. (Matthew 27:11-44)  So much could be said about this day.  I’d prefer for you to spend time in the Scripture or time in prayer.  Read the Word about Good Friday.  Thank Jesus for this day.

Saturday ~ The Quiet.  For those who were there during that week, Jesus is presumably gone.  Dead and buried.  The story is over.

Sunday ~ The Resurrection!  The day that changes everything.  Life out of death.  Light out of darkness.  Victory over defeat.  Sin has been vanquished.  Life is offered to all who would believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Living One, the Lamb who was slain to take away the sins of the world, the King, the Lord, the Savior!

Right now.  It’s Holy Week.  Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, is coming.  It is on the way and there is great cause for celebration!  But, I offer a word of caution.  Don’t skip over all of the other days just to get there.  Yes, I know, we are Resurrection People, Easter People.  The resurrection never goes away, and we can’t possibly erase it from our minds to experience things apart from this truth.  However, don’t just skip through the other stuff.  Spend some time in the Word.  Spend some time reading, remembering, reflecting, praying, thanking Jesus for all that he did on our behalf.  It is good to do.  It is beneficial for our soul.

Now, that all of that has been said, I want us to jump back to mid-week and take a look at Wednesday.  Two things likely happened on Wednesday by two, different people.  Two different people responded in two completely different manners to Jesus as he took a day of waiting, of rest.

One, Judas.

He couldn’t wait any longer.  Judas needed action, and he needed it now!  After all, what was Jesus doing just sitting around?  When was he going to establish his kingdom?  (One theory as to why Judas betrayed Jesus is that he was trying to force Jesus’ hand.  People theorize that Judas held to a more military view of the Messiah, a conqueror of the Roman people.  If he betrayed Jesus, that would force him to act, to fight in that manner.  Whether or not this was truly his motivation, I do not know.  Regardless of his motivation, Judas acted upon his own will as the Lord rested and waited for the Father’s will.) (Matthew 26:14-16)

Two, the woman.

The alabaster jar.  The expensive perfume.  The value?  A year’s wages.  An exorbitant, perhaps excessive, offering.  A gift of love.  Poured out in devotion even though she couldn’t possibly know that this act was being used to prepare Jesus for his burial.  (Matthew 26:6-13)

One day.  Two extremely different responses.  

One sought his own will, his own way, his own success, his own future, his own prosperity.  

The other poured out what she had for Jesus.

Friends, sometimes in life it seems as if we are in a perpetual Wednesday of Holy Week.  Jesus is seemingly absent from the scene, relaxing at Bethany.  He doesn’t appear to be cleaning things up or teaching.  He’s not washing feet or feeding.  At times, we don’t even realize or see the way that he has surrendered and died for us.  Sometimes it seems as if he has just retreated to Bethany and is doing very little.

In those times, in those times where we wait, in those times where it seems like it is a Wednesday of Holy Week, I encourage you…be careful how you respond.  Be careful how you act.  Be careful what you do.  

Learn from Judas.  Don’t step outside of God’s will or God’s timing.  Don’t try to force an issue.  Don’t seek selfish gain, betraying the Lord.  Instead, trust God.  Wait for God to act.  Wait for Jesus to answer.  Wait for the Lord to do that which he desires to do in your life.  Don’t push beyond God’s plan for you.  

Instead, learn from the woman and pour.  Pour out your life.  Pour out the gifts that you have been given.  Pour out your heart.  Pour out your love.  

Jesus is faithful.  Jesus is kind.  Jesus is trustworthy.  Jesus is compassionate.  Jesus is passionate.  Jesus is caring.  Jesus is loving.  Jesus is life.   Even in times when it seems like Jesus is doing nothing, we can trust that his “nothing” will accomplish far greater than our “something” that is done outside of his will.  So, friend, remember.  Do not push.  Pour.  Especially this week.

  ~ Pastor Chris

Go Get the Donkey (March 28, 2021)

Jesus had been clear.  

Things were going to change.

Things were no longer going to be as they had been for the last couple of years.  In fact, though they didn’t know it or understand it completely, the disciples were approaching what would be the most life-changing week of history.

Holy Week was coming. 

Granted.  It wasn’t called Holy Week yet.  Still, it was coming, and Jesus was trying to get his friends ready for what was to come as they journeyed along to their next destination.  Jerusalem.

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

~ Matthew 20:17-19

For us, we have the benefit of hindsight.  We have the benefit of knowing what happened during that week.  We’ve read the Scriptures.  We’ve shared the stories.  We’ve heard the preachers point to these events time and time again.  We have a pretty good grasp on what happened (though I don’t think we can ever completely grasp the full depth and breadth of what Jesus went through and accomplished).  The disciples, on the other hand, had no clue.

No clue whatsoever.

This wasn’t the first time that Jesus had shared this information.  They had been told before.  (Matthew 16:21-23, Matthew 17:22-23)  Still, they didn’t get it.  Instead, right after hearing what was to become of their Leader, their Teacher, their Rabbi, do you know what they did?

They fought over who among them would be the greatest.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Jesus.  We get it.  Suffering.  Death.  Resurrection.  Who gets to sit at your right hand in the kingdom of heaven?”

This was a complete whiff.  A strikeout.  Shoot, they weren’t even playing the right game.  It’s like they were swinging a baseball bat at a soccer ball.  Completely and totally off.

And yet…

Jesus still cared for them.  Jesus still proceeded to the cross for them.  Jesus was still beaten and battered and bruised for them.  Even though they didn’t get it, they didn’t understand, they couldn’t wrap their minds around what was going to happen.  Even though Jesus knew that they would forsake his love, that they would betray him, that they would run away and deny ever knowing him.  Even though Jesus knew that they would not remain faithful.  Even though the disciples were confused and hard headed and stubborn and worried about what was in it for them.  Even though they were flawed and sinful and not worthy of the Lord.  Even though they were all these things and more, Jesus still loved them.  Jesus still called them.  Jesus still had a role for them to fulfill in his kingdom.  Jesus still had a plan to use them.  Jesus was still faithful.

And so, we read this as they approached that life-changing week:

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

~ Matthew 21:1-3

Can you imagine being one of those two?

Go and untie a donkey and her colt and bring them to Jesus?

Really?

This had to be towards the top of the list of “strange things that Jesus asked the disciples to do.”  “Cast your net on the other side of the boat.”  “Share your lunch with these 5,000+ folks.”  “Come out to me on the water.”     “Go get the donkey.”

Go get the donkey?  

What donkey?

Whose donkey?

Why a donkey?

Put yourself in their shoes for a moment.  They had no idea what was about to happen.  No idea what was about to transpire.  Sure, they were told that Jesus was going to suffer, die, and be raised to life.  Still, they didn’t really know what that meant.  They didn’t really understand what that would look like.  Plus, Jesus didn’t say anything about Palm Sunday in that prediction!  He didn’t let them know that this was going to be a thing, that palm branches would be waved, that cloaks would be laid down on the road.  How would you feel if Jesus, all of the sudden, asked you to go and get the donkey?  I, for one, might have issues with this request.  

A donkey and her colt, Jesus, really?

Perhaps, I’m looking a little too far into this.  Perhaps they were familiar with what Matthew tells us next:

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

~ Matthew 21:4-5

Maybe they knew this was why they were being sent to fetch a donkey and her colt…but I doubt it.  After all, the disciples did not demonstrate a consistent history of always knowing what was going on in the broader picture of Jesus’ kingdom.  In fact, they had consistently demonstrated the opposite.  They had consistently shown that they were not aware of the larger aspects of what Jesus was doing, of what Jesus was fulfilling.  So, I have my doubts in regards to them knowing in this instance.

And yet…

They went and got the donkey.

They went and got the donkey!  

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

~ Matthew 21:6-7

They went and got the donkey, and the most important Sunday-to-Sunday stretch of the history of the world began.

Holy Week was kicked off, and life would never be the same because of who Jesus is and because of what Jesus accomplished.

The request was relatively small.  The donkey and her colt played a relatively minor role in the story (at least in comparison to the cross and the empty tomb and those things that Jesus did and went through).  Regardless, this was an important part of the plan, and it was an important part of the plan that was dependent upon two disciples, who had very little clue at this point, following through on a request of Jesus that had couldn’t have made much sense to them at that time.

“Go and get the donkey.”

The disciples went, and we continue to have it be a part of the most important story that we will ever embrace.

I don’t know how this affects you, but for me, I am filled with hope, with awe, with gratitude, with inspiration, with love.

Why?

I know that Jesus has, can, and will continue to do the same thing in my life, and that I have the opportunity to be a part of a broader story, even if I don’t know all of the details, even if I have failed, even if I don’t always get everything right.

The disciples didn’t know it all.  They weren’t perfect.  They didn’t always understand.  They often fell short even after walking with Jesus for some time.  And yet, Jesus still loved them, still called them, and still used them.  

The same is true for me.  The same is true for us. 

We don’t know it all.  We’re not perfect.  We don’t always understand.  Sometimes, we fall short…even after walking with Jesus for a while.  And yet…Jesus still loves us, still calls us, still uses us, still asks us to “go and get the donkey”, to take steps of faith, of obedience, to follow after him.

So, I ask you this day, as we prepare for a celebration of Holy Week, will you go?  Will you go and get the donkey when Jesus asks?  Will you respond in faith?  Will you be a part of his story?  Will you act, even if you don’t completely understand or even know what you are doing?  Will you trust Jesus, even if His direction seems a bit absurd?

Friend, I hope that when Jesus asks me that I will respond in faith, in obedience, in love.  I pray that when the Lord asks me, “Chris, go and get the donkey,” that I will hop up and go, regardless of my past mistakes, my misunderstandings, or whether I know the full picture of what is happening.  I pray that I will hear the voice of Jesus and go.  I pray that you will as well.  After all, who knows?  In that faith, in that obedience, in getting the donkey we just might find ourselves as part of a much larger story of God’s plan.

  ~ Pastor Chris

St. Paddy's Day (March 21, 2022)

(St. Paddy's Day...apparently “Paddy” is the appropriate abbreviation for Patrick…who knew?)

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  

Alright.  So I’ll be clear right from the start.  I’m not Irish.  I’ve not been to Ireland.  I didn’t even wear green on St. Patrick’s day (I know…in elementary school I would have been pinched for that offense…don’t get any ideas!).  Honestly, if I hadn’t read a devotional on the morning of the 17th that mentioned the holiday, I probably would have forgotten all about it (except for the reminders on FaceBook).  In my typical life, Saint Patrick’s Day is not a huge deal.  Though I appreciate celebrating people of a different cultural background than myself, I don’t change my behaviors for the holiday.  I don’t turn anything green that isn’t usually green.  I don’t hang up shamrocks.  I barely even recognize when the holiday is about to occur or when it has passed.  It’s just not a hugely significant day for me, personally.  Instead, I tend to look past it to Good Friday and Easter.  

That said, there are some things that I do appreciate about Saint Patrick’s Day.  No, it’s not the wearing green.  No, it’s not the leprechauns.  No, it’s not the conversations about the pots of gold at the ends of rainbows.  It’s not getting to eat cookies shaped like shamrocks with green icing, or seeing the Chicago River dyed green.  It’s also not watching people use the holiday as an excuse to over-indulge in green-tinted alcohol.  Nope.  None of those things really get me excited.  Instead, the thing that I like best about the holiday is the opportunity to reflect for a moment on the life of Saint Patrick.

Saint Patrick.  Though there is a lot that is unknown about his life and there are a number of things that are likely more the result of folklore and tall tales, there are still a number of facts about Patrick that are inspirational.

Let’s look at a brief overview of what is known about him.  Born in Britain, Patrick was kidnapped at 16 and taken from his family to Ireland.  While there, he was forced to serve as a shepherd for many years, spending the majority of his time alone and outside.  During this time, Patrick began to get serious about his faith.  He would pray.  He would seek God.  He looked to God to provide, to sustain, to lead, to guide.  Eventually, Patrick escaped.  He fled from his slavery in Ireland, returning to England, the place of his birth.  As we likely know, he didn’t stay in England for the rest of his life.  Instead, he felt a call to the ministry.  Specifically, he felt a call to return to Ireland where he would minister to the small group of Christians already present there and work towards sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the Irish.  Patrick returned to Ireland, returned to the very people who had held him captive, returned to the land from which he had escaped and shared the message and love of the Gospel.

Can you imagine?  

Can you imagine escaping from slavery, from hard labor, from your captors and having the heart to return?  I mean, maybe returning isn’t the hard part.  After all, I imagine many would want to return to inflict some type of retribution, some type of payback, but can you imagine returning in love?  With the goal of sharing the love of Jesus Christ in a meaningful way?  With your heart bent on converting the very people who had kidnapped you and taken you away from your home?

That, right there, is something.  Patrick’s heart was so transformed by the love of Jesus that he was willing to risk his life to share that love with the very people who had held him captive.  

Of course, now we know that he was successful.  Now we have the benefit of history and know the impact that he made on that island, on those people.  But for Patrick?  He had no such guarantee.  He had no guarantee of success, no certainty that the people would receive him.  For Patrick, a return to Ireland was likely a very real risk.  Patrick was risking everything he had, his very life by returning.  This was a risk that he was willing to take so that he might share the love of Christ with a people who desperately needed to know Jesus.

It truly is a remarkable life, a remarkable step of faith, and it makes me question:  Would I do the same?  Would I respond the same way?  If God put it within my heart to return to a land in which I had been captured and mistreated, would I be willing to go?  Would I be willing to share the love of Christ as Patrick did?

Honestly, I don’t know.  I hope that I would.  I want to say that I would.  But, in the circumstance, at the moment, when the rubber hits the road, I’m not so certain.  It would only be by the grace of God working through me that I would be able to take that journey.  It would only be by the love of Christ working within me that I would be able to love those people.  It would only be by the power of the Holy Spirit that I would have the energy to take that step of faith towards Ireland instead of retreating as far as I could away from that land.

Maybe, just maybe, that was how it was for Patrick as well.  I imagine that it was the work of God in Patrick (more than the characteristics within Patrick himself) that enabled him to serve in this way.

There’s a prayer of Saint Patrick that I want to share.  In all honesty, it’s long, and I hadn’t read the full prayer prior to this Saint Patrick’s Day.  There are also a few lines that fall outside of my Protestant comfort zone.  Still, I feel like it is worthwhile and one that is meaningful for us to read and to pray.

“Saint Patrick’s Breastplate”

I arise today 
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

Friend, how about it?  Could you adopt the bulk of this as your prayer?  Could this be your attitude?  Could you ask the Lord to so fill your life that you would go, like Patrick, wherever God might call?  Wherever God might lead?  To share the love of Christ with whatever people or person might need to hear?  Could you arise each day (or “bind to yourself” each day as other translations word the phrase) in the strength of the Trinity, the mystery of the faith, in service to Christ no matter what might come against you?

I don’t know about you, but for me, this would be a St. Patrick’s Day tradition that I could get behind.  Dedication to Christ.  Reliance on Jesus.  Complete surrender and trust in God and God alone.

  ~ Pastor Chris

Moving In (March 14, 2021)

Imagine with me, just for a moment.  Pause your daily routine.  I want for you to take just a minute and picture your dream house.  Do you have an image in your head?  An idea of what your ideal house would look like?  Picture, for a moment, your DREAM house.  No limitations.  No restrictions.  Just dreaming.  What do you picture?  (Close your eyes if it helps…just open them back up to continue to read the devotional!)  

Do you have the picture in your mind?  Great!  Now, let’s get to some of the particulars.

Location.  You know what they say, “Location is key!”  “Location, location, location!”  So, where would your dream house be located?  In the country?  Next to the beach?  On the top of a mountain?  In the suburbs?  City?  Close to family?  

Now that we have the location settled, let’s move onto the type of house you would like.  What style of house would you choose?  Are you a log cabin sort?  Cutting edge?  Modern?  Traditional?  Cape Cod?  Split level?  Single story?  Apartment?  Condo?  Mansion?

Let’s go further.  How would the outside appear?  Landscaping?  Paint color?  Shutters?  Metal roof?  Shingles?  Swimming pool out back?  Garage?  Garden?  Lawn?  No lawn? 

Do you have it in your mind?  Can you picture your dream house? 

(Sometimes, it can be kind of fun to imagine things, to dream, to picture, to have fantasies.  However, before we travel too far down this road, I need to be clear.  This is no HGTV, “your dream home will make you happy” kind of devotional.  Ultimately, houses will not make you happy.  You could have the house of your dreams, right down to the last finishing nail and still be discontent.  True peace, joy, happiness comes in Jesus.  It would be better to be in a run-down shack or on the street with Jesus than in a mansion without him.  Got it?  Good.  Let’s continue.)

Now, as you picture your dream house, as you imagine your ideal abode, I want you to imagine that it is yours.  Let’s put aside reality for just a second.  Let’s pretend that money wasn’t an object.  In fact, let’s say that this was gift, an inheritance, something given to you without cost.  Even the taxes would be handled. You have the keys in your hand.  You’ve signed the deed.  No mortgage.  Nothing owed.  No payments due.  In fact, it’s been arranged that you don’t even need to cover property tax, water bills, garbage payments, electric.  Nothing.  Ever.  It is yours.  Completely, fully.  

Pretty exciting, right?  The house of your dreams, and the costs have been covered!  How would you respond?  What would you do?  Backflip?  Celebratory yell?  Fall over in disbelief?  Shouts of joy?  Perhaps just a shrug of the shoulders, no big deal kind of a response?  What would you do?

As the home owner, you are free to enter, free to explore, free to move into your new home.  Put your clothes in the closet.  Fill the shelves with your favorite books.  Find the comfiest seat, pop your feet up, relax.  Granted, there will be times when the dishes will need done, when the laundry will need folded, when you might have to dust.  Still, the house is yours!

Sounds nice!  Doesn’t it?  Sounds like a good deal.  A house that we’ve imagined, a house of our dreams.  Given to us without cost.  Everything is covered.  Yes, there are a few chores that would need handled, but isn’t that true of everything?  Wouldn’t you be excited, and wouldn’t you want to see everything that this house has to offer?

Maybe you wouldn’t, but I know I would.  I’d want to know every nook, every cranny.  I’d open up the drawers, look into all of the closets, check out the basement, crawl up into the attic.  Everything.  I’d want to see it all, to know it all, to experience it all.  

It makes sense to explore the new home, to learn about it, to move in.  Doesn’t it?  After all, who would want to be given a dream house and never even go to see it?  Who would answer, “Yeah, that’s great” and never even bother to go and check it out?  Or, who would be given this home without cost and stay standing in the doorway without going inside?  Who would want to be handed the keys to the house of their dreams and never pass further than the threshold to see if there are four bedrooms or five?  Who would do such a thing?

Too often, many would.

I’m serious.  

There are many who do this very thing.

They are offered a new house, new life, without cost, without having to pay anything themselves, and some choose to never even accept the gift.  Some have heard the offer, heard the promise, received the invitation, have been given the inheritance, and yet, they never accept the gift.  “Too good to be true.”  “I don’t believe in such things.”  “That’s just a fairy tale.  Who needs it?”  “I am content where I am!”

Obviously, I’ve shifted, and I am no longer talking about some materialistic dream for an ideal abode.  Instead, I’m talking about life in Jesus.  Unfortunately, we can all agree that there are many who are offered life in Christ who do not accept the gift of Jesus.  Jesus offers new life for all, and yet some refuse to accept, even after they have been presented with the truth time and time again.  (This isn’t to say that they won’t ever accept Christ.  It just means that they haven’t yet.  We need to do our part in ministering and in praying that they would be receptive to what God has given them in Jesus.)  There are those who are content in their way of life, content in their shack, content in their homelessness and have not received the house that they have been promised.  It is sad, but it is true.

Unfortunately, there are also many who do receive Christ, who do accept the gift of Jesus, who have put their faith in the Lord for the forgiveness of their sins and acceptance into relationship with the Father, and they never leave the doorway.  Or, if they do, they might take a couple of steps into the entryway, but never move into the house completely.  They leave their jackets on.  They never bend down to untie their shoes.  They don’t go to the refrigerator for a glass of lemonade.  They don’t try out the bed or pause for a moment in the recliner.  Unfortunately, there are many who are given a mansion and never see past the coat closet.

You see, friend, we are offered a new house, a dream house, a new place to reside in God.  This house isn’t one that we conjure up in our minds, selfishly deciding the best location, the best finish choices, the ideal model and all of the other physical attributes that we might desire.  Instead, it is a house designed by God, one in which we will learn to grow to be more like Jesus.  God not only offers us to enter the house through faith in Christ, but he also offers for us to move in, to explore, to set up our home in Him.  Yes, initial faith in Christ is awesome, is tremendous, is a thing to be celebrated, but that is not all there is to the Christian life!  Stopping there is like stepping a couple of inches in through the doorway but never venturing further, like being given a dream home and staying right at the threshold.  It sounds ridiculous, and yet it is the very thing that many of us do in our relationship with God.  “I’ve been forgiven.  What else do I need?”  “I prayed the ‘sinner’s prayer’.  What more is there?”  On the one hand, yes, faith in Christ is all that is needed for eternal life, but is that really all that we want here on this earth?  Do we really just want to enter the house and never know the fullness of what has been given to us?

Look at what Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians:

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,  their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.  If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.  If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

~ 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

The analogy is slightly different, but the idea is the same.  Paul says that Jesus is the foundation.  Then, he encourages us to build upon that foundation with things that will last.  To follow our analogy, the doorway into our house is Jesus.  The rest of the house is life in Christ.  Living a life just inside the doorway is similar to building upon the foundation with hay and straw…it just doesn’t last, it doesn’t work, it doesn’t make sense whatsoever.

Friend, in my life, I want to know Jesus.  Fully, completely.  I want to experience the things of God.  I want for Christ to use me, to shape me, to mold me, to work within my heart to make me more like Jesus.  I want to explore every nook and cranny of the life that I have been given in him.  Just like a physical house, this might at times require some effort.  There might be laundry that needs done.  Dinners that need prepared.  Dishes to put away, etc., etc.  I might need to crack open my Bible.  Develop a habit of prayer.  Seek to be more forgiving, etc., etc.  These things aren’t done so that I can earn the house.  It has already been given to me.  Instead, they are done so that I might know the fullness of the house.  That I might continue to grow into all that I have been given.  I am willing to cooperate with God, to participate in the housework, so that I might continually grow into this fullness, that I might continue to know that which I have been given.  To use Paul’s analogy, I want to build lasting things with my life, not just barely squeak through the flames.

What about you?

No matter where you are in your journey with God, there is always more.  There is always more.  That’s part of the fun, part of the excitement, part of living in Christ.  There are always more ways that we might know Jesus, more ways that we might serve Jesus, more ways that we might share Jesus with others.  

There is always more, but I ask, are you seeking it?

Are you desiring with your whole heart to know all that there is to know of God?  To be filled with the Holy Spirit?  To allow God to continue to do work within you?  Are you seeking God’s kingdom, exploring the house?  Discovering new life in Jesus?  Or, to ask in Paul’s terms, are you building things that will last?

Or, are you stuck in the doorway…refusing to go in and to explore?  

  ~ Pastor Chris

A Fresh Start (March 7, 2021)

Have you ever started something only to wind up failing?  Have you ever began something, with all of the best intentions in the world, and then you quit?  Maybe it wasn’t a conscious decision.  Maybe it wasn’t intentional.  But, it happened.  What looked promising, what looked hopeful, what began as something good, ended.  Over before you knew it.  Gone before it really got going.  Stopped before you ever really got started.

I don’t know about you, but I have had this happen plenty of times in my life.  I start off with something good.  I start off with all of the best intentions in the world.  I start off seeking a change, seeking something better, and before you know it, I stop.  The change doesn’t last.  The desire doesn’t persist.  The thing that I was seeking doesn’t become a habit.  Instead it quickly fades.

Sometimes this occurs with exercising.  For the bulk of my life, I have had an on-again off-again relationship with exercise, with being somewhat physically fit.  There are periods where I run…but then I stop running.  There was a brief period where I was swimming for exercise…that lasted a couple of weeks.  Push ups daily?  Happened on and off in spurts, but it didn’t really take.  It never really became a habit.  On and on it goes.  Start something.  Stop.  Start something.  Stop.  Start something.  Stop.

I’m not sure why this is the case.  Perhaps I was chasing after things that ultimately weren’t all that important to me so that when times got harder or when completing those things became more difficult, they just dropped off.  They just weren’t that important.  Or, maybe I have been seeking these changes using my own strength, my own abilities, my own determination, and I’m just not strong enough, just not able enough, just not determined enough.  Perhaps I needed a partner, or accountability, or more of a reliance on God in these areas.  Maybe there is another reason.  I don’t know that there is a blanket answer that covers all of the different things that have ended.  The fact remains that there are plenty of examples within my life in which I started something that I felt would be beneficial to me…only to stop.

It even happens in terms of my spiritual well being.

Take, for instance, Lent.

There are times when I have seen a Lenten commitment, a Lenten fast, all the way through until the end.  Given up the chocolate and never eaten a morsel.  Decided to do more Bible reading and honored that commitment the whole way through.  Unfortunately, there are also times whenever I have not done as well, where I’ve bailed out prematurely (or never even started).  I’ve had the best intentions to institute a change, and it never happened.  I never saw it through, not even for a brief period like Lent.  

So, how am I doing this year?  After two weeks?  Well…it’s a little bit of both. 

This year for Lent, I wanted to do two things, and both things involved prayer.  

One, I wanted to be more intentional about praying with people.  I wanted to use Lent as an excuse to make sure that I wasn’t just spending all of my prayer time alone, but that I was also praying with other people, locking arms with other believers, joining in prayer together.  You see, too often I can go at things alone.  I can tackle problems by myself, seek solutions by myself, want to fix things by myself, want to change things by myself.  I often pray by myself.  None of this is necessarily bad, but it can be.  Prayer time by myself is good, is right, is necessary, but we aren’t called to be the Lone Ranger.  We need others, especially in our walk with Jesus.  (Besides, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto and Silver.)  So, with Lent happening, I prayerfully figured that this was a good time to see a change in that aspect of my life, to be intentional about praying with other people.  Fortunately, to this point, there has been some success.  Compared to the season before Lent, I am now praying with others more.  There has been an increase in this area.  For that, I am grateful (and hopeful that it will continue).

Two, I wanted to be more intentional about praying for people.  In all honesty, I get too focused on me.  What do I need, what do I want, where does God want to send me, etc., etc.  If I’m not careful, prayer time can turn into the “Me Show”.  “Me, me, me, me, me.”  “God bless me.  God show me.  God do this for me.”  That’s not the complete picture, I do spend time praying for others, but there is a tendency in my life for me to be self-focused, and this can happen in my prayer life as well.  So, I thought that Lent would be a good opportunity to make sure that I was spending some time praying for others, seeking God about others, being intentional about praying for people other than myself.  Specifically, I intended to do this along with journaling, writing down the names of other people and praying for them.  Sounds like a good idea, right?  Seems like a worthy Lenten pursuit.  The problem?  I haven’t done it.

Yes, I’ve spend a little more time in prayer for others, but I have not done what I set out to do.  No journal.  No names written down.  No prayers as I journal.  It hasn’t been done.  I’ve stopped before I ever really started, and we’re only two weeks into Lent!  At this point, if you were to objectively measure my success versus my goal, the only answer that you could come up with is that I have failed.  There is no journal, no list.  In this area, measured against that aspect of my Lenten goals, I would receive a big fat F.  (I know.  Teachers aren’t supposed to give F’s any more.  Still, that would be the grade that I would have earned at this point.)  F.  No bueno.  I’ve not journaled in that way even once.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  Goose Egg.  I’ve stopped before I ever even started.

So, now what?  Am I just destined to be a failure?  Should I just give it all up and not ever try that journaling idea?

Well, let’s tackle those things in parts.  First, let’s deal with the “Am I just destined to be a failure” question.  The answer to those who ask that question, myself included, is “No”.  No, we are not destined to be failures for our entire life, nor should we be defined by our previous instances of failing.  After all, Paul teaches us that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)  Remember, in the context of the verse, Paul has been talking about facing death, and being sent to prison, and being like sheep sent to be slaughtered, and being persecuted.  Paul is talking about many things that are difficult and harsh and would seem to be an indication of failing, of being a failure.  After all, shouldn’t people who are identified as victors be free from all of this type of suffering?  (This is often the way we view suffering…if I am suffering, then I must be a failure, but this is not an accurate, Biblical view of suffering or persecution.)  Instead, even in the midst of hardship, Paul reminds us that we are more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us.  Even when we have failed (or when others have failed us) we are not destined to be failures.  We cannot let our failings define us.  Rather, we need to be defined by who we are in Christ and press forward.  As Philippians 4:13 reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Yes, I have failed.  Yes, I have quit.  Yes, I have fallen.  No, I am not just a failure, destined to fail at every turn.  Instead, I can do all things that Christ has called for me to do through his love, through his strength, through his power, through his spirit, and I can trust that I will be defined as being more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves me.  The same is true of you.  I have failed, but I am not defined as an eternal failure.  Neither are you.

Now, let’s look at the other question that was raised.  Should I give it all up, or should I try again?

Honestly, it depends.

Sometimes, we bite off more than we can chew or more than we are asked to do at any one time.  In those cases, it might be time to recognize this and give up on a goal.

For instance, with exercising and being physically fit I have occasionally set unrealistic goals, too much for me to accomplish.  I’ll start off and my goals will look something like this:  Run ~ 20 miles a week.  Push Ups ~ 100 per day.  Pull Ups ~ 20 per day.  Crunches ~ 200 per day.  Drinking ~ Only water, minimum of 115oz. per day.  Eating ~ No sugar, no carbs, only things that taste like grass.  That might be possible for some folks.  Not for me.  It’s too much.  I can’t go from doing 0 pull ups in a day to expecting to do 20.  I can’t go from 0 push ups in a day to expecting to knock out 100 of them.  It’s too much.  When there is something that I have quit, a goal that I have not met, one question that needs to be asked is “Is this too much?”  Was this a realistic goal, or was I reaching for something that is unfeasible?  If it is unrealistic, perhaps it is time to set a goal that is more obtainable.

Another, more important question we need to ask is this:  “Is this something that God wants me to do?”  Even if we have set a goal that seems unrealistic, that seems to be too much, God is able to help us to complete it.  God is able to stretch us.  God is able to work within us to help us meet that goal.  If the goal is something that we have failed, we can ask, “God do you want me to do this thing?”  “God is this a plan that you have for me?”  “God will this help me grow closer to you?”  If the answer is “no”, then it’s time to be done with the goal, to put it aside, to recognize that we were trying to do something that we thought would be good, but it wasn’t exactly God’s plan for us.  That’s OK.  We don’t have to finish every thing we start.  Sometimes, we try something, we fail, and we hear from God that we don’t need to try again, that God has something different for us to do.  If the answer is “yes”, then it’s time to start again…even if the goal seems beyond our ability to complete.

With our walk with Jesus and the goals we hope to accomplish in him, it is important to be willing to start again, to be willing to try again, to be willing to get up after failing and start another time, and another time, and another time, and another time…even if the goal seems beyond our reach.  

For me, journalling through Lent in the way that I hoped may not be the most important thing that I do through this season.  It might be something that I wanted to add because I thought that it was a good idea, but it is really too much.  Too much to add to my schedule, too much to change.  Perhaps this goal (along with the other things that I typically try to keep up with in my spiritual disciplines) is just not the right thing for me right now.  Perhaps I should set it aside as an idea to be tackled on another occasion.  On the flip side, perhaps it is just what I need.  Maybe it will draw me closer to the feet of Jesus.  Maybe it will help me to be focused on others more than myself.  Maybe there is a spiritual battle taking place over whether or not I will journal in this way.  Maybe I need to start again and trust that God will enable me to do this discipline, even if I have failed to this point.  Ultimately, that is a question that I need to ask of God, and proceed according to my understanding of God’s answer, trusting that God will lead and increase my prayer life for others, whether I journal or not.

Friend, I don’t know what things you have started and stopped.  I don’t know what goals you have set (or if you even have a goal in the first place).  What I do know?  God loves you deeply.  God cares for you passionately.  God has more in store for your life.  God wants for you to grow in your relationship with Christ, in your love for God, in your reliance upon the Holy Spirit.  For your whole life, there is always more that you can receive in your walk with Jesus.  No matter where you have slipped, where you have stumbled, where you have quit, trust that God can take you, even from that place of failure, and make you to be more than a conqueror through the love of his son, Jesus.  Seek after God.  Now more than ever.  Even if it’s two weeks into Lent and you haven’t done a thing.

  ~ Pastor Chris