Come and See!

What’s the first big thing in your life you felt compelled to shout about? Maybe that first career job or graduating from college. It could have been standing at the altar with the one you would spend the rest of your life with or when you first held your new born in your hands. We’ve all had moments that we could shout and be as excited as we’ve ever been.

For those of us who believe Jesus is exactly who he said he was, the story in Matthew 28:1-8 gives us reason to shout. See, two women are going to Jesus’ tomb on the Sunday morning after he dies to prepare his body but upon arrival, an angel is there and has rolled away the stone covering the tomb. He invites them to do several things that are so applicable in our discipled life.

The angel says, “come to the empty tomb”. It’s an invitation to see that Jesus has risen from the grave, conquering death. Have you every noticed in Jesus’ ministry, he’s always inviting people close to him? He never says, “Stay away…I don’t have time…I’m too busy.” Jesus is wanting you and me to come to him. His invitation is real and authentic. Nothing you have done will undermine your ability to draw close to him.

And the angel also says “See.” That word is one of encounter and experience. He says to us, “Check it out and see if Jesus is really who he says he is. There’s nothing to hide here.” Come and see. The women at the tomb that morning would have noticed several things. They would have seen the humility of God. How far would God go to have a relationship with each of us? All the way to the cross. They would have seen the reality of sin. Sin killed Jesus and sin kills me and you everyday. We need Jesus for life.

The women would have seen the mortality of human beings. The future for all of us is death unless the Lord returns first. All of us are going to die. But the beauty of being in Christ is that death is a stepping stone to eternal life with Jesus. Finally, they would have seen the victory of Christ over death. Jesus was not in the tomb. He is risen!

Once the angel reveals Jesus is risen, he tells the women to “go and tell” the world the story. And that’s our invitation as well. It’s such a relief to see the tomb is empty but we can’t stay there. It’s more than good news…it’s great news! and you can tell that story of life with your family and friends, in your workplace and in your neighborhood. If necessary, use words but your life will reflect the risen Savior best. Now, go and tell how Jesus has changed your life. Blessings on the journey.

Worship Joyfully.

If you had your life to do over, what would you do differently? Maybe you’d climb Mt. Kilimanjaro; or you’d hike the Appalachian Trail; or maybe you’d save more money. I don’t know what your item would be but most of us would do something different with at least one thing.

A survey was taken of folks across America who were in their 90s and asked the same question. Far and away, the top three answers were reflect more, risk more, and do things that outlive me more.

For those of us that love God and his son Jesus, most of us would respond to God more appropriately with our life. The writer of Psalms 100 gives us four ways we could be different in how we respond to God.

Verses 1-2 remind us to make a joyful noise and come before him with singing. With singing…but so many of us have excuses of why we can’t sing. I’ve heard some say, “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” But respectfully, I’d say, “Get over it.” Jesus calls us in Mark 12:30-31 to worship God with everything we have, bad vocals and all. I’m always amazed that some believe enthusiasm for the most worthy thing in the universe must be carefully contained. We are called to sing for all that God has done for us…give him praise and adoration for his mercy and grace.

Verse 2 reminds me to serve God gladly. We should respond to God with emotion but also with motion. Our very lives should reflect a servant heart for God and others as we strive to imitate Jesus in our life. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9 that God loves a cheerful giver. That word “cheerful” can be translated “hilarious”! That is how I want the world to think of me. I serve in ways that the world thinks is crazy…hilarious by their standards. I should serve God because of the life he’s given me.

Verse 3 reminds me to love God intelligently. The first word of the verse is “know” or “acknowledge”. Paul tells us in Romans 12 to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And we are to know a couple of things about God. First, we should know his Lordship. Basically, He is God and you are not. You are his craftsmanship. You are a divine incident. Secondly, we should know his ownership. We are his people. And if you are a baptized believer, He paid for you with Jesus’ blood. Know who God is in your life.

Verses 4-5 tell me to thank God consistently. We come together on Sundays to worship, love, serve, and thank a wonderful Heavenly Father. But it doesn’t end on Sunday…it’s an every day affair. The Psalmist gives us three reasons why we should thank him: He’s a good, good Father, He’s merciful and He’s faithful to all his promises.

What if we decided to live every day in a worshipful posture to an almighty God? What if every day we worked at our job, loved on our spouse and kids, were good neighbors all as ways we worshiped our Heavenly Father? We are called as believers to worship him daily, serve him faithfully, love him completely, and thank him for everything He’s done for us. Blessings on the journey.

What is Worship?

Most people believe worship is that special hour on a Sunday morning when Christians gather to sing, pray and dig into the Word of God. While that is so very true, that hour is only 1/24 of 1/7 of our worship. Some of us believe we have this metaphorical click board and in order to worship, we are checking things off as “done”. I showed up on Sunday morning: check. I sang some songs: check. I put money in the plate: check. I’ve “worshipped” today.

But Jesus says if you are just checking boxes and your heart is not in the right place, your worship doesn’t even get to God (Matthew 15:1-9). See, true worship is a beautiful reflection of your heart toward God. So, with my heart in the right place, how do we express our worship to an incredible, amazing, awesome God?

Sometimes, we bow in reverence. There are times when I’m overwhelmed with what God has done for me and it puts me on my knees. Psalms 95:6, “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”

Sometimes we life our hands in adoration. In our culture, lifted hands can mean surrender or victory. When we say “yes” to Jesus, our surrender to him means we have the victory. See Psalms 63:4

Sometimes we offer a sacrifice of praise. “Let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name” Hebrews 13:15. Even when I don’t see him or feel him, I worship him because my worship is based on my circumstances. It’s based on his character.

My favorite reminder of what worship is and when I should worship is found in Romans 12:1 where Paul says, “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Worship is an every day event, not just on Sunday mornings.

When I am doing my chores, I am worshipping. When I’m loving my spouse or raising my kids, I’m worshipping. When I’m helping my neighbor, I am worshiping. Worship is not confined to Sunday AM service but it’s every single day of my life.

We live a worshipful life every day of the week because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. We serve an awesome God. He deserves our very lives on Sunday, on Tuesday night, on Saturday morning. So, live each day in a worshipful posture to an almighty God. Blessings on the journey.

Well, That's Garbage!

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil.  Go ahead, get something to write on and with.  Now, make a list of all the things you consider of value to you or that you are proud of.  Include in that list material possessions, personal accomplishments, honors and awards, and other things you value deeply.  How do these make you feel?  How much are they worth to you?

Paul had accomplished quite a bit in his life.  He was a man of high esteem, incredible education, significant social clout, and he was probably fairly wealthy.  His greatest value was the religious accomplishments he had obtained, being a Pharisee taught by one of the most important Jewish teachers of his day.  Paul tells us that if anyone had the ability to be proud, he was it.  He had power, prestige, social status, kept God’s law as a Pharisee, and was super committed to his church.  But compared to knowing Jesus Christ, all this is just a pile of dung.  Oops, I shouldn’t write that, but that is exactly what he said.  Read Philippians 3:8 again.  He says that he considers all his accomplishments and possessions “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.  The word rubbish is the Greek word for dung or excrement.  Yep, it’s in the Bible.  Paul is saying that all the stuff the world has, and all the awards, trophies, possessions, money, power, prestige, social standing… are dung compared to an awesome relationship with Christ.  Think about this for a moment.  What would have to happen in your life for you to get to the point where you consider the list you made as no more value than rubbish in comparison to knowing Jesus?

Furthermore, look at the path Paul says he will take to know Christ deeply in Philippians 3:7-11.  The path includes the power of the resurrection, that’s pretty good.  But what about the rest, “the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed to his death.”  That does not seem like an enjoyable journey, but this is what Paul is getting at.  The path to true joy and great purpose is the path of the cross-centered life.  From the outside, that path looks ridiculous.  No way experiencing the suffering of Jesus is better than my car, my house, my trophies, my accomplishments.  But a person on that path discovers something, or someone that is vastly better than my stuff, they find Jesus.  He is the greatest prize, he is the most wonderful experience, he is the source of joy.  Paul is expressing what many have found, compared to knowing Jesus, the list is poop.

Ask yourself an honest question, if it came between the things listed on this page and your relationship with Jesus, which would you choose?  Remember, in reality the stuff you wrote on your list is really just dung! Blessings on your journey.

God is Here and is Personal.

I loved playing football in junior high and high school. As a running back, it was nice to have the fullback or a tight end leading the way around on the sweep to clear defenders out of the way. I love what God says to his people in Deuteronomy 31. He says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Did you hear that? He will personally go before us. That’s comforting in a world that is full of chaos and misdirection. God KNOWS you and is for you.

The first time the word, “know”, is used in Scripture is Genesis 4:1. It’s the spot where Adam knows Eve. In other words, they are intimate and sleep together. There was nothing in the way. Nothing was covered. Everything was exposed.

The word of “know” in the original Hebrew language is “yada”. It means to know intimately. As you read through the Old Testament, it describes the relationship God wants to have with us. The word tells us that God knows you completely. That can be so very comforting or absolutely terrifying depending on your relationship with God.

King David knew how deeply God cared for us and knew us when he wrote Psalms 139. Reading the first four verses, you see how deeply God knows us. We are beautifully made. Did you know God knew you even before you were born? Jesus says in Matthew 10 that God knows how many hairs are on your head. That’s how intimately God is close to you.

In the Old Testament, Job is the story of a man who is asking if God knows him and what he’s going through. We each may be asking that same question right now. But at the end of Job’s story, he seems to land on the idea that God does know him and that thought does two things for Job. Job is comforted that God knows and Job is confident that God will redeem him.

Right in the middle of Job’s story in Job 19:25, he exclaims I know that my Redeemer lives and one day will make all things right. He’s proclaiming that everything going on in his life is temporary but God is eternal.

Because God is powerful and tender and personal, we too can proclaim that our Redeemer lives. So the challenge is to live like it. Let the world know by your words, your actions, your life you believe God knows you and is for you. He sees you and you are his. Blessings on your journey.

Supernatural Person.

Recently, we had the rolling blackouts with the winter storm that hit north Texas mid-February. Each of us were reminded how much we use electrical power in our lives. There was no power for lights, cooking, heat…we were not comfortable without power.

Spiritually speaking, I wonder how many of us would be alright without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? A.W. Tozer said, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would notice. If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95% of what they did would stop and everyone would notice.” That early church knew if there was no power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives, there was no church.

The Hebrew word and the Greek word for “Spirit” can be translated as “wind” or “breath”. In Acts 2, a mighty wind came on the disciples and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. So much so, they could do many miracles and the church launched in grand fashion on the day of Pentecost.

Jesus told his disciples in John 14 that when he left earth, God the Father would send another one just like him. Jesus was promising the Holy Spirit to be more than God with us but God in us! And we understand through scripture the Holy Spirit is a person. He has feelings and emotions; he has a will and desire; He has intellect and thoughts.

For many of us, we grew up not hearing much discussion about the Holy Spirit. He was part of the God-head but very distant and obscure. But the Bible is clear that he is a person and we can have a deep relationship with him. It’s because of the Holy Spirit that any of us even came to know Jesus and follow him.

So I want to remind us why we know the Holy Spirit is a person that we can interact with and have a deep relationship with. Acts 5 reminds us that the Holy Spirit can be lied to. Ananias and Sapphire sold land and lied about how much of the proceeds they were giving the church. The Apostle Peter knew that and called them on it. Why would they lie? It’s seems to impress the disciples and the church.

So maybe a way to lie the Holy Spirit is to pretend to be more spiritual than we are. Me pretending to impress you seems to be offensive the the Spirit. So praising on Sunday morning but yelling at my family at home seems to be hypocritical. Celebrating communion but holding a grudge in my heart seems to be hypocritical. Saying we’ll pray for someone with no intention to do so seems to be pretending. Looking like you are a great spouse in public but then demeaning your spouse at home seems to offend the Holy Spirit.

And when we live this kind of life, it seems to grieve the Holy Spirit. Paul the Apostle tells us in Ephesians 4:30 that we should not grieve the Holy Spirit. Don’t bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way we live. I mean, you can’t bring sorrow to something that isn’t real. So clearly, the Spirit is a person and our actions can hurt him. Why? Because He deeply loves us and knows us!

Ultimately, the Holy Spirit can be your friend. In John 14:16, Jesus says the Father will send an Advocate. That Greek word can also be translated as “friend”. So, God will send a friend who will always be with you. And more than with you, He’ll live in you.

Real friends lift us up, guide us in decision making, prompt us when something isn’t right, give great advice for living, kick us in the pants when we make poor decisions, and love us unconditionally. That’s what the Holy Spirit does for us. He’s our comforter, counselor, helper, guide and friend.

May you be open to discovering the Spirit in your life. May you embrace the friend you have who loves you beyond measure. May you accept the guidance the Spirit wants to give you in this life. Blessings on the journey.

Hope will not be Cancelled.

Have you ever had it rough? I mean, things at the end of the day were just not going your way. I was a small guy in junior high and high school so I got bullied a lot. More days than not it was a difficult day in school. Maybe you’ve had difficult days in your marriage, on your job or just physically worn out due to sickness.

The Apostle Peter knows about difficult days. His letter in the New Testament that we call 1 Peter is a reminder that as a Christian, you will have difficult days. But different than the tough days I already described, Peter reminds us that we’ll have tough days simply because we follow Jesus. Peter is writing followers of Jesus in modern day Northern Turkey. Rome is in power and those that follow Jesus are experiencing very difficult times because of that very thing. Peter’s letter is showing us how to live out our faith despite difficult days.

Peter reminds us that Jesus is the source of our hope. People will let us down. Careers have an ending point. Friends will betray us. But Jesus will walk with us no matter what is going on around us. We may place our hope in athletics, family, friends, the bank, retirement or our intellect but our living hope is found in Jesus Christ.

Peter also reminds us that we have true joy in Jesus Christ. It’s more than tolerating the temporary problems to get to the eternal life promised. It’s about how we live in the face of true adversity and chaos with a smile on our face. Hope isn’t just about the future. It’s about the present as well. As tough as our current culture is, this is a movement for faith to shine brightly and hope to float. Peter reminds us to keep our current situation in perspective against the backdrop of the glory of our risen Savior.

And Peter reminds us that our faith is actually strengthened through adversity and suffering. While we experience difficult moments in our life, remember that Peter is writing to Christians who could be arrested, unemployed, offered no housing or even killed because of their belief in Jesus Christ. While our difficulties exist every day, I doubt any of us are having to experience what those first century Christians experienced for their faith in Jesus.

Just remember, the tough days of this life will not even compare to the brilliant and wonderful years we’ll experience when Jesus comes back for us. When Satan turns up the heat on your life, know that it is building character and a refining faith in you. Smile with joy in knowing that nothing can ever remove you from the hand of God. We are only passing through this life. Our goal is to live eternally with the Living Hope whose name is Jesus. Blessings on your journey.

Have We Discovered a Remedy Yet?

If you’re like me, you’ve had your share of taking meds. Stomach issues, headaches, body aches…we’ve all had to find the remedy for what ails us. As we work through COVID, we know eventually our scientists and engineers will discover how to defeat this crazy virus. Until then, we have been task with social distancing, washing regularly, wearing face masks, taking appropriate meds, hydrating and getting rest. But we’ve also heard the statement, “Things will never be made right again.”

Even pre-COVID, you might have heard that about a spouse who stepped out on a marriage vow or a adult child who is talking about an absentee parent or a friend who needed someone to stand up for them but found they were alone. We’ve all been in difficult places and made some poor decisions where we realized after it all, things may not be the same.

When we talk about decisions we make that go against how God has called us to live, that’s called sin. And there are moments when we make poor choices we say “I’m not sure I can come back. Things are not going to be the same. I’m too far gone for God to love me.”

But God created a way for us to come back to him through his Son, Jesus Christ. And it’s not just a select few who need Jesus as the remedy for sin. We all need Jesus. Paul reminds us of that in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard.” The beauty is, God’s created a way for us to come home. Paul goes on to say in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death but life can be had through Jesus, God’s Son.”

The story of Lazarus in John 11 reveals some things for us who are following the risen Savior. The abridged version of the story is that Jesus had a friend named Lazarus who died after he became very ill. Lazarus’ sisters sent for Jesus but he waited to go. After Lazarus died, Jesus went to the town and stood at the tomb where Lazarus had been buried four days earlier. Jesus was angry and he cried. I suppose he was angry for what sin does to us and our world. I’m imagining he cried do to the lack of faith those with him had in him. It’s an intriguing story so go read it right now.

But we learn a few things about sin in our lives and how Jesus is the remedy for that sin. No question: sin steals your life. When we get the flu, we are fatigued, sore, have respiratory issues…we just want to sit on the couch and binge Netflix. Sin takes away our desire for life. When we don’t let Jesus rule our life, we buy into the lies of Satan. Lies like “I’m an angry person and that’s just who I am” or “My family is dysfunctional so that’s all I know” or “My dad was an alcoholic so I didn’t have a chance” or “Porn doesn’t hurt my marriage”. These are the kinds of lies that we buy into which absolutely decimate our lives.

The biggest lie we listen to is the one that states, “I’m too far gone.” I’m just a bad person. God doesn’t want anything to do with me. I am beyond help and not redeemable. We tend to think our mess is bigger than God’s miracle. But we must believe God in Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins are as scarlet, I will make them as white as snow…” Jesus is our remedy.

Ultimately, sin submits to Jesus. In John 11 after the stone at Lazarus’ tomb has been rolled away. Jesus looks intently into the darkness of the tomb and says, “Lazarus, come out”. The crowd that is holding their collective breath can suddenly hear feet shuffle in the darkness. Suddenly, emerging into the light of day is the once-dead Lazarus. Even death must obey the Son of God! He’s just that powerful!

Without Jesus, the remedy, in our lives, we don’t stand a chance against Satan and sin. With Jesus, we can conquer all things. Indeed, we can overcome anything. So say “yes” to Jesus and gain the ability to come out of the darkness, releasing the burden and weight of sin. Jesus has come to give you life and life to the full. Allow Jesus to give you that life by you saying “yes” to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Blessings on the journey.

Cannonball!

Summer is coming. And with that, swimming pool time. I know if you’re like me, you love to do a cannonball. That’s when you leave the edge of the pool running full sprint, leap in the air, tuck your legs under you and plunge into the water. You are going under and there is going to be a major splash.

That’s how God has called us to love people. You see, Jesus put no qualifiers on his statement in Mark 12. He simply said, “Love God. Love people.” He called us to love all people. Yes. those who have a different hair style or skin color or accent or worship style or have no eduction or more education…well you get the idea.

Jesus says that the love he offers is for everyone. Paul says in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.”

Think about what Peter said, the disciple handpicked by Jesus and who led the church in Jerusalem. In his great sermon on Pentecost, Peter told everyone that Jesus was for, well, everyone. Toward the end of the sermon, Peter reminded all those who were listening, “This promise [of salvation] is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called…”

As one reads through the letters of Paul, it is undeniable that Paul is hoping to get all his readers to see that God’s bubble is huge. God doesn’t want to lose anyone. God wants his entire creation in relationship with him. Paul wants all of us to see what it looks like when we choose to pop our bubbles and enter into the inclusive story God is creating in the world.

You can almost feel the emotional urgency Paul uses as he writes these words for us to live by in his letter to the Romans:

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:9-17).

So, today, live in such a way that those around you will say you follow Jesus. Love and be active in that love. Create a cannonball of love that will splash on everyone around you. Choose your words. Choose your actions. Choose a life that screams you’re in love with Jesus and with his creation. Blessings on the journey.

Beautiful Interference

What does loving God will all your heart, sou, mind, and strength look like? How would someone, looking at my life, agree that I have given my everything to love my Creator? How would I, at the ripe old age of ninety-four (I have years before I hit that magic number, by the way), look back at my life and feel the satisfaction that in every facet of my life, I gave it to God? What would the fruit of my desire to put God first in my life look like?

It doesn’t stop with just loving on God. It also means I must love other human beings—no matter their skin color, physical disability, nationality, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, number of tattoos, political party affiliation, preference of music style (although in my opinion, country music is the best), marital status—I love people exactly as much as I love myself, no exceptions.

Alright already, I get that; I understand what Jesus has said. But what does that look like, as it comes to realization in my own life? How could I feel confident that I am journeying in the direction that the Rabbi, Jesus, is walking? How could I know I’m following close behind him? When do I know that his dust has settled on me?

I believe too many times, as followers of Jesus, we get wrapped up in the “rule-following” of religion rather than the tidal wave of love that is Jesus. As followers, we believe that using the “spiritual clipboard” to check off the things we are doing or not doing is what God, through his Son, Jesus, wants us to do. However, based upon Jesus’ scathing rebuttal of the “clipboard checkers” (that is, the religious leaders of his time) in Matthew 23, I feel God has called us to live a life that many of us miss—a call to love God and love people with no strings attached…unconditionally. Jesus reminds us to love God with everything we have, and to love people with that same intensity in Mark 12:30-31.

Jesus calls us as his followers and says, “The most important commandment is this…you must love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these two.”

So, how have you loved today? What has your tone and body posture been like with others? Did you start the day in prayer and God’s Word? How have you positioned yourself to live this out in your family, in your work place, in your neighborhood? People know you claim to be a follower of Jesus. Live in such a way that there is never any doubt! Blessings on your journey.