June 7, 2011

That Impossible Thing

So if I’m reading this right, and I’d like to think that I am, there were two main points today…

First, we have to have faith – the kind that is all-consuming, all-convincing, that makes you willing to take that crazy risk – in order for That  Impossible Thing to get done.  Noah had an ark to build.  David had a giant to kill.  What’s That Impossible Thing for you?

Second, we need to know for sure what God wants.  Whatever God wants needs to be what we want, too.  Our crazy risk will end up as just that – a crazy risk – if we’re out of line with what God wants.  When we step out from under an umbrella, we can expect to get rained on.  Knowing what God wants by staying close to Him and listening will keep me in the center of what He wants.

Two questions I need to ask myself about That Impossible Thing:  is it what God wants?  Is it really impossible for God?  When I see my problem through His eyes, it doesn’t look so impossible.  Even though I can’t figure out how it will get done or what it will look like, I can have peace, knowing God has it all worked out.

June 6, 2011

Discernment

In the church where I grew up, although there was a big emphasis on the Holy Spirit, mainly people came for the teaching of the Bible.  It was in-depth, and, if you could listen and follow it long enough, grounding and life-changing. 

I don’t know if my pastor, a pretty intellectual guy, was responding in part to the trend of over-emotional Spirit-filled churches.  To be sure, though, we learned that God works through our knowledge of the Word. 

Neil’s closing hit home for me:  Have the courage to acknowledge that something is wrong when your spirit is troubled.  Share what you are sensing with others, and ask the Lord for wisdom.

Discernment doesn’t come from my head, but from my spirit.  I spend lots more time building up the muscles that come from reading God’s word than from listening to the Holy Spirit.  The more we listen, though, the more He speaks to us.  Now, for some practice…

June 5, 2011

Compassion           

Today’s story is freaky stuff.  And I’m always amazed at the fact that Neil takes it all in stride – makes perfect sense to him, right?

The story makes me wonder, though…  Neil probably sees stories like Christy’s all the time, partly because he knows what he’s looking for. 

Have there been people I’ve run across, maybe even been friends with, who have suffered like Christy, and I never knew? 

How prevalent is occult practice?  There was a house on my street when I was growing up that all the kids avoided because we all knew a witch lived there…  It seems like there’s one in every neighborhood, right?  When I was a little older, I figured it was part of kid mythology (we need bad guys, right?), but what if it wasn’t make-believe? 

And Santa Cruz, where I went to college for two years (Bethany Bible College), is nearby one of the known witchcraft capitals of the United States. 

I suppose how much and where aren’t as important to me as who…  I need to be open to the Holy Spirit and willing to ask the questions He tells me to.  With a heart of compassion, Jesus came to set free those in bondage.  That’s what He calls me to do, too.

June 4, 2011

Faith

I’m reminded of a quote from the movie Top Gun:  Mav, your ego’s writing checks your body can’t cash…

Positive thinking is all fine and good in a world where we’re on our own, but in the end, there are limits to what we can push ourselves to do.

God, on the other hand, has no limits.  Awesome! 

Neil writes:  Faith actually transcends the limitations of the mind and incorporates the real but unseen world…there is virtually no limit to the spiritual heights that positive believing can take you.

BTW, the phrase “positive believing” still cracks me up, even though I know it was coined as a counter to the term “positive thinking.”

The point is this…  When we take what we know from God’s word, listen and understand what His will is in a situation, and then trust Him enough to believe something as if it has already happened, amazing things will happen.  Those mountains will move, and not on account of us, but because of the great God we serve.

Faith is a risk, but not a bad one; God is good, and He is faithful.  He will do amazing things when we take the leap.

June 3, 2011

Idols in the Temple

Jesus broke through religious barriers and went straight to the heart of what worship was all about. 

In my opinion, church shouldn’t be so church-y.  My church isn’t all that church-y, and I’m pretty happy there.  Over the years, I’ve seen people come to my church with religious ideas, and it’s kind of fun to see their preconceptions of what church should look like challenged.

The ones who stay are the ones who look for the heart behind what we do; the ones who leave were looking for a comfortable place, one probably like the church they left. 

But lest I get on my high horse, are there legalistic tendencies I’m harboring, even if they are coming from a good place?  What do I mistake as evidence of God’s work in someone or something, but really, it’s all about my own personal taste? 

And where do I throw out the baby with the bath water, thinking something very unspiritual, when, in fact, God is at work there? 

Last summer, as I read through Old Testament books in which God was speaking to His people about their rebellion, I was struck by the idea that the Israelites had put up idols in the Temple.  What a mind-blower!  The Temple was the symbol of all that was pure and holy and beautiful, and they defiled it with the one thing God told them not to do – worship other gods.

Where are the idols we’ve put up in our church?  Maybe that worship has to be on fire for us to really get into it?  Maybe that the people we sit next to are (mostly) like us?  I don’t know, entirely…  I just remember my heart being soft at the mention of idols in the Temple. 

All I know is that we’re called to do the same thing Jesus did – get through all the other stuff, and find the heart of worship.

June 2, 2011

Missing the significance

I felt for Brian as I read the story – how sad!  It was really admirable that he wanted to do far greater things for God, but that desire kept him from appreciating what God had done through his life.

That leads me to wonder…  Are my goals the same as God’s goals for my life?  Are the things I’m finding significance in the same thing God does?  What is it that I see as small potatoes, but He sees as a big deal?

I’m reminded of the disciples, with all their fervor, asking Jesus to call down fire from heaven to demolish a village that rejected them.  They wanted to see dramatic things happen in order to further the kingdom, but Jesus had something different in mind.  They walked away disappointed, but they didn’t have to.

It seems that one key is to be willing to thing big, but at the same time, be asking the right questions and be listening.  God wants to make Himself known; am I listening?

June 1, 2011

Taken for granted

Neil writes, Achievement is determined by who or what you serve. 

Can you think of times where someone signed up with a flawed leader?  Church leaders have failed, politicians have fallen…  While the spotlight gets focused on the person who messed up, imagine the pain and disappointment of all those whose life’s work or ministry was compromised by the leader’s bad decisions.  Who we serve is as important as how we serve.

In terms of serving God, Jesus said that we can’t have two masters.  We can’t be totally His and somewhat still in love with the world…  That’s a tougher one.  Where are my affections?  Are they totally focused on God?  There are lots of shiny things down here that catch my attention…

Just like it’s easy to take a spouse or family member for granted, it’s easy to take God for granted.  He knows I love Him – I can spend my time and energies on this other thing, and He will understand, right?  Um, no, not really.  That’s the thinking that got Israel in trouble.  They allowed themselves to get entangled in the ways of the people around them, and before they knew it, their hearts were far away from God.

Father, forgive me for taking You for granted.  The only treasure I’m looking forward to in heaven is You…