Psalm 20

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

    may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary

    and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices

    and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart

    and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory

    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now this I know:

    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

    with the victorious power of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

    but we rise up and stand firm.

Lord, give victory to the king!

    Answer us when we call!

Psalm 20 is a kingship psalm. It's probably not one we will memorize or see on a bookmark. (Psalm 23 is coming up soon!) The more natural choice for this weeks blost would have been Psalm 19. It's great! But I chose 20 because it got me thinking about King David, his role and the role of the kings in Israel, God's people, and all of us being under the authority and care of Jehovah.

I picture this is a prayer being spoken over troops as they are being sent out to battle against one of the neighboring peoples. David, up above them in some way, speaking blessings over them, "May God ..." He is entrusting his men to the Lord and reminding them who is really in charge of the people, their protection, and the land. Then he moves on to his personal confidence that God will give him victory because he is the Lord's anointed. This is not arrogance. David is confident and settled in the calling God has on his life as the anointed King of Israel. He knows the one in whom he trusts and from whom the victory must come. He also knows that the battles aren't about him or Israel, but about the Lord and his soverignty. (Keep in mind that when Israel went into battle apart from the Lord's leading, they were routed!)

This psalm reminds us as twenty-first century readers that God is still sovereign over all nations and all lands. He is in his "heavenly sanctuary" still hearing our prayers and still as trustworthy to be faithful to his promises as he was with Israel and her King.

As you worship this week, whether this morning in a church building or later in the week when you're out and about, rejoice in the Lord that he has drawn you away from trusting in whatever your heart is tempted to trust for victory, to trusting in the name of the Lord your God. In fact, here's an idea for an exercise: You might not be a warrior going off to batte, but in your field and community what are you tempted to trust in other than the Lord? Often I am convinced if I can just put together the best routine and schedule, all will be well. My gods are my accomplishments and ability to be in control. I could rephrase that verse Some trust in calendars and some in atomic habits, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Sounds silly, but it's the truth. (And, of course, the baseline is me trusting in myself. Lord, have mercy!)

If you belong to Christ, (God's ultimate anointed one), you too have been chosen and called to be part of God's people. Contrary to public opinion, we are not warriors that need to take back anything for God; that wasn't Israel's task either. They were called to love and obey the Lord, becuase he loved them and rescued them from Egypt, and by being his they would be a light to the nations. We are as dependent as the troops of Israel on God's rescue and direction in our lives as individuals and the Church. And we are just as prone to idol worship as the people of Israel. (Check out I Cor 10:11-13.)

May the Lord use Psalm 20 to minister to us this day, brining conviction of sin and confidence in his love and care for his Church. The Lord gave victory to the King of kings, Jesus! He answers us when we call! Like David, we can rise up and stand firm in him, with humble rejoicing, confident prayers, and hopeful anticipation of his continued victory over sin and death, in our individual lives and in all creation.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  

Ephesians 6:12

Only the Lord can come out on top agains such foes! We surrender to him; he fights our enemies. He has secured the victory and is securing it. What a God!

Amen.

Jesus is so Irritating!

Am I allowed to title a blost in that way?  I mean, can I tell the Lord that He is annoying?  It's not His fault, really.  He is simply busy being the Lord of my life and, unfortunately, I don't always appreciate that living under the Good News of what He's done for me means I can't just do and be whatever I want.  Here's where He's getting under my skin (under my sin?!) this week.  And, truth be told, I am very thankful for it!

Philippians 2:6-8 says this about Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

That's really awesome, right?  He was God, but made Himself nothing so that we could be reconciled to God by His death and resurrection when we believe in Him.  That's the Gospel Christians talk about and celebrate.

But guess what Paul says to the believers in Philippi just before that, in verse 5?

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

[crickets, or maybe an expletive if that's more your style]

I have been thinking a lot about how polarized people feel/are right now and how heavy everything seems.  As someone who often sees the value, even if just in part, of people's perspectives on both sides of an issue, it grieves me a lot to see so much posting of trite memes and sarcastic one-liners, in general, but especially by fellow believers.  It's easy and makes us feel good, but we have to call it what it is: wrong and dishonoring to our God and fellow image-bearers.

In the verses above what I read is this: Jesus had every right to be a trite meme and sarcastic one-line poster in His day!  He knows what's in the heart of man (John 2:24) and He knew His own righteousness; He knew how often people came to Him for selfish reasons and personal gain, but not to love Him. He alone in the history of mankind had the "right" to judge everyone He met.  And what did He do?

He served.  He died.

He looked over the crowds and had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

I guess in one sense, He did make a judgment about them.  But it was motivated by compassion (love) which protected Him from writing them off as a bunch of idiots.  You poor fools lost in your sin!

This is how God directed my thinking yesterday as I vacuumed my kitchen - yup, our kitchen is carpeted; it's silly! - while trying to process all the information and opinions I have encountered on social media and in the news this week in light of the evil at work in our world.  Living in the era of social media and quick access to information, no matter how true or incomplete, fuels our natural tendency to make rash judgments (not to mention fools of ourselves)!  All of us do, whether we post about it to let the world know or simply hide it in our hearts, pridefully smug.  I, too, form opinions and am quickly tempted to write off certain people or groups as hopeless at best, or unredeemable at worst.  Can you relate?  I imagine some of them may feel the same about me!

But not Christ.

The only One who could have pronounced judgment, instead made Himself the way to be rescued from it!  And Paul reminds the Philippians and those of us to walk with Jesus in 2021:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

 

What must we do with our hard, judgmental hearts when they act up? Go straight back to the primary message of the kingdom of God: repent and believe the good news!  That is the Word of God to those responding to Christ for the first time to those who have known His salvation for decades.  This is surrender to His will.

Find yourself out of step with His will, casting judgment on others?

Repent and believe the good news.

Christian, you and I have been made new!  The made-new listen to the Spirit, confess the sin to their loving Father, and remember the risen Savior and the glorious work He has done in their lives.  All this reminds us of how eager we are for others to know this freedom: from sin and also the freedom from needing to play God and decide if people are worthy or not.  He says they are!

But wait, there's more! The Lord also shows us His way and transforms us into people of compassion, people who speak life, people who reflect the light of Christ in the world, people who model their relationships with others according to the mindset of Christ.

Thank goodness He provokes us by His Spirit to get us back to Him.

Praise God with me today that Jesus is so irritating!

A Prayer of Repentance Based on Matthew 5

Almighty God,

We come to you today as Christians in the United States after a week of turmoil and we repent.  We repent of misrepresenting you to the world, to our neighbors.  We repent of not embodying the beatitudes Jesus spoke.  We have not humbled ourselves before you to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be peacemakers.  Rather we have been afraid, defensive, and proud, unbecoming of your people. We have cried “persecution” when we were not being persecuted for proclaiming Jesus Christ, but rather for promoting your morality before proclaiming the good news that Jesus saves sinners, of whom we are the uttermost.  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us.  You are our only hope.

We have failed to be salt and light as we have fought amongst ourselves: gossiping, slandering, and hating our brothers and sisters.  We’ve all done it and we’ve tolerated it from others, even retweeting, posting, or speaking others’ gossip, slander, and hate.  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us. You are our only hope.

Lord, we are lawbreakers, maybe not civil laws, but Your law - the law Christ came and fulfilled.  We fool ourselves into believing we are good.  We clean the outside of the cup and we receive your grace in vain.  You have set us free and we use our liberty to promote worldly power, position, and privilege rather than to proclaim your salvation in humble awe.  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us.  You are our only hope.

We have been angry, in public and private, murdering one another, most often in the interest of self-preservation or self-interest.  We believe the lie that our anger is “righteous” and gives us a free pass to perpetuate untruths, which damages our ability to share the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us.  You are our only hope.

We are quick to point out the sins of others, or simply how their behavior doesn’t suit our preferences.  We are slow to see our own sin as the Holy Spirit reveals it, because we are too busy trying to play His role in other peoples’ lives.  How we have offended you!  How we have wronged our brothers and sisters!  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us.  You are our only hope.

We have misapplied, misquoted, and misunderstood your Word, twisting it to fit our agendas.  We have used your Word to harm others, quoting Scripture and Christian platitudes when people needed us to stand up for them or be quiet and sit with them.  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us.  You are our only hope.

We have not followed the example of Christ by loving or ministering to our enemies. And we have wrongly labeled people as enemies who are not.  We have not cared for the vulnerable, too lost in our own concerns and causes.  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us.  You are our only hope.

We have tried to “be perfect” in our own strength.  We have listened to lies even in our own Christian circles about what it means to be a “good Christian” rather than listening to the Spirit. We have burdened others with those chains or tried to force them into our mold, rather than pointing them to Jesus, who is our righteousness.  We are sorry.  Forgive us.

Restore us.  You are our only hope.

Lord, have mercy on us.  We are sinners.

Restore to us the joy of your salvation, that we be moved to acts of justice and righteousness for the vulnerable and proclaimers of the good news of Christ to all.  Help us never forget our utter dependence on You.  You are our only hope.

Amen

You're Invited: Resources for Lent

(This is reposted from February 2015)

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday.  Depending on your Christian tradition, you may have left a solemn service with a cross of ashes on you head or the day slipped by without a thought about it.  Many denominations join the church from throughout the ages to observe this holy day and kick-start forty days of self-examination and repentance in preparation for joyous celebration on Easter morning.

I don't remember attending services in my youth or hearing many folks talk about Lent, except for my Catholic friends who mostly gave up chocolate for the duration.  I was glad I didn't have to do that!

As I have learned more about Lent in my grown-er-up years, the more I love when the season arrives.  Such an invitation is offered to us!  We are beckoned in to be brave, look at our characteristic sins, take seriously the depth of the damage they cause, confess them, and move toward God through His healing and transformation.  His healing and transformation!

Last night at our service, there was an insert in the bulletin that began with these words:

Ash Wednesday and Lent offer us an opportunity to 'go subterranean.'  That is, these times in the Church Calendar bring to our attention the monstrous things that often lurk in the dark basements of our lives -- things we'd rather bury than confess.

Ash Wednesday and Lent help us to excavate these crippling sources of harm and then bring them into the light of God's mercy and healing.  I invite you to accept the rather heavy Lenten invitation to 'go subterranean' with us. ... (emphasis mine)

I want to pass on to you the invitation to 'go subterranean,' too!  Scriptures says that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If you are in Christ, already your place is secure before the throne of God.  You are His kid!  (John 1:12-13)  But Lent offers us the opportunity to GROW!  As our pastor outlined in his sermon last night, we remember, we return, we obey, and we draw near to God.

Strange, isn't it, that examining the darkest places of our hearts can strengthen our relationship with the God we offend?  And yet, only doing so in His presence and with His Spirit at work in us, can we find any freedom or hope!

Here are some resources you might find helpful in this season:

• Your Bible  I think this is your first and best option for drawing near to God! Each of the Gospels is around 20 chapters.  You can read a chapter every two days during lent, or read through the Gospel twice during lent.  The Word of God is living and active, it is one huge way we get to know God.  Perhaps rather than giving up, you can add daily Scripture reading to your days this Lent.
• On Keeping a Holy Lent  This is a pamphlet by a fellow named Craig R. Higgins.  You can find it here, and you will not be disappointed.  Learn more about the history of Lent and a series of questions to challenge you in the exercise of repentance in this season.  I also wrote about the pamphlet once, and you can read that here.
• Respectable Sins  That is the title of a book by Jerry Bridges that will rock your world.  If you like books and you feel like you're not that big a sinner, this is a book for you!  (And me!!)  I might dust it off and give it a re-read this Lent.  The subtitle is Confronting the Sins We Tolerate.  Perfect for Lent, right?  I think so to.   You can pick it up from amazon.  Looks like there's also a small group companion for it.  Hey, you could start a small group during Lent, too!  Just sayin'.

I know some of you probably have other Lenten resources to suggest; many local churches offer daily devotions.  Feel free to suggest your favorites them in the comments.

Lent is not a season to become a "better Christian," to give up a vice for its own sake or to prove the strength of your will power, or to completely ignore because it's just some old ritual.  Lent, as Higgins says, "isn't about giving up chocolate, it's about giving up sin!"  And it "is the spiritual equivalent of an annual physical exam; it's a time to take stock of our lives, our hearts."

I pray that these days leading up to Easter, that glorious day, will be a time of God's blessing you in new and wonderful ways as you draw away from sin and near to Him!  He is the one who heals and transforms!!

PS  Sundays in Lent are days of feasting, not of fasting; they are not included in the 40 count.  So if you are fasting from something for Lent, remember that Sundays are not included.  Sundays are always the Lord's day, for celebration and feasting!

Why Having a Relationship with God is so Hard, and What You Can Do about It.

My guess is that you, my dear reader, like many - if not most - Christians, find having a relationship with God really challenging.  You were brought from death to life when God filled your heart with faith to believe and receive the Good News of Jesus' work on your behalf; it was an incredible moment!  Or you grew up in the church and never know a time you didn't believe Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life; you know you're saved.  But beyond that, you feel like you have no idea what you're doing when it comes to relating to God.  You know you should be goin' to church, reading your Bible, praying, and trying not to do bad things.  But you're painfully aware that there's not much passion, so you believe that you must be really doing something wrong.

May I suggest that the reason it's so hard to have a relationship with God is because you're trying to relate to Him based on the way other people do, and not the way He created you to have a relationship with Him?  Think about all your relationships.  Each one is unique because each one is between you and another soul, both of you bringing your individual personalities into the connection.  My daughter's relationship with me is different from the relationship that she has with, say, one of her friends.  Neither relationship is better than the other, each one is built on some mutual history and affection, but they look quite different because though she is the same person, the one to whom she's relating is different.

Let's think about this when it comes to having a relationship with Almighty God.  Each one of us was knit together in our mother's womb and is known by God.  No two of us are alike.  As such, the way we relate to God and interact with Him will be influenced by who we are.  And since the way we are is the way God made us, I can confidently say that is good.  So when it comes to trying to figure out how to have a relationship with God after He has brought you from unbelief to faith, begin where you are and always pursue Him sincerely as YOU.

Here's what I'm getting at.  We can get distracted and stymied when we look around at how so-and-so church member or Jane Doe super-blogger has a relationship with the Lord.  In our attempt to have the "right" kind of relationship with Him, we copy what others are doing rather than asking the Lord to direct us by His Spirit, within the bounds of our personality and circumstances. Whatever those other folks are doing is wonderful, for them, but may not be what will help you best feel connected to your loving Heavenly Father.

Of course, there are Biblical guidelines for how to deepen our relationship with God.  You know these basics: the Word, prayer, hearing the Word preached, Christian fellowship, etc.  But never, ever, ever let yourself get caught in the lie of the enemy that you have to have the same kind of relationship with God as anyone else.  How you and God talk, is between Him and you.  And it is, to borrow form Goldilocks, just right!

• You get more out of devotional Bible studies than reading commentaries and studying the minutia of theology?  Grab those devotionals and ask the Lord to keep directing your path by His Word!

• You LOVE all that theological minutia? Go nuts with the Hebrew and Greek and the commentaries!

• You can't focus to pray without being on your knees?  Get on your knees and don't be embarrassed!

• You can't focus to pray with out a pen and journal on your lap?  Collect what you need, and write out those prayers!

• You love apologetics and discussions about such things?  Read up, study, and take advantage of opportunities God gives you to talk with the skeptical!

• You love to laugh and have fun?  Feel free to delight in your relationship with God!

• You really adore God and His holiness?  Meditate on it, go deep, and invite others along!

• You're a fiery one, full of passion and emotion? Have you read the Psalms? Let God have it!  He can take it and He wants to use you for His purposes!

All I'm trying to say is this.  The only thing about your relationship with God that needs to be exactly the same as everyone else's is that you call on the name of Jesus to be saved from your sins and depend on Him alone for Salvation and New Life.  Beyond that, enjoy growing in relationship with God by taking advantage of getting to know Him in the Word, prayer, and worship as He leads you within the context of who YOU are.

Guys, Jesus talked about setting His people free!  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  If you feel bound, it's time to break those chains.  Don't give the enemy the satisfaction of keeping you stuck.  God loves you, chose you, knows you, and wants you to enjoy being in relationship with Him: child to Father.  Let Him bless you with the freedom to be who you are in your relationship with Him!

Grace and peace,

Heather 💛

Live Alive {Day 15}: Patient & Kind

Previous posts in the Live Alive series can be found here.

Yesterday I shared how alive people put others before themselves, thus living out the second greatest commandment, and the first, too.  For as we are obedient to the second - love your neighbor - we live out the first - love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Not absorbed with our own needs, because we know God's got that all in hand, we are able to look to the interests of others.

I promised that we'd get into the nitty-gritty of this loving your neighbor business in subsequent posts, and this is the first subsequent post!  As a structure we'll use these verses and take the descriptors of love set-by-set:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  I Corinthians 13: 4-7

Perhaps you've heard these verses at a wedding.  They're nice, aren't they?  Yeah, till you think about actually living them out and you're like, how in the world?!

Before I go on, a reminder:  the only One who ever perfectly lived out this kind of love on earth was Jesus.  The Bible says God is love and I talked in an earlier post about how alive people are serious about God's love.  His love is the basis for our relationship with Him, for he so loved the world.  Without that love, we are lost.  Jesus showed us the extent of God's love, (that would be death on a cross).

While living out that love in the world - a love we long for but struggle so much to give and receive - Jesus said to His disciples that he had a new command for them: love one another.  The love He was talking about is the love described above.

Another reminder: Jesus sent the Spirit.  Alive people rely on that strength to try to live out this kind of love, not their own.  You Cannot Love Like This Alone.  Please reread that sentence.  If you want to have any hope of maturing into this kind of love, you must stay close to the Spirit of God.  He's the source of the alive life, every day and always.

With all that background, today we hit patient and kind.  These two seem kind of obvious, right?  Naturally, we love others when we are patient with and kind to them.  But, boy, others sure make it hard to do: a co-worker isn't pulling his weight, a friend never asks how you are doing, a child pushes back in every little thing, a spouse doesn't love you the way you need, a driver cuts you off, etc., etc.  At each of those junctures we have a choice: trust God and try to live alive or turn back toward death and live for self.

We not only live out the alive life when we choose patience and kindness, we also come more to life and are filled with praise for the Life Giver.  When the Spirit pricks our heart and prompts us to choose God's way, there's a jolt of energy to our faith.  Hey, wait a minute, I am "hearing" God speak to me!  I am still wrestling with a desire to disobey, because I like me so much, but wow, God is at work in my life.  That's incredible.  Maybe there's hope for transformation after all.

If that's not enough reason to pursue the live alive, I'll give you one more.  Choosing patience and kindness also increases our compassion.  You know, because sometimes we're the one in need of patience and kindness.  Remembering that we're just as human as the person driving us bonkers or the person who has an inconvenient-for-us need drives us back to how merciful God has been to us.  I mean, 'cause seriously, there was nothing convenient for Jesus about his years here on Earth!  But love brought Him and love kept Him on the cross.

The alive life of patience and kindness isn't about a grin-and-bear-it and hope-it's-over-quick tolerance, but rather a dependent pursuit of the alive life by practicing patience and kindness with all our neighbors, i.e. anyone God puts in our path.  Right at this very moment I am having trouble trying to practice this in my own house with my people, so I'm gonna hop off here and think about this for myself.

For Christ and His glory,

Heather 💛

Live Alive {Day 12}: The Family

Previous posts in the Live Alive series can be found here.

On Sundays throughout 2018, I have been reading through The Heidelberg Catechism: A Study Guide, by G. I. Williamson.  It is divided into 52 readings, one for each week of the year.  Overall, I would recommend it, but there were some of the author's commentaries that I thought went more into diatribes than was necessary.  Reading through a Catechism slowly has definitely been beneficial for adding new knowledge and energy to my faith.  I would recommend doing so!

Yesterday's Catechism questions were about how Christ teaches us to address God as Father in the Lord's Prayer.  The Catechism says Jesus did that to awaken in us, at the beginning of our prayer, that childlike reverence and trust toward God ... . This serves as just another reminder of how dependent we are on God.  We come before Him in prayer and call Him Father, which reminds us how much we need Him and that He is in authority over us.  Calling Him Father also reminds us that we are now members of His family and that He is the kind of Father all fathers long to be and that all children desire.  He does not abuse His authority or neglect His children.  We can come to him with childlike reverence and trust.  Looking at Jesus enables us to do so without hesitation.

In the commentary, Williamson wrote something that struck me about how we can't reach God on our own, but Jesus is a sufficient mediator:  

The reason is quite simple: Jesus is both God and man.  Both the divine nature and the human nature are there in one person.  Because in his human nature He is our brother, and in His divine nature is the only begotten Son of God, he can reach both God and man and bring them together.  p. 213

I know Williamson was specifically speaking of salvation, but after some conversation in our Life Group last night, it got me thinking about how alive people connect with their new family.

When we are made new in Christ, brought back to life and called God's children, we are also adopted into a new family, the family of believers.  Jesus is our brother and our Lord and as such we are bound now and eternally to anyone else who calls on His name.  This can be super awesome, because we each have different gifts and abilities and can work together for the advancement of the Gospel in the world.  This can also be super awful, because we all have different gifts and can become divided and lose sight of the mission to share the Gospel with the world!

Amen?

Paul hits it all in Ephesians, guys!  He talks about this very thing, reminding the Ephesian believers, and those of us who read the letter today, that we are united in Christ and are headed somewhere with/in/through Him!

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 

Ephesians 4:1-7,11-16

Alive people interact with their family in some specific ways:

1. They keep the first thing the first thing!  Alive people fight to be unified with their family, remembering that we are all one under Christ. Alive people also remember that we have not attained "mature manhood" yet as a body, so they are patient with the process living in a manner worthy of the calling, like Paul says in the first few verses.  
2. They know what their gifts are and use them to serve the family!  We are all different.  There is incredible diversity in the body!  Alive people know God has given them specific gifts to use to serve the family (the body or Church) to help maintain unity and to help the body grow.  They rejoice in how God has made them and pursue opportunities to serve with them.  They know the Church needs them to use their gifts - it's God's call on their lives!
3. They help their brothers and sisters to discover their gifts and use them!  Alive people don't waste their time in jealous pride, they know that they desperately need the rest of their family. So they encourage other believers to know and exercise their God-given gifts, so they can delight in watching the Lord use them for His purposes.

Cynicism is easy.  We all know how hard it is to be unified with people who are different from us.  We still live this side of heaven and our sinful natures are still demanding dominance in our hearts.  We won't see the body perfected till Christ returns.  But alive people are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.  Hebrews 10:39

Living alive denies cynicism a seat at the table, leaving the space for hope.  Christ calls us to be unified; we will fight for that.  Christ calls us to use our gifts; we will use them.  Christ calls us to encourage our brothers and sisters to use their gifts; we will encourage and enjoy them.

We are family because God made it so.  Alive in Christ, we can have faith, press on, and rejoice together at what God does.

Not shrinking back,

Heather 💛

Live Alive {Day 8}: Serious About God's Love

Previous posts in the Live Alive series can be found here.

With a week of foundation posts under our belt, we're ready to dive into the specifics of what an alive life looks like.  Here's a quick review of what we know so far about people who live alive: 

• They believe in God is their Creator and the source and sustainer of life.
• They know they are God's image-bearers and were made for relationship with Him.
• They believe their biggest problem is sin (rebellion against God) and that only God can fix it.
• They believe Jesus is the Savior (God's rescue plan) and have accepted His gift of salvation.
• They have an active and dependent relationship with God based on His mercy, the work of Christ's death and resurrection, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

That's the basics of what it means to be a Christian and what I have attempted to explain in the introduction posts of this series.  The bottom line is that we cannot know alive life without God, and He graciously but firmly makes and shows us the way out of our rebellion to be restored to right relationship with Him.  Good news!

As I sat this morning asking the Lord, So, like, where do I go from here?  He immediately "said," How about something about how alive people are serious about my love.  I didn't have that on my list anywhere, but wow, what a perfect starting point for diving into the details of living alive!

This was my favorite stamp as a kid -
even had it on a sweatshirt!

You see, that list up there could seem very academic and cold: assent to these things, sign on the dotted line, and you're in.  But let's take a look again at Ephesians 2:4-5.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved --"  (emphasis mine)

Y'all, God didn't create the rescue plan begrudgingly, sending His Son into the world with a scowl on His face, arms crossed in displeasure.  He sent Him in love, like a parent desperate to be reunited with a wayward child.  In fact, the classic verse John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that He sent his only Son ....  You may not like God's rules or the way He wants you to live your life, but you cannot accuse Him of false motives or cruelty.

Alive people are serious about God's love.

They are serious about believing that God is love (1 John 4:8) and that He defines love (I Corinthians 13: 4-8a).  They are seriously amazed every day by the fact that God's love has been showered upon them and that they are, indeed and forever, His children.  They are serious about learning to live out that love in a world that desperately needs it.

What does that look like?  I believe it plays out practically in a few ways.

1. Childlike Faith - Because God says He loves them and has proved it by sending Jesus, they trust Him, taking Him at His word.  Every. Day.
2. Confidence - Because they are no longer orphans in this world, driven constantly by fear or self-preservation, but adopted and beloved children of the Father with a new family and future, they live in peaceful soul-security.
3. Compassion - With the awareness of their dependence on and confidence in God's love, they are free to extend compassion to their neighbor, no matter how different, bedraggled, or proud.

I want to be full of faith, confidence, and compassion.  I want God's love to sustain and motivate me throughout all my days.  I want to live alive like that.  Don't you?  My hope is that writing this series will encourage all of us to consider ways the Lord is calling us higher and deeper.  We each have a long way to go, but we can also all look at our lives and see the fingerprints of the Lord in ways we already live more alive than we did before we He rescued us out of rebellion.

In the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:17b-19, my prayer for you, whenever your read this is:

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Amen.

Heather 💛

On Mentoring

As I begin to write about mentoring, I wonder why you are choosing to read it.  Are you longing for someone to mentor you - to help you figure out how to figure out how to do this life that seems more complicated the older you get?  Or are you wondering how to be a mentor - seeking guidance about how to get started or what to do next?  More than likely it's the first set of reasons.  We all long to have a mentor, but cannot imagine ever feeling put together enough to be a mentor.

This past semester our church college ministry (Yay, CCO!) invited church members to mentor a student or two.  One young woman, requested me specifically as a mentor, so I was approached and asked to do so.  Friends, I am the kind of person who wants to help everybody all the time everywhere.  I know that I cannot do so, and have been in a season of saying "no" to a lot of things.  But I knew this was supposed to be a YES!  We were paired up, and the church provided us with a wonderful little book called The Gospel-Centered Life to work through together through the spring semester.

Let me tell you why this book was so wonderful: it hurt!  Every chapter and activity not only probed my mentee's heart, but it cut through my defenses as well.  Together we shared about our sin, where we get tripped up most often, what embarrasses us, how hard some of our relationships are.  Apart we tried putting into practice things we were learning, because we knew God had good in store for us and we have confidence that He can transform us.  Together we would marvel at the goodness of God and the beauty of the Gospel.  Apart we'd pray for one another and send texts during the week to encourage one another or just to say, "Hey, friend!"

And that's the best thing I learned through this mentoring experience!  When God invites us into someone's life as a mentor, it's not about dumping our life-experience or knowledge into them from a distance.  It's about sharing life together in an intentional way.  It's about being the real you, so together you get to see that God is at work in the ordinary and through the imperfect folks He calls to be His own.

Your church may not have an official mentoring program, but I know there's a gal or a guy (if you're a male reading this) out there who would love it if you'd invite them out for coffee or over for dinner (or whatever dudes like to do).  How desperately we all want to know and be known by another; we spend so much time in this life pretending.  Someone coming along behind you wants a relationship with someone a few steps ahead of them to run alongside them and cheer them on.

I'll leave the prompting and the details up to the Holy Spirit, but in summary, here's the deal:

• To be a mentor, all you need to be is YOU.  I firmly believe you are the best at that!

• To be a mentor, you don't even need to use the word mentor.  Simply pursue a relationship intentionally.

• To be a mentor, walk with the Lord yourself each day.  He provides all we need to grab the hand of another and sojourn from here into eternity, or at least for a semester!

• To be a mentor, an outside resource can be a great help.  My friend and I are going to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis "together" while she's home with her family this summer.

K, all!  I don't have time to really proofread this, so it is what it is!  Haha.  Have a blessed day and may the Lord lead you to that person or group of people who need a relationship with you, for the sake of the King and His kingdom.

Fighting for Christmas

Eight-twenty this morning was a comical and accurate example of what December has felt like for me this year!  My phone dinged a notification.  I was working on this post and it was a couple of moments till I checked my phone.  My daughter had to be at church 5 minutes ago to acolyte for the first service!  Obviously it was on my calendar, but I never noticed it this week.  She was sound asleep snuggled under her blankets, recovering from a busy weekend that included a youth lock-in.  Intentionally, I was letting her sleep in.  Oops!  Well, I threw on clothes as quickly as I could, slipped into a coat and boots, grabbed my purse, and drove way-too-fast to church to sub for her!  Thank goodness I'd showered the night before - it's the little gifts!!

Even better, I really enjoyed being in the service.  Immensely.  The choir's anthem fit so well with the Sunday School lesson I had ready for the youth this morning on the transfiguration in Mark 9 - the glorious Christ, the center of Christmas Himself on beautiful display.  The sermon was about celebration and fit so well with the post you are about to read, confirming for me the need to interrupt my hiatus to write this Christmas.

I have been needing to get this all down, to get the thoughts in my head sorted out one way or another.  Hopefully these words are not only a help me, but to you too, dear reader.  I wish you a very merry Christmas, giving this to you as my gift!  Cling to Christmas with all your might!!

Earlier this month in an Advent devotional provided by our church, which includes Bible passages and selected readings from C.S. Lewis, I read:

Christianity is a fighting religion.

It thinks God made the world - that space and time, heat and cold, and all the colors and tastes, and all the animals and vegetables, are things that God "made up out of His head" as a man makes up a story.  But it also thinks that a great many things have gone wrong with the world that God made and that God insists, and insists very loudly, on our putting them right again.

Christianity is a fighting religion.  I don't know what December has been like for you, but I think that sentence really struck me because I feel like I have been fighting this month - fighting for Christmas to win over in my heart.  Not Christmas-the-feeling promoted by Deck the Halls, White Christmas, and Holly Jolly, but Christmas-the-Truth proclaimed by Joy to the Word, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

December has been a tug-of-war in my heart and mind between the Truth and the lies.  I have been more impatient and frustrated in the last few weeks than I have been in a while, and for no good reason that I can find other than the reality of the earthly battle every Christian faces against the world, the flesh, and the devil.  And oh!  How the latter would love to see us stop fighting:

• to give up on the Advent readings with our family, because it seems like no one is listening;
• to let go of the traditions, because they seem like too much this year;
• to give in to all the stress of preparations, because it's more natural to complain than rejoice;
• to take our eyes of that precious manger, because it seems more comforting to wring our hands and lament than to cast our cares on Him and live in the freedom Christmas heralds into the world;
• to forget about loving our neighbor generously, because we aren't sure we have the reserves to care for anyone else.

Christianity is a fighting religion.  And I'm gonna fight!  Why?  Because I know Jesus.  Because there is victory over the grave.  Because I'm in enemy territory and I want to stand firm.  For What?  Not a feeling, but for Truth.

• So my kids can taste and see that God is GOOOOOD. 
• So that in my little spheres of influence I might have the opportunity to see the Kingdom come in new ways.
• So that I can see my Savior demonstrate His strength in my weakness.
• So that God can be glorified, as He is worthy to be.

None of us are entitled to anything, not even a holly, jolly Christmas. But Christians know the Prince of Peace.  And we can let Him rule in our hearts.  As Lewis points out, we can participate in God's work of putting the world right again.

So when I lose my patience, I ask my kids and my Gracious God to forgive me.  When I feel my pulse quickening with anxiety about gifts, or plans, or not measuring up, I stop and look to my Good Shepherd to takes my hand and says I love you, always, little lamb; let's take each day one step at a time.  I will lead you.  When I want to grumble, grovel, or gripe, I will turn on the Pandora Christmas Hymns station and let the lyrics permeate my mind and soul.  When we pass a bell ringer and her red bucket, I dig in my wallet, the kids throw in coins, and we talk about God's love .  Through all of those things I am reminded how the Lord has put my soul right with Him thought Christ, and it renews my desire to be a part of His ministry of reconciliation in the world.

Christmas, true Christmas, is restored in my heart.

Every time we choose love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control, despite every fiber of our being wanting us to go in the opposite direction, we are fighting the good fight!  Every time we repent and believe the good news, heaven rejoices and hope is restored!  Every time we put our neighbor's interests before our own, the Kingdom comes and Christmas is rightly observed!

Christmas is God-come-down, true, life-changing love.  That "sweet baby Jesus in the manger" came to rescue a world lost in sin and destined for death and destruction.  When our hearts are filled with the faith to believe that Truth, well, everything is different.  Christmas holds fresh new wonder, and will year after year!

We have a choice.

Will you fight with me? 

Let's start here.  Sing along and rejoice!

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"