reality

Posted on February 1, 2007 by Dana

About eight years ago, a friend had some pretty serious health concerns. He was hospitalized for a few days and I remember going to his room to pray that God would heal him. A thought came to mind recently after I saw this friend and noticed his good health. If an all-knowing Jesus had come into that hospital room eight years ago, he could have said, “Dana, the condition of the friend you are praying for is not as serious at it seems. He’s going to be OK, but I am going to tell you something about yourself. The pain you’ve been experiencing the past couple of months is not muscle pain. You have cancer and you’re soon going to begin a long battle with a life-threatening disease.”

One of the truths that should keep us humble on this earth is the fact that we really don’t know too much. This ought to affect the way we think, talk, and live. James warned about boasting, “Tomorrow we’ll do this or that.” We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so we should say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will do this or that.” Leaving God out of our discussions leads to bragging and James calls this evil.

To keep from making improper judgment, we must admit we don’t know the hearts or circumstances of others. A casual observer watching two men pray on the temple steps might have made this evaluation: Person A is religious; person B is not. Person A is a pillar of society; person B is a thief. Person A really knows how to pray; person B is floundering. But Jesus gave God’s evaluation: Person B went home justified; person A did not.

More humbling is the admission that we don’t even know our own selves as well as we think we do. As a sinful woman washed the feet of Jesus with tears and anointed her Savior with perfume, a religious man thought: “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.” The truth was ‘this man’ was more than a prophet and the conclusion he shared with the Pharisee was stunning: “Simon, she loves me much more than you do.” (see Luke 7:36-50)

Would you rather walk in reality or in a façade? Would you rather know the truth or stay in the dark? Would you rather be confident in your own mind or be vulnerable before your Creator? Could God not bring each one of us revelation at any moment that would shake us to the core? Perhaps out of his mercy he keeps much from us, but the older I get the more I’d like to walk in reality. If things aren’t right on my team, I would rather problems be exposed than to coach in ignorance. If things aren’t right in my home, I’d rather know the truth so I could ask for God’s wisdom to be a better husband and father. And if things aren’t right in my heart, I want to be convicted so I can confess my sin, receive forgiveness, and walk in the Light. May this truth always keep us humble before our Heavenly Father: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord… Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:1-4, 23-24

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humility

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Dana

Immediately after telling the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying at the temple, Jesus said, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” We see this truth revealed in Jesus’ own life as he “humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on the cross” after which “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” Of all the characteristics of our Savior, his humility reveals most about what leads to a life that pleases God. How did he do it? What path did he take that he calls his disciples to travel? The familiar passage in Philippians 2 reveals a couple of things: Jesus “made himself nothing” and Jesus took “the very nature of a servant.”

The humility of Christ stands in stark opposition to the spirit of the world. Who wants to become nothing? Who wants to be a servant? Who wants to be last? Who wants to be least like a little child? Who wants to consider others better than self? Who wants to wash feet? Who wants to be humiliated? In a society that prides itself on being proud, we are taught to strive to become important. Those often viewed as successful are served and they are considered successful because they are first. To be least equates with failure and to consider others better than myself would make me dishonest… for deep down I know I am better than most :) . The practice of washing feet has little meaning and humiliation is reserved for fools.

The path of humility is the way of the cross. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Andrew Murray, the South African pastor who ministered during the mid 1800′s and early 1900′s wrote, “This is the true self-denial to which our Savior calls us: the acknowledgment that self has nothing good in it except as an empty vessel that God must fill.” Perhaps this is what it means to become “poor in spirit” – to realize there is nothing good in me apart from God. No one can admit such a thing without His help, but once we see our sin and our need for repentance, the gospel reveals hope. “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

True humility does not come from focusing on our sin but by focusing on the One who delivers us. He paid the price and he invites us to come learn from him, for he is “gentle and humble in heart.” As he emptied himself and lived a life full of his Father, he beckons us to empty ourselves and live a life full of him. As we clothe ourselves with Christ, we clothe ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” How different the humble will look in this world!

“All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” I Peter 5:5-6

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:12-17

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IHOP

Posted on January 19, 2007 by Dana

There is an IHOP in town that does not specialize in pancakes. The letters stand for International House of Prayer and people pray there constantly. When Jesus drove the money changers and buyers and sellers out the temple, he quoted the prophet, Isaiah: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

A former student is the leader of this place of prayer. I saw Billy yesterday and he reminded me of a time when he was in my math class. “I was caught cheating,” he said, “but you showed me mercy.” As a math teacher, I’ve always wanted my students to remember the wonderful theorems I prove, but sadly, that knowledge seems to fade quickly. But show a young man mercy and he’ll come back to you twenty years later and tell you how that impacted his life.

Jesus, the Good Teacher, gave the religious of his day an assignment: “Go learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Those that didn’t know the meaning made serious errors. “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” But those who understand the Master’s secret and put it to practice get a great reward. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

The late Henri Nouwen loved to tell the story of a Russian peasant who longed more than anything else to follow Paul’s command to “pray without ceasing,” but try as he might he couldn’t do it. Finally, after asking for guidance from many ‘holy men,’ someone taught him the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” The peasant prayed this simple prayer so often that he found his mind and heart in constant prayer as he walked through Russia with a knapsack and Bible.

“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The blind cried this prayer. The sick shouted it out. Distraught parents prayed with broken hearts. And Jesus heard their prayers.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.” Luke 18:10-14

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resolution

Posted on January 11, 2007 by Dana

I’m usually not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I sure am aware of needs for change. Changes brought about by my will-power are usually short-lived, but changes brought about by God’s grace are a different matter. Being his servant, I want to ask God to help me see differently and think differently. I am not the President of the United States or the Governor of my state. I am not a congressman or a senator. If I were such a leader in society, it would be my job to propose solutions to difficult social and global dilemmas. Holding no such office, my job is to pray for those who do. I can ask our Heavenly Father to give wisdom and strength to leaders and I can pray God’s will be done. I desire the “mind of Christ,” but as I listen to political observers, global experts, and talk show hosts, my mind gets clouded. Some of these voices claim to be Christian; all voices claim to be right; but I know there is only one voice that really matters… and his Kingdom is not of this world. Jesus turns everything upside down, but I want to follow him. I want to think like him. I want to love like him.

Here’s an example: When I see a person of Hispanic descent, I don’t want my thinking to shift to the huge immigration debate going on in our country. If I hear on my radio that an illegal alien committed a crime in my county, I don’t want encroaching judgment to poison the way I look at the person driving the car next to me. I can pray that government leaders make wise and fair decisions, but I want to see each human being from Jesus’ viewpoint: “I gave my life so that person could be forgiven and know my Father and live with me in Heaven forever and ever.” Now many people will say, “But what about…?” I know there are a million questions that can be asked, but I only want to deal with one: How does God see that person? Are there not two broad answers? He either recognizes one of his children, a member of his blood-bought family… or He sees a lost soul. A child of God is my brother or sister. A lost soul needs to meet Jesus. Should this simple thinking be troubling?

Here’s another example: Harm and Dagmar Tees, good friends and long-time missionaries in Jerusalem, reach out mainly to Arabs in the region. Harm, a native of Holland, is the general secretary of the United Christian Council in Israel. Recently this coalition of Christian groups celebrated fifty years of existence in Israel. A friend of Harm’s, also a native of Holland, came to speak at their gathering. Some of you have read GOD’S SMUGGLER, the story of Brother Andrew, a bold believer who has smuggled Bibles into the most dangerous places in the world. When Brother Andrew spoke to this council in Jerusalem, he gave a challenge that reflects the heart of God. At seventy-eight years of age, this radical disciple is now sharing the gospel with fundamentalist Muslims. By God’s design, Brother Andrew was recently invited to speak in a huge Islamic school in a Muslim country. Predictably, he used this platform to preach the gospel. After his message, a Muslim leader came to him and asked if he could hold the book from which he spoke – the Bible. Brother Andrew was invited to return and when he did many Bibles were given to the Islamic students. As Harm shared this message, a quote struck me: “Brother Andrew said it was not the fundamentalists’ fault that they had never seen a Bible or heard the gospel. He challenged us to reach out as well.”

As I write this, I see my need for repentance. My thoughts about Sunnis and Shiites are not God’s thoughts. My compassion is shallow. When an elderly Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs who was tortured for Christ and imprisoned fourteen years in Communist Romania, was asked what Christians should do about the growing problem of religious fanatics persecuting the church, he gave a profound answer (gained by walking a lifetime with Jesus): “Love them.” My love is weak. I don’t want to conform to the thinking of this world; I want to be transformed. “Lord, renew my mind.”

“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17

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sword

Posted on January 6, 2007 by Dana

The Person called the “Prince of Peace” said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” When Jesus was born, Herod decreed that all male babies who were two years old and younger be put to death. We know this was an evil decree related to the spiritual battle described in Revelation 12. The words of Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Jesus did not desire innocent children to die because He came to earth. He does not wield the wicked sword of murder and mayhem. So what sword does Jesus carry and what peace does he oppose?

There are many today who seem perfectly happy without caring at all about God or his Kingdom. Some live without a care in the world with every part of their lives in seemingly perfect order. It is a false peace that Jesus comes to disrupt. Confidence linked to pride will eventually crumble; peace dependent upon this world is no peace at all… so Jesus carries a sword that is sharper than a surgeon’s knife. “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Multiple myeloma is a systemic disease. Since it is in my blood, this cancer invades my entire body. When I was first diagnosed we quickly discovered its destructive activity. Too many plasma cells had already gathered in various places in my skeleton and destroyed my bones. X-rays revealed tumors within my ribs, but no operation could remove them. My bone marrow, the liquid substance in the bones which manufactures blood cells, was greatly damaged. This disease destroys from within and as of yet there is no cure. But Jesus possesses a sword so sharp and powerful that he can do what doctors never dream of doing. This sword can separate joints and marrow. Our Great Physician can even use his sword to operate on the soul and spirit, parts of the human no x-ray can detect. Jesus also has the power to heal damage experts label as irreversible. Though I’ve had quite a few powerful drugs flow through my bloodstream over the past six years, nothing can match this sword the Son of God possesses.

In his radical instruction to the disciples in Matthew 10, Jesus mentioned things we often associate with peace: friends, family, and worldly comforts. Our King knows true peace is found only when he is the center of everything. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Jesus Christ came to send a sword through every peace that is not based on a personal relationship to Himself.” Even those who believe in him may be confused at times. I don’t think John the Baptist expected his faithfulness to land him in jail to await execution. He sent messengers to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” When an evil sword is at our throat, Jesus says, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Outcomes might not be what we predict, difficulties may seem more numerous than victories, clouds may prevent us from seeing clearly, but Jesus says, “My holy sword is at work. I am giving sight to the blind. I am letting the deaf hear. I am healing those with incurable diseases and I’m raising the dead. Give up your self and trust me and I promise you’ll find true life.”

“And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!’” Revelation 1:12-18

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