A Debt of LOVE

Yesterday I posted some thoughts on Entering the Kingdom, debt, priorities, the rich, the poor and lies. This morning I awoke with similar thoughts, but the Lord took my mind back to a passage of scripture that gave me cause to challenge myself and you one more time.

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to LOVE one another, for he who LOVEs his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8 NIV)

My take on this passage of scripture is two fold. 1) If at all possible eliminate debt and 2) If you have debt, let it be a LOVE debt.

I think enough wisdom has been disseminated from the professionals regarding our need to be financially debt free, so there should be no standing question about that wisdom, but far less has been said about a LOVE debt.

Why is it that our culture has bought into the lie that financial debt is good and just part of life, all the while thinking that a debt of LOVE is mundane, foolish and at best saccharine and for the weak? It’s likely because true LOVE is so much like God that humanity as a whole marginalizes the art – the Art of God.

The only debt that any of us should look forward to servicing and keeping open is just that The Debt of LOVE. I mean really, can a person ever have enough LOVE, respect and honor? I don’t think so.

Have you ever really sat and pondered the premises of true LOVE? I don’t mean some faux LOVE that operates in the sensualities of life, but I mean genuine LOVE that goes beyond the pleasures of the giver to the entire Shalom of the receiver? When one begins to consider the entire well being of another person or group of persons… that is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to LOVE.

Last Sunday at the conclusion of our weekly service, one of our young ministers had brought the message and I was bringing the benediction. Nathan preached about a coming revolution, a revolution in thought and deed, a revolution that would change the face of the Church as well as the face of our culture; all before the Parousia. I LOVEd what my young friend presented, but as I was about to pray the Lord spoke to my heart and gave me a Word from His lips to my heart. He said, “If you want more… just pour!” (See 1 Kings 17:1-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7 after you finish reading this. Both passages are worth your time and germane to this writing.)

I paused for a moment, seeking to test all things as we’re instructed to do. I was sure He was speaking so I passed along His Word to His people. Amazingly, but not surprisingly the service didn’t end there. There was spontaneous worship and thanksgiving and several other wonderful words of admonition and encouragement were given. After a time of basking in the moment of God’s wisdom and presence, the service ended, but God’s Word DID NOT.

The parallel that we can draw from last weeks Word from heaven and what God woke me for is this. If we will live with an ongoing and outstanding debt of LOVE to everyone we meet and in every circumstance and situation – God the Father WILL provide an unending supply of resource.

Evangelism is far less about 4 Spiritual Laws or a Roman Road or even an EE Outline. As I read it from the Gospels, it looks more like a meal and a friendly glass of wine. As I read it from the Gospels, it looks more like a foot rub and some ointment for the tired feet of a friend. As I read it from the Gospels, it looks more like a confident hug offered to a hurting and broken individual – with zero words exchanged.

My life’s goal is this – LOVE. I know that sounds kinda silly to those who know my ribald humor and my rapier wit (not to mention my loathing of established religion), but I’m not kidding. I firmly believe that we can LOVE people into the Kingdom, but we cannot stop loving them, if and when we find disagreement with their philosophies and values.

Living with a debt of LOVE to a culture that is broken and lost in no way indicates we endorse or agree with said values and conditions, but it does say one thing. While they are yet sinners, we’ve decided to demonstrate LOVE toward them and offer pardon and friendship. For the very act of loving as God LOVEs is true holiness.

And do you know what the Bible says about holiness? Let me quote it for you. “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14 NIV)

For years I thought this passage was subjective and all about my efforts to act “holier than thou” or to put on some posture so that I could eventually get to heaven and “see the Lord”. But that thinking was faulted, for I am saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, not by works of holiness.

Over the years the Lord has revealed His intentions for this passage. Here it is: As I act lovingly toward others, as He acted, they will eventually see that there truly is a God. They will begin to see the Imago Dei in me and just maybe… just maybe… they might believe that He IS. (Hebrews 11:1,6)

So, to conclude my early morning thoughts on debt and LOVE… do everything in your power to eliminate your financial debt. Discipline and determine to be content and godly in all you do, for therein is found great gain. But never ever pay off the Debt of LOVE. For as we service that debt, others begin to see that there really may be a God who LOVEs them and desires a relationship with them. Not just a god who wants their money and will keep them from hell.

Imagine that. I’ve once again broken my promise of short posting, but hey… you gotta LOVE me right? Plus if you’ve read this far, I must have kept your attention.

Agape

Entering the Kingdom

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23 NIV)

Take a moment right now and ask yourself if you are rich? Most of us would say no. Most of us might even say by the end of the month, we have more month than money. Unfortunately that’s a fact that is all too common.

But does that indicate that we are poor? Does it indicate that opportunity and the American Dream have slipped through our grasp? Hardly.

About 4 years ago, my wife and I decided to live like no one else, so that someday we could live like no one else (thanks Dave Ramsey). Amazingly enough, little changed in our income streams, but a whole lot changed with our debt ratio.

By determining that we would become debt free (except for our home mortgage)… and that we would continue to live that way… so that someday we would indeed pay off our home mortgage early and retire free and clear… with money in the bank… all on a modest income derived from two self-employment income streams… that goal is coming to pass. All our debts, to include all credit cards, two automobile notes and home equity loan have all been paid off in full. Now cash has become our greatest asset. Not our excellent credit rating.

Why do I bring up the subject of my old thinking versus my new thinking on debt and finances? Because we as American Christians may be fooling ourselves into thinking we have access to the Kingdom of God. Yeah that’s brazen and problematic for many of you readers (the 2 that are out there), but I would contend that because of our lust for stuff and the two lies we believe, we who are rich are actually keeping ourselves from knowing God and letting Him know us.

Let me expound just a bit. Jesus tells us that it is hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God (yet with God all things are possible). My contention is that ALL of us here in America are rich, despite how little cash we think we have. If we could understand that by the very lust of our flesh, the pride of life and the lust of our eyes, we may well have shackled ourselves to a destiny far less than God has ordained.

The two lies we believe are “you’re not good enough” and “if you buy this you’ll become good enough”. Madison Avenue has us by the glands and those two lies simply keep us running in circles trying to keep up.

So here’s the rub, we’re all rich, but because we believe the lies, we continue to amass vast amounts of stuff and usually debt goes with it. And as we do, our priorities get all messed up and our ability to do what the rich should do, gets mired down in feigning poverty. All the while we’re so far from being poor it’s pathetic.

Imagine what life would be like with zero debt? Imagine being content as well as being godly? Might I say that the only rich people going to heaven are those who have their priorities in order? I just did.

Most of the people that I know who lament their financial situation simply have too much debt. Whether its consumer debt or they’ve over bought on a mortgage (because they couldn’t imagine living in a home whose square footage is under 2000) or they are too ashamed to have rust on their quarter panels or worst of all they don’t know how to say “no” to themselves or their children. Regardless of the specific reason, debt is killing us, nationally and personally.

The way that it’s killing us is by causing we who are rich, to think we are poor. And because we think we are poor, we think God should feel sorry for us and benevolently step in and offer us some sort of divine bankruptcy opportunity or at least a stimulus package, all the while we are rich, but we’ve simply over spent.

Does Laodicea ring a bell? Maybe we should acknowledge that our wealth has gotten us into trouble and we need to get back to the most important things in life and eternity – loving God and loving each other.

Then maybe, just maybe we will be assured of Entering the Kingdom.

Now go and ask yourself if your debt has affected how you live for Jesus? Are you giving like you should? Are you serving like you should? Or are you consumed with servicing the lust behind your debt?

It’s worth looking into.

Principle or Precept… You decide!

As I consider the Word of the Lord for today (actually tomorrow), my thoughts go back to a conversation I had with God this last week. Oh stop, I’m not the only one that has conversations with God and most of the time I do it out loud.

What we were talking about was the difference between principle and precept. In a nutshell the difference is this. Principles are derived from bits and pieces of wisdom teaching. Not always visible to the naked eye or brain, but they’re there. Often they are a compilation of precepts. Precepts are things that God lists in clear language like commands or admonitions that He expects us to follow or obey.

Law is precept. Yet there are laws buried deep in principles that God gives. If we decide to follow God’s principles, it’s very likely we’ll be following many if not all of His laws. But just because we follow certain precepts or laws, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are living by principle or even wisdom.

Let me go a bit deeper.

As a pastor, teacher, prophet and part time evangelist (not to mention being a husband, father, painter, carpenter, handyman, office manager and all around good guy) life is very compressed for me. I’m tired much of the time and the amount of time that is given to prayer and study of the Word is far less than ideal. As a matter of fact, because I work outside of the church to earn the majority of my living, I’m deeply saddened that I don’t get more time to do such necessary work.

As a result the bottom line is this: Preaching the precepts of God is way easier and requires far less study time than preaching principle(s). Yet herein lays my dilemma. People need far less of God’s precepts as they do His principles. For precepts (dos and don’ts) only go so far. Most often they become prohibitions that we who are religious use to control each others behavior. But it rarely works in the long run. And it’s usually fraught with guilt and condemnation. I think that’s very wrong.

Principles are what people really need to live by (core values maybe). Principles are the why behind God’s precepts. Principles are where the real wisdom of God is found. But principles require a greater amount of time in the depths of God’s gold mine – the Bible, and time on our knees before the thrown of Grace.

Reference, cross reference, compare and contrast, pray, think, write, re-write, pray and pray more and study a bit more. Internalize the Truth you’re mining from the Holy Ghost mother load. Yet all of this TAKES HUGE AMOUNTS OF TIME and EFFORT!!!

So what do I end up doing? I find simple precepts and cast them at my sheep. I don’t know if it helps them live better, but I figure I’m not gonna be held to blame if people don’t know what God expects from them. Right?

But that’s the problem, Jesus took the Law and lived it and fulfilled it. All the precepts of God that are necessary for an eternal and earthly relationship with God are fulfilled in Christ. Can you see the problem I’m dealing with?

Now we need the Wisdom of God that comes as we live by principle and not simple precept alone. Precepts like law will bring death if that’s all we have. Principles become the path by which we travel our lives, the path that leads to life and freedom.

So even as I type these words, my heart is broken. Because less and less of God’s people are learning and living by principle. More and more of God’s precepts are being used, but often to little avail. Oh not because they’re powerless, but because principle is what remains even when we can’t live by precept alone.

Principle keeps me loyal to God, because therein are found the stones on which I can build my life. Therein is found the basis of all our faith. Therein is found the proof of what God teaches in His precepts.

So the next time you opt out for the supposedly easy road of living by Law, stop and ask yourself: WHY would God command me in this manner? Maybe if you ask that question, He will lead you into the principles that uphold the precept. And you will discover that all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient… because principles matter and wisdom is real!

Well I better go find some more principles to bring with me to the pulpit in the morning!

Strive No More

I was just listing to an old Keith Green song When I Hear the Praises Start and it flipped a switch inside me. It reminded me once again that all of my striving is in vain. The best of my efforts can never hold a candle to the power and majesty of the work Christ did on the cross.

My head can’t seem to get around that truth, but that really doesn’t matter. What matters is the Work that Christ did in my stead. Because I could not, He did. He did what He did so that I may find rest and comfort in Him alone, so that my rest and comfort are not contingent upon living comfortably. Because more often than not, living comfortably is elusive at best and at worst it is expensive, vain and empty.

Let me ask you, do you know the difference between comfort and comfortable?

Most of us don’t, until all hell breaks loose and the comfortable explodes into chaos and loss. For those baptized in loss, God’s truth seems rather amazing, almost impossible. That we can, in and through Christ, find comfort even when we are not comfortable with outward circumstances?

Over thirty years ago, my youth pastor Jerry Holte, coached a handful of disciples to memorize scripture. Not so we could attain some kudos from God, but that we may know the freedom that only comes from the promises of God. That we may know genuine comfort, despite the fact that life can sometimes be uncomfortable. Because in life there are often great losses, yet God promises comfort from Heaven.

The passage of scripture that stuck with me was Philippians 4:13. I won’t quote it because maybe you could look it up and read the context for yourself. But the Apostle Paul was teaching the truth about God’s comfort and strength – with or without the comfortable things of life. Paul was teaching us that as we cease our striving for the comfortable, we can find genuine comfort in and through Christ our Lord. That truth is just as real to me today as it was in 1977. I just needed a gentle reminder.

Thanks Keith, thanks Jerry, thanks Holy Spirit, thanks Dad.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

Is your soul at rest this hour? Are you striving for something that you cannot attain? Are you running life’s race in vain? Do you work hard and find little solace for your soul? Are you religious and fearful that you cannot ever measure up to God’s expectations? Are you emotionally tired? Are you feeling empty?

May I encourage you to go to Jesus? Consider this, being comfortable in life is of little significance if you do not have comfort of soul. If you have never known the Comfort that only comes from God the Father, as He draws near with Love and Grace, cry out today and receive. Tell Him you are tired of striving. Tell Him you need His Comfort more than you need to be comfortable. I promise you, He will deliver. You will find the Comfort that only He can supply.

So go ahead. Stop striving. Stop working to please an unattainable standard or formula and start relating to a Father who will come and slake your hunger and thirst for what only He can supply. Remember, comfort is about relationship. Comfortable is about stuff. Which would you rather have, greater relationship or more stuff?

Selah

True Repentance

In the New Testament John the Baptist and Jesus both inaugurate their place on the timeline of life and Kingdom purpose by including a word that is so often left out of our religious vernacular. Usually because we just don’t know or understand the real meaning of the word.

I’m no Greek scholar (that’s my brother-in-law Jac Perrin), but a simple understanding of the word in context can clarify our need for its use and application in many if not all areas of our lives.

Many people repent over the course of a lifetime. And most of the time it has little to do with God or their eternal destination.

Let me note the definition of repentance: to change one's mind, i.e. to repent; to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins.

"Repentance (metanoia, 'change of mind') involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness." (F. F. Bruce. The Acts of the Apostles [Greek Text Commentary], London: Tyndale, 1952, p. 97.)

Let me elaborate on this matter that seems all too often like a bitter pill for many to swallow.

People all over the planet and all through human history have lived out the practice of repentance. How many of us have “changed our minds” for the better? Maybe we’ve changed jobs, changed relationships, changed our worldview on matters of conscience, and even changed brands despite long term loyalties to one product over another. Why?

Because we’re all looking for an upgrade and that upgrade only comes when we change our thinking about our present condition. Some might argue that they are content in all areas of their life and they aspire to no change or improvements, but I would suggest that by our very embrace of technology and lifestyle improvements, we’re all hooked like a first time crack user.

Whether it’s any of the things I’ve mentioned above or a myriad of other things we face in life, change happens and especially in our minds. And most of the time we’re not conscious of the progression.

Because thinking affects behavior, biblical sin begins with thinking that does not reflect God’s heart or mind. Granted, none of us could match God’s thinking prowess nor the depths of His heart, but because we are created (Imago Dei sorry I just like those words) in His image we are designed to be like Him.

When we stray from our original design and purpose (relationship with the Designer) therein emerges the element of sin. Make sense?

Because none of us can fully know Truth (until we meet Truth face to face) all we have is a collage of facts, ergo the joy and frustration of science and religion. Neither the greatest scientist nor the greatest theologian can fully get their minds around ALL the facts. Therefore, no one has cornered the market. Real Truth is the ability to know the beginning and the end. That is simply impossible for the human heart or mind to comprehend. All we can do is string together bits and pieces of facts (and even those can be suspect) then throw the dice and hope we don’t discover something that would cause us to repent of our thinking on previously held sacred ground.

If and when that happens, I mean the reassessment and realignment of our thinking on any matter for the better, we have repented. For this I have no fear. And I would challenge each of you readers to embrace the same.

Let me end with this. Ever wonder about the proliferation of gambling? People are looking for the ultimate upgrade. Despite the facts that the house always wins, people still gamble.

Facts have not ultimately stopped stupid human behavior nor have they raised the incidence of wisdom. Yet historically mankind has always sought for an upgrade. May I suggest that we all repent? Change our thinking. Come into alignment with the facts as we know them and fill in the gaps with faith. We cannot prove God’s existence, but we can marvel at the facts as presented and wonder with awe at the mysteries unexplained. And we cannot disprove God’s existence either, because the beauty of science is the use of a hypothesis. Of which leads us to the next hypothesis, and the next and the next and the next.

See the pattern? Repentance IS the fabric of advance, and in my case, the ultimate goal of reconnecting with God and living by His original design. When I’m wrong, deep in my heart I want to change. But entropy of the soul keeps me unrepentant. That’s when my faith in Jesus and what He came to do, kicks in.

As it stands, I’ve spent most of my life experiencing change of thinking for the better. When gaps exist in the continuum of facts, we tend to throw in theories (faith). My theory (an old and historic one) God IS and I’m not and Jesus is the Christ (the designed answer to fill in the gaps between the facts) and I want to know and experience Him as much as I possibly can… because I still want an upgrade. Don’t you?

Metanoia to All

Living In a Sound Bite World

Looks like North Korea has continued with their plan for unilateral insanity and it smells like Iran is not far behind. People are still dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. The economy is on the wagon for a while but who knows when it will take off on another bender. Swine flu is still spreading but we all got side tracked by the American Idol winner. And another kid committed suicide allegedly because he was being bullied. Gas prices are up slightly and Jay Leno will soon be prime time.

I say all that because it seems like we’re on course to compress more and more gravity into more and more sound bites (or video bites) with less and less impact to really change us from within. I mean really, if the media can flood us with enough rapid fire info streaming at 10mbps plus, is it even possible to soak in the depth of meaning behind any of it? When you compress gravity so much, doesn't it turn into a black-hole?

For that matter, even as I type these words my son and a friend are in the family room playing xbox360 at thumb-eye-and-brain speeds that even Evelyn Wood could have never imagined possible. But are they better off for it?

With attention spans shrinking year after year and the gravity of global events getting greater and greater, will the next generation even have time to ponder things like the long term effects of battery powered cars or nuclear weapons small enough to make it into the class room some day?

If all we are is a culture that is texting and sound biting, is there any hope for real relationships and contemplation over the bigger things in life? I wonder?

The days of people getting one or two bits of information regarding a topic and then allowing that info to percolate and assimilate into minds that were taught to think and process with wisdom and foresight may all but be over.

The Value of Stopping

My final thought for the moment, before I fire up the grill is this. Since many parents have ceased using the word “no” or “stop” when they communicate with their little ones, and anything goes and very often does. My concern is a generation that has no understanding of the value of stopping. Go, go, go seems to be the mantra for all too many families today.

Will there be anyone left who simply stops and takes time to listen, to smell, to observe, to wait, to be quiet, to think, to rest? I could go on but I won’t.

Let me close with this. Stop. Rest. Think. Listen. And by all means try not to live on sound bites and Red Bull. Remember man does not live on bread alone, but on EVERY WORD that is vital to life. Not just the blur of ones and zeros that fly through the air as we carelessly go about life. Remember that every word matters. Every event matters. Every person matters. Every second matters.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Have you ever looked at old family photos or pictures of yourself from way back when? I know that when I do that I look at myself and wonder who is that person?

Maybe I’m kind of weird like that, but old pictures of me make me ask that question? We all tend to look back into our lives and use the power of hindsight. Yet hindsight can never explain the sense of mistaken identity we lived with at the time the photo was taken or the event occurred.

At any given point in our lives we think we know ourselves and we hope others know us accurately, but in all reality, time and hindsight are the only true identifiers of who we are.

Time allows for growth and change and ultimately lessons learned by mistakes or deliberate steps toward transformation. Hindsight gives us the choice of learning from our previous wanderings or winnings, so as to hopefully make us wiser in all our decisions.

Many years ago a local pastor made a judgment call about me. He based his opinions on my outward appearance and some rumors that he heard and believed to be true about me. The unfortunate fact was he did not know me. He didn’t have a clue about what made me tick or who I really was from the inside out. All he did was develop a bias and bigotry based upon externals.

It was a case of mistaken identity. I wonder how often I do the same thing. I wonder how often we drive people away from Life and Hope that only God can give, simply because we choose to identify them based upon what we see and hear.

Who among us, with the exception of a few prophets, can know the insides of someone? What motivates them? What causes them to have apathy? Why do they think and feel the way they do?

All too often it’s easier to judge someone wrongly, instead of loving them rightly. Loving them rightly means we get close enough to smell what their life has been rolled in. Most people get rolled in some pretty bad stuff and they usually don’t ask for it.

So the next time you make a mistake about someone’s identity, based upon your perception, ideology, dogma, religion, fear or the pain of your own life, remember people did the same with Jesus.

Following a wonderful and stimulating lunch with an old friend, my wife and I found ourselves savoring a fresh cup at Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure. I love places where business executives are there hashing out some new marketing plan, med students are cramming for there next exam, neo-hippies are lovingly hanging on each other and painters are welcome.

I thought about my visit to this coffee shop and some of the bars I used to frequent. The beauty of places like that is because everyone seems welcomed and no one is an outsider for very long. Regardless of their identity common ground is found. We all just wanted to be where someone else is and to have something refreshing to drink. That’s a pretty simple church growth formula.

May God help me to foster a community where common ground becomes uncommon experience? And may God help me to never again mistake someone’s identity simply because of how they look, act or what I’ve heard about them. May I earn the right to know them by spending time with them, before I make that judgment call, before it becomes a case of Mistaken Identity?

Let’s have coffee and get acquainted.