Is It Really A Free Ride?

Value, Motive and Reason – part 3

As I’ve participated in daily life over the past few weeks, these words have surfaced in my interpretation of each collision I’ve encountered. When I say “collision” I don’t mean conflict, but I do mean a fusion of matter and ideas. All of which comprise each day’s reality check, which in reality often seems so relative and subjective. Yet the harder I look through the ocular of my given equipment, I find common ground with each and every one of you. The only distinction is geographic. But considering this season we are celebrating, I was going to get each of you “Peace on Earth”. But since that seems tacitly impossible, I’ve sent you a piece of earth… look for a chunk of dirt to arrive real soon.

Remember church; green is the new gold, so get ready.

Let me put the words of my heart, soul and mind into a fondue so you can dip the crusty bread of your consumer existence into the hot steamy delight of what happens between my ears and between my sternum and my vertebrae. All the while remembering David’s powerful prayer of repentance and caution: Psalm 19:13 “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (KJV)

Many years ago, I wondered if I had committed the unpardonable sin, because me and a few other guys (we were teenagers) had mocked the white haired lady in our church who always seems to give a message in tongues all the while her life and family were some of the most odd and asocial people one could encounter.

I think the first time the mockery occurred was at Pizza Hut on a Sunday night after church. I think it was Dave Walker who first mimicked her as he wheezed and coughed through his Marlboros. It was me, Chris, Brian, Jack, Mike, Kevin and whatever girls we were able to recruit to meet us at the east side Pizza Hut, because most of the church people wouldn’t be there to see us smoking cigarettes. Back then you could light a cigarette from the little red votive candles they had burning on all the tables (it was wickedly dark in the restaurant back in those days). And twenty five cents would buy you four song plays on the juke box, usually Free Ride or Frankenstein, by Edgar Winter were included in the four. All of which made for some pretty serious guilt feelings later that night as I lay in my bed. Never understanding what had really transpired in the previous few hours, including church.

The REASON I bring up that historic anecdote from my teenage years is because at the time, I’m sure Walker and the rest of us really had no clue as to what had happened at church that night, let alone why we were driving all the way over to the east side (many times in the deep Iowa snow that few parents cared about if their kids drove in… let alone bumper-sliding… remember those good old days?) just so we could smoke cigarettes and flirt with easy girls.

We didn’t have a clue as to the real REASON we chose to do what we did. Some would have said we were rebellious teenagers, who needed to repent and get right with God, and maybe they were right, but did any of our accusers ever really know how bad Harlan and Elvin treated their boys? Or for that matter did any of our roll models really model that stellar of behavior?

For all of us, value, motive and REASON are the cycle of life. Unfortunately, many of us get off on the wrong foot and the next thing you know (30 years later) we’re sitting in Larry Low’s office trying to figure out why life hurts.

When those who have influence over us, use rationale and REASON that is based upon error or flat out lies believed to be true, the value(s) that is birthed becomes part of who we are (right or wrong, good or bad). Then based upon our patterns of behavior, if we repeatedly do certain things, they become factual evidence that they are indeed our values. And values are the engine or the motive for our doing what we’re doing. Even when something is wrong, it can functionally work for us, kind of like a survival thing.

In some contexts, that’s call the Stockholm syndrome (just Google it). If it works for you, right or wrong, that’s very often what you will continue to do. When held captive by a lie, that has historically caused you pain, you will develop coping mechanisms, so as to just survive and get by. And if you’re real good, like some of those guys who have web casts that we’re all supposed to be watching, because they’re much better leaders or liars than the rest of us (could I say they are just developmentally better at coping).

Either way, the things that motivate us are built into systems or patterns that we’ve found simply work for us. That’s right (or wrong it really doesn’t matter when it comes to functionality); they work at keeping us afloat, at least that’s what we think and feel.

Here’s where it all really implodes and sets us on a success driven collision course with destruction. Value and motive perpetuate the rationale or the REASON we continue doing what we are doing.

And if we can convince ourselves that what we are doing and feeling is working… no change will occur. If we are getting some measure of results that we want or are at least content with (pain or not), we’ll rationalize that things are okay and we have no reason for change. And that’s how good lies work. We’re not supposed to realize they are lies.

And the cycle continues unabated.

I wonder if anyone else reading this blog has ever satiated their pain or confusion with a piece of pizza, a cigarette and Edgar Winter. Maybe I’m the only one.

Here’s a final dip in the fondue. Numbers 14:44 “Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD's covenant moved from the camp.” (NIV)

I wonder how far up into the hill country we’ve attempted to travel? I told one of the guidance counselors at our local junior high not to be fooled into thinking things were getting better there at the school. Two weeks later another high school student took his own life.

As the kids in our youth group were discussing the matter, they all lamented the tragedy of a life lost in it’s prime, but they even more lamented the tragedy of what appeared to be a kid who was not a star or popular, and so few mourned his passing. Did anyone put a RIP sign up on the pedestrian viaduct over Eighth Street? They usually do if it’s a popular kid.

It really seems like we’ve headed for the hill country without proper REASON, motive or even value (let alone the presence of the Lord and our Covenant). Since I don’t smoke anymore, I think I’ll listen to the Best of Edgar Winter and see what memories Jesus will show me.

Value, Motive and Reason… do not underestimate their impact.

More Thoughts on Value, Motive and Reason - part 2.2

As I’ve sought to live out the very things that I not only blog about, but that I talk about, act about, and definitely think about, this subject seemed to boomerang itself right back into my lap. And for good reason (no pun intended).

Here’s the more thought. Value, Motive and Reason are cyclical. That’s right, cyclical. Meaning that as each exists separately they are applied in all various and sundry manners and each produces some definite end result. Which may be all well and good, but what God has been stirring in my heart these last few days is this: the SUM IS GREATER THAN ITS INDIVIDUAL PARTS.

Now don’t flame me for being so simple minded and kind of delayed in my wow revelation on this matter. Because I know that many of you probably had had this epiphany in junior high math class, but for me I’ve typically been a slow learner (I live by the trial and error method most of the time). But once I get something it tends to stick.

When value exists regarding a matter, it produces a motive or a driving force that, at least in our minds, becomes a rational cause for doing or being (most often more doing than being), which is reason being lived out. And reason (in my opinion) is pure (not in a divine way per se) if it is associated with genuine belief in something (moral, amoral or immoral and even if it’s truth or a lie).

Now don’t miss this, because it’s short and sweet. As the process or cycle of this principle occurs, reason ultimately produces new values or increased value in something we do (mental or emotional sandbagging maybe). And whatever we do, with relative consistency IS a value. Some would say a core value. Which by the way, I think has been a much over used and over rated verbal nomenclature the church has thrown around in recent years (just like we did with mission and vision). Which in my mind further begs the question of our effectiveness if we now have to TELL people what they SHOULD value, and these are the people that have supposedly had an encounter with the living God, yet they don’t know or understand what He values?

All of which REALLY begs the question (for all of us) once again: WHO IS SHAPING our minds and hearts as to what we should VALUE? Because if we believe and buy into the wrong kerygma, our life cycle of development will tilt little by little to one direction or another, usually very unnoticeable at first, but ultimately by degree we will find ourselves way off plumb or level. Because reason begets deeper value, and value produces motive, which tends to drive us into rational practice or reason for doing or being, and being and doing (especially doing) equals what we value (core values = the things we do the most), which reproduces the cycle all over again.

And depending upon how much truth or error have been mixed into the propaganda (right or wrong) that we’ve been fed, will determine how plumb or level our lives will project into eternity.

If you are only off one degree when extrapolating a vector, ultimately the end width of that vector will be very large. If something rigid that is meant to be plumb as it projects upward is off by only a very small measure, when greater heights are reached the entire structure will be so far off plumb that gravity will utilize it’s off centeredness to raze the whole thing to the ground (oh how the mighty fall – the little foxes do spoil the vines).

So be careful who and what you listen to, because lots of messages can be appealing or simply palatable, but if they are off very much, the cycle of VALUE, MOTIVE and REASON will produce such a leaning tower of Pisa that eventually, at least in that particular area (if not all), it will collapse in a heap.

Value, Motive and Reason, I think they’re important. Do you?
Next week: Our direr need for biblical shims!
Smile God Loves You... Later!

VALUE, MOTIVE and REASON - part 2

I have a friend who is a religion and philosophy teacher at a local community college near his home. He has also been a senior pastor in the same church for the better part of twenty years. He had some great thoughts on value and the quest for universally applied standards in that area. Here are his words in response to my previous post.

“Russell… values, as a group, are not either universal or relative, they are both universal and relative. For example: we all value a cool drink on a hot day, (universal) but some would choose tea, others coke, or perhaps a Pepsi, or some juice (relative). There are primary values that meet a need, that we all share, and there are secondary values, that we develop according to our own physiological, psychological, spiritual, and experiential makeup. Value theory is an important area of debate in philosophy.”

Thanks Curt, those are good thoughts. They all-the-more affirm my convictions on the subject at hand. Generally speaking, within the American church and even more relevant and critical for our future, within the Kingdom of God, these matters had better get solved real soon or chaos will be so rampant we won’t know what to do with ourselves. Although a chaos of that nature could be prophetic by design; all according to the grace of our God given free will and His plan for the eschaton.

My niece’s husband posted some great words regarding Value, Motive and Reason. “Values we are instilled with and adhere to provide us with motive in what we do and how we do it, thereby inspiring our life's reason.” I think that’s pretty straight forward. Thanks Jordan! I love you man.

My dear sister Bonnie posted the following. “All of these subjects are missing from our current society (or if present, they are sadly distorted). They only can be found in true form in the Christian life.” Of which I wholeheartedly agree. She speaks from many years in the ministry. She’s a great pastors wife… or should I say the wife of a great pastor.

Yet all of these good thoughts continue to beg the question of Value, Motive and Reason (as far as I’m concerned and it’s my blog). What I mean is this; if your family was raised with slaking their thirst on a hot day with Pepsi… it’s likely you may assume a similar relative value for doing the same (entertainment, fashion, politics, religion and relationships pan out in a similar manner). All of which is very benign, unless Pepsi is thought of as something that can and will separate you from God and His best for your life (Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists and the like… when I was a kid we drank Pepsi like Otis drank bourbon on Andy Griffith… daily).

And as Jordan pointed out, “Values… are instilled” and my question is this: how well is the “church” and the “Christian” family doing these days? Granted, we all develop differing convictions according to the Spirit’s leading, but somewhere along the line, it seems that we should all run into the same threshold of limitation and constraints according to God’s standard in the written Word and the Spirit’s leading. But that seems to be more and more up for grabs. And we seem pretty okay with that, as long as the offerings are still flowing. Maybe we’re just getting closer and closer to the truth?

I concur with my sister Bonnie that within the “true form” of “the Christian life” correct value, motive and reason, are established and produce life and life more abundantly, but again I pose the question: Where is the “true form” of “the Christian life”? All too often it’s not found in the church or the home.

I have yet to read Mark Batterson’s latest book Primal – A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, but my guess is, he may address some of this lost ground we’re experiencing within the Christian community. Okay, I take that back, I have read the free pdf download of the first chapter (it’s good). And it appears that’s where his journey will take us. Thanks Mark… I paced that same chapel balcony. Wish I had that balcony right now.

When we value what God values our motives change (our desires change). That’s right, the engine of our soul that keeps us moving in a positive God ordained direction, flows directly from the development of parallel values with God. And therein lays the path of God’s will for our lives. The thing I hope we all want. Or at least I hope so?

The challenge we face in this postmodern day and age is holding on to the things that God values. Simply put, we are bombarded by this message: “Value what we value”. Madison Avenue, Hollywood or even the Fox News Channel are all vying for market share. But if we consider the challenge facing the church today, the challenge of market share, we face the same thing. Value what we value. But boy is that hard to get across anymore.

Yet how many of us are spending our lives promoting the things that God values? If we can, by the Spirit’s leading, bring light to those in darkness and help them understand value from God’s perspective, we just might see some positive forward movement within the Kingdom of God in the American church.

If we can just be motivated by His will and not ours, if we can just find pure reason in all that we do, genuine hope might pay off. Not some campaign slogan that only works to get votes.

Immanuel Kant wrote, "Although all our knowledge begins with experience, it does not follow that it arises from experience" alone. With that I would agree. Based upon my belief that there is a God who seeks to influence humankind by conscience and providence, my life quest is to value what God values. I believe He will make those values self evident, if I’m willing to listen. Our problem is that God may not be sending MP3’s and MP4’s, and that’s all we’re formatted to receive.

I believe that long before the Bible was ever codified, individuals heard from God and were led in various and sundry manners of righteousness (and my friend Don the atheist, whom I love, will tell me in various and sundry manners of evil in the name of god – he’s right). All of which reflect the probable influence of the Imago Dei that Kant could have been suggesting existed prior to experience (or an awaking to God or Satan); a deep intuitive knowing that would tend to construct a civil thought process that would further construct a lifestyle that produces good behavior reflecting that internal presence I would call God.

Religion has historically screwed us up. Jesus has not. Church has historically drifted from biblical mandate. Jesus has not. The Assemblies of God within America has lost market share. Jesus has not.

While I was on holiday with my family up in Minnesota and Wisconsin, I took a brief pause to read an article in Christianity Today (the November issue I believe). This short article talked about the Southern Baptist’s alarm at ministers like Mark Driscoll (the cussing pastor – I think he drinks too) and their negative postmodern influence upon the established traditions of the church, namely the Southern Baptists. So I understand they made a resolution at their last national council meeting to ban all cussing and drinking pastors or at least limit their relationship with them. I guess that’s a good idea, unless the cussing and drinking pastors are the ones really hearing from God these days. And unless they are the ones that God is bringing fresh biblical revelation too. Remember Balaam’s ass?

Because our 19th century American Christianity was so influenced by the holiness movement, we have historically gotten our God “revelations” from those we’ve perceived as most holy. Or at least that’s how it appears at first glance. It’s kind of funny (in a tragic way) how we listen to and follow with wrapped attention the guys who can keep our attention in the name of God, all the while they are doing the “wild-thing” with someone other than their wife. Until they get caught.

I remember when it was considered really bad for ministers to look at porn or get involved sexually with anyone outside of their marriage (I still think it’s really bad… so does God). But somewhere in the last few decades that VALUE disappeared. Yes it did… and don’t argue with me about that, because values are measured by what we do, not by what we say. What we say can be of value, but most often what we say or write are only ideals. If purity in body and soul are of value, then behavior would dictate that. Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they shall see God. Hmmm… it’s no wonder we have a generation that can’t seem to perceive (see) God in much these days. Have we lost our purity?

So who sets VALUE on anything but God? If I set it, it means squat. If my fellowship sets it, it means squat. That’s why we need to once again develop the ability to hear God’s voice. And further, if we VALUE Him, His voice will MOTIVATE us with pure REASON.

Otherwise, it’s just all “yada, yada, yada”! Did God say that? Right… and that’s my point. Who is shaping us? Jerry or Jesus?

Well… this is what lots of snow gets you… lot’s of blogging. I’m still simmering so the stew just might get more potent. Get a glass of milk… it will help.

A Value Follow Up - part 1.1

This will be a shorter post to follow up on my previous thoughts on value.

Tools are important. Monday through Friday I work in the trade business. I’m a painting contractor, a carpenter, handyman and jack of all trades and master of none. I understand that good tools are important to get the job done right and on time.

I’m not throwing stones, because I have lots of expensive tools that some might consider a luxury, unless you do this kind of work day in and day out to make a living.

But here’s my point. Several years ago a friend of mine who is on staff at a large church somewhere here in the middle of Iowa, shared with me some information about some new equipment the church had purchased. As I recall, it was some very fancy lights. That’s right, lights that were able to change color and do cool things and who knows what else (maybe they could make angel shadows or something). Regardless of how functional they may have been, my friend told me that they cost in the range of forty thousand dollars (yep… 40K).

I suppose they got a good deal, because they bought more than one, and my guess is that many people got saved and entered the Kingdom of God, because the perfect ambiance was achieved. And I suppose the church grew exponentially and many saints grew closer to God because of the power of those incredible lights, but 40K? Is that a good value?

Our entire church budget for the year is less than 40K, but then again I only pastor a church of 40 people. I wonder how much value those really hip lights added to the church and the Kingdom.

Value... Imagine what 40K could have done for a little church that just needs a jump start and some compassionate friends?

Value… Imagine what 40K could have done for a pastor that has little time to blog, let alone prepare sermons, visit shut-ins, make hospital calls, counsel hurting people and oh yeah… work 40 plus hours a week on top of it all? Day off? What’s that?

Value... Imagine if we all stumbled upon a universally accepted value? Not just something that people value in New York or the Netherlands, but something that was equally valued universally around the globe?

Our problem is just that: Nothing seems to be equally valued universally, therefore value appears relative. Therein lays the journey I’m on and the mission I’m charged to accomplish.

Value, Motive and Reason. More to come!

Value, Motive and Reason part 1

Over the course of the last few weeks and especially in the last few days spent with family, my mind and heart have meandered in and around the above few words. Not because they are words that hold any particular weight on their own, but because they are beginning to form what I believe could be my mid-life-mantra.

Each of us has thoughts and feelings that tend to motivate us for good or for ill? I might have said evil, but the circles of people that I hang with tend to shun evil people and things, so I chose the word ill so as to maintain my current social and religious posture and standing. Albeit evil tends to be the bane of this group, few can escape its influence.

Anyway, my thoughts on value, motive and reason have merged into the following stream of ideas.

Have you ever wondered about the power of value? Even at the least levels, value determines a great deal. Value determines relationships, value determines economic investments, value determines political decisions, value determines in many cases who lives and who dies.

Value is what causes families to bond and nations to war, or vice versa. Value is what advances causes and retards progress. Simply put, value is huge. Value could really be thought of as the fulcrum that all life pivots upon. And depending upon where one places the fulcrum, will determine the amount of load lifted or effort needed to lift the load.

Each and every day we determine our daily activities and direction, solely based upon value or the lack thereof. What one person decides has high value; another person determines it to be of little or no value. So what sets in motion a person’s value system?

That’s such a great question, I’ll ask it again. What sets in motion a person’s value system? If we can figure that one out, we can begin to determine a person’s motives, and from motives we’ll find pure reason.

Why is it that some people value one thing and others don’t? Why is it that some people reject wisdom and others don’t? It’s kind of funny when you think about it; a starving man has little need for a brand new BMW if he cannot redeem it for some food. In that case the BMW has no value except maybe to get the starving man closer to where the food is, if that’s even possible.

Don’t miss what I’m saying. Each of us comes to a place in our lives when we begin to sort out things that matter and things that don’t. At least that’s how we see it from a subjective point of view. But there again, it’s all about value. The older I get (and I’m only 49… that’s not very old) the less I care about the things I cared about when I was nineteen. That may seem trite and you may say “yeah so what?” But that’s my point.

Values or value tends to change as circumstances change. The person, who swears never to steal, yet suddenly finds they are starving and have no money, may change their value system about being a thief.

I’m not suggesting a value system that is relative, BUT I am saying that the American church has often operated in this manner, despite what God may say in His Word.

Consider if you will the idea that value intrinsically produces motive. And when motive is birthed, movement or change of some sort is set in motion, ergo the term locomotive. And once a body is set in motion, well you can just study that theory, but my observation is that it continues on, unless otherwise interrupted by an outside force.

Value, motive and reason; three very powerful forces so often over looked. More to come!

Man I'm Starving(Acquiring an Appetite for God)

Have you ever found yourself in a moment when hunger just overwhelmed you? Like those times at work when you didn’t eat breakfast or the right kind of breakfast and you find yourself at 10:30 AM ready to eat wood or anything you could get your hands on?

Or it’s late in the day and schedules collide and dinner is late and you find yourself coming to the table saying “man I’m starving”? If you’re like me you can relate.

Let me preface my thoughts with this: I have never been in a place where I was genuinely starving. I have always had access to food. I have only really known hunger, because meal time was delayed, but never actual starvation. I know there are billions of people on this planet that could express volumes about starvation and I’m not one of them. But my thoughts today go beyond simple lack of nutrition.

Jesus said; “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35 NIV)

I find it very curious, Jesus tells us that there is a place where we will NEVER experience hunger or thirst again. Some kind of place where the pang of hunger in our bellies will never be felt again, nor the dryness of thirst that so often overtakes one caught in some sort of vigorous exercise or labor parches the throat and tongue. But He’s not talking about something physical; He’s talking about something very different, yet similar in its impact on our lives.

Jesus is talking about an acquired appetite so fixed on God that one cannot live without it. So critical is this type of appetite, that Jesus tells us nothing is more important. So where and how does this appetite come from?

Firstly, this type of appetite comes from God alone. That’s right; God provides by grace an appetite that can only be satisfied in Him alone. God has designed everything in the cosmos to come close to satisfying our desires, all the while leaving us void and wanting something more. Kind of like the theory that eating bad carbohydrates causes you to want more bad carbohydrates. It becomes a vicious cycle that can only be broken by training your body’s metabolism to be satisfied with better nutrition. And that takes time and deliberate action on our part.

God set up the scenario, consume Me and never be hungry and thirsty again, or consume other things and continue in your quest for satisfaction. I hate to admit it, but Mic Jaggar was right… he can never find true satisfaction in anything apart from God. Especially useless information designed to spark imagination, funny how we’ve used that formula in the church.

Secondly, this type of appetite is more than just a head trip. It’s more than a simple understanding that certain foods are good for you and others are not. I say that because almost every person in the Western world understands the gravity of certain foods over others. Meaning, a bowl of potato chips has units of heat that the body can use, but they are the wrong kind and often produce ill affects on your system management. Whereas a bowl of whole grain oats also has units of heat that the body can use, but those units of heat have more value because of other elements in their make up. The illustrations of nutrition could go on and on, but the point is, God alone holds the key to proper spiritual nutrition and simply KNOWING that fact is not enough.

Just like knowing about proper nutrition is not enough to have any significant affect on health and well being, so too is faith or belief in what God is telling us. Jesus is more than a religious icon we look to for solace and comfort. He is the ONE AND ONLY source of life and coming TO Him is only half of the equation.

For God’s plan to function as He designed it, we must accept the fact that He alone supplies all our needs and even our wants. We must realize the grace in empty calories that ultimately will lead us to refuel.

“Belief is not merely an agreement with facts in the head; it is also an appetite for God in the heart, which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction. ‘He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst!’ Therefore eternal life is not given to people who merely think that Jesus is the Son of God. It is given to people who drink from Jesus as the Son of God. ‘The water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life’ (John 4:14). He is also the bread of life, and those who feed on Him for nourishment and satisfaction live by Him. ‘I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever’ (John 6:51). The point of these images of drinking and eating is to make clear the essence of faith. It is more than believing that there is such a thing as water and food; and it is more than believing that Jesus is life-giving water and food. Faith is coming to Jesus and drinking the water and eating the food so that we find our hearts satisfied in Him.” (John Piper; The Purifying Power of Living in Future Grace; p.86)

Do you get that? You can believe that coming to the table of the Lord is the right thing to do, but eating Him is a whole other thing. You can admire the beauty and presentation of a sumptuous meal, much like the pictures in food magazines, but eating is way better than just looking. Are you willing to consume the Living Lord with all your deepest desires and find true satisfaction, or will you continue to eat chips and candy in hopes to be satisfied and healthy?

My contention is this: How satisfied and healthy are we? I mean really, do we trust in our own resources to bring us satisfaction?

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, (24) but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’
declares the LORD.”

This is where we miss getting our satisfaction from the Lord. All of us have, to some degree, wisdom, strength and riches. And that’s the problem. We are resourceful. We have access to all of the above, by birth or acquisition – we have access to wisdom, strength and riches.

So why do we need God, right? I mean really, let’s just do our Sunday church thing and get on with winning the rat race. Monday’s coming and we’ve got a plan. We’ve got a strategy to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN, with or without God, right?

Sadly I say, that’s right, because all too often we find our satisfaction, temporarily in the things of this world and the resources that tend to flow from humans (self) instead of God.

Let me challenge you. Do you trust in anything other than God? Trusting in God means faithfully putting Him first in all your thinking and doing (actually doing as He tells you by His Spirit and His Word), and then taking action based upon your experiences and resources. Together you’ll find great satisfaction. The sum of God’s resources and yours are greater by far than yours alone.

Why not get hungry for God? Why not make Him the desire of your appetite? Why not?

Could it be that you’ve been snacking before dinner? Remember what your mother told you; “Don’t eat that or you’ll spoil your appetite for dinner.” Mom was right, and so is Dad. Trust Him.

A Coming to Our Senses – Luke 15:11-31

One of my favorite stories from the Gospels is the one we fondly refer to as the Prodigal Son parable. It’s a great illustration of the grace of God shown toward the wayward sinner.

Finding THE GRACE OF GOD in all situations is not easy, but when we do, our perspective changes. Our view of life becomes hopeful and not hopeless. We find ourselves coming alive to the fact that God is working on our behalf and there’s not a single thing we can do that can stop Him.

Romans 5:6
“You see, at JUST THE RIGHT TIME, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”

Please take note, God’s view of our “right time” is when we are powerless, helpless, ungodly and far from being at our best. The right time for God’s grace to explode on the scenes of our life is when we finally run out of answers. Especially the answers we seek to provide for our own problems.

Like many of us, the young impetuous son falls prey to the wander lust. He somehow BELIEVES THE LIE that life outside his father’s house will be way better than life inside. So off he goes cash in hand, after demanding that he get his share of the inheritance now instead of later.

Ironically THE FATHER GIVES him the money and lets him go; all without an argument, as far as the text reveals. That’s right, he just lets him head off to do his own thing. Now most of us dad’s wouldn’t do that, but this dad did. This dad is a study in character of the nature and perspective of Father God. The story shows the freedom God gives us, despite how foolish we often become.

Now the grace expressed in this story can be found throughout, but the portion that has been on my heart for the last few weeks is the part where the wayward son finds himself smack dab in the middle of his self imposed crisis. And aren’t they THE WORST KIND OF CRISIS? You know… the kind of screw up or misjudgment that falls completely on your shoulders. Ouch!

Anyway, my thoughts are these: How often do we have to have a coming to our senses moment, before we don’t find ourselves in the pig pen once again? And, do you remember THE LAST TIME, if ever, you had a coming to your senses moment?

The reason I ask those questions is because I believe that many people find themselves in and out of crisis or going around THE SAME MOUNTAIN again and again, all the while they somehow believe that life is just that way. Because of THE PATTERNS they’ve lived in for so long have yet to be broken, it all just seems normal. And worst of all, because misery loves company, most of the friends and family that surround a person who passes in and out of the pig pen, tend to just accept the situation as normal.

Secondly I ask if you can remember the last time, if ever, that you had one of those coming to your senses moments, because those times can be BENCHMARKS OF GOD’S GRACE to you, but far too often we miss the power of the divine moment. We glaze it over with a rationale that’s based upon a self centered premise that somehow puts us in the driver’s seat and we forget how much influence the Lord actually has on our hearts and minds.

Keep in mind that we have the power of free will to choose wisdom or folly, but we do not have the power of redemption and grace. Both of which are gifts from God to us.

It’s like this, you didn’t have the power to be conceived and brought into this world, but once you got here, you progressively developed the power and ability to either live or die, to make choices that take you one way or the other. But ultimate once you die, that’s it, your part in any decision making processes is over.

Well much like our life cycle here on earth that contains choices and opportunities, so too does our spiritual life cycle contain choices and opportunities. Another question that’s on my mind is this: How often do we realize the grace and power that God is demonstrating even during the routine of making foolish decisions that lead us once again to the pig pens of life?

See the cool thing is this; grace is found throughout the parable of the prodigal son, especially at the point where he comes to his senses.

As I read this parable I conclude there are at least Five (5) Grace Findings that form a cycle of God’s applied grace, all of which should give us hope despite our failings.

Grace finding number one – the son experienced ACCESS – relationship with the Father (grace) vv.11-12. When was the last time you realized that you have access to Father God, but simply ignored that fact or took it for granted? All that we have to do is speak to the Father and then listen for His voice. Reading His word gives us access to His thoughts and intentions. Simply put, we have access to relationship and that is a GRACE THING.

Grace finding number two – the son experienced his own ACTIONS – freedom of choice (grace) vv.13-16. All too often we view our relationship with God as restrictive. We believe the lie that tells us He doesn’t want us free, that He wants us marching in lock step to what He alone dictates, but that simply is not true. God has given each of us free will. He has given us the grace to choose our own path and actions. The question is have you realized how much grace is in that freedom? The power of you making your own decisions is a GRACE THING. But beware, we tend to make stupid decisions when we stop listening to the voice of truth and embrace the seduction of a lie.

Grace finding number three – the son experienced an AWAKENING – made alive to realize pain (grace) vv.17-20a. When was the last time you came to your senses? You could say one of those V8 moments. Our problems often stem from the many times we get revelation or awakening on a matter, only to find ourselves rolling right past the moment and missing the grace of God’s divine alarm clock. A grace awakening is indeed just that, a GRACE THING. Did I see you just hit the snooze button again?

Grace finding number four – the son experienced ACCEPTANCE – restoration from the Father (grace) vv.20b-21. So often we stay at a distance from God, because we believe somehow that He wants it that way. How sorely mistaken we are. The beauty of this particular finding is that even when we are far away from God, home, sanity, purity, innocence or provision, God runs in our direction. That’s right, if and when we accept the grace awakening sent by God and turn our glance back toward Him, acceptance is immediate. One caveat though, this level of acceptance is only found when we admit our plight and realize our helplessness. Yet even in that moment of admission we must realize that too is a GRACE THING.

Grace finding number five – the son experienced ACCESS AGAIN – to the best the Father has (grace) vv.22-24. Finally, one of the least realized components of grace is the refreshment of access gained once again to the Father’s proximity, prosperity and promises. Ever since I’ve been a minister of the Gospel (20 years now) I’ve noticed something about sinners or wayward saints. They think that their place of restoration with God is somehow unattainable because they’ve been so bad. That’s right, they have such a prideful regard for their depravity that they believe the lie that they could never have a close relationship with the Father once again or ever at all. That is wrong thinking.

If we ever find ourselves at a distance from God for any number of reasons, may I say that grace and mercy have provided us access again to relationship with the Father, and it’s never because we repaired some breech, but always because of what He has done. So take heart, you can boldly come to Him and find mercy and help in time of need. That is a GRACE THING. No matter how far away you’ve been, access is possible and part of God’s desire and plan.

May you realize that the coming to your senses moment you are experiencing right now is all God and none of you. And may you realize that He loves you enough to come to the rescue and give you divine CPR, and you have nothing to do with that except you are dead and in need. Why, because it’s a GRACE THING.

Feel anything yet?