My after-work time at home is normally very good - peaceful home, respectful wife, joy filled kids, all by the grace of God. The other night I experience a particularly glorious dad moment that blew me away. It started with my kids fighting.
"Anda, you're nuts."
Yes, but that is beside the point!
So the girls were supposed to be feeding the dogs, but one was in the doorway with a chair blocking the other, and the one in the back had the scoop for the dog food. "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Go sit on the stairs."
After some contemplation time, I took them into their room one at a time. "What's your sin?" "I was thinking about myself and not my sister." "That's right, in that moment you didn't have love in your heart. Who did you sin against?" "My sister." "Who else?" "You." "Who else?" "God." "That's right, you need to tell all three that you are sorry."
Then I witnessed prayer, heartfelt apologies, and reconciliation. It was beautiful and glorious and just how it should be between God's kids, and it certainly beats an unmeant "SORRY. Humph."
Christian parents, take the time for settling down, getting kids to understand their specific sin, getting at the heart, and encouraging real apologies, real forgiveness, and real reconciliation. It's awesome.
Props to Mark Driscoll for excellent teaching through Proverbs that illuminated some areas regarding child rearing I needed to pay more attention to, and to Jesus for using him so mightily and for never ending work on my own heart.
Grace and Peace friends.
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Overflowing
If you've ever seen the movie "Office Space" you might remember the bit about flair. This waitress' boss was always getting on her to put on more "pieces of flair" -- junk she had to pin on to her outfit to look, well, I don't know, nuts? She met the boss' requirement, 15 pieces. Randomly chosen. She didn't like the flair and she didn't care what things she pinned on. Then there was the other waiter who went way above the requirement. He looked like a pin trader table at Disneyland. The boss really didn't like that the waitress only did the bare minimum and really loved that the other dude went all out.
What's this have to do with anything?
Replace the boss with God, the waiters with us, and flair with our works.
Bare minimum doesn't come from the heart. Its working hard enough not to get fired. Its banging out the paper and tweaking the font size so it fills the five pages. Its being on the field/court but not really in the game. Its also showing up late to church, mouthing words to the songs, texting during the message, and speed reading the Bible just to get the "Christian life" checkboxes checked off. That's crap, and it doesn't honor God.
Let's take a look at some good stuff in God's word that is the opposite of "bare minimum" -- overflowing!
Check out Exodus 35 and 36 where the offerings were brought in to build the tabernacle. Peoples hearts were moved so greatly, and they brought so much stuff, that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing stuff! Pastors use that a lot to make a point about generous giving, saying that it was the first time and the last time people gave too much. That's overflowing!
Check out 2 Samuel 9. That's where I'm at in going through the Bible right now and what prompted this post actually. Back in 1 Samuel 20 David made a promise to Jonathan to not cut off kindness from his family. Jonathan was Saul's kid -- the Saul who kept trying to kill David. Then David later became king. What did kings in the ancient world do? Wipe out the others who would be a threat. David could bare-minimum-fulfilled his promise to Jonathan just by not seeking out descendants of Saul and allowing them to live. But what does he do? He actively seeks out descendants of Saul and finds Mephibosheth, restores lands to him, orders Saul's previous servants to work the land and provide for him, and allows him access to the royal palace -- inviting him always to his table.
Mose and the Israelites, cool. David, cool. But dude, let's talk about Jesus! How about Mark 6, feeding the five thousand? Jesus just didn't give these guys a PB&J and squeeze box OJ so they were still hungry. At the end of the account it says the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. That's a lot of leftovers, and it means the people there were stuffed! They got more than enough to eat.
But that's not where God's giving stops. You want to talk about overflowing? What does God do? Sends his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We don't deserve that. We didn't earn that. We can't ever repay that. But that's not all. When we follow Jesus, he gives us the kingdom. What?! I'm not a smart man and into all the nuances of Revelation, but I can read at the end of chapter 3 where it says "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." This is the creator of the universe talking here, and he's going to let his people sit on his throne? Woah. That's pretty freaking awesome. We don't think so sometimes because we're thick headed and just don't GET it, especially me!
Oh, and just before that bit about the throne, Jesus was talking about spitting out the lukewarm deed doers from Laodicea out of his mouth. Those "bare minimum" dudes.
Yeah, we don't want bare minimum. We want overflowing. When we sing. When we learn. When we teach. When we serve. Whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, make it excellent, and make it overflow. It pays back a thousand fold. So, if we don't have overflowing joy, then I must ask -- do we have overflowing actions that returns joy? We should!
Grace and Peace friends
What's this have to do with anything?
Replace the boss with God, the waiters with us, and flair with our works.
Bare minimum doesn't come from the heart. Its working hard enough not to get fired. Its banging out the paper and tweaking the font size so it fills the five pages. Its being on the field/court but not really in the game. Its also showing up late to church, mouthing words to the songs, texting during the message, and speed reading the Bible just to get the "Christian life" checkboxes checked off. That's crap, and it doesn't honor God.
Let's take a look at some good stuff in God's word that is the opposite of "bare minimum" -- overflowing!
Check out Exodus 35 and 36 where the offerings were brought in to build the tabernacle. Peoples hearts were moved so greatly, and they brought so much stuff, that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing stuff! Pastors use that a lot to make a point about generous giving, saying that it was the first time and the last time people gave too much. That's overflowing!
Check out 2 Samuel 9. That's where I'm at in going through the Bible right now and what prompted this post actually. Back in 1 Samuel 20 David made a promise to Jonathan to not cut off kindness from his family. Jonathan was Saul's kid -- the Saul who kept trying to kill David. Then David later became king. What did kings in the ancient world do? Wipe out the others who would be a threat. David could bare-minimum-fulfilled his promise to Jonathan just by not seeking out descendants of Saul and allowing them to live. But what does he do? He actively seeks out descendants of Saul and finds Mephibosheth, restores lands to him, orders Saul's previous servants to work the land and provide for him, and allows him access to the royal palace -- inviting him always to his table.
Mose and the Israelites, cool. David, cool. But dude, let's talk about Jesus! How about Mark 6, feeding the five thousand? Jesus just didn't give these guys a PB&J and squeeze box OJ so they were still hungry. At the end of the account it says the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. That's a lot of leftovers, and it means the people there were stuffed! They got more than enough to eat.
But that's not where God's giving stops. You want to talk about overflowing? What does God do? Sends his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We don't deserve that. We didn't earn that. We can't ever repay that. But that's not all. When we follow Jesus, he gives us the kingdom. What?! I'm not a smart man and into all the nuances of Revelation, but I can read at the end of chapter 3 where it says "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." This is the creator of the universe talking here, and he's going to let his people sit on his throne? Woah. That's pretty freaking awesome. We don't think so sometimes because we're thick headed and just don't GET it, especially me!
Oh, and just before that bit about the throne, Jesus was talking about spitting out the lukewarm deed doers from Laodicea out of his mouth. Those "bare minimum" dudes.
Yeah, we don't want bare minimum. We want overflowing. When we sing. When we learn. When we teach. When we serve. Whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, make it excellent, and make it overflow. It pays back a thousand fold. So, if we don't have overflowing joy, then I must ask -- do we have overflowing actions that returns joy? We should!
Grace and Peace friends
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I (Ain't) Got The Joy Joy Joy?
What a rotten day! It wasn't really rotten because of the events of the day themselves, but more because of my attitude. You know what I did today? I let the little things of this life, this world, rob me of my joy today. How stupid. What a pitiful waste of my time and effort, just going through the day a grumpy curmudgeon.
My setup at work was broken. I had extra work to do that I didn't really think was that useful to do. I stayed later than normal and didn't go shoot baskets like I normally do these days. I scarfed down my dinner instead of really enjoying it. My daughter scratched a lady's car. Her response of "I'll have to look at it" instead of just letting it go got on my nerves.
My reactions to some of these were varied but not good. I was snappy at a co-worker who didn't deserve it at all -- a brother in Christ I like very much. I was stressed at the end of the day when I'm usually not. I didn't talk much to my wife. I rushed to get to AWANA. I was more controlling and snappy with my kids and didn't just chill out and enjoy their silliness and laughter.
What a bunch of garbage.
The events of the day are no excuse for letting my joy in the LORD get drained out of me! They are no excuse for the way I treated other people today. Today, more than most, I consider myself a failure at being salt and light.
It is no coincidence I think that in a tape by Chuck Smith I was listening to today, he retold a story I have heard him tell before on a different occassion. I remember it clearly because I thought it was odd he was telling the same story again. And it goes something like this...
He was just so happy in the LORD shopping at the local grocery store, thanking the LORD for the blessings in his life, when at the checkout, a man shoved right in front of him, cutting the line, smoking a nasty smelling cigar. Joy in the LORD, gone. Love your neighbor, gone. Kick your neighbor, on the rise. He wanted to shake the guy, tell him what's what, and shove that stinky cigar right down his throat.
I know the feeling.
But he handled it well. He refused to let junk like this keep his joy suppressed, left the line, and walked around getting his joy back. When he did and went back to the checkout, smelly cigar man was gone, and he was refreshed.
A very good message that I needed today. I intend to hit the streets for my Wednesday night run and get my joy back in just a few minutes. How dare I let it get squashed for so long today! I pray that next time it doesn't take me this long to realize what has happened.
I also pray that I'm a little more proactive about keeping my joy in tact. You know what I failed to do today? I failed to get into the word. I failed to start the day with the LORD in prayer. I had plenty of time before arriving at work. I had plenty of time at work. But I kind of shied away from the LORD today, trying to do this day all on my own. That worked out real good. Pfft. Bad human, no donut.
Praise our God of restoration, who loves us even when we're being stupid!
Grace, peace, and joy!
My setup at work was broken. I had extra work to do that I didn't really think was that useful to do. I stayed later than normal and didn't go shoot baskets like I normally do these days. I scarfed down my dinner instead of really enjoying it. My daughter scratched a lady's car. Her response of "I'll have to look at it" instead of just letting it go got on my nerves.
My reactions to some of these were varied but not good. I was snappy at a co-worker who didn't deserve it at all -- a brother in Christ I like very much. I was stressed at the end of the day when I'm usually not. I didn't talk much to my wife. I rushed to get to AWANA. I was more controlling and snappy with my kids and didn't just chill out and enjoy their silliness and laughter.
What a bunch of garbage.
The events of the day are no excuse for letting my joy in the LORD get drained out of me! They are no excuse for the way I treated other people today. Today, more than most, I consider myself a failure at being salt and light.
It is no coincidence I think that in a tape by Chuck Smith I was listening to today, he retold a story I have heard him tell before on a different occassion. I remember it clearly because I thought it was odd he was telling the same story again. And it goes something like this...
He was just so happy in the LORD shopping at the local grocery store, thanking the LORD for the blessings in his life, when at the checkout, a man shoved right in front of him, cutting the line, smoking a nasty smelling cigar. Joy in the LORD, gone. Love your neighbor, gone. Kick your neighbor, on the rise. He wanted to shake the guy, tell him what's what, and shove that stinky cigar right down his throat.
I know the feeling.
But he handled it well. He refused to let junk like this keep his joy suppressed, left the line, and walked around getting his joy back. When he did and went back to the checkout, smelly cigar man was gone, and he was refreshed.
A very good message that I needed today. I intend to hit the streets for my Wednesday night run and get my joy back in just a few minutes. How dare I let it get squashed for so long today! I pray that next time it doesn't take me this long to realize what has happened.
I also pray that I'm a little more proactive about keeping my joy in tact. You know what I failed to do today? I failed to get into the word. I failed to start the day with the LORD in prayer. I had plenty of time before arriving at work. I had plenty of time at work. But I kind of shied away from the LORD today, trying to do this day all on my own. That worked out real good. Pfft. Bad human, no donut.
Praise our God of restoration, who loves us even when we're being stupid!
Grace, peace, and joy!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum
Man, I love the song Little Drummer Boy! What a good song!
I like it because that's me, the drummer boy. That's you if you know Christ. We come before him, knowing he's a king. Not just a king, but THE king, come to earth as a little baby, made poor. And when we come before him, we know we have NOTHING to offer him. We don't come to him going "hey Lord, look at what *I* can do for *you* because I'm so righteous, so good, so holy, so whatever." No, we come with our pockets turned out and dirt on our face. We got nothing and we know it.
What does the drummer boy do next? Plays a song on his drum. We play the drum too you know. We play the drum every time we help feed the hungry in Jesus' name. We play the drum every time we clothe the naked in Jesus' name. We play the drum every time we comfort someone in need in Jesus' name. We play the drum every time we lift up the name of Jesus Christ and God the Father. We play the drum whenever we're walking in the Spirit and doing the good works that have been laid out for us to do and whenever we're praising our great God and Savior.
We don't play the drum because it saves us. We don't play the drum because we're obligated. We don't play the drum grudgingly with a heavy heart. We don't play the drum because some dude told us to play it. We don't play the drum because we're greedy for some kind of material reward or because we fear what will happen if we don't play the drum. No, we play the drum joyfully for no reason other than the reason, and reward the drummer boy got:
The king of kings and lord of lords smiled at him.
Ain't nothing better than God smiling down at you. We just need to remember it!
Grace and Peace
I like it because that's me, the drummer boy. That's you if you know Christ. We come before him, knowing he's a king. Not just a king, but THE king, come to earth as a little baby, made poor. And when we come before him, we know we have NOTHING to offer him. We don't come to him going "hey Lord, look at what *I* can do for *you* because I'm so righteous, so good, so holy, so whatever." No, we come with our pockets turned out and dirt on our face. We got nothing and we know it.
What does the drummer boy do next? Plays a song on his drum. We play the drum too you know. We play the drum every time we help feed the hungry in Jesus' name. We play the drum every time we clothe the naked in Jesus' name. We play the drum every time we comfort someone in need in Jesus' name. We play the drum every time we lift up the name of Jesus Christ and God the Father. We play the drum whenever we're walking in the Spirit and doing the good works that have been laid out for us to do and whenever we're praising our great God and Savior.
We don't play the drum because it saves us. We don't play the drum because we're obligated. We don't play the drum grudgingly with a heavy heart. We don't play the drum because some dude told us to play it. We don't play the drum because we're greedy for some kind of material reward or because we fear what will happen if we don't play the drum. No, we play the drum joyfully for no reason other than the reason, and reward the drummer boy got:
The king of kings and lord of lords smiled at him.
Ain't nothing better than God smiling down at you. We just need to remember it!
Grace and Peace
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Assurance and Emotion
That kid from Toy Story wrote his name on the feet of Woody and Buzz. Homer got a bowling ball with his name on it (for Marge, but that's a different matter). Old school moms theoretically write the kids' names on their underwear. There are titles for cars, deeds for houses, patents for ideas, trademarks for names, and so on. What's the point? Ownership. In a fallen world where people don't do the right thing, we feel the need to be able to show who owns what.
Well, that doesn't stop in the material world. There is ownership in the spiritual world too. Those true believers who genuinely follow Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and that's God's way of showing that he owns us. When we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit as promised. Now that's some seal! We have the spirit of God living inside of us, guiding our actions and guarding our hearts. At that point, we're his and he's not going to let us go.
Check it out. Romans 8:9 says that "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." You see? If you have the Holy Spirit, you know without a doubt you belong to Christ. If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you know without a doubt you do not belong to Christ and need to repent and turn to him.
So how do we know if we have the spirit of God in us? Well let's ask some questions. Is our faith in Christ alone? Are we trusting him for our salvation? Is there evidence of that faith through a changed life, through walking in obedience with the Lord, through conviction when we sin?
If the answers to these questions are yes, yes, and yes, then the answer seems pretty clear to me. We do have an assurance of salvation. There is no doubt. God seals us with his Spirit, and we know we are his now and forever. Freed from sin. We can live our lives in service to our king without ever doubting, without ever asking "am I going to make it?"
And when we yield to the Spirit God has put in us, and let him guide us, the feeling it brings is wonderful. I have never experienced the peace and joy that being filled with the Spirit brings through anything worldly. It is an absolute pleasure to serve Christ, who has given me the most precious gift imaginable. If wonder if all unbelievers could know, understand, and feel the same up front, would there be any unbelievers left in the world? Probably (what a stiff necked people we are), but not as many!
That is not to say we should based our assurance of salvation on our feelings alone. There are plenty of people following numerous false religions across the world who have emotional experiences that are very powerful. You'll be able to find "conversion experience" stories from people joining any of the major world religions and cults that seem powerful and moving. And there is no doubt in my mind that for those people, the emotions they felt are completely real. And why not? Satan is the king of counterfeiters, and he can certainly manufacture a false sense of closeness with God, to keep people away from actually following Christ.
Clearly emotions are not enough. Our hearts are so deceitful, we cannot trust the feelings we think we have all on their own. Rather, we need to get into the written word of God so that it gets into us. We need to understand what it means to repent and turn to Jesus. We need to understand the significance of what he did on the cross for us. We need to understand what it means to die to self and live for Christ. When we follow the Living Word in the manner given to us in his written word, we know we are his without a shadow of a doubt. Then when, not if, the joy in serving him comes, we know also without a shadow of a doubt that it, too, is real.
If you, dear reader, do not know the light and love of Jesus Christ, then please turn to him. Know and admit your utter spiritual bankruptcy, that you have nothing to offer God on your own to make yourself right with him. Turn to Jesus for your salvation and trust in him. Receive the free gift God is offering you. Follow Jesus and experience the greatest joy in this world. You won't regret it, especially when you consider that such joy is merely a pitiful shadow of things to come.
Grace and Peace
Well, that doesn't stop in the material world. There is ownership in the spiritual world too. Those true believers who genuinely follow Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and that's God's way of showing that he owns us. When we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit as promised. Now that's some seal! We have the spirit of God living inside of us, guiding our actions and guarding our hearts. At that point, we're his and he's not going to let us go.
Check it out. Romans 8:9 says that "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." You see? If you have the Holy Spirit, you know without a doubt you belong to Christ. If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you know without a doubt you do not belong to Christ and need to repent and turn to him.
So how do we know if we have the spirit of God in us? Well let's ask some questions. Is our faith in Christ alone? Are we trusting him for our salvation? Is there evidence of that faith through a changed life, through walking in obedience with the Lord, through conviction when we sin?
If the answers to these questions are yes, yes, and yes, then the answer seems pretty clear to me. We do have an assurance of salvation. There is no doubt. God seals us with his Spirit, and we know we are his now and forever. Freed from sin. We can live our lives in service to our king without ever doubting, without ever asking "am I going to make it?"
And when we yield to the Spirit God has put in us, and let him guide us, the feeling it brings is wonderful. I have never experienced the peace and joy that being filled with the Spirit brings through anything worldly. It is an absolute pleasure to serve Christ, who has given me the most precious gift imaginable. If wonder if all unbelievers could know, understand, and feel the same up front, would there be any unbelievers left in the world? Probably (what a stiff necked people we are), but not as many!
That is not to say we should based our assurance of salvation on our feelings alone. There are plenty of people following numerous false religions across the world who have emotional experiences that are very powerful. You'll be able to find "conversion experience" stories from people joining any of the major world religions and cults that seem powerful and moving. And there is no doubt in my mind that for those people, the emotions they felt are completely real. And why not? Satan is the king of counterfeiters, and he can certainly manufacture a false sense of closeness with God, to keep people away from actually following Christ.
Clearly emotions are not enough. Our hearts are so deceitful, we cannot trust the feelings we think we have all on their own. Rather, we need to get into the written word of God so that it gets into us. We need to understand what it means to repent and turn to Jesus. We need to understand the significance of what he did on the cross for us. We need to understand what it means to die to self and live for Christ. When we follow the Living Word in the manner given to us in his written word, we know we are his without a shadow of a doubt. Then when, not if, the joy in serving him comes, we know also without a shadow of a doubt that it, too, is real.
If you, dear reader, do not know the light and love of Jesus Christ, then please turn to him. Know and admit your utter spiritual bankruptcy, that you have nothing to offer God on your own to make yourself right with him. Turn to Jesus for your salvation and trust in him. Receive the free gift God is offering you. Follow Jesus and experience the greatest joy in this world. You won't regret it, especially when you consider that such joy is merely a pitiful shadow of things to come.
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
We Are Far Too Easily Pleased
Where do we find real, lasting, joy?
Not in the food we eat. Not in the wine we drink. Not in the work we do. Not in the home the bank owns. Not in the car we drive. Not in the games we play. Not in the books we read. Not in the music we listen to. Not in the movies we watch. Not in the jokes we hear. Not in the places we visit. Not in the friendships we have. Not in anything of this world.
There is not one person, place, or thing on this earth that will not fade away. There is not one person, place, or thing on this earth that can give us joy forevermore.
I'm not saying we shouldn't eat, drink, have a home, drive a car, play games, read books, listen to music, watch movies, hear jokes, travel, have friendships, etc; however, let's keep proper perspective and seek to find joy only in the one who can give us real and lasting joy: God.
Let us find so much pleasure in God that we innately give continual thanks and praise to Him and glorify Him in everything that we do!
Its easier said than done! I won't speak for you, but I think I've spent enough time looking for pleasure in all the wrong places that my capacity for joy got crippled. As C.S. Lewis put it: "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
Thank you God, for a longing for more. Thank you God, for showing me where to fill that longing!
Not in the food we eat. Not in the wine we drink. Not in the work we do. Not in the home the bank owns. Not in the car we drive. Not in the games we play. Not in the books we read. Not in the music we listen to. Not in the movies we watch. Not in the jokes we hear. Not in the places we visit. Not in the friendships we have. Not in anything of this world.
There is not one person, place, or thing on this earth that will not fade away. There is not one person, place, or thing on this earth that can give us joy forevermore.
I'm not saying we shouldn't eat, drink, have a home, drive a car, play games, read books, listen to music, watch movies, hear jokes, travel, have friendships, etc; however, let's keep proper perspective and seek to find joy only in the one who can give us real and lasting joy: God.
Let us find so much pleasure in God that we innately give continual thanks and praise to Him and glorify Him in everything that we do!
Its easier said than done! I won't speak for you, but I think I've spent enough time looking for pleasure in all the wrong places that my capacity for joy got crippled. As C.S. Lewis put it: "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
Thank you God, for a longing for more. Thank you God, for showing me where to fill that longing!
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