What About Love?

My heart is continually plagued by the judgmental attitudes of Christians. To qualify this statement, let me say that I am not talking about using the Bible to judge an action as sinful. For example, lying is a sin, as is murder and sex outside of marriage. What plagues me is that Christians have a tendency to write off the sinner rather than to choose love; rather than to walk with the sinner as they journey toward Jesus.

I believe that it is human nature to rank sin. We say stuff like, “It’s just a little white lie,” while in God’s eyes, a sin, by any other name, is still a sin. I am amazed that even in Jesus’ church; Christians decide who is ‘good enough’ to be a part of the church. If two men holding hands were to walk into the assembly, what would be the reaction of the church? In some places, they would be greeted; while in others, they would be shunned and perhaps, even asked to leave.

Now, am I condoning sinful behavior? Absolutely not! However, which of us is without sin? Which of us, without the grace of God Almighty, could ever dream of a life spent eternally in heaven? Truth be told, we are all unworthy. There is not a person who has ever lived who is deserving of the cross of Christ; but it was freely given.

The story is told of a man who wanted to see the king. A large crowd had gathered and it was impossible for this man to work his way through the crowd. Desperate to get a brief glimpse of royalty, the man climbed into a tree. As the royal procession passed by the tree, the king stopped and said to the man, “Hey Zak, come sit with me in my carriage. Share with me the fruits and chocolates that I am enjoying.”

Amazed that the king knew his name, Zak joined him in the carriage but the people in the crowd began asking questions such as, “Why does the king want to speak with that man? He is nothing more than a liar and a cheat.”

When the king heard the grumbling crowd he said, “This man is also a part of our kingdom and as such, I have chosen to overlook his shortcomings so that he can begin a fresh new life that brings honor to our kingdom.” This was the first time Zak had experienced love from anyone, let alone the king.

When Zak met the king, it was a defining moment in his life. For the first time, he was not just a man labeled; but rather, he was a man who had been loved. This was the moment where he realized that his life had meaning and that he was important.

When was the last time that you overlooked the sin of a person and saw the potential that they had in Christ? It may be that this person will struggle with their sin for the rest of their life but, they are willing to walk alongside you in a journey toward Christ.

What about love? It should be the driving force of any Christian. It should be the first thing that someone notices about a Christian. Love is what defines Christianity…and not just any love, but the love of Christ; the love that says, “You are terribly flawed, but I will love you anyway because Christ loves me. We are going to work on that sin problem together for the rest of our lives and we will not give up on each other because Christ has not given up on you or me.”

It’s time to redefine what love is. Love is not looking the other way while someone continues in a life of sin, nor is love writing someone off because of their sin. Rather, love is walking alongside each other in a quest for the righteousness of God because of His glorious grace!

Lead Me

As Paul writes to the Ephesians, he tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:22 ff). He admonishes husbands to be “the head of the wife.” Paul goes on to explain that this is not a position to lord over your wife but a position of leadership. Have you considered how many functions your head performs? Thinking comes from the head; as does seeing, hearing and eating. As a leader of a household, you are responsible for making wise, godly decisions and looking out for the well-being of your family. You are also responsible for listening to the concerns of others and providing a strong, spiritual foundation for your family.

There is a contemporary Christian song by Sanctus Real called “Lead Me” that depicts a very strong attitude of leadership. The final bridge and chorus of the song says, “So Father, give me the strength /To be everything I am called to be /Oh, Father, show me the way /To lead them/Won’t you lead me? /To lead them with strong hands /To stand up when they can’t /Don’t want to leave them hungry for love /Chasing dreams that I could give up /I’ll show them I’m willing to fight /And give them the best of my life /So we can call this our home /Lead me, ‘cause I can’t do this alone.”

The ability to lead a household or a church comes from God. How is your relationship with the Father? And, are you allowing God to lead you so that you can lead your family?

Going Home

This week, our church experienced the death of one of God’s saints. As I sat in the funeral service and listened to a son-in-law tell a little bit about her life, I thought about the legacy she had left behind. A child of the depression, she knew the importance of relying on God for strength. She knew about perseverance. She was a woman of God. The son-in-law told about a time when he was not a Christian. He would sit at the table and his mother-in-law would lovingly teach him about Christ. Then the preacher got up to deliver the eulogy. He spoke of her loving heart and he spoke with assured confidence of her home in glory. This woman lived her life in full and complete devotion to God.

As I thought about her legacy, I thought, “What will be my legacy? How will I be remembered?” I have never lived through truly rough times. I have never really been in want or in need. Of course, there have been times when I felt a little strapped for cash, but I have never experienced a time when I had to completely rely on God for strength because there was no food in the house. However, it is my goal in life to completely put my trust in God rather than in man. It is my desire to serve God with my whole heart. Someday, at the close of my life, I pray that my funeral will be a going home party; that the one delivering my eulogy will speak of me in terms like faithful, devoted and Christ-like. I have hope that the room will be filled with joy because I have left my family behind with the assured confidence that I have gained my reward in heaven.

What will be your legacy? Are you living your life worthy of the calling of Christ? Will your end of life ceremony be a going home celebration?

Did You Think to Pray?

Have you ever stood in the middle of the room and just turned in circles because you have so many things going on that your brain cannot possibly process where to start? This is the way I have felt for the last month or so. There are several projects going on in the office and, of course, I have my family activities and duties…not to mention that spring is upon us and I am about to begin yard work…ugh!

There are seasons in life that bring with them added stress; i.e. the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a new job, a new project at work and the list just goes on. How do you deal with the stress of life? Everyone deals with stress differently and stress affects each person differently.

When my life just seems to be piling on top of itself, I stop and remind myself to pray. God has an amazing ability to calm a soul that seems to be spinning out of control. He is able to put things into perspective and to help you navigate the rough patches of life. There is a great hymn, “Did You Think to Pray?” that sums up the affect of a prayer. In the chorus, Mary Kidder writes, “O how praying rests the weary! Prayer will change the night to day; so when life seems dark and dreary, don’t forget to pray.”

Honoring God or Yourself?

I live near a recreational sports facility. Each weekday morning, when I drive by the facility on the way to work, I notice that there is an empty parking lot. Of course, that makes sense because adults are at work and kids are in school. Then, of course, on my way home each day, the parking lot is full because people are off work and out of school. It’s time to have some fun.

On Sunday morning, however, as my family drives by this facility on the way to church, the parking lot is again full. Whatever happened to honoring God on Sundays? Now don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful that so many people are concerned about their physical fitness and that they have an outlet such as recreational sports. But, where is God in this picture?

It doesn’t stop simply at recreational sports facilities. It seems that many things are more important than church on Sunday mornings. I have seen people out mowing the lawn, washing the car or walking the dog. Home improvement stores, grocery stores and department stores are open for business on Sunday mornings; sometimes as early as 6:00am. I don’t place the blame (at least not all of it) on the retailer, but rather on the customer who chose to shop or on the one who chose to mow the lawn rather than to worship our Creator.

When did worshiping God become unimportant? I am talking about people who profess to believe in God and even to have a relationship with him. So many people choose to worship St. Mattress (as a former co-worker of mine once said) rather than to attend the assembly of believers to encourage each other through the act of corporate worship to the Father of all mankind.

To me, it is a matter of priorities. Who and what is most important in your life? Certainly, one would not neglect the workplace nor the feeding of the kids, yet it is so easy to neglect the One who has given us every good blessing in our lives. It seems that our lives are so full of good things that we don’t have time for the most important thing. In the end, how will you answer the Lord when he asks why you chose to mow the lawn or participate in a recreational activity rather than to assemble with believers to honor and glorify the Father? Ask yourself, “Is the result worth the sacrifice?”

May you choose to bless the Lord with your presence and your praise just as He who is holy has blessed you by dwelling within you.

I Love to Tell the Story

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I went deer hunting with my brother-in-law on two cold, crisp mornings. I don’t have a hunting license so I was just along for the thrill. On both mornings we saw nothing on our property but when we left our property we saw several deer and one buck in particular. On Sunday morning, I got a text from my sister that said, “Wesley got him!!” It was a trophy buck; in fact, the largest deer the taxidermist had ever seen! Even though I wasn’t directly involved in the kill, I have told that story over and over and I have shown pictures of the deer over and over. It is so exciting.

We all have stories we love to tell. These stories excite us and mean so much to us. We tell them with passion and our faces gleam with joy. But, when was the last time you told someone the story of Jesus. After all, it is the greatest story ever told. It is the story that saves lives. It is the story only story that truly matters. I’m ashamed to say that, for me, it has been a long time. We are so comfortable in our little church pews and we just wait for people to come to us and we are glad to tell about our Savior when we are asked. But, did Jesus not say, “Go”? We have a GRAND story to share with the world. Why is the story of Jesus not our favorite story to share or the story told most often?

“I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story because I know ‘tis true, it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.”—A. Katherine Hankey

Praise God with Gladness

“You cannot worship God and have fun at the same time.” How many times have you heard a statement like this? Maybe it hasn’t been explicitly stated, but has it been the overtone in the room of worship? What a horrible thought! Yet, for years, that seems to have been the mindset of many Christians. I do believe that that thought has been waning in recent years but it still plagues our worship assemblies even today.

Why would a God who loves us and who sees to our every need not want his children to enjoy worshiping Him? Worshiping God should be the most exhilarating thing we do each day! Whose bright idea was it to worship God sitting in a pew with a sullen face? Clearly, the Bible states, “Worship Him with sadness and with a downcast spirit.” WHAT??? You find that in the scriptures and I will find me another god to worship because that is not at all the god that I want to praise and exalt.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100 NIV)

Well, I feel better now! Don’t you? David knew God on a personal level and he knew all of the things that the Lord had done for him. David was not a perfect man. He had many flaws but he knew the privilege of worshipping God and he did it with gladness and excitement. David also wrote, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.” (Psalm 30:11 ESV) WOW! David knew the joy of praising God!

Praise God with gladness! Have fun worshiping our Master and Savior! “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” (Psalm 47:1 ESV)