Galatians 5.13-15 & True Freedom

The Apostle Paul wrote the following about true freedom: "It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?" (The Message) How does this speak to you on this Independence Day?

Freedom

The 4th of July is upon us; a time for fireworks, parades, water games, and cookouts! As we get together with family and friends, we might not think about it, but it is because of our freedom we are able to celebrate. God has always intended for us to live in freedom; it was how we were created. Unfortunately, we all too often lose sight of what a wonderful gift freedom truly is. God with all His infinite power, wisdom, and influence could easily have programmed us like a computer to live according to His plan and purpose. But God felt we would better understand the nature of love when we freely come to Him on our own. We might think we live according to our own power and authority and captain our own ships, but in the end, we are living in God’s love. Sometimes we take advantage of our freedom to make our own choices but we can never run too far away from God’s. So how can we live to better experience this awesome gift that enables us to live in a special way? One simple way is to turn to Scripture and seek out God’s heart. The Psalms have this to say, “Oh, I'll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever; and I'll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom; then I'll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.” (Psalm 119.44-46, The Message) This Scripture encourages us to guard these freedoms now and guard them forever so we may live freely in search of God’s wisdom and truth. When we are confronted with injustice and a threat to our freedom, we guard it ferociously, both as a nation and as individuals. I know one thing that irritates me greatly is when I feel another is infringing upon my personal liberties. So I fight to maintain my own freedom through God’s love allowing me to make my own choices. But there is something else very important here. God gives us freedom so we can seek out truth and wisdom for ourselves. Just like love, our discovery of truth and wisdom means so much more when we come to it on our own. Sure, it would be much easier and far less painful at times if God would have just programmed us, but the sweet reward of the journey comes to us when we discover just how wonderful living freely can be. It is a wonderful gift to discover how awesome God’s love is, but there are others who are lost in the oppression of their own poor choices. That’s where we must come in. According to that passage from the Psalms, God wants those of us who have found freedom in wisdom and truth to go and share that with the world and to speak out boldly and without embarrassment. Then we can reflect that love to the world and show everyone what a blessing life can be when we turn to God. I want to leave you with a quote from William Havard who once said, “The greatest glory given to a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to [others].” So as we celebrate this 4th of July at the lake, around a grill, and watching the sky for the glory of lights, may we not forget that greater glory rests in our freedom and ability to share it with the world.

On Mother Teresa & Life

The life of Mother Teresa is one that fascinates me. You might know her as a great champion for the poor and disenfranchised in Calcutta.  She has often been held as someone who persevered in faith even in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances. Where this is certainly true, it was revealed several years ago following her death that she knew what it meant to struggle in her faith like many of us do. As she observed the suffering and felt the hopelessness of the conditions in which she served, she asked the same kinds of questions you and I have likely asked from time to time; questions about suffering, pain, agony, helplessness and hopelessness. Through her perseverance, however, Mother Teresa continued to find GOD in and through her opportunities to make a difference in a person's life. Things should be no different for us.

When faced with my own questions, doubts, and dilemmas, I like to turn to others who have faced similar struggles. Being able to turn to someone who has made it a few more steps down the path of life's journey can be extremely helpful to remind us that despite how we feel, we are not alone. These experiences can be so beneficial for me personally as I realize that I am not the only one who struggles to make sense of life every now and then. And to learn such a lesson from Mother Teresa? Well, it just goes to show that all of us can be left with little more than our questions even when heeding the call of GOD.

I thought I'd share a great thought from Mother Teresa that she wrote about the duplicitous nature of life. Check this out and see if you might be able to find some new insight as to how to live, persevere, and follow GOD even when life throws all sorts of conundrums your way.

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.”

                             ~ Mother Teresa

Have a great week and I hope to see you in worship on Sunday!

Pastor Mark

Pentecost Brings The Winds Of Change

This past Sunday, Pentecost was celebrated in many Christian churches. It is the day we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit. You can read all about it in Acts 2.

It was on Pentecost that Jesus fulfilled His promise that he would send another Counselor—the Spirit of Truth—to come to the disciples. (John 14.15) It was this Spirit that would give them the ability to stand up in the face of persecution with the same gumption and character as Jesus did. And on that fateful morning, just a little more than a month past Easter, a mighty wind swept across the hearts of those who believed in Jesus and brought forth life. The winds of change had blown!

And did the winds of change blow! Looking at Acts 2, we read about a particular disciple named Peter. You might remember Peter. He is the one who swore that wherever Jesus went, he would follow—even to death. This is the same Peter who denied knowing Jesus three times. Well, on Pentecost, this impetuous cowardly Peter stood up and proclaimed, “Salvation comes no other way; no other name [Jesus] has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.” (Acts 4.12, MSG) Peter was infused with the Holy Spirit’s power and the change it brought in his life brought about a change for the rest of the world!

The Spirit’s winds of change can blow in our lives, too. The Spirit fills us with God’s power enabling us to stand in the face of persecution; to go places to spread God’s glory we otherwise would not go; and to give us glimpses of glory divine, eternal in the heavens.

“Lutheran pastor Dan Mangler tells the story of a Shetland sheepdog his family owned named, Amber. He recalls that Amber loved windy days, and no matter how windy it was she would stand on their front lawn, face the direction that the wind was coming from, put her nose up in the air ... and immediately enter doggy heaven.

She was oblivious to anything else going on around her, and Mangler thinks he knows why: It was the smells that the wind brought her. Her movements were, for the most part, confined to the house or yard, so the wind was, for her, a sumptuous blessing.

The wind brought her experiences of a world beyond her powers to visit, including the smells of a dozen kinds of trees and hundreds of wildflowers, of squirrels and rabbits, of pigs and cows. ‘There is in that example, I think, a picture of Pentecost,’ writes Mangler. ‘Pentecost is the wind that brings us experiences of a world beyond our powers to visit.’ May we all experience such a visitation!”[i]

How are the winds of change blowing in your life? Are you finding yourself infused with power to stand against the naysayers of God? Are you finding yourself with the powerful desire to go places and share the glory of God where you otherwise would not go? Or are you like Amber, finding yourself given glimpses of glory divine, outside of yourself in places where only God can lead?

The winds of change are blowing! Where are they blowing you? Happy Pentecost and may the power of the Spirit be with you always!

---

[i] The Spirit Scale, Homiletics Online, May, 15, 2005. www.homileticsonline.com

Einstein On Miracles

The concept of miracles is one that has been very important for me lately. After doing some study, research, and prayer, I am convinced that GOD is still very much in the miracle-working business. We might be inclined to think that GOD is not working miracles like He did in the days of parting seas, raising the dead, and helping the immobile move, but I know for a fact in thinking about GOD's presence and power that gets manifested in my own life, that He is still very much in the miracle-working business! 

Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” This begs the question for me: how are you living? Are you living as though everything is a miracle, or are you living as though nothing is a miracle? In order for us see everything as a miracle, we need to acknowledge the miraculous love of Jesus Christ, and consider that in light of what Paul wrote as recorded in Acts 17:28, that in Him we live, move, and have our being. This is talking about a perpetual acknowledgement of GOD's presence and power and striving to apply that knowledge to every aspect of our lives. This is not to say that life will always be perfect...far from it...but that we can sense GOD's presence and activity regardless of what is currently transpiring.

Life can be a real challenge sometimes, but understanding that GOD's desire is to prepare us for Heaven and not make us comfortable in the here-and-now makes a HUGE difference. This can provide some serious faith inducing hope to give perspective for all of life foibles...the ones of our own making and the ones over which we have no control. Having that kind of knowledge can transform us not just today, but for eternity as well. What is important is perspective and viewing life itself as a miraculous gift from GOD Almighty!

So how are you living life today? Are you viewing it as a miracle or just some random accident? How do you think GOD wants you to see your life in Him? My guess is as the miracle that it is!

Have a great rest of the week and live miraculously!

Today is National Clean Your Room Day

I get a kick out of the funny and nonsensical holidays. Some days I pay attention to them when others I do not. Today's (May 10th) national day is one that really struck me. Did you know that today is National Clean Your Room Day? It is...no kidding!

Room cleaning is something that strikes different people differently.

Personally, I find cleaning to be therapeutic. I know some might think I need therapy for finding it therapeutic, but I do. There is just something about the sense of a job well done when I see vacuum tracks in our carpets, a shiny kitchen floor, the aroma of pine sol emanating from the bathrooms, and knowing that everything is in its proper place.

I have learned something in my life, however, and that is I am far more willing to clean my house than I am the homes of others. Maybe that will quell the offers I'm sure will come for me to come and clean your house. When we really get down to it, though, we might feel a bit uneasy about having another come to clean our house because it will destroy the illusion of how clean we try to make ourselves appear. I have honestly heard of some who clean before a housekeeper arrives to try to help alleviate some embarrassment of being dirty. The fact of the matter is, if we are truly living in our homes, then we are bound to make a mess that must be cleaned.

If we are truly living, we also must acknowledge and admit that there are times when our homes aren't the only things that need a little TLC. The difficulties and struggles of life can wear us down, tire us out, and make us in desperate need of someone to come and work on us...someone who truly knows what to do.

As Jesus was about to burst on the scene, John the Baptist was being asked if he himself was the long-awaited Messiah.  He adamantly professed he was not, and one time said the following, as told in The Message paraphrase of Luke 3:16-17: "I'm baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before GOD; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned." What an amazing promise! John was telling His disciples, and us today, that Jesus wants to come and bring the power of GOD to us so we can be right with GOD. Once we are right with GOD—and remember, this is GOD's work, not just yours—then we will be able to enjoy the peace that comes when we know everything is in its proper place.

On this National Clean Your Room Day, may you make it a personal task to welcome the Lord into your life so He can do what He does best...clean YOU so you can enjoy the peace and hope that comes from being right with Him. He definitely wants to, but He needs you to welcome Him in. In fact, the Bible says that Jesus stands at the door of your heart, knocking and to be welcomed inside (Revelation 3:20). Once He is there, the remodeling job He does in your life will absolutely be something to behold. So open up your life, and let Christ do what He does best on this, the National Clean Your Room Day, and every day of your life!

“I Once Was Lost But Now Am Found”

There is a story that is captivating me right now and perhaps you have heard it. It is the story of a Philadelphia man who has had quite an intriguing life. When he was an infant, his mother decided she could no longer parent him, so she took him to an orphanage in Hawaii. After he was taken to the orphanage, the rest of his biological family began an all-out search for him. Unfortunately, his whereabouts were never revealed and he was for all intents and purposes lost in Hawaii. This man was eventually adopted by a very loving family and he has had a good life. His circumstances always gave him reason to wonder about his past. His curiosity began to manifest in impulses to learn more, so he began looking for any information he could find that might reveal any clue about his heritage.

Those impulses proved fruitful earlier this year when he found a picture of himself on a missing persons website. The pictures included were one of him as an infant (which he immediately recognized) and a picture of himself as experts believe he could look after applying age progression technology. He knew it was him at first glance! As I watched this story, I could not help but think about the poignant line from the hymn, Amazing Grace, that says, “I once was lost but now am found…” Since being found, the man has been reunited with his biological father and introduced to siblings he never knew he had. I can only imagine how dizzying this situation must be, but for him, it is the answer to a prayer. It does not diminish the loving feelings he has for his adoptive family, but it rounds out who he is in ways that only someone who has been through anything similar could understand.

In Jeremiah 1:5, GOD tells the prophet, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart…” This is a powerful lesson for all of us to understand, in that we have a Father in Heaven who created us lovingly to be part of His family. As we grow and mature, we come to know a longing that only be filled by GOD. Some have described this by saying we have a GOD-shaped hole in our hearts that can only be filled by the Lord. When we come to realize we were created by GOD and for GOD, then we come to understand a part of our identity that we will only be able to comprehend once we know the true origin of our story.

Your story matters. It does! You were created by GOD and for GOD. Knowing this is an enormous part of what it means to “Be Part of the Miracle;” that your story can help point others to a deeper understanding of GOD’s love and the hope we all can find in Him. You might be fully aware of our earthly origins, but there is a wholeness that can only come in knowing that GOD knows you and that you are set aside for a life lived in Him.

May you ponder this today and think about how your own life might be impacted by the knowledge of GOD’s love. May you think about how your life might be changed if you, too, knew that you once were lost but not are found! May you then use your story to help others realize that they, too, are part of GOD’s miracle!