My Strength vs. GOD’s Strength

I was studying the concept of inner-strength the other day. This is something that has often times intrigued me. As a person of faith, I truly believe that my strength comes from the LORD. Where I struggle, however, is when I think I am responsible to act, lead, and serve in my own strength. When I live in such a way, I am invariably tired, ornery, stressed, and wimpy. This is not good for me, and certainly not for those who have to spend time being around me. It can be hard to admit at times, but this is sort of an inner struggle for me to draw upon GOD’s strength as opposed to counting on my own. After all, GOD’s strength is limitless where mine is safe to say, well short of limitless.

I am reminded of a great story where a father and son were walking on a trail and passed a large boulder. The dad told his son, “I bet you can move that rock if you use all your strength.” The little tike stressed and strained against the rock, but it did not budge. Embarrassed and exasperated, the boy looked to his father and said, “I guess you were wrong; I used all my strength and I couldn’t move it.” The father lovingly knelt down beside him and said, “Son, you didn’t use all your strength, because you didn’t ask for my help.”

The Bible tells us that GOD wants to help us learn to allow His strength to be our strength. When we insist on doing things our own way, regardless of the task, we run the risk of emptying our strength reserve. Let’s face it…our strength is limited whereas GOD’s is limitless! But when we rely on GOD’s strength first, we are capable of things we cannot possibly imagine!

I love the exchange that GOD had with the Prophet Isaiah, talking about this very subject: strength. GOD had charged Isaiah with sharing His message and helping to inspire His people to change. Isaiah began this work in His own strength and he found himself worn out and burned out. Sound familiar? Check out the conversation between the LORD and Isaiah: “‘[Isaiah] replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’ And now the Lord speaks—the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him. The Lord has honored me, and my GOD has given me strength.  He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49.4-6, NLT, emphasis mine)

I love this passage, because it teaches that GOD wants to infuse us with His strength for living out our lives, the tasks great and small. When we do that, then GOD adds purpose to our endeavors and transforms them to achieve goals that we likely cannot even conceive…even to help bring salvation to the ends of the earth! These are lofty goals to be sure, but it all begins when you allow GOD’s strength to enter, empower, and transform you in little and big things alike!

We are mortal beings—there’s no way around that! Even in our best times, we will tire out if left on our own. So as you seek to live anew, calling upon and counting on the strength of GOD to be your power, remember the words of the Psalmist: “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but GOD remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” (Ps.73.26, NLT) 

May GOD indeed be the strength you need now and forever!

"Lectio Divina"

Recently I have been recommitting myself and encouraging others to delve into the Word of God for personal study and reflection. The Bible isn’t just a cool book (it certainly is that!), but the actual Word of God given to us to help us not only navigate life, but make a difference in it! Paul wrote, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3.16-17) Since we strive to be God’s servants, it is good for us to know what God wants to say to us, and the best way to do that is to read His Word and pray upon it regularly. I know that it can be a daunting task to get started, so let me share with you a system I use to dig deeper in the Word of the Lord.

I participated in a pastors’ conference last month that taught me an ancient model for reading Scripture and praying over it to consider and discern the heart of God. This model is called, Lectio Divina, which is Latin for holy reading. Lectio Divina has its roots in the 3^rd Century and is the practice of scriptural reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation intended to increase the knowledge of God's Word and promote communication with God.

There are four steps to the Lectio Divina holy reading that I would like to share and encourage you to incorporate into your own personal Bible reading and prayer. Of course, if you do not have one, this is a GREAT way to start. Before you begin, however, you must prepare yourself by carving out a time, finding a quiet comfortable place, and removing distractions – real or potential – so you can enjoy some uninterrupted time with the Lord.

The first step of the Lectio Divina begins with reading the Bible! You could start with a Psalm, a favorite passage, or maybe just a section within a chapter. The key is to make it manageable, so don’t try to do too much, especially in the beginning. Read through the passage in order to gain a grasp as to what God might want to say to you. You might want to read through it a couple times, but the key is to get familiarized with the text.

The second step of the Lectio Divina is to hone in on a word, phrase, concept, or verse(s) that jumps out at you and meditate upon it. The term meditation comes from a Latin word which literally means to chew as a cow chews its cud. Meditation in this sense is thinking and listening to the Holy Spirit for what God wants you to consider and going over it and over it and over it to hear from the Lord and find a deeper meaning. Once you feel like you have chewed upon and savored the sweetness of the Lord, it is time to move on to the third aspect of Lectio Divina.

The third step of the Lectio Divina is prayer. You have listened to God speak to you, so now it is time to speak to the Lord. Tell God what you think. Tell God where you struggle. Share your heart, your pains, your ideas, and the needs of your life…not just the simple things, but those that exist below the surface and perhaps no one else is even aware. In the Christian tradition, prayer is understood as dialogue with God – as a loving conversation with God who has invited you into an embrace – so embrace God and feel God embrace you, too! After you have said your piece, and feel you have allowed God time to speak as well, then it is time for the last part of the Lectio Divina.

The fourth and final step of the Lectio Divina is to contemplate your time with God. In contemplation, you are essentially reviewing the previous three steps before embarking upon the rest of your day. You might want to read through the passage again in light of what you have experienced. Meditate and chew on what you have discovered that the Lord revealed to you. Reflect over your prayer and how God might – nor might not! – have answered you in that moment. Once you feel like you are done, you are!

After going through this process, it will undoubtedly shape or reshape your day. Some days might be more enlightening than others, but this is an exercise and a process that will help you deepen your understanding and appreciation of your life in God and God’s life in you. If you would like to practice this further, and could use some help, please, let me know! I would love to hear from you and share in your experiences. Also, the small group that I help facilitate will be working through some of the Psalms using this Lectio Divina process. We will begin meeting next Wednesday (Sept.12) from 6:30-8:30pm at Bob and Debbie Johns’ home in Senoia and you are welcome to join us!

God bless you in your work to grow in the Lord. There is absolutely no substitute for reading scripture and praying to the Lord allowing Him to speak to you, too. Give this Lectio Divina process a try and see what happens. As always, I would LOVE to hear from you about your experiences and epiphanies as you dedicate time to spend with our loving and amazing God!

Calming the Storm

I have been riveted by the coverage of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac. I have always found such coverage fascinating as experts try to predict the unpredictable. Of course, the fact that within this week we mark the anniversaries of Hurricanes Andrew (20 years) and Katrina (7 years), keeping an eye on Isaac seems to be even more essential in light of our historical knowledge. Isaac might not have packed quite the wallop of an Andrew or Katrina, but it definitely has and will impact landscape and lives forever. The bottom line is, after such a storm, we are forever changed!

Storms of any kind remind us of our vulnerability. Regardless of the knowledge and/or strength we might be blessed with, all we can do in the face of the storm is prepare then sit back and wait. Still, no matter how hard we try and no matter what we do, we are unable to manipulate or change the weather.

During such times, I cannot help but reflect over Jesus. In Matthew 8.23-27, we read about an instance when a storm came upon the Lord and His disciples. The disciples – many of whom seasoned seafarers – were terrified for their safety. Jesus, on the other hand, was fast asleep. The disciples incredulously roused Jesus from his slumber, which prompted Him to speak to them about their faith. Afterwards, and it is important to note that this takes place after his brief mention of faith, Jesus calmed the storm. The lesson to be learned in this is that though Jesus has the ability to calm storms, He is far more concerned with calming those who are enduring the storm.

Enduring and surviving storms changes us. Sure we might have some scars (both real and metaphorical), but as we know from medicine, we are stronger in those areas where we have scars. We might be stronger, sure, but it is also true that we are even more aware of our vulnerability, and that epiphany is rarely fun. Still, this has the potential to help us change our misplaced sense of indestructible self-confidence to a true faith and trust in GOD Almighty! This is no minor shift, my friends! That being said, seeing and sensing a storm on the horizon gives us the opportunity to praise the Lord, because it is in such times that we can see firsthand how He is hard at work!

Are you enduring a storm today? Are you feeling vulnerable by the fact that you cannot control your life circumstances? If you answered yes, then there is no better time to turn to the Lord and allow Him to calm the churning in you, regardless of the churning in nature. If you find that you need help in calming the storm within, I invite you to prayer this prayer with me:

Dear Lord,

I recognize that I cannot control all of my life circumstances, let alone the power of nature. Help me to experience your presence and power and embrace the fact that you are more concerned with calming the storms within me than the storms outside. When I am anxious, give me your calm. When I am restless, give me your peace. When I am lonely, give me yourself. I also pray for those who are living in the midst of life’s storms right now…those actual and those metaphorical. And for those truly in harm’s way, I ask for protection. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Have a great week!

Pastor Mark

Back to School

It's been a busy week so far in the Jordan household. Not only are we trying to get re-acclimated from enjoying some vacation time, but we are back in the rat race as school resumed for Ethan this past Monday. It really can be dizzying going from one week of fun in the sun to the next with alarm clocks, bed times, and homework. We certainly are not alone, however; many families are working to adjust to new routines and responsibilities, and many more will next week as Fayette and other counties join back in with the school fun. 

Something that occurred to me in seeing some of the things that have come home the first couple of days this new school year is that teachers are working to catch the children back up from two-plus months of summer bliss. This is necessary, because no matter how you slice it, review is important. When we are not as engaged in reading, writing, and arithmetic, those skills need to be fine tuned. According to Dr. Harris Cooper, Professor of Psychology at Duke University and the director of the program in education, test scores were, on average, at least one month lower when students returned to school in the fall than when they left in the spring. So over the next couple weeks, as students return to the world of classrooms and textbooks, they will spend some time reviewing the foundational things they will need to remember in order to build upon for the new academic year.

Never having been an educator in the academic sense of the word, I can imagine there are certain advantages and disadvantages to having to spend precious time in reviewing older material. On the other hand, when talking about foundational material, there are some things we will always need to remember, like 1+1 will always equal 2; 'i' always comes before 'e' except after 'c'; and that there are always exceptions to every rule. 

The Apostle Paul was a very intelligent and well educated man. This was an advantage for him as he sought to bring the good news of Jesus to people all over the world. This education could have been a stumbling block for him, however, if he expected everyone to know everything that he knew. Instead, Paul dedicated his life of sharing Jesus to one not-so-little fact, and that is that it all comes back to GOD. In 1 Corinthians 2.1-5, Paul wrote, "When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God."

Paul would never be one to promote forgetfulness, but what he would say is that we need to remember to "keep the main thing the main thing." This is something we all will do well to remember. We must remember that we are called to serve GOD by serving others; to share the love of GOD wherever we go; and shine the light of GOD wherever we are. So while trying to get back into the swing of new routines (even if that is just adjusting to morning or afternoon traffic with school busses), may we remember what Paul told us we must never forget, and that is that GOD so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son -- Jesus -- that whoever believes in Him will never perish but have life everlasting! (John 3:16)

May this season of new beginnings and new opportunities begin by remembering that it all comes back to the love of GOD. When we build our lives on the knowledge of Christ's love, then we will see the world differently, as well as the opportunities that life presents. 

Have a great rest of this first week of school, and if it's your last week of summer, enjoy! Regardless, I hope to see you in worship on Sunday!

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