A Simple Wire

1 Corinthians 3:5,7 (NIV)  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task… So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

I’ve had to do a lot of transferring of information lately using my computer and phone. This takes three pieces of equipment: The computer, which is the real brains of the operation… the cord that connects to the computer and to my phone… and my phone. My phone is able to receive and process the information that comes from the computer via the cord.

As I think about that very simple picture, I thought about how God graciously uses believers – including me – to be the “conduit” of the Gospel. The least important part of the above arrangement is the cord. And that is true also when God uses me to communicate His love in Christ to people. All the information is with Him, including all that Jesus is and all that He has done in the Incarnation – His first coming to be one of us. God was in flesh in Christ. He was the perfect expression of the love of God – sent to die for sinners so that they might know God, enjoy fellowship with Him, and receive His gift of eternal life. The Gospel is glorious news and is the perfect thing to “connect” with (“send” to) lost sinners. In my simplistic illustration the sinner is like the disconnected phone. It needs a connection to the computer. I know as technology advances there are wireless ways that information can get to phones, so the illustration isn’t perfect. But what is important is that the information needs to get to the phone. It is not built into it. In the older way of using a cord, power comes to the phone, as well as information that can radically change the phone.

The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation that the sinner needs. The Gospel is the message the sinner needs to hear. The Gospel is what transforms lives. The cord is not the power. The cord is not the message. The cord does not transform lives. It is simply a transmitter of information. Believers in Christ are like that cord. We have no power within ourselves. The message of the Gospel does not originate with us. We did not think it up. And we do not have the power to transform lives. All these things are from God through Christ. And God has chosen to use us in His plan and His work to transmit the Gospel and to change lives. What an act of grace on His part. Why should He need or want to use me? But He does, and it is a blessed privilege. The Church exists for the sake of the Gospel. Without the Gospel there is no reason for the Church to exist. It is the most important thing we “transmit”, and is of eternal value.

May the Lord use us freely and fully, and may we rejoice to be used in something that is ultimately not about us. It’s all about Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:9-11 (NIV) ⁹  For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ¹¹  Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Galatians 2:20 (KJV)  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Romans 15:17-18 (NIV) ¹⁷  Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. ¹⁸  I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—

2 Timothy 4:17 (NIV)  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.

PRAYER:  Lord, let me be a conduit totally at your disposal. May your Spirit use me to speak and to demonstrate the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, your Son. Thank you for the person(s) you used to transmit the Good News to me. You have changed, and you are changing my life and I rejoice to be your child – and to know that by your grace I am the object of your love. Praise you! In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

A Change of Habit

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) ⁷  Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

A habit is a repeated practice that becomes ingrained in one’s lifestyle. It is a way of doing something that is consistent, regular, and often unchanging. I have owned an iPhone 5 for several years. And for several years I have accessed it by swiping the screen. But the latest version of iOS changed the way of accessing the features of the phone to clicking the start button again instead of swiping. I am still weeks into the change and have not yet gotten the swing of it yet. It’s a little bit like having to write the correct date (year) on my checks in early January. After “swiping” for years it’s taking a while to get used to pushing a button. A simple and trite example, yet a good description of how habits work in our lives. We get very comfortable with our habitual way of doing things and discover that change is not always easy, and often not even wanted.

Habits, as we all know, can be negative or positive. We may regret them – even hate them - or we may experience blessing and better things in life because of them. The habit of taking a shower every day helps my relationships to prosper. Flossing and brushing my teeth helps me to enjoy eating and speaking… and smiling. Drinking or eating the wrong things habitually may add inches to my waistline or harm my organs. Some habits have a way of trapping us – even enslaving us - into actions that can be dangerously harmful to us physically or emotionally. Some are not dangerous – just annoying (usually to others). We brush off some of our habits with “I can’t help it!” or “What’s the big deal? It’s not hurting anybody.” New Year’s resolutions are all about habits: usually stopping bad ones and/or starting new ones. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we struggle. And sometimes we fail to change in ways we would like.

When you think about it, you realize that there was a time in your life when you did NOT have every habit you have now. Every habit starts with a first “encounter” or experience. If it brought pleasure, or some good result (such as health, peer approval/social acceptance, confidence, feeling good, or an improved self-image), it was likely repeated. And when it was repeated enough (some people suggest 21 days of doing something will establish it) it became a natural, ingrained part of our life. This can be an encouraging thought, because there are things NOT in our lives now that we wish were. And just like our current habits didn’t exist at one point, so these things are rare or non-existent now. But that can change. If it changed before for things we do now, it can change again for things we want to do. Habits start in the heart and are willed into our being.

The spiritual disciplines (such as prayer, the reading of the Word, memorizing Scripture, fasting, service, silence, solitude, submission, abstinence,…) are a kind of habit, designed to strengthen the soul in service to Christ. These practices promote spiritual growth in any person who believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are habits of devotion that have been practiced by Christians since biblical times. Dallas Willard, in The Spirit of the Disciplines wrote…

“Discipline works by indirection. A discipline is something we can do that enables us to do what we haven’t yet been able to do by our own direct effort. Trying is not enough. (“Don’t try — train!” is a way to paraphrase 1 Tim. 4:7.) Our training is connecting us with a power much greater than our own — the Spirit of God that raised Jesus Christ from the dead!

So if you can’t break the power of an addiction to alcohol or pornography one step to get free (in addition to obvious measures like 12 Step Recovery and psychotherapy) might be to fast from food. With practice you can experience the reality that fasting is feasting: even though you’re not eating you’re sustained in the joy and peace of God by meditating on Scripture and praying. If you can get past headaches and grumpiness when fasting and learn to be sweet and strong without getting the food you need then you can apply this to resisting your compulsive behavior.

The other way discipline works is because we’re developing new and healthy habits. You can’t be good at golf without developing a number of specific habits in your body — there are seemingly a hundred aspects to a good golf swing! We can’t even drive our cars safely without habits. Without thinking about it we notice conditions on the road and break when needed.

The spiritual life works the same way. We need bodily habits that engage our mind and heart with God. We want to get into a position in our daily lives where we find ourselves meditating on Scripture, praying, or blessing the one who curses us without even having intended to do so. Using an intelligently designed course of disciplines over time will do that.”

            Why try? Well, that’s the wrong question. The question is, “Why train?” Habits change, or are added, through training, which feels hard at the time. But the goal is always worth it. Just ask any athlete, musician, artist, carpenter, or anyone who develops a skill. What they do looks so natural and easy… until you try it yourself. Then you appreciate all the hard work of training that has led them to the joy of practicing or performing that skill which they make look so effortless. But just ask them if they got to that point or place without effort. Many desirable ends come through the means of discipline and habit.

            May the Lord help us to know the joy of change and of seeing habits that honor Him become the joys of our lives and one of the ways He forms us into the likeness of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) ¹  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ²  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

PRAYER:  Lord, when I face the next “I can’t” in my life, I will wait upon you and trust in you. You will help me and will seek you. Thank you.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

A Re-Molded Heart and Mind

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) ¹  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ²  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

            On October 29, 2014, CNN reported… http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/29/us/pumpkinstein-scary-pumpkins/... - There are heads growing on Tony Dighera's farm, and they're not made of lettuce. They're called "pumpkinsteins," and they look a lot like the Frankenstein creature that actor Boris Karloff made famous more than 80 years ago.

            "Nobody's ever seen anything like it, ever," said Dighera of his creepy creations.

            "It's so new, and it's so unique that demand has been off the charts," Dighera said.

Dighera, who opened his Cinagro Farms eight years ago, says he was inspired after seeing cube-shaped watermelons grown in Japan. He was successful in creating not only edible, box-shaped watermelons at his Fillmore, California, organic farm, but heart-shaped melons as well. He then made the leap to try to create a unique-looking pumpkin -- a four-year process that is only proving fruitful this year. The pumpkinstein was the result of four years of trial and error.

            "A lot of people thought I was nuts. When I first started doing this I think every farmer in the world looked at me like I was a complete lunatic."

Dighera carefully builds a strong mold that encases the pumpkin yet permits air to reach the growing gourd inside. The pumpkin variety has to be just right. They can't be too big or they'll burst from the molds. Too small and the pumpkins won't fill the molds. Dighera still recalls the first time they squeezed that pumpkin into the mold and it worked. Out came a re-formed (or should we say "de-formed") pumpkin that looked like Frankenstein's head.

Dighera doesn't know whether he has a thriving pumpkinstein until he removes the nuts and bolts from the mold and successfully removes the pumpkin. But don't expect pumpkinsteins to boot jack-o'-lanterns off the porch completely. They're not cheap. It costs 100 bucks to squeeze those pumpkins into a mold and reshape them into a monster.

In Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul tells the followers of Jesus to “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world”. J.B. Phillips’ paraphrase (The New Testament in Modern English) of this phrase is vivid: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold”. The world around us relentlessly puts pressure on us. It doesn’t make distinctions between the pagan and the Christian – the unbeliever and the believer. It just seeks to shape our thinking, our choices, our words, and our actions, whoever we are. It wants to run the show. And the closer a man is to Christ, the more sharply he feels the clamps of worldly thinking and ways as they try to latch on to him. The world cries steadily, “Take my shape. Fit yourself to me. Do what I do. Be like me. That will bring you happiness and contentment.” But nothing could be further from the truth.

            There is only one thing that can protect the follower of Jesus from such pressure from without to conform: a greater pressure within that refuses to be shaped. Where can a Christian find this? The next thing Paul says is, “but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” Or, as the NIV puts it, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” The mind is renewed, or re-molded, by the Word of God. It has power to not only withstand the pressure from the world, but to overcome it. The Holy Spirit – God Himself with us – takes the Word of God and applies it to our lives, shielding and protecting us from the world’s onslaught to make us conform. God’s Word has power to conform us to Jesus Himself. Through the Word and by His grace Jesus is shaping us into a new creation that reflects His love and grace. Christlikeness is a great gift and joy of our salvation and new life in Christ. How has Christ been shaping you lately, and in what ways has He been using His Word in the process?

Psalm 119:9-11 (NIV) ⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. ¹⁰  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. ¹¹  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)  For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

PRAYER:  Lord, let me find in your Word all my sufficiency for life that honors and pleases you, and overcomes the world.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

The Apple of Your Eye

Psalm 17:6-8 (NIV) ⁶  I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. ⁷  Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. ⁸  Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

            My dad took me with him one day to pick apples. I was probably 10-12 years old and loved doing things like this with him. I don’t remember the name or location of the orchard, but it was September in Maine and the trees would be full of beautiful apples just waiting to be snatched and put in our baskets. I’ve always loved apples and was careful to find only the biggest ones I could. On this particular day I came across a tree and saw it in the branches: the largest apple I had ever laid my eyes upon. I thought it must be the biggest apple that had ever grown in the history of the world. Compared to it all other apples were just feeble imitations. The problem was – it was out of my reach. Did I dare to leave the tree to get something to help me get to it? No way. If I did that some clown who didn’t really appreciate it would come and steal “my” apple, as it quickly came to be thought of. I couldn’t reach it from the ground. There was only one thing to do: climb the tree and venture out far enough on the branch to get a hand on it and capture the trophy. So I climbed into the tree. So far, so good. I began my way out the branch. So far, so good. But the branch began to get a little thin. Did I dare keep going? The branch might break and send me tumbling down to the ground. But the worst possibility was that my special apple might be bruised and damaged. We couldn’t have that. J..u..s..t.. a little further. One more little stretch. Finally I got my hand underneath it. It was such a big apple that all it needed was a little wiggle and it broke free. It was mine forever. Boy, was I proud. I couldn’t wait to show it off to all my family and friends – the biggest apple ever. During the ride home in the back seat I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it – sitting on the top of a basket of apples surrounded by several other bushel baskets of apples. Then I began to feel hungry. And – of the hundreds of apples in the back of the station wagon – I could have eaten any one (or two) of them. Instead – and you know I know you know what happened. I ate the prize. I devoured the “evidence”. So it became little more than a fish story about the “big one” that got away. Words don’t do justice, and only seeing is believing. Now there was nothing left to be seen and my words just weren’t convincing enough to get anyone to believe that this was the biggest apple ever in the whole wide world.

            The psalmist asks the Lord to keep him as “the apple of your eye”. What does this common phrase even mean? I feel like my grandson is the apple of my eye. But what does that really mean? In a Wikipedia article this phrase is described as meaning “something or someone that one cherishes above all”. Its meaning derives from an expression signifying the pupil of the eye, one of the most sensitive parts of the body. For example, one can tolerate an eyelash on the white of his eye, but let it barely touch the pupil, and everything else is of secondary importance. God’s people, Israel, are described as being the apple of His eye: found, shielded, cared for and guarded by Him (Deuteronomy 32:10). Young men are called to make their parents’ teachings and guidance the apple of their eye (Proverbs 7:1-2).

            The word “pupil” – for the aperture of the eye – comes from the Latin pupilla, meaning “little doll”. It refers to the tiny reflection one sees of oneself when looking into another person’s eyes. If you can see this reflection, then you know that you are the focus of the other. They have you “in their sights”. As an apple might be the treasured sight of a little boy, you and I are the treasured sight of the Lord. His eyes are upon us and we are the objects of His love and grace. If we could look into His eyes, we would see our reflection as the “apple” of His eye. To be the apple of God’s eye is an amazing thought to consider. That He would have even the time or inclination to pay any attention to me is a great wonder. But to be treasured by Him in my creatureliness and sinfulness speaks volumes about what Christ has done for me and the difference the Gospel makes – Jesus’ righteousness in me in exchange for my sin on Him. The children of Abraham longed for the blessing of God turning His face toward them and looking upon them. This was a sure sign of His favor. In Christ every believer has the assurance of God’s favor and blessing. Thank You, Lord Jesus.

Deuteronomy 32:9-10 (NIV) ⁹  For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. ¹⁰  In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye,

Proverbs 7:1-2 (NIV) ¹  My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. ²  Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV) ²⁴  "' "The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵  the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶  the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."'

PRAYER:  Father, what a notion that I – or my family or church – are the apple of your eye. Who are we that you are even mindful of us? Yet in Christ you turn your face toward us and bless us so abundantly. Thank you for such favor. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott