The Cross of Christ

Recently in reading my Oswald Chambers daily devotional, I was struck by Chambers' statement that most of us tend to focus primarily on the effects of Christ's death on the cross instead of the event itself. It struck me as odd at first because I thought that the effects of the cross, i.e. salvation, mercy, grace, forgiveness, was the main point that we were to be preaching to others. This is the Good News after all, is it not?

But then I considered the fact that, while many of us were horrified the first time we heard the details of Jesus' death on the cross or saw re-enactments like the movie "The Passion of the Christ", after awhile we get used to it, are kind of numbed to it, and don't really think much anymore about the horror and agony of it. The beating with clubs and fists that broke bones, the whipping with the cat-o-nine-tails that ripped flesh, the spitting in His face, the taunting, the crown of thorns digging deep into His head, the mocking, the agonizing trip up the hill carrying a heavy, rough, wooden, splintered cross on His ripped open flesh, the humiliation of being stripped bare in front of his mother, friends and everyone, the huge spikes being hammered through each of His hands and each of His feet one at a time in slow succession, the cross being raised with his body nailed to it, thumping into the hole, jarring His body and causing Him to hardly be able to breathe, the jeers, the hoots and hollers and self-satisfied smirks..... this is only a fraction of the agony He endured on the Cross. And yet, we condense all of this to "Christ died on the cross for our sins".

I agree with Chambers that the Cross is everything. While we are all happy about the rewards of the cross to us, the Cross itself and the tribulation that Jesus endured on that cross to gain us those rewards is the MOST important thing and ought to be where we place our primary emphasis. For me, this does several things. First of all, it continually reminds me of the terrible sacrifice that was made for me and for the whole world. A sacrifice that was made for a world of egotistic, unloving, ungrateful, and evil-minded people. A seemingly insane sacrifice except that it reveals the unbelievable passion that Jesus has for all of His children and His determination to do whatever it takes to save them. Remembering the horror and agony of that sacrifice makes the reward of salvation so much sweeter and so much more appreciated.

Focusing on the Cross of Christ also keeps the focus off of me. Let's face it, by focusing on the effects and rewards of the cross, it's almost like saying "What's in it for me?" It's all about "what can Jesus do for me?" instead of "what can I do for Jesus?". It helps to reverse my natural selfish mindset and engenders a spirit of gratitude and humility in me. These are the kinds of traits we want people far from God to see in us. We want them to see how grateful and humbled we are by Jesus selfless sacrifice for us, and not just gleeful that we get to go to heaven. Sometimes I think we just get too caught up in telling people "Dude! This is the deal of a lifetime! This Jesus dude already paid for everybody's ticket to heaven and all you have to do is believe! It's so easy!" We forget how much was paid and in what manner for that ticket.

So Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power". Think about the times you have tried to bring the message of Christ to unbelievers. Did you focus on the rewards of being a Christian or did you focus on the event of Christ on the cross? I think we're afraid to go to the cross in our ministry because we think it will turn people off. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul goes on to say "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." And in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25, "Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

I believe Chambers has it right when he says, "The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. ".....and even if your listeners seem to pay it no attention, they will never be the same again. We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power - the Cross. If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives." "If we get away from dwelling on the tragedy of God on the cross in our preaching, our preaching produces nothing. It will not transmit the energy of God to man; it may be interesting, but it will have no power."

You may say, "But I am not a preacher, what does this have to do with me!" If you are a Christ follower, then you are a preacher, or should be, to everyone in your sphere of influence and contact. So don't forget the power of preaching the tragedy and agony of the Cross that Christ endured out of His passionate love for us to bring us eternal life with Him.

The God Filter

As usual, I'm going to talk about something that is so fundamental to most of you mature Christians out there that I almost feel silly talking about it. But God puts these things in my mind I think for a reason, and He doesn't let go of me until I obey and write about it. Plus, I still don't consider myself in the real mature Christian category, so this is one of those things that, even though I've heard it a million times, I'm just now starting to really learn and apply to my own life.

I'm talking about the God filter. You know, that lens that you look through in order to help you sort out what is important and what is not. We all have worries and problems in our everyday lives, but when viewed through the God filter, most of them vanish like a wisp of smoke. When things aren't going that well at work, when I think I may even lose my job, I look through the God filter and it just doesn't matter. Through faith, I know that God controls my destiny and that includes my job. Looked at this way, losing a job can actually be kind of exciting. Not that I want to lose my job, cause I don't. Not that I will stop doing my best at my work because I must, as I work as if I am working for the Lord Himself (and I am).

The stock market may tank tomorrow and we may lose every penny of our retirement fund. Oh my gosh, how will we survive in our old age? So, I put on my God filter and suddenly I know that we will be just fine. Who knows, maybe we will be whisked up to be with Jesus before retirement age ( a very likely scenario) and those retirement funds will not be needed anyway. I need new carpet for the house, need to fix the fence, need to repair some holes in the wall from the plumber's excavation to fix a slab leak a year ago, and on and on. Can't afford any of that. My friends are all renovating and getting all new everything. Should I worry? Should I be envious? When I look through the God filter, which includes reading my Bible and many passages telling me specifically not to worry and not to be envious, it's pretty obvious the answer is no. But more importantly, it's about faith in a God and Savior and Friend who I now know without a doubt loves me more than anyone on this earth is capable of loving me and who says "I know the plans I have for you.... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

The love I talked about in my last post changes everything. When I really believe in that love, I put everything through the God filter and nothing can cause me to tremble in fear. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39-39). That love filters everything I do and think now. Occasionally I still stumble and let the world get me down. But it doesn't last as long anymore. I have let Jesus eyes be my own eyes, his ears be my own ears and His heart be my own heart. One cannot see through His eyes, hear with His ears and feel with His heart and do anything but smile.

To Make You Feel My Love

It seems like the longer I am in relationship with Christ, the more I view every love song I hear to be about Jesus love for me. I was listening to the song "To Make You Feel My Love" sung by the young British artist Adele, and it just seemed like it was Jesus singing to all of us. This was originally a Bob Dylan song that has been covered by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and many others and I don't think any of them were singing about Jesus, and yet that's who I think of when I hear the song. Adele has a particularly beautiful voice on the song (listen at www.adele.tv). Here are the words:

When the rain is blowing in your face,
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace,
To make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear.
And there is no one to dry your tears,
I could hold you for a million years,
To make you feel my love.

I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
But I would never do you wrong,
I've known it from the moment that we met,
There's no doubt in my mind where you belong.

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue,
I'd go crawling down the avenue,
There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do,
To make you feel my love.

The storms are raging on the rolling sea,
And on the highway of regret,
The winds of change are blowing wild and free,
You ain't seen nothing like me yet.

There ain't nothin' that I wouldn't do,
Go to the ends of the earth for you,
Make you happy make your dreams come true,
To make you feel my love.

Think about how much Jesus loves us. How passionately He pursues us. How much He was/is willing to sacrifice for us. It blows my mind. You know, in this world they tell us that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The fact that the God of creation, the Maker of the universe loves us so much even though many ignore Him, yell at Him, spit on Him, deny Him and despise Him seems way too good to be true. That He says He has paid the debt for all my crimes and wiped my filthy heart clean, seems impossible to believe. The fact that He woos us with the love of a starry eyed teenager, willing to do anything for us if we would only believe in Him and return His love, it's unfathomable. I used to feel a little weird frankly about this love for me that Jesus has; the fact that I'm to be His "bride". I'm a dude man! That just seemed weird. Now it's incredibly romantic and exciting. His love for us is truly too good to be true; and yet it is true!

He really would go to the ends of the earth for us, go hungry or go black and blue. There is nothing He wouldn't do to make us feel His love. Can you say the same thing back to Him? I love you Jesus.

Why Do Good Things Happen To Bad People?

We've all heard the question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But what about the reverse? It seems like many people who are very far from God are the recipients of the majority of the worldly successes of this world. Take a look at many of those in the top positions, those with the biggest houses, the most wealth, the fanciest cars, etc.. and you will find many non-Christians. Is God blessing them for some reason? If a Christian has alot of money and things, he inevitably says that God has richly blessed him. So, if I as a Christian am blessed by God with all these nice things, is not the non-Christian also being blessed?

My friends, believe me that I am well aware of the fact that worldly things and wealth are not the most important blessings to be had and, in fact, Jesus found wealth to be a huge stumbling block to entering into the Kingdom of God. But back to my question. Why do so many who are so far from God seem to be blessed with health, wealth and uncanny luck in all their pursuits when so many sincere Christ followers seem to struggle so much in these same areas? Luck is actually a term that implies some form of magical influence by an unseen "force" of some kind. It is a form of superstition. I tend to want to use this term when trying to explain good things happening to "bad" people rather than saying they are somehow, for some reason blessed by God. Am I wrong in this attribution since God, one would think, has His hand in every aspect of human existence down to the smallest details? Is God simply blessing those who cheat, lie, steal, fornicate, and adulterate for some hidden purpose of His own? Or is He really cursing them with what initially looks like blessings?

This leads to another possibility. Are these "blessings" really the acts of satan? Many people will vehemently challenge the notion that satan has the power to bless anybody. Perhaps it is merely a matter of choice of words. For isn't it true that satan has been given power in this world of ours? Didn't he offer Jesus many "blessings" (power, wealth) if only He would follow satan? I'm not suggesting that all of these "bad" people are conscious satan worshipers. But aren't there really two choices? You are either following God or you are following satan. And even those who believe they are following God are actually following satan if they choose not to believe, as the Word tells us, that Jesus is the only path to God the Father. So, I guess I would have to believe that in many cases, perhaps not all, the unbelievable "luck" and good fortune that is showered on many non-believers is the power of satan. What do you think?

Either way, we know for a fact that the material things of this world are only transitory and bring no real joy or peace to the recipients. We also know that to contemplate the question for too long as to why "good" things tend to happen to bad people is simply a sin in and of itself. It is a sin fueled by pride, envy and resentment, exactly the same thing that brought the fall of man in the first place!! So, while it is sometimes frustrating to see the most evil people flowing over with wealth and all the things of this world, remember that one cannot serve two gods. With money and power come distractions away from our main purpose here. To learn to love and serve our Lord and God. Money and power keep us focused on how to keep our money and power, while Jesus says we should instead be focusing on how to give it all away so that we can acquire real and lasting wealth in a Kingdom of which this world is only a cheap shadow.

When God Says "No"

Have you ever prayed to God for something and He said "no"? I'm not talking about asking for a Ferrari or a trip to France. I'm talking about asking for something that, at least in your mind, seems perfectly reasonable and perhaps deserved. Doesn't the Bible tell us that we should simply ask in Jesus name and we will receive whatever we ask? Luke 11:10 says "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened". Matthew 21:22 says "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Mark 11:24 says "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." John 16:24 says "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Are these verses not clear? What is missing from my understanding? Well, my friends, I happen to believe that like any good father, our Lord does NOT always give us what we ask for when we ask for it. Prime example happened today at church. My wife and I volunteer in the church nursery with the "crawlers" a couple of times each month and in our room we often are given on average about 6-8 little bundles of joy. 99% of the time our room is one of the calmest and quietest of all the nursery rooms as we have learned how to work well together and to soothe and entertain most any child for an hour or two. I ALWAYS pray fervently before we start for our little charges to enjoy themselves and for us to enjoy them; for them to laugh and play and not cry and be upset; for the babies to see Jesus when they look at us and to hear Jesus voice when they hear us speaking to them; to bring glory to God in our service to these little children of His. I truly believe that we have been so successful each time precisely because of this prayer and God showing mercy on us by calming and soothing these babies Himself. It has little to do with us.

But today, I knew something was wrong when I prayed my usual prayer. I didn't feel confident that all would go smoothly. For some reason, I felt God saying "no" to me. I immediately began doing my own version of "Is there any way that this cup can be passed from me? Please Father?" I began whining to Him about how I know that life can't be expected to always go smoothly and that I have to learn how to push through adversity, but come on, these are your children Lord!! Don't you want them to be happy in their experience at church? Don't you want their parents to be happy and secure in leaving their babies, some for the first time, in our care so they can attend the service? Somehow I felt him saying, "you need to experience this David". So every 60 seconds for the next several minutes we had a child dropped off at our room who immediately started wailing at the top of their lungs and could not be consoled. Parents were showing up at the door seeing all these tearful faces and screams as if they were being tortured and I was so embarassed. To be honest, I felt my pride being hit like a ton of bricks. Our room is one of the superstar rooms! We can calm any baby! Turns out WE can't. Only God can. Maybe God needed to make that point.

I know this is a pitiful little example of need not being met when so many of you have so much greater needs that you are praying fervently for and not seeing the tangible results of God meeting your need. But God works in all circumstances, big and small, and sometimes, for own good, I think He says "No, you need to experience this". I love my Father for caring enough about me to lead me through experiences that are going to help make me stronger and more prepared for my future. Are you willing to let God say "no" to you and to obey His wishes? It will be the best decision you ever make if you do.

Death Is Life, Life Is Death

I've been thinking alot about death lately. As a Christian, I'm not afraid of death because I know that my earthly death brings me closer to the start of my eternal life in heaven. Even so, as much as we try so hard not to be of this world while still operating in it on a daily basis, it's hard not to be a little bummed out about dying and not having done many of the things this world has to offer. It's difficult to know that I haven't yet even come close to being the man I want to be for Christ, for my wife, for my children, for my friends. Even thinking that I might die soon, as any of us might, doesn't seem to change my usual selfish behavior. I think few of us really believe it's the end of our life here on earth until we can see tangible signs of that end or unless we have experienced a "close call" with death. We just go on with our earthly dreams and desires, most of which are not our Lord's dreams and desires for us. Is it God's greatest wish that we get to take that trip to Italy, or see our grandchild graduate from high school, or reach retirement age where we can "take it easy"? Somehow I think God's desires and plans for us are a bit deeper than that. And yet, it's so hard to put aside our own earthly dreams and desires, to surrender them all to God and let His will truly be done in our lives, even if that means leaving this world at a time that is inopportune for us. The truth is none of us change our safe lives much unless God gives us a solid nudge and even then we have to choose to obey Him.

Jesus talked alot about death. And He talked alot about life. The two always seemed to go together. In John 11:25, Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies". In John 12:25, it says, "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life". We have to die to our sinful self, and be reborn in the Spirit of Christ, "so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21). Jesus taught us who believe in Him not to fear death, but to welcome it as a necessary step to life. Still it is hard. Jesus asks us to give up everything and follow him. How many of us have done that? We all seem to cling to our own precious desires until we know for certain there is nothing more we can do to fulfill them. I know Jesus will still accept me into His loving arms as He would any of His children, but I would so much like to have grown beyond my childish ways. I wish I could impress Him with my growth and maturity, showing how my life is a study in diligent focus on my relationship with Him.

But alas, my relationships in general are not so mature and I'm sure that our relationships with others are a mirror into how well we have grown in relationship with God. I know I've not succeeded yet and I pray my wife, my children, my friends, and mostly my Lord know that my heart loves them with all that I am capable of, even though my actions fall so pitifully short. I'm so grateful for the many examples of generosity that God has put into my life in order to try and mature me in this area. My wife is the greatest example I know of a person who is truly selfless and extends generosity to everyone around her not just with money, but with her time, her attention, her love. She sacrifices without even thinking twice about it. The same is true of several of my giving friends. They all remind me everyday of our Lord's life of generosity and sacrifice, even for, maybe especially for those who treated Him the worst. It is said there is nothing greater than giving one's life for a friend. I think it is far greater to give one's life even for someone who is your enemy, as Jesus did for all of us. For we have all acted as enemies to Jesus at one time or another and ignored Him when we should have been loving Him, ignored others when we should have been giving to them. I'm willing to keep trying to die to my life for the sake of living for Jesus, and by doing so, living to give my life for others. Are you?

The Deep Ditch of Doubt

I was just re-reading my last post about losing myself completely in Christ and realized just how badly I've failed over this last three months. I got swamped with my work at my job(s) and I let myself get exhausted and in exhaustion have been moody, sullen, isolative, a bad friend, a bad parent, a bad husband, and a bad witness for Jesus. Sure, I've continued to pray, go to church, etc.. but my heart hasn't been in it. Even worse, I've allowed myself to fall into the deep ditch of doubt.

Lately, I've worried that perhaps my salvation is in question. Maybe when I die, I'll be one of those that Jesus will tell "I never knew you". Even though I don't think I "do" enough, i.e. don't pray enough, don't read the Bible enough, don't give enough, don't witness enough, etc.. those are all things i think are relatively easy and I know how to do. But it's the building of a relationship with Jesus that for some reason I don't think I'm doing right. For some reason, I struggle with how to do that "right". I hope that this is just an attack by Satan that God will help me overcome. The fact that I worry about these things makes me think logically that I am sincere in my quest, but I often worry that God will not find me sincere enough. This would seem to mean that I am rejecting God's promises that His death, burial and rise from the grave combined with my profession of belief in Him and that I am a sinner and my request for Him to save me and enter my life is enough. I seem to think that it is all too easy. Surely there is more too it and I'm afraid I will find out later that, in fact, there was more to it and there was some key thing I didn't do. Perhaps I did not completely give myself to Christ. I'm sure I've held something back and this is going to keep me from eternity.

Well, all I can do is refuse to give up. I must re-assert my confidence in God's word and promise. I guess that a little doubt and a little worry and anxiety is good for keeping me from getting too complacent. Even if this worry and anxiety is from the evil one, as it most probably is, God has a habit of making good come of what the devil intends for evil. I will keep looking up and I'm sure in doing so I will find God's hand extended to me and He will pull me out of this ditch of doubt.

The Art of Losing Myself

Just as I thought I was beginning to find myself, my place in the Christian community, in God's family, I realize I still have much more losing of myself to do yet. While God has continued to give me little morsels of encouragement, times in which I feel inexplicably touched by the Spirit, this is often followed, equally inexplicably, by a period of being down, even feeling some doubt. I think what I'm feeling is my smallness next to God's greatness and the reminder that without Him, I can do nothing, I am nothing, without Him. As Jesus says in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing". This truth is hard to swallow for one with ambition and a competitive spirit. There is nothing of any consequence that I can accomplish apart from Jesus. Because, apart from Jesus, there is nothing of any consequence. I have to lose the idea of who I think I am and allow Jesus to show me who He made me to be. Funny, I think in losing myself, I will finally find myself who I lost originally long ago.

Lord, let me lose myself gazing into Your loving eyes. Let me lose myself in passionate search for Your face. Let me lose myself so that I forget what is important to me and remember what is important to you. Let me immerse myself in Your world as I turn away from this world. Let me lose myself in you so that no one who knows me would know me. Lord, I pray that my self is lost so thoroughly that I myself do not recognize myself. Then together we will smile.