THE WOLVES WITHIN

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.”  (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

An old grandfather said to his grandson who came in to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story:"

"I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those who have taken so much with no sorrow for what they do; but hate wears you down and does not hurt your enemy. It is like drinking a poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm.  He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended.  He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.  But… the other wolf… Ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper.  He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason.  He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great.  It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed." 

-- The story of two wolves is a classic fable that is credited to the Cherokee or Lenape people. It is also known as “Which Wolf Do You Feed?”

#5464

PRAYER POSTURE

“I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.”  (Psalm 143:6 NKJV)

One of my favorite prayer postures I learned from the Quakers. I lead our congregation in this prayer frequently. We begin with hands facing down, symbolizing the things we need to let go of. It involves a process of confessing our sins, rebuking our fears, and relinquishing control. Then we turn our hands over so they are facing up in a posture of receptivity. We actively receive what God wants to give -- joy unspeakable, peace that transcends understanding, and unmerited grace. We receive the fruit and gifts of His Spirit with open hands and open hearts. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5463

ACCEPTING GOD’S GRACE

God saw our entire lives from beginning to end, birth to hearse, and in spite of what He saw, He was still convinced “to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5 NLT)

We can now live “like God’s very own children, adopted into His family -- calling Him ‘Father, dear Father’… And since we are His children, we will share His treasures -- for everything God gives to His Son, Christ, is ours, too.” (Romans 8:15,17 NLT)

It really is this simple. To accept God’s grace is to accept God’s offer to be adopted into His family.

Your identity is not in your possessions, talents, tattoos, kudos, or accomplishments. Nor are you defined by your divorce, deficiencies, debt, or dumb choices. You are God’s child. You get to call Him “Papa.” You “may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12 NIV) You receive the blessings of His special love (1 John 4:9-11) and provision (Luke 11:11-13). And you will inherit the riches of Christ and reign with Him forever (Romans 8:17). 

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”

#5462

GETTING BACK ON THE RIGHT PATH

The Greek word for repentance is metanoia, a word that means to have a change of heart that results in a change of behavior. Depending upon the nature of the sin, repentance may include strong feelings of remorse, or it may simply be a conviction that the path one had taken was the wrong path, coupled with a determination to live differently in the future.

Repentance begins with my awareness of the gap I have created between myself and God, or myself and the other person. I acknowledge that I have stepped off the path, hurting people and wounding my relationship with God, and I express the remorse I feel. I confess to the other person and do what I can to make amends, I confess to God and ask for His mercy and forgiveness, and I turn back toward the right.

When I do that, God forgives me. It’s not a complicated process. God removes the burden of my sin and I am restored. The Psalmist captures the process in Psalm 32:5. “Then I acknowledged my sin to You and I did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And You forgave the guilt of my sin.” 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go”

#5461

CHOOSING TO WALK WITH JESUS

Choosing life seems like the reasonable thing to do. If given the choice why would anyone not choose life? It seems foolish to choose anything else, to choose anything less than the best. It remains a mystery to me that we often find ourselves choosing what diminishes life and leaves us less than we were before. But we are often unaware of the consequences of our choices until later, sometimes much later.

Jesus always invites us to choose life by forsaking our way of life for His way of life. It is never an easy choice. Choosing to walk with Jesus in a culture that ridicules faithfulness and glorifies violence is to choose a way with cost attached. When you choose to walk with Jesus in a culture that rewards those who take for themselves before thinking about others, you may wind up feeling someone has taken advantage of you. And yet, as the decades pass and we look back, it is clear to see that those who sought advantage by taking advantage have in reality lost life. Those who chose to walk with Jesus in the hard decisions and in the good times have discovered richness to life beyond price. At times it may seem the cost of choosing life is too high, but when you stop and think about it, choosing life is the only reasonable choice to make. 

-- Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5460

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  (Colossians 1:13-14 NIV)

God is at work carefully bringing about His Kingdom. He is working to bring all creation unto Himself. The Holy Spirit’s work in each believer’s heart is certainly a part of that greater work of God, but God is also about the cosmic business of completing creation and bringing everything to consummation. We humans can merely wait and anticipate.

What a blessing that day will be when Jesus arrives for His children. When God ushers in His Kingdom once and for all. When [evil is] swept away and impurity is banished from the world. When we are restored to our eternal place near the throne of God to be joined with believers from all times and all places in singing the praises of our Lord and our God. What a day! Come, Lord Jesus, come. 

– Allen R. Hunt in “Nine Words”

#5459

SURRENDER BRINGS POWER

“Before the Lord we bow,
The God who reigns above,
And rules the world below,
Boundless in power and love;
Our thanks we bring
In joy and praise,
Our hearts we raise
To heaven's high King.”  (Francis Scott Key)

When we are contrite, when we are submitting, we kneel, expressing with our bodies what is in our hearts. When a subject comes before his king, what does he do to humble himself? He kneels to acknowledge that he is in the presence of his master. When a believer in any religion comes to pray to his God, what does he do? He kneels to acknowledge that he is in the presence of his master. When a man asks a woman to become his wife, what does he do? He gets down on one knee to acknowledge… well, you get the idea.

Bent low in surrender. Jesus understood that if you want to experience victory, you must start in surrender. Surrender brings power, and the need to surrender is deeply tied to Jesus’ offer of living in the flow of the Spirit. You receive power through the act of surrender that you cannot obtain any other way; you receive freedom through submission that you will otherwise never know. 

-- Adapted from John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God’s Best Version of You”

#5458

SURRENDERING TO GOD

“Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.”  (Matthew 6:26)

Jesus is very clear on this point: There is no way for a human being to come to God that does not involve surrender.

Surrender is not the same thing as passivity. God’s will for your life involves exercising creativity, making choices, and taking initiative. Surrender does not mean being a doormat. It does not mean you accept circumstances fatalistically. Often it means you will have to fight to challenge the status quo. It doesn’t mean that you stop using your mind, stop asking questions, or stop thinking critically. Surrender is not a crutch for weak people who cannot handle life.

Instead, surrender is the glad and voluntary acknowledgement that there is a God and it is not me. His purposes are often wiser and better than our own desires. Jesus does not come to rearrange the outside of our life the way we want. He comes to rearrange the inside of our life the way God wants.

In surrender, I let go of my life. It is a Copernican revolution of the soul in which I take myself out of the center of the universe and place God there. I yield to Him. I offer obedience. I do what He says. 

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God’s Best Version of You”

#5457

DYING TO OURSELVES – Part 2

“We don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at Him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges!”  (2 Corinthians 5:16-17 The Message)

[Jesus] turns the world’s views inside out and upside down. He simply cuts against the grain of how we naturally think, and we realize that to follow Jesus, we need to retrain our minds to focus through spectacles we’ve never worn before. The key to thinking His way is an utter surrender, a giving up of the old ways, which never would have worked anyway. 

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me: Where Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins” 

#5456

DYING TO OURSELVES – Part 1

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV)

How do we die to ourselves?

[As a pastor] I’ve been around my share of dead people. I’ve been in the room before the coroner comes in. I’ve sat with families as their father and husband took his last breath. I’ve stood next to many open caskets as friends and family walked by to say good-bye. And I don’t mean to be coarse, but I’ve noticed something about dead people.

They don’t seem to care very much what other people think of them. They’re not concerned with how nice their clothes are.

Dead people aren’t caught up in their stock investments, nor do they show much interest in getting a promotion. Death renders all worldly points moot. It’s the ultimate, required surrender of yourself and all you have. When Jesus speaks of dying to ourselves, this is what He wants us to think about. All the stuff of the world is dead to us, and we’re dead to it. 

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me: Where Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins” 

#5455

ENGRAVED ON OUR HEARTS

“This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”  (Jeremiah 31:33)

Daring to journey within and to discover the law of God engraved deeply in our hearts means life.  Another voice may try persistently to tell us that God's will means loss, a denial of our greatest longings, and an existence of stoic endurance.  These lies keep us from fullness of life and the joy that comes from discovering that in the deepest part of ourselves we are at one with the Creator in what we truly desire. 

-- Elizabeth J. Canham in "How Long, O Lord?" from “The Weavings Reader”

#5454

THE PEACE OF GOD

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

Peacemaking must be the primary focus of all political leaders, whether in or out of power. But the temptations to personal power are too intense to be overcome by our insistently self-centered egos. Therefore, the peace must be God’s peace, a peace that is freely available when we turn inwardly to Jesus. Jesus is the model of the ultimate peacemaker, always pointing to Abba as the ultimate source of peace, justice, goodness, mercy, love, and creativity. In order to claim peace, we must relinquish our own private agendas and let ourselves be claimed by God. 

-- Robert A. Jonas from “Henri Nouwen: Writings Selected with an Introduction by Robert A. Jonas”

#5453

CALLING ORDINARY SAINTS

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”  (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV)

The church and the world need saints. They need saints more than they need more canny politicians, more brilliant scientific discoveries, more grossly overpaid executives and [professional athletes], more clever entertainers and talk-show hosts. Are there any on the horizon…, either of the extraordinary or the ordinary kind? I think there are. Maybe I should say that there are saints "aborning" by God's grace. [Douglas Steere described "saints" as] those whose lives have been irradiated by God's grace, who seek not to be safe but to be faithful, who have learned how to get along in adversity, who are joyful, who are dream-filled, and, above all, who are prayerful. That is what the church and the world need most. It begins with you.

-- E. Glenn Hinson in “Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership”

#5452

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV)

The Church is in the world to save the world. It is a tool of God for that purpose; not a comfortable religious club established in fine historical premises. Every one of its members is required, in one way or another, to co-operate with the Spirit in working for that great end; and much of this work will be done in secret and invisible ways. We are transmitters as well as receivers. Our contemplation and our action, our humble self-opening to God, keeping ourselves sensitive to His music and light, and our generous self-opening to our fellow creatures, keeping ourselves sensitive to their needs, ought to form one life: mediating between God and His world, and bringing the saving power of the Eternal into time. We are far from realizing all that the human spirits can do for one another on spiritual levels if they pay the price; how truly and really our souls interpenetrate, and how impossible and un-Christian it is to “keep ourselves to ourselves.”

-- Evelyn Underwood in “The Spiritual Life”

#5451

UNDERSTANDING OUR PAIN

“We despised Him and rejected Him -- a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief.”  (Isaiah 53:3a TLB)

One evening the members of my small group were discussing that verse, and someone asked an intriguing question: what, exactly, is the “bitterest” grief? Is there one pain that outweighs all others? One hurt that has no equal? We threw out all sorts of possibilities: divorce, the death of a mate, the death of a child, Alzheimer’s, cancer… But in the end we decided that the “bitterest” grief is the one you happen to be going through at the moment.

That’s the perfect answer. And the perfect message for hurting believers everywhere.

Whatever agony you happen to be going through right now, Jesus is acquainted with it. Don’t be fooled by the fact that He lived a couple of thousand years ago. Satan would love for you to think that because Jesus didn’t live during our hectic, complicated times, He couldn’t possibly understand what you’re going through. Not true. Pain is pain, whether you’re wearing a tunic and sandals or Dockers and a Polo. And Jesus had plenty of pain. More than enough to understand how you feel. 

-- Mark Atteberry in “Free Refills: Coming Back for More of Jesus”

#5450

GOD'S WORK OF ART

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

While on a trip to Paris, I visited the Louvre Museum.  I stood speechless in the presence of so many priceless paintings.  I saw the Mona Lisa, up close and personal.  My mother and I stood in awe, whispering in hushed tones, "Can you believe we're looking at her?  She's the real thing, not a cheap imitation!"  Leonardo da Vinci had no idea when he painted the portrait that it would be a gift to the entire world -- a gift that inspires generation after generation.

God is the Master artist; all of the creation declares His handiwork.  Each sunset is a stroke of the Master's brush.  And you are His living masterpiece.  Mona Lisa can't hold a candle to you.  As God's work of art, you are not intended to hang on a wall in a museum, gathering dust.  He created you with a purpose -- His purpose -- to do good works that reflect His artistry. 

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians”

#5449

A TIME OF WAITING

“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31)

I'm an impatient, restless person. Slowing down and waiting seem like a waste of time. Yet waiting seems to be an inevitable part of the human condition.

Henri Nouwen said, "Waiting is a period of learning. The longer we wait, the more we hear about Him for whom we are waiting."

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Romans 8:22-25 resonates with Nouwen: "Waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting" (The Message).

During a time of waiting, God is vibrantly at work within us. 

-- Luci Shaw in “Nouwen Then”

#5448

THE MASTER’S VOICE

“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,… I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.”  (John 10:14,16)

The mark of a sheep is its ability to hear the Shepherd’s voice.

The mark of the disciple is his or her ability to hear the Master’s voice.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.”  (Revelation 3:20)

The world rams at your door; Jesus taps at your door. The voices scream for your allegiance; Jesus softly and tender requests it. The world promises flashy pleasure; Jesus promises a quiet dinner… with God.

Which voice do you hear?

Let me state something important. There is never a time during which Jesus is not speaking. Never. There is never a place in which Jesus is not present. Never. There is never a room so dark… a lounge so sensual… an office so sophisticated… that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Friend is not there, tapping gently on the doors of our hearts -- waiting to be invited in. 

-- Max Lucado in “In the Eye of the Storm: A Day in the Life of Jesus”

#5447

OUR FATHER

In prayer, as in many areas of life, we tend to begin with a “should” rather than an “is.” Often we cannot begin to pray because we feel we ought to say certain words, or place our body in a certain position, or show God a certain face. But prayer… involves a “[child-like] mind.” On a psychological level, this involves letting go of self-judgement and self-consciousness. On the level of faith, it means trusting -- or learning to trust -- that God [the Father] wants us to come truthfully, without masks, “just as I am,” as the old evangelical hymn puts it. 

-- Jane Redmont in “When in Doubt, Sing: Prayer in Daily Life”

#5446

OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH

NOTE: Today’s SOUND BITES is excerpted from a letter Pastor Jeramie Rinne wrote to his congregation on Sanibel Island on Sunday following the devastation of hurricane Ian. It is a good reminder to us all in whatever storms we may be facing.

OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH

I haven’t had much time or capacity to reflect on the events of the past week. Most of my mental energy has been spent on trying to coordinate efforts, solve problems and find people. But this morning, sitting in my [hotel] bathroom office unable to sleep, I find myself in a rare moment of contemplation. I’m thinking about Psalm 46:

“God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not be afraid though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple into the depth of the sea,
though the water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with it turmoil.”

The Psalmist meant the roaring sea as a metaphor for turmoil and danger, particularly the danger of hostile nations around Israel. But this week we saw the literal referent for that metaphor. We saw the sea rise up and swallow homes, cars, bridges and lives. The storm cut the causeway islands in half. The incredible power of the sea flung boats and cars all over Iona. Ft Myers beach is completely devastated.

The Psalm describes an earth-shattering ocean storm. These verses will never again be an abstraction for us.

Yet we must not forget how the Psalm begins. “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” God is our refuge. No storm touches God. God needs no insurance policy because He reigns above the flood. He is the only safe place. God is our strength. God never loses power or fuel. The Lord doesn’t feel anxious or perturbed and has no troubled thoughts about the future. Our heavenly Father is not passing through phases of shock, grief and despair. The Triune God dwells in perfect peace, joy and delight at all times. He is not exhausted or depleted. A helper who is always found. Unlike us, our God is not helpless. He isn’t stuck watching the news, imagining Himself renting a boat so He can sneak onto the island and do something. He is our helper who is always found in times of trouble. Trouble comes and goes. Hurricanes pass. But our helper never changes or leaves us. Even when our future is uncertain and our lives have been completely overturned, we know these things about God. He is almighty, He is eternal and He loves us.

No wonder the Psalmist can look into the tempest and say “Therefore we will not be afraid.” The psalmist is not in denial about the power of the storm. Rather he beholds the greatness and power and lovingkindness of our Lord toward us. God is infinitely willing and able to help His storm-tossed people. The fury of hurricane Ian is a gentle breeze compared to the might of our savior God. 

-- Pastor Jeramie Rinne, Sanibel Community Church, Sanibel Island, Florida

#5445

RACING AGAINST THE DARKNESS

[Former NFL great] Deion Sanders grew up across the street from a huge cemetery. He often played at the school or a park until dark, and then had the unfortunate need to walk home past the graveyard in the dark. He had a plan. He would stand at the edge of the graveyard and wait until a car approached heading toward his house. He would run as fast as he could alongside the car, trying to keep up with the lights until he got to his front porch. Deion says, "That's how I got my speed. Racing against the darkness." That's a good image for Christian living: racing against the darkness. The Scriptures tell us that's our main competition. We contend not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers of darkness. We race against the darkness of poverty when we feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. We race against the darkness of spiritual death when we witness [to the light of Jesus Christ].

-- Rev. Clark Williams in “Challenge to Evangelism Today” Newsletter

#5444