AN “I-THOU” CONVERSATION

“Keep Your servant from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”  (Psalm 19:14 NIV)

The Psalms are jam-packed with the first person singular. I, my, and me appear repeatedly. Thomas Cahill (in his book “The Gifts of the Jews”) says that the Psalms “are filled with I’s: the I of repentance, the I of anger and vengeance, the I of self-pity and self-doubt, the I of despair, the I of delight, the I of ecstasy.”

In the same fashion, the Hebrew poets speak vigorously and insistently of “You” in reference to God -- or “Thou” in some older translations. Dean John B. Coburn said wisely that prayer should begin, “O God, You.” Because it is only after we have said “God, You,” and not “God, He,” that we have entered into personal conversation. I become very uneasy with public prayers that begin by addressing God -- “Almighty God, we bow before You” -- and then shortly indicate that God is not really the other party in the conversation, because the prayer continues, “We pray that God will do thus-and-so.” God has somehow gone from being the one addressed to a party referred to in the third person. I sense, in such prayer, that the prayer is really addressed to the congregation or the gathering, rather than to God. So, too, when references are made to Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit. If the prayer is in truth addressed to God, then a reference to Christ is one to “Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,” and the Holy Spirit is “Your Spirit.” The conversation is specific; God is the second person in the conversation, not a third person to whom we refer as if we were talking with someone else. The psalmists had this sense of an “I-Thou” conversation -- a specific person was talking with a specific Person. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “Longing to Pray: How the Psalms Teach Us to Talk with God “  

#6062

THE CHURCH OF LESS-THAN-PERFECT HUMAN BEINGS

THE CHURCH OF LESS-THAN-PERFECT HUMAN BEINGS

“Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”  (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV)

Carmen Renee Berry's book, “The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church,” was "inspired by her odyssey from the deeply conservative church of her childhood into the world of seekers and cynics, and back again." She eventually found that the very reason she withdrew from the church -- her disappointment in church members who often failed to act as Christians -- was what drew her back.

She writes: "I had overlooked one essential factor -- that I am as finite and flawed as everyone else. … When a friend [died by] suicide, I realized I could become too cynical, too lost, and too alone. I needed a church, a community of believers. I needed to live in my faith and visit my doubts. Something happens there that simply doesn't when you are alone in prayer or on the Internet. As much as I hate to admit it, my faith is enhanced and enlarged when in relationship to other less-than-perfect human beings." 

-- from USA Today (6-2-2003)

#6061

BE MERCIFUL TO ONE ANOTHER

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”  (Matthew 5:7 NIV)

In this Beatitude, Jesus highlights the importance of mercy in the life of a believer. Mercy is more than just feeling compassion; it is actively showing kindness and forgiveness to others, even when they may not deserve it. This reflects the heart of God, who is described as the “Father of mercies” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Mercy involves meeting the needs of those who are suffering, offering forgiveness to those who have wronged us, and showing love and compassion to the lonely and rejected. It is a powerful expression of God’s love working through us.

So what should we do to be merciful? Show Compassion: Look for opportunities to help those in need around you. Whether it’s through a kind word, a helping hand, or a listening ear, your acts of mercy can make a significant difference. Forgive Freely: Holding onto grudges can harden our hearts. Instead, choose to forgive those who have hurt you, just as God has forgiven you. Reflect God’s Love: Let your actions be a reflection of God’s mercy. When others see your kindness and compassion, they are seeing a glimpse of God’s love. 

– SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources

#6060

BEARING WITNESS TO THE GOOD NEWS

The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 mandates that every follower of Christ is on mission to "go and make disciples of all nations." Jesus gave this instruction to all His followers, both as individuals and as the body of Christ. We, as a small group and as a church, bear collective witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

One of Jesus' final instructions to His disciples is found in John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." Note that Jesus did not say people will know we are Christians by how many churches we build, how many Bible studies we complete, how many prayers we say, or how many people come to our church. The litmus test is clear: people will know we are Christ-followers when we love each other the way Jesus does.

Theologian Francis Schaeffer asserted, "Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful -- Christian community is the final apologetic." Our non-believing friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors are watching and deciding on the validity of the gospel message. We need others to help us live lives worthy of God's calling so that people will see the power of God's love in and through us.

Ultimately, small groups are a way of living out our purpose, both as individuals and as a collective group of believers -- to be the church. We share a common foundation of faith and God has called us to live out the implications of that faith in a relational community, in the context that we call a small group. 

-- Carolyn Taketa in “Making a Case for Small Groups”  

#6059

CALMING THE STORM

“A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”  (Mark 4: 37-41 NKJV)

Two thousand years ago, predicting the weather was a crapshoot. A few well-worn aphorisms were everyone’s best guess. “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.” Of course, even with the aid of weather satellites, our best forecasts still feel like a fifty-fifty coin flip at times. We may understand Mother Nature better now than we ever have, but she is still as powerful and unpredictable as ever.

We use reinforced concrete to protect ourselves against earthquakes and storm shutters to safeguard against hurricanes, but we still cannot control the weather. All we can do is talk about it when there is nothing else to talk about. But there is One who commands the wind and rebukes the waves. The One who turned water into wine also turned the Sea of Galilee into a sea of glass. The One who created the heavens and the earth with four words can quell any squall with just three words: “Peace, be still.” 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible” 

#6058

HATRED WILL BREAK YOUR BACK

“Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper -- it only leads to harm.”  (Psalm 37:8 NLT)

Oh, the gradual grasp of hatred. Its damage begins like the crack in my windshield. Thanks to a speeding truck on a gravel road, my window was chipped. With time the nick became a crack, and the crack became a winding tributary. Soon the windshield was a spider web of fragments. I couldn’t drive my car without thinking of the jerk who drove too fast. Though I’ve never seen him, I could describe him. He is some deadbeat bum who cheats on his wife, drives with a six-pack on the seat, and keeps the television so loud the neighbors can’t sleep. His carelessness blocked my vison. (Didn’t do much for my view out the windshield either.)

Ever heard the expression “blind rage”?

Let me be very clear. Hatred will sour your outlook and break your back. The load of bitterness is simply too heavy. Your knees will buckle under the strain, and your heart will break beneath the weight. The mountain before you is steep enough without the heaviness of hatred on your back. The wisest choice – the only choice – is for you to drop the anger. You will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you…

The more we immerse ourselves in grace, the more likely we are to give grace. 

-- Max Lucado in “In the Grip of Grace”

#6057

MEN: YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE THE WANT-TO

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.'”  (Matthew 16:24 NIV)

Most members of my generation are familiar with the classic Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The lyrics may indeed speak truth in the world of human relationships and romantic love. We can’t always get what we want, but we might manage to get what we need if only we try hard enough. Tenacity pays off. Fair enough.

In the arena of spiritual growth, however, wanting turns out to be a fundamental prerequisite for making any progress at all. When our wanting lines up with God’s intention, that combination adds up to one powerful recipe. When the heartfelt longing of Christian men is the desire to walk in God’s way, look out, world! In that case, what we want is most certainly and powerfully what we are going to get.

For Christian men, wanting is absolutely the most critical variable in the equation. God will never force His hand if we fail to own the desire. Coercion is not in God’s nature, and bullying is not in His game plan. The Lord of the universe has always been gracious to respect the choices we make.

The ball is in our court. “You’ve got to have the want-to” may be a worn cliché in religious vernacular, but it turns out to be a powerful truth. In practice a large enough dose of want-to adds up to an enormously effective tool on the infrequently traveled road of ongoing spiritual formation. 

-- Derek Maul in “Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men” 

#6056

STRUGGLING TO DO GOOD - Part 2 of 2

God did not save us because of our goodness but because of His own kindness and mercy, Thanks to the saving work of Jesus Christ our Savior, God can declare us good. Our goodness is a gift from God. We cannot work for it. We cannot earn it. We do not deserve it.

The Bible calls this work of Christ justification. That’s a big word that simply means God says you are okay because of what Jesus did for you. When you put your trust in Christ, God gives you a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). (It is like starting over; that is why it is called being “born again.”) Then God not only gives you the desire to do good. but also gives you the power to do good.  Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (NKJV, emphasis added). He gives you the desire and the power to do what is right…

By God’s grace and power we are re-created as good people, and then we are given the ability to do good deeds. God works from the inside out, not from the outside in… God solved the problem of my old selfish nature by giving me a new Christlike nature. 

-- Excerpts from “God’s Power to Change Your Life” by Rick Warren

#6055

STRUGGLING TO DO GOOD - Part 1 of 2

Do you struggle to do good, even when you want to do what is right? God says that this struggle is normal… It takes more than willpower to change your nature. You don’t just snap your fingers and become a good person.

The apostle Paul found this to be true in his own life. Perhaps you can identify with him. I can. Paul wrote, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing.”  (Romans 7:18-19 NIV)

When we realize we are not perfect we tend to comfort ourselves with comparisons: “Well, I may not be what I ought to be, but I am better than so and so.” You have probably heard someone say that, or you may have even said it yourself. The only problem with this approach is that God does not grade on a curve. He does not judge us according to how we compare with other people. Jesus Christ is His standard of measurement, and He is perfect. That means that when we measure ourselves by Christ, we do not measure up. We all fall short (Romans 3:23)...

We must evaluate ourselves by God’s perfect standard of goodness, Jesus Christ. When we do that, we realize the truth that no one is perfectly good. 

-- Excerpts from “God’s Power to Change Your Life” by Rick Warren

#6054

DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM

“But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) … God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”  (Ephesians 2:4,5,8,9 NLT)

Doctors study medicine not so they can go around telling people they are sick, but so they can heal those who are sick, and the healing care can’t start until patients are willing to admit they are sick. Once patients admit this, there is the important task of the diagnosis, which then makes possible the cure. So it is with Christianity. We speak about sin in an attempt to diagnose the spiritual malady that affects us all. My goal, then, is not to accuse you of being, or even to tell you that, you are sick, but to offer you the medicine that makes you well. It’s not simply to ask you the question, but to lead you to the answer. Yes, we’re all sinners, and yes, this is a serious issue. But God is a God of grace and mercy. 

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

#6053

ROOTED AND ESTABLISHED IN LOVE

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV)

Part of what it means to be made in God’s image is our capacity for connectedness, because God created human beings and then said, “It isn’t good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18)  Paul paints a picture of that connectedness in writing to the church in Ephesus that they are “being rooted and established in love.”

When a tree puts roots into the ground, those roots are able to take in nutrients and water, and the tree grows and has life and strength -- but only if it is rooted. In the same way, we are rooted and our souls are nourished in the love of God and other people. We experience this both physically and emotionally when we connect with somebody.

You are walking down the street, and someone you know smiles at you. They care about you through words, through touch, through listening, through prayer together. Whenever there is an exchange of genuine caring, it is as if the roots of your soul are getting fed. Every life has to have that connectedness. 

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be” 

#6052 

WITH ALL YOUR HEART

“The most important [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:29-31 NIV)

Sometimes our minds interfere with our hearts.  Logical objections get in the way of compassionate actions.  It’s not my responsibility.  I’m certainly not suggesting that you shouldn’t count the cost.  You should.  But if God is speaking to your heart, don’t let your mind get in the way of what God wants you to do.  Sometimes loving God with all your heart simply means listening to your heart instead of your head.

What does it mean to love God with all our hearts?

It means our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God.  It means we have identified the God-ordained passion that makes us glad, sad, or mad.  It means inaction is not an option, because the compassion of Christ is the driving motivation of our lives.

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#6051

BESIDE STILL WATERS

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.”  (Psalm 23:1-3a NKJV)

Researchers once surveyed people about their favorite room in the house. The top answer was the kitchen. People love that one. Most husbands’ top answer was the bedroom. Want to guess what the top answer was for mothers of young children? The bathroom.

Why? You lock the door. You keep those little rug rats out of there for at least a couple of minutes. You keep your husband out of there for at least a couple of minutes. The idea is that you find some place where you know you are alone. You are free of stress. You find sanctuary -- a holy place.

God wants to give us sanctuary. There is another kind of presence when we are gathered together, but there is a unique way in which we experience the presence of God when we are alone.

I have one friend who finds this special solitude with God at a little Italian restaurant. Another friend experiences it most often while driving country roads. One finds it on airplanes. Another likes to go to a retreat center in the hills of Malibu Canyon. Still another finds it is the early hours of the morning in his office. You will recognize the place where you can be yourself before God. 

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”

#6050

AN ACT OF BLIND OBEDIENCE

“’Go,’ Jesus told the blind man, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”  (John 9:7 NIV)

Like many of the miracles Jesus performed, this one comes with a set of instructions. Jesus tells the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. While we don’t know the exact distance he traveled to get to the pool, it was a hike…

So why would Jesus send this blind man on a scavenger hunt? Why not just heal him on the spot? A trip to the Pool of Siloam seems unnecessary, doesn’t it?

I recently heard a story by an Episcopal bishop named William Frey. As a young man, he volunteered to tutor a student who was blind. The student had lost his sight at the age of thirteen in a chemical explosion. He felt like his life was over. The only thing greater than his self-pity was his hatred toward God. For six months after the accident, all he did was feel sorry for himself. Then one day his father said, “John, winter’s coming and the storm windows need to be up – that’s your job. I want those hung by the time I get back this evening or else!” Then he pretended to walk out of the room, slamming the door. John got good and angry! In fact, he was so angry that he decided to do it. He thought, “When I fall, they’ll have a blind and paralyzed son!” But John didn’t fall. He discovered that he was capable of doing more than he realized. Even with blind eyes. Only after completing the job did he discover that his dad was never more than five feet away. He shadowed his son to make sure he was safe, but he knew that helplessness was a far worse curse than blindness.

I’m not entirely sure why Jesus had this blind man go and wash, but I’m guessing that he had lived a relatively helpless life. He depended upon everybody for everything! So Jesus didn’t just heal his blind eyes. He restored his dignity by rebuking helplessness… And that’s one secret to experiencing the miraculous: most miracles require an act of blind obedience. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible”

#6049

THE KEY TO KNOWING GOD’S HEART

“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, 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.”  (Romans 12:2 Phillips)

We learn God’s will by spending time in His presence. The key to knowing God’s heart is having a relationship with Him. A personal relationship. God will speak to you differently than He will speak to others. Just because God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, that doesn’t mean we should all sit next to a bush waiting for God to speak. God used a fish to convict Jonah. Does that mean we should have worship services at Sea World? No. God reveals His heart personally to each person.

For that reason, your walk with God is essential. His heart is not seen in an occasional chat or weekly visit. We learn His will as we take up residence (abide) in His house every single day… Walk with Him long enough and you come to know His heart.

-- Max Lucado in “The Great House of God”

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”  (John 8:31-32 ESV)

GROWING OLDER -- A WIN-WIN SITUATION

“We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to Himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”  (2 Corinthians 4:14-18 NLT)

All of us are aging. Some of us handle it well -- we get better with age like good wine and cheese. We keep on keeping on, while looking forward to the ultimate experience of the Lord when He takes us home. Others of us, unfortunately, stick our heads in the sand of time and wish aging would go away. It won’t. So if you can’t beat it -- join it! Live the rest of your life for God’s glory, and look forward to the best of life to come in His presence. They call that a win-win situation. 

-- Stuart Briscoe in “Daily Study Bible for Men” 

#6046

THE DIFFERENCE GRACE MAKES

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”  (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV)

Notice the four gauges Paul used to demonstrate the difference the grace of God made in his life (and will make in yours). Each of these gauges takes some particular measure of the emotional state…

He Was Pressed but Not Crushed.

Paul was saying he felt the pinch, but he wasn’t crushed. The term “pressure” means being pushed into a narrow place. Paul was a man who spent time in some very small prison cells. As you know if you’ve read his prison letters, his joy could not be compacted by lack of space; it only became greater. Grace moved that needle.

He Was Perplexed but Not Despairing.

Church problems left Paul at his wit’s end sometimes. But he never gave up, and he always found the right answer. Grace kept him moving toward the right solution.

He Was Persecuted but Not Abandoned.

The word for “persecuted” derives from the idea of being pursued or chased. Paul knew something about that kind of hunting, and he also knew about being hunted. Even when it seemed that his enemies vastly outnumbered his friends, he never felt deserted because almighty God was always with him with sufficient grace for his every need.

He Was Struck Down but Not Destroyed.

Paul was often knocked down, but he was never knocked out. He was sometimes left for dead, but he did not die. He kept getting back up to preach the gospel of God’s grace. When he was in prison, his work seemed to flourish. To the very end of his life, he was planning on new destinations and new churches. The kind of hope Paul had cannot be suppressed no matter how you pound it. Grace renders it eternal.  

-- David Jeremiah in “Keep the Faith: How to Stand Strong in a World Turned Upside Down”

#6045

ABIDING IN JESUS

Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”  (John 15:4 ESV)

Jesus isn’t asking you to do something you’re not already doing. All of us are abiding. The question isn’t, “Are you abiding?” It’s, “What are you abiding in?” All of us have a source we are rooted in, a kind of default setting we return to. An emotional home. It’s where our minds go when they’re not busy with tasks, where our feelings go when we need solace, where our bodies go when we have free time, and where our money goes after we pay bills. We will make our home somewhere, the question is “Where?” 

-- John Mark Comer in “Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like Him. Do as He did.”

#6044

GOD’S POWER AND SUFFICIENCY

The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)

We worship because God is worthy, not necessarily because we "feel" like it.  In the midst of a crisis, if we only do what we feel like doing, we could remain stuck in a cycle of self-pity.  But when we worship, we get our eyes off of ourselves and our sorrow or problems.  We focus them on God, and this puts our difficulties into proper perspective.

Most of us think of worship as a Sunday-morning activity in which we gather in a church, sing some songs, and listen to a preacher.  Genuine worship, though, is when what flows out of our lips and out of our lives are words and works that glorify God and honor Him for who He is and what He has done.  We worship when we reflect His Glory -- His character and likeness -- to others in the way we live.  And doesn't it seem that everyone around us is watching especially closely when tragedy strikes in our lives?

Surely our worship in the midst of pain and sorrow is particularly precious to God -- because it costs us so much.  Worship is not made easier, but it becomes all the more meaningful when offered from a heart that is hurting.

The truth is, worship during these times can be some of the most meaningful worship we ever experience.  Perhaps we are more fully equipped to worship than ever before because we are acutely aware of our desperate need for God and our own incapacitating weakness.  We have our helplessness and inadequacy in proper perspective to God's power and sufficiency. 

-- Nancy Guthrie in “Holding on to Hope”

#6043