It's Almost Time

 Something incredibly epic is in motion.

Angel visits with shocking messages to Zacharias, to Mary, to Joseph.  Two miraculous pregnancies; one in old age, one in a virgin.  The census prompting mass movements of people, getting them into position.  Prophecies given and fulfilled around John's miraculous birth, driving anticipation and speculation through the roof, far and wide.  Spirit-driven praise and prophecy from Zacharias, Elizabeth, and Mary.  A star in motion.  Important men from the east investing in a long journey to Israel.  Simeon told by the Holy Spirit that the Savior's coming in his lifetime.  Something huge was most definitely underway.  And it was almost time.

In this season, we are often zoomed in on the manger, but today I am in awe of the magnitude of of OPERATION SAVIOR ON THE WAY.

Consider this your invitation to pause and ponder, in wonder and anticipation.

That your heart would welcome Him,

Carol

(Thinking of Luke 1:5–2:35 & Matthew 1:18–2:12)

Loved.

"See how great a love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God."

 I John 3:1

How should we measure our worth?  How do we measure our worth?   Unfortunately, the answer to those two questions isn't always the same.

Have you ever measured your worth by your problems or by your performance?  I have.  And then I have to remind myself that it's not an accurate measure.

My worth will never be accurately measured by my problems or by my performance.  Nor am I accurately assessed by the reviews I receive from others, whether face-to-face or Facebook likes.  

The only accurate measure of my worth is based on who I am in Christ.  Jesus sees the real me, the real you, yet was willing to die to redeem us.  Every single one of the flaws I wish to hide from others are known to Him, and still He loves me.  Still He died to redeem me.  Still He calls me His friend.  Greater still, He invites me into His family.   He chooses to make His home in me.  He chooses to include me in His plans for His kingdom and for His world.

This truth matters every moment of every day.  It affects how I treat others in every way.  If I am insecure in my own feeling of worth, I cannot be free to love others without being distracted by my own needs for affirmation.  All of life can descend to being about propping me up.

The truth is, though, that my worth does not depend on my surrounding, my challenges, my family or friends, my failures, or my successes.

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, 

in that while we were yet sinners, 

Christ died for us."  

Romans 5:8

When I realize I am loved that much, by the One who matters most, I am set free to love, and not just to love from my own limited storehouse, but to love as a pipeline of God's love, forever connected to His unquenchable supply.

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."

[Yes, but what about when life is hard?  What then?]

"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulatons, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint… [Why?] ...because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy spirit who was given to us."  Romans 5:1-5

Feeling, (no, not just feeling), KNOWING I am loved,

Carol

P.S.  Why don't you go love somebody who needs to hear this!

Family Forever

Sometimes I just have to share, or I'll burst! 

This is definitely one of those times.

I was weary,
needing a gentle reminder that His grace is so good.

He took me out of the mire and set me back on the rock--

and gave me a new song--like in Psalm 40:1-3.

How very like Him, such tender grace!

I am increasingly seeing that the impact of God’s mercy and grace is manifold.  On one hand, in Jesus death, His mercy and grace accomplished the once for all sacrifice for our sin, sealed our forgiveness, and obtained our standing as blameless in the sight of the Almighty Judge.  As Jesus Himself said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)  Our sin debt is cancelled when we place our faith in what He did.  (Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14)

There's more mercy and grace

But—and here’s what’s so recently blessed my heart—it doesn’t stop there!  Though that most wonderful thing has been accomplished for all time, His mercy and grace also have a most glorious on-going effect, too.  By His mercy and grace, continual access to the most intimate relationship with God is forever opened to us.  Through His blood we have confidence to enter the most holy place, to confidently draw near to His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need!  This is the every moment relationship reality of the spilled blood of Jesus on our behalf!  And this would be impossible without the death of Jesus.  (Hebrews 4:16-17; 10:19-23)

Eternal life is...

Yes, though almost impossible to comprehend, His mercy and grace mean even more than the magnificent and unfathomable blessing of status as forgiven subjects of the King of Kings.  This gift of forgiveness is the starting place where unlimited access to the Father forever as sons begins.  Jesus, in the prayer His disciples overheard on the night he was betrayed and arrested, talked with His Father about their plan to give eternal life.  According to Jesus, talking to His Father, “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God…”  Our forgiven status is the door to knowing Him, to intimate access as sons.  His gift of eternal life is to know Him!

More than the granting of legal status: forgiven, which alone is immeasurably glorious and more than enough to inspire praise to Him forever, God’s mercy and grace also mean His intentional, generous, yes, even lavish, gift of loving sonship forever!
(Ephesians 1:3-8)

The strength to live

This is what keeps me going from day to day—mercy and grace in my time of need from my precious Father who lavishes His love on me!  We are not doomed to be weary, with our heads barely above water! 

The writer of the absolutely amazing Psalm 18 understood this, and this can be the song of any and all who will put their hope in God!

“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised…

He heard my voice out of His temple…

He bowed the heavens also, and came down… [WOW!]

He sped upon the wings of the wind…

He took me; He drew me out of many waters…

He rescued me because He delighted in me…[yes, delighted!]

The Lord my God illumines my darkness…

And by my God I can leap over a wall…[or more]

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him…[okay, I'm in]

Your right hand upholds me…

Your gentleness makes me great…[Almighty, yet gentle]

Exalted be the God of my salvation!” [yes, my salvation]

[brackets mine]

By the way, the long version of Psalm 18 is even better! 

Honestly, this really isn’t the whole story, but I didn’t want to make this post any longer.  So, I'll share more on where I started in weariness and how God led me to this place of rejoicing—and the new song He gave me—in my next post.

Highly Irregular Meets Absolutely Amazing

To say that Jesus was impressed would be putting it mildly.  He said so—out loud. 

“I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith."

 Luke 7:9

Don’t you wonder what made Him say that?

The Backdrop:  Luke 7:1-10.  Those ten verses are packed.  This quick link will take you straight to it.

Highly Irregular

This centurion is not your typical Roman.  He is out of character for a Roman.  First of all, he is respected by the Jews, who, incidentally, think he is worthy of Jesus granting this favor.  Yet the man himself doesn’t think so.  Next, he loves the Jews and built them their synagogue.  I wonder if he worshipped Jehovah.

This centurion regards his slave highly--maybe because the centurion respected God.  He also has a good enough relationship with the Jewish elders that they are willing to go to Jesus to ask Him to save his slave’s life.  So let me get this straight . . . the Jewish elders get involved with Jesus for the sake of a Roman centurion’s dying slave.  This is really quite bizarre.

Here is a man who is willing to go against his own culture and tradition to identify himself with God.  He is willing to humble himself and acknowledge his own unworthiness.  He knows Jesus is his servant’s only hope, and that he himself isn’t worthy of asking Jesus for His help.  In spite of his unworthiness, he sends a delegation to ask for Jesus’ help. 

What was so great?

Was his great faith simply that he believed Jesus could heal his servant?  Plenty of others believed Jesus could heal.  So there must be more to it.

In purely human terms, Jesus was actually subordinate to the centurion.  Yet the centurion makes it plain that he believed that Jesus was far above himself (that he, the centurion, was unworthy).  So was part of his great faith that he recognized that Jesus was no mere man?  The Jewish elders did not believe this.  Nor did they share the centurion’s belief that he was unworthy of this favor.  Note that Jesus says that “not even in Israel” has He found such great faith.

And was part of his great faith also that he believed that Jesus was so full of grace that He would heal his servant even though he was unworthy of even coming to ask Jesus for help, unworthy of even being in Jesus’ presence (under his roof)?  Think about that.  He’s totally convinced that he is unworthy of the favor, yet he is determined to ask Him to grant it.  Why?  Even though he believed that Jesus had the power and authority to heal, he knew he was unworthy to ask for the healing.  So why would he still ask?

He must have been equally convinced of not only the power and authority of Jesus, but also the goodness, the generosity, and the mercy of Jesus toward the undeserving.  Jesus is not only able to heal; He is willing.

Absolutely Amazing Grace

Jesus is God; He has authority to heal.  God is good; He is willing to heal, in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve it. 

This centurion recognized both his own condition and Jesus’ position, and he trusted in Jesus’ wonderful mercy and grace.

Have you been afraid to ask for help?  Have you hesitated because you have felt you didn’t deserve His help? 

You are absolutely right that you are unworthy.  So am I.  Every one of us is unworthy.  But we should still ask.  Why?  Because the question of His help is not contingent on our worthiness.  His help is available on the basis of His character.

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh;

is anything too difficult for Me?

. . . I will rejoice over them to do good. . ."

Jeremiah 32:27, 41

Friend, there is no problem you face that is too difficult for Him.  His grace invites you to ask.

Two Foundations and One Outrageous Scam

About thirty years ago, I created and posted a sign on the outside of my college dorm room door.  On it was a quote from an unknown author:

Two Foundations for human enlightenment:

1) There is a God.

2) You are not Him.

The two Foundations were indeed relevant to our campus culture, particularly Foundation One, as the prevailing philosophy on campus was that the earth and everything on it came into being by random chance, and that no God had anything to do with it.  At that time, Foundation Two seemed almost so obviously true, in a literal sense, that it generated virtually no argument.  The "no God" folks that I knew weren't going so far as to claim divinity, simply that they were their own authority, responsible to no higher being.  So Foundation Two applied figuratively to our campus culture, but literally not so much.

From NO GOD to I'M GOD

Today, however, in a bizarre about-face, the philosophy rapidly rising in popularity in our culture is not one of "no God," but one of "everyone is God."  Today, to say, "You are not Him," is to contradict one of the most popular streams of thought.

Practically everywhere you turn, somebody's reading--or selling--a book about everyone and everything being divine.  Divine power in the rocks, in the trees, in spiders, in everyone.  TV hosts and magazine writers, too, are talking about "descending into themselves" (By the way, I find "descending"--meaning going down to an inferior or shameful level--to be an uncannily accurate description) to find their "true divine selves."  You can attend seminars that will teach you how to harness the ultimate source of goodness that supposedly already exists in everyone.

Incidentally, our family is currently in need of an internet domain name, and so far, almost every domain name we've come up with has already been claimed--and not just claimed, but claimed by someone disseminating the "you're divine; everything is one; everything is divine" message in one form or another.  It's everywhere.  Why?

An Open Door And A Scam

People are looking for solutions.  They are not happy with the way things are.  They know in their heart of hearts that they are not what they should be.  They long to be better--better friends, better employees, better spouses, better parents.  They are dissatisfied.  They are disillusioned with material success, and longing for a simpler, more satisfying life.  They want real joy.

The terrible tragedy of our day is that people are being told that the answer to their longing is inside themselves, when in reality, it is not.  That's exploitation.  That's dastardly unscrupulous.  That's a scam, plain and simple.  And it's not right.  People are being offered a sham solution to their deepest needs and being milked for a myth.  The real Enemy of the human soul knows people are empty and hurting and is offering them a lie.

Reality Check

The deeper we dig into ourselves, the more mess we find.  If we are willing to be honest, we don't find innate goodness, like some are telling us.  No, we find a frustrated self who, even in moments of wanting to do good, finds it impossible to perpetually sustain good intentions, let alone good behavior.  The solution to the human dilemma is not in uncovering some hidden divine self, but in acknowledging our real, hopelessly flawed, desperately wicked self and being transformed by the renewing power of the God who is entirely independent from us.  It's what the Bible calls being born again, and, incidentally, it's free.  You can't buy it or earn it, but God will transform you if you ask Him to.  It's what I wrote about in The Relentless Heart.

It's not a bad thing to admit that the human condition is hopeless on its own; it's actually an incredibly freeing relief to openly acknowledge what we already know from experience to be true.  The solution, then, is in having the corrupt nature we're born with cleansed by the resurrected Jesus Christ.  Then He works in us to remake us from the inside out.

Only the power of God can make us what we were meant to be, but we'll never find that power by looking inside our own selves.  Jesus Christ was the only true God, and He came to earth in a human body in order to literally give His life to make our permanent cleansing and forgiveness possible.  He proved He was God by coming back to life, and He is real and alive and willing to transform anyone who will ask and believe what He said. 

An Invitation To Real Life

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."  (Recorded in John 10:10, 11)

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

--Jesus (recorded in John 15:11)

Don't settle for a sham of a life, when a real, joyful life is available from Jesus.

Things have come full circle...
When I recently found my original sign with the Two Foundations (I have no idea why I still had it around after 30 years), our daughter, who was packing for college, wanted to take it with her.  

Denial Is Delusion--Take 2

(One of my most dear and trusted readers suggested that this post, in its original form, needed a bit more context.  I believe she is right.  And so I offer the following version with more context  to better communicate what's on my heart.)

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life."  

--Jesus of Nazareth, God come in the flesh  

recorded in John 14:6

   In today's postmodern world of relative truth, a strategy has emerged for dealing with uncomfortable ideas.  People just simply choose not to believe something and feel confident that they have sufficiently invalidated the idea by doing so.  They choose to deny whatever they don't like or whatever makes them uncomfortable.  If they view truth as relative (so nothing is absolute), they are able to let themselves off the hook when an idea has implications they don't wish to face.

   But denial is only a delusion.  It changes nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  If my house is on fire, no amount of denial will put the fire out and restore my burnt possessions.

    Delusion-- (from the Apple Dictionary) an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument.

   Denial is often accompanied by a companion strategy that is equally delusional.  Denial's companion strategy is that of concocting one's own "truth."  Simply create a belief system that appeals to your personal whims and live by it.  However, no amount of dreaming will put money in the bank to cover my checks when my account is empty.  No merchant will accept my concocted delusion as payment. 

   The problem is that neither of these strategies acknowledges reality.  Yet this is the kind of world we live in.

  We are now down to two weeks before our first daughter leaves for college.  For nineteen years, we have seen God prepare her to stand unashamed and to speak boldly and winsomely for God's truth.  In today's world where, increasingly, the environment in our culture, and even in the Church at large, has been one of watering down at the least, if not outright denial of, truth, our young people must be apprised of the kinds of strategies they may face, be assured that Truth is unchanging, and be prepared to defend their beliefs and challenge the delusions.

"Beloved, while I was making every effort 
to write you about our common salvation, 
I felt the necessity to write to you appealing 
that you contend earnestly for the faith 
which was once for all delivered to the saints.  

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, 
those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, 
ungodly persons who turn the grace of God into licentiousness 
and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."
Jude 1:3-4

~ Remember, friends ~ 

Denial of reality doesn't change reality;

it only delays one's apprehension of reality.

Eventually, the elaborate delusion always crumbles,

and one is right back to simple reality.

"But false teachers also arose among the people,

just as there will also be false teachers among you, 
who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, 
even denying the Master who bought them, 
bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

And many will follow their sensuality, 
and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
and in their greed the will exploit you with false words; 
their judgement from long ago is not idle, 
and their destruction is not asleep."
II Peter 2:1-3
(excerpt from a letter from one of Jesus' original followers)


~ Take Heart, my friends ~
Denial of the truth will never change its substance.
Truth is a constant.
For no matter how hard denial tries to undo,
Unbelief does not make truth untrue.

So don't be ashamed to hold fast to truth; be neither ruffled nor dismayed when someone denies it.  Instead, pray that Truth will shatter that someone's delusions before it's too late.

With No Apologies

(Shared with the IAHE)

Warning:  Exclusive claims ahead.  

I am about to make an exclusive claim about a foundation. Actually, I’m not personally making the claim.  Someone else did; I’m just committed to publicizing it.  

Allow me to digress for a moment.  I find the word “panoply” fascinating.  According to my Apple dictionary, panoply means a “complete or impressive collection of things; a splendid display”--especially, historically, in the context of a “complete set of arms or suit of armor,” and originally referring to “complete protection for spiritual warfare.”  

But what’s a panoply got to do with a foundation and exclusive claims?  Well, everything actually.  Many leaders, even some among those who claim to be part of Christendom, would have us believe that all the varied ideas and diverse religious philosophies promoted around the world today represent a panoply from which it is perfectly right and proper to choose our spiritual tools and practices.  People speak of drawing from the wells of various “wisdom traditions” (i.e. other religions) in order to enhance their relationship with God. (An example of one prominent practice drawn from non-Christian wells, yet white-washed and paraded through Christendom in an intricate deception, is what's commonly called "contemplative prayer.")  

And here I show my hand, with no apologies.  This highly touted, supposed panoply, brought to you courtesy of the world's religions, is an absolute fraud, an elaborate deception--highly billed, yes, but a hoax all the same.

All ideas, all philosophies, and all religions are not equally valid.  There, I said it. But the idea is not originally mine.

It was Jesus of Nazareth who made exclusive claims to truth. Listen to this from Luke 6:46-49.

“And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them,  I will show you whom he is like:

he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”  (italics mine)

Do you see?  Jesus didn’t say that the ones who don’t listen and act on His words didn’t build a house.   No, they built a house all right.  They invested the effort, the time, and the money to build.  But they did all that “without any foundation.” Interestingly, until the storm came, the house with no foundation may have looked to the casual observer to be just as solid as the house built on rock.  But, in fact, what they built on was loose and shifty.  Let’s face it; even wind can push sand around.

Further, He doesn’t even say they built on a wrong foundation. He says they built “without any foundation” at all.  And He says the only way to have a foundation that withstands the deluge is to listen to His words and act accordingly.  Nothing else but His teaching will do as a foundation.  Nothing else even is a foundation.

This is an exclusive claim.  It’s His way or nothing.  There aren’t any alternate foundations.  The options are 1) a solid foundation of obedience to Jesus’ words or 2) no foundation at all.

Jesus most certainly made exclusive claims.  He said if you’re not acting according to His teaching, you have no foundation.  No foundation.  That’s not just what I like to think.  It’s what He said, and a person who is true to the real Jesus will uphold those claims.  

Contrary to today’s popular thought, Jesus most certainly did not proclaim either the equality of all religions, or their neutrality.  In the Old Testament, God said, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.  Besides Me there is no God.”  (Isaiah 45:5)  In the New Testament, Jesus said (John 14:6), “No one comes to the Father, but through Me.” And, yes, in Luke 6, if you’re not putting "My" words into practice, you have "no foundation," and you are doomed to go down with a big crash one day.  A person who is true to the real Jesus will not contradict His exclusive claims by embracing the idea of “truth” in all religions.  In fact, Jesus said good fruit isn’t produced on a bad tree.  (See Luke 6:43)  It would be foolish to go looking for true spiritual fruit on a tree of false religion whose roots grow straight out of hell.

Consistent with this, in Acts 17, God’s messenger Paul didn’t tell the Athenians they were just fine for adding one more statue (“to an unknown god”) to their line-up of idols.  Rather, in verse 16, “...his spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city full of idols.”  He boldly told the Athenians where they were theologically wrong, and that though the Creator had overlooked their prior ignorance, God was “now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man who He has appointed [Jesus], having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (verse 30, italics mine)

What has this got to do with education and parenting?  Just why should we care? Here’s why: our children’s spiritual destiny hangs in the balance.

If we believe our children’s spiritual life is the most important aspect of their lives, then intentionally teaching them the truth should be highest priority.  Warning them of false teachers and false teachings, as the New Testament writers did, should be highest priority.

I would grant that traditional subjects, like Math and English, are important, even necessary, but in the final analysis, they have no strong and direct link to our children’s spiritual destiny. While we make time for the necessary traditional subjects, and for sundry extra-curriculars, have we neglected to also devote sufficient time to giving them the only real foundation to build the rest of their education and lives upon?     

Right now, we still have an opportunity to teach our children the truth.  We can anchor them in God’s Word.  We still have the freedom to expose the lies and arguments of the “no absolute truth” and “truth in all religions” crowd.  But even as we do, the heralds of “no absolute truth” and “truth in all religions” are mobilized, strategizing, and boldly advancing. It could be that your family has already crossed paths with some of the most famous proponents of these ideas, though you may not have recognized them at the time.  They are even showing up in homeschool catalogs.

We still have freedom, and there is still time, but realistically, it may not last. Sometimes, carefully thinking through and spelling out the things we are going to regret not doing can help to clarify which things we are doing that aren’t really worthy of as much of our time.

The context of the original word “panoply” was spiritual warfare.  Interestingly, if all religions and all ideas are equally valid and good, then what is the point of spiritual warfare anyway?  Why would there be a war of ideas if all ideas are all equally good?

The fact is that there is a war of ideas over Jesus' exclusive claim that there is only one foundation.  The only real panoply--the complete set of armor for protection in spiritual warfare-- is found in Jesus and His Word.  The only foundation for building a life on is Jesus and His Word.

If we don’t want our children stepping out in fake armor, cherry-picked from the false religions of the world, building lives “without any foundation” that are destined for great ruin, then we must make a serious priority of making sure they understand and can choose to apply and defend the exclusive truth of God’s Word and the exclusive claims of His Son.  And that means we have got to be willing to dig in and do the hard work to understand, apply, and defend the truth ourselves, if we’ve any hope of properly arming them.  We dare not leave it to the church or to anyone else.  Though the choice to obey is ultimately theirs, the responsibility is squarely in our own laps to make them well-aquainted with the truth.

There is only one foundation. It's time to build on the Rock--while there's still time. The coming storm will reveal whose house stands and whose house falls.

May yours be one that stands.

Transcript Season

(Shared with the IAHE blog, too)

It's transcript season at our house, and I've been reminiscing.  One of my dear girls has started her last year of high school.  We have been through so much and learned so much together.  And most of it could never be reflected on a transcript.

Oh, yes, she has learned to balance chemical equations, to make bread and berry pie, to use imaginary numbers and subordinating conjunctions.  She can play the piano and tell you who Thaddeus Kosciuszko was.  But a transcript could never reflect who she has become.

In the progress of gathering up samples of her work for a portfolio, I came across a notebook wherein lay perhaps some of her most significant work.  It was work that went far deeper than history facts or geometry proofs.  It penetrated her heart and ignited something inside her.  This work hadn't been assigned for an official class.  It was what she had done during the time she devoted to God's Word at the beginning of the day during one of her school years.  The notebook contains the notes she made as she read through the Old Testament books of Joshua and Judges.

As I read through tears of joy, I saw that she had carefully catalogued, verse by verse, what was taking place, grouped the verses into logical divisions, and summarized the content.  She made observations on the overarching themes, and then applied them to her own life and the life of our nation with incredible insight.  God challenged her to align herself with His priorities, and she said, "Yes!"  He spoke, He revealed His faithfulness, and her faith grew.  And mine grew, too, as I read what the Lord had taught her.

Contrary to popular opinions of some, studying God's Word is no dry, meaningless, intellectual exercise; it has been a living and powerful shaping force in her life.  As I observe her attitudes today and hear her speak with passion, I know that the living God who revealed Himself in those passages has molded her faith with His own hand.

As we spend each passing day with our children, let's not forget that the most relevant things they will ever learn are the spiritual truths from God's Word that will anchor them long after they've left home and long after we have moved on to heaven ahead of them.

And more rewarding than anything that could be recorded on a transcript is knowing that our children's names are recorded in the Book Of Life.

". . . You know in all your hearts and in all your souls

that not one word of all the good words

which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed;

all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed."

Joshua 23:14b

LIfe LIte!

This post is by a special guest blogger, our daughter Megan . . .

Ever feel like your life is just too full?  Like you've got too much on your plate and just need some relief?  Well, you’re not alone; millions share your plight!

But get this!  The good news is you can join legions of other people just like you who have found the solution.  That’s right!  We’re here to offer you a steaming cup of Life Lite – half the fat, half the calories, half the salt – and you’ll never notice they’re missing (unless you try Full Life… but don’t do that!)!

For half the price of Full Life you get:

-half the danger and half the exhilaration

-half the risk and half the gain

-half the sacrifice and half the value

-half the pain and half the joy

-half the battles and half the victories

-half the ugliness and half the beauty

-half the investments and half the dividends

-half the thuds and half the flying hopes

-half the failures and half the successes

-half the challenges and half the satisfaction

-half the life and all the physical death (We just can’t seem to find a way around full death yet… but trust us – we’re working on it!)

-half the good works and all the testing fire (We haven’t figured out how to cut that in half either… sorry!)

You get all this and less for just half the price of Full Life!

It’s a great deal!  

Stop in today to get your cup of Life Lite.

Or call 1-666-NOT-LIFE right now and we’ll half your order!

But hurry!  Offer ends soon!

[Disclaimer:  Full Life is not affiliated with Life Lite and does not endorse this product.  Limited warranty cannot guarantee full satisfaction.  Life Lite is not responsible for consumers’ full experience of regret, death, and trial by fire of half-hearted life work.  Life Lite does not guarantee that the level of benefits will reach expected one half levels or that danger, risk, sacrifice, etc., will not exceed half levels.]

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John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” 

--Jesus

Matthew 10:39

“He who has found his life will lose it,

and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

--Jesus

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If you would like to read more from Megan, you can find her blog at www.mthegreatadventure.blogspot.com.

Extending Hospitality

 “Let us consider

how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds . . .”

Hebrews 10:24

The idea of hospitality being love for strangers has generated some interesting—and at times convicting—thoughts and discussion in our home lately.   Love for strangers can be practiced anywhere we are.

Hospitality is what the checkout lady should be getting from us.  Hospitality is what our fellow bus-riders should experience around us.  Folks who think very differently from us should still sense love from us.  How about hospitality toward our waitress, or even toward fellow travelers on the roadways?

If we are called to show love to strangers, is there anyone anywhere about which we could say, “Well, it doesn’t matter how I treat him, because I’ll never see him again anyway.”?

As our family was considering these things together, someone brought up a person that we don’t personally know, but whose actions we do not approve.  Somebody else joked that maybe he isn’t a such a stranger to us, because we know enough about that person to know that he is more like an enemy.  Then we remembered that not only are we called to love fellow Christians (whom we may know well) deeply from the heart, and practice hospitality (love for strangers) toward people we don’t know well, but we are called to love our enemies, too.  And that leaves no one outside the reach of the love our Lord asks us to extend.

Lately, I have been struck by the incredible love and concern that the apostle Paul expressed in his letter to the Christians at Colossae.  “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you . . .”  (Colossians 1:9).  Some of those he was writing to—and praying for—he had never even met; they were people he’d only heard about.

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from a full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  Colossians 2:1-3

Our prayers may never be the same again, as we express love for strangers by praying for people we haven’t met.  Even a simple trip to the store may never be the same again either.

Recently, I had the privilege of staying in a Bed and Breakfast in Illinois whose motto is “Arrive as guests; leave as friends.”  That indeed is an accurate description of my experience there.  My hostess knew how to go beyond the scrumptious food and cozy accommodations she offered, to express genuine love and care for her guests; she understood what hospitality really is.

Most people have some idea of how to be nice to their friends.  But God's people are called to go beyond that.  For the sake of the Lord’s reputation, let’s be the radical people, the people who are marveled at, who would dare to treat strangers as friends.

Our family would love to hear, by way of comments, any avenues of practicing love for strangers that you may think of.  We can spur one another on toward love and good deeds in Jesus’ name and for His sake.

If you missed the previous post on hospitality, you can find it by clicking here.

True Hospitality

"Let love be without hypocrisy.

. . .Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;

give preference to one another in honor

. . . practicing hospitality."

See Romans 12:9-13.

Hospitality—just what does that mean?  Most of us think of hospitality as hosting our friends in our home—serving a scrumptious meal for dear friends presented on a lovely table or providing clean and cozy accommodations for good friends from out of town.  But, actually, having our friends over for dinner isn’t hospitality at all.

The real meaning of the New Testament Greek word in Romans 12:13, which is translated as "hospitality," is actually love for strangers.

Love for strangers.  That’s right.  People we don’t know well. Certainly there’s nothing wrong about hosting friends in our homes.  In fact, it’s a wonderful thing to do, but we can’t legitimately call it Romans 12 hospitality.

Why?  Because hospitality is literally love for strangers.  How could we have missed this for so long?

This concept of hospitality is absolutely revolutionary.  You don’t even technically need to be in your own home to practice hospitality.  An attitude of love toward people you don’t know well can be pursued anywhere.  Granted, you can certainly demonstrate that love by inviting someone to your home, but true hospitality will also manifest in the way we treat someone outside our established circle of friends in any and every setting imaginable.

This changes everything!  Pursuing and practicing real hospitality means cliques are banned.  Inside jokes are entirely inappropriate behavior.  Hospitality means nobody within our reach ever feels like an outsider.  Nobody within our reach feels left out or like a fifth wheel.  Nobody in our presence should ever wish they could melt into the floor because their existence isn’t even acknowledged.

Hospitality leaves absolutely no room for self-centered behavior.  Hospitality means we will be others focused.  We will not be content to keep to our comfortable circle of old friends if there is a newcomer near.  We will get out of our selfish little comfort zones to reach out to draw in someone new.  And if after a conversation with someone, you realize you learned nothing about the other person, guess what?  That was inhospitable, too.  If you did all the talking, you displayed a great love of self, but no love for a stranger.

If we’re going to practice hospitality, there’s no getting by with an excuse of a reserved nature or shyness, either.   Refusing to talk to someone new is simply being inhospitable.

This real, Biblical hospitality is a challenging calling.  This is going to change everything.  It will stretch us.  We can never be comfortable with life as it is in our own little circle ever again.  But God never calls us to something He can’t or won’t empower.  The real obstacle to the practice of true hospitality is our focus on self.  Paul reminds us, in Philippians 2, of the ultimate stranger-love Jesus showed to us when He gave up His rights as God to come to earth to save us.  And he urges us to have the same attitude.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,

but with humility of mind

let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;

do not merely look out for your own personal interests,

but also for the interests of others.” 

Philippians 2:3-4

The nature of real hospitality creates an almost paradoxical phenomenon.  As we practice hospitality to strangers, pretty soon those strangers aren’t strangers anymore.  Of course, we can still spend time with them and host them now as our friends, but our eyes must be looking ever outward, and our hearts must be constantly reaching farther—to the ones at the fringes of and beyond our normal circles—if we are to continue to pursue true hospitality.

Truly, the practice of real, Biblical hospitality has nothing to do with how we treat our friends.  Instead it has everything to do with lovingly turning strangers into friends.  It’s about how we meet and treat strangers whether they come to us or we go to them.  And in fact, if we are really going to love strangers, we will go to them, both literally physically and in the way our hearts are turned toward them.  

Let us be the kind of people who make others feel welcomed, loved, appreciated, and valued whether we have known them for a year, an hour, a lifetime, or for only a minute!

May we be the kind of people who make others feel that they have come home the very moment they enter our presence.

P.S. Can you just imagine what the pursuit of real hospitality would mean for the spread of the gospel?!