ONCE A WEEK OR 24/7?

Luke 9:23

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

                Is your faith a one-a-week experience or a 24/7 lifestyle? We have all become very adept at compartmentalizing our lives. We divide our lives into neat packages, which remain, for the most part, separate from each other. We have a work compartment, a family compartment, an entertainment compartment, and a spiritual compartment. In our compartmentalized world, it is easy for us to relegate our faith to an hour or two on Sunday morning, then live the rest of the week as if our faith doesn’t apply. It is the classic secular/sacred divide that has permeated our world. We have heard the mantra of separation of church and state so often that we have internalized it. We see some parts of our life as secular and some parts as sacred, and we don’t mix them. But the Bible never makes such a distinction. All of life is sacred in God’s eyes.

                Jesus made it clear that if we want to follow Him, we need to take up our cross daily. To take up our cross means to die to self and live for Christ. It means putting Christ first in every aspect of our lives. Everything we do should be informed by and directed by our faith in Christ.

                Work, for most people, takes up a lion’s share of their daily lives. It is easy to compartmentalize our work to just that, work. We may enjoy it or we may not, but it is a necessary evil. We don’t routinely see it as an act of worship, but we should. God has given to each of us certain talents that He intends for us to use for His glory. Most often we use those talents in our work. The way we do our work speaks volumes about our faith.

                In Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse, he emphasized that our work should be seen as an act of service to Christ. Writing specifically to slaves he said, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24) That is the attitude that God wants us to have everyday as we go to work. It doesn’t matter what the work is as much as how we perform our duties. Even the most mundane tasks can be done to the glory of God. Seeing our work as an act of worship can transform both us and our workplace.

                The way that we interact with those around us is also a measure of our faith. Throughout Paul’s letters he continually calls us to demonstrate Christ’s character for one another. For example, Paul wrote to the Ephesians, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32) The way we treat others is a reflection of our faith. John makes it very clear that we cannot say that we love Christ if we refuse to love one another. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

                Even our leisure time can be an act of worship. When we delight in the world that God has created and recognize it as a gift from God’s hands, we are offering God a sacrifice of praise. We live in an amazing world with many things that can take our breath away. We can go through life blind to these things. We go through life seeing then but not seeing beyond them. Or we can go through life seeing them and giving God the glory. This world and all of its wonders is a gift to us from God’s gracious hand. When we rightly enjoy the delights of this world and thank God for them, we enter into genuine worship.

                We need to break our faith out of the neat compartment that we have placed it. We need to see that all of life is sacred. We need to actively take our faith out of the church building and live it in the office, in the neighborhood, and in our homes. Let us not be content with a one-day-a-week faith. Instead let us strive to live a 24/7 faith that transforms every aspect of our lives.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

THE GREATEST HISTORICAL NOVEL EVER

 Colossians 1:16

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

                 I enjoy reading historical novels. I especially enjoy the novels by Jeff Shaara. He ability to take you right into the event is amazing. The best historical novels are based on real events with real people included. Of course, the author much creates the dialog and interaction between the characters. In any historical novel, the characters are unaware of the hand of the author. He or she remains shrouded in the background. If you read several novels by the same author, you can see the unique style is that author, but the characters themselves are totally unaware of the author’s existence. If the author wants the characters to be aware of him or her, then he must reveal himself in some way. The author must insert himself or herself into the story.

                We are living in the greatest historical novel ever written. The author is not human but God. He created the story and the characters before the world began. He is ultimately in control of the pace and the direction of the story. The story will ultimately end in the way that the author intends for it to end. The big difference between this amazing story and all other historical novels is that God has given the characters free will; the ability to make decisions and determine their part in the story. He did this while continuing to maintain control over the ultimate direction of the story.

                Like any historical novel, the only way that we, the characters in the story, can know about the author is if the author reveals himself in some way. Better yet, if the author inserts himself into the story. That is exactly what God did.

                God began by leaving clues of his existence in the world he created. He placed a special kind of curiosity within humanity that directed us to look beyond the tangible world to what lies behind. Throughout the ages, humans have always pondered the question of some power outside of this world that is in some way directing it. This curiosity has led to a variety of theories about the author of our story. They are very diverse and often contradict one another. Yet, they all seek to pull back the curtain and see the author of our world.

                In many ways, humanities attempt to discover and understand God are like people today trying to get to know some other person from a distance. Given the general information they have, they create an image in their mind of that other person. That image may or may not be correct. So it is with humanity’s attempt to give form and shape to God.

                In our everyday world, if we want to get a better idea of who another person is, we may ask people who are closer to that person. Because they have insights into the person that we do not, they can help us refine our image of that person. God took the initiative to reveal more of Himself to humanity by sending spokespersons, prophets, into the world to tell people more about who God is and what He is like. Through these spokespersons humanity gained a clearer, yet still incomplete image of God.

                The very best way to get to know another person is to actually encounter them personally. When I was in seminary, I had formed a rather negative image of a prominent pastor in the area. I thought he was arrogant and aloof. Then several years later I had the opportunity to encounter him personally. What I discovered was that my image of him was all wrong.

                The vast majority of people have an incorrect image of God in their head. The only way for that image to be corrected was for them to encounter God personally. So God took the final step and wrote himself into the story. When God sent Jesus into the world, He invited humanity to get to know Him on a personal basis. Jesus was God in human flesh. He made it clear that to see Him was to see God. Jesus revealed clearly the character and heart of God. He came to correct all of the false images that had dominated the world up to that point. The author walked on stage and revealed himself for all to see.

                Unfortunately, many people have hung onto their false images of who God is. Max Lucado shares the story of a time when he encountered a woman reading one of his books. After making small talk with her for a little while, he revealed that he was the author. She looked at him and bolded declared, “You’re not Max Lucado. He’s taller.”

                God revealed Himself to the world in the person of Jesus. But many people refuse to accept that. They claim that God is something very different. They hold onto their distorted, self-created image rather than accept the reality.

                We are all characters in the greatest historical novel every written. We have not come to the end of the story yet. But the author has chosen to insert Himself into the story. He has let us look behind the curtain and see the one who is putting it all together.

Hebrews 1:1-3

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

 

   

ENDURANCE

 2 Timothy 2:3

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

                I took off for my run on a crisp 50-degree morning this morning. My muscles were stiff and I was tempted to cut my run short. But as I got warmed up and some of the stiffness abated, I settled in and completed my normal run. As I was running, I thought about how distance running is all about endurance. It is developing the strength to keep going when others quit; to keep going even when you want to quit. Endurance is strength for the long haul.

                Endurance and perseverance are closely linked. Perseverance is the will to keep going. Endurance is the strength to keep going. A person may have the will to keep going, but if they don’t have the endurance, they will be unable to. A person my have the strength to keep going, but if they do not have the desire to, they will not. A person needs both endurance and perseverance to succeed.

                The Christian life requires both spiritual endurance and perseverance. We build endurance through spiritual strength training. We develop perseverance through fostering the right attitude and keeping things in perspective. The Christian life is like running a marathon. A person has to understand how to pace themselves for the long haul. Too many people approach their faith as a sprint, only to run out of energy and give up. Too many, after a long life of spiritual service, falter near the end and fail to endure. When the hardships and challenges of life come our way, we have a choice to make. We can give up or we can persevere and endure.

                The Apostle Paul is an example of spiritual endurance. If anyone was ever tempted to say “enough is enough” it would have been Paul. As Paul went from town to town preaching the Gospel, he was met with strong resistance. It cost him dearly to keep going, but he endured. Paul expressed his struggle to the believers in Corinth.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (2 Corinthians 1:8-11)

                 Paul was able to endure because he looked beyond his struggles to the one who gave him strength. He had learned that he could face any challenge when he did it in the strength of the Lord. He was energized by the reality that he was not alone in his struggles, but that Christ was with him. We have all experienced this in much smaller ways. When challenges come, we are better able to endure when someone else is going with us. When we turn our eyes toward Jesus during times of struggle, we will discover the strength to persevere. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, but He will see us through.          

                Several years ago, I decided that I wanted to run a half marathon. At that time, I had the desire but not the ability. I began to run on a daily basis; first one mile, then two, three, four, and so on. Over time I built up the endurance to be able to run the full 13.2 miles. Each mile that I ran was preparation for accomplishing my goal of running the half marathon.

                If we are going to succeed in the journey of faith, we need to build up our spiritual endurance. The writer of Hebrews challenges us to see the hardships we face in life as God’s training ground. God allows us to face diverse challenges to strengthen our spiritual muscles, just as running that extra mile strengthens your physical muscles.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. (Hebrews 12:7-13)

                 I almost gave up on my run this morning. I told myself that I could turn back at the 1-mile mark, but I didn’t. I pushed on and endured until the end. I was glad that I had kept going. It would have been easy to give up, but then I would have forfeited to benefits of running the full distance.

                There as times when we are tempted to give up spiritually. Life is hard. Swimming against the mainstream of the world takes enormous effort. It would be easier to just give in and go with the flow. But if we do, we will miss out on the benefits of enduring.

                As I pushed past the one-mile mark, I reminded myself that it was not about how fast I ran, but that I kept going. It is the same on our spiritual journey. It is not about how fast we are going, but that we keep going, especially when times get tough. We need both perseverance and endurance to win the race.

Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

(1 Corinthians 9:26-27)

 

A CALL TO PRAISE

 Psalm 145:1-2

I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

                Have you ever wondered about the call to praise the Lord? Over 80 times in Psalms alone we are instructed, in one way or another, to praise the Lord. For those of us that grew up in church, this just seems normal, but for someone looking in from the outside, it seems a little strange.

                Recently in my devotions I read an essay by C.S. Lewis where he addressed the issue of praising God. When he first became a Christian, he struggled with the call to praise God.

                “When I first began to draw near to belief in God and even for some time after it had been given to me, I found a stumbling block in the demand so clamorously made by all religious people that we should “praise” God; still more in the suggestion that God Himself demanded it. We all despise the man who demands continued assurance of his own virtue, intelligence, or delightfulness; we despise still more the crowd of people around every dictator, every millionaire, every celebrity, who gratify that demand. Thus a picture, at once ludicrous and horrible, both of God and of His worshippers, threatened to appear in my mind.” (C.S. Lewis)

                Lewis raises the question for all of us, what is the point of praising God? Does God need an ego boost from us to feel good about Himself? Obviously, that is not the case. So why does the Psalms, and other parts of scripture, constantly call us to praise the Lord?

                As Lewis discovered, praise is the natural response to those things that we love, cherish, value, admire, or wonder at. Without really recognizing it, we all engage in praise on a regular basis. Wasn’t that a delightful meal? Look at that sunset! It is amazing! Isn’t she beautiful? That was a moving piece of music.

                I believe that the Bible calls us to praise God for our benefit, not His. When we praise something, it completes and enhances the experience. Many years ago, I was driving at night in northern Minnesota when suddenly the sky erupted with the Northern Lights. It was an amazing sight. I wanted to express my delight in seeing them, but I was all alone in the car. Somehow the experience was not complete. When we intentionally praise the Lord, we are, in a sense, completing the experience of being in His presence. By expressing our praise, we are acknowledging our awe and wonder at God’s presence.

                Praise also gives value to something. When we praise a work of art or a good meal, we are saying that we value it. When we praise the Lord, we are expressing just how much we value Him. The more exuberant our praise, the more value we are placing on our relationship with Him. By praising the Lord, we are recognizing just how great God really is. We do not create the value; we recognize it and affirm it.

                A man was walking through a famous art gallery, looking at the paintings. After he had observed the artwork for a short time, he commented to an attendant that he didn’t see much in those old paintings. The attendant responded; it is not the art that is in question. In other words, the artworks had already proved their worth. The man did not have the eyes to see their value. Those who cannot praise the Lord do not have the eyes to see just how amazing He is.

                Praise also awakens our senses. Many people go through life with their eyes closed to all of the amazing things all around them. Once a person takes the time to stop and really look, they begin to see the beauty and awe that has been there all along. When we foster the habit of giving praise to God, we expand our own awareness and understanding of His greatness. Praise allows us to get beyond the superficial and begin to see and enjoy the complex nature of God.

                God doesn’t need our praise, but we need to praise God. Intentional praise awakens our senses and allows us to experience God in new and deeper ways. It calls us to stand in awe of His amazing power, glory, love, grace, and mercy. When we open our eyes and really look toward God, we cannot help but respond in praise.

Psalm 145:3

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

 

   

COMPETING FOR THE PRIZE

 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

1 Corinthians 9: 25

                For the past week or so we have been watching the unfolding events at the Tokyo Olympics. Of course, much of the spotlight has been on Simone Biles, who for very personal reasons pulled out of the gymnastics competition. But if we can get past all of the rhetoric swirling around Simone’s decision, we are reminded about just how amazing the stories are of every athlete who is competing in these games. Everyone of them has had to make enormous personal sacrifice to be Olympians. The postponement of the games for a year only added to the burden these athletes have carried. The vast majority of these athletes will give their all knowing that their chances of standing on the medal podium are slim to none. Yet they compete for the joy of being an Olympian.

                Long before the modern Olympics came on the scene, the games took place. In addition to the Greek Olympics there was the Corinthian games. As Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, he thought about those games. In them he saw a parallel to the Christian life. Just as the athletes who competed in the games had to train in order to perform at their highest level, so believers needed to train themselves to be able to shine for Christ.

                Olympic athletes sacrifice and train for the chance to stand in the spotlight for a brief moment. Christians sacrifice and train to be able to stand in the glory of God for eternity. The athletes who won the games in the ancient world were rewarded with a laurel wreath placed on their head. It was a symbol of honor, yet it quickly faded away. Today the Olympic athletes compete to receive a gold, silver or bronze medal. Although the actual medal will endure, the glory of standing on the podium quickly fades. One momentary celebration is quickly eclipsed by the results of the next event.

                Paul told the Corinthians that as believers in Christ, we do not compete for receive momentary glory, but to receive the eternal prize of life with Christ. Just as the goal of winning an Olympic medal is the motivation for athletes, so the goal of winning an eternal prize should be the motivation for ever believer. As Paul says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Cor. 9:24) Paul’s point is that with what is at stake, we should strive to do our best to win the prize.

                Many of us are like weekend athletes when it comes to out faith. We put in just enough effort to play the game on the weekend. If something else comes up, we set aside the game to pursue that. Every day of an Olympic athlete’s life is focused on one goal; to win the prize. Paul is challenging us to have the same level of commitment. Everyday of our lives should be focused on one goal; to win the eternal prize. That means that we need to discipline our minds, bodies, and souls to accomplish our goal. We can choose to just get-by by being spiritual weekend warriors, but we will forfeit the rewards that God has in store for us if we do. Instead. Paul challenges us to be spiritual Olympic athletes.

                Bottom line, how we live our daily lives matters. It matters to God and it should matter to us. We will not be perfect in our efforts. There will be days when we fail to step up to the challenge. But we should always keep the goal in mind. We should live lives worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus.

                Paul was very serious about competing for the prize. He continued in 1 Corinthians 9 with these words. “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

                There are many things in life that we will strive for, that we will sacrifice for, that we will give our lives to. Many of these things are noble and worthy of our efforts. But there is one thing that should rise above all the rest; living a life that is focused on winning the ultimate prize in Christ; to stand in His glory and hear those words, well done good and faithful servant.

Colossians 1:10-14 (NIV)
                And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he 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.