AFTER THE RACE

This past weekend was the Mankato Marathon. Around 4000 runners participated in the various races offered. Having run the Mankato Half Marathon last year, I know what those runners were experiencing. Before the race began they experienced a mixture of excitement, nervousness and apprehension. Their desire to run was strong, but there was also a few nagging doubts about how well they would perform. Once the gun went off, all of those emotions were replaced by a rush of adrenaline. For the first couple of miles they were pulled along by the surge of the crowd and the excitement that they were on their way. About half way through the race excitement changed to determination to keep going and finish the race. The final several yards of the race were pure adrenaline again as they saw the finish line, heard the crowd cheering, and gave everything that they had left. Then came after the race.

                Most of us do not prepare for after the race. We prepare for the race itself, but we are often surprised and sometimes overwhelmed by what happens after the race. After the euphoria of crossing the finish line and being congratulated, comes the letdown. I have experienced it after every race that I have run. Sometimes it is the letdown of, I could have done better. Often it is the letdown of, it’s over. I planned, training, dreamed about the race for months, then in a matter of hours it is over. There is an incredible letdown that occurs after the race.

                We experience this same letdown spiritually after some planned event or profound experience. The excitement going into the experience just seems to evaporate. It is replaced by either second guessing or a wish for more. That is why runners are always signing up for the next race. I experienced this letdown on Sunday afternoon. I was already disappointed that I was unable to run in the half marathon. I had preached at our Saturday night runners’ service and then again at all three services on Sunday. But in addition, I had also led worship at the 8:30 and 11:00 services; something that I enjoy doing. I was excited about Sunday morning, but when I walked out the door at 12:15, I felt drained and a little down. It was a very similar feeling to what I felt going home after the race last year.

                This emotional letdown “after the race” is a double edged sword. We are extremely vulnerable spiritually. Our emotional letdown can either lead us into discouragement or motivate us to get ready for the next race. Satan is going to do whatever he can to instill the seeds of discouragement. He is very good at exploiting our vulnerability. We need to be on our guard not to let him get the upper hand. Peter encourages us to be ready for Satan’s inevitable attack. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8-9

                God wants to use our emotional letdown to motivate us to prepare for the next race. The day after a race I have the overwhelming desire to go for a run. There is something inside of me that says, you have worked so hard to get to this point, don’t stop now. I start looking forward to the next race. That is the attitude that God wants us to have in the race of life. As we evaluate and reflect upon the spiritual event that we have just experienced, God wants to use that to motivate us to prepare for the next one. This is a critical moment for us, because it is too easy to give into the temptation to just coast for a while. Instead, God wants us to get right back into training for the next race that He has marked out for us. The writer to the Hebrews puts it far better than I ever could. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

                We need to remember that the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. We will not finish the race until we cross the line from here to eternity. Until that day, we need to run this race with joy, excitement, and perseverance, for the glory of God. 

AVOIDING THE PITFALL OF POLITICS

                The general election is just around the corner, and the mess of our political system seems to get worse and worse. I have intentionally avoided watching the debates, because they are mean-spirited and lack any real substance. I don’t need the extra angst in my life.

                Every four years our nation is thrown into a “life and death” struggle for who will be in control. Each side demonizes the other. Each side digs up as much dirt on their opponent as possible. Each side works hard at discrediting the other side. The end product is a lack of respect and trust for which ever candidate ultimately prevails. I think it is fairly safe to say that the political process in America is unhealthy and ungodly.

                The Bible commands us to be the very best citizens that we can be. We are commanded to support those in leadership by regularly taking them before the throne of grace. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,  who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4) Because ultimately God places those in authority that He chooses, we are instructed to work under their authority, even when we don’t agree with them. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority,  or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.  Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:13-17

                Here is the pitfall that we must avoid. We must resist putting our faith in a political party, a political leader, or a political system. We are citizens of the United States of America, but we are also citizens of a much higher kingdom, the Kingdom of God. In my lifetime, Evangelicals have faltered by placing their hopes in a political party or candidate, rather than standing firm in their allegiance to the King of Kings. Time and again, grand promises have been made in order to win the support of Evangelicals, only to have those promises quickly forgotten. The plans and purposes of God will never be advanced by political means. In that way, the Kingdom of God is always subversive, working under, outside of, around, the current political system in power. As Jesus told Pilate at His trial, His kingdom is not of this world.

                I am afraid that whatever the outcome of the next election is, we will finds ourselves in a less than ideal situation. But instead of panicking or packing up and moving to Canada, we need to put our trust in the Lord. He knows exactly what is going on. He will empower and preserve His Church no matter what the political climate. The Kingdom of God will prevail, no matter what!

                As we face the elections on November 8, let the words of the Psalmist encourage you.

Praise the Lord.

    Praise the Lord, O my soul.

        [2] I will praise the Lord all my life;

        I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

     [3] Do not put your trust in princes,

        in mortal men, who cannot save.

    [4] When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

        on that very day their plans come to nothing.

    [5] Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

        whose hope is in the Lord his God,

    [6] the Maker of heaven and earth,

        the sea, and everything in them--

        the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

    [7] He upholds the cause of the oppressed

        and gives food to the hungry.

    The Lord sets prisoners free,

        [8] the Lord gives sight to the blind,

    the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

        the Lord loves the righteous.

    [9] The Lord watches over the alien

        and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

        but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

     [10] The Lord reigns forever,

        your God, O Zion, for all generations.

    Praise the Lord.

Psalm 146:1-10

THE STRUGGLE WITHIN

Psalm 19:12-14

    Who can discern his errors?

        Forgive my hidden faults.

    Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.

    Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,

        O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

                We don’t like to admit it, but we are engaged in a daily struggle with our old, sinful nature. We are living in what theologians call the already but not yet of our faith. The spiritual war has been won, but there are still battles to be fought. The closer we get to the end of the conflict, the more intense the enemy becomes. We have been saved by grace, through faith in Christ, but we have not yet experienced the fullness of our salvation. We have been justified by God, yet we are not yet made perfect. Our sins have been forgiven, yet we daily fight the battle with sin.

                King David understood this battle. His own experience had taught him that, even though his heart’s desire was to please God, his actions often led in a different direction. Psalm 19:12-14 bring into focus three areas of conflict in the internal struggle that we all face.

                We can be blind to our own faults. There are things in our lives that are not aligned with God’s plan for us, yet we are unaware of their presence. Let me use a physical example to make my point. A person can live with a certain physical condition all of their life and not know that it is a problem. They just assume that what they are experiencing is normal, until they discover otherwise. This happened to me. I lived with a certain physical condition growing up that I assumed was normal. Then, as an adult, I had a physical and discovered that my condition was the symptom of a problem that needed to be corrected.

                Because of the deceptiveness of Satan, we can live our whole lives assuming some aspects of our life are normal. But when the light of God’s Word begins to shine into our hearts, we understand that we have a problem that needs to be addressed. Satan is a master at slipping these hidden faults under our radar screen. We need to be constantly monitoring our life to root them out.

                We all, at times, walk into sin, with our eyes wide open. David calls these willful sins. We are like strong willed children, who when told not to do something intentionally do that very thing. All of us have our Achilles heel. There are certain areas of our lives where we are particularly vulnerable to sin’s allure. We know that giving in to those temptations is wrong, yet we suspend our better judgment and dive in. As soon as we have stepped over the line we know it, and are flooded with guilt and remorse.

                David was fully aware of his vulnerabilities. That is why he asked God to keep him from willingly giving in. As James reminds us, these persistent sins come from the residue of our sinful nature that is deep within our hearts. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. (James 1:13-14) Like David we need to ask God to protect us from ourselves.

                We are in a constant struggle for control of our heart. It is one thing to call Jesus Lord and another to actually let Him be in control. Because God has given to us a free will, we have the responsibility to daily submit that will to the authority of Christ. This is not something we can do once and forget about it. It is a decision we make day by day, moment by moment. As Jesus said in Luke 9:23,

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

                Paul has given us some practical advice on  how to accomplish this. It is found in Philippians 4:4-9. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

                Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

                We all experience the struggle within. Our hearts truly desire to honor Christ, but our thoughts and our actions don’t always line up with that desire. The words of David are a prayer that we would all benefit from, if we started every day with them on our lips.

   

IMMERSED IN LIGHT

                I have been reading God in the Dock, a collection of C.S. Lewis’ essays. The other day I read “Meditation in a Toolshed.” Lewis described being in the semidarkness of a small shed and seeing a beam of light streaming through a crack at the top of the door. As he looked at the sunbeam, he saw particles of dust floating through the air. But when he looked along the sunbeam, he could see the sky and the leaves of a tree swaying in the breeze. His point was that there is a difference between observing something from the outside and experiencing something from within it. He goes on to make the case that we can become objective observers of life and of faith and miss the experience of living life and experiencing our faith.

                The Bible likens our faith to living in the light. Outside of Christ, we are living in darkness, but when we come to faith in Christ, we step into the light. As it says in Ephesians 5:8. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light… The Apostle John picks up on this same theme in 1 John 1:5-7. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

                Here is my point. There is a difference between observing the light of the gospel from outside of it and living immersed in the light of the gospel. Unfortunately, there are many theologians in our world who are very good at examining the light of the gospel from the outside, but are not walking in the light. They apply the tools of sociology, psychology, philosophy and textual criticism to dissect, analyze and “demythologize” the gospel. They insist on making the gospel conform to society’s current politically correct set of values. They know much about the light, but they continue to walk in darkness.

                Walking in the light is very different. It is allowing the light of God’s word to make sense of the world around us. It is seeing our world through the light, allowing it to clarify and enlighten our understanding of the world. As it says in Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Instead of looking at the light of the gospel from the perspective of an outside observer, we are to look at our world through the light of the gospel.

                The Gospel is never threatened by close examination. We are encouraged to study and explore God’s word with vigor. But we must be careful not to let knowledge of God’s word sidetrack us from living in God’s word. Paul addressed this in his argument about food sacrificed to idols. Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3

                It is important that we know and understand our faith. Nowhere in scripture are we commanded to have a mindless faith. But, it is more important that we live in the light of our faith, in the real world, even when we don’t fully understand. We should never stop seeking for answers, but we should never let not having all of the answers stop us from living immersed in the light of Christ. 

WALKING WITH JESUS

                A little boy and his father go for a walk in the woods. Before they begin their adventure, the father leans down to the little boy and says, “Son, walk with me.” Setting off down the path, the father begins to point out some of the wonders of the forest. “There is an oak tree. That one is a maple tree. Look at the squirrel running across that branch.”

                At first the little boy stays close to his father, holding his hand. Soon he becomes overwhelmed by the wonderful things he sees. Letting go of his father’s hand, he rushes off the path to retrieve a huge pine cone. With a big smile on his face, he brings it back to show to his father. “That’s nice son. But you need to walk with me.”

                As the two turn a corner on the path, something up ahead catches the boys attention. Again, letting go of his father’s hand, he rushes forward to see what it is. When he gets to the object, he discovers a snake coiled up in the path. At first, he is curious about the snake, but then the snake hisses and strikes the air. The little boy becomes frozen with fear. He flinches as he feels his father’s strong hand rest on his shoulder. The father gently moves the boy out of harm’s way, picks up a long stick and scoops the snake off into the weeds. “Son, you need to walk with me. You don’t know what might be ahead.

                After a while the little boy begins to get tired. He starts lagging behind his father; his little legs unable to match the long stride of his dad. Looking back, the father says, “Come on son. Catch up. You need to walk with me.” The little boy stops in the middle of the path. “I’m tired. I can’t go any farther. Carry me!” Lovingly the father scoops up the boy and puts him on his shoulders. Together they continue their afternoon adventure.

*****

                As this little story illustrates, there is a difference between having Jesus walk with us and having us walk with Jesus. At the end of the Great Commission, Jesus made a promise to us. “And I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus is faithful in walking with us, but we are not always faithful in walking with Him. If we are going to walk with Jesus, there are a few things that we need to do.

                If we are going to walk with Jesus, we need to adjust our pace to His pace. Like the little boy, we sometimes get impatient and want to run ahead of Jesus. On other occasions we get weary and lag behind. Jesus is constantly calling us to stay close to Him. As Paul says in Galatians 5:25, Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

                If we are going to walk with Jesus, we need to go in the same direction as Jesus. Too often, we want to take our own path and not follow Jesus’ lead. We rush here and there, looking for some treasure, some delight, some new experience. Patently Jesus waits for us, then calls us back onto the right path. When Jesus called His first disciples, he issued a simple invitation. “Follow me.” He says the same thing to us. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

                If we are going to walk with Jesus, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Children get separated from their parents and get lost because they get distracted and wander away. We often get distracted and wander away from Jesus. We need to learn to keep Jesus in sight at all times. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:2-3

                There is no doubt that Jesus is walking with us. The question is, are we walking with Him? 

KEEPING OUR EYES & OUR HEARTS OPEN

                It is amazing to me how I can go through life and miss so much. I get caught up in my routine, focus on the task before me, and the rest of the world becomes a blur. It is a like the people I see working out at the gym. They are surrounded by activity, but with their ear buds in place and their music playing, they are oblivious to it. They just go about their routine, barely acknowledging those around them.

                I tend to be what might be called an office rat. Some pastors spend more time at coffee shops than they spend in their office. Not me. In order for me to get my work done, I have to have a controlled environment, with few distractions. I am also a creature of habit. I have a particular routine that I follow pretty much every week. When my routine gets unexpectedly altered, I feel out of rhythm. Therefore I tend to zone into my routine, and zone out other things.

                A week ago, I challenged everyone, at the end of our worship service, to put feet to their faith in some practical way. Being a task oriented person, I had in mind how I was going to personally meet that challenge. Developing a more robust ministry to international students is one of my goals for this year. So I arranged to meet with two international students to get to know them better and to ask for their input. But God had a totally different plan for me.

                On Friday, at about 11:30 AM, a young, homeless man walked into our office looking for help. He had stopped by the church twice before. On the first occasion, I gave him some money to get food. On the second occasion, I had turned him away. To put this in context, we get requests for help on a regular basis. In the majority of cases, we send them to the Salvation Army. When this young man showed up for the third time, something within me said, you need to help this man. I talked with him for a short time, trying to get an idea of his real needs. I gave him some immediate assistance, and promised more help, if he would furnish me with certain information.

                I want to say, at this point, that I believe these encounters were orchestrated by God. Normally, when a young man like this comes, I would send him to talk with our Associate Pastor. On all three occasions, when this young man appeared, I was the only pastor at the church. On the first two occasions, he arrived at unusual times, which limited my access to “normal procedures.” The third time around, God finally captured my heart. I saw a sincere, frightened, helpless young man. I could almost hear Jesus asking me, Dave will you care for this young man?

                We live in a world filled with needs. Most of us feel overwhelmed by the scope of the problems. We feel helpless to really make a difference. Therefore, we tend to steel ourselves against the bombardment of requests. To protect ourselves, we just say no. I understand that, but there are times, maybe many times, when Jesus calls us to drop our defenses and step out in faith.

                We need to ask God to restore a heart of genuine compassion within us. On one particular occasion, Jesus and his disciples were trying to get away from the crowds to get some needed rest. The pressure of the needs of the people were overwhelming them. So they got in a boat and sailed from one side of the lake to the other. But when they arrived, the people had beaten them there. Then Matthew records, When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) Instead of sending the people away, Jesus sat down and taught them.

                There are two kinds of compassion. There is a pragmatic compassion, which sees a need and gives in order to get rid of the person. This kind of compassion is more about quieting our guilt than meeting a need. On the other hand, there is genuine compassion, which sees a person and gives to embrace them and share life with them. I am often guilty of the first, and need desperately to grow in the second.

                We need to ask God to open our eyes to the opportunities to serve others that are all around us. Because it is easy for us to pull into our own safe, little world, we often miss the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Most of the time these are small acts of kindness, simple words of encouragement, or opportunities to open a spiritual conversation. These are around us daily, but too often we are blind to them. Like the song states, we need God to open the eyes of our hearts.

                Paul challenges us to open our eyes and take advantage of the opportunities God puts in our path. Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16) We take advantage of these opportunities by offering God’s grace to those around us in practical ways. At first, this will seem hard, but the more we train ourselves to respond with God’s grace, the more adept we will become at it. With all of the demands on us, this can seem overwhelming. But if we will be intentional and persevere, it will pay off. As Paul says, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10

   

REFLECTIONS ON LIVING WELL

Ephesians 5:15-20

    Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

                There is a big difference between “living the good life” and living a good life. Pretty much everything we see and hear today is holding out the carrot of living the good life. The poster child for this quest has been “the most interesting man in the world” who promoted Dos Equis beer. On scene, he was portrayed as having everything anyone would want. The problem with this quest is that it is always just beyond our grasp.

                “Living the good life” is a quest for self-indulgence, self-fulfillment, and self-satisfaction. It is based on money, power, and prestige. In many ways, it has become part of the fabric of American society. Our constitution says that we have inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today, people read this as life, liberty, and guaranteed happiness.

                The Bible gives us a vastly different picture of what it means to live a good life. First, and foremost, a good life is not self-centered, it is God centered. As Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-26, the only way to really gain life is to let go of it for him. When we hold onto the enticements of the world, they pull us down, and we sink further into a very selfish world. When we let go of those enticements, we are free to achieve the purposes for which God created us.

                In Ephesians 5, Paul gives us some specific steps to living a good life. First, we must live intentionally and wisely. There are many pitfalls and sidetracks along the way. We need to be careful about the choices that we make. The wise person doesn’t just look at the choice before him, but looks beyond that choice to the eventual outcomes. We live in evil days. If we live only for today, as the world calls us to do, we will forfeit our future.

                Second, Paul tells us to seek the Lord’s will. This is the point where many Christians get stuck, because they think of God’s will in very specific, individualistic terms. Who should I marry? What school should I attend? What career path should I take? These are not unimportant questions, but they are secondary to seeking God’s will. God has clearly defined His will in scripture. Jesus summarized it for us Mark 12:30-31. “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."

                The rest of the New Testament fleshes this command out for us in practical terms. For example, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. If you would take the time to look up the “one another” passages in the New Testament, you would comply an extensive list of practical examples of God’s will for you. It is as we strive to obey these things that God makes secondary choices more clear.

                Paul goes on to tell us that living a good life is the opposite of “living the good life” as defined by the world. Instead of being controlled by the value system of the world, we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. As followers of Christ, we have become new creations, with a new life within us. That life comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit. We can choose to resist the Holy Spirit and we will live with the internal conflict. Or we can willingly comply with the Holy Spirit and find the peace and joy that God has promised.

                Finally, Paul reminds us that living a good life means living well with others. “Living the good life” is most often about what I can gain. If a particular person adds nothing of value to my life, then I am free to turn away from them to someone who can give me what I want. Living a good life is discovering that we need one another. It is not so much about what I can get from another person as what can I give to them. It is living an others-centered life, just as Christ did. Jesus said that living for others is what will set us apart from the rest of the world. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

                I come back to where Paul begins in Ephesians 5:15. Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. How we live each day of our lives is an investment in eternity. We can choose to chase “the good life” and at the end we will discover our bank account is empty. Our we can choose to live a good life in Christ, and when the end comes we will discover the eternal blessings He has stored up for us.