I Am Thankful

…that where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly.

…for those who taught me the truth about the grace of God.

…for the everlasting newness of the Bible.

…for the joy…of the newly baptized…of the parents of a newborn…of those who discover a truth new to them…of little children…of those who serve against all odds and obstacles.

…for memories…during winter, of an August day…during loneliness, of the hugs of my children when they were small…during marital stress, of the time of our espousals…during church squabbles, of the day Jesus poured out His blood.

…for husbands and wives…who love each other without strings… who sacrifice without keeping count…who honor the Creator’s intention and demonstrate the amazing power of togetherness.

…for children…the promise they bring…the sense of wonder they possess…how they make us feel needed…the many lessons and ways they teach us.

…for friends…for what they believe about us (though we know the reality) and for the way their belief in us makes us want to strive for what they think we are.

…for older Christians who resist the tendencies that older age brings to cause us to withdraw and lick our wounds or to become selfish and demand to be served, but, instead, they keep on keeping on as best they can.

…for volunteers…who express a depth of love that those of us who must be praised, pushed or pestered into action do not know.

…for encouraging words…which say to us things like, “I believe in you,” or “I’m on your side,” and “I love you.”

…for honest prayers…which may not flow very well, nor be very eloquent, but which reflect the sincerity of one of God’s children speaking heart to Heart with Him.

…for acceptance…free and freeing…undeserved and empowering.

…for promises…Iike, He will never leave nor forsake us…like, He will make the way of escape…Iike, He will not forget our work of love…and like, so shall we ever be with the Lord.

…for you who stop by this site and pause to read and reflect and maybe even add your thoughts to the mix. You bless me…and I don’t take it for granted. 

Amen! And Thank You, Father!

A Long Line Of Love

   One of my favorite songs addresses the subject of a young couple anticipating marriage. They ponder the necessary question…”Do you think we can make it?” I love the assurance that comes in the chorus where the father of the prospective groom tells his son, “You come from a long line of love. When the times get hard, we don’t give up. Forever’s in your heart and in your blood. Son, you come from a long line of love.”

   I hope that’s how it was in your family history. If so, you have much for which to be grateful. If not, you know the pain that can result. You feel the hurt. You wish your family tradition was otherwise, but it simply wasn’t. Well, there’s good news for you who wonder what you will say to your son or daughter when they come with their wedding plans and ask if you think they can make it. Regardless of family history, broken homes, disappointments, and failures, we all come from a long line of love. We’ve been loved with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Before we lived a day on earth, God made plans for us (Psalm 139:16). His plans are for us to prosper…to have hope…to have a future (Jeremiah 29:11).   To that end, everyone who comes home to Jesus Christ finds that God in love predestined us to adoption as His children (Ephesians 1:5). Our Father God delights in us (Psalm 18:19). And the story of His love for us fills the Bible. Every good gift you ever received came from Him. All the good loves of your life arise from His love for you. He has always been there for you. He continues to be.

   So, whatever your past, please let yourself believe this wonderful truth is for you too…you really do hail from a long line of love. The universe was formed by love. Redemption in Christ springs from the fountain of God’s unfailing love for all people. The Gospel is the story of how God loves you so much, He wouldn’t even spare His own Son in order to bring you home with Him. You see, beloved of God, no matter the heartaches of the past, no matter your uncertainties, and your failures, you come from a long line of love. When the times got hard, God didn’t quit. Forever’s in your heart and in your blood, because He put it there. That’s why you can make it today. Don’t give up. Accept His love and share it with everyone you know.

For The Benefit Of The People

   The above phrase comes from John 11:42. Jesus is praying. He expresses gratitude for God’s hearing of His request regarding dead Lazarus. Then He says, “I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe…” This is but one of many illustrations of our Lord’s concern in all that He did…“for the benefit of the people…”

   He left Heaven …“for the benefit of the people…” He became poor …“for the benefit of the people…” He was baptized …“for the benefit of the people…” He was sorely tempted …“for the benefit of the people…” He healed diseases …“for the benefit of the people…” He cast out demons…“for the benefit of the people…” He wearied Himself with travels…“for the benefit of the people…” He taught…“for the benefit of the people…” He lived life alone…“for the benefit of the people…” He had not a place to lay His head…“for the benefit of the people…” He prayed…“for the benefit of the people…” He submitted to ridicule, criticism, and slander…“for the benefit of the people…” He went hungry…“for the benefit of the people…” He pleased not Himself…“for the benefit of the people…” He surrendered to abuse…to beatings…to scourging…to thorns…to the spittle…“for the benefit of the people…” He took up His cross and died upon it…“for the benefit of the people…” He was resurrected from the dead and appeared to many…“for the benefit of the people…” He ascended and was exalted in Heaven to the Father’s right hand…“for the benefit of the people…” And, ever since, to this very moment, He is living on to make intercession…“for the benefit of the people…”

   Who are “the people” anyway? Those among whom He served, of course. But I’m one of them too. So are you. We are the people He longs to benefit today. But we are not the only ones, are we? Now what am I going to do about this?

Nothing Better

   I remember the feeling I had as a boy at the end of the school day. My pent up energy was waiting to explode in running from the school yard and going to play whatever I wanted to play. Freedom! I thought nothing could be better than that. But I was wrong.

   The driver’s license drew nigh. I couldn’t wait. I failed the first driving test. I can’t begin to tell you my disappointment. I had to wait “forever” (or at least one week) to take that test again. But then I had it…my piece of paper which permitted me to terrorize those country lanes. A rusty old ‘55 Chevy, some gas and the open road. I just knew that nothing could be better than that. But I was wrong.

   Well, after what seemed to be an eternity, I was finally to graduate from high school. Escape from the suffocating classrooms! A new lease on life…my life! My euphoria caused me to reason once again, “Nothing could be better than this!” But I was wrong.

   I met a young lady. I can’t fully describe the excitement that coursed through me as I anticipated spending time with her. Food, cars, sports and other friends lost their appeal to me. I cared for nothing and no one as I cared for her. I thought, “There certainly can’t be any more wonderful feeling than this.” That’s what I thought. But I was wrong.

   There came a day when she said “Yes!” to me. The wedding preparations…the smiles…the dreaming…finally the day came. The only day in my life so far when my knees literally shook. I was being married. She became mine. The beginning of life together. The honeymoon. “Surely there was nothing else to compare with this!” But I was wrong.

   In time she bore our first child. I saw her labor to bring him into this world. I saw her anguish…her tears…her courage. I saw the capillaries burst in her neck and shoulders as she strained so hard. Finally I had seen that which could not be surpassed. Imagine my surprise then when they placed the precious bundle in my arms, and I looked upon the face of my son for the first time. Then I knew that nothing could be better than that.

   All through my life God has been surprising me with joy…giving me better and purer definitions of good…of noble…of delightful things. But there’s coming a day, by His grace, when I will depart to be with Him…earth’s unrest will have ceased for me…the sometimes deafening questions will be gone…the terrible spectre of my sins that were ever before me will have vanished away (let it be, dear God)…my weakness will have been turned into strength…my failures swallowed up in His victory…the greatest longing of my heart will be realized as I enter the blessed Presence of the One Who has always loved me best of all and out of  Whose love all the other beautiful loves of my life flowed. I will be with Him. Then I will think, “Now I know for sure…nothing…absolutely nothing…can be better than this!” And then, finally and forever, I will be right!

   Beloved, let’s hang in there with Him!

Healing Our Backsliding?!!

    What God told Israel through His prophet, Hosea (14:1), is as true now as then. “Your sins have been your downfall.” So what’s to be done about it? First, we have to admit that God is right about our sin diagnosis. Our love affair with sin led us on a long journey to a country far away from Him. Hosea tells God’s guilty people that they need to return to God. How does a city, a country or a church, return to God? Answer: one soul at a time. And if one person’s decision ignites another’s faithful response? Well, so much the better! I must admit that living life according to my selfish agenda doesn’t work. It doesn’t raise me up. It leaves my soul in the dust. The end result is all darkness and devastation. But God graciously invites me back.

   Secondly, as you return to your God, Hosea says, “Take with you words.” What else do we have to offer? Did God want the animal sacrifices of unsurrendered souls? No! First He wanted their hearts. He longed to hear words from convicted, broken hearts …from hearts that were penitent…and which longed to return home to Him. The fact is, dear and fellow-sinner, that our sins have so impoverished us that we have absolutely nothing to offer God. All we have left is a hope (which is itself the gracious gift of the kind of Father God we have) that He won’t turn from us in utter disgust…a wish (that we are fearful of verbalizing in case it were not possible) that there might yet be some slight chance for us…a heart-deep sorrow over what our sins have done (God help us) which makes us so sick and tired of sinning that we want to be done with it all…and a determination (such as we are able to muster) to give up, once and for all, going our own way that we might go it His way.

   So, as we return to God we should take with us words…but not too many words…no excuse-making, no rationalizations, no explanations…just sincere words of repentance and the simple plea, “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously…”(14:2). The words we take with us should be thought out by us beforehand. We must think about what we will say to our God. Israel had been guilty of seeking and trusting in foreign alliances. In order to bolster up military assistance through those alliances they gave themselves over to the worship of the gods of those countries with whom they had entered into agreement. So as they return to the one true God they say, “We’re done, Lord, done with trusting in military alliance…done with looking to the power of horses…done with crafting gods with our own hands then falling down to worship the pathetic things.” God was pleased to hear such things from these people and promises to love them freely (as He always had) and to heal their backsliding (v. 4a). What’s that? Did He say He would heal their backsliding?  Yes! Praise His Name! Remember this was a nation prone to backsliding. Backsliding was nearly their national pastime. Was the healing of their backsliding really possible? God said it was. God said He would do it! And that generation who were the recipients of the severe mercy of God washed their hands, finally, of all idolatry (v.8). 

   Do we really wish to be healed of our backsliding? What has come between us and our Father God that is blocking us from His healing of our backsliding? What is it God needs to hear from us? What words from your broken heart shall you bring to God? He can forgive us. He can heal us. And our Lord’s Cross is the guarantee of that!

What You Do For Love

   The cheater fell in love. So says Genesis 29:18. Jacob (his name means cheater) fell in love with Rachel and agreed with her father that as a dowry he would work seven years for her. Wonder how many young men and women would do with that as a requirement before marriage. But that was the agreement. And the Bible tells us of the magic of love in these words…So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her (29:20). Without love seven years would seem like an eternity. But with love it seemed so small a price, but a slight delay, for the joy set before him.

   Love is the mightiest force known to mankind. It’s like an avalanche that picks us up and carries us along tossing us head over heels along the way. It opens up a whole new world. It makes us less selfish. It moves us to offer uncounted sacrifices which we would never regard as sacrifices. Work done in love is not burdensome, no matter how difficult it is. Loads are lighter, workdays are shorter, pressures are lessened because of love. Love gives and gives and then gives some more. It’s never finished because it doesn’t want to be.

   The truth about religion is that it is being loved by and loving God. There’s a way of being religious that doesn’t involve love, or, at least, it doesn’t involve that which is worthy to be called love. This kind of religion wants to speak mostly of obligation while love would speak of privilege. It wants to talk of demands, while love gives permission. It makes much of legal requirements while love meets and surpasses all these as a matter of prerogative. Cold religion speaks of contributions while love offers gifts. Those who don’t know love like to address the minimum daily requirement to keep God satisfied and out of the way, while love thrives in the maximum and lives for the very presence of beloved Father God. Lifeless religion wants to hem in and limit, while love longs to liberate. The religion that is mere formality wants everything worked out in advance before a single step is taken, while love exults in trusting.

   I am sixty years old now. The years of my life seem but a few days because of the many, many wonderful people God has allowed me to know and to love (and I count you among that number)…and, most of all, because of the flood of love He unleased upon me in my lifted up and raised up Living Lord. 

   So, tell me, not about someone else’s religion, tell me about yours…is it a love affair with your Father or is it something else?

California Dreamin’

Just turned sixty years old. My wife pulled a bunch of tricks on me in order to accomplish a surprise party (I’ll plan to tell you about some of that another time)…but I still wasn’t surprised that I turned sixty. It came on the appointed date. My birthday really was full of blessings…greetings…gifts…time with dear ones. I am grateful for each one.

The one that really knocked me off center was going to the airport, ostensibly to pick up my daughter and two grandkids, and finding there, instead, my friend Rex Boyles, who made that long journey, sacrificed time and expense, to help me usher in old age. I can’t tell you what that meant to me…and what a joy for us to be together again for  a couple of days.

I’m mainly writing this little note to let you know that Vicki and I are off today to visit our California girls, Remi and Rilyn. You see…they are missing their Poppa something fierce. And if I don’t get to see them every so often, they get a little disoriented (or is that me). Anyway…won’t be blogging for about a week. Wouldn’t mind if you offered up a prayer for us. I love you folks. I am blessed to know you. I hope you feel His presence and His pleasure in your life this week.

O Love

You are familiar with George Matheson’s hymn that beautifully sings of the love that will not let us go. Some time ago I was thinking about that truth…thinking about how I knew that His love wouldn’t let me go. Of course we know things intellectually that we have trouble getting a heart-grip on, don’t we? But I believe the truth of this song not only because of what Scripture tells me about God’s great heart of love for me…for us…but because I have put this wondrous love to the long, hard test of my life. How do I know his love won’t let me go? Because I have resisted it so often…so stubbornly…so continually…so selfishly…so stupidly…so rebelliously (and all the other adverbs that apply).

A person who had recently been won to Jesus was asked about his salvation. “What was God’s part in your salvation?” “Well,” he said, “God provided Jesus and pursued me in love down through all the years.” “And what was your part in your salvation?”  He replied, “I ran as hard as I could in the other direction.”

There you go. That’s how I know by experience that His love won’t let me go! Oh I deserved to be abandoned. I didn’t deserve a single second chance, but He has showered second chances down upon me. And to this day I get a brand new chance every morning (and then throughout the day) when I go out and discover the manna of His mercy fresh and everywhere about me. And so I make music to His Name and proclaim His love every morning and His faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1f). Today I am thanking God that even when I had let go, His love didn’t, wouldn’t and still doesn’t let me go.

Maybe you could share something of a time when you became very conscious that His love was holding you with a “never let you go” sort of strength. It would do all our hearts good, I’m sure.

Have a great weekend. Know that you are loved. You are His beloved.

The Wounds of Love

   Henri Nouwen wrote that  “in love’s army, only wounded soldiers can serve.” That statement is jammed with truth. We are called in this world to love as does our Savior. That means we risk all the wounds of love, as did our Savior.

   It is not a question of “if” we will be wounded but of “when” and “how often.” And when we are wounded to the heart we will be tempted to leave the way of costly loving. But as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can’t do it. We must come out of hiding and keep loving.

   Sometimes, gloriously, thank God, love wins. Sometimes, sadly, it loses. With our wounds there may come a sense of shame… fear…questions. We wonder why? We can’t think it was worth it. But, graciously, days come when we meet another of love’s wounded soldiers…and in our communion we discover the likeness of His wounds to ours. It’s then we feel the pleasure of the Lord prospering in us, even amidst the pain and far outweighing it. We participate in being His Body, bearing His wounds, walking His way and helping others find their way to Him. The wounds of love are actually gifts, aren’t they? ”To us it has been granted not only to believe on Him but also to suffer in His behalf.” (Philippians 1:29)

   Do you have time…do you have heart…to share with us regarding your wounds? God bless you.

Severe Mercy

   During WWII, powerful bombs fell in the center of London. Buildings and roads were destroyed. After the cleanup there were large patches of earth in the middle of London that had previously been paved over. They say there were flowers that sprang up in the shell holes. Botanists had thought these flowers to have been extinct for over a hundred years. In reality their seeds had simply lain dormant under the town. Flowers came back that men thought would never be seen again.

   This story inspires me. It makes me think about hope. It reminds me of what God has done for this world so bombed out by sin and trouble. God is able to restore the years that the locusts have eaten. He is able to see to it that those who sow in tears reap in joy. He is able to make a woman forget her agony in labor for the joy that her child is born. He is able to cause chords that have long been silent to vibrate in our hearts once again. He is able to cause those who sit in darkness to see a great light. He is able to create Jerusalem anew and a rejoicing. He is able to inspire new songs in forlorn people. He is able to bring health to souls. He is able to set free sin’s captives…heal sin’s afflicted…give sight to sin’s blinded…and hope to sin’s defeated. He is able to give drink to those with no money. He is able to clothe those who are naked. He is able to give purpose to the aimless. He is able to raise the dead. He is able to bring divided people together. He is able to re-unite fractured families. He is able to purify sinners. He is able to beautify the ugly. He is able to bring us all through this vale of tears and trials and home to glory. And whatever the method He uses to get our attention…whether bombs or illness or heartache…surely we will one day thank Him from our hearts that He is able even through severe mercy to bring back flowers that we long thought extinct.

   Please, Father God, open the eyes of our understanding so that even if we can’t grasp reasons, we will hear the beat of your Father-heart nearer to us than breathing and that we will trust ourselves to You no matter what.