Author: Bob

Age can have its benefits—especially when you can see patterns in hind sight.

It has been said I have a Type A personality.  I don’t know if that is true or not.  What I’m sure is true, is I work hard at trying to finish a task.  I’m not always sure if it has always been a God-assigned task or one I thought might be His, but regardless I went ‘all in’ to accomplish the task I thought was assigned by Him.

One of the reasons for my uncertainty of who assigned the task is because I can exercise my will-power, my giftings (limited as they are) and my energy to the point I feel more anxious in doing it than is characteristic of our Lord.  In my drive to accomplish those tasks and to slip the boat into dock the right way, I now see I may have inadvertently tried to control people and situations.  Unfortunately, I suspect I unintentionally bruised or at least caused more stress to others in the process.  I truly regret this.

The more I’ve learned about God and His ways in Scripture, the more I have trusted Him and found His peace in the journey.  This has resulted in me letting go of the controls more and simply waiting for Him to bring me safely into the ‘boat dock’.

As we’ve launched into 2018, one of the things I’ve learned from God and His word is that if I focus on what He deems to be the main things, the other things will fall into place.  I found that the critical thing I need to do is not as hard as I once envisioned.  Actually, it is so simple ANYONE has the capacity to do it and do it very well.

God explains salvation in Ezekiel 36:25-27 is when He gives us a new heart, new spirit and puts His Spirit within us as well.  The result is we a strong desire to carefully obey His rules and mission.  Fascinating study!!  Our part is then to simply nurture that desire as we might feed a smoldering ember or flickering flame in a fireplace.  When we do, the desire He puts in our spirit will lead us to do His will or whatever brings Him pleasure.

That belief is based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:6 (ESV) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  The defining difference between having God in one’s head, in contrast to their spirit, can be reduced down to one word, ‘desire’!!  And if we actually allow the ‘desire’ He put within us for His righteousness to literally lead us, we will experience an abundant life!!

Jesus said, Matthew 6:33 (NLT) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”  The Holy Spirit had Paul add clarity to that principle by having Him write, Philippians 2:13 (NLT) “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

Oh, why didn’t I get that 50 years ago??!!   Let’s live out 2018 this way together.

To give my daughter some respite, her boys spent the night with us.  I awoke about 2 am with my grandson standing near our bed.  When I asked him what he needed he said “I can’t sleep.”  He had developed this habit the last several nights.  It had come from an unhealthy root that needed to be addressed—but not at that time of the night!  His dad had suddenly died 4 years ago leaving him feeling unsecure.  I supported him as I would my son and eventually ended up taking him back to where he was sleeping with his younger brother and fell asleep there with them.

I sensed I needed to try to imprint his young mind with a picture of how good and big God is compared to his unconscious fears that plagued him at night.  But how??  My ability with words is not dynamic enough to make that kind of an imprint.

Two mornings later in my time with God He brought to my mind a verse I had read many times, studied and no doubt preached on in my past.  However, for whatever reason I never connected the dots in this verse with those like that of my 10-year-old grandson.  In the previous verses Jesus was speaking to the multitude and his disciples telling them not to do what the hypocritical, religious leaders were telling them to do but not doing themselves!  Imagine teaching people in your community not to do what the pastors in the other churches were telling them to do!  That would go over like a lead balloon.   No wonder these dudes hated Jesus!!

Speaking of them Jesus said Matthew 23:9 (NLT) And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.  The context of what He was teaching was to not compare the religious leaders or anyone to God—not even their fathers!  Wow!  Most all of our earthly fathers have influenced the picture we have painted in our minds of what God is like.  My grandson had inadvertently taken one sad experience with his earthly father and painted it into the picture in his mind of God.  We can fault him but that was all he knew to do!!!  And that is all those we lead know to do unless we can clearly teach them otherwise.

I am very sobered when I read James 3:1 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.  We are the only example of God they see and hear—unless we clearly and carefully teach them to develop a habit of meditating on the Word and hearing His whispers themselves.  I realize my son-in-law wasn’t able to teach his 6-year-old son to do that so that is left for me to teach him.  I must step to the plate and with the Holy Spirit’s help say as Paul wrote, 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV) Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.  That means I must allow him see my victories along with my failures and how to say from my heart to God and man, “I’m very sorry!”.  How else can they learn to see my humanity along with my anointing and how to repent when my humanity is less than righteous?  Just a couple days ago I had to say to this grandson I was very sorry from my heart.  How have you been doing with the many eyes that are watching and following you?  With God’s help in 2018 we will become more like our Lord and others will follow our example of humbly following Him.

How long does the excitement of the Christmas story, a prized Christmas gift, a new house or car, or even an engagement ring or new born baby to your family last?  …maybe 1-2 years?  I’ve been married to the most wonderful lady for over 50 years.  But as the years passed, I inadvertently began to take her for granted.  I suspect I subconsciously began to think ‘I’ve got this marriage-thing down, so I don’t have to try as hard.  I can now focus on other things.’  The result: I become less sensitive to her needs and our relationship loses its luster.  She has ways to remind me of that. When I finally wake up, I reflect back on all she means to me and my sensitivity gauge becomes more alert.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (GNB) “I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake’s clever lies.” I doubt anyone would deliberately abandon their devotion to Christ but do they inadvertently allow their mind to be corrupted and then deceived to the point they commitment spiritual adultery in their relationship with God?

Perhaps Christmas can serve as a gauge to measure how we might have allowed our minds to be corrupted.  I’ve seen the Christmas creche multiple times in programs or in front yards and read and heard the Christmas story told more than a 1000 times over the years.  I have the story down fairly well by now.  It has now lost some of its awe and luster.  How about you?  So, do you think just maybe our minds could have inadvertently become corrupt in our full and pure devotion to Christ?

If I separate the physical, external aspect of the Christmas story from the spiritual meaning of the story, I would have to admit that at least the physical aspect of advent has become corrupted because the creche has lost its awe-inspiring effect on me.  On the other hand, if I consider my internal sense of a felt need for undeserved favor (grace), which is what Christmas is really all about, my passion quickly begins to affect my emotions.  When I pause to reflect on my total depravity and my desperate need for God’s grace and mercy, I find myself again in awe of what Christmas is all about whether it is viewed from God’s perspective or my human one.

I pray each reader will take the time this year, before their gifts are opened, to dial down and refocus.  Meditate long enough on the gravity of their personal sin along with the spiritual meaning of God’s gift in Christmas, to feel a breath of the freshness of awe and wonder again.  I believe it can give a refreshing shot of life to your full and pure devotion to Christ this season that will result in experiencing again His joy and hope.  Enjoy a very blessed Christmas!

God’s ways can be very mystifying!! When He had planned for us to be reconciled to Him long before Adam and Eve even sinned, why did He wait 4 millenniums after they sinned to send the Christ-child and set His plan into motion?  I don’t know, nor do I need to know God’s reasons.  I’m sure there were many very good ones.  I do know the Bible says, But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law… Galatians 4:4 (ESV) What did “the fullness of time” mean?  It sounds like a farmer who, after planting the seeds, has to patiently wait for “the fullness of time” when the seed reaches maturity.  What kind of maturation had to happen before He would send “His Son”?

1,000 yrs. before Jesus came, there was no common language that would enable many nationalities to hear about Jesus. Providentially through the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Greek language was introduced as the common international language of that time.

1,000 yrs. before this there were pirates on the seas and a very poor road system.  Travel was very limited, so very few people would hear about the truths Jesus would teach.  The Roman Emperor Augustus finally brought peace to this vast area after centuries of warfare.  The Roman navy swept pirates off the seas making maritime commerce and travel safe.  In the 2nd century B.C. the Romans began establishing 50,000 miles of well-built roads which they thought was for commerce, but God ordained for His agenda.

The fascinating part is even though selfish, godless men were involved, God used their selfishness to bring about His plan—even when those He used never came to know Him in a personal way!  His truth marches on no matter what!

Another perplexing thing is, after He did send His Son and Christ Jesus finished His assignment, why does He continue to wait before we are fully reunited with Him?  Romans 8:29 explains ‘it ain’t over till’ those fully committed to Him are “conformed to the image of His Son!”

In high school I didn’t know my future occupation, but I did vow I would never be a pastor.  When God first whispered to my inner being that He wanted me to be a pastor, I negotiated with Him and we agreed I would work as a pastor of worship and youth but nothing more!  I highly suspect God had a grin on His face when we agreed on that.  He had a lot of ‘shaping’ to do.

Little did I know then that after God shaped me by leading me to go through innumerable learning experiences, THEN He would orchestrate for me to do what I am doing now!  Sorry to say I’ve been so hard headed that I have had to be goaded hard to move on to the next ‘classroom’.  But what a fascinating journey!  I know I need a lot more transformation in order to be in the full stature of our Lord.  I do wonder what experience He plans to take me through next. I’m certainly ready if it helps me to be more like Him!   I’ve also learned it is naivety to think life is all about our assigned task.  The reality is He uses our assignments to shape us into the likeness of His Son.

How have you been doing in your journey?  Have you had to take extra laps around the track having failed to learn from an experience or two like me?  Perhaps you are in the midst of one right now!   Whatever the case, I suspect you are closer to the “fulness of time” when your life’s dream will be fulfilled—you will be enough in His likeness for Him to take you to be with Him.

On the surface, what do you think Christmas means to most Americans?  They probably know the storyline but in their day to day living, what does this time of the year look like?  For those in business it is a time for making money.  For those serving in a non-profit, it is a time for asking for money.  For the average person, it is about Christmas carols, shopping for gifts, putting up lights & decorations, going to or hosting parties, attending programs, etc. which is a mixed bag of fun and frustration.  In the hectic pace of the season, even the most devout Christian can become so distracted with busyness they are unable to focus much on the real meaning of Christmas.  And for that matter, are we sure we know the real meaning of Christmas?

 We are told to try to look at life through God’s eyes so let’s give that a try.  Here is what we know.  God created humanity and it was “good.”  As time progressed, His creation violated the simple rule He gave them which is commonly referred to as ‘the fall of man’.  Genesis 6:6 NLT “So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.”  He had made a plan so the humans who responded to His invitation could be forgiven and become close friends with Him. That plan is the objective of what we call Christmas.  That plan was great for humanity, as the angel said to the shepherds and the angelic choir sang. On the other hand, His incredible gift came as an excruciating sacrifice to Him!  Are any of us up for offering our child to die for others, many of whom could care less about this act of sacrificial love?   Imagine what Christmas may have felt like when, in the fullness of time the ‘day’ came for God to execute His well laid plan.

We normally think of the Passion of Jesus (Easter) as the time God sacrificed so much for us.  Of course, the Father and Holy Spirit agonized when they saw the Son endure what He did—but in just a few moments this ugly pain would be over, and Christ would return to Heaven!  Imagine His anticipation!

How do you think the Father felt when His Son left Heaven knowing the rejection and all the pain the Son would have to endure?  How do you feel when you send your child off to go into the military?  Don’t you at least cringe a bit.

How do you imagine Christ felt when He left the splendor of Heaven, laid aside all the divine attributes that made Him God so He could ‘wake up’ as the totally helpless, human baby Jesus in a stinky, dirty shelter with animals around you? Not even an angel had been drug through that ‘knot hole’ and out the other side.  Can you imagine President Trump, or any human monarch or Prime Minister, humbling him/herself to go through this?  Paul described it this way, Philippians 2:6-8 NLT “Though he [Christ Jesus] was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges [laid aside His divine attributes]; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God [the King] and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

So, what does Christmas really mean?  Are we to try to think of this from God’s perspective?  If so, how might that affect how we celebrate this Christmas?   I can’t control what Christmas means to others.  But I can affect the way I celebrate what I know as Christmas.  I sense a very mixed bag of emotions, sort of like when your ailing parent or child goes to be with our Lord.  I have an element of true joy, but mixed with a heavy dose of deep humility and gratitude.  How about you?

Memory is perplexing.  How is it that some have incredible recall while others have to be reminded?  Some remember details while other like me remember concepts.  I’ve been intrigued in my Bible meditations how often God calls the early Hebrews to ‘remember’ and understanding why that is.  In just the book of Deuteronomy, the NIV records 16 times God calling the people to remember!   It wasn’t because they could not recall an incident like the parting of the Red Sea.  Rather, I suspect it was because the people failed to remember what the incident was telling them about who God was and their relationship with Him—not just what He did.

God knew humanity had a memory problem because of the fall.  He even told them how to jog their memories by having them tie tassels with blue cords on the corners of their garments.  When they saw the tassels, they would remember to obey all His commandments (Nu. 15:39-40).

In Deuteronomy 8:1-5 He commands the Hebrews to remember what He had done to humble them, etc.  In the next chapter He commands them to “remember and never forget” the effect their rebellion had on Him.  Later in Isaiah 17:10 He explains to them how disaster will happen to them “because you have forgotten the God of your salvation…and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge.”

In Jesus’ day, the people saw His signs and wonders, heard His teachings, some actually walked with Him, yet they did not remember the significance of what He did and said or what they sensed while they walked with Him.  Today we have had personal encounters with the Holy Spirit and we have seen Him do marvelous things in our lives or in the lives of those around us—just like the Hebrews.  Like the Hebrews we remember the incidents, even asking God to show us more of them because they titillate our sensations.  But we fail to remember the spiritual significance of those encounters and acts of God in our lives.  It begs the question, Why?

Children remember the fun things they get to experience.  I’ve also observed a child who doesn’t have the opportunity to spend time with their dad (for example), will specifically remember the bonding relationship they felt when they did something fun together.   From that I’ve learned…

• What God wants me to remember is not just the sensation of the encounter with Him or the sign or wonder I experienced or observed, but more importantly what those delightful experiences said to me about who He is and the intimacy of our relationship.
• My love for God must be deep enough to motivate me to identify ‘tassels’ in my life that will help me refocus on God, yet not allow those ‘tassels’ to become the end in themselves. While spiritual disciplines bring me closer to God, I cannot allow a spiritual discipline to become an end in itself.
• Lastly, instead of just reacting to an expression of God’s grace to me, I hope to be able to apply this principle by looking beyond the sensation of the experience to see it as an expression of His loving relationship with me.

How well is your recall aligned with your relationship with your Father God?

Do you struggle with anxious feelings?  Are you pleased with the level of trust you have in God?  Do you long for greater trust and confidence in Him, the kind that would calm your anxious heart?  How have you reconciled God’s love and mercy with His justice and righteousness?  Do you see a different God in the Old Testament from that in the New Testament?  I’ve come to the conclusion that such confusions are a reflection of the distorted image we have painted in our minds of who God is.

As I have reflected my way through Scripture in recent years I’ve been awestruck with God’s sovereignty!  That revelation to me has resulted in my love and trust of God striding to higher levels.  I find myself with less anxiety and need to control as well as significantly greater confidence in my daily experiences.

In Isaiah 13 God is saying what He is going to do to Babylon, the city that He once used as His servant to discipline His children, Judah.  He had allowed the Babylonians to brutally kill many of the Hebrews but also marched many back to Babylon.  With that painful action now accomplished, He “calls up an army against Babylon.”  It is noteworthy that God does not judge them for their brutal treatment of His children (Judah) but rather, He almost annihilates them for their PRIDE!!  It wasn’t about their deeds but their prideful, arrogant heart and attitude!  We typically think God is more upset with our bad deeds: adultery, killing or abusing others, theft, etc. when in reality, while those are definitely wrong He is far more concerned with what is within us, our prideful hearts!  It is sobering to think of how that intangible comes out in various ways in saints and sinners alike!!

What intrigued me the most about this part of the prophecy was how God brought about this judgment on Babylon.  It was similar to how He managed to get the animals into Noah’s ark.  He somehow put an intuitive GPS in each selected animal.  Each animal then simply followed His guidance system.  In this case, God put the thought in the mind of otherwise contentious leaders of various nations, to attack Babylon.  The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1 (ESV)  These nations were anything but God-followers, yet they were unknowingly drawn together by God’s Spirit to fulfill His purpose.  This explains why God called them “my sanctified ones”.  In light of how impossible it has been to get a coalition army to wipe out ISIS or Al Qaida, what God did here in gathering men who didn’t even know Him to fulfill His purpose is absolutely awe inspiring to me!!!  When this dawned on me, I was overcome with stunning amazement and reverence!!!

If God can do something this complex and impossible, when I question God’s ability to work ANY miracle and consider what He did here, I find myself humbly silenced.  Perhaps that is how Job felt when God revealed Himself in Job 42:8.   I now feel more like I felt as a boy handing my dad tools he requested or sanding a few spots as my dad restored antique cars.  I didn’t have to know what or how my dad may be doing things.  In the same way, I don’t have to know God’s reasoning or methods.  I only need to do what relatively small tasks He asks me to do as He works.  I have voluntarily surrendered my will and am trusting in His Sovereignty.

Recently a friend told me of his visits with an avowed Atheist.  The person was a professor who had thrown a Bible in the trash on the first day of each of his classes.  He obsessively railed on Christians in classes sending some Christians out of the room in tears.  But now when facing death, fear of his consequences was overwhelming him!  Interesting, but sad!!  His excess attitude and behavior now revealed he had been wrestling with God within himself, refused to acknowledge God and now feared the consequence!

Like Jacob of old, we all wrestle with personalized conscience issues—things we intuitively know we are to do but don’t want to do and justify not doing it.  The harder we fight, the more miserable we become and the more it shows.

When I started college, God was gently calling me into His work, but I had vowed I would not go there.  Few if any at college knew my inner battle but eventually it began to show in my date life with Connie.   Occasionally Connie caught a bruise in the wrestling and it really confused her.  A glimpse of what I was wrestling with was revealed by the Holy Spirit during her prayer time.

My sophomore year I finally negotiated an agreement to only lead music and youth in a church. My jostling continued but at a less intense level.  To be totally candid, my issue was my independence!   I’m not proud of that but only trying to explain how we all have our wrestling matches with God and that was mine.  Before it was over, God had to ‘take me behind the proverbial woodshed’ and essentially break me of what I now see as the very antithesis of Christianity–independence.

I can’t be certain, but it seems David may have been describing this wrestling issue when he wrote Psalm 13:2-3 (NIV) How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?  Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.  I don’t know what David’s particular issue was. That isn’t important. What it says here is that he wrestled within himself. That describes what I, and many others, have felt or experienced. When we can’t sense the joy and peace of His presence, we often resort to wrestling within our souls to get it—our way.   But, our wrestling doesn’t give us the solace we are longing to have—it only aggravates our misery.

My wrestling revealed to me what I valued more than God—my independence.  And when I finally acknowledged that fact and completely surrendered myself to God, my wrestling faded.  Job was put to this same test for an extended period of time.  He was able to get past his loss of children, wealth and even health, but he could not get past his loss of reputation.  The book by his name records how he wrestled over that with God.  After his encounter with God, in deep humility he surrendered to God’s sovereign authority.  He then received a double blessing and his wrestling dissolved.

Maybe I now get it!  When I wrestle within, it is of my own making!  It is my first clue I am out of alignment with God’s will for my life.  I am actually wrestling with God over who is going to control that area of my life.  Grateful, I wrestle less today than I did 50 years ago.  What are you wrestling with God about?  How is it going for you?

It is a challenge trying to be a surrogate dad!  I have 8 grandchildren.  I love all of them but two of the younger boys experienced the death of their father about 4 years so they need more out of me as a father figure than the rest.  One, Izac, is 10 and the other (Elijah – ‘Lij’) is 4 years old.  Lij is full of energy.  While he has a very good heart, he sometimes has a hard time remembering to be ‘good’.  Izac has been in the stage where he talks like a sophomore in High School or college when you try to tell him something.  Actually, adults are still thinking that way even if they don’t say it.  He has down those already famous words, “I know” no matter what the issue may be!  I forget that I still think and say those words.  And then I get a bit frustrated when I’m trying to teach him something and he says those notorious words!  I wonder if I subconsciously do that same thing to God??

Proverbs 11:14 (NKJV) Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.  Hum!  God is saying to us there is safety in seeking to get sufficient counsel.  What might that be saying to us about the kind of God we serve?  One thing it says to me is He has chosen the counsel of others to keep us safe.  I assume that means safe in business deals, maintaining our health, learning skills in life and, yes, safe from all the heresies and skewed teaching floating around these day.

But why did He design us to NEED counsel from others?  After all, when we already ‘know it’, we are just wasting our time studying and asking others.  Or, did He design us to be incomplete in ourselves and need others for a strategic reason–to make us complete when we collaborate with others.  Each person has a different perspective and truth frequently lies between the two extreme views.   It is like each of us are a part of a big puzzle.  We need as many pieces we can get in order to get a better grasp of the true picture.

I guess you can say, the very willingness to seek and accept advice demonstrates wisdom.  While it is true, too much advice or over-analysis can hinder the planning process, more advice is usually better than less.  This is a reminder that humility is a sign of wisdom.  And, that it is wise to seek advice from as broad of base as is practical, including those who see things differently than me or even those I falsely judge as being “inferior” to me.

Why has it taken me so long to even get to kindergarten in this ‘needing others’ thing!  I find I’m still more like my 10-year-old grandson than my age shows.  Sadly, I am still silently thinking it, if not saying it in some veneered fashion, “I know”—when I don’t know it all!!!  Gratefully, the Holy Spirit has finally cracked my nut enough so now I have come to the place I am seeking to see through other people’s eyes—more often than in the past.

I hope you are farther down this path of needing the counsel of others than I am.