Form or Function?
January 28, 2006
“Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.” ~ I Peter 1:17
I read recently about a judge who ordered people to display bumper stickers on their personal autos to stimulate their rehabilitation and encourage good habits. When imposing punishment in his court, he gave those guilty of driving while intoxicated two options.
Their first was a sticker reading, “This car owned by a convicted drunk driver.” Understandably, nearly all chose the judge’s second rolling message, “Enroll in an alcohol treatment program.” Strangely enough, most of these people–who didn’t care enough to stop drinking when they shouldn’t–were still concerned about what others thought of them. They wanted to maintain a good image!
Fear of embarrassment applies to other kinds of unacceptable behavior as well. For example, not many of us would choose to walk around with a sign on our backs that reads something like, “I’m a Christian who won’t spend time in prayer or Bible study.” Nor would we want to wear a sign that read: “I’m a child of God who gossips,” or “I say I follow Jesus but am really controlled by lust instead of love.” Think about that. How many of us, like the convicted drivers, don’t care enough to exercise Godly habits or restraints, but would be embarrassed if we had to communicate that openly?
If our God, the Great Judge of the Universe, required us to display such a personal message, would our desire for the respect of others be the real reason we would not want to reveal our true spiritual condition? The way we answer that question says a lot about our sense of shame before the Lord, who always judges us accurately (I Peter 1:17). Is it possible that we fear His opinion less than the opinion of people? And then, recall Jesus’ Summary of the Law that we review in nearly every Holy Communion service: “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all they soul and with all thy mind.” Are we there?
The good news here–we don’t have to rise to the occasion for the Lord on our own power, but can call on God the Holy Ghost to change us. And, to cinch the deal, we can expedite the process ourselves, simply making God the priority in our lives - not the afterthought - by spending time with Him and His people. After all, a life lived to God is the best bumper sticker we can display!
In your mediation time today, ask the Holy Spirit to answer this question: Do I live for God’s approval rather than man’s approval?
Grace and peace,
Chip+
The Awesome Power Of God
January 22, 2006
“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.” – Psalm 114:7
Christie and I love to visit the beach - we’re fascinated and humbled by its relentless motion and power. Across the millennia, the continents have been separated by the mighty oceans. Nations have found their security behind their power. Man, by the Grace of Almighty God, has learned to traverse them, descend to their depths, and usually survive their power — but their immensity and the relentless force of the waves remain untamable. Rocks are crushed, shorelines altered, and even experienced sailors can be driven aground or drowned. The combined genius of man and his most powerful and sophisticated equipment can do little to conquer the oceans.
They are no problem for God, however. The One who created the mighty oceans does with them as He wishes. Psalm 114 refers to the exodus of Israel from Egyptian servitude and the Red Sea’s parting (Exodus 14:13-31) to describe God’s great power. The psalmist wrote, “The sea saw it and fled” (Psalm 114:3). Then he asked, “What ails you, O sea, that you fled?”” (v.5). The answer is implied: The seas were obeying the command of our God, the High King of the Universe.
When the turbulent seas of adversity threaten us, as we do in the Litany, we need to invoke God’s awesome power. As the seas fled before Him, so too can the obstacles that seem so overwhelming to us. They have no more resistance to God’s power than tap water in a teacup! As He masters the seas, He’s also sovereign over the waves that sometimes pound the beaches of our lives. And if we understand that, and place our faith in Him - in every part of our lives -we’ll be safe, despite the “sea state.” We serve an awesome and powerful God!
All love in the Beloved,
Chip+
Mr. Eternity
January 1, 2006
“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” ~ John 17:3
Eternity! Is there any concept more awesome? Our limited minds simply can’t adequately grasp the idea of endless existence. Certainly, at this time when our culture celebrates the new calendar is the ideal opportunity to think about the endless expanse of time that our Lord so easily masters - and sees - in its entirety.
I recently read a story about Mr. Arthur Stace of Sydney, Australia, who was gripped by the thought that people without Christ are destined for a lost eternity. Convicted by this grim vision, Mr. Stace would rise early and chalk the word “eternity” on the pavement throughout his city. Eventually he became known locally as “Mr. Eternity,” and caused many people to come to a real faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a response to the profound question posed by his simple ministry - pointing out that this life is not all there is for us. Although their minds could not grasp the concept of endless time, the least among them understood who the Lord of time is.
When the Bible speaks to us about eternal life, it refers to our relationship with God, not merely the passing of time. Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3 as knowing the true God intimately and personally. Yet, eternity means an existence that will never cease - and that means we shall all live forever, both Christian and non-Christian. The operative question, however remains - where will we live forever? Will it be in eternal happiness and joy in the company of our Heavenly Father, or in the eternal torment of separation from Him, in the great lake of fire?
Moment by inevitable moment, we move through time toward eternity. Does that thought fill us with joyful expectancy or a sense of dread? It all depends on our relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ. He has provided us the only Way to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). His sacrifice for sin is empowers us to “be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:17), if we will only choose Him as Lord of our Time. What will we choose? Our answer determines how we will spend eternity.
I suspect many of us will be making New Year’s resolutions in the next few hours or days. When considering what to resolve this year, may we give thought to eternity - and what we can do that has significance, when measured against its yardstick.
For our contemplation and meditation: The one who lives for this life only will have eternity to regret it.
By Grace,
Chip+
