My Jesus: Jesus Is For Everyone

Please read Luke 19:1-10

Zaccheus was one of the hated tax collectors.
During the days of Jesus, certain Jewish men worked for the Roman government as tax collectors. With the full strength of The Empire behind them, these men collected Roman taxes from the Jews. These men were also permitted to collect "extra" and keep it for themselves. These tax collectors got rich off the backs of their fellow Jews.
It's easy to see why Jews hated the tax collectors.

Imagine you and I are great friends and neighbors. There's a third neighbor who begins taking advantage of you, legally, and even oppresses you at times. This oppressor then hires me to keep an eye on you, and you know it. What does all of this do to the relationship between you and me? I'll tell you what it does - it destroys the relationship. You see me as a traitor. Even though we are neighbors, you see me as "on the other team" and a part of the oppression.

It wasn't that the Jews were angry at the tax collectors. No. They hated the tax collectors.

And, like every good pyramid scheme, the tax collectors had a supervisor: The Chief Tax Collector. This individual, another Jew, taxed the Jews directly, but also took from the other tax collectors, forcing them to collect more from the Jews. The disciple Matthew, before he was called to follow Jesus, was a rich tax collector. Zaccheus, the subject of our story today, was a chief tax collector. Zaccheus was filthy rich.

In Luke 18, we read that Jesus, just outside the city of Jericho, had healed a blind beggar. This stirred up the people and everyone came running to see Jesus and to know more about what had happened. Zaccheus, like others, was curious. But, Zaccheus had a physical problem. He was short. Historians tell us that the average Roman male was about 5-5, and that Jews were a little shorter than the Gentiles. So, let's say the average Jew of that day was 5-3. Zaccheus was perhaps shorter than even that. So, he couldn't see above everyone in the crowd. Thinking stratetigcally, he ran ahead and climbed a Sycamore tree. The Sycamore was a lot like an Oak, but with branches low to the ground and more vertical for climbing and roosting.

When Jesus approaches the tree, he see Zaccheus and calls him by name, and then says, "Come down, I must be your guest tonight." Scripture says Zaccheus enthusiastically responded.

Do you see subtle messages here? Jesus came for both the blind beggar (Luke 18) and the rich tax collector (Luke 19). He came from everyone. Jesus knew Zaccheus name before they were ever introduced. You and I can never escape the fact that Jesus knows us - He knows our thinking and the motivations behind what we do. And, He is calling us to join Him.

Do you stay in the tree or do you get out of the tree? Many, I'm afraid, stay in the tree.

Imagine the crowd's reaction to Jesus' calling Zaccheus to fellowship. The crowd goes crazy. They aren't just mad; they are angry.

Zaccheus realizes the supernatural Holiness here. How did Jesus know his name? He can't explain what's happening deep within his spirit. What caused him to run and climb the tree? He is overcome and cries out, "Lord, Lord!" as he recognized Jesus as His Lord.

Is Jesus your Lord? We talk about Jesus as our Savior from God's wrath upon sin, but is Jesus your Lord and Savior? Are you a slave to Jesus? Is your purpose for living to serve Jesus? Does everything you do turn back to Jesus? Is every decision you make squared with Jesus' call on your life? Believers claim Jesus as their Savior from sin, and THEN live as if Jesus is their Lord and Master. That's what Zaccheus supernaturally affirms.

Unlike the story of The Rich Young Ruler, who could not claim Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and could not give up the things of Earth, Zaccheus gushes, "I will give half of my possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay them 4 times.” In his response, Zaccheus repented – He turned from what the world called important. He turned from the stumbling block keeping Him for fully engaging Jesus and faith. He walked away from the world's call on his life. He slipped free of the chains of this world – of sin and selfishness.

Jesus says, because of Zaccheus response, “Salvation, today, has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Jesus acknowledges that because of Zaccheus heart-felt turn from self, He is indeed saved from the wrath upon sinfulness.

• Salvation did not come to Zaccheus because He was Jewish and did all the correct religious stuff, like attend temple gatherings (church).
• Salvation did not come to Zaccheus because he did good things. All the good things you do, don’t mean anything. A lot of great community clubs do great things. You and I are called to do these great philanthropic things toward a goal: To build relationship with others for the chance to share Jesus.
• Salvation came because Zaccheus sought Jesus, Jesus called Him, He responded, He repented – He removed from his life what would keep him from following Jesus. He claimed Jesus and not money, prestige, influence as “His Lord.”

We don’t know what became of Zaccheus after this. John The Baptist, baptizing tax collectors, had charged them with collecting only what was required and no more. We can assume that if Zaccheus remained as a tax collector - he was a changed man in that role.

Questions before us:

• Is Jesus your Savior? If I said, "Give me the names of 100 people who know you well." And, then I gathered those 100 people together. I give each of them a piece of paper and say, "Tell me about my friend." How would those 100 describe you? How many would write, "follower of Jesus"? How many would write "follower of Jesus" as the first thing on that paper? I think people would know me as the father of four boys, a good person, or someone who should be in chains. I'm not completely confident how many people would say, "Scott is a follower of Jesus." That's convicting. Our goal should be for someone to hear our name and think, "Jesus" because they see Him reflected in us. They hear us talk about our faith; they hear us say the name of "Jesus." I think it's the true measure of a person's salvation: Not what I say that I am, but what others see in me.
• Who do you know that is climbing the tree to see Jesus? We live in an affluent community. Everyone of us knows someone who wants to climb that tree and see Jesus. Who can I help? Who I can I talk to about Jesus? Who needs me as a friend in faith? Who can I invite to join me at church? 
• Can I seize the moment to introduce someone to Jesus? Can I share my faith story with them, knowing that I don’t know all the answers? Can I walk with them to talk to someone who might fill in the blanks for me?
• What does having Jesus as my Lord do to my life? How will I respond when people shun me, whisper about me, and become angry with me? Am I prepared for the lonely walk with Jesus? Jesus calls me to it as my Lord and Master. Will I follow or I will hang my head and turn from Him?

Parents: How deep is your love?

My role as a dad is changing.

The days are clearly over when I tucked four little boys into bed, told them wild stories of my childhood, listened to their prayers, kissed three of them (Richard wanted a handshake), and said good-night.

Going and gone are the days of coaching them through sports, being at practices and games when I wasn’t coaching, going to school programs, editing their papers, teaching them to drive, and worrying until they closed the front door at midnight.

After Christmas, we put William on an Amtrak to DC, knowing he would arrive at 2 a.m. in a dark train station, and would need to call a cab for a ride home. My internal "daddy clock" woke me up at 2:30 and I texted him, “I’m checking on you.” The response: “Dad, I’m home. I can take care of myself. Go to sleep.”

Even though two of our boys are only 12 miles away, I sometimes go weeks without seeing them – a few days without even a text or a call. Richard is the best: He will text me anytime the Braves make a roster move.

The boys never ask me for money, but I love surprising them with a $50 transfer when I can. I especially love texting, “I’m cooking Sunday night” and they show up for two hours.

Vicki and I put up the Christmas decorations by ourselves this year – first time in about 25 years.

I love each of those boys as much today as I ever have. I was talking to my dad about this changing of the roles and he said, “I look at you and see you at 9, sitting under that big oak tree, reading a book. I know that’s not you, but I love you just as much today as I loved that little boy.”

Deep love. Big love. Authentic love.
The kind of love that wants to know, that wants to be involved, that wants to fix, that wants to see, that wants to talk, that wants to touch, and that wants quality time.

This bond between parent and child – for a lifetime – is so intense that researches say the death of a child – even up to the child’s age of 53 – is psychologically the worst thing that can happen to a human being. Our love of our children is why we get so angry, still, when we hear about parents abusing their children – it crosses the last frontier of our emotional thresholds.

And, yet, in the spiritual world of God, Jesus, Satan, Heaven and Hell – most parents don’t extend their love to those places. And, that questions whether we really love our children at all. Can a believer really love their children if they do nothing toward introducing them to Jesus, and then guiding – by word and example – that child’s spiritual growth until death do you part? I don’t think so. I think a parent's real love begins with the child's salvation and discipleship, and grows up from there. Sadly, most parents don't get that.

According to research:

• 90 % of believing parents said, “Yes” – it’s important for me to pass down my faith to my children.
• 90 % of believing parents said, “Yes” – I believe my child will have a strong faith when he or she graduates from college.
• But in the 166 hours of any given week week, less than 30 percent of believing parents said they do anything more than taking their child to church services.

And, yet, more than 50 percent of those who follow Jesus today give credit to the Christian witness of their parents. Others give credit to a close family member – like a grandparent. Others point to a close family friend. Few credit the institution of church.

Do you see the problem? Parents introduce children to Jesus and help those children grow. Dropping children in a Sunday School class for 40 minutes fewer than 20 times per year and calling that a “faith example” is not loving your children regardless of how much time, money and conversation you have with that child.

Just How Deep Is Your Love?

Proverbs 22:6 reads, “Direct (teach) your children onto the right path (the gospel), and when they are older, they will not leave it.” The right path being the right path of faith in Jesus. Teaching, directing – means one-on-one or one-to-few faith conversations. Parents:

• Do your children know your faith story? 
• Do your children see you with a Bible? 
• Do you lead your child in praying far from the table blessing? 
• Do your children see you ministering in and through Christian community? 
• Do your children see you living the life you want for them, doing the right thing over the smart thing? 

How much do you really love your children? Do you love them enough to see them know Jesus as their Savior? Do you love them enough to see them surrounded by their own Christian friends? Do you love them enough to guide them through relationships toward the spouse God has chosen for them? Do you love them enough to set in motion a generational legacy of faith?

Are you continuing to coach up your children in faith after they've left the nest? Are you continuing to live a day-to-day faith example even in empty nest?

For those who let childhood slip away from faith, the beauty of our faith is that in Jesus each day is new. I can’t tell you how to be a parent to an adult child because I’m learning myself. But, I can tell you that children never stop watching, never stop listening to their parents they respect. 

• Be respectful. 
• Improve your own spiritual life and your priorities, be sincere and authentic and faithful, and reflect Jesus into all of your relationships. Watch the power of Jesus unfold in the lives of your adult children.
• Make Jesus your priority – anchor your decisions in Scripture and let it be known – pray for your children and let them hear it – live faith beyond church attendance. Watch the power of Jesus roll out. I believe it.

How Deep Is Your Love?
How fully committed are you to your children and to your family and to your legacy of faith?

Men: Committed To Your Family, Wife

In 1998, I had opportunity to attend a week-long leadership event at The Gallup Institute in Lincoln, NE. These are same Gallup folk who do all the Gallup Research projects. While they were putting students through a series of tests, interviews and personal assessment, Gallup was also using what they learned as research.

A part of our week included a visit to the University of Nebraska, where we heard a lecture about former Cornhusker head coach Tom Osborne, who had retired after 25 years. Osborne went on to serve in Congress and served as Nebraska’s athletic director before retiring last year.

In 25 years of coaching, Osborne’s Cornhuskers never won fewer than nine games in a season, finished in the top 15 for 24 or 25 seasons, finishing 24th in 1990. They won national championships in 1994 and 1995 and shared the 1997 crown. They won or shared 12 Big Eight conference titles and one Big 12 conference title. His record was 255-49-3 giving him an 83.6 percent winning percentage. He won 250 games faster than any coach in Division 1-A history.

Here’s what I learned about Osborne’s success. He coached play-by-play, series-by-series, believing that if he won plays, accumulated x number of rushing yards in a game, had punts that averaged x number of yards, his team would likely win the game. He coached play-by-play, trusting that the cumulative of small successes would end with a scoreboard victory. If you take care of the day-to-day, the scoreboard will take care of itself.

Men, it's the same with our marriages. And, spiritually healthy marriages lead to spiritually healthy families.

In Ephesians 5:22-23, Paul writes, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”

Men, if you keep reading down through v. 30, you will see that Paul overwhelmingly writes to husbands, who must serve as the spiritual leaders of their homes. We read this passage of Scripture and snicker at the notion of submissive wives, but Paul's words are really for men in the role of husband. I believe the husband is the spiritual leader of his home, and I believe that as he leads his family according to fullness of Scripture, loving and respecting his wife, the family should respect and follow him. Ephesians 5:22-23 is not a privilege for men, but a responsibility for men.

Healthy marriages begin with a man who is committed to Jesus and who is committed to leading his family in faith. The Lord leads the husband to lead his family and the man's leadership will always be squared with Scripture. Public opinion won't affect his leadership. And, the man's leadership will always begin with love for his wife.

All too often, we get focused on the big picture of a successful marriage. What's needed is less scoreboard-watching and more day-by-day love of our spouses. I just believe that if we can string together enough great days in marriage, the long-term health of my marriage will be just fine. And, as a man, that day-to-day investment in a great marriage begins with me. So, here are some thoughts for all of us spiritual leaders:

1. Love your wife as Christ loved the church. (Ephesians 5:25). How did Christ love the church? No-limit sacrifice without looking back. You do anything you can for your wife and you don’t worry about what she does for you. Your sacrifice is a gift.
2. Love your wife as you love yourself. (Ephesians 5:28-33). You care for your body every day, brushing your teeth, eating your meals, exercising, reading . . . every day should begin with this question, “Sweetheart, what can I do for you today?”
3. Be considerate as you live with your wife, with respect (1 Peter 3:7). The Bible also says if men neglect this command their prayers will be hindered. How do you show respect to someone? Don’t speak badly about your wife in casual conversation. Don’t embarrass her. If it gets on her nerves, stop doing it.
4. Do not be harsh with your wife. (Colossians 3:19). If you have a sensitive wife, take a deep breath before you lose your temper or speak harshly. Think about how you feel when employers or supervisors at work treat you that way.
5. The husband’s body does not belong to him alone, but to his wife. (1 Corinthians 7:3-5). A good lover starts with the other person’s sexual satisfaction. Make it about her; romance always wins the day.
6. Rejoice in your wife (Proverbs 5:18-19) – Your wife and your wife alone is the only woman in your life. She is the queen of your life. You should look on no other woman – friend or stranger or porn star – in the same way you look on your wife.
7. And that women may be dressed in simple clothing, with a quiet and serious air; not with vanity about her hair and gold or jewels or expensive clothing (1 Timothy 2:9). Your wife should not be another man’s stumbling block in thought or deed, and you should love your wife without the makeup just as much as you love her with the makeup.
8. Call your wife ‘blessed’ and praise her. (Proverbs 31:28-29). Don’t take your wife for granted, praise her sacrifices and actions for the family.
9. Tell your wife how captivated you are with her body. (Song of Solomon 4:7). God made your wife. God makes no mistakes. Love every part of her. If there’s something you want to change about her, start first with yourself.
10. Honor your marriage; keep it pure by remaining true to your wife in every way. (Hebrews 13:4) Matthew 5:28, Jesus reminds us that where your treasure is located there is your heart. Make sure your treasure begins with your wife.

Win each day and win the game.

Tender heartedness

Richard and I were in Walmart recently, looking for an electric ice cream freezer. We were browsing through the small appliances when speeding out of an aisle came a little boy – maybe 4 – on a tricycle. He stopped, gave us a grin, and then sped off. We chuckled at the unexpected scene, and kept shopping. You just don't expect to get run down by a tricycle in Walmart.

In a few minutes, the little boy came slowly driving by, this time a more concerned look on his face. He was looking around, and Richard said, “I don’t think he can find his parents.”

Unable to find the ice cream freezer, I said, “Well, let’s go try Target.” Richard said, “I’m not leaving here until I make sure that little boy has found his parents.” And, Richard began to follow the boy on the tricycle, keeping his distance but keeping an eye on him.

About 10 minutes later, my 6-5 son joined me at the front of the store, “His mama found him in the shoes. I've seen that look in her eye. He's probably going to get a spanking.”

I propose to you that the Holy Spirit nudged Richard to care for the little boy, and that Richard was obedient to slow his life down and follow that nudging. And, in doing so, demonstrated a measure of tender-heartedness toward the situation. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31 . . . “believers are to get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior and instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” We show tender-heartedness when we are kind, caring and forgiving of one another. Our hearts are tender to the needs of others. Further, we are tender-hearted when we are wide-eyed to the needs of others, slow our lives down to serve, and then practice kindness, caring and forgiveness.

For believers, tender-heartedness is not an option. In being tender-hearted, we are replicating how Jesus loves us, accepting His kindness, sacrifice, and forgiveness, and paying that forward to others, including strangers. We are following Jesus when we practice tender-heartedness.

But, let's take it step further. Because many, many good people - who don't follow Jesus - do good things for others. Community service organizations and philanthropies have churned out tender-hearted people for years and years. Most people, I believe, practice a measure of tender-heartedness, especially toward family and friends. In fact, any unbeliever could have responded - and may have responded - just as Richard did in Walmart.

At lunchtime on Friday, I met with three other men in our community for a time of prayer. We were from four different churches though that was not planned. One of the men, a runner, shared that every day he runs 2-3 miles. Along this journey, he often sees a neighbor and they wave at one another. Recently, my friend said his neighbor was at the mailbox when he ran by, and they actually spoke. Something in the neighbor’s eyes caused my friend to stop, turn around, and walk back for a handshake and an introduction. The neighbor then began to cry. His marriage was falling apart. My friend said his heart literally broke for his neighbor and ministry followed. “I pray this leads to a conversation about Jesus,” my friend said. “He may know Jesus, but I want to make sure; perhaps He just needs to turn back to Jesus.”

This is what it really means to be tenderhearted as a follower of Jesus. We see beyond the Earthly pain to the spiritual pain. We look for opportunities to build relationship with people toward a goal of talking to some about faith. Tenderheartedness, I propose, for the believer, is about pouring into a person's Earthly pain toward a goal of easing that person's spiritual pain.

In Matthew 11:25-30, Jesus talks about His own heart. It's one of the only times in Scripture when Jesus does this. In this passage, Jesus says that we will approach Him like (tender-hearted) children - unjaded and innocent. He calls Himself simple and gentle (tenderhearted) and in connecting with people that way, some find salvation and its peace through Him.

You and I are called to make disciples - not just to be good people. Being tender-hearted is the way we build relationship toward faith conversations. Many people do good things for others. Our heart breaks for those who struggle, who are lonely, who are hurting, whose marriages are crumbling, whose children are sick, who need a friend, and who need a cold cup of water. I am a tender-hearted person. My radar goes up for those kinds of needs, and I love to respond to people – often very privately.

But, as a believer, I’m not finishing the race if I just ease the Earthly pain. As I pour into a person, I’ve got to be looking downfield with a goal to talk about Jesus – to talk about my faith. Did you know that only about 50 percent of confessing Christians believe they have a responsibility to share their faith with others? That means 50 percent believe it’s someone else’s responsibility. That’s research from the Barna Group - a leader in research among evangelicals. Research from Campus Crusades for Christ suggests that only 2 percent of believers share their faith. This research speaks loudly about the condition of our hearts toward others and toward Jesus. If it's not our responsibility to share faith with others, whose responsibility is it? Do we honestly believe we can follow Jesus on the one hand and never discuss Him on the other? Impossible.

Those who share their faith, those who have a burden to share their faith, are those who are tenderhearted – tenderhearted to the gospel – tenderhearted toward following Jesus. Those who don’t – those who don’t feel the burden – are growing or have grown hard-hearted toward Jesus – even if their actions toward others include random acts of kindness, hospital visits and chicken casseroles.

So, how do we share our faith with others? It's not something I have a lot of experience with, but I am intentionally focusing my life on being more tender-hearted toward the gospel and toward others. Here are some of my thoughts and discoveries:

1. Be confident that you are a confessing follower of Jesus. It’s one thing to be saved; it’s another thing to claim that Jesus is Lord of your life and that you are following Him. Those who follow Jesus will find it impossible to ignore talking about Him. In the way that I love my boys and talk about them from that pool of love, I will likewise find it impossible to love Jesus and not talk about Him.
2. Practice using the name of Jesus. This has worked for me. It was uncomfortable at first because it draws a line in the relationship sand. Using the name of Jesus - as opposed to "the Lord" as if he's a faraway king - forces others to react. Some will be repulsed by the name of Jesus, but I'm learning that the name of Jesus opens unbelievable doors for ministry and my life is blessed because of my response to Him.
3. What do I say about Jesus? What are the right words to say? Do I need to search for words to talk about my Vicki or my boys? No. There are no right and holy words to recite. As you are asked about your faith, you tell your story with Jesus. You tell how your life was before, how you came to be broken by your sin, and what life is like now. Need help with your story? Click here.
4. What if people want to argue? Don’t. I never argue. I don’t have to argue. I can’t save someone from sin. My responsibility is to be tender-hearted, love people, want people to know Jesus, and talk about Him. The Holy Spirit will go to work and some will respond. Some will not respond. I'm not judged by God based on how others respond to Jesus. My calling is to be obedient in talking about Him and reflecting Him in my life.
5. What if people have questions that I can’t answer? That’s cool. You say, 'I don’t know all the answers. I’ll do some research and get back to you.' I use this website to help me with my own questions and to answer the questions of others: www.gotquestions.org. People are more likely to listen if you impress them by working to get answers.
6. What if someone says they want me to pray for them? Do it. Again, there are no "right words." The Holy Spirit will give you the words. They may be awkward, but they will not sound that way to the one needing to hear them. Honestly, I've prayed some of the most bungled-up prayers and when I finished the other person was in tears. So, it wasn't me - it was the Holy Spirit speaking to them. Remember, we are talking about supernatural matters here. You and I are just vessels through which the Spirit communicates.
7. What if someone says ‘What must I do to be saved?’ – If you declare with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead to be your Savior from the worship of self, you will be saved. Romans 10:9. Read the book of Romans. It will change your life and empower you to be bold with others.
8. Pray daily for God to send hurting people into your life. Give them cool water to ease the pain of the Earthly journey, and be prepared to help them drink the eternal water that only comes from Jesus. I promise that once you become tender-hearted to both men and to the sharing of the gospel, your life will be completely different. And, in that alteration comes unbelievable peace and joy.

When good people have hard hearts

People should be able to see a difference between those who follow Jesus and those who don’t. People should be able to clarify between a "good, Christian person" and a person who follows Jesus. 

Many people - most people actually - are good, honest, hard-working people who vote in all the elections, love their family and friends, attend church regular and prepare chicken casseroles when a friend has fallen ill. But, all of that does not make them a follower of Jesus. It is possible and very much a reality that many, many "good Christian people" do not know Jesus as Savior and many who do aren't following Him.

So, as God leads me into this study of hard heartedness, I want to look closely at "good people with hard hearts." Just as a reminder, hard heartedness does not mean mean or wicked. It means hard or cold to building relationships through which Jesus can be shared.

As many of you know, Vicki’s mama is in very poor health. Mrs. Bowen lived here in Lexington until January, when we moved her to Gainesville, GA where she could live with and be cared for by Vicki's sister, Kathy. Mrs. Bowen loved to cook. A big part of her identity was her cooking. But, as her physical and mental health deteriorated she could no longer cook anything. So, Vicki and were left with Mrs. Bowen's expensive mixers, bowls, pots and pans, and boxes of very good kitchen gadgets.

Vicki and I are good people. We love Jesus, we love our family, we are faithful to the church, we vote in all the elections, we pay our taxes, we work hard, and we don't live on credit - we generally pay cash for everything. But, now comes the question: What should we do with Mrs. Bowen's stuff? For that matter, what should we do with all of the stuff that used to be in our two outdoor sheds? In those sheds, we had some pretty high-quality stuff, including top-of-the-line baby furniture that had survived four boys and could survive four more. What should we do with expensive dresses and suits that we no longer wear? 

Some might say, "Let's have yard sale!" That would allow us to turn stuff into profit. But, who does that serve? Ultimately, self wins.

Some might say, "Let's donate it to a non-profit that resells the items very cheaply." That would be easy. And, it would benefit some . . . but it might not benefit those trying to rub two nickels together to produce dinner.

Jesus would say, "Open your eyes to families in your community and give your life away to those who need the stuff, and give it away with no strings attached." And, so that's what Vicki and I are systematically doing. The baby furniture and accessories have made their way to families experiencing crisis pregnancy, and to young and struggling couples. We've given some of Mrs. Bowen's cooking stuff to young people who are just starting out and need to outfit a kitchen.

The hard-hearted would say, "Oh, no! That's too much trouble. How do you know they really deserve it? How do you know they aren't turning around and selling your stuff at the flea market? That welfare bunch should have to pay something - they have to pay their way!" And, there my friends is the real rub of it. That's why it is so difficult to follow Jesus. Because though we believers live good and honest lives, Jesus says that even the ungodly live good lives. Jesus is calling us to live completely and radically different from the ungodly.

Look at Ephesians 4:17-19. In this passage, Paul makes some very strong statements: "Live no longer like the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for their own pleasure and practice every kind of impurity."

Let me talk to you about traffic. I was in the Chick-fil-a drive through last Monday with what seemed like 500 of my closest friends. It was insane. The Cathy family can make a chicken sandwich, but they can't design buildings and have no concept of traffic flow. I was in Chick-fil-a gridlock hell. An elderly woman had unwittingly parked so that she blocked the drive-through release and was stuck in the drive-through line. She couldn't move. People began blowing their horns and some rolled down their windows and started shouting at her. I sat by the drive-through window, drinking my diet lemonade.

Then, I saw a solution. I got out of the van and approached her. She was white with panic. I told her that I would stop traffic so that she could get out and release the gridlock. All I had to do was stop one car, she pulled out, and everything began working more smoothly. But, as I raised my hand to stop that one car, the driver looked at me in disgust because she didn't understand. Then, she saw what was happening, she smiled, nodded her head in the affirmative and all was well.

Now, here's the thing.

Those who did nothing but blow their horns and yell at the poor lady were hard of heart toward the gospel. I'm sure many of them are really good people 99 percent of the time. A few may know Jesus. But, at that moment, their hearts were hardened to the gospel. They did not value the relationship with the woman as Jesus would have. They valued a chicken sandwich and a hurry-up-to-be-somewhere attitude more than they valued that woman. Their hearts were hard. There's no way they could have been of value to the Kingdom in that moment, and that saddens our Savior.

But, even the nice woman who stopped for me and patiently waited was hard of heart, too. Why? Because even though she stopped when prompted, her heart was hardened not to see the opportunity. I suggest to you that her heart was not as hard as others because she came quickly to tenderness, but she is an example of how easily it is to toggle between good and bad, and how good people can become hard hearted. And in that instance, opportunity for relationship-building is forfeited.

As I was convicted of all this - because I'm guilty, too, for daily moments of hard heartedness - I suddenly found myself in the mindset of allowing anyone and everyone to turn in front of me in traffic. In fact, I spent the rest of the week, stopping for people to turn in front of me in traffic.

The hard of heart would say, "No! It's my turn!"

The hard of heart would say, "I've got somewhere important to be! Out of my way!"

The hard of heart would say, "Scott, I can see helping the old lady at Chick-fil-a, but I can't see letting everyone turn in front of you for an entire week."

Really? What do you think it means when Jesus says in Matthew 16:24:  “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways (deny your self), take up your cross (take up your own burden) and follow me (because I’m going to take care of you.)” 

You see, we really don't believe that. We believe, "\God takes care of those who care for themselves." Well, hmmm, that phrase is not in Proverbs. That phrase is attributed to Benjamin Franklin, who most likely extracted it from Aesop's Fables.

No, you and I are to be unconcerned for self, completely putting all of our lives, hopes, dreams and goals into the hands of God through the Savior who loves us. And, as we do that, we are to be wide-eyed, open-minded and tender hearted to helping every single person on this planet above self and without prejudice. Do they deserve it? None of us deserves the sacrifice on Calvary, and so let's start there when we talk about what people deserve. When you can't love every single person above self, the end result is a heart that hardens to the gospel.

Do well today by others. You will find that as you do, your heart will become tender to the peace, joy, love and hope of our Savior. As we follow Him completely, in word and attitude and deed, He will massage our hearts to tender places and the answers to life’s questions will become crystal clear. Or, the questions just won't matter. And, that’s where we will go next week.

Grace: The Baseball Card Locker

In 1969, life was all about collecting Topps baseball cards, and not just collecting, but how many you could collect. In our fifth grade classroom, you were only a serious collector when you reached 1,000 cards and owned every player on the starting lineups of the Braves, Cardinals and Tigers.

There was no E-Bay, where you could buy sets of cards for the cheap. There were no multiple card brands – just Topps - and not every store sold baseball cards. And, there was always the agonizing problem of buying packs of cards – with the hard piece of bubble gum – that contained doubles (cards you already owned). On the road to your 1,000-card goal, doubles did not count. Recess on the playground was all about the trading, and trading could get very serious.

The summer of 1969 was one of the greatest summers of my life.

• A friend loaned me the inaugural album of Grand Funk Railroad. Things were never the same after that. No more Richard and Karen Carpenter for me.
• My dad surprised us one afternoon with tickets to see the newly established Montreal Expos play our beloved Atlanta Braves, and I was interested to see what Canadians looked like. (I didn’t understand that most of these Expos were Americans, simply playing ball in Montreal.)
• For my 10th birthday, my parents surprised me with a “case of baseball cards” – not a pack or two or three – but an entire case of cards. A case of cards contained 25 individual packs. This easily threw me over the 1,000 card milestone and that moved me into the upper echelon of card collectors.

And then, just as my life reached a high-water mark, my friend Richard Webb burst my bubble. Through mail order, he had acquired – from the Lakeside Toys Company – a Baseball Card Locker. Now, rather than using a shoe box with post card team dividers, there was a cool, formal and hard plastic way to organize cards by team. The ante had been raised. I had to have a Baseball Card Locker. And, if you know me and my obsession over databases and organizing groups, well, the card locker ignited in me a frenzy. I had to have a card locker.

Richard provided the ordering information, and my heart sank. The card locker was $20. My birthday had passed. I had no money. My parents would not give me money nor would they order the locker for me until Christmas. So, I did the only reasonable thing I could. I went to see my granddaddy and we struck a deal. I would work Saturdays in his retail meat packing plant from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and he would pay me $20 per Saturday.

Yes, 20 samollians.

So Saturday came, and I staggered out of bed, ate a Pop Tart, rode my green bicycle down Brookwood Road to the "meat house", and met Papa R.C. as he opened the doors. Inside, he explained my duties. As customers came to the counter to request bacon, sausage, pork chops, pork loins, etc., my job was to run into the massive refrigerators and bring the products to the counter. When there were no customers, my job was to clean.

At 7 a.m., my intentions were good. I wanted to be all that I could be. I was a faithful employee through the morning. At lunch, my grandmother called me to the house for a sandwich, and I was more than eager to go see her. Back and forth trips to the big walk-in refrigerator had become monotonous for a 10-year old boy. And, let’s face it: I was only in this for the $20. And, as I figured it, showing up was the most important thing to do. He was my granddaddy – he was going to give me the $20 regardless of my work ethic.

After lunch, I slowly made my way back to the store . . . the long way. And, that afternoon, business was slow. I really didn’t want to clean and honestly thought it was a little beneath me to clean. So, I amused myself by hitting rocks with a dowel rod in the parking lot. I also tapped the Coca-Cola machine and drank the cycle . . . Coke, Sprite, Fanta Grape, and Fanta Orange. I drank the cycle three times. One customer showed up with a cute girl about my age, and being a confident flirt, I chased her around the parking lot for a while.  I was also watching the clock . . . 5 p.m. . . . $20 . . . Baseball Card Locker.

At the end of the day, my grandfather asked me empty the garbage cans. I did that, and when I returned to the store, I realized he had closed up and gone home. Where was my $20? This was awkward.

So, I went to his house, where he and my Granny were preparing to sit down to supper. I went inside, got a slow drink of water, giving him ample time to pay me. It didn’t happen.

Then, I was struck by a feeling. Had I really earned that $20? I had been a good employee at the start of my day, but after lunch I had not earned any money. In fact, I had drank a couple of bucks worth of soft drinks.

Dejected, I said "good-bye" in the awkward silence of their kitchen and left for the bike ride home. I walked outside under their carport and did the only thing I could do . . . I sat down on the steps and cried quietly to myself.

I had blown it. No $20. No Baseball Card Locker.

Finally, I stood, went to my bicycle, and prepared to ride home. And, that’s when the door opened. Papa R.C. walked out with my Granny standing in the door. She was crying, too.

He walked up to me and said, “I forgot to pay you” and he gave me $25 (more than our original deal). I looked at him, tears in my eyes and said, “Papa, I don’t deserve it.” Then, I just broke down crying.

“Well, you come back next Saturday,” he said. My Granny could not stand it any longer – that big woman almost jumped from the stairs to embrace me. She reminded me how much they both loved me, and I knew that they did. 

I went back the next Saturday, and the next, and many more Saturdays over the next three years. My grandfather never had a better Saturday employee than me. And, I was able to purchase my Baseball Card Locker. I own it to this day. It is a reminder about Grace.

This is not really about the Baseball Card Locker.

The Gospel writer Mark writes, in Mark 14:66-72, the story of Peter’s epic failure. Jesus has been arrested, and Peter is spotted by those in the crowd. He is accused of being a follower of Jesus – this revolutionary – and Peter denies that he is a follower. He denies it three times. The last sentence in the passage of Scripture is so very important and I don't want you to miss it: (v. 71) "Peter swore, 'A curse on me if I'm lying - I don't know this man you're talking about." (v. 72) And, immediately the rooster crowed the second time (as Jesus said it would). Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: 'Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.' And, Peter broke down and wept."

You see that Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial has come through, but I want you to really focus on Peter's brokenness at the reality of failing Jesus - His Lord and Savior. Peter is crushed at failing Jesus.

Then, we read in John 21:15-17 when Jesus returns to the disciples after His resurrection. Jesus asks Peter three times (once for each denial) if he (Peter) loves Him. Each time, Peter says, "Yes, Lord, I love you." Finally, Peter says, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." And, Peter then feels the whitewash of Grace, of forgiveness for his denial, as Jesus says, "Then, feed my sheep." 

Grace is receiving the gift when we don’t deserve it. None of us deserve to live in peace; none of us deserve eternal life with Jesus. You and I can do absolutely nothing to deserve the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us.

And, there is no easy way to come to Grace. The approach to Grace begins with the pain of knowing you don’t deserve it; the approach to Grace begins with a broken heart. Grace is available to but only belongs to those who approach it broken, ashamed, undeserving, and often lonely in despair.

And, because God loves us, He reaches out through the death of His son and the whisper of the Holy Spirit, and says, “I forgive you. Get up, and follow me.” That is Grace. It is beautiful, cleansing, and motivating. And, that's why there is no getting over it. People who are wishy-washy about faith don't have Jesus no matter what they say or do. Why? Because to recognize personal failure before the Lord and then to experience the Lord's Grace is life-changing. Like a little boy becoming the best Saturday employee ever, the touch of Grace is life-changing.

Have you done that? Are you living each day in Grace, knowing you don’t deserve it, and accepting it anyway.  And, how are you living in Grace undeserved? Are you passionate about loving and serving our Lord, and loving and serving others? Do you praise Jesus daily for His Grace on you? Are people coming to know Jesus through your life? If not, I beg you, in Jesus' name, to come fully to Him, broken, and experience only the Grace that He can extend.

 

1 Peter: Accept the authority

The lesson continues the study from 1 Peter: Foreigners and Aliens.

In 1 Peter 2:13, the apostle writes, “For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme.” We are aliens and strangers in this world, and Peter is saying, accept the authority of every human institution.

In this translation, the words “accept the authority” mean “submit to” authority in every human institution. This includes government. Because early Christians were seen as revolutionaries and anti-Caesar, the persecution of Christians was in full warp speed. Peter is saying, “act differently than they expect you to act” – be responsible citizens who submit to government authority. Make a positive impression, and if it all seems unfair and persecution is high, well, just remember – we are strangers and aliens here. But, remember, our goal is crystal clear – to see people come to the saving grace of Jesus. Nothing else.

This is serious business, but it is so difficult for us to understand. We live in Earthly bodies and we live in an Earthly culture, and yet as believers we are called to step back and realize that we are separated from this world. Complicated, ain't it? Peter is saying that as aliens, we must respect all the authority of this world. As we respect authority rather than fight it, some will say, 'Why are you like that? Why do you take it?' And, this gives us opportunity - as believers - to show we are different. And, in that different attitude, the Lord will convict some to be like us and follow Jesus.

Easier said than done. I know. Believe me.

And, this submission to authority goes beyond government. "Every authority" would include the authority of marriage Paul writes about in Ephesians 5. It includes parents and children, employers and employees, and church leaders and church members. Peter writes that through our submission we glorify the Lord, follow the example of Jesus' submission to God's plan for Him, and our actions reflect our ultimate submission to God and His authority through Scripture.

It goes even deeper. Sorry.

As God created each person, a certain amount of God’s authority is in each person. Therefore, we should submit to the authority of every person because God is that person's creator. We should put everyone ahead of self, showing respect for friends and enemies alike, speaking unkind of no one, loving everyone, looking to the goodness of God that is in everyone even if it’s just a tiny flicker. You and I are called to follow Jesus, and that doing that means we value nothing, but yet we value everyone. We can use this thinking as a litmus test to how closely we are following Jesus or if we are following Jesus at all.

I know some of you are still caught back there when I wrote about submitting to government. So, let's pause for another minute. Most people that I know are more loyal to the red, white and blue than they are to our Lord and Savior. Most of the people that I know will fight you to the death for slandering our country, but wilt in the presence of those who will slander our Lord. That's a problem. That should tell you where you are with the Lord's calling on your life.

But, let me clarify something for you. In Acts 5:29, Peter addresses the high priest and says, "We must obey God rather than any human authority.” This sounds contradictory to his words in 1 Peter when he says we must submit to all human authority. In fact, Scripture has several verses in the Old and New testament where God approved of disobedience to human authorities. But, in those cases, the government had directly called upon God’s people to sin against God by choosing the world over worship. Are we there right now? No. No one has said to me, "Scott, bow down to Washington as your God, and reject God as the sovereign authority of your life." That's not happened. Are we headed there? I don't know, maybe, but here's what I do know - God calls me, as a follower of Jesus, to make disciples and not fret about Washington. I can't do the due diligence to both because I don't have enough energy. If I focus on the latter, the former will suffer. In day-to-day living, you and I should love our country and submit to its authority both as citizens and believers. If the day ever comes when government tells us to replace our worship of God with our worship of Washington, we must be prepared to die on that day for God.

All of this gets to this one reality: Lost, hurting and unchurched people are watching you and me. They want to know there is hope, joy, peace and love. They want to know that what we believe is real to us, and that we live like we believe it. The world has beaten them down, and turned them upside down. Even with full bank accounts and loving families, they are miserable. And, they don’t understand why. But, they are looking for hope.

As you and I live in this world, submitting to authority – sometimes even unjust authority, and we do good for people despite being treated poorly, we send a message. We send a message that our lives are different. We send  a message that we walk to the beat of a different drummer. We send the message that our eyes are fixed on a prize not of planet Earth. We send the message that we don’t own anything – that God owns all that we have, and all that we have is for no purpose but to honor Him.

And, through that kind of thinking we bring glory to our Savior – the one who died and was resurrected for each man, woman, boy and girl on this planet. And, people notice us and they wonder, “How can I live with that kind of peace?” Our lives will speak loudly, and some will hear the Holy Spirit whisper to them and respond. Others will ask us, “How can I have the peace that you have?” And, I pray you can talk to them about Jesus, or lead them and sit with them while someone else does.

People are watching. We must live like we are missionaries walking each day in a foreign land, submitting to the land's authority and walking with a hunger to do good for people so that many will be saved.

Don’t waste your life following the crowd of this Earth. You were born and called out to be a light in this world, but submitting to it so that all could see you worship a risen Savior.

1 Peter: Foreigners and Aliens

I’m a home-body.

While I love to serve churches, and that service takes me to the air and the road, I find myself counting the days until I am back home where I belong. It can be exciting to be in a new place, and experience new things, and meet new people, but I am always glad to be back at home.

And, it goes even deeper than that. Even though my first home – on Rural Route No. 5 / Brookwood Road – has been swamped by metropolitan Atlanta, and the majority of my kinfolk are dead and gone, I still find myself pulled to Brookwood Road when I visit "home." I park alongside the road and my mind returns to my childhood days and the memories of life on the farm. I often park at the old church cemetery.

Home. It’s where I can be completely and authentically me, where I’m surrounded by people who unconditionally love me, and where I can control the clatter of the world.

And, yet, it’s really an illusion.

There is not one mailbox, street, house, city, state, country – nothing – about this world that is truly my Home. In fact, everything of this world is temporary. My Home – the Home of every believer – is with God, who reigns in heaven and will one day bring His Kingdom to triumph over this world.

The words of the apostle Peter can be overlooked and discounted easily. In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter writes, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”
             
You and I are born into this world with the world as our Home. As Jesus calls us to follow Him, and as we respond, we abandon this world and understand that our Home is somewhere else – somewhere not of this world. Somewhere supernatural to this world. We are aliens and strangers here. We’re not “like” aliens and strangers – we are aliens and strangers.

And, the closer I personally draw to Jesus, the more I understand that. Like I’m living in a foreign culture, things of this world just make less and less sense to me. Self-centeredness, pitiful and pathetic attitudes, mean-spirited people, chaos and confusion, and values that are counter to Scripture – more and more my life here on Earth feels foreign to where I actually belong.

Have you ever heard it said of someone who just died, ‘Daddy told us he was just ready to go home.’ Many people, confined to their death beds, get a glimpse of Home, I'm convinced. And, they can't wait to get there. I know that feeling. As I conclude my service with a church, I can't wait to get to the airport and get home. For believers, Home - that place with God - calls us because of the peace, love and joy that will surround us.

 Peter is writing this passage to his friends, to like-minded followers of Jesus, reminding them and us that this world is not our home. And, he warns us that while we are here on this Earth, "sinful desires" will war against our soul. As much as I want to say "my eye is on the eternal prize and things of this Earth don't matter to me," the world calls me to focus on it and its problems and its confusion. And, as I do that - my shoulders slump and I become weary. Because this is not my home, and yet this place wars against my soul. And, this sinful and worldly culture is going to brush against us and we are each going to fall to its temptation. We must take precautions to control environments that trigger sinful desires, which lead to sinful actions. And, by sinful action, I mean anything that distracts our focus from the unbiased love of God and the unbiased love of others.

• I’m an impulse-shopper. If I wander into Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Advanced Auto or Lowe’s, and I have time on my hands, I roam around, and I spend money on crap. I walk out of these stores having spend 2x, 3x, 4x what I originally intended. The money is gone. The time is gone. And, now the full depth of my ability to give is affected by my desire to serve me rather than serve others. So, I stay away from those stores, or I go with Vicki because she is much more logical than I am.
• Vicki and I once loved to watch the prime time sit-coms together. But, now, it seems every episode of every show pushes the envelope of sexual exploitation. I’m not a puritan; I never have been. I'm not easily offended. But, I've had to change my television viewing habits. I watch a lot of Turner Classic Movies and the Encore Western Channel, and I remove myself from the sit-com environment that Satan might use to plant thoughts that might become action.
• You know that I am an advocate of Christian hospitality. Nothing thrills me more than seeing Christians open their homes to people with whom they can build deeper relationship. And, the more authentic the home the better. I want to go visit people who focus more on the hospitality than they do on the cleaning. I’d rather go see people I love who have forgotten to put up the laundry than go to see people who are want to impress me. In fact, I have to stay away from the pretentious people – no matter whether there home is big or small, new or old. It’s easy for me to fall into “comparative living” – what you have v. what I have. Satan uses comparative thinking to destroy people from the inside out. He rages against our soul by whispering that we have failed, not lived up to expectations, and are not worthy. To avoid giving Satan that foot-hold, I am cautious about the environments I visit.

Those of us who are followers of Jesus must have a personal accounting of our weak spots, and then stay away from those weak spots – even if it means altering friendships, altering workplaces, altering recreation, and altering our thinking. We are strangers in this world – as we grow closer to Jesus, the world should make less and less sense to us, and by contrast, we should draw closer to the things of faith – prayer, Scripture and being with like-minded believers for support.

But, Scott, this sounds reclusive. I mean if I completely withdraw from the world, that pulls me away from people who need Jesus, and therefore limits the people I can tell about Jesus. Right?

Yes, staying away from some environments will certainly remove us from some people, but Peter comes back in verse 12 with the solution. He writes, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong (being better than them), they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

You see, in verse 11, Peter says that we should have our inner lives under control so that, in verse 12, our outer lives honor the god we claim to love through Jesus. A person's following of Jesus is going to evidenced by the good they do for others.

I can avoid the environments that might cause me to compromise my witness, but still live completely in the world, be kind and considerate, put others ahead of self, avoid whining, and expect nothing in return.Worldly people won’t understand that, but good and authentic lives will convict them of selfishness and some will be converted to follow Jesus. That's right. Leading upright lives will draw some to Jesus without a word being spoken.

I was scared straight as a boy. I did not drink at all in high school or college. In fact, I was the often the designated driver. Those looking for an excuse for bad behavior criticized me, and said my motives were condescending. But, I maintained a lifestyle of being active in my church, serving others through school clubs, working hard and be faithful to my employers, and encouraging people that I knew. Many, I know for a fact, were influenced positively, and found their way to faith conversations.

Peter is writing that it's not an either / or, but a both. We must avoid the weak spots that might cause us to stumble, and we must be about doing good for others because we love Jesus. This one-two punch will put us in positions to tell some about Jesus, and to reflect the Jesus that we claim to love. People will be convicted by both. And, we will have done our work in a foreign land toward looking ahead to our true Home.

A litmus test for your walk in faith is how alien the world and its value system begins to feel to you. If you are comfortable in the world, or if you are justifying bad behavior as a means as an opportunity to witness, my friends, your faith life is either non-existent or it is completely stagnant. You and I can't serve two masters. You and I will never live perfect, sin-free lives on this Earth, but we can lean on the Holy Spirit to remove temptation from us. Protect yourself by avoiding the environments that might give Satan leverage over your witness to others. Protect your witness. Build relationship with as many people as you can by doing as much good for others as you can. And, through those relationships, be candid about your life and authentic about your love for Jesus.

Home really is where the heart is, and I am a stranger and alien in this world.

Beware of thieves

By James Berry
My Mamaw Calla (my mother’s mom), was a very special woman.  She endured many struggles and hardships in her life.  The “crossroads” crisis that still impacts our family to this day happened when her youngest daughter, Kathy, was killed by a school bus in front of their Sumter, SC home at the age of 10.  

I’ve heard the story many times of how Mamaw rode in the backseat of the car with Kathy’s head in her lap all the way to the hospital. My mom still speaks of the blood stain in the road that was a constant reminder for many years. My grandparents took two different paths to dealing with this loss. My grandfather put all of his energy into his work as a farmer and insurance agent.  He basically pretended that it never happened and did not grieve at all.  Mamaw grieved for her daughter, and struggled with depression and emotional problems to the point that she eventually needed to be hospitalized for a period of time. While my grandmother was hospitalized, my Grandfather developed a relationship with another woman and my grandparents were eventually divorced.  My grandfather basically took everything and left Mamaw with nothing.

Mamaw moved back to Kentucky and lived with family there until she fell in love with a man named Bob and remarried.  Mamaw and Bob were so happy together and I remember sitting in their apartment listening to Cincinnati Reds games with “Papa Bob” during visits there.  During this time, she witnessed the death of her oldest daughter to cancer at the young age of 33.  Bob was so supportive through this difficult time. He was a great guy and they were so happy together until Bob’s teenage son and a few friends who were high on heroin broke into the house one night. They beat my grandmother with a baseball bat and shot Bob in the head multiple times.  Bob survived and recovered physically, but was never the same emotionally.  He became paranoid and violent. Mamaw stayed with him as long as she could but eventually Mamaw had to leave as she feared for her safety.

Mamaw spent many years living with her parents and taking care of them until they passed.  After their death, she came to live with my family in Columbia.  She and I shared the upstairs of my parents’ home, so I obviously spent a lot of time with her.  We were later able to get her a small one bedroom apartment where she lived for her last 10 years on this earth.

Despite the many struggles in her life, I would say that my Mamaw was one of the most positive and giving people I ever knew.  She volunteered by reading to local elementary children and served food to the homeless at local soup kitchens.  I particularly remember grade school care packages that were filled with baseball cards and baseball t-shirts (items she clearly couldn’t afford to buy and mail), but she knew how excited I would be to receive them). She had very little monetarily, yet she made a point of hosting a small Christmas celebration for our entire family at Christmas. She did her very best to make it as fancy and entertaining as possible and she was always excited as she gave the grandchildren some quite unique presents at Christmas. She had JOY, despite all of the trials she had faced.

I am convinced now more than ever that we are engaged in a spiritual war every day and for whatever reason we are afraid to admit it.  I have heard many sermons based on the statement “God has a plan for your life” (Jeremiah 29:11), but I rarely hear anyone mention that Satan has a plan for us as well.  I believe one of Satan’s main ways of attacking us is through worry, stress, and regret. I also believe that he attacks followers of Christ in an attempt to lessen our witness in hopes that he can keep nonbelievers from becoming believers. 

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The “thief” discussed here clearly is Satan.  I believe that one of the main ways that Satan attacks believers is by trying to steal our joy.  We get so wrapped up in troubles and stresses in our life that we miss seeing where God is at work.  We focus too much on the problems at hand and trying to fix them ourselves that we forget that our Savior wants us to give these burdens to Him.

When Jesus was explaining the parable of the sower in Mark 4:19 he said, “but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful”.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be fruitful.  I want to produce each of the fruits of the spirit, especially joy.  But a lot of the time, I let the “stuff” of everyday life steal that away from me.

Another area where Satan attacks us is our past.  I know that in my life there are times in my past where I know I failed both God and my family miserably. I have confessed my sin, asked for forgiveness, and know that God has forgiven me. Yet, I still find myself reflecting back on those times and experiencing feelings of guilt and regret for those actions.  God has forgiven me, but I can’t seem to shed the feeling of guilt associated with some of my sins of the past. 

I heard a great analogy recently at a PowerUp Lunch here in Lexington.  Mike Crapps of First Community Bank shared this quote from a sermon at his church that he said has really changed his outlook on life.  He talked about how Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins and that he was hung between two thieves.   Then, he said, “Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves; Yesterday’s regrets and tomorrow’s worries."

Don’t let Satan steal your joy by keeping you focused on worry and regret! Remember that Jesus wants you to turn all of that “stuff” over to him so that you can have life to the full.

 

Lucy's Story - A Parable

In September 2008, our German Shepherd, Queen, died after being bitten by a snake. Normally, a single snake bite would not kill a 100 pound, healthy German Shepherd, but it was the right bite in the right place, and she could not recover from it.

Matthew had never known a day of his life without Queen. And, it was his first encounter with the death of anything beloved. So, he was heartbroken. When I went to pay the veterinarian’s final bill, I took Matthew with me so that the veterinarian could console him – helping him understand what had happened and why death was a relief to Queen’s agony.

In the few days after Queen’s death, I thought it best to get another dog pretty quickly. But, none of us wanted another German Shepherd. It would be impossible for us to replace Queen, and another Shepherd would keep reminding us of her. So, I asked the veterinarian to recommend a good dog for a boy of nine, and she recommended that we get a beagle. Yes, I know, a howling, digging, and overly-playful beagle. “Every boy needs a beagle,” she said.

Not knowing anything about beagles, I asked her where Mathew and I might go see one and learn more about them. She directed us to an area breeder who raised beagles, taught them to rabbit hunt, and sold them across the country. I called him, and Matthew and I, on a Monday evening, went for a beagle visit.

It was a first-class operation. I learned more about the personality and temperament of beagles in 30 minutes than I suppose most beagles owners really understand. As we received an education worthy of The Discovery Channel, he pointed to female and said, "If you want one, I can let you have her for $100. She's a year old and completely up to date on shots. I can give you her health history.” And, he only wanted $100.

We became beagle owners.

Perhaps I was the victim of shrewd salesmanship because I believe he intentionally talked of the sale with Matthew’s ears on full alert. But, Matthew was happy, and our family is very comfortable with dogs. And, so we left with a one-year-old, full-blooded beagle that we named Lucy. When I completed the ownership transfer with the American Kennel Club, I learned that Lucy’s sire was paid royally for his stud services.This further added legitimacy to the man’s rabbit-hunting operation and to Lucy’s pedigree.

Let me add a bit of disclaimer. We love dogs. We are not indoor dog people. Vicki and I have had beloved dogs all of our lives. My family even raised full-blooded Cocker Spaniels. But, we are a family that understands dogs are dogs and people are people. We don't ever get that confused.

Lucy, just like Queen, was going to be an outdoor dog. Well, sort of.

As soon as we got home with Lucy, we noticed something was wrong with her. Though the September temperatures were warm, she was noticeably shivering – her heart racing out of control. As the boys moved in to love her, she retreated. I understood that all the noise was probably overwhelming to a dog with very limited human contact, and so we wrote it off to first-day jitters. I put her in Queen's extra large kennel box that night so she could stay indoors with us. I didn't want to put this terrified dog in our back yard for the night.

Over the next several days, the fear did not go away. In the back yard, Lucy went behind the shed, cowered in the underbrush, and stayed there all day. Where was the playful beagle? Where was the diggingest dog? Where was the howler?

We decided to continue bringing her in the house at night, if for no other reason but the human contact. So, at night, I went out to get her. I would approach her and she would run from me. She would not let us get near her. She did not threaten to bite me. She never snarled or growled. She didn't whimper. She just ran and hid - and hid well. And, she trembled. We tried everything.

Hoping to connect with Lucy, we tried everything to approach her in the yard and point her, at night, to the light and warmth of the house. But, she would not respond. Finally, I took a lesson from my childhood around the hog farm. We developed a system of corrals, forcing Lucy into smaller and smaller spaces until we could pick her up and bring her into the house.

When we brought her in, one of us would sit in the floor, holding her, consoling her as she trembled. We noticed that she never once soiled the kennel box, and so one night we left her out of the box. The next morning, she was in the exact same place we had left her the night before – a comfortable pet bed on the floor. She had not moved, or explored. And, no accidents. I opened the back door and she ran outside, and hid. In fact, let me interject here: In five years of coming in - or being brought in - at night, Lucy has never explored another part of our home. Once inside, she goes to her bed, curls and rests . . . and never moves until the next morning.

Days, weeks and months passed. We watched Lucy get more comfortable with the back yard, playing by herself. She took an old tennis ball, nudged it forward and then chased it down. We had a big oak tree cut down and she would perch on the stump like the ruler of the back yard. She owned the back yard, and we would spy on her through the window blinds. But, if we ever opened the back door or she saw us in the window, she would run behind the shed and hide.

And, at night, even on rainy and cold nights, she would not come inside. We physically had to bring her inside. Some nights, I can walk to the far corner of the yard, leave the back door open, and she will run inside on her own. But, she will not run inside if any of us are near the door.

Once inside, she curls up on the floor. One of us will often sit by her, love on her, and offer her a dog treat. She doesn't love back. She just rests.

Last year, Matthew and I built a small patio and fire bit. We are out there a lot, and I thought surely she would come up to the patio and sit with us. Nope. As we sit around the patio, she is hiding over behind the shed or under the shed. I even went to her one evening, and brought her to the fire pit. As soon as I let her go, she ran away.

This past winter, on a particularly cold, wet and miserable day, I looked outside to see Lucy cowering under the shed. I went to get her. I opened the door to our home and moved far from it, but she would not run inside. I went to the shed, and lay down on the ground, looking at her. I began talking to her.

“Lucy, why won’t you come inside?” I asked her. “Inside, it’s bright and warm, and we all love you. Out here, you are all alone, it’s dark, and it’s cold, and it’s lonely. Why are you so content to stay out here? Why has this gotten so comfortable for you?”

She just looked at me.

“Lucy, we aren’t trying to clean you up before we bring you in. Not one time in five years have we tried to give you a bath as a requisite to coming inside the house,” I said. “It doesn’t matter to us." (We do bathe her,  obviously, but as therapy it's always in the tub with warm water.)

She just looked at me.

“Inside there are people who genuinely love you. Even big Richard loves you though he doesn’t show it like Matthew shows it,” I said.

Finally, I got far enough under the shed that she let me get a foot, and then I inched her to me until I carried this mentally wounded, dirty, wet dog into the comfort of our house.

As I hope you understand . . . this is not a dog story.

I look around Lexington. I see hundreds if not thousands of people who would have gotten comfortable in the dark, cold, and lonely world that we live in. They have gotten comfortable with the lie that being a follower of Jesus is limited to an hour of dress-up on Sunday morning. Nothing about this world loves you and me – not one thing of this world loves us. Only in faith with Jesus, can we experience love that can't be defined. John 15:19: “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

I don’t understand why these good people won’t come inside of faith, where the pressure and pain of this world is made joyful and peaceful and hopeful. I don’t understand why people value this world more than they value Jesus, and, yes, they do, we do – all the time. I know people inside of faith are noisy, imperfect, and do stupid things – but it’s still a better place than living in the dark.  John 3:19: “ And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” (Any deed grounded in self-fulfillment is evil).

God doesn't expect any of us to come to Him in perfection. He doesn't ask us to get squeaky clean before we come to Him. He sent His son to us just as we are, and Jesus just says "follow me." Jesus never says, "take a shower, and then follow me." As the old hymn reminds us, "Just As I Am, I Come." You and I cannot get clean enough for a Holy God, and God knows that. He judges sin, yes, but he loves us enough to send Jesus to be with us. Psalms 130.3-4 – If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness… I don't understand why people put up barriers, preventing their own faith from taking root.

I don’t understand why people can’t see that God loves us so much that He sent His son to save us. God didn’t say, “Find me on your own or go to hell.” No, he sent his son to crawl under the shed and be with us – to find us where we are and to love us right there. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus is still in the business of coming to us every day and saying, "Follow me."

I don’t understand why a loving God never gives up on us. No matter how much we resist Him. No matter how much we resist His love for us, God never gives up on us. He is always opening the door and calling us inside. It breaks my heart that people can’t let God love them the way He wants to love them.  Philippians 1:6: "God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns."

What about you?
Are you living in the light or are you comfortable in the darkness?
Perhaps you have even experienced the light, but still find a lot of contentment in the world. You can't serve two masters.
What’s stopping you from going into the dark places and talking to people about Jesus?
What’s stopping you from running to faith, full throttle, and discovering what God needs to do through your life?
How long will you live this life, day after day, living tomorrow just like today, knowing it’s better on the inside of faith, but unable to fully commit to it? How long will you waste the precious time that God has given you on this Earth to reflect the Savior who loves you?
Today, do something. Turn to Jesus. Come inside and fear no more.

Life In A Hole

Life in a hole.

From Facebook: Facebook friends and family, I need a prayer tonight. Tomorrow, I will be at the hospital and it's going to be a very hard day. This is really heavy on my heart.

Life in a hole.

Also from Facebook: I'm so very nervous and anxious. I just need to breathe! I would take an Ambien but it is almost daylight.

Life in a hole.

In an e-mail: Quite honestly, Scott, my wife does not love me anymore and we both know it.

Life in a hole.

From The Carpenters: Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

Life in a hole.

From a conversation at the ballpark: I have failed my children. All of their friends have so many opportunities, and mine look at me and wonder, “Why not me?”

Life in a hole.

In an e-mail: My child is an alcoholic. 

Life in a hole. 

From a conversation over lunch: I close my eyes at night and see myself walking up the steps of a gallows. I have failed at life.

Life in a hole.

I've been in a lot of holes and you have, too. Some are just a temporary bad mood, others are a day-long funk (like, for me, last Thursday), others linger for a while, some show up to haunt us from our childhood, and some are deep and wide. We can see some of the holes coming from a distance, but others surprise us and we fall in before we can help it. Some holes are in our head, created by a wild imagination and too little rest. Some are knee-buckling and all too real.

We live our lives in and out of holes.

The purpose of this lesson is to give four reminders about life in the hole.

Jesus is there in the hole.

The Bible is one giant book about men and women who find themselves in holes and are touched by the hand of God. I would tell every hurting person - unemployed, separated or divorced, and sick over an uncertain future - to read the Bible and draw hope from God's redemption of people who found themselves in holes.

Most all of us are, to a degree, Sunday morning Christians. We want a nice, clean and easy faith life. When things are going great, we say, "Well, thank you, God, for all these blessings, and for making my life so great." We walk tall and proud when we are out of the holes. And, then we step in a hole and we panic. We forget all about God. The true color of our faith is exposed.

But, listen, God is in the hole. God is everywhere, and He is everywhere all the time. And, His son, Jesus, is calling us to faith in Him and a restored relationship with God, who can bring peace to us in the hole.

One of my favorite Bible stories is from Daniel 3:19-28. It's the story of the three boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to bow down to his golden statue. These boys refused, and the king had them throw into a furnace so hot it killed the guards who threw the boys inside. As the king looked inside, he saw a fourth figure with the boys, and he saw the boys were no longer bound. Ultimately, the three boys emerged from the furnace unharmed.

Many presume that fourth figure in the furnace was an angel. It could have been, but I believe it was Jesus - years before He was ever born in the manger. The reason I believe the figure was Jesus is because the king was converted to a faith in our holy God because of the experience.

I won't unpack this whole story for you, but look closely: These boys were consistent in their love of the Lord, and they stood for the things of the Lord. Their faith was not altered by the hole because they knew the Lord was in the hole with them. The hole was not prevented, but the Lord was in the hole with them.

In the first chapter of Joshua, over and over, God says to the people, "Don't be afraid. I am with you, always." The next time you feel a panic coming, open Joshua 1 and read it. Don't be afraid. Jesus' last words to His disciples, knowing they would all be martyred (John survived poisoning and was exiled), Jesus said, (I know you are going to find yourselves in holes as you carry the gospel), but I am with you until the end of the age (forever)." That message is for us today, too.

At one point in my life, I was unemployed. I was in a hole. The Lord called me to spend my idle time - waiting on interview callbacks - visiting people in the hospital. And, so I went to the church, got the hospital list, and went to visit those who were sick. I didn't know the right words to say, but I quickly found my "being there" was welcome ministry. Ministry is a great way to get out of a hole. During those visits, I had opportunity to sit - day by day - with a man whose daughter was dying with cancer. She was in the final stages. This was a strong family of faith, and she was a believer. I sat with this daddy every day until she died. I will never, ever forget the peace of that hospital room, and the peace this man enjoyed. He knew that Jesus was in that room. He knew the presence of the Holy Spirit was calming and I dare say glorious even in the face of a dying girl's groans. I will never get over that "knowing" that Jesus is in the hole with us, and that Jesus trumps death. I understood - in my own unemployment - that Jesus was in the hole with me, too.

Two more things: Jesus understands that we are afraid. It's okay. Just remember this from 1 John 4:18, "My perfect love will banish fear from your heart." Turn to Jesus in the hole. Pray.And, Jesus hears our prayers. 1 John 5:14: "And, we can be confident that He will listen to us.” For those who know Jesus, God is listening when we speak to Him, asking Him to make our lives right according to His will for us. 

I believe that most people, even most Jesus followers, never pray. My own prayer life isn't what it should be. Most people don't know how to pray. Most people are embarrassed to pray, believing it is a sign of weakness. Heck, I've even had people tell me not to pray for them because they saw it as a sign of charity. Pray, people. Pray. My most peaceful time with God comes when I say nothing out loud. I just kneel in front of the sofa, put my head in my hands on the sofa, and just focus on the Lord. As people come to my mind, I pray for them. I thank God for sending His son to die for me. I thank God for crossing my life with people who help me grow in faith. Sometimes, I cry out for God to help me out of a hole. There are no perfect prayers, and it's ridiculous to believe that we must seek out a "professional prayer warrior" to pray for us. I get nervous when I hear people, in the context of prayer, talking more about human intercessors than they do about Jesus. Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel. I am reading it; you should read it, too. In it, Manning writes that God sees our prayers like a parent sees a toddler's coloring book. The toddler doesn't understand the colors.The toddler can't color within the lines. The result is a sloppy scribbling on a piece of paper. But, every parent looks at it and sees it as a Picasso. It's beautiful and it goes on the refrigerator. That's how the Lord sees our prayers. No matter how sloppy they are, God delights in the fact that we are praying. So, pray from the hole.

The size of the hole doesn't matter.

A friend of mine sent me a recent e-mail from within a hole.

I was so thankful that he took time to send it, honoring me with the opportunity to encourage him.

But, like so many of these cries from the hole, he wrote, "I know people are struggling with things that are a  lot worse than this." I told him, the power of God to be all to all and at all times is beyond our feeble attempt to even understand the word "power." God sees a person He loves, and He sees that person crying out from a hole. He focuses on the person; not the hole.

In Psalm 5:22, we read:  “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” There is not a heavenly pecking order when it comes to holes. Psalm 139:12: "Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

If you believe that God doesn't care when your car won't start and you don't have the money to fix it, you are not in worship of a God who can hang each star and call it by name. If you believe that God doesn't care when you are sad because the children are growing up and moving on, then I call that blasphemy. It's an insult to God. If you have a faith in Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life, your burdens - great and small and even tiny - burden the God who loves you enough to send His son to die for you.

The size of the hole does not matter to God.

Tell others when you are in a hole.

We hate charity, don't we? Why? Because in our "stand on your on two feet" culture of personal supremacy, we have relegated charity to be synonymous with government welfare. Charity is a spirit of generosity and helpfulness. Believers have an obligation to be involved in charity as providers and as grateful recipients. I believe a person demonstrates their faith in Jesus by their approach to charity - coming and going. Jesus' death and resurrection was charity. How can we follow Jesus, and not be deep in charitable lifestyle - receiving and providing?

In 1 Peter 5:9, we read, “Stand firm in faith, because you know the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.” As believers, you and I join a universal family of faith, regardless of the sign outside the church building. We are part of a local church family, and many of us are a part of small groups of faith friends.

At the depth of one of my darkest holes, God sent a voice - spoken through the mouth of a family friend - who said, "Scott, your biggest mistake in this hole was not turning to your family and friends, who love you. As soon as you feel the ground shifting, reach out to those who love you.” Those words were a mile-marker in my faith life.

But, wait a minute. If I start telling people about my hole, they will start whispering about me. They might start raising money, and that will be embarrass me. They might start bringing chicken casseroles. They will take my pain and make it public knowledge. Some will try to fix my life. Some might say I deserve what I get. If you start feeling or thinking this way, well, you are hearing the voice of Satan, who wants you to stay in that hole with all its darkness and all its fear. You and I were not meant, as Jesus followers, to live private lives of pain. We have an army of fellow hole-dwellers standing with us. God says turn to the army of faith.

I was visiting a church recently, and sat on the periphery of a staff meeting. The pastor announced that one of the staff members was resigning. Her life had been in a hole for a long time, and she made the decision to leave the staff. There was obvious pain in the room, and there was no turning back from her decision. Clearly, around the room, there was concern for the hurting person. But, there was also pain at being robbed of the opportunity to love and serve this person before her climactic decision to leave.

It is sinful to be in a hole and selfishly rob others of the opportunity to exercise their faith - their charity - and to see how God will work in it. You can hide behind all the veils of privacy that you want, and initially some privacy with the Lord may be needed, but ultimately, I believe the Lord is going to say, "turn to your family of faith with this." Hole-dwelling can be very selfish and sinful. Don't be that way.

When you are not in a hole, help provide a ladder for those in the holes.

In those times when we are not in a hole, the last thing we want to do is think about the holes. Right? We stand on good ground, we breathe deep and we try to stay away from holes. We don't visit hospitals, prisons and nursing homes because they remind us of the dark places - the holes. And, we don't want to think about them. We don't want someone else's life to rub off on us. What if they pull us into the hole with them? We just want to rest and enjoy life outside the hole rather than looking down in holes.

Well, it's this selfish and sinful attitude that causes those in the hole to distrust us. Our inability to help people out of holes is why so many people get comfortable in holes and don't tell anyone. They don't want to be failed by those who claim to love Jesus. Is there a more sad statement than that? Not for me.

In 1 John 4:7, we read, "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.” We have to love one another. Believers must always carry ladders with them so we can help people out of holes.

I was able to exercise my faith last week, and received such a blessing from it. A friend of mine from high school was recently transferred to Texas. In this economy, it was one of those "move or lose it" corporate decisions, and so she moved. This separates her from beloved family. She's in a hole. I noticed her painful cry through Facebook. She wrote, "I'm having a difficult time adjusting to (Texas) and being without my husband and best friend, and my family. Keep me in your prayers that I will settle (calm) down and I will find a good church here for my Sundays away from my home church."

The Holy Spirit nudged me to contact a ministry counterpart (a wife, mom and grandmother much like my Georgia friend) in Texas, and my Texas friend reached out to my Georgia friend. They made a connection. Who wins in that? We all do. My Georgia friend, a believer, cried out, "I'm in a hole!" The Spirit moved me to bring a ladder. My Texas friend jumped in to help with the ladder. All of us were blessed with the reminder that God is larger than all the holes we face. 

Are you in a hole today?

Do you feel all alone in the hole?

Does God seem a long ways away? Do you know He cares? 

Do you know Jesus as your Savior from sin, and as the comfort – the cool water – while in the hole?

Do you feel Jesus there with you in the hole?

Do you have other believers around you, loving you? Are you confiding in them?

Are you experiencing the undefinable joy of blessing someone else’s life?

Are you walking in tandem with our Savior?