Grace is power for action!

Blessed are the poor in spirit.  This is the starting point for my life.  As I was reading my prayer list today it became very clear to me that I have no spiritual power over any of the others on my list.  My list begins with the president of the United States.  Of course I have no power where he is concerned. But it quickly goes to the minister and elders of my local church and then to my family.  With these I at least can be heard.  But the hard fact is heard is about all that I can truly expect. I cannot direct them to give their attention, to give their devotion, or obedience to God, and then know that because I said so, they will do it.  Nope, no power. 

On the inside of the cover of my prayer book it says, “The revival must start with me.” I am back to “Poor in spirit.”  I have learned and become a little faithful in a few small areas, but compared to where I should be, let’s just say I am very far behind.  I am so thankful that I do believe that God is merciful.  So what can I do?

Continue.  Don’t spend a lot of time moaning and regretting, rather be thankful for the time I still have and move forward.  I can only move slowly forward, but I can move forward. Work at improving my discipline, whatever it is. Learn faithfulness and move forward in one or two areas at a time.

The only power I can ever have is the power of a crucified life.  This is a life where my natural laziness and demands for pleasure have been destroyed and in their place discipline and a thankful heart have taken their place.  This is an indestructible life.  But I can still not make demands and expect to be obeyed.  No the growing spirit will attract others.  But the one poor in spirit, though growing, becomes free to not make demands.  The Eternal God is still the only power on earth to draw men’s hearts.  And he uses the men whose hearts are inclined toward him. 

God, thank you for the desire to act.  Thank you that you also give the power.  Thank you that I have from time to time used that power to exercise that desire.  

One Eyed Christians

Mat 18:7  Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

Mat 18:8  Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

Mat 18:9  And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

I cannot remember anyone ever preaching about this passage which occurs three times in the Gospel record. It may be because it seems so harsh. It may be because preachers know that teaching what Jesus taught might reduce the collection. It may be that preachers are afraid there will be a lot of one handed one eyed people in their congregations after such a message. I have often wondered why there were not a few one eyed one handed Christians.

As I thought about this passage a little I realize that in most cases these drastic measures are not necessary. But it is helpful to realize that most of the things that offend, or cause me to sin are my own fault. If I find that I am looking at things that cause me to lust, Quit looking at those things. If I find that I am doing things with my hands that are sin stop doing those things.

I have a problem with my weight. The problem is that my hand keeps carrying tasty things to my mouth. This offends me because when I eat too much I gain weight. When I gain weight I shorten my life, when I shorten my life this does not glorify God. I don’t need to cut off my hand, I need to make sure it doesn’t carry so much to my mouth. This is not a trivial problem, and the applications are many.

If you cannot control the thing that causes you problems, eliminate it. don’t go where there is a lot of tasty food. Stop watching television altogether. If you cannot control a thing, eliminate it.

It is not the Devil or God who leads us to sin. It is my own lust. If I constantly give in to lust, sin is the result and sin ONLY leads to DEATH.

Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Matthew 13:  The parable of the sewer and the soils.
I see that my heart is a little like the stony soil or the soil among the thorns.  I have a difficult time getting the word to sink in and grow, and when it does begin to grow there are many things that will hinder and choke that word, to keep it from doing its work in my life.
Whenever I neglect to go to the Word of God to hear what he is saying to me today, I automatically go to other things for comfort and encouragement.  All of these other things seem pleasant for the moment But they are without any power for lasting improvement.  My life stays the same and my frustration grows. In this condition I can become a danger to myself and to those around me. 
My only hope is to learn more faithfulness in seeking God through prayer and abiding in his word, Jesus.

Papa's Garden

When my father-in-law and mother-in-law moved to Oregon one of the first things they did was begin a garden.  After a few years their garden covered a city lot and was wonderful.  There were perfectly spaced rows of just about any vegetable you could grow in southern Oregon.  They were growing healthy and weed free.  We lived about 200 miles away and came down three or four times a summer and I remember being in awe of Papa’s beautiful garden.  At some point in this part of our life I tried to grow a little 4’ by 12’ garden.  It was nearly a complete disaster; I couldn’t even get my tomatoes to turn red.  I think I was able to grow some zucchini, but you can almost do that accidently.  It did dawn on me later that while I was failing at gardening I was also raising a family and working full time.  Papa on the other hand was growing a garden. 

In Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8 Jesus speaks of another gardener and of his soil and the crop that did and did not come up.  This is a wonderful story and the applications to my life are many.  Papa’s garden was always well tilled and there was a pile of rocks off to one side and weeds were not permitted to grow there. 

Jesus told of seed that fell on the hard packed earth of the path. This seed was quickly eaten by birds.  .    Have you ever been in a meeting and heard something said that just didn’t make sense to you, but you knew the one speaking was a godly person who had great wisdom and a life that always demonstrated the love of Jesus.  This has happened to me and if I pursued what I had heard eventually it became clear to me that what was said was true.  Mostly the hard soil of my heart just needed to be broken up and made tender to hear and receive what God wanted me to learn and I needed to be ready to let God’s word find a place where it could grow into good fruit.  I suspect this also is a picture of those whose hearts are so hard that they will simply not see or hear the Gospel.  For these we must pray that God will find the way to soften the soil of their heart.  This is not a pleasant experience for the one having it but the end is glorious.  We must be a little hard hearted to pray this prayer.  We must have a heart for the things of God and not for the things of man. 

I mentioned the pile of rocks off to the side of Papa’s garden.  These were the rocks that had occupied the ground where Papa’s garden now was.  They had been carefully loaded into wheel barrows and piled to the side as the garden was developing over the years.  I have been to meetings where the word of God was tremendously powerful and I left with full determination to become what I had heard.  Then a few days later all was forgotten and I could only remember that it had been a good meeting.  Some of the rocks from Papa’s garden plot were pretty big and some only the size of a golf ball, but they all had to be removed because a seed could not send roots into those rocks.  There are rocks in the garden of my heart.  Some of these are firm ideas of how things ought to be or how they are.  They may be fears about what would happen if I step out in faith in a certain area.  They can be all sorts of things, but when I hear a word of God that is right and true and I want it to grow I need to search for these hard places that will not allow the seed of God’s word to take root.  Then pray for grace to remove them. 

I have never been able to make any kind of garden patch weed free.  I mentioned that Papa’s garden was large and weed free.  I also mentioned the secret.  I would spend a few minutes once or twice a week pulling weeds while Papa spent at least 4 hours a day constantly hoeing and pulling weeds.  Jesus said that the weeds were the cares of the world, the love of money and the lust for other things.  According to Jesus these things choke the word.  Weed seeds come from everywhere.  Some lie dormant in the soil for years undetectable then spring up without any warning.  Some will blow in on the wind.  This is a very clear picture of how the cares and lusts can come in and choke God’s word in my life and the only hope of success is constant vigilance and diligence to find them and pull them out without hesitation. 

The good soil is productive.  But the good soil is pure.  We can go to the garden store and purchase good soil for planting.  This has been carefully sifted and cooked to destroy any harmful seeds that remain.  Sometimes nutrients are added to promote the growth of the plants we choose to grow.  In the same way, the soil of my heart must be sifted and purified, sometimes by the extreme heat of fiery trials.  Only then is the word of God free to grow and produce 30, 60 or 100 fold. 

Tree of Life

I see a vision of a garden, like the Garden of Eden.  But this garden is overgrown with weeds and even the good and useful plants have gone wild and only produce stunted bitter fruit. The garden is tangled, angry, confused and bitter; stinking of decay. 

The only path in the garden is muddy with broken rocks in odd places to trip anyone venturing into the garden.  The path if you will call it by that respectable name leads to the center of the garden.

Following this broken path with my eyes, there in the center of the garden is a tall healthy looking tree covered with beautiful flowers and luscious looking fruit. Drawing closer, the blossoms though beautiful, seem somehow melancholy and slightly sad.  Their color is somehow not quite true or bright and as you look at them their form is more harsh than beautiful.  They seem almost artificial, not quite well done.  There seems also to be the memory of a fragrance about them, at one time delightful, but now almost forgotten.

The fruit is full and seems firm, but taking it from the tree, it resists and holds tightly.  It is only removed with difficulty.  Biting into the fruit, it is very juicy and may have had a flavor, indeed very pleasant at one time.  Now the flesh, having released its juice is soft almost fatty.

From a distance, this tree seemed healthful and beautiful, but drawing near it becomes a disappointment.

Just to the side of this not quite grand tree is a small plant with just a few leaves, and small blossoms looking down, also some small berries.  This little shrub seems somehow fascinating.  Approaching, a sweet fragrance rises shyly from the sad blossoms and the small berries have a delicious flavor.  Its few leaves hold the promise of healing. 

Sadly I long for someone to come and care for the garden.  It was clearly intended to be beautiful and health giving.  Someone is standing beside me in the garden, and for a time stands, surveys and quietly weeps.  He tells me that he is the gardener and that he can help with my permission.  Somewhat confused, I gladly give him whatever permission he thinks he needs from me.  

Very soon he gets to work cleaning and clearing the path to the center and the two plants we have seen. Once the path is clear, wide and smooth, he begins working on the larger tree, pruning away many of the larger branches.  Sometimes as he cuts at a larger branch that needs to be cleared away to make room for light to shine in, I feel a pain in my chest. 

I ask him about this.  He smiles and gently tells me that the garden I am seeing is my very own heart, and when he cuts large branches from the tree in the center, those are the strong demands of my self-will.  So the pain is natural but perfectly safe, because he loves the garden and for a long time has longed for the invitation to restore it to the beauty that was intended when it was first conceived in the mind of the master gardener. 

I asked if I could help and he allowed me to help carry the removed branches outside the garden where we burned them.  They were a little difficult to get started but once burning they were very fragrant.  It was the same fragrance almost suggested by the flowers, only full and rich as the fire consumed the branches; leaf, blossom and fruit. 

After all was consumed we gathered the ashes and took them back to the center of the garden.  We cleared all the debris from the bases of the two plants, turned the soil and worked the ashes in. 

It was the end of a long day.  The large tree was about half its former self and although it looked sad, it some way it also seemed relieved to be carrying less weight.  As I stood looking at the larger though now much smaller tree, I noticed a sweet spicy fragrance that somehow seemed familiar.  Oh! Yes, it was something like the smaller plant.  I turned and looked and the little plant that had been shaded by the larger one was now getting plenty of sun light and the beautiful sad little blossoms had turned their faces up and were rejoicing with fragrant thankfulness. 

Looking around there was still much work to be done, but these two plants seemed very hopeful. 

The gardener brought bread and wine and we sat by the now smooth path, had our meal and spoke to one another about the garden and its uses.

He told me, “The garden you see is your heart.  Therein the center, the larger, unhealthful tree is your self, your will.  This tree should be healthful, strong and fragrant, with fruit to share and life giving leaves and bark.  But left to itself becomes tangled and choked by its own desires.  That is why the colors seemed false, the fragrance was corrupted and the promise of the fruit was a disappointment.”

“Now that pruning has begun it will begin to regain its health.  Actually you should see some real progress in just a few days.  In time the fruit will reappear and though smaller, will be sweet and healthful.”

“But I must caution you” he says, “That though it is you duty and privilege to care for this tree, pruning, feeding and providing plenty of water; you must never eat its fruit.”

I am confused, I don’t understand, please tell me more so I will know how this is to be.

He smiled and in the warmth of that smile colors became truer and a hundred fragrances happily attacked my senses.

“The tree that is yourself and your will bears fruit that is only for the master gardener and he will use it when it is fit for use to nourish and strengthen those who are in need.  But if you eat from it you will be consuming your self, and there will be no nourishment for you, but in time your desire will turn in and you will eat nothing else.  And so you will starve consuming only yourself. It is a narcotic!”

“Remember how the flowers had lost their fragrance and the color and shape was wrong though you couldn’t tell just why? Wasn’t it something like an old woman painting her face in an effort to retain lost youth, not having any confidence in the ageless beauty that a godly life produces? In the same way the fruit that appeared delicious was mostly water and the flesh weak and tasteless.”

“This is the result of your consuming this fruit.  In time you would have become sick and died.”

“But what may I eat?” I pleaded, “The garden is so undone?”

Again he smiled and in that smile I became warm and almost merry.“There are many healthful plants in your garden for your nourishment and that you may share freely, although most of them will require some care to restore their vigor so they can impart life to others.  In the meantime there is the small plant whose blossoms rejoiced when the sun was able to shine on them.  This is a tree of life, and its fruit though small and few for now is strong.  One or two berries will give you strength for a full day of hard work.  Water and feed it daily and be sure to keep the tree of self pruned so it no longer overshadows the now smaller tree.  It will give you fruit continually and the blossoms will flourish, smiling at the sun and singing with fragrant praise to the master of all hearts.”

“Never be afraid to share the fruit of this plant, because its roots go down to the very heart of the master gardener and his life supplies all you need and to spare.”

“What a wonderful plant, but you called it a tree and it is so small, barely a shrub.”

“It is small now because it lacked light and nourishment.  If you will be sure the tree of self and will never overshadows it, and give it nourishment and care for it, in time it will grow tall and strong; although the danger of being overshadowed will always be present.”

“How do I feed it? Should it be pruned? What is it called?”

The gardener chuckles merrily at my flood of questions. “Well, as to pruning, this is one of the very few plants that never needs pruning.  It will grow beautifully in shape, fruit and flower; with regular feeding.  As for its name and feeding, they are the same, at least nearly.  It is called the tree of thankfulness and it is fed when you offer thanks in all situations.”

“But I am always thankful for my blessings and the poor thing was almost dead!” I protested. 

“Yes,” he said, “and because you were thankful for the things you counted as blessings, it was not dead.  But were you thankful when, as I pruned the tree of your self and will and you received pain in your heart?”

“Well, no.”  I said, still not understanding.

“And yet,” he went on, “you now see a little of the good the pruning has done and how it has opened the way for more healing and life.”

I had to agree.

“The master gardener has only good intentions for each of his heart gardens, but often they become overgrown with self and will and the only help is a painful pruning.  Therefore, even in distress and painful times, you can boldly give thanks; confident that he can bring all things to glory in a heart where the tree of thankfulness is well cared for.”

The Gospel as I See It

This is an article I wrote because I am usually offended by religious literature because of the religious sounding language.  I challanged some friends to present a gospel message in 1000 words with no private christian language.  No one took me up on it but here is my attempt. 

In the beginning God spoke, and everything was created, by His Word.  He put the first man in a beautiful garden and gave him a helper that he called woman.  God gave them 2 rules.  First take care of this garden. Second do not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 Think about this with me.  If you eat something it goes into your body and becomes the stuff your body is made of, plus the waste which is cast off.  I think this has some spiritual connections.  See if you agree.  The tree of the knowledge of good and evil:  Could that also be taking into yourself the idea that you could decide what is good and what is evil?  That is sort of how I see the problem.  Because when man ate that fruit he began to decide what was good and what was evil, he had no more need for God.  That’s when his relationship with God ended and he was spiritually dead.  The spirit of God no longer lived in him. 

 At this time God had to throw Adam and Eve out of the beautiful garden.  It was too dangerous for them.  It was not punishment, it was for their safety.  So man continued for many years doing what he decided was good.  Sometimes he has done what he knew was evil, to get what he wanted.  In any case this has all been done outside of a relationship with God.  As long as man chooses to be the authority that decides good and evil, he is not in a right relationship with God. 

 Now God knows everything.  He doesn’t act to cause a lot of things to happen, but he does know what will happen.  And he is in the midst of everything.  Ok I cannot explain that but somehow I believe it.  When this great calamity occurred, God saw it coming and had a plan ready.

 Over the next several years God chose a man to be the first of a family who would eventually bring to earth the one man who could lead us back to a relationship with God.  The man he chose was Abram.  The Word of God tells the story of how this man heard a message from God and then bumbled around for several years and goofed up a lot.  Because he was trying to work out God’s promise.  Then when all hope was gone.  God came in and said, “Now I will fulfill my word.” Ok that is not a quote, but that is what God did.  He changed Abram and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah, and then gave them a son.  The son’s name was Laughter.  In their language his name was Isaac. 

 They only had one son, but from this one child God grew a nation.  There was a lot of messing things up by the men and women involved.  But God kept things moving forward little by little.  This tiny start grew into a great nation united by a promise from God.  They spoke of him as “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”  He was so mighty and frightening that they did not dare to call him their God. 

There are many wonderful stories of how God did act on the part of the children of Abraham.  They are written for us to enjoy and learn from in what is called the Old Testament.  These are stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (who was later called Israel).  There are also the stories of Joseph and his brothers, Moses and many other interesting men and women.  God worked with and through these amazing and amazingly foolish people to bring about the one who would show us the way back to Him. 

One of these people was David.  He was a king of the people of Israel.  He started out as a sheep herder, for his father’s flocks.  He also wrote a lot of praise music.  He was chosen to be king and did a lot of great things in Israel.  He also did some pretty awful stuff by almost any standard.  It is important to realize this as you learn the story of how God made the way for us to get back to him. 

 
God used men that we call prophets to tell all who would listen that David’s kingdom would last forever.  That is another way of saying one of his sons would be king of Israel forever. 
 
Several years later, in a little town outside of Jerusalem, a baby was born in a cow shed.  His mother had never had sexual relations with a man, but God had put the child inside her.  She was married to a man who was a direct descendant of King David.  It is very reasonable to assume she was also of the same family though not a close cousin.  They were told to name the child Jesus.  This name means; Salvation from Jehovah. 
 
Jesus grew up in the land of Israel as the son of a carpenter.  And he learned to obey by surrendering his will to the will of his Heavenly Father.  Because the reason he came was to do the will of God.   
 
Since the religious leaders were working at other things, they didn’t understand that this one was THE ONE who would lead them back to God.  They became jealous of his popularity and power so they killed him.  Their leader said, “It is right that one should die for the people.”
 
And so in their selfish arrogance they accomplished God’s will.  When men turn from God, death is the only result.  Jesus accepted that separation and punishment for us.  He Died! 
 
But God raised him from death.  A record of his life has been given to us so we can follow him and find the way back to God. 
 
I would like to invite you to join me and many others who have simply chosen to follow Jesus back to our Heavenly Father.

Today's thought April 9, 2011

Today I read John 12. 

In verse 47 Jesus is recorded as saying an amazing thing that I need to apply to my own life.  So much of what we have as his recorded words is revolutionary.  They won't necessarily cause a revolution in the greater political world, but if I take them seriously and apply them to my own life there will be a revolution. 

Here is what I saw this morning that is amazing to me.  Jesus said, "...And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not:..."

How often do I say something and then if someone doesn't accept, believe or receive my words, I put a label on that person. 

Jesus went on to say that his words would judge those who did not believe.  Because, he only spoke what he received from his Father.  So he was in perfect rest that the words were true.   That is probably a big part of my problem.  Many of my words are just junk I've come up with on my own, so in my heart I know they may be false and so I get defensive. 

So many places in God's Word we are told to not judge, and once again Jesus is the perfect example of doing God's Word. 

Let us continue to learn faithfulness