For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

If you have used a personal computer for awhile you have experienced the dreaded ‘slow down.’ The pc seems to take longer, sometimes much longer, to process or retrieve information – it just isn’t operating as efficiently as it was designed to operate. People are like that too. No, I don’t mean we slow down as we age – I mean we realize we are not operating as efficiently or as effectively as we are able.

With computers there are many reasons why they slow down, not the least of which is the pc becomes infected with a computer virus that causes the operating system to lose efficiency. The human operating system can also be compromised with a virus – the disease we call sin. Remember, sin isn’t something on a list of stuff we are not supposed to do – sin is anything that interferes with loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength,

Sometimes computers slow down gradually and we become accustom to their reduced effectiveness. Then something happens and we realize something is wrong and we can take the necessary steps to fix the problem.

Sometimes we become accustomed to our own sins that prevent us from fully being the people of God. But God, who is rich in mercy, is working to help us realize something is wrong in our life. Then we can remember Jesus gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed God.

Maybe there is something God wants you to see in your life. Don’t be afraid to ask God to show you – remember He is rich in mercy.

Selah,

Alex

Is the Christian Faith Meant to be Personal or Corporate?

Is the Christian Faith Meant to be Personal or Corporate?

Yes.

Some writers can be so focused on the followers of Jesus fully understanding the fullness of a personal relationship with Christ that they seem to forget Jesus teaching his followers to pray, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Brennan Manning comes to mind. He is one of my favorite authors. His books Ragamuffin Gospel; Abba’s Child; and Ruthless Trust have been very helpful to me in my journey. Currently I am reading his newest book, The Furious Longing of God. His suggestion of a daily meditation focusing on the affirmation, “Abba, I belong to you” is powerful and can certainly be used by God to help people claim their true identity as God’s beloved children.

The Apostle Paul continually stressed the importance of the followers of Jesus understanding, appreciating, claiming and living out of their core identity as the children of God. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' is how he put it in Acts 17:28.

However, Paul also stressed that God has adopted us as his children so that we can live in community as we build for the Kingdom of God. For Paul, the clearest evidence that we are being transformed into the life of Christ is in our adopting the mind of Christ and become willing to live self sacrificing lives for the good of others. (Philippians 2: 5-11)

Rejoicing that we are God’s beloved is simply self indulgent if we are not living for others out of the Christ life.

And living for others without being grounded in the truth of our identity as the Beloved of God is tiring, frustrating, and lacking in fruit.

The Christian faith is deeply personal and lived and expressed corporately.

Selah,
Alex

Zephaniah 3:17

Zephaniah 3:17

Below are two renderings of Zephaniah 3:17.

First, from the King James Version of the Bible:

(Zep. 3:17 KJV) The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Second, a paraphrase of Zephaniah 3:17 from worship leader and song writer Dennis Jerrigan:

(Zep. 3: 17 Dennis Jerrigan) "The eternal self existent God, the God who is three in one, He who dwells in the center of your being is a powerful, valiant warrior. He has come to set you free, to keep you safe and to bring you victory. He is cheered and He beams with exceeding joy and takes pleasure in your presence. He has engraved a place for himself in you and there He quietly rests in His love and affection for you.

He cannot contain Himself of the thought of you and with the greatest of joy spins around wildly in anticipation over you and has placed you above all other creations and in the highest place in His priorities. In fact He shouts and sings in triumph, joyfully proclaiming the gladness of His heart in a song of rejoicing.

All because of you. "

Now, what if the second rendering is an accurate interpretation of Zephaniah 3:17?

If it is in fact an accurate interpretation and you believed it, how might your life be different?


Selah,
Alex

Grace Sufficient

“Grace Sufficient”
2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

Someone asked President Lincoln if he was troubled by all the parts of the Bible that were so difficult to understand. President Lincoln replied, “No. What concerns me are all the parts I do understand.”

That simple exchanged reveals two important truths. First, there are teachings of Scripture that are fairly straight forward and simple to grasp – such as love God and love your neighbor – that can keep us busy 24/7 for the rest of our lives. And, there are other parts of the Bible that are a mystery to us. If we are not careful we can spend more time trying to solve the mysteries of God than we do fulfilling the commands of God.

In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul says that he has a thorn in his flesh that has caused him great pain. There have been many theories as to what exactly this thorn was—so many theories in fact, that it is impossible to diagnose Paul's situation with complete assurance. But that hasn't stopped people from speculating. Google the phrase "thorn in the flesh" and you will get 316,000 hits. Some have suggested that Paul's thorn came in the form of Jewish persecution, or maybe that Paul's own remembrance of his past was his thorn; Paul's past included the persecution of the church which may have continually haunted him and kept him humble. Some even propose that Paul dealt with either carnal temptation or depression. Others suggest a physical ailment such as malaria, Malta fever, epilepsy, convulsive attacks, and chronic problems with his eyesight.

All of this speculation is evidence of our human need to try and understand everything that touches our lives. We can get so caught up in trying to understand why one person seems blessed and another person has a life of trouble that we miss the point Paul is making when he shared this part of his life. Paul experienced the sufficiency of God’s grace. God has promised His presence is always with us – through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives – and His presence is grace sufficient to meet every need of our life.

Someone said that a person with an experience is not at the mercy of a person with an argument. I think for Paul that meant that neither the arguments of his opposition or the difficulties of his circumstances were able to diminish the sufficiency of his personal experience in God’s grace.

In our present time Matt Redman has captured this thought in his song of praise, “Blessed Be Your Name.” The lyrics include these words:

Blessed Be Your Name;
In the land that is plentiful;
Where your streams of abundance flow;
Blessed be your name

Blessed Be Your name;
When I'm found in the desert place;
Though I walk through the wilderness;
Blessed Be Your name
Blessed be Your name;
When the sun's shining down on me;
When the world's 'all as it should be';
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name;
On the road marked with suffering;
Though there's pain in the offering;
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing you pour out;
I'll turn back to praise;
When the darkness closes in;
Still I will say;
Blessed be the name of the Lord

Selah,
Alex

“Dandelions”

“A man who took great pride in his lawn found himself with a large crop of dandelions. He tried every method he knew to get rid of them. Still they plagued him. Finally he wrote the Department of Agriculture. He enumerated all the things he had tried and closed his letter with the question: “What shall I do now?”

In due course the reply came: “We suggest you learn to love them.”

“I too had a lawn I prided myself on and I too was plagued with dandelions that I fought with every means in my power. So learning to love them was no easy matter. I began by talking to them each day. Cordial. Friendly. They maintained a sullen silence. They were smarting form the war I had waged against them and were suspicious of my motives. But it wasn’t long before they smiled back. And relaxed. Soon we were good friends. My lawn, of course, was ruined. But, how attractive my garden became.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“He was becoming blind by degrees. He fought it with every means in his power. When medicine no longer served to fight it, he fought it with his emotions. It took courage to say to him, "I suggest you learn to love your blindness.”

It was a struggle. He refused to have anything to do with it in the beginning. And when he eventually brought himself to speak to his blindness his words were bitter. But he kept on speaking and the words slowly changed into words of resignation and tolerance and acceptance . . and, one day, very much to his own surprise, they became words of friendliness . . . and love. Then came the day when he was able to put his arm around his blindness and say, “I love you.”

That was the day I saw him smile again. His vision, of course, was lost forever.

But how attractive his face became!”

(Anthony DeMello, “The Song of the Bird”)

***
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Cor 12:8-9 NIV)

Is there anything in your life that you need God to help you love?

\O/

Selah

Alex

LAW AND GRACE

The Life in Christ is rooted in grace. Grace as a way of life is completely different from the norm in our culture. Our culture is steeped in Performance Based Acceptance which is rooted in a legalistic approach to life.

Legalism sets a standard for excellence but offers no help to achieve that standard – only condemnation when you do not achieve it.

Grace also sets a standard of excellence – “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 NLT) But, unlike legalism, grace helps you achieve that goal – “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13 NLT) – And grace does not condemn when you fall short of the goal -- “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1-2 NLT)

Martin Luther wrote “Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want. “

Here are the differences between law and grace to help you choose whether you want to be free in Christ.

Law says do
Grace says done

Law emphasizes what man does
Grace emphasizes what God does

Law lives out of the flesh life (self Life)
Grace lives out of the Spirit (Christ Life)

Law draws on man's resources
Grace draws on God's resources

Law deals with externals: rules; standards; regulations
Grace deals with inner - heart attitude

Law's primary focus is: Ought to's; should've; have to; must
Grace's primary focus is on want to's

Law creates bondage, duty, and obligation
Grace creates freedom

Law lives from the outside in
Grace lives from the inside out

Law declares do in order to be
Grace declares you are, therefore do

Law produces guilt, condemnation
Grace produces acceptance, security

Law leads to defeat
Grace leads to Victory!

Selah,

Alex

"The Return of The Prodigal Son"

"The Return of The Prodigal Son"

Henri Nouwen, in his book, "The Return of The Prodigal Son", says, "If the only meaning of the story (Luke 15, The Prodigal Son) were that people sin but God forgives, I could easily begin to think of my sins as a fine occasion for God to show me forgiveness. There would be no challenge is such an interpretation. I would resign myself to my weaknesses and keep hoping that eventually God would close his eyes to them and let me come home, whatever I did. Such romanticism is not the message of the Gospels. "What I am called to make true is that whether I am the younger or elder son, I am the son of my compassionate Father. I am an heir. . . . as son and heir I am to become successor. I am destined to step into my Father's place and offer to others the same compassion that he has offered me. The return to the Father is ultimately the challenge to become the Father. . . .

"I know how much I long to return and be held safe, but do I really want to be son and heir with all that that implies? Being in the Father's house requires that I make the Father's life my own and become transformed in his image."

"... God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone . . . Nothing between us and God, our faces shinning with the brightness of his face. And so we are transformed much like the Messiah, our lives becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him."
The Message, 2 Corinthians 3: 16ff

Selah,

Alex