Shiny Toys

Today Andy Stanley said: The kingdom of this world is designed to distract you from what really matters.”

This reminded me of distracting a bored baby by jingling a shiny keyring to distract him. You know it works. Why should we be surprised that the same ploy works so well for Satan? He knows if we’re Christ’s followers, our souls are safe, but he can steal our joy and fellowship with our Father, diminish our obedience, rob us of time, hours, years of service to our calling by deceit and distraction. "You can go to church next week--a party like this is rare as a blue moon. "Everybody will be there for good, clean fun. (BYOB) No harm done." Warning: Distraction!                    

We’re too smart to be fooled, right? We’re not babies. Really?

Why are there football games back-to-back Sundays? Spicy, guilty-pleasure television shows? Why are shopping malls open Sundays? Why X-rated movies ANY day? For the first half my life these didn’t exist for mainstream folks, but mainly in the mind of someone bored or greedy for fame and fortune. Shopping for non-essentials on Sunday violated the “blue laws”, designed for workers’ day of rest and worship. Satan reminds us that watching TV isn’t wrong. Football isn’t either. Unless it steals time we should be using in better ways. That’s where Deceit succeeds (and makes millionaires of his people, but trust me, you can't take it with you).

Sundays families gathered after church to eat, visit, rest, take a scenic ride in the family car – together. Change is not inherently progress. Let's not fall for his shiny toys.

   1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
      3For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.  Romans 12:1-3

A New Car

                                   

Thinking back over the last 25 years, I have had the pleasure of acquiring three new cars, right from the showroom. Along with the title, I was presented with the Manufacturer’s Warranty, spelling out my responsibilities for the care of the new vehicle.

No one required any promise from me to follow explicitly all the instructions. I think they expected anyone smart enough to have a driver’s license and car insurance would understand that the manufacturer who built the car knew best how to maintain its safety and reliability. Read it or not, the car was mine. Following the instructions and suggestions was optional. Life expectancy and reliability of the vehicle was not optional.

The warranty was based on the quality of my care, my following the basic rules, caring and feeding the new baby properly: changing its tires, oil, well-baby checks at the dealership or other professional caregiver, routine maintenance and learning the unique features not included in my previous car. 

Consequences of ignoring the manufacturer’s manual was usually expensive in one way or another, when the vehicle required intensive care.

Same way with the Bible. Really, did you think it was just a “vanity-published book” , created by God to pat Himself on the back for His own amusement?

Consider that He is the manufacturer of humans in His spiritual likeness (which everyone since Adam has rebelled against at times). Consider that He knows you inside and out, front to back, head and heart to toes and wants to introduce you to the best way to live and become prepared for an eternal future with Him, warranty and all. Same as with the new car, following the Manufacturer’s instruction manual is optional; the result is not optional.

How to Get What We Really Want

According to Andy Stanley, everybody wants something, every day. Tomorrow we will lose interest in today’s “want”—we’ll want something new every tomorrow. Yesterday’s prize no longer sparkles. it no longer satisfies. Perpetual pleasure gratification is addictive but perpetual satisfaction is the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  

Simply put, I may want cheesecake today, ice cream tomorrow and someday to lose 15 pounds, but getting what I want on all my todays will prevent my getting what I really want—new clothes one size down! That elusive someday never gets any closer.

Andy says, "Lurking in the shadow of what we want is what we value. We never get what we really want until we discover what we really value, what would satisfy, keep us happy long-term."

We stay busy deciding what we want right now, resulting in a lifetime of chasing the rainbow and end up with nothing more than our most recent “want”. Pleasure is transient, joy and contentment happen over time. That’s why we laugh at the tee-shirt printed with the demand “Lord, give me patience and I want it right now!”  Down deep we have to admit that’s no way to live.

Something time has taught me over the years is that happiness catches up with you when you're busy doing something for someone else.

Faith and Gratitude

 What has God done for you lately?

We know God loves us. We've been told this from childhood. We accept as if we deserved it and may become unaware of His intervention and watch care. And since He is omniscient, we believe that He knows in our hearts that we love and appreciate His many gifts (beginning with our existence). So why is it important to acknowledge His role in our lives?

Let's look at this from another angle. You have a friend who is always in hot water, struggling to stay afloat, and who asks for your help. You quickly agree because this is your dear friend and you drop everything to assist in finding a way out of this current trouble. Your friend is grateful and you feel relief that all is well.

But before you get your own life back on schedule, your dear friend calls again; again you rearrange your schedule and rush to help. And soon this pattern is established; your friend seems to expect you to drop everything when you get the 911 call. And if you are not instantly available, you sense a little impatience or resentment implying that you are unfeeling and selfish, and a distance grows between you. Your friend begins to resent your failure to rescue and may even blame you for the latest pit he or she has fallen into. She seems unable (or unwilling) to learn how to avoid the bumps in her road.

You begin to feel hurt as you realize your friend hasn't taken your advice in the past and doubt she deeply appreciates your sacrifice of time and energy you have given her. You doubt she will ever stop depending on you to solve her problems. The gap in your relationship grows wider until she stops seeking your companionship; clearly the breach is beyond repair. Both of you have lost a friend. Do you really want to be the needy friend described above?

A little genuine gratitude affirms our relationship with others (and with God) and prevents our growing complacent, assuming that God is like Santa Claus, existing to fulfill all our wishes. For our relationship to flourish, love and gratitude must be expressed by word and deed—our willingness to heed His Word and testify to His faithfulness before others  who don’t know our Savior.

Also, gratitude shown before fulfillment of a prayer demonstrates our faith in His provision. In the story of the ten lepers, Jesus told them they were healed and to go show themselves to the priest to be declared clean. They began walking toward the temple before they saw evidence of healing. Only one of the ten turned back to thank Jesus before proceeding to the temple. Jesus's comment on this shows He values our gratitude.

Ten Lepers Cleansed     Luke 17:11-19  

      11While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. 12As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. 15Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18“Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”    

Why Do Christians Have Problems?

When things are going good, we forget we need God’s protection or that we need to return His love and attention. He may, gently or otherwise, send us a reminder that we cannot handle everything headed our way without His help. He yearns for our love and obedience. 

We’ve misbehaved, made a choice that carries a penalty which must be enforced, yet His promise is to go through our day with us, whether good or bad, easy or difficult, peacefully or in pain. He doesn’t punish us by sending trouble our way—the trouble we receive may be of our own making. “Do the crime. You do the time.”

Others, who don’t know God, are watching to see how we handle the same problems they endure.  God may use our attitude in time of trouble to get their attention. (Let’s try not to give them the wrong impression.)

In His greater plan, we may be bit players in His complex plan for someone else’s life. 

News Flash!!! None of us is the center of the universe, yet He is fully aware of every fleeting thought, our kindnesses, our failures, and all of us individually are the apple of His eye.

In order to grow confidence in His provision for us, He may allow Satan to test our resolve and faith, enabling us to exercise our faith muscles, strengthening our determination to fulfill His purpose for us without demanding He first explain before we consent.

We’ve forgotten we inherited Adam’s sinful nature. We do not live in Eden, folks. We live in a fallen world, where things go wrong, even if we’re not misbehaving. Our problems are not punishment; troubles rain on the just and unjust. (Once a man said this to me when he took away my job, along with several other unfortunate folks, and I thought at the time he didn't even look damp! But in God's time I was soon blessed with the best job I ever had and somehow, when I began work at the best workplace I had ever experienced, my bank balance was very like it was on that scary day two months earlier. God had been watching after all.) While Satan is free to wreak havoc in this world, evil exists and disease and there will be victims.

No matter what the reason for the tenor of our day, we must remember we are not alone. Our Holy Father is right beside us, His Spirit within us, to keep us from fear and failure.

It’s true this world is not fair but the next one is.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalms 139:16

Following Jesus, whether through blessings or burdens, has the same result: being conformed to His image.       (Romans 8:28-29).

Knowing God

Throughout my life, I managed from time to time to get a new glimpse of this great God who created me. Each new insight seems to overwhelm me for a time. Until I get used to this new kernel of knowledge. Before long, I seem to file away that new aspect of my Holy Father, and too often begin waiting expectantly for another crumb to drop from His table. In a way, it's as though I'm climbing a ladder, except I tend to doze off instead of reaching for the next level.

On looking back, I can see myself slumbering through daily life on autopilot when I should have been eagerly looking for the Lord’s next revelation and praising Him for the blessings already filed. When I actually take time to inventory the riches from His bounty, my eyes are filled with images proving His provision,

                                   His power,
                                               His passion
                                                           for His creations: a bird in spring bringing food to her hatchings, a bee who somehow knows to collect pollen from a flower which results in honey, a busy ant working in concert with its army as an example to me to be more industrious. These things remind me of His loving care and make me feel safe in His arms. I’m comfortable and familiar with this God.

Other images remind me of His mighty power and my heart thuds in my chest to see displays of God’s power: a mighty waterfall roaring over a cliff, a lightning streak burning anything it touches, crashing thunder vibrating in the pit of my stomach, a tsunami (thankfully experienced only through film), the nothingness left behind a tornado, the comets whizzing through space toward earth, which He diverts and saves our world while we’re not even aware of danger.

And yet most days I drift through my day, barely remembering to say hello to my Heavenly Father and forgetting, ignoring the great punishment this same God could have brought to me (which I deserve) and the horrific punishment Jesus suffered so I will not.

I startle in horror when I am suddenly aware of Almighty God. How dare I ignore His presence, His ownership of this world and its inhabitants? I cringe as I comprehend anew that this same God controls my very existence, my next breath of air, and His great love is equaled by His standard of perfection. How can I daily live as though ignoring Him is an option?  Our next world, whether a palace in His presence or locked away forever in an eternal fiery darkness, will depend on whether we honor and obey, or turn away from His hand reaching to bring us to safety.

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  Psalm 46:10 New American Standard

Notice He doesn't say exalted "by My people", He's talking about all of us on that day, believers or not prior to Judgment Day. He is a fierce God, an awesome. fearsome God to those who don't answer His call. Ready or not, judgment will come!

It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.     Romans 14:11, New American Standard

He says give me your heart now;  don't wait for Judgment Day, you will be left behind!

Hosanna to the God of All There Is!

Who, What is Your God?

 When I read that NASA sent men into space and back using a huge roomful of computers less powerful than the one in my cell phone, I started thinking about the intelligence of men and their choices.

During my lifespan we have gone from bicycles, cars, and single-engine aircraft to jet airplanes, the internet, rocket ships, and each innovator bringing something new looked at the previous generation as primitive, ignorant, out of date. I wonder though, didn’t it require just as much ingenuity and genius to invent the first wheel, wagon, or car? Or to progress from sign language to the quill, the first printing press, telegraph, telephone, internet? Each new invention was built upon knowledge of some previous machine serving mankind. And that’s important to remember.

Many scientists say man is master of this world; there is no God. They will tell you firmly, as if they were there, that the world just happened. No plan, no creator, just BANG! This wonderfully coordinated, complex, beautiful world just happened? I find it interesting that of the various branches of science, there are more Christians among astronomers than in any other field of science. They have looked beyond this world and have seen the vastness of space and its many universes, all so beautifully created to work in harmony and therefore many astronomers dismiss the big bang theory.  

Psalm 19:1 says The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Many people worship the creation rather than the Great Creator. They say man is the ultimate authority, in control of his fate. They say they can create life, meaning cloning, but that's not creating; it's reproducing/remodeling. Throughout my 8+ decades, I have learned to know and trust my Creator, my Savior, my Father in heaven. If I'm wrong, oops. At least I enjoyed the relationship I believed I had. Although, if I'm right, these other folks are quite probably in trouble, big trouble.