K.I.S.S.

I am a firm believer that we Christ followers have the knack of making things far more difficult than what they need to be.  You see, lately I have had some pointed conversations with individuals of the what they thought was the most important thing a person could do during their spiritual walk.  Some said that reading the bible on a daily basis was vital.  Others stated that prayer was at the top of the list.  And still others claimed that service was the key to a strong spiritual life.  To all of them my reply was, "No."  All of the things I heard; along with obedience, sacrifice and worship, are important but they are not the most important thing according to Jesus.  Jesus said that all of those things are good but without love it is all worthless.
The Apostle Paul penned an entire chapter on the importance of love (1Cor 13).  Jesus uttered the word love countless times during His ministry here on earth and said that loving Him and loving others was the MOST important thing any of us could EVER do (Matt 22:35-39).  Ultimately, it was God's love that sent Christ to the cross at Calvary...and that same love kept Him there (Lk 23:34).
Some may argue that yes, love is an important thing but it is not the only thing...to them I say this...if you take  your child to the doctor and they are diagnosed with a illness or disease it is likely that the physician will give you an list of options in which to cure your loved one.  Now my question is this, do you want to do several good things and hope for the best would you rather do the BEST thing and know that your baby will get better?  In my book one best thing always trumps several good things.
Bible reading, music, service, prayer...all are important. All bring us closer to our Savior and HELP to cultivate a deeper relationship with Him.  However, it is high time that we Christians learn how to live our faith lives by the acronym K.I.S.S. We need to Keep It Simple, Stupid.  Love God, love others...simple.  Otherwise our prayers will be powerless, our praise empty, and our reading fruitless...and that's just stupid...

What's the point?

For most people, especially Christ followers, reading the Bible is a significant action.  It is a source of comfort, instruction, and of knowledge. Moreover, to those who desire to have a deeper relationship with God, it is a way in which God speaks to us. But, I want to say something that may be unpopular and upset a few folks...
Sometimes reading the Bible, particularly the Old Testament,can be anywhere between difficult to downright boring! (There, I said it!)

I mean, with all of the begets and all of the sacrifices...a journey through the book of Leviticus or Numbers can be, at best, the source of dismay rather than comfort for many a Christians and, at worst, a source of confusion for someone who has not yet entered into a relationship with Jesus.  Especially, when you compare some of the more "technical" books from the Old Testament with the exciting stories found in Exodus, Samuel, or Nehemiah.

That is of course, until we realize God's purpose behind His word...

God has a reason for every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence, every word in His love letter to us. The reason is Jesus.  Everything in the Old Testament points to the birth, the life, the ministry, the crucifixion, the death, and the resurrection of Christ in some way, shape, form or fashion.  Every "beget" is to help us appreciate the ONE birth...every sacrifice designed to remind us of THE sacrificial Lamb, the setting of every law purposed to show us that Christ came to FULFILL the law and set us free...thank God!

So, the next time you're reading your bible and you are in a particularly difficult chapter and feel yourself getting bogged down and bored remember...the ultimate reason for every word written is now sitting on the right hand of God with nail scarred hands, nail scarred feet, and a pierced side...and He intercedes for us because we are as important to Him as the smallest word in His Word should be to us....

Who's schedule are you keeping?

We are creatures of habit.  We love schedules. Time lines and deadlines drive us.  And none of these things in and of themselves are bad...except when it comes to our spiritual lives and our relationship with God. 

I mean have you ever tried to squeeze in some time with God?  What usually happens is that rather than focusing on the Creator of the universe, we focus on the time.  Rather than worshiping the Master Builder we concentrate on getting "at least 2 chapters in".  We lose the closeness...the intimacy that God so desires to share with us.

Now, don't get me wrong...I am a huge supporter of time management and truly believe that we must schedule our days in order to be productive...but, how do we schedule time with the One who is timeless?  Can you imagine standing before God and saying, "Oh, I would have spent more time with you Lord, but You know how it is...I had meetings to attend...a schedule to keep."  Sounds rather ludicrous doesn't it?  Yeah, I think so too.

Schedules...we have them, and probably will continue to have them until we are united with the BrideGroom.  But, let's take a step back from time lines when it comes to spending time with Jesus...rather than writing that particular item in our planners, let's just go...sit at our Master's feet...and bask in His glory without worrying about time...from there our schedules will work themselves out...by His grace, according to His plan and in line with His schedule. 

Mr Fixit...NOT!

Okay, I gotta confess something...I'm not a handyman.  Oh, I like to think when there is something that needs fixing that I can grab my tools and jump right in.  However, what usually happens is that I fix something that is slightly broke until it is completely broke!  It's not that I don't recognize the fact that I'm mechanically challenged...it's just that, as a man, I feel like I can fix things without the aid of outside help.  When something is broken in our home or on one of our vehicles, my wife watches patiently as I go about trying to repair it...only to smile when, later, after much aggravation, a lot of frustration, and a little anger; I give in and call a professional. I frown like a scolded child as this "professional" comes in and not only fixes the original problem but also cleans up the mess that I made trying to do what I knew I was unable to do in the first place!
You know what's funny? Many of us believe that we are our own spiritual handy-persons.
We have a problem that presents itself in our lives...it's a problem that we know that we cannot solve on our own and yet we forge ahead with limited skill and even more limited knowledge and try to solve the problem ourselves.  We make the problem worse and eventually we too have to call THE professional...we gotta call God.  In God comes, the great Problem Solver, and He not only fixes the original problem but cleans up the mess we made trying to be spiritual "do-it-yourselfers".
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 that when we have a problem, when we are being worn out by life and the many booby traps that the enemy sets for us that we can come to Him.  We can give him our work order...we can ask the great I AM to step in and take whatever it is that is burdening us and step aside to let the Master Builder make all the necessary repairs.
So, the next time you and I have a spiritual problem or issue (and ALL of our problems are spiritual!),  let's call the One that is truly qualified to fix things up...you can check His references if you like....they're impeccable...

The church ain't...

You can hear it just about every Friday from someone...when asked what they are going to do during the upcoming weekend the reply is, "Well, Sunday I'm going to church!" I hear it and I cringe...I SAY it myself and I drive myself crazy!  Why?  Why do I get so bent out of shape when I say or I hear someone say that they are going somewhere that most people would agree to be a good place?  Simple...because of what the church ain't...
The church ain't...an organization inasmuch as it is a gathering place for groups of believers to worship God together. The church ain't...a meeting place for God, God is all around us and what about Matthew 18:19&20? (look it up!)  The church ain't a nice building with comfortable seats and great ambiance...Jesus preached in houses (Mark 2:1-11), on the mountain (Matthew 5:1), and from a boat to a crowd of people on the beach! (Matthew 13:1-2...very cool by the way) Yeah, sure we need somewhere to gather together...a temple so to speak...but the Acts 2 church consisted of a corporate gathering place (the temple) and then everybody mostly hung out at each others homes!  The church ain't some magical, whimsical place where all of our dreams come true...that would be Disneyland.  And most importantly...THE CHURCH AIN'T DEAD!
For too long we as Christ Followers have been walking around acting as though the church...THE CHURCH is no longer alive...like it is some type of inanimate object or lifeless organization.  WE are the church!  And we don't need a building, a denominational title, a particular doctrine, or a favored translation in order to be THE CHURCH.  Instead we, THE CHURCH need to get back to what God intended to be our first love in one Jesus Christ.  We, THE CHURCH, are His bride (Rev 19:7) and He is coming back one day for His beloved...His church...US!
I realize that many who read this will say, "What's the big deal?" and "So what...I call a building 'church'."  Well, the thing is this...as long as we see ourselves, THE CHURCH as inanimate, lifeless and dead, we will continue to act inanimate, lifeless and dead.  We will continue to miss God sized moments, as a body of believers, that might, if we seize those moments, hasten the return of our Bridegroom.  I, for one look forward to the day the He comes back...not for a building...not for an organization...not for a denomination...but us...THE CHURCH. 
So the next time you're queried about what activities you may be partaking on during the upcoming weekend, remember...we can go to worship, but we have to go as THE CHURCH.  After all...the church ain't a thing or an it...the church is US.

What are you doing?

"What are you doing?"  This was a question that I heard often from my mother as a young boy.  Typically it meant that I was involved in something that was so outlandish that seeing was not necessarily believing.  As a parent, I have had to ask my own children that very same question...sometimes as a preemptive warning...
I have come to learn that I have to ask myself, "Michael, what are you doing?"...as a way to gauge myself and my actions while I stumble and goof up in my own life.
As Christ followers it is a question that we should be asking ourselves on a daily basis...
Matthew 5:13-16 says that we are to be like salt and light, "...before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." In other words, we are supposed to be a seasoning agent for those who come in contact with us...making their lives "taste" better to them through our actions and words as we are guided by God's Holy Spirit. So to, are we to be like a light that shines brightly...attracting those around us to the one true Light, that is the Son Jesus Christ.
So...what are you doing?  Is the Jesus in you making the life of someone around you taste better?  Is the light of Christ drawing others to Him as it shines through you?  If not...why not?  Jesus called us to be a most potent seasoning and an illuminating beacon to all around us...are we doing that?  Are we glorifying our Creator or is our Father continuously having to as us, "My child...what are you doing?"

More harm than good...

Have you ever encountered someone that professed to have the same interest, common goal, or belief system that you had but they were really, REALLY bad at showing it? Didn't it just make you cringe when they tried to associate with you, to show your commonality, but did so in a way the absolutely alienated everyone around them...and you?
Imagine how Jesus felt...
I mean, here He is...Messiah, God-man, Savior of the world...on earth in the flesh to teach all with ears everything about Himself...yet the people who professed to know the "truth" denied THE Truth by their actions. The religious folk in Christ's day turned many away from the very thing that they needed most...the forgiveness, the healing, and the love of God. And they did so in the name of tradition and religion. All through the gospels we can read about how Jesus often wondered how much longer He would have to endure the religious leaders' ignorance.
Not much has changed though, has it?
Even today there are people all over the world that chase others away from Christ because of their actions...because they are more caught up in religious traditions than they are in having a relationship with the Maker of the universe.
How about you? Are you living out your relationship with God on a daily basis in such a way that people see the love of Christ in your actions? Are you striving to live out Jesus' Great Commandment in your life in order for Jesus to draw people to Himself? Or are you more interested in what translation of the bible others are reading...what denomination is superior...what traditions are being followed?
Back when I was in the military we had a saying. "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!" It is a saying that is applicable in every Christ follower's life as well...lead with the Holy Spirit as your guide, follow Christ in a way that others desire to follow Him as well, or get the heck out of God's way...stop, just stop, with all of the religious posing and let God be God. The latter being most important because the longer we stand in God's way, impeding His will with our own agendas and traditions, the longer it will be for His word to reach every mind, every heart, and every soul.
Let's start a "tradition" of simply doing what God leads us to do and let Him do the rest...how's that sound?

Like Father, like Son....

My youngest son is something else. He is a precocious, happy, energetic 7 year old with a zest for life that simply amazes me. He loves to play, read, laugh and talk, (go figure). Needless to say, his lack of a personal mute button does not always go over big at school...not to mention the fact that because he routinely finishes his classwork before his fellow students, he starts to talk about whatever is on his young 7 year old mind at the time and is deemed...well, disruptive by the teacher at times.
The notes that are sent home are often a source of stress for our family. Not that my son is violent, or acts out...the notes just say that he talks to much...which, in a classroom setting can indeed be distracting. We have tried everything to curb his need to express himself during times that are thought to be quiet times by other people. Scolding, pleading, demanding, talking, restricting privileges...all of our techniques work for a time but success is short lived and before we know it another note is written and the cycle begins again.
But, in spite of all of this, when I look at my son I see all of his goodness, all of his potential, all that he will one day be and I am overwhelmed with love for him.
I am a father...that's how we are...no matter what our children do...no matter how much they act up or act out, in the end we love them...even though we may not approve of their actions.
So too our Father in heaven.
He looks at us with nothing but love even when we are unlovable. He goes to any length to get our attention and to help us do the things that are right for us to do...our best interest is His only desire. Often when God does get our attention and we begin doing better...our success is short lived and before He knows it...well, you get the drift...
Being a father is the most rewarding task I can possibly think of...yet it is also the most trying. And I am the father of only five...with only one that still resides under my roof and that I am held accountable for...imagine being the Father of all...and being responsible for all...forever....
Think about that the next time your little "bundle of joy" comes home with a contrite face because of something they have done...then remember all of the times our Father sees the same thing in us....and simply forgives...
After all, that's what a Father does...

A question of "ance"...

We are a nation that just loves buzzwords and catch phrases. "It is what it is...", "At the end of the day...", "Facebook me", "There's an app for that", "Organic", "Text me" and well...you get the idea. Two words come to mind that, while they may not be traditional "buzzwords" they have been used like that for some time now...especially by those who profess Christ as Lord. They are: tolerance and acceptance. Many people use these words as if they are interchangeable but I assure you, dear reader, they are not.
Tolerance is defined as: the capacity to endure pain or hardship; or sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own; the act of allowing something.
Acceptance is defined as: the act of accepting: the fact of being accepted: APPROVAL.

In other words tolerance is saying that "I will allow you to be different even though it will cause me pain or prove difficult". Acceptance merely says, "I approve".
If we are to show others the love of Christ we have to stop practicing tolerance and begin practicing acceptance. My question is, which "ance" do you lean toward?

A matter of perspective...

"You're gonna get it when you get home!"
I think every parent has uttered that phrase at least once. It can be a phrase that causes extreme joy and celebration or strike fear into a young heart. It's a matter of perspective. It could be that somebody has asked to be treated to ice cream after having a very good day at school...or it could be that somebody has had a very bad day, behavior-wise at school and there is a price to pay for said bad behavior.
Romans 14:12 says, "So then each on of us will give an account of himself to God." Here is another statement that may elicit very different responses depending on one's perspective. On one hand, one could be overjoyed when thinking about giving an account of oneself to God...not because one is "perfect" but because the effort to be more Christ-like was a daily exercise. On the other hand, one could be petrified with fear...not because of wrong doings per se...but because there was absolutely no relationship and no effort to establish a relationship with the One that intercedes on our behalf.
So where do you fall when you read Romans 14:12? Are you nervous? Scared? Or do you look forward to the day that you stand before God with all of your "stuff" on display?
Now, I'm a long way from perfect but, you know what? I'm thinkin' 'bout ice cream...it's a matter of perspective after all...

Indirect healing...

Sharing our faith can be one of the most challenging things that God calls us to do. Nobody likes or looks for rejection but, when we step out and talk to others about our beliefs we put ourselves right in line to have doors slammed in our faces...to be told "No thanks!" Sometimes we have to realize that things aren't always how they seem.
I remember a time when, as a new believer, I was sharing my faith with a co-worker. I talked for what seemed like hours and pleaded with him to see things the way I saw them. At the end of the conversation he told me in no uncertain terms that he wasn't ready to make a lifestyle change and that he would greatly appreciate it if I did not share with him ever again. I was devastated. But then the most amazing God thing happened.
You see, a little while later a close friend of mine that also happened to be a co-worker, came up to me and asked me about what the other person and I were talking about. It seems he was in the next cubicle over and heard a great deal and wanted to know more. He was, in fact a little miffed that I shared with someone that we worked with and not him, a good friend. Well, 10 minutes later he accepted Christ! WOW!
We can never know how God will use our sharing. Sometimes the person we share with is not the person that God wants to reach at that moment. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 11:13, 14 that, "...I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them." Sometimes it is hardest to share with those that are closest to us. But God, in His infinite wisdom will use any situation to bring glory to His name.
So, the next time you are sharing with someone and it doesn't go quite the way you planned...look around, check the office next door...you never know who else was listening and is ready for God's merciful transformation...

Problems? Issues? Pfft...

Man, I hate hard times, don't you? I can't stand when stuff doesn't go right. I love smooth sailing days and easy livin' nights. But, life just ain't like that is it? Life is...well, life. There are setbacks, letdowns, and failures. There are illnesses, diseases, and deaths. Life can be hard, cold and cruel. I hate that about life.
Ah, but there is hope on the horizon...there is a silver lining to the cloud...
Romans 8:18 says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (NASB)
Now, isn't that just the most awesome piece of scripture! Nothing that we are going through...no sickness, no failure, can even begin to minutely measure up to what God will one day show us! That is something that we can hold fast to...that is a promise from God!
Yep, life is cruel...life can be harsh...but, for those that know the saving grace of Christ...life is just a starting point. And no matter how our lives are now...easy or hard..it doesn't even come close to how our eternity will be...'
I'm looking forward to seeing all of God's glory...how 'bout you?

All things new...

I love new, don't you? There is something about new that just absolutely exhilarates us. New clothes...awesome. New furniture...terrific. New car...oh, don't get me started. And here we are, right at the beginning of some new. New year, new decade. Wow. So why are so many going to end up at the end of this year exactly where they were in 2009 and every year before that?
In Isaiah 43:18,19, the bible says that God is doing something new. That's awesome isn't it? I mean God is always doing something new! But often enough we just don't get it. We miss God's "new". God even asks in verse 19 if we are aware enough to see His "new".
2010 is only 6 days old. For many, the new is already gone. For many, slipping back into the past has occurred or is occurring slowly but surely. But, that doesn't have to happen. God says that He will make a "...roadway in the wilderness..." and "...rivers in the desert." We just have to be aware and stand on His word that He "will do something new."
So...how 'bout it...are you ready for something new? This decade, this year...this day, allow God to do a new thing in your life...stop looking back into and living in the past...after all...isn't new amazing?