Hey! Ya' want fries with that?

I meet every Wednesday night with a great bunch of people...my Life Group. If you are in my Life Group and happen to be reading this...well....YOU ROCK! Anyway, tonight a young woman in our Life Group (she knows who she is...)made a very interesting observation....it is not an earth shattering observation but, it is something that we lose sight of often....we are a "fast food" society. By that she meant that we; you, me....virtually everybody, we want everything RIGHT NOW! Instant gratification, baby! Give me my stuff...the quicker the better! You know what? She is right. I mean look at our nation....every day we are trying to get what we want quicker. Efficiency has been replaced by speed. Manners have been replaced by "Whaddya have?". But, what ramifications does this "gimme mine, now!" attitude have on our spiritual lives? God certainly can perform 'right now' kinds of miracles...Jesus did it often....but, His disciples were with him for around 3 years before he revealed to them His true purpose in coming into the world....3 YEARS!! So what am I saying? Well...I'm simply saying that some things take time. Sometimes we have the same fast food attitude with our spiritual lives and it just doesn't work. God is constantly shaping us and forming us into His image. But, rather than trusting Him and being patient...we want to be Christ-like without the purification. We just refuse to understand, (well, maybe we do understand but refuse to accept) that shaping and forming us into the image of Christ is not an overnight thing. The potter doesn't sit at the wheel and crank out vases and urns in quick fashion....he takes his time to mold, shape and form the clay to be EXACTLY what he envisions it to be. Likewise, the blacksmith (are there any blacksmith's still hanging around?) doesn't grab a piece of steel and whack it with a hammer once or twice and forge a strong, long lasting sword. It takes much shaping, hammering, and sweating before the smithy is satisfied. So what makes us think that the Creator of the heavens and the earth would just blink His eyes and 'Bam!' we would be everything He meant for us to be? He did that once...does the name Adam ring any bells?....and look what happened there. The bottom line is this....we all have to stop this mad dash toward salvation. He gave us this wonderful gift...it is free for our asking...our check already paid. Stop treating Jesus like He is a cashier at our local burger joint and start believing that He is in control and bringing us all to a point where He wants us to be....Philippians 1:6 says, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns". We gotta wait, let our sculptor, God, do His thing...we are His masterpieces....but, we have to slow down...we have to be willing to forgo the urge to rush God...we have to wait and let the Potter mold His clay...besides...the long term rewards are much too great to rush and...too many fries are bad for you...

What's in it for me?

How many times have you asked yourself that question? What's in it for me? How can I get mine? Is this gonna benefit me or not? I have to admit that I am guilty of thinking these questions myself. It wasn't until recently that God opened my eyes to how wanting to ensure success for yourself was different from simply being selfish. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 reads, "For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. he alone examines the motives of our hearts". I had to stop and think about that for a minute...then repent for my past actions. It is not that I have ever been a "credit seeker", someone that is always doing things for a reward from someone else...I have never really been a quid pro quo kinda guy....but, I have to admit that there have been times in the past that my motives for doing something were self serving. What I didn't stop to think about is that even though the world may not see my true reasons for doing something...God saw and knew my motives. How humbling to have to go to God and ask forgiveness....humbling because outwardly some of the things I did for others seemed like an act of kindness...but, in reality, it was merely a selfish act on my part...just trying to get something in return. I am so thankful that God has given me the right perspective. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit has shown me that as long as my motive is to please God then no matter what I do it will help and improve someone else's life. I am so blessed to know that God loves me enough to correct me when I am wrong...makes me feel like exactly what I am...His son.

God is not gray!

I was doing my daily reading today (1 Thess. 5) and something occured to me. I was struck by verses 12-22 and how many absolute words were used; words like, "always, never, all, do not, etc...". It started me to thinking that God ALWAYS uses absolutes, especially when He wants us to do something or be something that is according to His will. God always gives us very clear directions. Where we often mess up is when we take the very black and white instructions that God gives us and smear the lines to make them gray, especially when God calls for us to step out of our comfort zones and do something that we would otherwise avoid if left to our own devices. But, you see, that is the thing...God isn't gray. God is technicolor. He is the sunrise and sunset in all its splendor. He is all the beauty of a spring day and a baby's smile...but, He is not gray. I have not yet read anywhere, in any bible of any translation, where God requires us to do something that is according to His will and adds a, "...if you feel like it" or "if you want to" to the request. WE blur the lines so that we can avoid doing something that might make us feel uncomfortable at first or so that we can shy away from beginning a difficult task or so we can fulfill our own lusts and desires. We blur the lines and then justify our actions by making statements like, "Well, if God didn't intend for me to do this then He would stop me...", (all I can say is that if you ever find yourself making a statement like that it is a good chance that you have smeared the black and white already).
Well, if you know me then you know that I have a phrase that I am rather fond of..."When it's God, there is no doubt". God calls us to be things here on this earth...salt and light...so that He may be glorified. He doesn't tell us to do this if we feel like it or if we get a chance...no...He simply says, "...Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone" and "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances", (1 Thess. 5:14, 16-18) and these are all absolutes.
So the next time you and I are faced with absolutes from God we have to be mindful of His absolute character. Christ died absolutely for us and it is through His absolute sacrifice that we are absolutely forgiven. And that is definitely not gray.