God Will Not Forget

After dinner as I was reading a friend's ministry newsletter, I noticed the verse she'd put on top of it: "God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them" Hebrews 6:10. It ministered to me as I sometimes think our care of Audrey is unnoticed and unthanked. We do have many friends and family who support us and express their respect but I still must remember that God knows.

As I'm reading, I hear Audrey with her walker come down the hall to me in the office. She walks in with a thrilled look on her face and says, "Kathy, I just wanted to tell you how wonderful your dinner was. I haven't had anything that good for a long time. I wanted to thank you. I'll have to do something nice for you."

I'm sitting here stunned. She rarely expresses heartfelt gratitude. And I tried to really receive it, knowing that within 15 minutes she could be angry again. But God's juxtaposition of that verse and Audrey's gratitude really struck me. "Oh Lord, help me to receive it as if from you."

Evangelism Insight

I was talking on the phone recently to a friend who used to live in our area but moved away. Now we rarely chat but when we do, I enjoy her company. This time, she was raving about her neighborhood friend who seems so "spiritual." They were having a garage sale and she said, "Kendra would touch something and put her vibes on it and within moments, someone would come along and buy it. She does yoga and she's so peaceful. She's amazing!"

My mind did somersaults trying to think of ways to combat a spiritual, yoga-studying, peaceful woman who was having an impact on my friend. When she lived close, I had the opportunity of sharing the gospel with her and she came to church with us, but it seemed like I never could get past first base to help her see God's offer of salvation. It was obvious she found her yoga friend more interesting.

A few days after our conversation as I thought about it, I realized I had gone down the wrong road. I was trying to combat something that couldn't be fought. But I could use my friend's spiritual longing to draw her closer to God. I was focused on the yoga friend and not my friend's longing for spirituality. Wonder if I'd said something like, "I think I hear you longing for spirituality in your own life. Is that true?"

I don't know what would happen after that, but I can trust God to direct the conversation if the opportunity comes again.

So I'm going to try to remember: don't try to combat something but instead, look to the heart of the person. What are they wanting? What are they seeing that they want? I might then be able to lead them to the idea that God can offer that to them.

(PS to self, remember the question, "What do you think prevents you from experiencing the spirituality you want?" And of course, I have to direct this conversation to God--not yoga!)

Sci Fi continued...

Last time I commented on an article and I appreciated this article because it was a little warning about something that seems very innocuous but could be dangerous. I love certain kinds of science fiction but certainly I'm not an expert on books, but I do enjoy movie like Star Trek and Star Wars--that kind of thing. So the article was a little wake up call about how sci fi does hold in own philosophy, although not quite a religion. And it has a definition of redemption. As Christians we believe Jesus is our redemption but sci fi has it's own.

Here's James A. Herrick's comment:
"The spiritual messages conveyed by our most popular television, movie, and literary products are often questionable and sometimes dangerously misleading. We are not the center of the cosmos, nor are we (or extraterrestrials) evolving toward divinity. Evolution is not the benevolent operating principle of the entire universe, and technological transformation of our species is not spiritual rebirth. Ignorance is not our predicament, progress is not redemption, the future is not salvation, and space is not our destiny." (pg 25, Christianity Today, Feb. 2009).

What is?
Sin is our predicament
Jesus's death and resurrection are our redemption
Receiving Christ as Savior and surrendering to Him as Lord is our salvation
Heaven is our destiny.

The next time we're watching and enjoying a sci fi movie or book, keep those thoughts in mind and let's not get swayed into other deceptions.

Myths and Science Fiction

In the Feb. 2009 issue of Christianity Today, there's a fascinating article entitled, "Sci-Fi's Brave New World: How the genre draws us to its own views of redemption" by James A. Herrick. Since I like science fiction (things like Star Trek and Star Wars), I was very interested in the article. First, because he defined myth as a "transcendent story that helps us make sense of our place in the cosmos. This common definition makes the Christian gospel, as C.S. Lewis suggested, 'God's myth'--not because it is fiction, but because it is a story that gives ultimate meaning. We live in an age in which new myths, born mostly of science-fueled imaginations, are crafted and propagated at an unprecedented rate."

The mention of myth took me back to my first year of college at Long Beach State University. I was a new Christian. I was taking a philosophy class and the teacher was an atheist who loved to put down Christianity in any way he could. He kept calling Christianity a myth and I felt helpless to know how to counter his attacks. Finally, I thought of something and with trepidation after he again called Christianity a myth, I raised my hand and asked, "What is your definition of a myth?" And he gave a definition that was something very similar to the above quote. It was obvious to me and the class that he had been trying to use the word "myth" as a pot shot based on misunderstanding.

I thanked the Lord for giving me that insight to ask that question. I don't remember if anything came of it but I felt encouraged to know that asking a person's definition of something and how they are using the word can sometimes diminish an attack.

More tomorrow about that article....

Keeping Unity in the Body of Christ

In studying Galatians 2, I found several ways to keep unity and encouragement in the church.
1. verse 1: Paul takes Barnabas and Titus along with him. He mentors them by including them.
2. verse 2: Paul submitted himself for analysis by the Jerusalem leaders to make sure what he was preaching was in alignment with what they were preaching.
3. verse 5: openness yet not swaying from the truth
4. verse 6: no partiality, intimidation or competition: Paul didn't feel intimidated by those who had known Jesus personally and were leaders in the church
5. verse 7: delegation and division of labor according to God's calling (Peter called to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles)
6. verse 8: recognizing God's work in each and every one in unique ways
7. verse 9: encouragement and approval through the "right hand of fellowship"
8. verse 11: when confrontation is needed, communicate face to face. Don't go around gossiping about what someone else is doing.

May we commit to these important guidelines.

"Lord, Don't You Care?"

The disciples were being blown off the lake--actually, they were afraid they wouldn't be blown to shore but that they would die when their boat capsized. The storm must have been the worst they'd ever experienced because these experienced and hardened fishermen were terrified.

And Jesus was sleeping in the boat without a care in the world! How dare He! Didn't He know their lives were in danger? What kind of Messiah would let them drown?

So they wake him up (Mark 4:35-41) and cry out, "Don't you care if we drown?"

"Don't you care?!" That is the cry of our souls that is at the foundation of our lack of trust. We reason, "God really doesn't care so I have to take care of myself. He's really not trustworthy; I must protect myself."

We know the end of the story about the storm but we don't know for our own lives--the end of the story of whatever it is we're facing. We're still being blown side to side by the storms of life and Jesus seems asleep; unaware; not caring--otherwise, wouldn't He rouse Himself and take care of us? He should solve all our problems instantly!

But Jesus is always working even when it seems He's asleep. Peter, who was on that boat, later wrote, "Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you." (2 Peter 5:7). He learned that truth practically when Jesus calmed the storm.

And though we wish Jesus would immediately calm every one of our storms as soon as He "awakens," He doesn't. And as we continue to cry out to Him, we depend upon Him and our faith grows. We see His strength being worked out in us and we see His solutions which are different than our own--and better! We resist the lies that sinisterly whisper in our minds, "He doesn't care--take care of yourself!"

"NO! Jesus does care and He is with me. He is trustworthy! I'll cast my cares upon Him."

Pleasing People vs. Slave to Christ

After spending most likely what was 7-8 months studying Isaiah, I'm now studying Galatians. I was sad to leave Isaiah. Such richness and wonderful insights even though it was in the Old Testament. Now, I'm sure Galatians will offer wonderful insights also.

First, I'm struck with Galatians 1:10: "Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ!" (NET Bible). Wow! Pleasing people negates my surrender to Christ as His slave. Other translations say, "servant" or "bondservant." Since I struggle with people-pleasing, I need to remember, that in that moment when I desire to please people instead of God, I have left my calling as a surrendered slave of Christ. So often we think of our "little" "sins" as just not that important, but people-pleasing is serious. I've removed God from the throne of my life in that moment. (By the way, I recently finished the book Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges (Nav Press). I recommend it.

Continuing on in studying Galatians 1, I was struck by 1:13-14: "For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors." (NET Bible).

As I read that, I could feel a real sense and memory of the feelings someone can get from advancement. As a speaker, I felt so good being chosen as a group's speaker: "they want me!" As a writer, I felt so good being approved when I received a book contract or the acceptance of an article. Of course, nothing bad about those things at all, but it sure becomes a sweet drink of approval and accomplishment.

I was so struck by Paul being willing to leave his success behind. I can just think of any of us who are successful and how hard that is to give up. We derive so many self-centered benefits from success: accomplishment (meeting goals), acclamation, approval, applause, possibly financial benefits. Oh, to give that up. Yet Paul says all of that is rubbish in comparison to knowing Christ Jesus His Lord (Philippians 3). He went from popular to persecuted, rich to poor, self-dependent to dependent upon other's support (except for what he earned as a tent maker).

Paul was climbing up the ladder of success, passing all of his contemporaries and Jesus stopped him on the Damascus Road and everything was different. Oh, may that challenge me to not put my worth into worldly accomplishments. As someone said, "You may be climbing the ladder of success, but at the top find out it was resting against the wrong wall."

Do We Bring God Happiness?

I know the verses about God delighting in us but since God doesn't need us or anything/anyone, somehow it seems different that we could make God happy. Almost as if in order for someone to derive happiness from someone, they need them. And since God doesn't need us, can we make Him happy?

But I found Isaiah 65:18-19 "But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness. Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again." (NET Bible).

Come to think of it, I don't need my grandson, Raffi, but he sure makes me happy. Allow a little grandma rejoicing here: we were visiting Raffi and his mom and dad last week, and we spent most of the time laughing. He is so cute and doing such darling things. He brings us such joy and happiness but he doesn't meet any of our needs (exactly).

So maybe that's how it is with God. He doesn't need us but He delights in us and we bring Him happiness. What a fun thought! I bet heaven is going to be fun! We'll experience personally God's delight in us.