It Really is a Wonderful Life

S - Isaiah 25:1, 4, 9 (NLT): "O LORD, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. … But to the poor, O LORD, you are a refuge from the storm. To the needy in distress, you are a shelter from the rain and the heat. … In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God. We trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!""

O - The Lord really does have a will on earth (a "rumor" Jesus confirms) and that will intentionally, specifically and practically includes the poor, the needy and those in distress. The folks this world pretty much wants to exclude are those the Lord has specifically included, made for provision for and wants to be with him. This is another of the "wonders" of him and his love - he wants us at our worst, not just at our best. One of the astonishing things in this scripture is that the source of the difficult circumstance (poor, needy, distress) is not a concern or focus. It is not even mentioned because it is not the point. Inflicted by others or self-inflicted trouble, it matters not; all are still wanted, prepared for and welcomed.

A - I am wanted, he is control. I am unsure, he doesn't flicker. I am following, he is leading. I am little and weak and he is not offended one bit! This facet of the Lord's "too wonderful to me" activity is not only to be a consolation and inspiration to me about my life but about every life. Every life is wanted. No life is merely tolerated by the Lord. Every life is to be held in the hope of transformation … even my own. Wonderful!

P - Lord who really is too wonderful for me,

It is so refreshing to think, pray and then be recalibrated to live in this wonder. Today while it's called today, I get to hold all lives, even my own, in this wonderful and undeserved reality.

Steve

The Beauty of Christmas Light

S - 1 John 1:5-10 (NIV): "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

O - Christmas, the Kingdom come and the Kingdom which forever was and is, is all about the truth; the truth about everything, not just some things or primarily religious things but about all things. Its message speaks to all issues as they are, as they were intended to be and as they shall be … Christmas is simultaneously an end and a beginning, a struggle and a victory, a mystery and a simple, straightforward and unchanging message. The truth comes in flesh and brings unfaltering hope into all situations and circumstances. The truth makes possible the impossible. In our crowded, hurried and hassled lives every heart needs to prepare him room. The truth is that Christmas context is all about what's wrong with us and our world … the Christmas content is Emmanuel (God with us). The result is far better than the temporary relief and catharsis of confession … it is the abiding joy of assured transformation come what may.

A - I am not called to some truth but to all truth … and this is what makes real, full and lasting reconciliation possible. Light enables the walking (the fellowship with God and man) and light indiscriminately shines. This is how I am to look at myself, my God and my world. Most folks are willing to admit some facts/truth … Christmas calls us to embrace all the facts/truth … and this is where heaven touches earth.

P - Lord who is Christmas,

Yea, Lord we greet thee … to you be all the glory given. Thank you for coming into the truth of our sad world and dark lives. Thank you for loving us where we are and for loving us too much to leave us there. Thank you for not only calling us to the truth but for always being present there, meeting us there and at that very place for inviting us to walk with you into a transformed future.

Happy Birthday,

Steve

Refugees and Pilgrimage are NOT the Same

S - Psalm 84:5-8; 85:7-9 (NIV): "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah … Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. 8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly. 9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land."

O - Pilgrimage is a "hassle" on so many counts and yet is connected to the strength which is found only in the Lord. This strength is essential and exclusive - only one source: Jesus. Every human being is on a journey and all of us are in refugee status, i.e. we have no choice in the fact that we are temporarily on this planet. We are “forced” on to earth and we will be “forced” off. The pilgrimage of the Psalms is not identical to the refugee status of the human race. It is the willing engagement of travel, of transit, of a refusal to get too settled, of the volition to keep moving because one is NOT yet home (i.e. in their permanent place of residence). IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps and bridge embankments can become the settled places humans live by choice … as are condos, luxury suites and all-American neighborhoods. The pilgrimage which brings kingdom strength to bear is an intentional and consistent attitude of the heart; a mindset, worldview, an apparatus for life which one relentlessly pursues for the sake of love … of loving Jesus back and welcoming the Father's will and kingdom on earth as it happens in heaven. It involves many avoidable troubles, hassles, hardships and self-denials which the refugees-only of this world cannot understand. For those who so engage, they find that they do move from strength to strength and are a transforming presence among the refugees-only of this age. Refugees on pilgrimage are intentional and have a specific destination in mind … one they could never get to on their own and one they cannot miss because of the One who leads their pilgrimage.

A - Pilgrimage does not exempt me from all the hassles of refugee status. In fact, it certainly increases them from time to time and much of the time. There is a fairly consistent push to settle, to engage the lawful and deadly compromise of ending the pilgrimage and just holding still right where I am; a waiting which is not vigilant and degenerates from living into mere existence. This is true in all aspects of life. Intellect, spirit, finance, occupation, marriage, friendships, etc. … and herein lies the choking-out of the words of life (according to Jesus' parable of the sower - and he's the expert). A heart set on pilgrimage will keep one moving, growing and ultimately going from strength to strength and this how I want to live and must live. Pilgrimage requires a willingness to:
          1. Engage the unknown and previously untried (by me anyway).
          2. Intentionally refuse the intoxication and allurement of lawful things.
          3. Keep the person and personal nature of the journey before and above all else.
          4. Believe, risk, trust and give away.
          5. Admit more than a refugee status and to desire more than mere existence.

P - God of all and God of me,
I admit my refugee status is among the best this world has ever known and one I do not deserve. I also admit that it is given to me by you so that my pilgrimage would be effective and also enable others. I want to move from strength to strength. I want to come and stand before you in Zion … not only at the end of the age and my life (of this I have no choice) but all throughout my life as I follow you. Lord, help me know more and more how to live the life that is really life; to lose my life so that you will take it up again. Because of you and unto you I want to believe, risk, trust and give away; to not only experience your deeds but to learn your ways. I admit again that every Scripture promise is true and every Kingdom principle is eternal AND there is no formula - real life always requires you, Lord Jesus. So, today while it’s called today, I mix your promises with faith and welcome your will on earth (in me) like they do in heaven. I set my heart on pilgrimage and look forward to the journey because of your presence. Lead on, Lord I will follow.

Steve

'The Shadow Proves the Sunshine' - Switchfoot

S - Hebrews 9:24-10:1 (NIV): " For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship."

O - Copies and shadows are NOT unimportant, they are just NOT the point. Jesus is reality and he brings the realities of heaven to bear in the lives of all those are his - his by choice made possible only by grace. The commands to worship, to believe, to follow, to obey all involve choice. Choice is a part of the copies and shadows just as surely as it is a part of the realities themselves. This, and this alone, is the only thing we are allowed to bring to the table of God's will on earth, in heaven and in us. God's end game is perfection … and we will never be able to attain this by our efforts … all our efforts are also copies and shadows (not unimportant, just not the point). Jesus is perfection and includes all who choose to join him in the perfection he alone is and provides. We are to choose, and to keep choosing, Jesus who has once for all done away with sin. The great snare of culture/religion (personal and corporate) is to make the copies and shadows the point. This is how we end up keeping the words and losing the meaning of God's written voice. As Switchfoot aptly observes - the shadows prove the sunshine.

A - We've been created, redeemed and called to live in light, in the realities themselves. We do this by living in the One who is reality. He alone is and makes perfect. We receive perfection and grow in it. The growing is the reflection of what we've already received. It is the shadow or copy, it is not the reality itself. Not sinning is good, it happens as we grow. Not sinning is not perfection and it is not justification and it is not right standing and it is certainly NOT life or living. It is a copy and shadow. Not sinning is healthy, it disables severe consequences and regrets. It sets a good example. It helps shape a strong character. It does not make one better than another or no less needy of the Savior. A vibrant faith in Jesus is ultimately all about presence and not performance. As Paul says, even if I know nothing against myself this is not what justifies me; and again, if righteousness can be gained by observing the law then Christ died for nothing. The not sinning is seen, the vibrant faith in Jesus is unseen. With perfection as the only end game God wants, I have no hope apart from the personal and consistent intervention and interface with Jesus. He has called all and commands all to choose him back. I choose him back unto his perfection and to unutterable and exalted joy in him.

P - You Who Are Reality, Dear Jesus,

I CHOOSE YOU BACK! O Lord, I want you to be everything in me you desire to be. I thank you for including me/us in your perfection and for allowing us to grow in it at the same time. I want to live out loud your greatness and goodness. I do not want to make the shadows, reflections and copies the point … I do not want to keep the words and lose the meaning. Lord, all of this needs to work and live in me in the context of today while it is called today. O King let me do this, live this and in this living make you glad and bring you glory. Today is all I have and according to you all I need. Lord I believe, please help my unbelief.

Turning into heavenly sunshine,

Steve

Ask for Anything

S - Philippians 2:1-4 (NLT): "Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing."

O - Much is said about agreement when seeking God's help and answers to our prayers/needs. This focus comes to us directly from the mouth of Jesus who said (Matthew 18:19-20 NLT): "I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them." A miscue often happens at this point which Philippians 2 helps us overcome and avoid. The agreement is not so much about a goal desired or an accomplishment completed. The agreement is not merely about what we want but more about how we live. The attributes of agreement include (require):
1. Loving each other.
2. Working together (interdependent never independent).
3. Refusing to be selfish even about "good causes".
4. Not living to make a good impression on others.
5. Humility by considering others better (more important) than yourself.
6. A genuine interest and involvement in others and what they are doing.
I think this is the agreement Jesus is referencing and this is the agreement that welcomes heaven to earth deepening encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness and sympathetic hearts … O yes, and awesome answers to anything.

A - There is not much in this list of attributes which seems to be working even when churches, ministries and believers "agree". We tend to tolerate each other at best, invite in only those who have stuff we want, insist on maintaining control, put ourselves forward to make a good impression, look down on all who don't think we're really "hitting the ball" and only pretend to listen and care so that others will listen to us as we make our pitch. This is how we're groomed by our culture (secular and religious) and this is exactly what Jesus wants to crucify in me. He doesn't want me to network he wants me to love. If I do not love I am nothing (literally - not even one thing). It's interesting that Jesus never told the disciples to work harder. He did tell them to love more. I'm going to work/live Jesus' list via Paul rather than the list via culture. I'll keep my heart and life open to any who will agree.

P - Lord who is Awesome,

I praise you for this day and this assignment concerning agreement. Thank you for always letting us ask anything because nothing is impossible, too difficult or too wonderful for you. Thank you for insisting that your children live like your children. Lord, I'm sorry for merely networking when I clearly should have loved. I'm sorry for accepting the deception concerning agreement and the pressure my culture exudes to perform above all else. You will outperform any and all, but you will do so your way. Lord, engage me, enable me, to work with you rather than for you so that agreement will be the way I live with those you have given me. Lord, lead on.

Steve

Fearless Sparrows

S - Matthew 10:24-31 (NLT): ""A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master. The student shares the teacher's fate. The servant shares the master's fate. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more will it happen to you, the members of the household! But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear! "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows."

O - Sparrows capture the Father's attention on a planet where people are considered "throwaways". Frankly, Jesus was considered a throwaway by both the religious and political leaders of his day; and many "ordinary folks" agreed with them. Jesus' point is unmistakably clear: they will call you names, they will even kill your body but they cannot kill your soul. Their voices will cease for all die and since all die so will your body. However, the one who trusts, obeys, believes, speaks and stays true to Jesus will in fact never live or die to regret it. There are many sources of the fear which disable ones eternal future and only one source of fear which is life-giving here and hereafter. A part of the growth pattern for those who follow Jesus is to embrace the fear of the Lord (the wholesome dread of being disconnected from the One who loves us) and to refuse ALL other fears. Wise as snakes, harmless as doves, sheep needing a shepherd and sparrows who are fearless; the only real life on this side is all about life on the other side. Lose your life and find it -- keep it and lose it all. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

A - Worry gives way to fear and fear certainly inspires and sustains worry and both are directly forbidden by Jesus. I woke up last night once from a fearful dream and another time from worries. Neither were beneficial and both were toxic. I don't think Jesus is saying that we'll never feel afraid or have worry shove itself into our thoughts, emotions and worldview but rather that such exchanges are to be recognized for what they are, repelled based upon his instruction and refused because of his presence. This of course is easier to say than to do but it is very doable. Weakly and imperfectly I am training in this way. Having faced so many of these sources (and having faced them successfully) I would have thought that I would be better at it by now. However, new circumstances can create new opportunities for old enemies; and we're never too old to be afraid. In a throwaway world Jesus does not promise that all circumstances will be pleasant or conclude the way we wish. He does promise that all circumstances will be worked by him for good and that in the real end, we will live happily ever after. I need to start each day with heaven's opening line for all humans: with God, everything is possible; and I will believe the truth that in the end … we actually will live happily ever after.

P - Lord God, Father, Savior, Friend, Master, Counselor, Warrior and Shepherd,

I want to be among your fearless sparrows. I admit, confess and repent of my many fears and worries. Today is the only day you ask me to believe you and to mix your promises with faith. Lord, I admit I'm so unsure of all that I should be doing. Don't leave me to myself and my well-intended conclusions. Rather, I beg, I pray that you will take me by the hand and show me what to do and what to say. Lord, I want more than a career, more than a well-crafted existence. I want YOU. I want to be in the flow of your life and the work of your spirit. See my confusion, my inabilities, my weaknesses and my strengths. Let me be among your friends since you are the friend of sinners. Let me find the way to bring you honor whether I live or die. Yes, Lord … you know everything. Yes, Lord I believe that you are able to do this. You know that I love you. I will do whatever you show me to do and whatever you "make me do" with faith, thankfulness and to the best of my limited ability. Even when my best is little and pathetic I promise to give it all to you!

This sparrow is in,

Steve