Tag Archives: Christianity

Divine Dentistry

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“Freely you have received; freely give.”
Matthew 10:8

I am quite convinced that I have the largest sweet tooth of our day and age.  Or at least, I did, before all the cavities ate it down in size.

This also means that I’ve had a terribly hard time learning to share those sweets.  There are many times in my past in which I’ve been reluctant to hand out a few pieces of candy (single-digits, mind you) from the three-pound bag I was eating from.  I’ve repented for my candy-hoarding since then, but that’s how I was: I valued the various combinations of sugar and high fructose corn syrup so much that I was very selective in giving it away.  I knew the end of the bag was coming, and I wanted to make the deliciousness last as long as possible.

I’m afraid this mindset may have infiltrated my faith.  I have been guilty, at times, of being very selective in giving away blessing. And I think it’s because I’ve had a “The end of the bag is coming” approach.  In Christianese, that translates to a “poverty mentality.”  It means that when we don’t truly believe God’s resources are endless, we end up hoarding the blessing, fruit, favor, gifts, and power that come through a relationship with the Father.  But Jesus turns all of that upside down with this statement: “Freely you have received.”

Understanding the abundance of God is vital for our lives to reach their maximum potential in Christ, because we cannot receive more without first giving away what we have.  In this single statement, Jesus teaches the disciples that our eagerness and effectiveness in ministry is directly related to our understanding of how much blessing God is pouring out on us.  If we believe that God only gives a little at a time—that we’re reaching the “bottom of the bag”—we will be very selective when we give it out.  However, if we are aware of God’s overwhelming abundance and infinite nature, we will be eager to give it out at every turn, because we know that our hands can never be emptied of the riches of heaven.

We all have a spiritual sweet tooth that longs for the overflowing riches of a relationship with the Father.  Sometimes, we get “cavities” of fear or hopelessness that diminish the size of our dreams.  Satan might even convince us that we need our hopes pulled out completely.  But as we begin to give out of what we have—whether it’s a giving of love, of faith, of prayer, of service, or of money—the Holy Spirit fills the spaces, and instead puts a crown on the longing of our hearts.

Mission Shower

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“As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth… ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘and wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means ‘sent’).  So he left, washed, and came back seeing.”
-John 9:1, 7 HCSB

I wear contacts (or glasses when my contacts refuse to cooperate), but I’m not blind.  At least not physically.  I do sometimes feel blind, though.  I would venture a guess that one of the most common wishes people have is to know what’s coming.  In Christianity, that means what “now” is leading up to.  What’ve you got up your sleeve, God?  What’s on the horizon?  Why is this happening?  It can be from an optimistic perspective, or it can be from the depths of depression, but one thing is certain: we always want to know what’s next; how to get from “here” to “there.”

You might not even need glasses or contacts at all, but I’m certain that you’ve felt blind at times too.  When I read verses like Psalm 119:105—”Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path”—or Jeremiah 29:11—”I know the plans I have for you”—I am prone to frustration!  If God KNOWS, then why doesn’t he SHARE?  Why do I so often feel that I can’t see a thing in front of me?

I am finding out more and more that he does share.  Frequently.  The problem isn’t with him (it never is), it’s with me and my lousy perspective.  While he may not tell me the future, God is always more than willing to explain the purpose of the present through the Holy Spirit and his Word, and it’s in this passage from John 9 that helped me to start tuning in to the right spiritual frequencies.  This guy has been blind from birth, and Jesus puts some mud on his eyes and tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam, which is the Hebrew word for “sent.”  As I read this a couple of weeks ago, I realized something: that’s how spiritual blindness is healed, too.  Healing of spiritual blindness is found in washing ourselves with being sent.  We begin to “see” as we cleanse ourselves with the mission Jesus saved us for.

All of a sudden, every problem made sense.  The people that were the most bothersome to me became my greatest opportunities to grow in love.  The people that weren’t living by God’s grace and guidance became my highest-priority mission field.  Think about it; let the Holy Spirit wash your eyes in your “sent-ness.”  There’s a purpose that Jesus saved us to; everything comes into focus when we look through the lens of our divine destiny.  We function most effectively and operate most clearly when we look to God’s desire for our lives.  And without God’s purpose at the front of our minds, we are blind to all the opportunity he lays before us.

The best part of this story?  He came back seeing.  That’s what I want!  I want to come back from being washed with restored vision.  I just have to take my “mission shower,” and start living with the revelation that I am an ambassador; a representative.  I am sent.  And that brings both the purpose of the present and the function of the future into perfect focus.

Psalm 19:7-9 (Part 2)

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“The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes…”
-Psalm 19:8

  1. Joy comes through obedience.  The last thing on a kid’s mind when he’s getting spanked is, “I love my life!”  It’s probably closer to the opposite.  (And if it’s not…well, good luck to his parents.)  Discipline usually makes us frustrated and angry.  But as we all are expected to discover as we grow older, discipline is done for the future reward, not the present pain.  So, to be honest, we shouldn’t be confused in the least when we are failing to discover the joy of the Lord while remaining disobedient to His commands.  Does that mean He doesn’t love us?  Of course not.  What it means is that we are more aware of the goodness of God as we walk in alignment with the precepts of God.  The Creator knows His creation—it makes sense that doing things His way is the best way for us.
  2. Vision comes through God’s direction.  Contrary to what any mother of a picky-eater will say, carrots don’t really improve your eyesight.  And in the same way that being told to eat your vegetables “because they’re good for you” isn’t really enough to make you want to eat them, David knew when he wrote this psalm that being in God’s word just because it’s the “Christian thing to do” wasn’t enough to keep us reading it.  If we want to see what God sees, we’re going to have to pay a lot more attention to what He says (Ps 119:105).  In the kingdom of God, our ability to see is proportionate to our ability to listen.  It has nothing to do with our eyes, and everything to do with our faith.  And as we learn to listen closely, we will discover how to see clearly, too.

“We’re Doing WHAT?”

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I am not a war general, a scientist, a magician, a weather man, a sailor, or a counselor. But if I was chasing after a people whose God just turned my water to blood (Ex 7:14-21), covered the earth as I knew it with frogs (Ex 8:1-6) and gnats (Ex 8:16-17) and flies (Ex 8:20-24) and grasshoppers (Ex 10:12-15), killed all our livestock (Ex 9:1-6) and firstborn children (Ex 12:29-30), sent a lethal hail-fire storm (Ex 9:22-26), covered the land in utter darkness (Ex 10:21-23), and now had the sea in front of me supernaturally split in two (Ex 14:21-22), I would not think it a really great idea to pursue them. I mean, at least figure out how the sea is being held back before you charge down the watery hallway without any thought to an escape plan if the water stops doing this thing no one has ever seen or understands. I can imagine some of the comments being mumbled under the soldiers’ breaths in response to the one who decided to follow the Israelites through the Red Sea: “Who put him in charge?” “Listen, if I wanted to die, I would have stayed with the bugs and toads.” “Not to undermine your authority, but have you noticed anything strange about the sea?” “Wait…we’re doing WHAT?”

If you feel like you’ve been running from an army that’s out to enslave you or even kill you…and you’re not to the safe side of the sea yet…don’t forget that God is parting the waters for you. Don’t forget that while He may not teleport you immediately to the other side, He will make the ocean in front of you split so you can walk across dry and unharmed. Don’t forget that up to this point, He has been fighting for you and watching over you. And don’t forget that your enemy’s battle strategy is terribly stupid, and God intends on burying his army underneath the waves. You might initially respond to His plan with “You want me to do what!?” …but He will win victory after victory for you, if you’ll still your heart, silence your doubts (Ex 14:14), and just go!

Manifesto

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I will not live by feelings; I will live by faith.

I will not live by what I see; I will live by what I know.

I will not live for safety; I will live for significance.

I will not live to be right; I will live to be light.

I will not live in fear; I will live in freedom.

I will not live for my legacy; I will live for His majesty.

I will not live by my goodness; I will live by His grace.

I will not live for my story; I will live for His glory.

May we answer the call of Jesus and become a people set apart for the glory of God.

Fighting Fire with Bigger and Better Fire

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“A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.”
–Proverbs 21:14

I find myself too frequently trying to disarm sin without arming myself with righteousness.  I don’t know where I get this idea from.  It’s certainly not promoted in the Bible, which tells us to be properly equipped.  And it’s certainly not in any movie or book I’ve seen…no one goes into battle without a plan.  But attempting to fight off temptation without drawing upon the Spirit of the Lord is just that.

Solomon doesn’t say “Let the anger cool, and swallow it.”  He doesn’t say “Hide your malicious thoughts and ignore your evil desires.”  He doesn’t say “Give into your anger, and your journey to the dark side will be complete.“  He says to counter anger with humble generosity.  Because the truth is, you can step out of darkness without stepping into the light.  You cannot live the life Jesus has called you into simply by avoiding hell—you have to enter into heaven, too.  Fighting off temptation without stepping into righteousness is the best way to stay lukewarm.  So don’t fight the enemy with your weapons…fight with God’s weapons.

Fight greed with generosity.  Give.
Fight selfishness with selflessness.  Serve.
Fight pride with humility.  Honor.
Fight despair with praise.  Thank.
Fight hard feelings with forgiveness.  Forgive.
Fight apathy with action.  Go.
Fight with love, not with morality.  Don’t just seek to neutralize…seek to vitalize.

A defense of obligation is just an offense of jealousy or guilt in disguise.  Christianity isn’t about avoiding Satan—it’s about encountering God!  We will gain ground and grow in strength when we begin to counter darkness, instead of merely blocking it.

And never give into the dark side.

Sent Out (Part 3)

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“He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.  ‘Wherever you go,’ He said, ‘stay in the same house until you leave town.’”
-Mark 6:9-10

  1. You’ve got to be humble.  Jesus didn’t give His disciples the opportunity to assume they were entitled to anything…not even an extra set of clothes!  Humility is vital because it is the container in which our dependence upon God is kept.  Pride is one of the enemy’s most effective weapons…not because it’s more powerful, but because it’s more subtle.  The moment you become proud of the assignment given to you, or of the gifts God by His grace decides to bestow, Satan has a wide-open door to walk through and sabotage all that God has laid before you.  It’s easy to be humble and dependent on the Lord when it’s something you don’t have, or something you’re not good at…but when it comes to something as normal and within reach as having clothes, we’re rarely on guard.  Jesus showed His disciples how important humility is to be an effective vessel of the Holy Spirit with this command.  We’ve got to go to great lengths to protect our humility—because when we do, Jesus sends us out to do miraculous things!
  2. You’ve got to be dedicated and committed. Why was it important for the disciples to stay in one house the whole time they were ministering to a city?  Because dedication incubates revelation (Ps 46:10).  The call God places on your life needs to be nurtured and protected, and if you never stay in one place, you lose the ability to steward what the Father has given you because you have no solid ground to sow it into.  Jesus was emphasizing the importance of relationships and working together with others to bring heaven to earth.  It is only through unity that we will become strong!  Jesus also wanted to make sure that His disciples were maintaining integrity.  Being constantly on the move keeps the depth of one’s heart at a distance…but it is from the deep of our hearts that the eternal life of God flows!  By commanding His disciples to stay in one house, Jesus ensured that they would be held accountable for everything they were doing at all times—both empowering their testimony and guiding their journey.

Sent Out (Part 1)

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In Mark 6, Jesus sends His disciples out to do ministry on their own.  It’s the first time they’ve been released from His side to bring the love of God into the world.  This is what Christ calls each and every one of His disciples—including you, and me—to do.  But Jesus is very specific with His disciples about how to do things…and it’s not because He wants to make things difficult, or just wants to make rules because He’s God and people HAVE to follow them.  It’s because He was equipping His disciples to make the biggest impact possible!  And if we want to make the biggest impact possible in our world…our time…our generation…we should take a few moments to learn from His advice!

Before Jesus even sends the disciples out, there are two things we should be mindful of:

  1. The disciples had spent a LOT of time with Jesus first. They had seen many miracles, heard many parables, and learned from  many teachings.  They had basically lived with the guy who preached the sermon on the mount, and who was constantly saying to them things like “Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?”  He was constantly challenging them and encouraging them.  This is SO important, and rightly the first thing to mention, because you cannot go in the name of Jesus if you do not have the heart of Jesus.  Demons and sicknesses were subject to the name of Jesus…but it was because the disciples were too!  Until we have truly founded our lives on the truths of the gospel and have matured beyond spiritual infancy (He 5:12-14), we won’t be sent out like the twelve were.
  2. The disciples were commissioned to initiate, not just appreciate. When Jesus sent His disciples out, a shift of perspective happened.  They weren’t part of the crowd anymore.  They weren’t the observers.  They became the teachers, and the prophets, and the healers, and the servants, to everyone else.  They became the DOERS instead of the WATCHERS.  And if we are going to bring the kingdom of God into the world we have to commit ourselves to the cause.  You cannot wait for someone else to lead the way…you have to be willing to blaze trails yourself (after all, we were not given spirits of timidity…2Ti 1:7).  When Jesus told Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church, He meant that the church was going to invade—not the other way around!  We’ve got to trust in the Lord and unashamedly parade the gospel of Jesus Christ into the darkest corners of the world.

More on the way…

Why Are You Thinking These Things?

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“Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things?’”
-Mark 2:8

Jesus knows what you are thinking in your heart—and that inspires me to have better motivation for doing things.  It is far too easy to allow ourselves to be deceived by our own actions into thinking that we are living the Way of Jesus while our motives are infecting all those actions with impurity.  Motive can be redemption for poor results, and condemnation for good results.  So I’m praying that the people of God would live by hearts that have been sanctified, and not simply disguised.  My dream of that kind of people looks something like this:

  • People laboring for God because they want to make Him happy, and not because they want to make other Christians happy.
  • People praying because they want to know God, and not because they want to use Him.
  • People trusting God with their money because they want more of Him in their life, and not because they want more money in their life.
  • People seeking miracles so that God will be glorified, and not so that they will be satisfied.
  • People who serve “the least of these” because they see opportunity, and not because they feel guilty.
  • People who give things up because God is enough, and not because they want better replacements.
  • People who love because He first loved us, and not because they’re trying to earn the love of others.
  • People who are at peace because they know God’s in control, and not because they’ve created control for themselves and are camped in comfort.
  • People who share the gospel because they want the world to know Jesus, and not because they want the world to know them.
  • People who forgive because they want to free others with grace and mercy, and not because they want to imprison others with guilt and debt.

Would Jesus ask you, “why are you thinking these things?” even though you were there with Him, hearing all He was saying and seeing all He was doing? You have to let God mold your motive before you’ll be able to act with integrity and produce fruit that’s healthy and nourishing instead of rotten on the inside!

Being and Doing

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“‘Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act.’”
-Ezra 10:4

The Israelites vowed to be with Ezra…and for Ezra, it was time to get up and DO.

Sometimes life is risky, uncomfortable, surprising, wearisome, unclear, heavy, confusing, stressful, or emotional.  And it’s easy to overlook what other people are going through when you’re going through things yourself.  It seems to be too much work to involve yourself too deeply in the  lives of others.  You don’t have enough time to get what YOU need to get done, let alone helping someone else.  There is an emotional demand in partnering with the life of someone else.

But it’s time to stop overlooking.  It’s time to be with someone.

Be with them in their struggles.  Be with them in their victories.  Be with them in their questions and their answers.  We are called to love one another in humility…and humility is thinking less of yourself and making much of others.  You can’t solve the problem for them, but you can encourage them to arise, and to have courage, and to act.  You don’t have to put your life on hold and ignore everything that’s happening on your end of things.  But if you lead by example in being with someone and encouraging them to do what only they can do, not only will you bless their lives with the kindness and faithfulness of Christ, you’ll have at least one person who knows exactly what to do when you need someone with you!

Sometimes life is difficult, overwhelming, dangerous, scary, fast, exhausting, relentless, uncertain, or unexpected.  And it’s easy to come up with excuses for not doing what you know needs to be done.  There are some things that have been on your to-do list for weeks.  There are some things you’ve been doubting for no real, good reason.  There are some things that God has been burdening you with that you’ve been trying to ignore.

But it’s time to stop making excuses.  It’s time to get up and DO.

Do what you know you should have done awhile ago.  Do what has been keeping you up at night.  Do what you are called to do, even if no one else is doing it.  No one can live your life for you.  What is on your heart is your responsibility.  You don’t have to do it alone—the Lord is faithful to those who are zealous for His will—but you do have to do it.  Our God is a God of victory, and of hope, and of provision, and of redemption.  We have NO REASON to not go ALL OUT for HIS GLORY.