Decide Today

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ~ Joshua 24:15

It seems altogether fitting to revisit this familiar verse as we close a tumultuous year and enter a new one that holds unknown tests and promises. Like Joshua and the people of God long ago, we are about to cross into new territory where frightening inhabitants and faith-rewarding miracles await. Before we embark, we must decide to devote our lives to God and turn our backs on the folly of the flesh. 

I remember when I first made that choice in earnest. I had fallen into frivolous and foolish habits that pleased the people I worked with. I quickly learned that it was pointless and fraught with the potential to slip into permanent consequences. By the grace of God, I was untethered to others in such a way that I could not swiftly end my dalliance with worldliness. When I married and starting raising children I felt a deep compulsion to return to my Father’s house and I saw Him running toward me as I went. I put myself through every kind of rigor so that I could be a strong witness to my family and I learned that self-care and self-discipline would make me a better husband and father, and servant to the LORD. It was not a short, easy journey. In fact, it has taken years. But, I have seen the fruit many times over as I co-labored with the Spirit.

In those early days of crossing over from the wilderness into the promised land, I did some things that helped my family and me remember who we are and where we are going. Like Joshua and the people of God, I raised my Ebenezer stones of remembrance. One day, I printed the words to the verse above on paper and then taped them to the window of my front door. I looked at it every day when I came home from work and entered my home. It served as notice to everyone who came to my threshold that we had made our choice and they ought to know it before they enter. 

As I was a professional salesman at the time, I subscribed to the motto that “It ain’t real if it ain’t in writing” so I wrote down what I was leaving behind and what I was working toward. I Wrote down past hurts, burdens of bitterness, and words of self-hatred that lingered in my mind. On one auspicious, but private occasion I took those written words to a place of prayer and worship and consigned them to flames as I asked the LORD to take the heartache away with the smoke, In time, I realized that God was faithful and those bitter herbs no longer held their flavor. 

Beloved of God, trust me when I say that my efforts would have been in vain without the Holy Spirit and a precious companion, my bride, who supported and encouraged me. I’ve found that God is more than faithful to those who will trust in His promises and leave behind their old lives. I have learned to be patient and to think of life in eternal terms. As a born-again Christian Believer, I have the entirety of timelessness to work out my salvation. Nevertheless, I know that life in this time and space is far richer and more meaningful when it is devoted to God and redeemed by Christ. My senses and my sensibilities are radically enhanced by the Spirit so that serving the LORD today is more rewarding than words can say. I pray that you will know the same and more as you begin this new year. 

Think About These Things

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  Revelation 7:9-10

At this point in my service as a pastor of churches, I can no longer recall the number of funeral services I have been privileged to officiate - that’s a funny word for it, don’t you think? It sounds like I was the referee or something. Anyway, as I said, I don’t know how many anymore. I can say that they all included these traditional words near the beginning of the ceremony: 

Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restored our life. Christ will come again in glory. As in baptism Name put on Christ, so in Christ may Name be clothed with glory. Here and now, dear friends, we are God's children. What we shall be has not yet been revealed; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Those who have this hope purify themselves as Christ is pure.

It says that, when we die in Christ, we will shed the covering that Christ put upon us through His sacrifice so that our sin is hidden from God’s glory, just as God clothed Adam and Eve by the sacrifice of animals for their skins so that their nakedness was covered. Having shed our sin-covering at death we receive another covering that marks us as children of God by adoption through Christ. 

It is interesting to think about that day and imagine a new garment that we cannot wear until we shed the excessive weight born out of pain, suffering, sorrow, poison, and pride. Our eternal being carried the gravity of flesh and all the junk it collected through the years. When we arrive at Heaven’s threshold we will be directed to a cloakroom where we will be presented with a white robe we feel sure we cannot fit into. We will stand naked before a mirror that reflects who we really are. It will be the person God created us to be. It will be a reflection that we have never seen before because it will be the person God sees. 

It will take some time to learn to accept who we really are. It will be a continuation of our spiritual journey on earth, but without the heavy loads that our flesh absorbed and chose to carry. Stripped of these burdens, we will be ready for heavenly fitness. The spiritual journey will be accelerated and comprehensive in its outcomes. The world will fade from memory as we witness the reality of Christ’s Kingdom, seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling more clearly than we can imagine now. 

What’s more exciting than this? It is the coming of the King so that He can make Heaven and Earth one and the same. When the Lord’s great Day is complete the earth itself will be stripped of ugliness, scars, and contamination caused by sin. The creation will be made new and we will dwell in Eden again.

When temptation comes and we fret and worry about the world and the needs of our flesh, let us think about these things. When we look in the bathroom mirror and the voice of evil condemns the flesh, think about these things. When we look at others and think we know the true nature and worth, think about these things. When it seems like hell is loose on earth, think about these things. Then, pray and praise in Christ’s beautiful Name.

Embracing God's Will

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ~ Luke 2:1

There have been numerous times throughout history when ordinary people lived under oppressive regimes. In fact, a survey of human history reveals it is more often the case. Oppression is the ultimate expression of evil that comes directly from Satan. When one views God as less than the primary creator, ruler, and object of his affection and devotion, it is called sin. Sin is about how one views himself in relation to God. Once a person has relegated God to subjugation there is a rapid descent toward the subjugation of fellow humans, especially those who don’t seem to support his ambitions. The resulting oppression turns into systematic sin. 

Joseph and his bride, Mary were days away from the birth of their firstborn child who was the Son of God. After Joseph dutifully accepted his commission as a stepfather, protector, and provider for his little family, he must have worked very fast and hard to prepare a place for his bride to live with him. His neighbors and friends had likely changed toward him as they whispered amongst themselves about his pregnant fiance and their hurried marriage. Despite the scandalous circumstances, Joseph probably imagined that things would settle down and somehow his personal problems would cease to be front-page news. Then, when their home was ready, He brought Mary there to live, though there would be no consummation until after the birth of God’s Son. Then, the great oppressor prompted one of his human servants to issue a decree that all persons would return to their ancestral home to be counted, just a few days before the baby was due to arrive. 

    The story is familiar to most of us so we will jump ahead to the days following the child’s birth and to the arrival of the Majai. After presenting their gifts and creating quite a stir in the region, they were prompted by the Spirit to return to their homeland via a more secret route. Similarly, Joseph was prompted to escape with his wife and child to a foreign land for an undetermined amount of time. Once again, the great oppressor inspired his earthly servants to force Joseph further from stability and peace. And, once again, he dutifully trusted the LORD and gave up the illusion of control over his life. 

The bible informs us that the little family eventually returned home and even resumed a “normal” life. A life of provision, protection, and preparation. The family worked, worshiped, and waited until God would reveal what was next for God’s Son. The last time the bible speaks of Joseph is when his plans are disrupted again as God’s Son, Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem after attending a religious festival. Joseph and Mary returned to the City to find their charge and realize that this time it is not the work of Satan. This time, Jesus has come into his own and placed his Heavenly Father above all else. 

Poor Joseph. A simple, predictable life was not to be his lot in life. It is believed that he died before Jesus reached adulthood because he is no longer mentioned in the bible. One can only imagine what it must have been like for him at the moment when he knew he was dying. “Now this?” he must have thought. “How will my family survive?” “How can this be part of your plan, LORD?” Then, there is Mary, thinking similarly and knowing she will live to see the pain in her children’s faces. She will see her eldest son take on the role of head in their household while very young.  

While we struggle with the seemingly endless disruptions to our plans, we will be blessed if we are mindful of how typical that really is in the life of Christ’s family. The enemy will constantly use his human minions to oppress the family of God and there will be times when the LORD will upset our plans for His divine purposes. What then, shall we do? Let us resolve to be like Joseph. We must dutifully love and serve the LORD without complaining. We must embrace the LORD’s eternal nature, perfect timing, and mysterious plans. With clear hindsight, we can see that Joseph and Mary were crucial to God’s plan and their faithfulness should be lauded. One can only imagine the things that Christ will do in and through us if we will keep the faith without complaining.   

Focus and Hope

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. ~ Habakkuk 2:3

I am currently reading “A Higher Call” by Adam Makos. It’s the story of extraordinary heroism and gallantry in the skies over Europe during the height of World War Two. I was drawn to it because of my life-long interest in history. I’ve been especially interested in the first half of the 20th Century since so much of my character is shaped by the generations of that era. It is impossible to succinctly summarize what I’ve learned about the cultural impact of The Great War (WWI) and the sequel, World War II. Suffice it to say, Western society started changing about a hundred years ago in ways that are very evident today. Our human minds tend to measure time according to generations, while historically significant events have a much longer lifespan. It is rightly said that “those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” 

It has been my honor to have known and learned from the elders of those generations. I have gleaned much about everything from trench warfare, the Spanish Flu, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, naval, airborne, and ground combat, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and more from the people who lived through it whether as civilians or servicemen and women. I am sharing this so that I can justify in some way the perspective I have on our current circumstances. In addition to the influences named above, I have been a life-long learner with a special emphasis on the Bible and Christianity. With all this and more in mind, I strive to encourage you during this incredible year. 

During times of “unprecedented” uncertainty, people live with daily trauma, which is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. Combat veterans frequently experience post-traumatic stress disorder that results from surviving long periods of high stress and anxiety that forced them to focus on a moment-by-moment basis while chaos reigned around them. There is no sense of normality and no way to know what tomorrow will bring. In effect, PTSD is preceded by MID-traumatic stress disorder (disorder = chaos). If this condition seems familiar, it is because we are living with similar stressors.

 How do people survive and thrive during very difficult times? Most will tell you that the intense focus upon the immediate issues takes away the burden of overthinking things that can not be predicted, such as whether one will live or die. The main thing is to deal with the matters at hand. During random downtimes, one can afford to think about the future, but only as an abstract hope without a definite arrival time. It is a mindset of focus and hope. 

Today’s verse is from one of the prophets of the Babylonian exile period of first covenant history. Habakkuk experienced his people’s trauma as they saw their Temple destroyed, the holy city in ruins, and their people dispersed across the continent. It was for them an “unprecedented” time of uncertainty and chaos. Yet, Habakkuk received and shared messages of focus and hope. He plainly stated that, while some would not see redemption in their lifetime, there would be a day to look forward to. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 

If we, the short-lived and generationally-minded, have trouble comprehending history’s multi-generational events and consequences, then it must be so much harder to grasp the LORD’s millennial movement that is directed from outside of space-time as we know it. The truth is, it takes faith. “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) In other words, focus and hope. Faith is found in one’s heart and is only truly known to him or her, and the LORD. It will not remove trauma, or make one cheerfully endure it, but it is the real sense that the circumstances are a brief moment of discomfort in an eternal life that culminates in the LORD’s fulfilled plan and the consummation of the LORD’s relationship with the LORD’s creation. 

Whatever you confront, whether mildly disconcerting or downright traumatic, deal with it and then focus on the revelation [that] awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. There is a time coming when things will not be as they presently are.