Watching the news is depressing and can be frightening. My first tendency is to react with fear about the future. But I can’t get around a couple of things that Jesus said about worry. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today”(Matthew 6:34, NLT) That is a true statement! But Jesus was not saying that my concerns are not valid or even important. He was saying that worrying about the future misses the point of what really matters. Living in the moment in the power of the Holy Spirit. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” The key word is need. I long for wants but our Father promises only that my needs will be met. And over and over God tells us another thing. Do not be afraid. Over 80 times you find the phrase “do not
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Hypocrite. There is no more damaging name to lay on a church goer than the dreaded title of hypocrite. Sometimes it is used unfairly. Often it is a smokescreen used by folks who want an excuse not to examine faith in their own lives. You have heard the line I’m sure. “I used to go to church but it is full of hypocrites.” The temptation is always to remind them there is room for one more hypocrite in the building. The more mature response as followers of Christ is to examine that charge seriously in our own lives. The word hypocrite comes from a Greek word that means actor. How appropriate. People are watching. And we too often give Oscar caliber performances on Sunday morning. They see that on Sunday you’re a saint and on Monday you ain’t. And that does damage. It is time to look in the spiritual mirror and drop the masquerades. If we are following Jesus it will make a
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Rich Mullins is still one of my favorite Christian songwriters. It seems impossible that it has been almost 30 years since he was killed in a car accident. His music is still all over my playlist and one of his songs is the subject of this Monday Musing. Mullins struggled in his faith journey and his lyrics transparently communicated his heart. “We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are” opens with this stanza exploring a difficult relationship. Well, it took the hand of God AlmightyTo part the waters of the seaBut it only took one little lieTo separate you and meOh, we are not as strong as we think we are. If only we could acknowledge that we are not as strong as we think we are and then live in faith accordingly we would see an amazing difference. We need God and community to be spiritually and emotionally healthy. Yet pride tells me that I am able to handle the
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Valuing everyone is how Jesus lived. He modeled that value with women, children, people with physical and mental challenges, lepers, social outcasts, and sinners. He served the weak and loved the unloved. He created the template for the New Testament church. How did the early church explode and multiply against all odds? By serving selflessly, recklessly, and fearlessly. There was nothing comfortable about spreading the news about Jesus in the days, months, and years after His resurrection. The Apostles understood after the Cross what Jesus had been trying to tell them earlier. That the world measures greatness on an entirely different scale from the one that God uses. Remember that debate among the apostles? They had the criteria for greatness completely wrong. They began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’
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Every day I am gifted with 86,400 seconds of precious time. I cannot possibly use all of it wisely. But I can invest more of that daily gift into my relationships with God and others. I can’t draw interest on unused time to be used later. Time is far more valuable than the money we so doggedly pursue. I can lose all my money and make more later. But if I lose my time, it is gone forever. Solomon actually beat me to this message by about three thousand years, give or take. He decided that, all things considered, the best way to live is to enjoy the moment. “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18 NLT) Not to be maudlin, but that
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I love this quote from E. L. Doctorow about writing: “It’s like driving a car at night: you never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” That is profoundly simple and true. I think this principle applies to writing, living, and especially for navigating a life of faith. Life is like driving in fog. I wish I could see farther ahead on my journey, but the truth is, I cannot. I can see only as far as the light that illuminates my path. Because I’m a follower of Jesus that is all I really need to know. Christ, my Light, reassures me that I can (and will) make the whole trip in that way. But there is fear in the unknown of the future, and it is easy to dwell in the sad memories of the past. Not dwelling in the past is a huge issue to address on my journey to enable me
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The start of my faith journey was mired in legalism. Starting down that rugged highway led me to years of sadness, tiredness, and performance bondage. I think that is why the song “Redeemed” recorded by Big Daddy Weave remains one of my favorite descriptions of what it means to understand the redemptive gift from Jesus. Lead singer Mike Weaver wrote Redeemed while feeling broken and inadequate despite recognizing God’s presence in his life. He said, “For as long as I can remember I have always never felt like I was enough.” I can so relate to the opening stanza of Redeemed. Seems like all I could see was the struggleHaunted by ghosts that lived in my pastBound up in shackles of all my failuresWondering how long is this gonna last… I remembered day after day of agonizing self-loathing because I kept failing. I did not understand the mercy of Jesus nor did I believe I could fall on His grace. I
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