Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. (Romans 10:1-4, NLT)

I hate to admit it, but what Paul says here strikes a cord with me today. I may have the right level of enthusiasm for God, but am I directing it in the right direction? Am I refusing to do things God’s way because I want to do them my way? Am I clinging to my own way of doing things…including getting right with Him and walking with Him…or am I truly trying to do things God’s way?

Sometimes His way is the hard way. He doesn’t do things the way I want them done. He doesn’t do things when I want them done. Sometimes it’s not even about me–SHOCKING!!

At the same time, His way is so much easier. After all, Christ has already done the hard work…the part I couldn’t do myself. He has made me right with God. All I have to do is truly believe in Him. I’m going to work harder at letting go of “My Way” and embracing “God’s Way”…with His help of course! ;o)

I know it’s cliche and even a little lame. But it’s also got a seed of truth in there somewhere.

This morning I was reading in the second chapter of Romans. Heavy book…lots of deep theological teaching. Yesterday I finished the first chapter of Romans…a chapter far too many Christians use as a battering ram for some of the most controversial social topics in our day (you can read it for yourself to figure out which topic(s) I’m referring to).

The problem is that too many of these “well meaning” Christ-followers (myself included at times) don’t continue reading on into chapter two. Instead they start using Romans 1 as a sledgehammer on someone else. So what does Romans 2 say?

Just this…

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. (Romans 2:1, NLT)

Ouch…and oops! Consider me guilty as charged. I have no excuse. I’m in the same boat as everyone else…guilty of disobeying God and falling far short of His holiness. I mess up all the time. I think I’ve got life figured out and then I mess it all up. Thank goodness that Paul doesn’t stop with the lines above, but continues…

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that this kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (Romans 2:4, NLT)

Thank goodness for God’s patience, kindness, and tolerance with me. I certainly need it. Maybe I’ll put down the sledgehammer and turn to Him a little more often.

Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”

(Luke 5:36-39, NLT)

For the longest time I struggled with what Jesus was saying with all the discussion about new patched, old patches, new wineskins, and old wineskins. I understand now that He’s talking about the new kind of relationship He was ushering in. No longer where God and His children going to be separated. Jesus came to bring something new…a close, personal relationships with Him. He’s the new patch and the new wine. And he doesn’t fit into the old way of doing things (Law, Pharisaical ways, our old thinking, etc.). It was brand new and He was bringing an entirely new package to us…wine and wineskins.

So why do I bring all this up? What’s new for me today?

That last sentence: “But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”

Jesus is talking about us being set in our ways. Too often we can’t accept His new way because we’re too used to the old way…our way. I don’t want to be one of these people Jesus us talking about who think “the old is just fine”. It’s not just fine. Jesus’ way is so much better than my way…but am I too afraid to give it a try (even when others tell me how good it is)?

I want the new wine. I want the new patch.

I want Jesus.

But largely we think about this phrase in terms of other people. This is especially true for those of us who are trying our best to follow Christ. We look at those around us who don’t seem to want to follow Him and may conclude that their hearts are simply too hard. And that may very well be the case…but we must be careful about casting stones. Sometimes the stones we throw bounce right off those hard hearts and hit us squarely in the forehead.

Let me give you an example from Scripture:

[The disciples] were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. (Mark 6:50-52, NLT)

Jesus had just fed well over 15,000 people (the 5,000 only counted the men in the crowd) with just a few loaves of bread an some fish scraps. They head out in a boat, get caught in a storm, and see Jesus walking on water to help them out. They freak out…understandable. But it isn’t their reaction to the walking on water that Mark says they didn’t understand.

Mark says they still don’t understand the feeding of the crowds…the miracle of the loaves. Why? Did they not understand because the physics don’t make sense? Did they not understand because too much was happening all at once? None of the above. These spiritual giants, men chosen by Jesus Himself, didn’t understand because “their hearts were too hard to take it in”. They weren’t ready…their hearts hadn’t been softened enough. They couldn’t yet take something like that in.

I think I’ve been there…might be there right now. My heart is way too hard at times to take in what God wants me to take it…much less what He’s done. Between my hard hearts and my faithless attitude it’s a wonder He ever gets anything done with me. Thank goodness His power overcomes my weakness! Hard heart and all!

Why do we not seem to celebrate key markers in our spiritual life much anymore (or am I just missing them). We have key holidays such as Easter and Christmas, but those are quickly deteriorating into commercial enterprises. We don’t reflect much or spend much time actually celebrating what we’re supposed to be celebrating (they turn more into family markers than markers of our spiritual journey).

We need markers along our spiritual path to remind us of where we’ve come from and where God is taking us. They’re important. God has used them since the very beginning. This morning I was reading about the Exodus from Egypt and guess what we find? Markers…

This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: “With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.” (Exodus 13:9, NLT)

Passover was “like a mark” to the Israelites. It was established to ensure they would always remember what God did for them…where they had been. God established this particular marker because He knew it was important. For them. For us. But we don’t do this much anymore. We need to.

Several years ago when Anita and I took a spiritual retreat together to pray and talk about going back into full-time ministry. We stole away for Winter Park. We prayed. We talked. God showed up. There was healing. There was an answer. We wanted to remember that weekend so we agreed that we would purchase a marker…some tangible, visible reminder of what God started that weekend. And we did. It’s a little silver angel that sits on the mantle in our bedroom. Whenever I see it I know that we’re doing what God asked us to do. It marks an important event. When times get tough, the marker is there to remind.

We need markers in our spiritual journey. What are the markers along your path? What markers do you need set up?

This morning I read a story I’ve read countless times and have even taught and preached it: The story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-30.  (I encourage you to read it for yourself before you continue…with fresh eyes). I was positive I wouldn’t get anything new out of this story (great attitude huh?). I was wrong.

What I saw this morning comes after the rich man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (not a bad question, if not the best). And it comes after Jesus answers him by telling him to follow the commandments (not the answer you or I would give by the way). What I saw was in the rich man’s response to Jesus’ answer:

“I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” (Matthew 19:20, NLT)

What else must I do? Are you kidding me?!?!

Jesus answers this man’s question, and the man says he’s already done what Jesus says he must do. Walk away dude! Mission accomplished! You got what you came for. You got the right answer…why press for more?

Why indeed? Why did this rich man press for more? Why would he ask: “What else must I do?” He obviously saw that something was missing…that the answer was incomplete. I’m not saying that Jesus gave an incomplete answer, but that this man knew there was more for him. And he takes the risk to ask the next question: “What else?”

I typically read the result of that next question and feel sorrow and shame for the rich man because he walked away from Jesus. But he did ask the question…which is more than I do sometimes.

There was something in this man’s soul that yearned for more in his religion. In fact, he wanted more than religion…he wanted something real. He just wasn’t willing to pay the price demanded.

I want more too. I wonder though, am I willing to pay the price?

What else must I do?

I’ve been walking through the Book of Acts for the past few weeks. There is so much going on in that book. Good stuff. Stuff I always seem to forget, so it’s a good reminder every time I read it. And once in awhile I pick up on something I missed the first few times. Today was one of those times as I read the story of Peter being called to go give the Gospel to Cornelius. Nothing major here except for one small detail: Cornelius is a Gentile. (Insert gasps here!!)

Up until this point, Peter has only been preaching to Jews. He doesn’t even consider any other option. Talking to a Gentile is out of the question…much less sharing the Gospel of Christ with them. But God has other plans. So He gives Peter a vision to soften him up a little. And God gives Cornelius a vision to send for Peter. Both of them are obedient (good lesson there, but not for today).

Long story short: Peter visits with Cornelius and shares everything he knows about Jesus. Cornelius and his entire household are baptized with the Holy Spirit and then baptized with water. The Gentiles are officially invited to the party!

But Peter has some ‘splain’ to do when he gets back to Jerusalem. The other apostles and believers would like to know what Peter is doing preaching to Gentiles….hmmm?? So Peter tells them the whole story…and here’s where we get to my own personal light bulb for the day…

“As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:15-17, NLT)

Did you see it? It’s that last little phrase (which is now highlighted and underlined in my Bible): “…who was I to stand in God’s way?”

What a great question…and theology for life! Who am I to stand in God’s way? And let me tell you, I stand in His way far too often! There, I said it…it’s out in the open. I’m not proud of it, but it happens. I like getting my own way after all…and why can’t my way and God’s way be in synch more often?  ;o)  Why? Because I’m not God, that’s why.

So I’m going to work on this more. And it helps to know that even a spiritual giant like Peter needed a little help in this department (it took three visions and the prompting of the Holy Spirit more than once to get him to change his ways). That’s good company.

SO now I’m off to try and get out of God’s way…look out world!

As I was reading, one little sentence jumped off the page and I can’t get away from it. It’s a confirmation of what God has been teaching me over the past year or so. It’s at the foundation of His transformation in my own spiritual journey…as I’ve turned from religion to relationship. Here’s the sentence (this is God talking):

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. (Hosea 4:6a, NLT)

That right there is some powerful stuff…packed into a short little sentence.

The principle here? Knowing God, having a personal relationship with Him, is key to our survival!

Wow. If we don’t know God then we are already in the process of being destroyed…of perishing. It’s that important. God built us this way and if we don’t follow His design for our lives we’re in serious trouble. If we don’t know Him we’re in “deep do-do” (deep theological term!).

But the opposite is also true: If we know Him…if we have a personal relationship with Him…then we’re growing and living. Good stuf instead of the bad stuff. Again, because that’s how God made us.

Off to chew on this more…your thoughts and reactions…??

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, NLT)

So, that’s what I’ve been doing. We even talked about the verse and meditation during Monday’s Elder Meeting. It’s a short verse, but there’s a lot to consider here…plenty to mediate on. The first thing I noticed is that Paul is NOT asking us to take action, to do something (which is my natural inclination). He’s simply saying we should “fix our thoughts on” and “think about” these things. That’s it…nothing more (at least for now…perhaps the actions should only happen after the meditation and contemplation?).

Then I started thinking about these questions: What is true? What’s honorable? What’s right? You get the idea. What exactly am I supposed to be thinking and fixing my thoughts on? I struggled here. I prayed about it. I meditated on it (that was the point right?). And the answer became very clear…and something I would have missed had I not slowed down and mediated on this short little verse of Scripture…

What’s true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise?

Only one thing: GOD

He’s the source of all that we’re supposed to think about. He’s what we’re supposed to fix our thoughts on. Now, we may be thinking about His beautiful creation or some amazing piece of art or music, but HE is the ultimate source that we should be fixing our thoughts on.

So that’s what I’m working on now…fixing my thoughts!

However, there is a difference between “worldly sorrow” and “Godly sorrow”. Here’s what Paul has to say on the subject…

I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. (2 Corinthians 7:8-10, NLT)

When I read this passage this morning it took me by surprise…can’t remember this teaching even though I’ve read it several times. And it’s timely based on some of the discussions I’ve had in the past week with some people who are going through some pain and sorrow in their lives. Here are a few things I take notice of in this passage:

• God allows pain and sorrow in our lives in order to change us…it has purpose…it leads to salvation.
• Worldly sorrow leads to our death…spiritual death.
• The difference? Our attitude and reaction. If we respond with repentance then it’s Godly sorrow…otherwise it’s worldly sorrow.
• God wants us to have some sorrow/pain in our lives because He wants to change us…to mold us into the image of Christ.

Does any of this make our pain and sorrow easier when we are in the middle of it? Not likely. But it is an important reminder that our attitude and response in the midst of our pain will determine the end result. Will we allow God to shape us and grow spiritually? Or will we be stubborn and unrepentant and end up dying spiritually?

The choice is ours…