Have You Lost Your Heart?

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. - Psalms 139:23-24 (NASB)

The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. - Proverbs 4:23 (NASB)

So if sin has somehow become less sinful and that sense of amazement at His grace is a fading memory, how do I find my way back into His “good graces”? How can I again know the joy of God’s salvation? You would think that just “saying no” to sin would do it. Just exercise a little will power. Think positively. Think good thoughts. Be a good person. Do good things for others. Don’t kick the cat and yell at the wife or kids! Surely, if I just do right, think right and act right God will be gracious to me and love me one more time.

Unfortunately, this approach might act as a momentary catharsis and bring temporary relief. It might even make us “better people”. It doesn’t take long, however, to realize that we lack the capacity to sustain such an approach for long periods of time. Even if we do manage to turn over a new leaf, we find in our moments alone with ourselves that an “inner numbness” remains. We’re not as happy as we thought we would be. Something is still missing. With good intentions no doubt, we have mistakenly tried to clean up our act without cleaning up our heart!

Scripture tells us that the heart is the very wellspring of life itself. The condition of the heart determines the quality of life we enjoy. If the heart is weak, we are weak. If the heart is sick, we are sick. If the heart is healthy and strong, we are healthy and strong. Oh, and before we go any further, don’t confuse intentions with heart. Just because we mean well doesn’t mean that we are well!

Many of us have lost touch with our heart and in the process, have become oblivious to its true condition. Heart disease is the number one killer. It is a silent killer. Is spiritual heart disease silently killing you?

Begin today by asking God to help you find your heart. If you will, healing is not far behind.

Cheating Ourselves of the Grace of God

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." - Exodus 34:6-7 (NASB)

The tendency of the human frame is to lower the standard when the standard becomes too difficult to achieve. (We do this with our children all of the time.) It is our way of showing mercy and compassion. We mistakenly conclude that our failure to achieve is because the goal is unattainable. So, we move the goal to a more “reasonable” level. We lower the bar so that everyone can win!

This reasoning has the subtle effect of thinking that God responds in the same way. He sees our struggle to live victoriously and walk in purity and because He feels sorry for us and is so full of compassion, He decides to lessen the “sin standard”. What He once called profane now becomes holy and thus no penalty is due. No penalty? No guilt and shame. We are feeling good!

Contrary to popular opinion, God exercises His mercy and grace much differently than we do. Rather than lessening His requirements, He stands pat. He is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. The “good news” however is that He provides a way to deal with the just punishment that is due for our sin. He satisfies the demands of justice by standing in our stead and offering His life in place of ours.

I’m well aware that most people are very acquainted with the story. But somehow, I think it bears repeating. I don’t believe we fully grasp the fact that we have been cheating ourselves - cheating ourselves of the rich, ever-sufficient grace and mercy of God. Where there is no sin, there is no need for grace. With each lowering of the bar, the experience of grace is lost for we feel justified in our own mind. We effectively “trample underfoot the Son of God, regard as unclean the blood of the covenant and insult the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29).

Perhaps grace is no longer amazing because we are not (in our own minds) the sinners we once were.

The Recovery & Return to Sound Teaching

The Sliding Scale of Truth

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

- 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NASB)

Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

- 2 Timothy 1:13-14 (NASB)

As you can see, I have been absent for some time - a reflection of my lack of discipline for which I feel the necessity to confess. While I would love to know that the words posted here are a source of encouragement and provocation for others in their walk with Christ, they are at the least, a means for me to heed Paul's admonition to Timothy to " take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. "

I have been stirred of late about the matter of sound teaching and wondering if we have not fallen prey to the deception that Scripture often warns against. Amazingly, we acknowledge the reality of deception yet fail so often to accept the fact that it might have very well happened to us - individually and corporately. The standard of sound teaching seems to have found its way into each individual's understanding of "what seems right" or "what we wish were right" rather than the immutable, infallible Word of God himself.

One thing is for certain, God's standards are constant. The only thing about the standards of men that is consistent is that our standards "consistently move". Facing difficulty, cultural demands, and our own sense of justice, we continually adjust the standard according to the prevailing sentiment of the day thinking that, in the process, we are more liberated, open-minded, compassionate and tolerant than were our predecessors. In the process, we mistakenly think that God is behind the tectonic shift in thinking and has changed His mind about how He wishes us to live before Him.

I'm thinking that if God "hated" something in 400 B.C., He still "hates" it today. Unfortunately, I've found that there are some things that I have "hated" in the past with which I have grown quite comfortable. I am intentionally resisting my desire to "make a list" but rather lay before you the simple question, "Where have I given in?"

More to come...

If You Need Anything Just Let Me Know

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.  - Nehemiah 1:4 (NASB) 

Need anything? Of course they needed something! The destruction was so great in places that even a horse was unable to pass through the rubble. Mountains of crumbled stone. Smoldering timbers. Injured and dazed. Loved ones gone. "If you need anything, just let me know." Come on now. Give me a big, fat break!

To my shame, I have uttered those words more times than I can count, only to move on with my life leaving someone to pick up the pieces left behind by the storm or battle that just swept through their lives. It was obvious that they needed something, so why did I ask? Surely I really cared. Was I just at a loss for words and couldn't think of anything better to say? Perhaps I needed to sooth my guilty conscience. After all, I've made myself available. All they have to do is "say the word" and I'll come runnin'! (Just for future reference, don't make people beg. They already feel low enough as it is. And come on, when was the last time that you asked someone for help?)

Nehemiah provides a perfect example of how to handle the news of destruction in a friends life. He got involved - emotionally, spiritually and physically. And perhaps therein lies the problem. Involvement requires something of us. Here's a short list from this account that we can expect when we allow ourselves to become involved.

1. Grief - He wept and mourned. Scripture clearly states that we are to shoulder this load with one another. "...Weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15) In a culture where self-gratification rules, this is not a popular, nor easy thing to do. I've seen far too often that I simply don't want to suffer, don't want to be sad or don't want to feel bad. 
   
2. Identification - While there are moments of innocence, most of life's troubles are a result of sin. If not our own, then someone else's. In this case, it appears that Nehemiah had every reason to point the finger of accusation and say, "You've made your bed, now lie in it." Instead, realizing that he was really no different and deserving of no better, he accurately states in his prayer, "...I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly...".
3.  Intercession - I really have a hard time asking for help. While somewhat easier, I have a hard time asking for help for someone else. Especially difficult however, is asking for help for someone who brought their miseries on themselves. At what I feel is the deepest level of prayer, intercession essentially places us as the "go between", the mediator, the representative of the one we are praying for. Nehemiah positioned himself before the God of heaven "...on behalf of the sons of Israel". Such action is no small thing. It goes beyond the casual prayer or petition and reminds God of His covenant promises, seeks to know His heart and true desires for a given situation and pleads for His mercy and grace. It takes time. Thus, my next point.
4. Time - "...I sat down and wept and mourned for days..." Unquestionably, time is one of our greatest treasures and there is no shortage of things vying for it. We feel pretty good about ourselves if we manage to carve out 10 or 15 minutes to pray for someone, but days?Surely God understands how busy I am and will "hurry things along" so that life can get back to "normal".  Much of our prayer is ineffective because we fail at the point of initiation. We simply neglect to take the time needed to truly know the heart of God. "We ask and do not receive, because we ask with wrong motives, so that we may spend it on our own pleasures." (James 4:3) Fix it God so that we can get on with life!
5.  Risk - "...Then I was very much afraid" (Neh 2:2) Nehemiah enjoyed a very privileged and trusted position in the king's court and this peek into his heart reveals that his involvement came with a degree of risk. Kings were known to be finicky and temperamental. A head could roll if one wasn't careful. At the very least, his job could be at stake. He was getting ready to ask for a leave of absence for heaven's sake! Imagine asking your boss for a couple of months off to help with disaster relief in Somalia or some such noble cause. Obtaining God's favor is essential. "O Lord...make thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man...". (Neh 1:11)
6. More time, energy & patience - When it was all said and done, the actual work had to be done and no small task awaited the workers. Stones had to be cleared, smoldering fires extinguished, walls rebuilt and gates hung, not to mention the emotional and physical needs of the people themselves. Recovery takes time, resources and a physical touch from a loving hand. It simply isn't enough to say we care and leave it at that. "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" (James 2:15-16)

See someone in distress today? Don't ask. Get involved!

 

One Foot in Front of the Other

They said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire."  - Nehemiah 1:3 (NASB) 

Any fan of western movies has watched, on more than one occasion, a band of marauding Indians attack a frontier settlement setting homes on fire, looting and murdering the inhabitants. The raids would often conclude with kidnapped hostages being carried away to a tortuously slow death or prisoners destined to serve and live among their captors for the rest of their lives. Left behind would be a handful of wounded, dazed survivors with the often overwhelming task of picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives. Although we would consider them as the "lucky ones", the ones who "lived to tell about it", their quality of life had deteriorated considerably. They were "barely alive".

There are countless people who are currently numbered among those we would call survivors. But they are not living the life of a hero as often depicted and glamorized in the media. They are just like the Jews in Nehemiah's day. Defenseless, vulnerable, dazed & distressed, they are barely putting one  foot in front of the other as they go about their day. Once vibrant, hopeful and full of life, they find themselves victimized by the the sudden "attack" of a natural disaster, a disease, an enemy, an unexpected loss, or their own sin. Regardless of the cause, the results are the same. They say they "are fine" when asked, but in the solitude of their own heart, they are "barely alive". A mere shadow of their former selves.

Do you know any survivors? Is it you? Help is on the way! 

The Real Desire of God's Heart

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. - Isaiah 30:18 (NASB)

I really believe that there are those whose lives are falling apart and feel that God Himself is against them. Indeed, He very well may have allowed this calamity to touch your life! It is exactly what happened to Israel when they turned from Him and said, "Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 30:11 (NASB)

While their sin had grieved His heart, God really longed to have compassion on them and save them and bring abundance back into their lives. Despite what you may be feeling about God today and His intentions toward you, know that He is waiting for YOU.

The Wrath to Come - Rescued or Not?

⁹ For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.  

                                                                                         - 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (NASB)

Like many people in the bible belt, I have had a lot of exposure to church over the course of my lifetime. I was a nine year old boy when I accepted Christ and got "saved". I've been thinking of late that we don't often consider or hear about what we as believers have been, or better yet, will be saved "from". Seemingly, salvation has been reduced to a plan, a benign concept, a name on the church roll, or just an arbitrary option available to those needing such things, rather than the life-altering reality which it really is.

The verse above clearly states that there is a coming wrath, but who's wrath is it and exactly what are the implications? Revelation 14:9-12 tells us,  

⁹ Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
¹¹ "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." ¹² Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

When the people of Thessalonica accepted Christ, they fundamentally changed who they worshipped and served. From graven images, they turned to worship and serve a real God who was alive and to wait for His Son, who had died and rose again on their behalf, to come back again. They knew only too well, that His return would be both "good news & bad news". For worshippers of the one true God, the promise of rescue and protection from His judgment. 

⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.                                    -  1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (NASB) 

For everyone else, "...destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape" (1 Thess 5:3).

Due to the recent economic upheaval, there is renewed discussion of the Lord's return and could these events signal that return. I am fully aware of the various positions concerning the issue and understand and respect those with viewpoints different from my own. Regardless of the eschatological position, I must at the very least conclude that we are in sobering times, ^" so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thess 5:6)" If this admonition was relevant to a people living over 2,000 years ago, then why should it not be relevant to me. 

Are you saved? More importantly, will you be saved from "the wrath to come"?