Give. Receive.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the gift giving!  I don’t know about you, but I love finding just the right present for that special someone and wrapping it all up to look appealing – but by far, my favorite moment is watching the recipient’s face as they open their special gift from me. In fact, I’m fairly sure I am probably having a better time than they are in that moment. It’s not the item itself, but the unspoken message attached to my gift; the message that says, “I love you! You matter! I can’t wait to bless your socks off!” I joyfully anticipate the look on their face: “Whoa – for me? You thought of me?” It’s the face of the blessed that blesses me so very much.  No doubt about it, and I think you’ll agree, it feels good to give.

A few days after Christmas, I found a lone wrapped gift under our tree. It was kind of sad really. A treasure was lovingly wrapped in pretty paper and ribbons, but unfortunately, the treasure hadn’t been revealed.  Although the giver gave the gift, the receiver had not received it – not yet.  There was no crumpled tissue paper on the floor, no torn giftwrap or broken ribbons strewn about to indicate the glorious revelation – that moment when the transaction of love was delivered and received by that special someone.  And that’s just sad.  

Jesus said, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” So then it seems, the best way to bless someone is to gladly and gratefully receive the gift they give.  It completes the transaction. The receiver is blessed while the giver is blessed even more!  

Christmas is all about God giving us the greatest gift: His Son.  I suppose we can take that at face value, go to church on Christmas eve, sing “Silent Night”, and breathe a prayer of thanksgiving  but I wonder if that really blesses the Giver in the way He deserves to be blessed.  I don’t believe Christmas is simply about remembering God’s gift by putting little baby Jesus in our manger scene.  Knowing the name of Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus.  

Imagine how blessed God-the-Giver would be if we chose to “unwrap” His gift and find out WHO this Jesus is, and what His birth, life and death really mean?  Why is Jesus the greatest gift and have I “unwrapped” the reality of all that means for my life?  Have I truly “received” Him and the message of love God means for me to hear? I believe when you do that, when you SEE Him as He is, your face will light up with wonder and joy like a child on Christmas morning.  It is the reflection of the astonishing revelation that you really, truly are absolutely and unconditionally loved by God Almighty.  

Open up His Gift - and enjoy His life! 

Amazing Grace!

Perhaps the best loved of all hymns, Amazing Grace reminds us that it’s not about how much we’ve sinned, but about how great is the mercy and grace of our God!  It’s a song of hope for the lost and a song of praise to God for His redemption.  What I love best about this song is the story behind the author of this hymn, John Newton.  He wasn’t sitting alongside a quiet stream in England, clad in monk’s robes, with quill in hand, trying to figure out what would rhyme with “wretch like me”.  I believe that these words were formed in the depths of Newton’s soul. I think they welled up from within and spilled out on to paper as he recalled the amazing grace given to him personally. 

John Newton was born to a devoted Christian mom who loved and prayed her son and taught him truths from the Bible every day of his young life.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Newton lost a battle to tuberculosis when John was just seven years old.  Consequently, John was raised by his rough and rugged father who served many years as captain of a ship in the Mediterranean trade.  At the tender age of 11, John went on his first sea-voyage upon his father’s merchant ship and thus began his career as a seaman.   Unfortunately, John Newton ended up in stocks for unruly behavior and then was allowed to join a slaver ship.  Eventually, John became deeply involved in the West African slave trade, where human souls were treated like nothing more than dispensable cargo.  He ruthlessly oversaw the transfer, torture and trade of more than 20,000 men, women and children – many of whom did not survive the journey. 

Newton was aboard the Liverpool, a British ship headed home in 1747 when a life-threatening storm began to batter the ship.  Terrified for his life, Newton recalled the Proverb from the Bible: “Because I have called and ye have refused, … I also will laugh at your calamity."  In that moment, John Newton chose to turn to God and to trust Him with his life.  He didn’t leave the slave trade immediately, but a hatred for the industry gradually arose in his heart until he could stand it no longer.  He quit, found the fullness of God’s grace, plunged himself into the truth of God’s Word, became an ordained minister of the gospel, and wrote a hymn.   (He actually wrote more than just Amazing Grace.  I suppose he had more in his heart that he wanted to pour out onto paper!)

As friend and pastor, Newton went on to become a significant spiritual influence in the life of William Wilberforce, the key British leader of the movement that successfully abolished the slave trade in England in 1807. Think about that. Wow. Amazing, magnificent redemption!

There are two things I especially like from this story of John Newton’s life:

      1.       No matter how deep your sin, His grace is deeper still.

      2.       Christian moms – the prayers you pray for your children are powerful. Don’t give up!

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.

Are You Washed in the Blood?

Are you washed in the blood?

Out of context, that’s a pretty odd question – even a bit disturbing.  Put those words into a popular upbeat hymn sung by faithful church goers and it could border on downright sadistic. Am I washed in the blood?   What was Elisha Hoffman thinking when he wrote those words in 1878? 

And did you know that there is a fountain filled with blood?  Um…Eww.   

(That one was written by William Cowper, while recovering from a bout of depression in 1772.) 

To be clear, and to put it all in context, the blood we’re singing about is the blood of Jesus Christ.  And here’s the thing: we do not have forgiveness of sins without it.  We do not have atonement, or redemption, or grace without it.  Neither do we have peace or promise or life without it!  It is the central theme of our Christian faith.  Many hymns written in the 18^th and 19^th centuries have references to the blood of Jesus and have become favorite hymns of Christians ever since.   It’s interesting though, it seems many newer, contemporary Christian songs steer clear of highlighting the blood of Jesus.  Oh, I know there are some old hymns set to new tempos and maybe it’s just my perspective but I do wonder why it seems many of our newer songs tend to avoid the subject of blood, especially since it is so primary to who we are as believers.   Have we gotten familiar with it? Are we offended by the thought of it?   Is it outdated? Admittedly, it is kind of gross.  And maybe the concept of a blood sacrifice is old school and we need to figure out a way to serve up a less offensive, simpler sounding gospel in order to be relevant with the culture around us.   

OR maybe we should re-enroll in that old school, and remind ourselves why the blood is so crucial to our faith.

John 6:53-56 says, “Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”  

Do you realize that just after Jesus said these words, He lost most of His friends?  Apparently such icky  talk wasn’t relevant back in those days either.  It didn’t seem to make much difference to Jesus though.  Regardless of how offensive it may have sounded, Jesus still came to do what He had to do for our sake.  And it involved blood - more specifically, His blood.  It wasn’t about bringing a popular message, it was about saving our lives. 

So what’s the deal with the blood and why is it so important?  Putting it as clear and simply as possible: sin is bad, particularly when compared with the holiness of a perfect God.  (and to be clear, every one of us is marked by sin.)  Sin requires absolute judgment and the penalty is absolute death.  Back in the days of Moses, the Lord asked His children to provide a blood sacrifice of a perfect lamb - to atone for their sins for that year.  The lamb was killed.  Blood was applied.  Mercy was extended.  It was the Lord’s way of revealing His ultimate plan to save us.  He knew, even back then, that He would send His only son Jesus – The perfect Lamb– to live among us, and to die for us – a very bloody death.   Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation and it required something very precious.  His very life – His very blood. 

Why did He do it?  One word: LOVE.  

“Oh the blood of Jesus - it washes white as snow” and justifies us before our Holy God.   “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”  Isaiah 1:18   

Let’s revive these old hymns in our hearts. Let’s meditate on the beauty of God’s perfect plan of salvation and lift our voices to declare that there is now and forever, power in the blood!  It isn’t about bringing a popular message, it is about saving lives.

So tell me something: Are you washed in the blood? And if you're not...maybe it's time to get clean. 

 “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. “   Rev 1:5-6

(You can listen to Selah's version of There is a Fountain Filled with Blood by clicking on the link in the upper right hand corner.) 

Dusting off the Hymnal 

A love for the old Christian hymns has grabbed hold of my heart lately. It seems I get lost in the glory and richness of the eternal truths that will never become irrelevant.   All around us, and even among us, we hear the clamoring of loud personal opinions and arguments, even within the church, and it creates a culture of confusion and chaos.  Truth can become lost in the muddy waters of current thought.  

Lately, I’ve intentionally pulled away from the noise, popped in my earbuds, and given myself to listening to the simple words of well-known hymns.  These words of truth shore me up and keep me focused on the things that matter.   

Have you ever wondered what went on inside Fanny Crosby back in 1873 that caused her heart to erupt with these words: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!  O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God!  Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. This is my story, this is my song! Praising my Savior, all the day long!”   I think Fanny had a clue about the gospel, don’t you?  I want to be that caught up in the stuff that matters.  I think that in spite of her blindness, she probably saw better than most of us.   

The lyrics from Jesus Paid it All have recently caught my attention in a new way – and more than my attention, I believe the Lord has brought fresh light to those words written so long ago (1865) and revealed a greater measure of His merciful love to me.  

I can hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness, watch and pray
Find in Me thine all in all.

I sing this song, and I’m moved to tears.  These words have brought me so much hope because, hey, Jesus gets me! He knows I’m weak, but I’m still His child! He knows my strength is small, but rather than scoff in disappointment, He makes Himself available to me.  He doesn’t tell me to “buck up” or to think positive thoughts about myself and my abilities.  His hope comes from reminding me that although I am weak - I don’t have to wallow in my weakness because He’s there to give me strength.  I am able to abide in Him! When I sing these words, I do not see the Lord frowning, but rather smiling and softly stroking my cheek, quietly assuring my heart.  Ahh, He gets me.  What love!  It’s a place of true rest for a weak child like me.  And you.

My hope in the next several weeks, is to be able to share here, more about the old hymns and their amazing relevance to our lives today.  If we have ears to hear, and a heart that’s willing to respond, I believe the Holy Spirit can freshly breathe on old words written on yellowed pages of dusty hymnals and awaken our hearts to eternal truth.   I don’t know about you, but I need that – especially in a day when confusion seems to rage in our culture. 

Savior, like a shepherd lead us. 

“Merry Christmas. May your day be filled with reflections of our humble God.” 

This was a Christmas message I read on Facebook the other day.   I was caught a little off guard by the concept of “our humble God” and as was wished upon me, my day was filled with reflections upon: Our humble God. 

The part of this greeting that most caught my mind and heart was how God is described.  He’s ours and more than that, He is humble.  Honestly, my first reaction was to resist the concept, worried that we were getting close to falling off a theological cliff.  Humble God? What?  That can’t be right. God is so…well, so great!  Perhaps I have a poor, weak concept of humility. As the words began to sink in, I realized that once again, our God was unveiling an unspeakable mystery about who He is.   I am awestruck by so wondrous a thought - His humility is profound, almost too much. 

Consider mankind – better yet, consider yourself.   Who are we, that God would acknowledge us and our deep need?   Please understand that I am not trying to make anyone feel like a worthless worm.  Our value is authenticated by the image of God stamped upon each living soul.  Yet, He is infinite, and we are puny. "We are but dust." But even beyond our state as small, created beings lies the harsh reality that we are a deeply fallen people, every one of us.  We rejected the very one who made us, shunned our only Hope by saying, “I’ll be doing life on my own, thank you very much.”  In our selfishness, we wandered far from God, each of us corroded by the blackness of grotesque sin.  And yet…

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Unthinkable!

Forgiveness requires humility.  Anyone who has willingly chosen mercy over judgment will tell you that it’s simply not natural to release a sinner from their debt.  If you’ve been on the giving end of mercy then you are keenly aware of the humility required.  But just imagine an absolutely perfect Creator God CHOOSING to forgive that which He would have every right to judge.  Imagine this righteous God choosing to give freedom to the sinner rather than to condemn him.  Yes - that’s our humble God.

Now Consider God.  Or rather – try.  Creator. Majestic. Glorious. Holy. Eternal. Almighty. Humble. 

What we needed was more than forgiveness – we needed atonement.   Someone – and not just any Someone, but a perfect glorious Son - to stand in our place, to take the hit, to willingly receive absolute lethal punishment for our sin.  This kind of sacrifice would require an unimaginable, never-before-seen, depth of humility.  Unfathomable!  Our great God becomes puny man for you and for me.

This Majestic, Glorious, Holy, Eternal God chose to put aside divinity, don human frailty in the form of a helpless infant born in a stable one night, alone and dependent, subjecting Himself to life among those who have wandered – those who hate.  Seriously, who does that? 

Our humble God, that’s who.   

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!”  Phil 2:6-8

But why?  Why does Divinity choose humility even to the point of death when He could have justly walked away from us all? 

Because Love wins.

Love is the foundation of everything He is – His glory, His holiness, His majesty and yes, His humility.  In love He forgives us and in love He saves us.   In love He chose crazy unthinkable humility, condescending to the lowest of lows in order that we might be lifted up to the highest of highs, that is, with Him.   Love.

Because He chose humility, we can also choose humility.

Because He forgives us, we can forgive others.

Because He loves us, we can love others.

That’s freedom.  That’s salvation.

That’s our Humble God.

Sunflowers

One of the joys of this time of year for me is seeing the many brightly faced sunflowers in all their glory lined up at attention along the roadways, gardens and farmlands.  There’s something about those yellow beauties basking in the sunshine that puts a smile on my face.  Their strong, tall stature, their stunning, glowing faces and the fact that sunflowers produce such abundant seed (for both bird and man) sets these plants apart from any other!  Recently, I’ve been tempted, while driving, to pull my car over just to take a picture of these enchanting flowers, but each time I think to do it, I realize I can’t spare the time, and vow to stop NEXT time.    

One day last week while on my way to wok, I was determined to take the time to stop for a picture along the edge of a local farm.   I smiled as I came upon the property, anticipating the greeting I would receive from those happy sunflowers.   I was just about to pull the car over when I saw and realized....the sunflowers didn’t look happy.  Their faces were downcast, even in the morning sun.   Slightly disheartened, I lost interest in taking a picture and drove on by regretting that I had not taken the time earlier in the season to take one simple picture.  I said out loud to myself, “Aw, they’re not happy at all.  They’re so sad.”   And in that very moment, I sensed the Lord actually respond:

“Oh, they’re not sad – they’re just laden down with fruit."   "Huh."  He went on...

And in your heart, daughter, I’ve invested much fruit.  You carry around inside of you, My burden for the lives and futures of many – young and old.  There are seasons when that fruit is heavy with care, and yet heavy with hope - but heavy hope is NOT sadness.  Just like those sunflowers are bowed down, so do you bow down in prayer, even in travail because of the promise of fruitfulness. When you pray, pray in hope.”  Wow.  I love it when those sorts of encounters happen seemingly out-of-the-blue over simple, everyday things.  I had wanted to take a snapshot of a cheery sunflower, and instead, I received a glimpse into the heart of my Father.  What a happy morning.

UPDATE 9.4.12

So apparently the Lord had more to say to me concerning those sunflowers...

Sometimes, as I drive to work, I use that time to just think things through and allow those thoughts to turn in to prayers.  But this morning, as I was driving to work, I felt somewhat weighed down because of the concerns of many friends and my thoughts were sad and wearisome.  As I thought of the health needs of my friends, the many crises faced by those I love, it became difficult to find words to pray.  Instead, I sighed.  "God, I feel like I've run out steam.  I don't know what else to pray - how else to pray.  How does one keep pressing in prayer when it seems like there is no favorable response?"

It's hard when faith seems distant, but the needs seem overwhelmingly desperate.  I know it's not about the words I pray, but about my heart. I know God hears my prayers, but sometimes the disappointment I feel knocks the wind out of my sails, and I run out of words and hope.  Hope deferred makes the heart sick, mine just felt heavy.  My prayer to God became just one big question: "How does one pray on, in the face of a mocking, apparently immovable giant?"

It was at this moment that I happened by the same sunflower field I wrote of a few days ago.  I slowed down to get a better look - to drink in the scene of those gloriously arrayed yellow beauties, weighed down and "pregnant" with much seed.  And I sensed the Lord speak to me again ...

"Don't give up. If those flowers gave up right now - because of the weight of the burden, then those seeds wouldn't fully mature and be released.  The sunflower might look like "it can't go on", but it will. It has no choice, because it's a plant.  But you have a choice.  I'm telling you,  you have no idea what I have right around the corner.  Persevere to the end, child - there is fruit I will bear in and through you - and in and through others.  Stir up your faith - it's not about what you see right now, in the circumstances.  I see, what you can't see - and I see a harvest.  I see breakthrough.  I see healing and wholeness.  When you lose heart, and faith seems distant, look to Me and find strength to press on."

That encounter breathed a bit of hope into my soul as I began to pray with a cup of fresh faith and a gallon of tears, for those who desperately need a touch from the One who loves them most.  

Lord Jesus, have mercy and rescue your children.

Basic Need

Which of the following costs the most?

A dream vacation trip to the Bahamas?

A tank of gas for your car?

A glass of water?

Or air?

Now, different question: which is the most valuable? If you’re drowning under the surface of water, you’re not particularly interested in taking a vacation at that moment, nor are you going anywhere in your car or needing a drink of water. You’re desperate for just one thing: AIR! Strange how air is completely free, yet so incredibly valuable.

A dream vacation may well be on the top of your list of important things to do, especially if you’re weary and worn down from your day to day existence. A well-timed and well-planned vacation can do wonders to obtain fresh energy and rejuvenation so we can face life. In fact, it’s similar to filling your car up with gas. When you’ve run out of fuel, all you need to do is pull into a gas station and fill up and you’re good to go again! A vacation may refuel you, so you can face life for another year or two – although your car, of course, will need refueling much sooner than that.

On average, I fill up my gas tank about once a week. But let’s think for a minute about our need for water. It’s definitely a priority – more valuable than a vacation or a tank of gas, yet it’s much more accessible to those of us in America. It’s a basic need and we require water to refuel are bodies far more often than once a week! At the bare minimum, we need water at least once a day! If we never get a vacation or acquire a tank-full of gas, we will not perish, however, water is essential. You can go a day without water, but you can’t go more than a week (unless you are under miraculous conditions!)

Now here’s the thing: as important as water is, air is more-so. Most people cannot go for more than 8 minutes without oxygen before serious brain and heart damage occurs at which point, death is imminent. We typically take breathing for granted, until of course, our breathing is restricted and then we can think of nothing else except getting that next breath! We depend upon it, moment by moment, breathing in the free and abundant blessing of air, enjoying its enormous benefits as it supplies our entire physical being with necessary oxygen so that we can go on with life, moment by moment.

(Ok, Kath – time to get to the point. :) Now, let us consider the blessing of (and needful) encounters with the Presence of God. Those times when all life stands still, and we are freshly washed in a wave of glory as God touches our souls with His breath and transforms our lives. We love those special moments, when our awareness of God’s nearness and the tangible sense of His presence overwhelm us. We revel at the altar, receiving fresh grace when it seems the pressures of life fade while the reality of God’s closeness restores our soul. But I wonder, do I only look for those moments like a rare vacation, or a refueling once a week at a church service, or even a daily tall drink of His presence (aka morning devotions)? Or do I realize that when the veil of the Holy of Holies was torn at the death of our Savior, that He actually meant for us to GO into the Very Presence of our most Holy God and live and move and have our being every moment of every day?

Perhaps you were told at one point in your life, as I was, that you “can’t live on the mountaintop all the time because it’s not reality.” I guess I’m here to gently challenge that thinking. Maybe the Lord wants us to reevaluate what we call “reality” and consider that His Kingdom IS our reality and His Presence can be our constant expectation. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that there are ebbs and flows of life and circumstances and sometimes we are more aware of God’s presence than at other times – I’m just not sure He’s always the one who is “ebbing” :), as if He doesn’t want us to get too caught up in the wonder of His glory. From what I understand of scripture, and the plan of salvation, I believe we can anticipate that through the cross, we have full access to the very presence of God every moment of every day, kind of like air! And if He obtained that for us, at such an exorbitant cost, even though it’s free to us, then perhaps it is as necessary as the very air we breathe! Sometimes I think we try to suck it up and live life until the next conference rolls around – like a Bahaman vacation – so we can refuel in God’s presence to go out and face the world again for another year. (for the record, I really appreciate Christian conferences!) Or perhaps we “tank up” on God at our weekly church services, hoping that the sense of His presence will hang on through the course of the whole week.

Honestly, my need for God’s presence seems to increase day by day. I am currently desperate for His presence far more often than once a year or once a week – even more than once a day! But I confess that sometimes I will try to live with less, because rather than seeing His presence as a basic need of the soul, I sometimes think I can get by on yesterday's manna. That's the equivalent of choosing to fast from breathing for a couple of days. It doesn't make sense in light of the fact that He provided access to His presence through His sacrifice every single moment of the rest of my life! I believe, based upon the truth of God’s word that we can fully anticipate the abundant provision of that which we need most: His very presence! Maybe the Lord means for those of us who are called His very own children to actually live in the place of His presence, rather than just visit every so often. Maybe we as His sons & daughters need to believe by faith that His door has swung wide open, and His invitation is fully extended to us to run into His loving arms, and find complete rest in His glorious embrace! Tell me, is it possible to live in the awareness of God’s presence, while still living the everyday life He has given us?

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ… For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:13 & 18