Thursday, April 19, 2018

CLAIM

Sometimes people ask:  'Why do Christians think their way is the best way to believe?  How come Jesus is the answer?  What about every other faith leader?  Aren't their religions just as good?'

Those are valid questions.

It is this
single event, the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, that defines our hope as Christ-followers. It's the thing that sets our faith apart from every other religious point of view -- because our Teacher isn't dead.  Our Leader isn't in the grave.  Jesus is alive and on this our future rests.

If we don't have this truth, then we are just another religion with leaders who head a movement and teach some good things and attract some followers.  But when those other leaders die, they stay dead.

But to get up out of your coffin and smile at the folks gathered for your funeral, that's the ultimate.  To walk out of a tomb, living and breathing, holding out your hands so they can check the nail scars to see if it's really you, that's the ultimate.

Jesus alone can make this claim because He alone conquered death and it's the greatest news we'll ever have to tell.

And be blessed.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

HANDS

Sometimes people ask me:  'Why do you have us raise our hands at church gatherings?  I'll raise them if I want to.'

Do you know why I do that?  Because the Bible says to do it and because God deserves it.

I realize that activity is a giant leap from where some of our new and current church folks came -- I'm just letting you know God's Book confirms that activity.  It tells us:  'Lift your hands and bless the Lord.'  (Psalm 134)

Honestly, if it said: 'Lift one leg and touch your nose and praise the Lord,' we'd probably do that.  I'm glad it doesn't say that, but . . .

Lifting your hands is a sign of surrender.  'You're in charge, God, not me.'  

Psalm 47 also says to 'clap your hands, all people.'  Not with some little golf tournament clap.  We're talkin', 'Put those bad boys together and give God the kind of praise He fully deserves.'

It also tells us to 'shout to God with a voice of praise and victory.'  Woah there!  Not the introverts.  Yeah, the introverts too.  Because He's worthy of it all.  He's the King of creation and He's looking for our strongest praise.

Lift your hands to God ... clap for Him ... shout to Him.  You think heaven's gonna be soft?  Gimme a break.

Worship Him with your heart and soul and mind and strength.  All of it.

And be blessed.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

SAFE

Growing up we learn to deal with fear the best way we can.

We sit in a corner in the dark.
We get in bed and pull the covers up over our head.
We run to the treehouse in the backyard.
We find a hiding place - somewhere that feels safe.  The monster might come out of the closet, turn green and bare its fangs, but when you got to your hiding place, you could breathe again.

Get to the safe place - get to the safe place - get to the safe place.

Most of our childhood fears have faded now - but they've been replaced by more adult fears.
Public failure.
Losing your job or being unemployed
Never meeting the right life partner.
Being unable to have children.
Fear of being left or left out.
Afraid Jesus might come back before we get to have all our fun.

Jesus visited His disciples just hours after His resurrection.  They were locked in a room trembling in fear for their lives, not afraid because of what happened on Friday when Jesus was crucified, but because of what happened on Sunday when He rose from the dead.

Now there's an empty tomb and the folks who killed Him aren't at all happy about that.  They've assumed His friends have stolen the body, so they'll be coming after them now and they're scared.

So they're huddled in this room with the door locked - and Jesus walks right through it into the room.  He comes into where they're cowering in their safe place.

'Peace be with you.'  And again:  'Peace be with you.'

I don't know what you fear today.  I don't know what is bringing you great worry, but I know you're searching for peace.  And I love that Jesus walks right through their walls of fear.  They have shame.  They've abandoned Him in His greatest hour of need, and in the middle of it all He walks in on them again.

"I know what you need most.  You need My peace.  Here.  Take it.  It's yours."

And be blessed.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

AFRAID

As I look back on my personal journey, the singular cause for me losing ground or giving up ground where I should have taken it has been fear.  Sometimes it's been the fear of failure - sometimes it's been the fear of success - quite often it's been the fear of rejection or unacceptance.

At times, fear has messed with my God-given vision.

I remember the day I was at the doctor's office years ago - before I turned 40 (which wasn't that long ago really - really - really - really).  He told me:  'Kevin, when you hit 40 don't be surprised if your eyesight begins to alter a little.  You may find it a little harder to visually focus.  It may become more challenging to read the fine print.  Blah-blah-blah-blah (insert Charlie Brown's parents here).'

He was right.  In fact, when I was 39 years and 364 days old, I could see just fine.  The DAY I turned 40 - no joke - I got out of bed and started bumping into the furniture.  It was crazy.

Fear is like that.  It's a visual impairment - because it makes us see things inaccurately.  Fear is disorienting.

That's why you can't trust it.  Even though God told us His presence isn't compatible with fear, every person on the planet at some point struggles with it.

Of the 125 direct commands of Jesus in Scripture,  21 have to do with overcoming fear.  The next most frequent command - love your neighbor and love yourself - is only spoken of 8 times.

You have to wrap your brain around that.  The single statement Jesus makes more than any other is 'Don't be afraid.'  

If there's a voice in your head telling you that you're the only one who's afraid - or that your fears are greater than everyone else's - or that you're flawed in a way nobody else is ---- that isn't God's voice you're hearing.

'The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid.'

And be blessed.

Friday, April 6, 2018

DEATH CLOCK

There's a website out there called The Death Clock.

You put in information about yourself - height, weight, BMI, personal habits - then it tells you, based on your info, how many seconds you have to live.

I recently tried it.  The number it spit out for me was a little over one billion seconds left until I die.  Well, that didn't sound very comforting, but after I did the calculations I realized that was 35 more years, which would make me 70 when I die.

(Beat)

Here's the thing.  There aren't any guarantees.  Nobody knows how many seconds they have left.  I mean, that might be my number but then again, it might not be.

There's a link on that website that says 'Extend your day of death.'  Well, who doesn't want to do that?  So I clicked it and it takes you to a healthcare website that's all about exercise, vitamins, healthy eating, no chocolate or hot dogs ... so bogus.

I was thinking -- wouldn't it be great if there was a link that said 'Never die?'  You'd click on it and it would take you to John 11:25:  'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will never die.'

Amen.

And be blessed.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

ULTIMATE

Sometimes people ask:  Why do Christians think their way is the best way to believe?  How come Jesus is the answer?  What about every other faith leader?  Aren't their religions just as good?

It's a valid question.

It's this single event, the resurrection of Jesus from the grave that we celebrate on Easter weekend that defines our hope as Christ-followers.  It's the thing that sets our faith apart from every other religious point of view.  Because our Teacher isn't dead!  Our Leader isn't in a tomb!  Jesus is alive.  He rose from the grave and on this our future rests.

If we don't have this truth, then we're just another religion with leaders who head a movement and teach some good things and attract some followers.  But when those leaders die, they stay dead.

But to get up out of your coffin and smile at the folks gathered at your funeral, that's the ultimate.  To walk out of a tomb, living and breathing, holding out your hands so they can check the nail scars to see if it's really you, that's the ultimate.

Jesus alone can make this claim because He alone conquered death -- and it's the greatest news we'll ever have to tell.

And be blessed.

Monday, April 2, 2018

HOT DOG

We need to be saved.

I don't believe we often think of ourselves in that context.  We're going home to some pretty nice homes - we're stepping into some pretty nice cars - we're opening fridges that are pretty well stocked - we have some extra cash in the bank -- we feel pretty secure.

But imagine you are out on a boat in the middle of the sea when a storm hits.  The waves are slamming against the boat.  Eventually they overwhelm the boat and you go flying into the water.  But you have your cellphone and by some miracle you bring it up out of the water and it's working.  Your signal is weak - you're treading water - but you have enough juice for probably one call.

So - 'Who you gonna call?'  (Don't say 'Ghostbusters.')

Are you going to call your local pizza joint and order a meat lovers - because you're treading water and you're likely to get hungry?

Are you going to call that special someone and finally pop the question?

Are you going to call your boss and ask for that raise you both know is overdue?

Of course not.  The most important question you could ask at that moment is:  'Who can save me?'

Sometimes we want to focus on our stuff - our relationships - our vocation - our personal success - our leisure.  I mean, those things are fine to talk about, unless you're drowning.  The truth is - we need to be saved.

The Bible says all of us have sinned.  It's about the only thing we all have in common, because there are really only two kinds of people:  Sinners and Jesus.

The New Testament book of Romans tells us:  'All have sinned and fallen short ... '

It also says:  'The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life thru Jesus our Lord.'

That death doesn't just mean earthly death; because everybody dies.  The death Romans speaks of is eternal separation from God, which is a nicer way of saying 'hell' -- that all of us have sinned and what we all deserve for our sins is hell.

The Bible says hell is a horrible place of darkness and incredible loneliness and pain - and unless we're saved from our sins, hell will be a reality.  I know a lot of people don't believe that and a lot more people just don't want think about it.  But the hardest truth for us to believe is the truth we don't like.

I have for many years been a big fan of the hot dog - not those weenie, pathetic kind - the jumbo, quarter-pound, 100% beef version.  I mean, I LOVVVVE them.

And over the years I've heard it dozens of times:  'PK, don't you know what's in those?'

And I always respond the same way: 'No, I don't know what's in them, and I don't know want to know what's in them.  Don't you dare tell me what's in them.  As far as I'm concerned, this hotdog is full of vitamins and nutritional goodness.  That's what I believe about this hot dog.  So don't ruin this hot dog for me.  I don't want any new information about this hot dog, thank you very much.'

That's how we can be about truth we don't like.

So some would say, "I believe in God, but I don't believe in a God who allows people to end up in hell.'

I understand.  But the One true God has spoken clearly and said all of us have sinned and what we all deserve for our sins is hell.

But then we read the book of Psalms:  'God does not deal with us according to our sins ... for as far as
the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.'  (Psalm 103:10, 11)

If you began traveling east from here and headed to New York, then on across the Atlantic to Europe, how long would you have to travel before you met West?
Of if you went west and got to San Francisco and then across to China, how long before you met East?

In both cases, you would never meet East or West.  That's how far God, by His grace, removes our sin when we put our trust in Him.

We can make the choice to give our lives to Christ and escape eternal separation from God.

But we need to be saved.

And blessed.