Monday Morning Memo: Be Brave

Memorial Day.  This is the day when we remember the people who died while serving in our country's armed forces.  I so admire those who have been willing to serve our country so sacrificially.  They not only chose to start a life journey where they would have to leave friends and family, often placed in situations which were far from being comfortable, but then gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life so you and I can have freedom.  We are free because of those who have been brave.

What deeply saddens me is that so many have given their lives for our freedom…but we are now losing many of our freedoms, not because of those outside our country, but because of those inside our country.  Bit by bit…day by day…decisions and mandates are being forced on us which are jeopardizing our freedom to follow the Biblical truths which we hold so dear.  Our country, which was started on Christian principles, is now so far from where it began, that it is almost unrecognizable.  The mantra that is now being shoved down our throats is that “everything goes” …as long as Christianity is not included.

The day is here my friends where it isn’t only the soldiers who serve our country who need to be brave, but we also, as Christians, need to be brave.  Our religious freedoms are being taken away, and we need to be willing to stand up for what we know to be the truths given to us by our Lord and Savior.  It will not be easy, and it won’t be the popular thing to do, but it is what we have been called to do. 

I was reading one day in I Chronicles 29 in the version The Message.  I came across these words of David:

“O God, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always, keep their hearts set firmly in you. And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided.”

David asked God to give Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so he would have the strength, wisdom and courage to do what God would call him to do.  David recognized that it wouldn’t be an easy road, but knew that as long as Solomon kept his eyes on His God and his heart pure, God would be with him every step of the way.

We serve the same God that Abraham, Isaac, Israel, David and Solomon served and what He did for them…He can and will do for us.  Our job is to make sure that our hearts are where they should be and our eyes are focused on Him.  He will then give us the strength, wisdom and courage to do what God is now calling us to do.

Today I want to remember those who were brave and gave their all for me.  I do not want their ultimate sacrifice to be wasted by not giving my all to make sure our nation returns to its Godly heritage.  Let’s make sure that those who are coming behind us will have their Christian freedoms…because we were brave.

Monday Morning Memo: Life's Hiccups

It seems like I have heard the question “Why?” asked often lately by various friends.  Why is God allowing so many natural disasters to occur?  Why did God take my spouse/family member in the prime of their life?  Why aren’t my children following the Lord like I raised them to?  Why are we struggling to make ends meet, when others who aren’t following the Lord seem to prosper?  Why am I being afflicted with one health problem after another (ok, maybe that was me asking and not a friend!)?    

Why?  It’s a question that many of us ask at some time during our lives, and unfortunately, we often don’t receive an answer.  At least we don’t receive the answer that we want to hear.  If you are like me, then you want things to be much more black and white…an answer for everything…and you want to be able to plan your future without unexpected “hiccups”.   Unforeseen detours can surely put a wrench in our plans and that often leads us to ask why.

I came across this graphic this past week.  I would imagine that being thrown into a fiery furnace was not in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s plans and could have been classified as a major unexpected “hiccup”.  King Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into the fiery blaze because they refused to bow down to the golden image which he had set up for the people to worship.  Even though these three men knew that they would suffer severe consequences for disobeying King Nebuchadnezzar, they knew their God was able to deliver them.

You would think that because Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were willing to give their all for their God, that God would just snuff out the flames.  Or maybe He would make sure the King would have second thoughts and at the last-minute pull them aside, safe and sound.  No, God allowed the flames to roar as the men were thrown in.  I just love this story.  We read in Daniel 3:19-25, “Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage.  He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.  Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them in to the blazing furnace.  So they tied them up and threw them in to the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes and other garments.  And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in.   So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.

But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisors, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them in the furnace?”  Yes, your majesty, we surely did,” they replied.  

“Look!”  Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed!  And the fourth looks like a god.”

If there were ever three people who could have asked “Why?” it was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but that isn’t what we hear them saying.  They trusted their God to do what was best for them and do what would bring God the most glory.  The result?  The rest of the chapter tells us, “Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flamingfurnace and shouted: ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!  Come here!’  So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire.  Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them.  Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched.  They didn’t even smell of smoke!  Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!  He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him.  They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.  Therefore, I make this decree:  If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble.  There is no other god who can rescue like this!’”

Wow.  Many lives were changed because these three men trusted their God, even when their circumstances didn’t make sense.  I wonder if I would see more miraculous things happen if I spent less time asking “Why?” and more time just trusting God.  If He could protect them from the raging heat…He can probably take care of me during my unexpected “hiccups”.  I may never have the answer to the “why” questions of my life…but I can rest in the fact that I am not alone because my Jesus walks beside me.  

This week, why not join me in asking “Why?” less often and trusting our Jesus to do what is best for us and do what will bring Him the most glory.  We just might see some miracles happen before our eyes too!

Monday Morning Memo: Will We Chicken Out?

Well, at least the primaries are over.  Now, we just have to survive until November.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m fairly confident you have also been bombarded with tons of political ads.  Just about every commercial leading up to the primaries was a candidate slam blasting his or her opponents.  I normally tune out most commercials, but there have been so many of the negative ads that it was almost impossible to ignore them.  I’m guessing that is their plan…to make sure they can’t be ignored.

Unfortunately, the commercials aren’t over…they will still flood the airways through TV, texts and social media venues…there just won’t be as many individuals vying for our vote.  I guess if there is a silver lining in all of this…that just might be it.

But, I’m sure you have noticed that not only is each candidate trying to get you to listen to them, many of your friends and acquaintances seem to have an opinion to share with you on the election too.   I’m actually amazed at times of what some people post on social media and the anger which seems to fuel them.  There isn’t anything wrong with voicing your thoughts on a candidate, but I am saddened with the way in which some decide to use this opportunity to attack others.  We all have the right to our own opinions, but why is it so difficult to share them without assaulting others with our words?

Unfortunately, we seem to almost relish stepping all over others while we loudly tell our political views.  Why is it then, when it comes to our religious beliefs, we are often silent and use the excuse that we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes?  When we have the opportunity to speak up and share what Christ has done for us, we chicken out because we might be rejected or looked down on.  Instead of telling others, in love, that we have the answer to their searching, we just hope and pray that a minister comes along to tell them the Good News.

I have to wonder what would happen if we were as willing to share our faith as we are to share our politics.  Would it make a difference in eternity?  I have to believe that it would.  Time is of the essence, and we need to be willing to speak boldly about our Jesus to a lost world.  Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, I’m sure you hope you are on the winning side.  Well with Jesus, we can be confident that we are and always will be the winners! 

“Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.

Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.”

Psalm 96:3

Monday Morning Memo: A Big Mistake?

Have you ever felt like you were a big mistake?  Maybe you have never put those exact words to your thoughts…but there have been times when you wondered why in the world the God of the universe thought the world needed YOU.

I think if we are truly honest, many of us have had times such as this.  Times when we compared ourselves to those around us and came to the conclusion that God must have been extremely tired the day He created us.  We read Facebook and Instagram posts from our friends and their lives are so much more exciting than ours.  They are getting promotions, going on trips and having meaningful, heart-warming conversations with their kids.  This is all while we are stuck in the same ho-hum job, never leaving our town, let alone the state or country on a vacation and our goal each day is just to make sure our kids are still breathing when we turn the lights out each night.

I think when these negative thoughts creep into our minds we need to remember a few things.  First of all, God honestly doesn’t care whether we are a brain surgeon or a street sweeper.   When we stand before Him someday, I really don’t think we will get more jewels in our crown because we had a more prestigious job than our neighbor.  God is going to care more about what we did with our job to reach others for Him.  Were we faithful wherever He placed us?  Were we the best employee in the company, always doing our share of the work, or were we known to be the slacker and complainer? 

Secondly, when we stand before God, I don’t think He will have a world globe in His hands to mark off where all we traveled in our lifetime.  Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there is anything wrong with taking trips and seeing the world, but if we are basing our happiness on whether we are able to do so, we are going to end up thinking less of ourselves.  God is going to be much more interested in what we did for Him whether we are at home or in an exotic location.  

Third, always try to remember that very few parents post on Facebook, or bring up in conversation the difficult times with their children.   We tend to want to look good and have others think we are perfect parents who have it all together but, unfortunately, I’ve never met a perfect parent or a perfect child yet.   When we stand before God, I don’t think He is going to ask us why we weren’t flawless parents.  He is going to be much more concerned about what we instilled in the lives of our precious children.  Were we examples to them of followers of Jesus, whose main goal was to serve Him wherever we were placed using whatever He had given us?  Or did they just see us push and shove our way up the corporate ladder to ensure we had plenty of money and “things” to keep up with our friends on Facebook?

I think we need to remember that whenever we compare our weaknesses to someone else’s strengths, we are going to come up short.  Trust me…I know this first hand because I must admit that I do this often.  We are all different and each of us has our own strong points and our own weak points.  It is up to us to decide on which we will focus. 

Amazingly, the same God who created mountains and oceans and galaxies looked at me and thought the world needed one of me too.  AND, He thought the world also needed one of you. Oh, how that blows my mind!  You and I have never been, nor will we ever be, a mistake!  We were created for a reason to fulfill His purpose in this world.  We just need to decide if we are going to live in such a way that others will see God’s plan being fulfilled, or whether we are going to believe Satan’s lies that we are a mistake. 

YOU were created to be a child of the King.  Wow…it just doesn’t get much better than that!   

 “But to all who believed him and accepted him, 

he gave the right to become children of God.”

John 1:12

Monday Morning Memo: A Christ-Like Lifestyle

The Beatitudes are found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.  Here we find Jesus teaching on a mountainside.  Matthew 5:1-2 tells us He was teaching his disciples, but it seems there were crowds of others listening in, because at the end of the sermon it says in Matthew 7:28, “When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching.”  Many were there that day to glean from Jesus’ wisdom and I can’t imagine what it must have been like to sit at His feet.  It makes me wonder how intently I would have listened if I could have been there.  Would I have been too preoccupied with my own problems to grasp what He was saying?  Would I have spent my time thinking His words were meant for someone else and not for me? 

If any of the first paragraph sounds familiar, it’s because those are the words with which I began our study of the beatitudes back in January.  Since then, we have spent considerable time diving into everything that Jesus shared that day on the mountainside.  Each beatitude that He spoke of was a building block for us to be like Him.  Each of them contained the attitudes, qualities and characteristics, which produce in us a Christ-like lifestyle. 

I read Romans 12:9-21 in The Message the other day and it struck me how much these verses went along with what we have learned from the beatitudes.  Paul wrote, “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.  Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.  Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.  Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.  Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.  Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.  Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up.  Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone.  If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody.  Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do.  ‘I’ll do the judging,’ says God. ‘I’ll take care of it.’

Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink.  Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”  

Just like the beatitudes, Paul’s words, if taken seriously, will produce in us a Christ-like lifestyle. We need to remember that if we really want to look and act like our Jesus, then we need to make the decision to live every single day completely sold out to Him, no matter the cost.  It isn’t just a way we behave on Sunday and then do as we please the rest of the week.   We must be committed to make our goal every day to do what is pleasing to Him. 

As we wrap up our study of the beatitudes, I think each of us needs to decide if we are willing to let Jesus have complete control of our life.  It’s so easy to fall into Satan’s trap of thinking that we know best and that we will have to give up too much to serve Christ.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  He can do so much with our surrendered life; way more than we can even imagine.   And don’t ever forget, Jesus promises for those who follow Him:

The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs

They will be comforted

They will inherit the whole earth

They will be satisfied

They will be shown mercy

They will see God

They will be called the children of God

The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Wow…I would say He makes it so worthwhile to let Him have control of us every.single.day.  So, I’ll end this study asking the same questions of which I started, but I’ll update them to today:

 How intently am I listening when I’m in the presence of Jesus?

 Am I too preoccupied with my own problems to grasp what He was saying?

 Do I spend my time thinking His words are meant for someone else and not for me?

I think I’ll need to spend some time this week answering those questions.  How about you?

Monday Morning Memo: Be Hated...Be Happy? Part III

Once again, we are looking at the final beatitude which says, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.  Be happy about it!  Be very glad!  For a great reward awaits you in heaven.  And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way” (Matt. 5:10-12).  I think to totally understand this beatitude, we need to realize what these verses on persecution do not say.

These verses do not say, “Blessed are they who are persecuted because they’re obnoxious.”  OR “Blessed are they who are persecuted because they were arrogant and abusive in their attempts to witness.”  OR “Blessed are they who are persecuted because they had a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude.”  We need to realize that we can bring endless suffering upon ourselves and can create difficulties because we act foolishly or self-righteously.

Peter makes it very clear in his writings that it is possible to suffer for the wrong reasons.  He says in I Peter 4:15, “If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs.”  Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:16 how we are to conduct ourselves in the world, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.  So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”  So, if we feel we are being persecuted, we need to first make sure that it isn’t our fault and a result of something we have done wrong.

As Americans we find it hard to be happy if we have a bad day, let alone if we should ever face persecution.  The Apostle Paul gave us such a wonderful example of how we should react when we are persecuted for being a truly devoted follower of Jesus.  In Acts 16, we read about when he was in the city of Philippi and was overtaken by a mob, arrested, beaten, locked in chains and put into prison.  This is not my idea of a good day.  Most of us would have been inclined to just want to try to get some sleep and hope things looked better in the morning.  Yet, at about midnight, Paul and his companion, Silas, were not sleeping and they weren’t up singing the blues, comparing cuts and bruises or telling sob stories.  Instead, these two sore, uncomfortable and weary men were singing praises to God and praying!  Years later, Paul would write to the church in Philippi from another prison in Rome, “Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again – rejoice!”(Phil 4:4).  What an amazing example for us to follow!

So how should we respond to persecution?  I think there are four things to remember:

1.      Sometimes we simply need to leave.  Remember what happened in Acts 13:49-52 to Paul and Barnabas?  “So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.  Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town.  So they shookthe dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium.  And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”  We are not promised a blessing if we go looking for trouble and none of us need to develop a martyr complex.  Just like Snagglepuss, we need to sometimes say, “Exit, stage right!” and then we need to make our exit and leave.

2.     We need to guard against compromise.  One way to end persecution is to become like those who oppose you.  We need to remember we are called to please and obey God and not men.  Peter and John were ordered to stop preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus, but their response in Acts 4:19b was, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?”  They knew Who they were supposed to obey.

3.     We need to love our enemies.  It’s easy to think of ways to get even when someone has hurt us or those we love.  We can be quick to begin to scheme our retaliation against those who have wronged us.  Unfortunately, revenge is bittersweet.   We may feel better for a moment, but before long we will get more of what we’ve dished out; like the saying goes, “What goes around, comes around.”  God wants us to love our enemies and break the cycle of revenge.  Instead of lashing out with anger we are called by God to love those who mistreat us.

4.     We should pray for those who persecute us.  The bottom line is simple; hurting people hurt other people.  The person who injures you is often the victim of personal pain which may be buried and forgotten.  They attack others in the same way they have been hurt.  Likewise, many of those who may be the source of persecution are not believers; they are people who need Christ.

Jesus challenged the thinking of His day and His teaching is still radically different from what many people believe today.  I need to ask myself if I am ready to respond in these ways if I am persecuted.  Are you?

Until next week…  

Monday Morning Memo: Be Hated...Be Happy? Part II

Last week we began looking at the final beatitude which says, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.  Be happy about it!  Be very glad!  For a great reward awaits you in heaven.  And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way” (Matt. 5:10-12).  Now…seven days later…I still find these words to be rather overwhelming and I haven’t been able to get past thinking about what our lives should look like if we are truly following Jesus.

As Christians, we should be living differently than those who are not Christians and, as a result, we may experience some kind of persecution.  The values, priorities, goals and desires we have should produce a different lifestyle.  We should look different, act and react differently and it should be obvious to those around us Whom we serve.

Living out the beatitudes in our daily life means we can’t sit on the fence between Christian faith and the values of this world.  All the beatitudes we have studied are our building blocks to be like Jesus.  When we live our life consistent with the attitudes, characteristics, qualities and values of Jesus our life will be different.  It can’t help but be.

Do you ever wonder why we as Christians in America haven’t, to this point, faced the same kind of persecution as believers in other parts of the world?  Scenes have been shown in our media of horrendous persecutions of believers in other countries, yet we have seemed to get by without such atrocities.  While I am so thankful we haven’t seen this level of violence yet (unfortunately, I believe it is coming), it does make me wonder if we, as Christians, have lost our uniqueness.  Have we become so saturated with the things of this world to the point that no one can tell who are followers of Jesus and who aren’t?  Obviously, if we are no longer living a righteous life, very little persecution will take place. 

I think too often we focus on God’s blessings and forget the price we must be willing to pay to be completely sold out to Him.  God wants us to consider the cost and the dividends, and He wants us to come to Him with our eyes wide open.

If you remember, Jesus didn’t hide anything from us.  He told us like it is, “If you are going to be my disciple, then expect persecution.”  He told us in this life we can expect:

·      Persecution instead of praise

·      Cruel insults instead of cordial invitations

·      Harassment instead of honor

·      Abuse instead of applause

·      Slander instead of support

·      Death instead of dignity 

Jesus wants us to be prepared for the difficulties that will come as a result of following Him.  “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Am I willing to live my life in such a way that I might be truly persecuted for following my Jesus?  Will I let nothing stop me from following Him?  Will you?

Until next week…