Let’s Challenge Ourselves Spiritually 

It was a recent hot, humid summer morning when I stepped onto a pickleball court with my teenage grandson. I was curious to see how I would do and how my physical stamina would be after not having been involved in that activity for many months. My grandson had gotten quite good at the game, so I took this as a personal challenge. I was pleased to see that I could still hold my own against a much younger opponent. We each won hard-fought games, although my victories came with a lot more huffing and puffing than my grandson’s. While my competitive spirit wanted to try to play a tie-breaking game, my body told me I had reached my limit. I paid the price for this strenuous activity later with stiff, sore muscles, but it had been a satisfying and enjoyable experience.

It can be good to challenge ourselves at times, to test our limits, or just to get out of our comfort zones. We may do that in certain areas of our lives, such as with our physical abilities, our work skills, or our relationships. However, do we ever challenge ourselves when it comes to spiritual matters and our walk with the Lord? If we are not careful, we can let ourselves grow complacent or we can get a little lazy in those spiritual disciplines that help us grow in our faith. We can take our relationship with the Lord for granted, or simply become a little slack in our service to Him. Our concern for the souls of others can wane. We can end up isolating ourselves from the needy world around us rather than getting out in it to be the light God calls us to be.

We need to exercise our spiritual muscles, not let them grow weak from lack of use. We need to face the challenging societal issues of our day with the truth of God’s Word, not try to ignore them or stick our heads in the sand as if those problems don’t exist. We need to take the initiative to be that Church Jesus talked about that would storm the gates of hell, not be the ones who simply sit back in perpetual defensive mode.

Maybe we can begin by challenging ourselves to be more active in those means of grace which will help us draw closer to God. Challenge yourself to make church attendance a more regular part of your life. Take that extra step to get involved in a Sunday School class or a small group Bible study or prayer meeting. Challenge yourself to make Bible reading and prayer a daily practice in your life, or to add a little additional time or depth to those practices. Look for a fresh way you can use your gifts and abilities to bless others and to serve God.

Let’s challenge ourselves to be better witnesses for Christ, both by the words that we say and by the Christlike lives we live. Let’s intentionally look for opportunities to show the love of God to someone who needs it. Let’s look for a chance to share His Word or our testimony or some truth of the gospel with someone who needs to hear it. Let’s challenge ourselves to plant those seeds of love and truth every day.  

There may be limits to what we can do, just as my physical strength limited me on that pickleball court. We need to step up wisely and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But let’s not allow apathy, complacency, laziness, or fear keep us from getting out onto the court. Challenge yourself to keep growing spiritually, to serve the Lord in new ways, and to be a better, more godly influence on your world.

 

You Have a Testimony to Share 

Recently part of our family gathered at a restaurant known for its New York style pizza. Having visited that city a few times, we fell in love with their pizza, but have had a hard time finding anything comparable to it in our area, even among restaurants which claim to offer it. My wife had discovered this particular establishment near her workplace. She had taken me there so I could try it for myself. She subsequently took a couple of individuals born and raised in New York there, including her mom. They also loved it and testified to its authenticity. Therefore we ended up there on this occasion with our daughters and their families for their evaluation and enjoyment. They weren’t disappointed.

Testimonies based on personal experience can carry a lot of weight. It was one thing for me to say that I liked the food at this place. However, it was even more impressive to hear native New Yorkers sing its praises.

The same can hold true concerning our experience with the Lord. Personal testimonies can be effective and persuasive. Granted, such accounts are very subjective. They don’t necessarily offer the same kind of proof as objective truth and facts. Nevertheless, they are useful to support those objective realties. For example, it is helpful for us to know about all the evidence that points to the fact that Jesus rose from the grave. But neither should we ignore the testimony that is expressed in a great gospel song, “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!” Our personal experiences aren’t proof. They could be mistaken. But if the objective evidence is true, then you would expect there would be individuals who can back it up by what they have seen for themselves. They know that Jesus is the risen Lord who can save souls and change lives, not just because the Bible says so or because there is an empty tomb, but because He has changed their hearts and lives.

I am reminded of the occasion when Jesus healed a blind man. Afterwards the religious leaders were questioning the man, trying to discredit him, and get him to disparage Jesus. They were disgruntled over the fact that Jesus had performed this act of healing on the Sabbath. As they drilled this man about who he thought Jesus was, the man finally responded, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). This man may not have been able to make all the theological arguments about Jesus’ identity, but he knew what he had experienced. Jesus had touched him, restored his sight, and changed his life.

If we have had a personal encounter with Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we too have a testimony we can share. While we need to know as much factual information as possible about Him, the Bible, and doctrinal matters, we don’t have to be seminary graduates in order to share our faith with others. Each of us has a story to tell. We can simply share how Jesus has touched us and made a difference in our lives. Every person’s testimony is different. Some involve dramatic conversions from the depths of immorality. Others are about moral people who realized they were also sinners who couldn’t ever be good enough to save themselves.

Whatever your experience may be, it is worth sharing. And there is someone who needs to hear it. Your testimony may be just the thing that will help someone realize the authenticity of a relationship with the Lord. So let’s tell others what Jesus has done for us.

 

250 Years Isn’t So Long Ago 

We are celebrating the 250^th anniversary of what most people consider to be the birth of the United States of America. It is a good time to give thanks for our nation and our freedoms, as well as to pray for our leaders and for a much-needed turning to God. So along with our cookouts and fireworks, let’s remember to pray for our country today.

At first thought, 250 years seems like such a long time. When I was a youngster studying about the American Revolution in school, it seemed like ancient history. However, as I have gotten older, my perspective has changed somewhat. The 1960s probably seem like prehistoric times to my grandchildren, but those days don’t seem so far away to me since I lived them. So consider the fact that someone who is eighty-three years old today can look back on their first years of life as if it was a short time ago. Someone who was eighty-three years old at the time that person was born could look back at their lifespan the same way. A third person who was eighty-three when that person was born could conceivably look back at their birth and it would have taken place around the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Only three eighty-three-year-old individuals separate our day from the birth of our nation. When I think about it in those terms, it really wasn’t that long ago since our country came into existence.

This realization should serve as another reminder to us of the shortness of life. The Bible describes this reality in numerous ways. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). Even for those who live to be in their seventies, eighties, or older, life comes and goes relatively quickly. Eighty-three years can seem like a long time, but that lifespan can pass by before we know it.

Therefore, in light of that truth the Bible encourages us to live wisely. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). If life is so short, then we need to make the most of the opportunities we are given. Let’s not allow life to pass us by and suddenly realize all the time we wasted.

Think about how so much has changed in our nation over the last 250 years – from fledgling colonies to a world superpower – from a vast wilderness to great metropolises – from covered wagons to jet planes. And then consider how the world has changed just within some of our lifetimes – the advances in technology – the differences in our culture – the changes in values and morals, some of which is positive but much of which has gone in the wrong direction. We live in a very different world from the one in which many of us were born.

These truths should challenge us not to passively sit back as time goes by. Eighty-three years goes by quickly. So let’s be faithful to fulfill God’s purposes while we are here on this earth. Don’t waste these precious gifts of time and life that God has given you. Receive His loving gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. Love Him, live for Him and seek to do His will during these few years of your life. Give priority to those things that will still matter 250 years from now. Be a light in a dark world, a godly influence on your family and friends, and a proclaimer of the gospel to those who need to hear it.

Time is short, even 250 years. But eternity is forever.

 

Christian Living Goes Beyond Imitation 

It was interesting to observe the actions of our youngest grandson recently. We were gathered with family at a restaurant when someone let him see their phone. The toddler proceeded to type letters on the keyboard when it appeared. He would also periodically swipe his finger along the screen as if scrolling. He wasn’t accomplishing anything through all his activity, but you wouldn’t know it from the serious look on his face. It looked like he knew exactly what he was doing, but the letters he typed were gibberish and his other actions were meaningless. He was simply imitating what he had witnessed his parents and older brothers doing with that gadget. And there were those watching him closely to make sure he didn’t accidentally do something he shouldn’t.

Imitation can be a good means of learning, including in connection with our efforts to follow Jesus. We have many examples in the Bible from which we can draw lessons on how to live and please God. In Hebrews 11, we are provided with a long list of people who exhibited faith in God in the various situations they faced. The Bible goes on to suggest that we should imitate them so that we can faithfully run our race on this journey through life. Additionally, the Apostle Paul encouraged fellow-believers to imitate certain aspects of his behavior. Of course, the greatest example we could seek to imitate is Jesus Himself. Many of us remember when that idea was popularized by asking the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Imitation is good, but it can also leave us lacking. As was the case with my grandson, we can do what we have seen others do, yet not be experiencing the reality of what they did. We can go through the same motions, use the same words, do what they did, but it all be without meaning. That especially holds true when it comes to living for the Lord. We can attend church, pray, and read scripture without having any real relationship with Jesus. We can even show love and kindness to people, help the needy, and seek for justice and still be lacking any connection to the God who encourages us to do those things.

Imitation is good, but it is not the basis of our relationship with the Lord. We get connected to Him through faith in who He is and what He has done for us through dying on the cross for our sins. It is through receiving God’s gift of eternal life in Christ and being born again that we come to know the reality of what it means to know Jesus and to follow Him. Without that basis of repentance, faith, and a new birth, all our other spiritual activity is simply like a toddler punching letters on a phone. It can make us look good. We can appear to be Christians. We can even fool ourselves into thinking we are involved in something meaningful. However, it gets us no closer to true knowledge of and fellowship with the Lord.

Don’t get me wrong. We can still seek to imitate those godly people in the Bible, the Apostle Paul, and Jesus Himself. But being like Jesus doesn’t result as much from our seeking to imitate Him as it does from letting His Spirit live in us and transform us from the inside out. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20). It is not so much about us trying to be like Jesus. It is more about letting Him live through us.

 

Are We Faithful to Our Word? 

At the time of this writing another ceasefire agreement has been announced for the Middle East situation, including the opening up of the strategic waterway that has been shut down for a while. Hopefully, this one will become reality. Over the past months we have experienced so many mixed messages about this conflict from our government leaders that it has become a target of much ridicule and sarcastic humor. We have been assured at various times that peace was imminent, that enemy capabilities to retaliate were destroyed, that ships would be able to get back to normal traffic, only to face disappointment as those declarations proved to be untrue. For whatever reason – premature optimism, exaggerated claims, the difficulty of negotiating with different factions – what our leaders claimed often failed to materialize.

Aren’t you thankful that the One who is the Ruler of all things is more dependable than that? If God says something, we can depend on it. If He gives us a promise, we can be assured that it will come to pass. His character is such that He cannot lie. He is a good God who doesn’t seek to deceive us. Neither are there circumstances beyond His control. He is the all-wise God who is not surprised by anything that happens. While He gives people the right to choose, no one has the power to thwart God’s ultimate purposes for the world. We can choose whether or not we are going to align ourselves with Him and His will for us, but He will fulfill His plan with or without us. He can even take the bad things in life and turn them around to bring about something good.  

One of the clearest statements of this truth comes from the God-given prophecies of Balaam, that enigmatic figure in the Old Testament. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). God will do whatever He says. And that includes whatever He says He can do in our lives. Right after the Apostle Paul prays for God to sanctify His people or make them holy, he declares, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (I Thessalonians 5:24). If God tells us to do something, He will enable us to fulfill His will.   

If God is dependable, if His word is sure, and if we are to be more like Him, then shouldn’t we be people whose word can be counted on too? Jesus talked about how we shouldn’t need to swear oaths. If we say that something is true or if we declare that we are going to do something, then that should settle the matter. Our word should be enough. He said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).

Can people count on us to do what we say? Granted, we still face limitations which could hinder us from fulfilling a promise. We may face an unexpected obstacle. We may be hindered by the resistance of other people who are involved. We may have miscalculated our capabilities. However, we should not be known as people whose words should be taken lightly. We need to be careful what we say. We need to take seriously the promises we make. Instead of becoming laughingstocks because of our mixed messages, we should be known as people of our word.

God is faithful to do as He says. Let’s be more like Him.           

 

Be Filled with God’s Fullness 

My wife and I recently took an overnight trip into Georgia’s scenic northeast corner. We took a few short hikes, visited several waterfalls, and browsed through a couple of antique stores and gift shops. However, one of our main objectives was to eat at a particular restaurant. We had heard others rave about it over the years but had never been there ourselves. It was known for its delicious food and family style meals. After being seated, our server showed us the day’s menu and explained that we could either choose to enjoy the all-you-can-eat option or simply create individual plates out of a few of those food items. There was no question in our minds what we were going to do. We wanted the full experience, choosing the all-you-can-eat option. And we were not disappointed. The food was delicious and plentiful.  And “full” certainly described how we felt when it was over.

Are we similarly determined to possess the full experience of being followers of Jesus? Do we want everything that has been provided for us in a saving relationship with Christ? Or are we satisfied with simply a taste of what it means to be a Christian? Do we settle for a small, carefully chosen plateful of religion rather than indulging in the unlimited buffet of spiritual blessings that are available to those who put their trust in Jesus as Lord over their lives?

One of Paul’s prayers for the believers in Ephesus, as well as for us, is that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). It is hard to comprehend what all such a concept entails. However, it is clear that it means we are to go beyond just seeking the minimum requirement for being a believer. We shouldn’t simply be looking to get enough of God to avoid His wrath, to escape the eternal fires of hell, and to squeeze into heaven’s gates. We should be pursuing the fullness of God. We always ought to be seeking a closer relationship with Him. We should be submitting ourselves to Him to let Him change us more and more into His likeness. We should be letting His Spirit not simply live in us, but fill us, mold us, empower us, and flow from us to touch the lives of others.

We need more than simply a taste of what life in Christ is like. In the book of Hebrews, it warns that there are those “who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” who could fall away (Hebrews 6:4-5). Continuing to pursue the fullness of God helps us to persevere in the faith.

So let’s cultivate that desire in our hearts to seek everything God has for us. Let’s not just accept the gift of a future life in heaven one day, but also the gift of eternal life in Jesus that changes us and how we live our lives here on earth right now. Let’s not be satisfied with being a born-again infant in the family of God, but let’s seek to grow and become a more mature follower of the Lord.  Let’s pursue not only being a forgiven people but a holy people. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Are we experiencing the abundant life that Jesus wants us to have?

Let’s not miss out on the full experience of following Jesus. Go all out in living for Him and serving Him. Be totally surrendered to His will and His work in your life. Let’s be filled with all His fullness.           

 

God Is Still Working on Us 

Recently several of us in our congregation took on the maintenance project of doing some refinishing work on the front doors of our church building. Those wooden structures had become considerably weathered over time due to receiving a daily beating from the evening sun, as well as the occasional storm whose strong winds could blow a driving rain up under the porch. That combination of moisture and heat had left the doors rough and worn.

Restoring those doors involved a process of sanding them down, applying a fresh coat of stain, and finally adding a protectant sealant which left them with a glossy finish. It didn’t happen at one time or in one day. We took a break after the tiring job of sanding was completed. We let the stain soak in and dry for a period of time before applying the sealant. Along the way, the doors still looked rough and incomplete. However, when the job was finished, it was a big improvement over their previous condition.

We are all in need of restoration. Sin has robbed us of the original beauty with which we were created. We need our relationship with God restored through faith in Jesus and in His sacrificial death as the means by which forgiveness and cleansing have been provided for us. But even after we have experienced that initial transformation, we are still a work in progress. We can still find ourselves getting beaten down by the heat emanating from the evil world around us or even from our own misguided desires from within us. And while God is our shelter in the storms, those problems and challenges can take their toil on our physical and spiritual strength. We are often in need of the reminder from the familiar psalm that the Lord is our shepherd and “He restores our soul” (Psalm 23:3). We are in regular need of His restoration.

We still have our tough spots that need to be smoothed out. It can be painful as the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and exposes our faults, but we need to let Him work. We may be well-aware that we still have a long way to go to measure up to the fullness of the image of Jesus, but we need to yield to the Lord as He keeps changing us. He doesn’t do it all at once. He is continuing to apply coat after coat of those Christlike qualities in our lives, such as love, self-control, patience, and faithfulness. He may need to apply several coats of the same quality over a period of time to get it to sink in. Let’s be receptive, not get discouraged, and let Him work. Meanwhile, He is also putting the finishing touches on us. He is making us stronger and stronger, so that we don’t get so easily beaten down and weathered by our world or by those storms in the future. He is enabling us to better stand against those harsh elements. And He is also making us shinier as we better reflect His light that lives within us.

It can be frustrating when we see ourselves still falling short of what we know God intends for us to be. However, let’s keep in mind that He isn’t finished with us yet. We are still a work in progress. Let’s not hinder what He is doing but cooperate with Him. And let’s trust what the Bible says: “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Thank the Lord for the work He has begun in us. Now let’s trust Him to finish the job.