Be Open to a Deeper Cleansing

A long overdue remodeling project on a bathroom in our house is getting underway. As it does, the first step will be to tear out all the old fixtures and outdated decor. I have watched enough home improvement shows on TV to know that this initial act is the one that sometimes results in surprises and additional expenses. As those surface objects are removed, hidden issues sometimes get revealed, such as a leaky pipe, mold, or wiring that needs to be updated. I am hoping that our “demo day” will not unearth any major problems.

As followers of Jesus, we are undergoing renovations. The initial, dramatic transformation took place when we put our trust in our Savior as the One who died on the cross so that we could experience forgiveness, cleansing, and new life. As life-changing as that event was, we are continuing to be remodeled more and more into the Christlike individuals God calls us to be. There is still much work to be done to free us from some of our old habits and attitudes while instilling in us more of the exemplary character and behavior of Jesus. Throughout our entire lives, God will still be working on us to make us His holy people.

As that remodeling process is done in our lives, let’s be sure that we allow the Lord to do a complete and thorough demo job on us. Let’s open ourselves up to Him to allow Him to get below the surface issues and deal with any deeper, hidden, underlying problems that may be lurking there. We shouldn’t just want our appearance to get freshened up so that we appear to be good Christians, but we should want the Lord to totally revamp our spirit, attitude, and motives. It isn’t just about our outward actions – it is also about our thoughts and desires.

 As Jesus dealt with people, He had a way of getting past all the superficial issues and getting to the heart. When He encountered the Samaritan woman at the well, she attempted to put the focus on side issues, such as quenching her physical thirst, and the poor relations between the Jews and the Samaritans, even pointing to some religious controversies about the proper location for worship. However Jesus went deeper. He talked to her about having her spiritual thirst satisfied. He dug up uncomfortable truths about her past and present relationships that showed her moral failures. And He pointed her to the need to put her faith in Him as the Messiah.

Likewise when Jesus encountered the rich young ruler, the man noted his good behavior and all the commands he had been faithful to keep. But Jesus exposed the one thing this person was lacking. He got down to the root of the young man’s problem. He was putting his wealth and possessions first in his life. He wasn’t willing to sacrifice them in order to follow the Lord. The young man’s behavior was commendable, but in his heart, he had made an idol out of his riches.

We even see it in the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They put on every appearance of adhering to the highest standards of morality and religion. Yet Jesus exposed the hypocrisy, selfishness, and pride that consumed their inner beings. Jesus called them whitewashed tombs – clean and polished outwardly, but under the surface they were full of death and decay.

Jesus wants to show us the truth about our hearts too, but we have got to be willing to let Him get below the surface. Will we dare to invite the Spirit of God to search the depths of our souls, to expose any filth that is there, and to make those significant changes that may be needed?

 

Let's Get Rooted in Our Faith

 

We are scheduled to get one of the large trees on our church property cut down. I wrote awhile back about how that oak had been struck by lightning one day. We have been watching it closely since then for any indications of stress or ill health. It hasn’t really shown any significant signs of dying. However, what concerns us is the fact that a few of its large roots were blown out of the ground by that powerful blast. So we know the tree isn’t as stable as it was previously. We are afraid that it could be more easily toppled by a strong wind. And it appears if it did fall, it would tend to do so in the direction of our church building.

Having good, strong roots is important, not only for plants, but for us as followers of Jesus too. The Bible sometimes uses that concept from nature as a picture of spiritual stability. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Colossians 2:6-7). It is essential that we put our trust in Jesus and receive Him as the One who can save us from our sins. However, that is not the end but only the beginning. As we walk with Him through life, we need to seek to get our roots down and become more stable in living a Christlike life. Getting rooted is not only a matter of growing in our knowledge about the Lord and His Word but also experiencing more of His power working in our lives to transform us more into godly people. We need to be rooted both in doctrine and in living out our faith. Otherwise, we will find ourselves being easily deceived and “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14), or experiencing getting knocked down every time a temptation presents itself. It should not be that way. The Lord can help us to become more established in our walk with Him.

Sometimes we can focus more on the “building up” than we do on getting rooted and grounded. We have to be careful that we don’t keep our relationship with the Lord on a superficial level. It isn’t just about feeling good, having soul-stirring times of worship, and basking in God’s love. It is also about digging deeper into our understanding of God and His will, learning to be content no matter what our circumstances, and standing firm in our faith in the midst of adversities and trials. Neither is it just about looking good and big on the outside, like that tall oak tree. It is also about having a close relationship with the Lord that runs deeper into our hearts than what other people can see. Don’t get me wrong – it is not either/or. We should be doing both, getting rooted and being built up in our faith.

So how do we get our roots down? Some of it comes over time as we walk hand-in-hand with Jesus through the various ups and downs of life. But it doesn’t just automatically happen. We have to cultivate that deeper relationship by studying God’s Word, spending quality time in prayer, living in obedience to the Lord’s will, and cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He shapes us more into the image of Jesus. We get more rooted as we actively serve the Lord and fellowship with other believers. Even the challenges we face in life can help us get more rooted if we face them with faith.

Let’s not be like a large oak with inadequate roots. Let’s become the more mature and stable followers of Jesus who will keep standing no matter what winds blow our way.

Let's Take Off Our Masks

 

Last week my ninety-one-year-old mom took a fall landing face-first on her driveway. Thankfully, no bones were broken. However, she ended up with four stitches in her forehead, along with significant bruising around her nose and eyes. Afterwards she joked that she was simply creating herself a scary mask in preparation for Halloween.

It isn’t unusual for people to create masks to hide behind. I am not referring to the kind some people wear for one night as they go trick-or-treating or attend a costume party. I am talking about those fronts we tend to put on in order to hide our real selves. Usually those masks are the opposite variety from what we wear at Halloween. Instead of a mask trying to make ourselves look strange, ugly, or frightening, we attempt to hide our flaws and make ourselves look better than we really are. Maybe it isn’t as obvious as the lady on the exaggerated TV commercial who walks around holding a sign with a smiley face in front of her as she goes through her day in order to hide her depression. But we might also hide our true feelings or our genuine condition behind masks of fake smiles, forced efforts, and comments of “I’m fine.”

Genuineness is an important quality for us to seek to possess. It is helpful for us to be genuine with other people in order to build strong, trustworthy relationships. It is important that we be honest with ourselves about our true condition. Too many people are accepting their deceptive facades about themselves as being reality rather than looking behind the mask. And it is essential that we be genuine when it comes to God. Our masks aren’t fooling Him anyway. He sees behind all the pretense. He knows our hearts and our thoughts. He can see the pain and scars that we try to hide from others. He knows our weaknesses and faults. And, yes, He can see those sins that we try to deny exist or that we make excuses for or that we cover up with make-up so as to make them not appear so ugly.

Hypocrisy is one of the traits Jesus often condemned in the religious leaders of His day. They were pretenders. They weren’t living in reality. They put on the costume of being holy people or of being those who had a special connection to God, but in truth they were more out of touch with God than many of the “sinners” they looked down on and despised. Let’s be sure that we aren’t guilty of being in a similar condition. We can put on a religious face and attend church meetings yet still be far from the kingdom of God. We can be involved in religious activities but our hearts not be right with the Lord. We can wear a mask of light and love while darkness and selfishness rules in our souls.

Let’s take off our masks and be real with ourselves, with other people, and with God. It might be hard. It can be painful to come to terms with our weak and flawed selves. We might lose a few acquaintances who are more comfortable with our pretend selves rather than the real ones. However, our genuineness will strengthen our ties with true friends. And we must be genuine if we want to cultivate a close relationship with the Lord. Salvation and spiritual healing come through humbling ourselves and confessing our sins, not by denying our wrongdoing.

Maybe our real selves are bruised and broken. That is okay. God knows. And He is ready to receive us and to help us if we will come to Him just as we are.      

Dealing with Traumatic Situations

 

It is hard to imagine being someone who had to experience one of the traumatic events which have occurred in recent days. To be a student where there was another deadly school shooting. To be riding on a rollercoaster when someone fell off the ride and plunged to his death. And then there are those tragic situations that don’t always make the news – a car accident, a drowning, a house fire. It is not only the victims, their families, and witnesses who have to deal with those events, but also first responders and medical personnel. Likewise, those in the military in times of war have to live with images of what they encountered. It is easy to tell people to move on and to put the past behind them, but some things we see can’t be easily unseen or forgotten.

How do we deal with traumatic events that can haunt us? There are no simple answers. Some people need to seek professional counseling to assist them. Time can sometimes lessen the effects, but it doesn’t always resolve the issues. Does the Bible give us any guidance in this matter? Certainly, there are general principles we can look to, such as faith, trust, and hope in the Lord. But can we draw any more specific wisdom from the pages of scripture to address this particular issue?

As I considered this, I thought about the disciples of Jesus. They certainly faced a traumatic experience when Jesus was arrested and executed. Not only did they experience the loss of a close friend, a mentor, and the One they believed to be the Anointed One of God, but they had their hopes and dreams dashed to the ground. Additionally, one or more of them actually witnessed the horrific suffering and death that Jesus endured. If they didn’t see it firsthand, they knew about the cruelties of being crucified from previous encounters. No doubt they were heartbroken to think of Jesus having to go through such pain and suffering.

How did the disciples come through this trauma? We can look not only at what they did immediately after the crucifixion, but later on as well, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension had somewhat softened the blow. But even at that point it was still traumatic to face a world in which everything had changed and Jesus was no longer present with them. What did they do? They stuck together, finding support from being with others who had gone through the same experience. Maybe some of us could benefit from support groups or from talking to others who have had similar experiences as ourselves. Additionally, those disciples prayed and looked to God for help and guidance. The Lord is near to assist those who will call on Him. He can give us strength that we can’t get anywhere else. The disciples also continued to do what Jesus had instructed them to do. They waited in Jerusalem until they received the empowerment they needed from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They took it one step at a time, one day at a time. They couldn’t see everything ahead, but they just put one foot in front of the other and kept going in the meantime. Maybe that is what we need to do too. It is easy to isolate ourselves or to pull away from our responsibilities when we have been traumatized. However, with God’s help, we need to keep living and doing. We may not be able to see very far up the road, but we just keep taking the next step and trust the Lord to help us take the next step after that, and the next.

Tragedies occur in this fallen world. And they can greatly affect us. But the Lord can be with us and help us make it through.   

God Is Working All Things Out

 

My oldest daughter and her family took a recent vacation to the Florida panhandle. They had originally thought about staying a full week, but had decided to cut that timeframe short by a couple of days. It turned out to be a good decision or else they would have been facing the onslaught of hurricane Isaias. Meanwhile my other daughter and her family likewise had a trip planned to that area. They would normally have left on the Saturday when the effects of that storm were being widely felt. However, due to someone else using the condo, they had been forced to wait a few days later to begin their vacation. Again, this resulted in their missing being in the middle of that messy weather event.

Delays, changed plans, or circumstances not working out the way we had hoped can be frustrating. However, sometimes God gives us glimpses into how He may have been protecting us or otherwise working situations out for our good when we didn’t realize it. Maybe, like me, you can think of times when you were unable to get started on a trip at the time you had wanted. It may have irritated you at the time. But when you got down the road, you came upon a bad accident. It made you wonder that if you had left your home when you had planned and desired, might you have ended up in the middle of that accident? Had that frustrating delay actually been a God-directed blessing? Some such scenarios we can only speculate about. We don’t really know. Yet in other cases we can look in hindsight and clearly see how the Lord was watching over us.

Let me make it clear that I am not referring to some vague sense of fatalism or of some unnamed cosmic force at work. It is more than just the often-heard sentiment that “I believe everything happens for a reason.” It is good to be aware that there are powers beyond us that are at work in the world. However, we also need to recognize who that power is and give Him the credit He is due. There is a personal God who is in control. And at times He graciously chooses to act in ways that protect us from harm. He may frustrate our plans or allow obstacles in our path as a means of helping us to avoid some harmful situation.

I wonder if Joseph ever felt frustrated about his circumstances. I imagine that he must have. He didn’t deserve being sold into slavery by his envious brothers. Later, when trying to do the right thing in relation to his master and the inappropriate advances being made to him by his master’s wife, Joseph ends up being thrown into prison. Even there, after helping out one of the king’s officials and asking for assistance in return, Joseph was forgotten by the man and left to continue to suffer in confinement. However, God was working through it all to get Joseph to the place where he would be made a ruler in Egypt and be the means of saving his family. What Joseph later told his brothers could have applied to all of his challenging circumstances he had faced: “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

What frustrating challenges or delays are you experiencing? When our plans are changed, when our hopes are delayed, when our situations aren’t going the way we had wanted, let’s keep believing that God has a reason for it all. He is working all things out for the good of those who love Him. We can trust Him.

Be Careful about Attacking Your Attackers

Recently I took a trip out of state to attend the funeral of a longtime ministerial colleague. This region is known for its rice farming and duck hunting. So it was appropriate that one evening I ended up eating at a local restaurant with an obvious outdoorsman theme. The walls were lined with stuffed hunting trophies – not only numerous typical deer heads, but also fowl, squirrel, and practically any other creature you might imagine that is the frequent target of hunters. The name of the establishment was Open Season, referring to the period of time when it is legal to hunt or fish. That term is also sometimes used as a slang expression to refer to a time when someone or something is vulnerable to unrestricted criticism or attack.

At times it can seem like it is open season on followers of Jesus, especially those who are trying to faithfully uphold Christian values and who still view God’s Word as being the uniquely reliable and authoritative revelation of truth. In a day when it seems that culture is open to almost any ideas as being valid, even the most outrageous or unorthodox views and practices, the one worldview that doesn’t seem to be tolerated is that of the Christian who stands for the eternal truths of scripture. Such believers are often targets of hatred, lies, accusations of being extremists, physical attacks, and other various degrees of what could be called persecution.

            This should not surprise us. This is not a phenomenon unique to our day and time. In a sense, it has always been open season on faithful followers of the Lord. Jesus warned His disciples that this would be the case. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you…If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18,20). “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service” (John 16:2). And don’t forget that the last of those well-known “Beatitudes” Jesus declared in His Sermon on the Mount dealt with this subject: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). The Apostle Paul added his own definitive declaration: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12). Therefore let’s not think of it as being unusual or strange when we face such opposition or attacks. It comes with the territory of being a follower of Jesus.

            However, as we experience these things, let’s be careful that we don’t turn around and declare open season on others. As we are being attacked, let’s not lower ourselves to the same level as those who are lashing out at us. It can be tempting to “return fire” and treat others in a similar fashion as to how we have been treated. We can consider it open season on liberal politicians, biased media, hostile social activists, ungodly social media trollers, and others who misrepresent us or attack us. Don’t get me wrong, we need to stand up for truth, point out error, and expose those with faulty views and antagonistic motives. Nevertheless, we need to avoid taking on the role of an avenger. “Repay no one evil for evil” (Romans 8:17). “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45).

            Just because others may consider it to be open season on Christians, it doesn’t mean we should consider it to be open season on them. Fire back, but with love, truth, and goodness.

Temptations Can Be Resisted

     

I knew better. I was aware that there was a risk involved. I thought I could be careful and avoid any negative consequences. I was wrong.

No, I am not confessing to some great moral failure. However, I did use poor judgment and had to deal with the result when it came to a recent situation I faced. It involved a temporary crown that the dentist had placed on one of my teeth while I waited to receive the more permanent version of that device. Meanwhile I knew I needed to be careful about what I ate. There were certain hard or sticky foods that were to be avoided. However, when someone gave me a jar of mixed chocolate, peanut butter candies, and cashews for my birthday, I found it hard to resist. I reasoned that I wouldn’t eat much – just a bite or two. Additionally, I could chew the cashews on the opposite side of my mouth from where the crown was located and be all right. I wasn’t. The crown became dislodged, and I ended up spending part of my birthday back at the dentist’s office.

We tend to act similarly when it comes to the more serious temptations we face in life – the ones that don’t just inconvenience us, but those that carry spiritual implications and that can affect our relationship with the Lord. In many cases, we recognize the temptation for what it is. We know better than to go that direction. We are aware that it could put us at risk of falling out of God’s favor. However, we don’t run from it as scripture encourages us to do. Paul told Timothy to “flee youthful lusts” (II Timothy 2:22). He encouraged other believers to “flee sexual immorality” (I Corinthians 6:18) and to “flee from idolatry” (I Corinthians 10:14). No matter what the temptation may be, we are opening a door to let it in when we don’t immediately turn away from it and run the other way.

Rather than flee, we sometimes try to reason with ourselves about why it might be acceptable to do this under our circumstances. Or we might deceive ourselves with the idea that we will just take a taste and not indulge any further in that activity. Or we might tell ourselves that we will be careful so as not to cross the line into anything that would be wrong or immoral. Or we sometimes assure ourselves that we are smart enough or strong enough to avoid any of the possible repercussions of participating in that behavior. Granted, sometimes we might be able to walk along that edge without falling off into something sinful or immoral. God might show us mercy and protect us from the actions resulting from our poor decisions. However, it is best not to even put ourselves in that position. It is better to resist the temptation, to go the other direction, and not even put ourselves at risk of taking a spiritual tumble.

Let’s not forget that temptations can be resisted – not in our own strength but with God’s help. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13). Let’s not look for a way to indulge in that activity, rather let’s look for the way to escape. Run away from temptation, and instead run toward the God who can give you the guidance and strength you need to do what is right.