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We are living in an age where everyone believes they are right.  Have you noticed?  There is a war of ideas, thoughts and words that makes enemies of friends and separates the closest of friends.  Pick any topic and the debate can quickly erode into name-calling and hard feelings.  Unfortunately, this is even true in the church.

Here is the question that I have been asking myself,  “How can we demonstrate love even in the midst of disagreement?”  Is that even possible?  I believe that it is.  Now, before you call my psychiatrist and book an appointment for me, let me tell you what I mean (I don’t have one, sorry to worry you!).  There are very few issues that are so black and white that I need to draw a line in the sand to dare others to cross it.

It seems to me that we who confess the Name of Jesus Christ, have neglected the role of prayer and the Holy Spirit.  If I am walking with integrity of character while seeking to glorify God in my relationship with Him and in my relationship with others, I am equipped with what I need to love others the way God has loved me.  In the name of openness and honesty, I need to tell you that I have not always thought this way. I was a huge proponent of drawing a line in the sand! And, as a result it cost me at least three ministries that I love very much!  Yes, I am a slow learner!

Our model for this type of attitude is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  He often taught that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who treat us disrespectfully. He was quite the revolutionary to say the least!   I have been in church congregational and missionary meetings where the words of Jesus were not the ideal! In fact, they were down right laid aside and forgotten!  They were painful meetings to be a part of, very painful!

We must remember to practice the ethic of God’s love, His agape love, His selfless love in the midst of those situations. God is working out His plan in both you and the person or situation you are dealing with.  I read recently that we will never be able to say that we are right when we are wrong in the way we express ourselves.  There are very few situations that allow me to treat another person with disrespect and not miss the blessing of God in my own life.

In every situation God is working out His plan. It is His plan that we love one another and seek the greatest good in the lives of others.  I always want to ask myself in whatever situation that I am in, “How can I best express the love of Jesus in this situation?”  Sometimes, that means I need to be quiet and let the Spirit of God do what He does best!  I am learning that every person I meet, every meeting I participate in, God’s plan is of greater importance that my own personal agenda!

It is my prayer that you and I learn to express ourselves in such a way that people are left with the aroma of the gospel of Christ, an aroma that is sweet, encouraging and filled with His love!

“What does God want me to do?” Have you ever asked that question? A friend said to me recently, “I cannot tell you what God’s will is for you.” I appreciated that. Many times people do try and help us in this area, and at times we are left scratching our head.  The question of knowing and living in God’s will is something that we grapple with in many areas of life. From our vocation, to family issues, to how we spend our money, to how we discipline our children, and in many other areas we want to know what God has to say. Does the Bible have anything to say about this?


God says a lot about it, let me give you some biblical principles when it comes to this area of life:

1. Seek God first – we many times put the cart before the horse.  We want to know God’s will instead of getting to know God as priority. James 4:3 talks about people who put their own desires first then conveniently forget about seeking God first. In Matthew 6 as Jesus gives the principles for living under God’s rule, he underlines the importance of seeking God first (verse 33) before seeking any other thing in life.


2. Know God’s Word – What does God have to say about the issue you are facing?  For example, the word of God may not tell you the name of the person you are to marry but it does give you principles for discovering who he/she may be.  It may not tell you what type of job you should look for but it certainly tells you how God has wired you to serve Him. The important thing is to grow in your knowledge of the Word and in intimacy with God.


3.Grow in Community – If I think that I have the gift of teaching I should be a part of community that will affirm that or lovingly tell me that I don’t have that gift.  I believe strongly in the local church (or a small group within that church) recognizing and affirming the gifts God has given to us. In fact in Acts 13 we read of Barnabas and Saul(later to be known as Paul) being sent out as missionaries from the church of Antioch.  It seems that they were involved in the ministry of that church and then God confirmed in the hearts and minds (verse 2) of the church that these men should be sent out to serve God and reach the unbelievers with the gospel (verse 3). If the church does not recognize one’s gifts then that ought to indicate to us God’s direction for this moment in time.


When you ask next time, “What do you want me to do, Lord?”, know that this is a great question and a great place to start is talking to God about it.  When we sincerely seek him he will lead us in his ways. Psalm 23:1-3 reflects this truth in a beautiful way,
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me like down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for
his name sake.”
The bottom line is that we are asking God to lead us in his path for the glory of His name!

To grow in intimacy with the Lord is the goal of the Christian life. When the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3 “that I may know Christ and the power of his resurrection” he was talking about growing in intimacy with Christ.  In this chapter he talked about all the things that had become his “claim to fame.” He had a very impressive resume that included spiritual activity that brought “ooos” and “ahhhs” from those around him. However impressive, none of those things helped him grow in intimacy with the Lord.

What is your claim to fame? Your theological training? The church you attend? Maybe you have memorized all kinds of verses from the Bible. My own spiritual heritage was marked by a form of legalism that declared you were okay with God if you followed the ‘do’s and don’ts’. The truth of the matter is that our only claim to fame that is worth anything before the Lord is the fact that we are His! In looking at those things in his past Paul plainly stated in Phil. 3:8, “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things (his claim to fame) and count them as rubbish.” The question that burns in my heart is this, how does one get to that point in their spiritual journey?

How can I look at all my accomplishments and say that they are rubbish? What would motivate me to consider my past as garbage?  For Paul there was something more important, more dear to his heart than anything he had every accomplished. That something became a someone, Jesus Christ.  It was important now for Paul, and for every son and daughter of God, to know Jesus more than any other thing or person in life.  

The crux of the matter is that we should know more theology, and we should be faithful at reading our Bibles. BUT these should be disciplines by which we get to know Christ more. These ought to never stand apart from the greater goal of knowing Jesus; they ought to lead us to love him more.  The commentator Matthew Henry states that this knowledge of Christ is an “experimental acquaintance with Christ.” It is personal, and it is something that we experience because of Christ’s resurrection. It is what we experience in growing more and more in Jesus.

Recently, my wife and I drove the Beartooth Highway. This road has been classified as one the 10 most scenic highways in the United States. On its route between Montana and Wyoming, one must drive on U.S. Highway 212 slowly climbing from 5,000 feet above sea level until you reach the top at 11,000 feet. There are switchbacks going all the way up in order to make that climb. The Christian life is like driving on switchbacks. The goal is to know Christ, to grow in intimacy with him, to strive each day to know him better and more fully than the day before but then comes another switchback when it seems that we are not making progress at all. The apostle Paul expressed our goal in Phillippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal (knowing Christ) of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” We keep on striving with the goal of knowing Christ clearly ahead of us.

If I am a Bible teacher in a seminary, my goal ought to be not only that my students learn the material I am teaching but that they grow in knowing Christ better. My goal as a pastor is not just that my people learn to have a daily quiet time but that in that quiet time they are knowing Christ more. My goal as a church member is that I personally am growing to become like Jesus.

May God help us to see the real goal for which he has made us his own! God bless!

Pastor Tim Keller twitted recently, “Our hearts are like a bucket of water on a cold day – they will freeze over unless we regularly smash the ice that is forming.”

It got me to thinking, how often do I find that my own heart has frozen over?  When that happens, communication (fellowship) between myself and God seems to be cut off.  So the question I want to pose is this: How can we keep the water of our spiritual lives flowing without the stoppage of ice blocking communication with God?

One example of a church, a group of God’s people, who experienced this blockage, is the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22. This is Jesus’ evaluation of this church. We have this evaluation recorded for all time. What would Jesus evaluation be of our church or our life? Thank God that it is not written in Scripture for all to read for all time!  Revelation 3: 15-17 reads, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

As I read these verses the question that popped into my brain is, “how could they not realize that they were in such a desperate situation?” Then, I remember, how many times do I live in sin and not realize the desperate situation I am in?  Sin is the great deceiver; it promises satisfaction and never delivers! One would think that I am spiritually sensitive enough to know when I have fallen in the eyes of the Lord. But we don’t because, as Tim Keller says, the water in our bucket has frozen over.
There are at least  6 principles, 3 negative and 3 positive, that will help us to smash the ice in our spiritual walk to keep the water flowing.

            1.     Unrepentant sin – Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
                 the Lord would not have listened.”

What things can we do in a positive way to keep our relationship with God flowing?

Conclusion
How are you doing spiritually today? Are you freezing up, as Pastor Keller mentioned, or are you continuing to smash the ice that is forming so that the water can freely flow? May the Lord give us wisdom and grace to keep on keeping on for His glory!