do not be afraid…

All of us have something we are afraid of. And these things change from time to time.

Like when we are young many of us are afraid of the dark.

Some of us are afraid of spiders, roaches, bugs, lizards, snakes…

We are afraid of abandonment.

We are afraid of losing those we love.

We are afraid of not being able to provide for our family.

We are afraid we will let people down.

We are afraid that we have not done enough.

We are afraid that everything is all our fault.

We are afraid we will/have failed.

We are afraid we will not/don’t amount to anything…

The list could go on and on…

Why does fear grip us and hold us? It is something inside of us. We are so worried about what others think and say about us. When really it is not about anybody else. The only person we really have to impress is ourselves, and we will actually never be able to do that either. But in reality we do not have to impress ourselves. God knows all about us and loves us warts and all. He has chosen you and named you and set you as a prophet before the nations. And even when you stumble and fall and stutter and don’t know what to do or say, you do not need to fear, because He will put the words in your mouth and the actions in your hands, and He will deliver you from anyone who would come against you. He has a plan for you for your well being and He is the creator of all things and has all of the world in His hands…

You see we have no reason to fear anything. God, the creator of everything, has called you by name and set you apart for His good purpose, and He will use you a worthless worm, redeemed by Him not because of what you have done or will do, but because He is and He loves you!

So be not afraid to go and do as He has called you to, because He will be the one doing the doing, you just get to go along for the ride of your life!

Worthless worms…

How many of you remember Hercules the Disney movie from a few years back?

In it is a scene where Pain and Panic, Hades minions tell Hades, “We are worms, worthless worms.”

They are like we are when we come before God. And that is where Ezra is today, “O my God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.” We are too hung low in our state to look up to God to see where our help is, to look for the redeemer of the world to give you the mercy you do not deserve.

We as Lutherans are in that dichotomy of saint and sinner…

Sinner-Saint-Ambigram-tattoo-39646

We live in the need for God but know we can not possibly come to, approach, or expect anything from God, because He would have to hate us because of all the sin we have committed and the lives we live. As Ezra says, “From the days of our ancestors to this day we have been deep in guilt, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as is now the case.” We do not deserve His favor, but He gives it to us, because He loves us.

So you are not a worm, and you do not deserve to stand before God, but He is giving you favor, and mercy, and grace. Because of who He is, not because of what you have done.

How are you?

How many times a day are you asked this question? We are asked this question by people we love and by people we see at the gym or the grocery store or any place we might go. They could be friends/aquatints or they could be strangers…

And when you are asked, are you honest with the person who asks, and yourself?

If most of you are like me, I usually answer, “good.” Which is not always the truth. Today the real answer should have been, “shitty.” My wife asked me several times this morning what was wrong and I replied nothing, which was an out right lie. I’m really getting effected by not having a call and feeling worthless. I know I should read the devotion from yesterday, as I said that we are all good, and none of us is worthless, but this is where I am today. Wondering why we chose to ask how complete strangers are doing, knowing that the answer we get is not always the truth…

Then today after I am feeling down and detached and wondering if my life is actually worth anything I read Psalm 115. God is the only one to whom we are to give glory. Not to ourselves, which is good, because today I’m not feeling very glorious, or even remotely worth anything… But God in the heavens, which in my understanding is every where, and does what He pleases.  He does what needs to be done in order that His will is done, and sometimes this seems good to us, and at times (where I am right now) we just do not understand. It seems like a dark valley headed towards death, but another psalm tells us a promise of Him walking with us even in this place!

We can trust the Lord to be our shield and our protection always. He will bless us, in His time not ours and to get that blessing we may just have to endure. Jesus endured death to achieve the blessing of rising and bringing  us all to life with God… He will bless us if we hold tight to the promises that He is always with us and will never forsake us. So hold tight to God and stand in the promise, even when you can not see how it will possibly ever get any better…

And the next time someone asks you how are you, answer them honestly. They may just be there to give you encouragement from the creator of the universe and if you tell them what you think they want to hear, you just might miss out.

Good work…

Have you ever wondered if your life was worth anything? Have you ever wonder if you have an impact? Do people  tell you you have the scripture all wrong and that the ministry you are doing is in vain?

We have all heard at some point in our life that we are worthless, and we will not amount to anything. These words are hurtful and meant to cut us down, and break our spirits. People do this to elevate themselves and make their own life more important. But does it really help them become better, or elevate them?

Paul tells the Philippians:

3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight10to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

God will complete the good He started among you to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. God who started something in you will bring it to a completion. He will make sure the good works you do in His mission through His power will be done. So no matter who tells you you are worthless, or incompetent, or not able to do anything, you can tell them they are wrong. Because God who has begun a good work in you will complete it, and God makes no mistakes, so you are not a mistake because God made you!

Paul continues “It is right for me to think this way about all of you, for all of you share in God’s grace with me”  We all share in God’s grace and are therefore His creation and His working. So you are not doing anything in vain, even in the time you do not understand what is happening and the world seems to come in all around you. When you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death when it seems that God is not there, He is with you and will complete the work He began in you.

Live in the day and know that God is working in and through you. So you are not in vain and your life has impact.

Slow fade…

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Above is Psalm 1 and there is a reason I am sure this is the first of one hundred and fifty psalms. It is a wonderful six verses jam packed with wonderful stuff. It is also the basis for one of my favorite songs of all times from Casting Crowns: Slow Fade.

Happy or blessed is the man who meditates on God’s law day and night and this is where their delight is. We have found a delight in knowing and doing God’s law. This is great news. But there is something in this psalm which is really the basis for all of the gospel. It is our grounding and where we turn for our council and advice.

We are happy or blessed if we delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night. But did you see where this psalm begins?

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. Did you catch that?

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. First he is walking in the counsel of the wicked. He is waling with people he should not be and is getting advice from them. Then he stops and stands with them, and hangs with the sinners. Now I can hear what you are thinking, “Jesus hung out with the sinners.” Yes that is true but He did not walk with them seeking their counsel. He walked with them accepting them where they were, not being sucked into where they were or what they were doing. Then after stopping to stand with the sinners, this man sits in the seat of the scoffers. He sits down and acts just like them and derides people for doing the right thing. He has gone from walking, to standing, to sitting. He has slowly faded into acting the way he does. As Mark Hall says in the teaching video on Slow Fade “you don’t just wake up and decide to sin, you fade into it, slowly and then that day you wake up and wonder how you got there doing what you are doing, because it was a slow fade.” We seek advice and counsel from the wrong people and we will justify everything we do. It is a slow process. But if we are grounded in the delight of the love of the law of the Lord, then we can be like Jesus and walk with the sinners and eat with them and be with them, because they are not the place we seek counsel or look for advice, because that comes from the Lord!

So do not walk with the wicked, stand with the sinners or sit with the scoffers unless you are grounded in Jesus and then go and help others to know the love and mercy we have been given and where their delight can be.

Going away…

Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone? 

Have you ever moved away and knew it would be a while before you would see the people you had grown to love and build friendships with, if you would ever see them again?

It is hard. Terribly hard. It is a time of sadness and loss. We are facing a death, like these people are dying and will never be a part of our life again. Now we know that that is not really the case, but there is a part of our minds that perceives moving away and losing friends in this way.

Image how the disciples felt as Jesus told them He was going away? How they must have felt. Their teacher and friend who has walked with them, taught them, and helped them through their lives over the past years has told them He is leaving them. He is going away.

But He has to go. Otherwise the comforter, the helper can not come to them.

Sometimes goodbyes are inevitable, but as followers of Christ goodbyes are merely see you later. Because in Christ we have been given the Holy Spirit and are united as His body and even if we move across the country of the world we are still connected and we will be together in the great by and by.

So goodbye is not forever. It is only see you later…

Do not be afraid

Revelation 1 starts the vision of John. Today’s reading is Revelation 1:9-18. Her John is told to write down all he sees so that the vision can be shared. But in this opening John sees 7 lamp stands and one stands among them dressed in white.John writes “I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.”

John fell on his face in terror. He was worshipping but he was scared. I would have been too! If i had seen what John saw I probably would have run away screaming like a little girl. That is why the man says be not afraid.  He knew John was scared and not just worshipping. That means that Jesus knows when your heart is not in it when you are worshipping, serving, or what ever you are doing in the mission of God.

But be not afraid. Jesus knows and He still loves you and accepts your half hearted worship service and missioning in the world. And that my friends is great news. So be not afraid and give Jesus your all.

you will be my witnesses

Happy ascension day!

Today is the day in the beginning of Acts/End of Luke we get Jesus ascending into heaven and the disciples looking and wondering what is going on…

Jesus has gone from the disciples and now is the great in between! Jesus is gone and according to Acts the Holy Spirit has not come yet, and that is Pentecost – 10 days away! We are separated from Jesus and now we have to wait 10 days before the comforter comes. But when She does we will get power! Power! Visions of Despicable Me flowing through my head… All of the evil villains there ever were because power is what we all want. Power to control, power to yield, power to make others do what we want them to. Power that comes from money, and status and that is what is coming to all of us in 10 days…

That is not the power Jesus speaks of or that the Holy Spirit will bring us. Power in this sense is not physical might or the ability to produce an effect.  It is not our ability to produce anything! God does it all. Power that is coming is our link to a source of energy. The Holy Spirit will plug us into God and give us the energy to go and do for Him.  And this source of energy will allow us to do what Jesus said, “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And to understand this, know Jerusalem was the center of the known world, and Judea was the space just out and around that was Samaria, then everywhere… concentric circles out… like a stone thrown in the water causes ripples and moves out, that is what the energy source we have been given will allow us to do.

The power you’ve been given by the Holy Spirit is not something to yield, but it something to share.