love

The Mumble and Grumble of Whinersville

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grouchI had to get my atlas out last night to make sure I wasn’t lost.  It seemed like whether I was listening to my radio, watching TV, or reading the newspaper, people were whining:  “I deserve this,” or “I didn’t deserve that!”  I thought I had been mysteriously transported to Whinersville.

Whining, mumbling, and grumbling is a worldwide problem of epidemic proportions.  Europe, South America, Asia, Canada, and the good old USA are afflicted with this debilitating attitude.

This must be a centuries old problem because both Peter and Paul said  people should be careful about the expression of their attitude:

  • Peter said we should, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (I Peter 4:9).”
  • Paul said to, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation (Philippians 2:14-15).”

Before you complain to God, and say:  “This is something I don’t deserve.” Think about it.  Do you really want Him to serve you a plateful of what you deserve? When God fills my plate, I’m like a child:  I want a tiny portion of the Brussel sprouts of His judgment and heaping-helpings of His mercy-filled dips of mashed taters and cream gravy.  I never want what I deserve—the wilting heat of His anger.  I’d much rather bask in the Son-shine of His forgiveness.

Like David, we can find comfort in the loving nature of God and shout: “Lord, You are good and ready to forgive; and, Your abundant loyal love flows generously over all who cry out to You . . . guide me along Your path, so that I will live in Your truth (Psalm 86:10-11).”  Even whiners grow mute and their grumbles are silenced when they turn their thoughts to God’s “abundant loyal love.”

From Zilch to Zero

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zilchAfter watching the evening news, I wonder what the prophet Jeremiah would say about the world in which we live?  In his own day, he summarized the condition of mankind by saying the heart of man was full of deceit and wickedness.  I think the news confirms the prophet’s prognosis.

Like Jeremiah, Saint Augustine voiced his concerns regarding the plight of mankind.  Even though he was a theologian, and not a heart doctor, he was concerned with healthy hearts.  He thought a vibrant heart would manifest itself when a person showed love for:

  • the right thing
  • in the right degree
  • in the right way
  • with the right kind of love

Augustine’s focus on the importance of love may have come from his study of the Apostle Paul, who said:  “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).”

If your life is void of any expression of love, you have a zilch to zero chance of doing “the right thing, in the right degree in the right way, with the right kind of love.”

The “right kind of love,” is a genuine love of obedience: “Everyone who really believes that Jesus is the Christ proves himself one of God’s family. The man who loves the Father cannot help loving the Father’s own Son. The test of the genuineness of our love for God’s family lies in this question—do we love God himself and do we obey his commands? For loving God means obeying his commands, and these commands of his are not burdensome, for God’s “heredity” within us will always conquer the world outside us. In fact, this faith of ours is the only way in which the world has been conquered. For who could ever be said to conquer the world, in the true sense, except the man who really believes that Jesus is God’s Son (I John 5:1-5)?”

Have you gone from zilch to zero, or are you a conquering hero?  The difference is the capacity to love.

Death by Cliché

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abideLast week was a rough week for the FCC family, and it was harder for some than it was for others.  It’s always difficult when you’re trying to manufacture enough strength to keep your feet on the ground; your head above the clouds; your shoulder to the wheel; your nose to the grindstone; your ear to the ground; your eye on the ball; and, finger on the pulse.

Take a moment to look, again, at each of the mantras above.  What is the common theme?  Isn’t it spiritual desertion through physical exertion?   If you’re not careful, you’ll cliché yourself to death with this sort of bumper sticker philosophy.

The key to managing life is not the saccharine sentimentalism that’s posted on Facebook.  Meaningless and sappy slogans are a poor substitute for the vitality of the vine that is promised by Jesus in John 15.  Here are the key points to what Jesus said concerning this relationship:

  • Productivity: The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me (15:4)
  • Prayer: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you . . . (15:7)
  • Proof: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples (15:8)
  • Practical Obedience: If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love (15:10).

The key to escaping a tireless existence is to entirely focus on the principles above.  Develop the habit of abiding in Christ by interceding in prayer, ingesting His word, and intentionally obeying His commands.

When you abide in Him, you’re nourished by the vitality of the Vine, and you can  “Be imitators of God as dear children.  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma (Ephesians 5:1-2).”

The Pursuit of Peace

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Pursuit-LogoI was flipping through the pages of the Psalms late yesterday afternoon, and 5 words from Psalm 34 caught my attention:  “Seek peace and pursue it.”  When I examined the words of this verse, I came away with the idea that it is a faith and works verse.

The faith part is found in the word “seek.”  The original meaning of the word has the idea of seeking within the context of worship, or praying for peace.

The works part of the verse is even more interesting.  The word “pursue” should be understood within the scope of intense persecution.  You should pursue peace with same energy and intensity of a zealous persecutor.

There is considerable harmony between the uses of pursue in the Old Testament, and the way Paul uses it in the New Testament:

  • In Romans 14:19, Paul encouraged the Christians at Rome to “Pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.”
  • I Thessalonians 5:15: “See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.”
  • I Timothy 6:11: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.”

It has been said that whatever catches your attention, catches you.  I trust you’ll turn your attention to the business of “seeking peace and pursuing it.”  Peter confirms the importance of this endeavor:

Whoever desires to love life and see good days let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.    ~I Peter 3:10-12

Amber Alert: The Well-Known Unknown

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newsflashAmber Alert!  When you hear a news reporter say these two words, a red light flashes in your brain, and your attention is immediately focused on the plight of a missing child.

The “Amber” in the “Alert” is as well-known as it is unknown.  What you may know is that Amber Hageman is the namesake of this alert.  She was the 9 year old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in 1996.  He murder shocked the small Texas community where she lived, and the town responded by creating an emergency bulletin system that was eventually adopted nationwide as the Amber Alert.

What you may not know is that AMBER is an acronym meaning “America’s Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response.”  The tragic death of Amber gave birth to a system that has helped multiple children over the past 19 years.

There are times that we use words without full knowledge of their meaning.  The same is true with acronyms like the Amber Alert.

This is also the case with GRACE.  While it is an often used and well-known expression within Christianity, do you know all there is to know about it?  Let me define it this way:

  • G-od’s
  • R-iches
  • At
  • C-hrist’s
  • E-xpense

Grace is the act of God by which He gives you something that you do not deserve.  Mercy is when God does not give you what you do deserve.

Here’s a good news bulletin to consider:  Grace, mercy, and peace shall be with us, from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love (2 John 1:3).

Is That Rocky or Sylvester?

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Sylvester_StalloneHow many people do you know who are named Sylvester?  I can think of two.  To be truthful, one of them is a cat.   I can only think of one other person named Sylvester, and he disliked his name so much that he never used it.

Thanks to the work of Randal S. Olson, I learned something new about my name last night.    I discovered that in the year I was born, there were 6,286 other people who were also named Stanley.  The good thing is that 4,963 of us are still alive.

There is really no significance to my name; however, there is a name that is incredibly important:

  • Philippians 2:9-11: God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  • Acts 4:12: There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.

Do you want to learn a little more about your name?  Click here, and you can get started.

Valentine’s Day

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images (4)Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, so this is your reminder to get a little something for that special someone who brightens your life.  Let me share some statistics with you to give you some insight into the 14th day of February:

  • Some 180 Million Valentine’s Day cards will be shared
  • 85% of the Valentine’s Day cards are purchased by women
  • Somewhere around 196 million roses are used for Valentine’s Day
  • 73% of the flowers that are purchased are bought by men
  • The average consumer will spend about $116.21

What is Valentine’s Day worth to the retail industry?  It is estimated that $403 million will be spent on flowers, and the jewelry stores will ring up sales in the area of $2.2 billion.

With all of the petal-pulling-she-loves-me, she-loves-me-nots, keep this truth in mind:  Regardless of the day of the week, God always loves you!

Jeremiah 31:3 is God’s Valentine to His people: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”  God’s love will not tarnish like metal, wilt like a flower, or grow dim like a gem.  It is constant and eternal, and you are the object of His love.

The Great Loyal Love of God

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Dust-articleInlineOne of the sections of the Psalms that I enjoy is Psalm 103.  The Psalmist describes the Lord as being compassionate, merciful, patient, and demonstrative with His “great loyal love.”

As you read the verses below, notice the ebb and flow as the author builds on the foundation he’s laid:

The Lord is compassionate and merciful; He is patient and demonstrates great loyal love. He does not always accuse, and does not stay angry. He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; He does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve. For as the skies are high above the earth, so his loyal love towers over his faithful followers. As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. For he knows what we are made of; He realizes we are made of dust.

Because the Lord is compassionate, merciful, patient, and He has a “great loyal love:

  • He does not always accuse.
  • He doesn’t stay angry.
  • He doesn’t deal with us as our sins deserve.
  • He doesn’t repay us as our misdeeds deserve.
  • He removes the guilt of our sin.

Why does God do this?  It’s because it’s His character to do so, but there is another reason:  He knows who you are—a fragile pile of dust.   When you fail, God could sweep you up and toss you aside, but He is compassionate, merciful, patient, and He has a “great loyal love” for you.

On your own; in your frail strength; and in your confused wisdom, the best you can do is to make a mud pie out of your life.  Then, when the storms of life come, you’re just a muddy mess.  You’re like the prodigal son who wallowed in the pig pen of life and ate the swill and hog slop with the rest of the pigs.

But, like the prodigal,  something wonderful can happen that will change your life.  You can remember that the Father is compassionate, merciful, patient, and He has a “great loyal love” for you, and you can go home to the Father’s house:  “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. For he knows what we are made of; He realizes we are made of dust.”

Are You a “Phobe” or a “Phile?”

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lovehateAn old adage is: Actions speak louder than words. With this in mind, do your actions define you as a bibliophobe or a bibliophile? Let me clarify these terms:
• A bibliophobe is a person who has a fear, hatred, or distrust of books.
• A bibliophile is a person who has a love for books and is prone to collecting them.

Considering your actions in regard to books, are you “phobe” or a “phile?” Do you love books, or do you hate them?

Whenever I see the prefix of these words, the first thing I think of is the word Bible, and the Bible is a collection of 66 books—Genesis to Revelation.

How do your actions define your relationship with the Bible? Are you a “phobe” or are you a “phile?” Do you read it or neglect it or do you heed it and respect it?

When I consider some of the statements found in the Psalms, I’m certain the writer was a “phile” and not a “phobe.” He describes Scripture as being more desirable than gold and he even says that it is sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10; 118:103).

If you are a “phile,” you use the Bible as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path to guide you. If, however, you are a “phobe,” you may stumble through life in a state of perpetual darkness.

I encourage you to read Psalm 1 to see the start contrast of a “phile” and a “phobe.”