When You Hear the Word Christian...

Author of the book What's So Amazing About Grace?,  Philip Yancey, took an informal survey asking people, "what is the first word you think of when you hear the word Christian?" He said that most of the responses were "anti-something." Anti-abortion, anti-homosexuality, etc. He said never once did someone respond with the word grace. While I must admit I was not surprised, it was like a knife to my chest. Yes, as Christ followers we should stand as examples and supporters of God's truth and standard, but I believe we are called to show the grace we have received from God to those around us.

I have done NOTHING to deserve my salvation in Christ; the faith I have is a gift from Him: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8

The way Yancey phrased it was this: "we should be grace dispensers, not moral exterminators." I couldn't agree more. You can't expect people to have a desire to live by God's law, if they don't love Him! As Jesus said,  "If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15

I highly recommend this book. It greatly changed my perspective on the world around me and opened my eyes to the magnitude of God's grace. Yancey proposes the best way to change the world is not from the top down, by protesting government and forcing laws on people (which I understand some of this has it's place). Instead, try to change things from the bottom up, one person at a time. Change things by sharing the Gospel with your neighbor so they will have a new heart for Christ.

We have a job to spread the message of grace! "So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders." Acts 14:3 

PS I confess that when I was a baby Christian I failed greatly in this area. I did not show grace. I showed legalism, which does not lead people to the Lord (in my opinion). For those who experienced this from me, I apologize and ask your forgiveness. Even today, I fail at this and ask God's help continually to show grace to others. How about you? 

I Want It and I Want It NOW!!

Free on Kindle right now is Charles Stanley's Handle with Prayer. It is a very timely read for me. Stanley makes a great point that we often only think God has answered our prayer when He answers the way we want it answered. If things turn out differently than we wanted, we often think He didn't answer and find it hard to praise Him. How often do I get the answer I want and say, "thank you God for answering my prayer!" Even when it doesn't turn out the way I want, shouldn't I say the same thing??? In reality He has still answered, but in His sovereignty He has given a different (and better!) answer. It may be hard, but shouldn't we still say thank you when we don't get the job we really wanted, or even when that person we love dies, or even when our bank account is still empty. We need to hear His answer to our prayer, even when it isn't what we had hoped for. As Stanley puts it, "When God answers our prayers, He either answers with yes, no, or wait." He always gives us an answer to our prayer, it just isn't always yes. And many of us can relfect back on our lives and think--wow I am so glad God didn't answer that prayer with a yes! If I had only known at the time what I know now. So glad God knew!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 Take note of this promise. God promises to do this for those who are His and those who love Him--He does not promise to do this for everyone. That is very sobering and what thanks we need to give Him if we are His child.

The Gift of Death

When we think of death, we don't often initially think of it as being a gift. Most people do everything to fight death. We seek treatment for illnesses that could take our life. We often pray for God to heal those who are facing death. We do everything in our power to postpone the inevitable thing we will ALL face--death.

So to hear that death is actually a gift seems very strange. However, God has recently revealed this truth to me in a new way in Erwin Lutzer's study, One Minute After You Die. Lutzer points out that after Adam and Eve chose to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good an Evil (which led to the fall of mankind into sin), God did a very wonderful thing for Adam and Eve. He banished them from the Garden of Eden. Now I always viewed their banishment as a sad consequence of their disobedience. But in reality God gave them the gift of death. In their current circumstance, Adam and Eve had now fallen into a life of sin, out of fellowship with God. Death was now a reality.

"And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." Gensis 3:22-24

As you read in the above verses, God removed them from the Garden of Eden so they would not also eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in a fallen state of sin. God gave man the gift of death that does not bring an end to the road, but a bend in the road. God has offered a wonderful gift of leaving this fallen world thru death to spend eternity with Him in heaven, when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. What an amazing gift God has given us!

Because God loves us so much, He provided a way for us to leave this world of sickness, hate, and pain and join Him in paradise forever.  I don't know about you, but I am ready for the day we can leave behind the sadness of this current world and live where "God will will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

Loving My Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48

God has really been teaching me to love those who are hard to love lately. Not necessarily enemies, just those individuals who have wronged me, hurt me, slandered me, etc. Our flesh often times wants us to respond in a tit-for-tat way, but God is really teaching me to just love and be kind regardless of how I've been treated. In situations where I really want to confront that person and ask them why they did __________ to me, God gently reminds me to just love them and be kind. If I love only those who love me in return, I'm just like the rest of the world. But to be a follower of Jesus means to love those who don't love me. While my heart often times isn't there yet, I am striving to obey and pray for God to change the temperature of my heart.

Do Not Give Up!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

I am the mother of a very strong-willed three year old little boy. He is so full of energy, he is super smart, and very, very funny. At the same time, he is very stubborn and I find myself often discouraged in my parenting. My greatest desire is to train him up in the way he should go...but that is a lot easier said than done! During a particularly rough season God gave me the above verse to remind me that I am not to become weary. And He reminded me that there is a key part to that verse--do not give up! The hardest part of parenting is consistency. I am trying to remember daily not to give up because some day we will reap a harvest!

Aliens

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." 2 Peter 2:11

I'm an alien. If you are a born again Christian, so are you in a sense. We are strangers to this world. Other translations call us pilgrims, foreigners, or exiles. The point is as a Christian living here on earth, we are living in our temporary home. Our permanent home in eternity will be heaven, praise God! The passage goes on to describe that those of us who are God's children should look different. We should look like aliens or foreigners compared to the world around us. Our lives should reflect Christ--which should obviously stand out amongst unbelievers.

For me, this is very convicting and very, very hard to balance. I think as Christians we tend to fall into one of three categories:

1. A Christian who is SO "foreign" that she isolates herself from everyone and everything, becoming legalistic, and so far removed from unbelievers she can't speak their language and reach them for Christ.
2. A Christian who is no longer learning the foreign language, but has compromised all the standards God has given her as a believer that when you look at her you can't tell the difference between her and an unbeliever. She walks, talks, thinks, and acts the same as one who has not met Jesus.
3. A Christian who has become bilingual. She maintains her foundation in God's word and truth, but through the Holy Spirit can obediently reach out to the world around her shining the light of Jesus on a dark world (Matthew 5:16).

My prayer is to be the last of these. I will admit this is a struggle. I have a long way to go.

However, I know I am not the same person I was before I met Jesus. As a result, some friends I love dearly have distanced themselves from me. Some even breaking my heart in certain ways. In short, because I'm now an alien some of my relationships have changed. While this saddens me greatly, I would exchange nothing for the gain I've found in the love of Christ. It is not easy being a weird alien from another planet, but I couldn't be more thankful for it.

Why Them, Not Me?

The disciple I can identify the most with is Peter. While God ultimately used Peter (shortcomings and all) for His glory, Peter had some qualities which often remind me of myself. Peter was impulsive, would often speak before he'd think, at times lacked faith to the point of denying his faith, and sometimes concerned himself with things he shouldn't.

For example, at the end of the book of John (John 21), after Jesus finishes telling Peter to take care of His sheep, Jesus tells Peter about what will happen to him when he is old and about his death. At that point Peter notices the disciple John and asks Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" (John 21: 21).

Have you ever done like Peter, and like me? Maybe you've had thoughts recently like:

• Why can she get pregnant so easily, with no complications--and not me?
• Why is God blessing them financially, when I'm living paycheck-to-paycheck?
• Why does he have perfect health, while I am in chronic pain day in and day out?
• Why did God give them such easy, compliant children and I have the most strong willed, rebellious spirited child?
• Why did God sell their house and not mine?

Peter was probably thinking, "so you are telling me I'm going to suffer and die, well then what about John?!"

Jesus' answer to Peter was, "...what is that to you? You must follow me." (Jesus 21:22)

That is His answer to me too. I find contentment when God reminds me--what is that to you?!

I don't need to concern myself with what God is doing for others compared to me. I just need to follow Him and remember that when I do that I am exactly where He wants me to be.

My only concern needs to be to follow Him and in His sovereignty I will be exactly where He wants me.