Be prepared for a visit from God

Posted by in spirituality on Jul 21st, 2005 | 0 comments

It’s in our nature to want to encounter God. Mankind attempts to encounter God in many ways. They worship nature, animals, geographic locations, other humans, and some even aliens. They build mosques, temples, altars, sheds, shrines and even pile up rocks in order to connect with God. Some people slide on their hands and knees, others pierce their bodies, still others cut themselves and a few even nail themselves to crosses. All of these methods of attempting to meet with God focus on taking something material and enticing God out into the open or proving that one is worthy to be in His presence.

If you read the Old Testament of the Bible, you’ll find something of an obsession with some people in building a temple for the presence of God to reside in. It’s actually something God ordained and asked to be done. He even gave specific directions and materials to be used in building the Temple.

I encourage you to take the trouble of reading the specifications for the Temple in 2nd Chronicles. Take the time to read the detail and picture it in your mind. It’s really quite fascinating. The defining moment of the completion of the Temple was the Israelites experience of God’s presence. It personally struck me how nonchalantly we take an encounter with God and, specifically, how we prepare for an encounter with God.

Christianity often does a lot of things to get ready to meet with God. Some dress up in their Sunday finest. Others make sure they’ve given plenty of money to decorate the  sanctuary of the church they attend. The more progressive folk put their emphasis on making sure the latest technology comes off without a hitch. A lot of things are done outwardly to prepare to meet with God, the moment arrives, and more people than we would like to admit walk away from the experience unchanged. Now read Hebrews 9:11-14 below.

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (NIV)

It’s OK to wear your Sunday best, give money to the church, or have technology in church. But outward preparation is secondary to making sure that our temple, our body and lives (1 Corinthians 3:16), are prepared to meet with God. The book of Hebrews explains the shift of focus from outward preparation for God’s presence to the inward preparation for meeting with God. Preparing our hearts and consciences to meet with God should be our primary concern. The Temple of the Old Testament was beautiful, even exquisite. A life that has been cleansed by the confession of sin and prepared by reading the Scripture is just as beautiful to God. In fact, it’s essential if we’re going to encounter God and be in His presence.

The beauty of moving the Temple from Jerusalem to the center of your soul is that you can access the presence of God anywhere. It is beyond brilliant. No more waiting till that one day a year or one day a week to meet with God. He’s given us the ability to be in His presence anywhere at any time. The preparation is simple, direct, and costs nothing…except our willingness to ask forgiveness and clear our conscience.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t wait until Sunday to get dressed, get in the car, set up the church, and the band starts playing. Meet with God wherever you are, whenever you can. Just prepare yourself and then thank Him for being so available.

Have a great day.

Content with being discontent

Posted by in spirituality on Jul 20th, 2005 | 2 comments

Contentment is a word and concept that is virtually non-existent in our culture. When’s the last time that you heard a professional sports figure say, “I’m getting paid what I’m worth. I don’t need more money”? Have you heard of any Fortune 100 CEOs turning down their performance bonus because they’re content with what they have? What about the regular guy like you and me? We all want more money, a better car, a faster boat, the latest cell phone, the newest power tool, and the list goes on. We really don’t know how to be content.

If I listed in this devotion the things that I want to replace the things I already have it might make you nauseous. You and I are a product of the American capitalist and consumer culture. It’s difficult for us to be content. I’m personally due to another trip to North Africa. Why? It will knock you down a notch and make you content with what you have for a good long while. Need a toothbrush? Cut a 1/4 inch diameter stick in six inch sections and use it for a toothbrush. Need a snack before bedtime. Roast your own coffee, peanuts, and popcorn and enjoy the good company of other human beings. Need something to wear? Go to the suuq (market) and by clothing that, frankly, looks like everybody else’s clothes. Can’t find a McDonald’s within walking distance? How about going to the local restaurant and getting some meat cooked over hot rocks? It’s amazing how good coffee tastes, how well dressed you feel, and satisfied with your meal you are when you only need your basic needs met.

Americans are spoiled. American Christians are spoiled. We go to churches with gorgeous chandeliers and gilded choir lofts. Or we listen to a professional band and watch the speaker on high definition screens that most minor league baseball teams would kill for. We walk away wondering what they’ll do to entice us back next week, or we may just leave in awe of the incredible display. We’re content with our wealth and our accomplishments. We’re content with our spirituality. We do our duty, go to church, and tack on religion like any other hobby in our life. All the while, we may have been busy with a lot of religious activity but there’s nothing tangible or intangible to show for it. We’re content to be spectators rather than players, content with our spirituality.

Here’s a radical thought…What if you and I were to only to find contentment in being discontented with how well we know God? Not information…relationship. And born out of that discontentment that drives us to know God on a deeper level there is a discontentment with what we have done to serve Him. I’m talking going beyond the necessary things like helping out at church. This is a discontentment born out of knowing God that insists that everything we do or think or feel has to do with God. Every person you meet has to do with God and there’s no rest until you’ve at least introduced them to Him (The Message//remix, pg.1716). The name for this state of being is holy discontent.

Holy discontent is where standard issue Christianity won’t do. It’s when spending 75 minutes a week at church is just part of a life lived for others. It’s when we view every encounter with people as an opportunity for something beyond us. It’s investing in other people’s lives while others are content to play church. It’s making known, in one way or another, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthains 15:3-4, NIV).

Invite someone to church. Host a movie night. Have a small group in your home. Feed a homeless person. Set a lunch appointment to share the Good News with a co-worker. It’s doing things like this you’ll find contentment.

But godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6, NIV).

Have a great day.

Trials and tribulations of the flip flop tribe

Posted by in culture on Jul 19th, 2005 | 3 comments

I am of the flip flop tribe. I value the air flowing freely over my feet as the flip and flop of my onomatopoeiaic footwear carry me to wherever I am appointed to go.

I do, however, wonder if the girls of Northwestern’s championship lacrosse team used proper White House edicate by wearing flip flops when they visited the President. I love my flip flops as much as anyone in my tribe, but there’s just something about meeting the President of the United States in flip flops that awkwardly straddles the gap between fashion edge and White House edicate.

I am torn. What would I do? If I were asked to visit the White House and meet the President as part of a delegation of next generation pastors, would I revert to the suit, tie, and dress shoes of another life? Or, would I wear a nice shirt, khakis, and dress flip flops from ALDO? Instead of flip flops I think I might splurge and spring for a nice pair of slip-ons.

Nonetheless, I don’t fault the girls for being who they are. Worse fashion and edicate crimes have been committed. The people that are hurt the most are the girls’ mothers.

Click here for the AP story on the flip flop flap at the White House.

Super-sizing your spirituality is unhealthy

Posted by in spirituality on Jul 19th, 2005 | 1 comment

I watched the movie Super Size Me this week. Twice. I watched it once by myself and another with my family (with a couple of strategically placed fast forwards). After watching it, we all swore that we would cut down on our fast food intake. Well, maybe except for Emily because she loves McDonald’s and she’s a stick. For most people though, you’ll swear off McDonald’s too…for a while.

Morgan Spurlock, the director/guinea pig of the movie ate nothing but McDonald’s for thirty days. He ate everything on the menu. Over those thirty days he gained 24.5 pounds. His cholesterol doubled. His liver took a beating from all of the sugar in the shakes, ketchup…and believe it or not…salad. He got depressed, fatigued, irritable, and addicted to the food that was literally killing him. We all know that no one in their right mind is going to eat McDonald’s everyday. Well, except for Don Gorske who’s downed over 19,000 Big Macs in his lifetime. He’s an anomaly, in that he eats there constantly and is in good physical condition. I’m thinking there’s a spiritual analogy in this story of human overindulgence and addiction….

We all do things that we know aren’t good for us. We engage in activities that we know damage our physical well-being. Pick your poison. Many of you that read this know my vice is Little Debbie Devil Squares. It’s like crack in a yellow box. I need a fix right now. Must…not….give….in. You have to admit that except for a few of us, we all have a vice or two. What’s yours? We also know that taking in certain types of food in excessive amounts isn’t good for us. It’s the same way with out spiritual lives.

A balanced spiritual diet is essential or you’ll end up spiritually bloated and incapacitated. The Bible talks a lot about food. Yes, it talks about famines and gluttony and eating stuff that might offend someone else. There are other ways that the Bible looks at food:

  • The river (water) of life. The Spirit of God that should flow from a Christian’s life. (John 4:14; 7:37-38) Even though this isn’t technically food water is the essential thing we intake to live.
  • Spiritual milk. The basic teachings of Christianity. (Hebrews 5:12)
  • Solid food. The deeper teachings of Christianity. (Hebrews 5:14)

As followers of Christ, we have to be filled with the Spirit (instead of being full of ourselves). As followers of Christ we have to know and practice the basic teachings of Christ. As follwers of Christ we have to know the deeper teachings of Christ for the purpose of stability and mentoring others. When we “super size” one area of our spirituality it’s unhealthy. It will result in an inconsistent and bad belief system. It will also result in an inconsistent and bad example of what it means to be a Christian. Supersizing one area of spirituality results in spiritual sickness. Spiritual sickness causes us to have poor attitudes, unhealthy emotions, and engage in damaging behavior. Diagnosis: Sin.

So next time you feel like supersizing your spirituality, just say “No thanks” and eat a balanced diet.

Have a great day.

The politics of being human

Posted by in spirituality on Jul 18th, 2005 | 0 comments

Everyone deals with politics at one point in their life. I’m not talking blue states or red states or primaries or the electoral college. I’m talking politics at the office, on your kid’s sports team, your HOA, or (God forbid) at a local church.

People, by nature, want to push their agenda and get their way. People that aren’t inclined to deal with life ethically or for some reason are power hungry tend to use politics to advance their cause. Politics are usually born out of a lack of trust and insecurity. Sometimes it’s just pure meanness. No matter what the motivation, principles from the Bible can help you see politics for what they are. Reading the Bible will also confirm that politics have been around for thousands of years. The example I’m going to point you to is from the life of king David, circa 980 BC. Read this passage of Scripture.

Since people that use politics to advance their agenda have a worldview void of ethics, trust, and relationship security, each situation has to be dealt with a bit differently. No matter what the motivation is, here are some general principles to look to. Let me know if you see something else/different.

  • Expect the unexpected out of people when they feel threatened.

David’s honest condolences, sent to Hanun because of his father’s death, were completely rejected because Hanun thought David was spying on him.

  • People that feel threatened will attempt to humiliate you.

Hanun had David’s messenger’s humiliated by having their beards shaved and he “cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks”.

  • When threatened, people seek to form allegiances and contract with mercenaries.

Hanun figured the humiliation would immediately start a fight so he took a defensive position with his people and others he had contracted with.

  • When attacked, stand your ground ethically.

When David saw that Hanun was taking a defensive position (it looked more like an offensive), he followed God’s directions to stand his ground.

  • Rest assured, that if you do the right thing, your name will be cleared and people will learn not to hang around the troublemaker.

Hanun’s armies were defeated and the mercenaries gave up when they saw that David had done the right thing. The mercenaries pledged to never align with Hanun again.

Here’s a great passage to bookmark when politics come up:

Don’t worry about the wicked. Don’t envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like springtime flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others– it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land. (Psalm 37:1-9, NLT)

You can survive political attacks. Learn and follow God’s principles for dealing with people and the fog of complicated situations of life will become clearer.

How do you deal with the politics of life?

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