Dear Salvation Army: Why Quality Is Better Than Quantity

Jesus had more than 12 disciples…yet many left Him. (John 6:66)
Did Jesus call each one of these “AWOL” disciples? No.
Some joined the band later during the rise of Jesus’ popularity. But Jesus wasn’t looking for popularity. He hadn’t come to be lauded and complemented. He hadn’t come to start a Roman incursion. He came for so much more. He taught that purpose to His disciples, those with whom He confided in and hand-picked for such an important calling.

Dear Salvation Army, why is it that we feel it necessary at times to place quantity of soldiers and officers above quality? I don’t think anyone intentionally does this. I do not think we rush out and pick people off the street and throw uniforms on them just so we have “numbers” the next time the General or anyone else important in our Army comes to town. But we do see success within our Army as something of a quantitative thing don’t we?

Have we been going about this all wrong?
Could it be that instead of sheer numbers and all of these “Corps growth” initiatives we must first focus on the ones we already have in our pews who are undiscipled and unequipped for the battle? We serve many individuals who are marginalized and wounded by life. Some might be incapable of ever achieving the standards of “Christianity” that other churches expect of their parishioners. I have heard it said that the church is an emergency room for the sinner. It should be a place of triage and shelter for the broken and the imperfect. We serve many in our Army who not only need the spiritual emergency room but also long-term spiritual care! Some may never walk upright within the spiritual realms of leadership. Some may only crawl towards incremental spiritual achievements in their lives because they have been crippled by sin, shame and/or other spiritual, emotional and physical wounds in their lives. Can we accept them for who they are, where they are and mark these limited steps of growth? Are we patient enough to develop these wounded soldiers with grace, love and at times looooooooooooong-suffering? Or are we so focused on getting “others” more “capable”, desirable people into our corps buildings? We, unintentionally, stick up our noses at the uneducated, spiritually inept and broken cases already before us.

I don’t mean to make this an indictment because I too would wear a crown of guilt in this witch-hunt of pointing fingers. I too have walked the fine line of measurable growth and statistically accomplishments while unintentionally leaving the spiritually crippled of the corps in my dust. Shame on me. Forgive me.

What I’m Not Saying:
I’m not saying don’t seek out others to bring into your corps.
I am not saying don’t work to improve the spiritual conditions of your corps.
I am not saying don’t preach holiness and hold the standards high for all who come to the corps.

What I am Saying:
-Don’t forget those that God has already placed in your corps and on your ministry pathways.

-Don’t lose the emphasis on teaching and discipling your vital few who come week in and week out.

-Don’t lose heart when you look at statistical sheets and only see the same numbers associated with the same faces.

-Love your corps members even if they are incapable of loving you back (as hard as that may be).

-Be the very best representation of Christ to your corps, in your leadership and in your living examples.

-Don’t wait for more educated, better looking and polished people to come through your doors. Focus on the ones that God has placed within your ministry right now to love and to lead.

Why Quality is Better Than Quantity?
When we become satisfied and confident with loving and serving the few we take off the burden of false success driven ministry concepts. It’s not about packing your corps building to the brim every Sunday morning. It’s not about attempting another evangelistic ploy to rope the unchurched into your doors.

When we begin to love and to focus our attention upon those we already have within our corps (the “quality“, no matter how far from quality we may view our corps members) we will begin to truly love them, appreciate them, long to better disciple them, and serve them as Christ would the Church. When we focus our attention on the “few” and feed them spiritually, the love and “curb” appeal of our corps will become all the more evident in our communities.

We get it all wrong some times in our attempt to become like other churches. We look over the ministerial fences and long to be like “that” church that boasts 400 or more members on a Sunday. But the truth is we aren’t THAT church…we were never called to be THAT church. Our ministry and mission as the Army is very, very unique. Our mission will contain more elements of serving wounded soldiers day in and day out and maybe, just maybe we will see incremental or phenomenal life improvements both physically and spiritually. I am not discounting the work of the Holy Spirit here, He can and will perform miracles, and we must be diligent and faithful to His calling. Yet in other occasions we must also not give up on soldiers and corps members who never seem to move from their one position of initial conversion.

We know there is more to be had within the realms of spiritual growth and holiness for our corps members…but sometimes it may take a lifetime for that corps member to achieve this understanding as well. DON’T GIVE UP ON THEM! DON’T QUIT OR LOSE HOPE!

**Yes, fight for the weak, the hurting, the lost.
**Yes, keep up the evangelistic methods within your communities.
-But don’t forget to employ quality love, support and leadership to the few as well!

Just something more for our Army world to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

October 13, 2014 0

Encouragement For A Soldier’s Heart…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Mama said there’ll be days like this
There’ll be days like this mama said” -(by Luther Dixon & Willie Denson)

Are you having one of THOSE days?

Our Troubles…
Our frustrations and troubles within this world look vastly different from the early church and that of Jesus’ disciples. Yet, this verse is for you and for me today. All too often we engage souls in these ministries that we are responsible for. All too often we hear other people’s problems and they become ours. It becomes a shared burden. We provide care, support and guidance to many within our flock. We feel the burden of these cares, and sometimes they weigh heavy on us.

Other times our troubles come by way of our calling. Sometimes the ministries we have been called to or placed in suddenly become a “dry and thirsty land” with very little by way of encouragement, support and hope. Sometimes instead of a passionate, flowing river of a numerically “successful” ministry we face a slim trickle of moderate or rare numeric success which makes us ponder the questions: “am I cut out for this?” and “what have I done wrong?“…and we face discouragement, disillusionment and even depression.

Still, on other occasions these troubles come by way of outward pressures in our communities or individualistic persecutions. Perhaps we face false teachers, or we must confront immorality within our church and when we do, we’re blasted as “judgmental” and shouted at with curses and graceless comments such as “how dare you, what gives you the right?” We question if we should have just let sleeping dogs lie but in our hearts we know it was the right thing to do and we did so with grace and love. Still…troubles from without and from within have left us wounded and discouraged.

About That Peace?…
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after telling them of not only His pending death but also of their pending troubles in the world…but there was hope. There is always hope in the Father. There is always hope in the Son. There is always hope in the Holy Spirit who guides us on this path. Have you ever heard the phrase “keep the main thing the main thing?” It alludes to the need for keeping the principle of our mission at the forefront of our minds.

Our Principle: The message of Christ (Messiah), the message of the cross, the message of salvation, of resurrection, of hope, of reconciliation, of love, and victory over sin and death.

When we keep “the main thing the main thing”, we realign ourselves with God and turn away from the problems of this world. Not that the problems of this world aren’t important, but rather, The Author of life itself takes His proper place in our priorities. From this place of understanding we then can look around our world and truly see how things are and how they could be. This is when we begin to see the world through the eyes of Christ because we are striving to live for Him alone. This is holiness. This is surrendering ourselves at the foot of the cross and then picking up our own crosses to follow Him.

Peace? What Peace?
Carrying our crosses and following Him (Matthew 16:24) doesn’t sound “peaceful” does it? Pain still exists. Hurtful accusations, slander and suffering will still occur. How could THIS be peaceful? One might ask. Perhaps “peace” means something differently than what we initially thought it to mean. It is certainly not the absence of conflict in our lives; for there is still conflict. It is not the absence of adversity, discouragement or suffering either; for we still encounter these on our path as well. Then what is this peace that Christ provides to us if it is not the absence of conflict? It is an eternal peace. A peace that transcends this temporal, mortal existence. It is a peace that alleviates the burdens of our former self as we embrace the image of Christ. It is a peace that resides in our lives because His Holy presence brings us assurance and hope. It is a peace that still passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) yet conveys to us that we are not alone and we will overcome because He has overcome.

Dear Soldier…
Are you in need of that peace today in your life?
Are you facing discouragement, hopelessness and pain? You aren’t alone. You do not have to carry this burden by yourself. There is One who can provide you with this peace. Perhaps there is some realignment that must be done in your heart today. Perhaps we must go before the Father again with a penitent heart. Perhaps it is a simple yet constant prayer of “Lord use me and allow me to see evidence of You in my life.”

Be encouraged today! We are not alone. We are not abandoned. We are overcomers because Christ has overcome the world. Allow this peace to evident in your life today!

Something more to ponder today. To God be the Glory!

October 6, 2014 0

Devotional Pondering – “I have to sacrifice WHAT???”

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1

Just the idea alone of sacrificing or giving up something in our lives, at times, seems preposterous. Why would we ever want to sacrifice anything…it’s an honest confession, and a shared sentiment with many. Sacrifice can be a hard thing to do in our lives which often include more excess and over-excess rather than “less”. I’m sure you have heard the phrase “less is more” and in the case of the Holiness this certainly fits, at least in the practical physical sense.

Question: What are we willing to sacrifice in order to have a closer relationship with God?
Perhaps the idea of giving up something physical in your life bothers you. Perhaps knowing that the Lord requires this in order to help you grow seems hard even harsh. Let me ask you this – what consumes your day? Is it your job? Is it your pursuit of more stuff? Are you living beyond your current means? I don’t mean to pry but honestly mammon or the pursuit of stuff has ~~almost~~ become our worldly false god especially in the Western world. We see a new commercial on T.V. for the biggest and nicest car and we crave it. We go to a friend’s house and they show off their new 60′ television with all the new features and we covet it. Mammon – this pursuit of stuff has a way of choking our spiritual lives to death.

I’m not saying money or things are inherently evil, not at all. Some of these things are necessary items and can be used for good…but if it becomes our obsession, then perhaps we have placed things and “stuff” above God.

Sacrifice requires something from us. Sacrifice in the spiritual sense means we are willing to think more about our relationship with God and less about our own selfish wants and desires. Sacrifice is more than just a way of life it has to become a thought process and a lifestyle.

“he (Jesus) humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” -Philippians 2:8 (NLT)

If we are to become holy in our lifestyles, attitudes and actions, then we have to emulate the very attributes of Christ who became death, took death from us, and in so doing redeemed us. Humility, in the spiritual sense, goes hand in hand with becoming a living sacrifice for God and for the people around us (regardless if they are good or bad).

Prayer: Dear Lord, show me what a living sacrifice looks like. I have, at times, filled my life with pride, arrogance and things that attempted to replace you. Forgive me of this, help me to see the threat of mammon in my life and guide me in your truths…lead me Lord. I long to be like you, help me to see how I can become humble in spirit so that I may be your witness to the world around me. Help me to see others through your eyes and guide me in your truths. -Amen.

June 30, 2014 0

Devotional Pondering – A Hard Truth: His will isn’t always our will!

“May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” -Matthew 6:10

Many times, if we’re honest, our prayers contain a very personal aspect – our will. There are certain things that we pray for that we want to happen, outcomes and accomplishments, dreams and aspirations. Often times we want God to answer our prayers in the manner that suits us. Sometimes He answers the way that “we hope” He would answer, while other times His answer isn’t what we expected.

When we submit ourselves to Him, we are making a conscious attempt of complete surrender – come what may. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. We call it “the Lord’s prayer”, and yet we should understand that Jesus was modeling how prayer should be. Sure the words are important but so is the attitude in which we say those words. The Lord’s prayer isn’t a “magic” saying either, it is not the only way to pray, but it models for us the type of prayers that should leave our lips and hearts.

The Danger
Taking our will out of our prayers might cause us some anxiety. Our will is sometimes (in my case very, very, very) stubborn. Our will is probably the last ounce of our old selves that remains within the face of complete surrender. The will of God, however, can be dangerous to our personal dreams and aspirations because He might call us elsewhere…but...if we chose to accept His will over ours, He provides us with something far better than we could have ever hoped and dreamed of.

We serve a dangerous God.
That doesn’t mean that He sets out to cause us pain or discomfort, but God calls us and prompts us to this attitude of complete surrender. Faith is blind sometimes. When we utter the words “Your Will be done” we have released our self-chosen pathways, our wants and our often selfish wishlists in life, which we have clutched tight-fisted and unwavering in resolve. His will is not always our will, but can we face a simple truth that releases us to see this dangerous God? That truth – He knows better than we do. He can and will guide us. He wants to lead us. He is prepared to help us on this journey of Holiness, but we must utter those four, sometimes frightening, words – YOUR. WILL. BE. DONE.

Confessions:
I still struggle with those words…do you?

Sometimes I find myself fighting against His will. I think that I know better and so I pray my will into things, people and aspirations once again. I take back that which I had surrendered to Him. I take back my trust in His leading. I take back my faith and choose my will over His..do you find yourself here as well? I believe God wants us to honestly inventory our lives. I believe He desires an honest relationship with us and we must actively decide whether or not those four words are true of us. Are they true of you today?

-Prayer: Dear Lord, I confess that I have not always prayed and surrendered to Your will. Forgive me when I have taken You for granted and that of Your love. Teach me to trust you more deeply. Show me how I can live within Your will more fully. I know that You long for a deeper relationship with me, guide me, break me, melt me, mold me again. -Amen.

June 23, 2014 0

“You’re Reading It Wrong” – 2 Mistakes of Interpreting Scripture

Admit it, at one point or another you have misinterpreted what the Bible has said. Sometimes we do it by accident while other times our intentions are quite clear.

The Bible was written by many different people, but we do believe that the Bible was “God breathed”. That being said, Jesus was the only perfect human to have walked the face of the earth, therefore all other people, including those who wrote the bible, were imperfect. Each writer experienced life through their own filter and each writer faced their own imperfections. This doesn’t mean that all the writers of the Bible were bad people, but rather that each struggled with the realities of life and with their own humanity. Understanding this is important when we read the Bible. Though we know that God is the same today as He was in the past as well as the future – He is being written about through the life experiences of very human (sometimes very earthy) people.

This brings me to my point – be careful how you interpret scripture! Many cults have begun just by taking one single passage in the Bible out of context and applying it to something it was never intended for. If we are true seekers of The Way then we will want to pay extra attention to the ways we apply scripture and its meanings both then and today! There are two mistakes that I would like to highlight today for us here (I know there are more) and I hope it will help you as it has helped me.

2 Mistakes of Interpreting Scripture:

1. Context –
New Christians and even “seasoned” veterans of the Word often do not do the “homework” when reading passages in the bible. The context of what is written is vital to our interpretation of what is being said. I have known people (myself included) who at times have simply opened the Bible and pointed to a passage and thought “this verse was meant for me” without studying the initial context. Of course God can work that way but we should spurred on to really study the deeper meanings and implications of what is being said.

Questions to ask when studying a passages might include:
a. When was this written?
b. Who was this written to?
c. Why was this being written?
d. What did it mean for the people then?

Once we have asked these questions (and possibly more) we can then ask the question – “What does this mean for me today?”
Context is extremely important!

2. Culture –

Culture in the Bible was vastly different from our culture today! This doesn’t mean that the Bible is obsolete or out of date it simply means in order to interpret the Bible correctly we have to understand the culture of biblical times. For instance in Jesus’ day Women were not equal to men nor did they possess many of the rights that men possessed. Jesus was counter-cultural (even revolutionary) in His day to include disciples who were Women.

Secondly this becomes apparently clear through the writings of Paul when He says things like – “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” 1 Corinthians 14:34 To understand this we need to understand the Apostle Paul a little bit more and also the context of what is being written. Paul addressed numerous issues in the early church including a few women who were causing trouble and creating dissension. The problem becomes worse when many traditional churches take these specific passages of scripture out of context to mean in our day and age Women should act the same when in fact Paul was writing to very specific situations. There is a danger in painting with large brush strokes here because then we begin to lose the detail and meaning of the words written in Scripture.

Culture played a big part in biblical times and it still does today. That doesn’t mean that culture shapes the Word but rather humanity continues to change and alter yet Biblical truths and the words of God are always consistent despite the seemingly inconsistencies of some of the biblical writers. Make sure when we interpret scripture that we attempt to understand not only context but the culture of the time that passages were written.

Wrapping it up:

Be careful not to take liberties with scripture! Don’t pick and choose passages that best suit your needs, but rather read it for what it was intended for. Some are historical narratives, others are prophetical for a specific people and time, while others are meant for instruction of an early church. One truth should always stand out above the rest: God desires a right relationship with us. Throughout the Bible God is always seeking this with those who encounter Him. There is punishment for those who disobey yet a remnant always remains because God never gives up on us. In the finality of things Christ comes into full view and we can see just how far God’s Divine love will go to reach us. The rest of scripture leads us to this place through some very imperfect writers and people – and so are we.

I could write so much more on this topic…but for now I am thankful to the many instructors and teachers that I have had along this journey…and I am still learning.

Just something else to Ponder today

June 18, 2014 2

How Does Grace Work?

It is more than just saying a prayer at dinner time. It is more than being “gracious” on a sports field after a loss. Grace is something that can be offered to more than just a friend in need. Grace is something that can be profoundly life changing when offered to a complete stranger or even an enemy.

Grace is defined in the spiritual realms as “God’s unmerited favor”. This means that grace or God’s love and forgiveness is offered to those who don’t even deserve it. It’s like going to an execution of a known guilty convict, and just before they “flip the switch” the governor calls to say the guilty convict has been pardoned.

It just doesn’t seem to make sense. Shouldn’t that person pay for their crimes? That person certainly didn’t deserve anything but punishment, and yet grace was provided without merit.

God comes through to us in our wretched state. Jesus was sent to us despite ourselves, despite how undeserved we were. God knew that in our total depravity we were hopelessly lost and doomed to suffer our sinner’s fate…yet He still sent Christ. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of all mankind and they were nailed to the cross with Him. Knowing this brings John 14 into perspective:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you really know me, you will know^[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus declares to His disciples and to us as well that grace has come into the world. He also reminds us of the way to the Father is through Him alone.

Receiving Grace:

We can receive this grace from God the moment we cry out to Him. We can not only be forgiven from our wretched sins and shame but we can be washed clean from them. God’s grace is like that. It is His desire that no one suffer death because of sin. Jesus has given us the way to receive His grace – declare Him to be God’s one and only Son! Ask Him to forgive your sins, and live this new life through Jesus! http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_crd_ss_EforESpec_ABCs-of-Salvation_pdf.pdf

To keep on “the way” and living within His grace perhaps begin by reading the words of the gospel of John, or another of the gospels. Spend time reading a chapter a day, pray for God to guide you as you read His truths, and ask God for direction. Lastly find a church to call home. Find a church family to get plugged into and to connect with. When you have roots such as these in the Christian faith you will grow!

Giving Grace:

Lastly, I want you consider something. Here it is: forgive those who have wronged you! I know, it’s hard to fathom ever forgiving THAT person, but when we forgive as Christ has forgiven us it not only frees other people but it frees us too. We no longer have to curry these grudges and hurts around with us. We no longer have to be burdened by pains that happened to us. Surrendering these hurts and grudges may be the hardest thing we ever do, but trust me, it is worth it.

God gave us unmerited grace. We didn’t deserve it, and yet it is offered to us. Can we learn to forgive as well? Can we truly learn to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44)? Grace is real, free, and available. Accept it and then offer it to others!

-Just something else to ponder today!

Prayer: Dear Lord help me to accept Your grace today! Guide me in Your truths, I want to serve you and love you with every fiber of my being. Forgive me of my sins. Help me to accept Your grace and in turn forgive those around me. Lord I need to be freed of these burdens. Grant me Your strength and wisdom to love my enemy. Show me practical way in which I can show love and forgiveness today. In Your name I pray all of these things. -Amen.

June 11, 2014 0

Perspectives Day 5.1 “Poetry” – Featuring Commissioner Harry Read “Heart-Talk”

Heart-Talk

If I but give myself to thee, O Lord,
Roll over on to thee my life and way,
Acknowledge heavenly truth within thy word,
Believe thy love is constant every day

Then will I know the peace that trusting brings,
The power that issues freely from thy hand,
The joy which rises from eternal springs,
The quality of life which thou hast planned.

O grant me, Lord, the wisdom to believe
That life is only life when lived in thee;
Grant me the faith to ask and then receive
The promised life which Christ would live in me.

Shine thou through me thy love and righteousness –
A glow of hope in this world’s hopelessness.

Psalm 37: 5.6
‘Trust in him…he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.’

By Harry Read.

May 30, 2014 1

The Salvation Army…A Holiness for Failures.

Okay, I admit my title is a little inflammatory…hang with me, I’ll get to the point. Here’s what I mean: The Salvation Army ministers to many who come from hard-living lifestyles. Admittedly many souls who come to us for help are victims of these lifestyles. How we minister to them begins with the old catch phrase/slogan “Soup, soap, salvation”. We long to fill their stomachs, clean them up and get their lives back on track before we can minister to their hearts. Perhaps it doesn’t have to be specifically in that chronological order either, our ministry opportunities could come simultaneously. But the core of our ministry stems upon a demographic of those who are marginalized, poor and/or destitute…and the failures – there I said it.

The “Failure” –
We live in a numbers oriented ministry driven world where, from an outside point of view only having 20 or 40 in a service on Sunday seems to indicate a dying church when compared to mega churches and large community churches that boast well over a 1,000 members. I’m not knocking these churches, nor am I jealous and want to become them…but there are quite a few who join the ranks of the army who look at these churches and then look at our corps attendance on Sundays and feel as if we’ve failed and/or are dying. It’s a failure of a different sort, a failure of perspective. This failure of perspective comes when we buy into the lie that numbers in the pews are the only source or indicator of a ministry’s effectiveness. Successful ministry begins and ends at personal relationships. Do we spend quality time one on one with those with whom we minister with and to? This is the true evidence of genuine discipleship. Not that it can’t happen in other ministries where you can possibly get lost in the crowd, but can you hide in a corps that boasts 40 members?

Are we caring for the complete person? Is there follow-up and attention to the real sources of crucial personal issues in their lives? The Salvation Army isn’t like other churches because it isn’t just a church, it’s a movement and a triage location to the lost, hurting, marginalized and the failures.

Operating within a Holiness For Failures:
Fellow spiritual freedom fighters we aren’t strictly in the business of merely facilitating “goods” to those in need. We have a broader, greater mission to fulfill. It may indeed begin with the services of goods in order to meet the physical needs, but it mustn’t end there! That is only the beginning. We must be ~~willing~~ able to help usher those we serve in our community into the very throne room of heaven in order for them to have the opportunity to meet and know Christ Jesus. Providing “goods” and services gets us in the door but if we are a mission of holiness for failures (myself included) then we must do more than a box of food, a place to sleep and a warm meal…we must display and convey Jesus!

Jesus came for the Failures and the Lost!

Jesus came for the whosoever, and those He picked to serve in His mission were not the best of the best. They were tough men and women. Many were from hard living lifestyles and many did not have the best of educations. If Jesus had operated within modern day success oriented means He would have gone to the synagogues and recruited the most educated. He would have filled the temples to the brim and He would have had an active prosperous ministry that would have afforded Himself many properties and riches…yet this wasn’t His mission. He came to the rejects, the prostitutes, the outcasts, the uneducated, the lame and the sick, the dead and all we failures. Not failures by occupational standards or in friendships (not all anyway) but by a salvation standard. “For all have sinned (failed) and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) He operated within a holiness for failures system. This isn’t to mean that Holiness is or was a failure, but rather He went to the sinner, He lived among to poor, He cared for the outcasts and brought the power of redemption to those who would hear and seek. Even selecting His disciples He showed evidence that He would use anyone who was willing to follow and willing to receive His holiness and success at the cost of even death.

From point ‘a’ to point ‘b’

How are we bringing people from point ‘a’ (a life of sin and shame) to point ‘b’ (a life of salvation, redemption and holiness)? What are we concerned with more? Numerical success or the success of holistic ministry and spiritual life altering opportunities? Are we looking over the fences at other ministries that do not embody what our movement is all about? We are many parts of the body of Christ and with that being said other ministries out there operate for different reasons. Jesus brought hope to a world of failures, how are we emulating Him in our Corps and in our various ministries in our communities?

Perhaps you’re hung up on the word “failure” today because of its negative connotations. Jesus came you and for me because we needed Him! Still today many are lost in their failures, blinded by habitual sins and shame…be a light to them not by your power but by His Holy Presence. Help to usher His holiness to those who need Him most! Perhaps we must stop looking over the fences, stop comparing ourselves and get back to work. The upside – when we allow Christ to work within us as well as those we minister to He will turn us from Failures into His Holy Success stories.

“Go for souls, and go for the worst!”

-Just another thought to Ponder.

May 23, 2014 0

Are Your Robes Clean Or Is It Laundry Day?

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves the practices of falsehood.” Revelation 22: 14-15

There’s a blessing and a curse within this passage.

Blessing: to those who have been cleaned they are blessed with entrance into the city (the new Jerusalem).
Curse: to those who have not been cleaned and have embraced the practices of falsehood they are cursed with being an “outsider” and are barred from entrance into the city.

These are the words of an post-ascended Jesus spoken to John in his vision of what is to come. Recently I taught the book of Revelation in our bible study class and we went through each chapter together. This wasn’t some sort of theological teaching of eschatological theories and dispensationalism. This was a study of what is written within this book. This was a look into what we understand and what we do not understand. It was also understood that it is okay to acknowledge that we don’t have to comprehend everything in the text to understand what Christ is and will be doing at the end of all things…and at the restart/beginning of all things. Salvation and justice will be handed to out to us all. Reward and punishment, blessings and curses. His reign will be absolute in that there will be no question of who He is and will be for all time. His city will shine because God will be at the center providing light and love. The vision of John is both glorious and too majestic to fathom. We cannot grasp it all. Yet His wonder and might will be all consuming and powerful.

“Behold I am coming soon!” (Revelation 22:7)
This isn’t some billboard or poster board written by a street preacher who is screaming through a bullhorn and attempting to scare the hell out of people (Sorry if I offend you with that, but isn’t that their purpose?). These words of Jesus aren’t supposed to be interpreted as horrifying and foreboding, yet many times that is exactly how people use them. This isn’t some catch phrase to a horror movie. These words should be read and interpreted with loving expectation and with a heart of preparation. Jesus doesn’t say these words to scare us but rather prepare us. In the Apostle John’s day these words would have evoked in the listener (the early Church) a sense of longing and hope in a world of fear, evil and Roman oppression. To us, we should see Jesus’ words as not just a warning of His return but of a time to prepare our hearts, souls and minds for Him.

Direct Questions:

How is your heart today? Is there peace in your heart and life because you have a relationship with Jesus? Are you in a good place spiritually? What things still need to be surrendered to Him today? The Holy Spirit still works within us to prepare us and to “cleanse our robes”. Are you willing to surrender every nook and cranny of your soul? Jesus doesn’t want to rent a room in your heart, He wants you all to Himself. He longs for this right relationship with us, and we must decide how full our surrender to Him will be.

I want blessings not curses.
I want His presence, not the “outsiders” view of the city.
I want to be completely His, not an ‘on again, off again’ relationship.
Is this your desire?

Chorus and Prayer:

If on my soul a trace of sin remaineth,
If on my hands a stain may yet be seen,
If one dark spot a weary soul retaineth,
O wash me, Lord, that every part be clean;
For I would live that men may see thyself in me,
I would in faith ascend thy holy hill
And, with my thoughts in tune with thy divinity,
Would learn how best to do thy holy will.

Be Blessed today, not cursed!

-Just something more to ponder.-

May 22, 2014 0

“Lord, I love you THIS much!”

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30)

“Hey Dad guess what“, my son Ethan said as he looked at me with his ocean blue eyes and mischievous smirk. Okay, I’ll bite, I thought to myself as I smiled back at him. “What Ethan?” I asked. Seeing I had taken the bait, Ethan’s eyes lit up and his smirk broke out into a full smile as he quickly replied rather loudly “I LOVE YOU!”

It is a game that we like to play. We attempt to catch each other off guard with a simple question like “Guess what?” As far as I can remember my Grandfather started this game and it is still going on today. Truth be told, Ethan is rather good at it and at times he blindsides me with his spontaneous expressions of love.

-Expressions of love-

What do our expressions of love look like when it comes to our Heavenly Father? Does He receive our “first fruits” of love or just the left-overs? When asked about the commandments and which was the most important, Jesus said “The most important one is this:…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Do we understand realistically how important our love for God truly is? Without this “first love” as our reference point all other ‘loves’ (including people) cannot be fully realized! Jesus doesn’t just say “love God” but He goes on to say “With all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (it is known as the Shema or “hear”). In other words our expressions of love to God and the way we express THAT love is to be all or nothing. This love is to be complete or completely useless. Jesus’ usage of the word “ALL” means we must employ EVERYTHING in order to express our love to God. From that love relationship with and to God, we can then begin to love those around us even those who we have deemed ‘unlovable’.

How much?

How much do we love the Lord our God? How much have we expressed that love to Him?
Are we holding anything back? Are we giving Him our first fruits of love?
Can we say to the Lord: “Guess what? Lord, I love you THIS much!” as our arms are outstretched as far as they can possibly go?
The depth of our expressions of love to God will determine the depth of love that we are able to show to those around us. How is your love today?

-Just something more to ponder.

May 19, 2014 2

Tag: Jesus