There’s something about that Celtic sound…and when I hear this song it becomes a prayer in my heart. May it be a prayer in your heart today. This song has always blessed me in tough times as well as good times. May it be so in your life today as well!
Be Thou My Vision Hymn
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
“…and that in consequence of their fall (Adam and Eve) all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.” (The Doctrines of The Salvation Army, Doctrine #5)
“We believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of the wicked.” (The Doctrines of The Salvation Army, Doctrine #11)
What do I stand for? This is the question I’ve been asking and trying to answer all week…
Thus far we’ve explored: Selflessness over selfishness; God’s Justice & Social Justice. These are fundamental areas of a Christian life. So let me throw some fuel on the fire, so to speak…when we recognize what it is we are standing for, where our ideologies lay and are guided by specific principles in our lives we must begin to recognize that Isaac Newton’s third law of action-reaction applies to our spiritual lives as well.
Isaac Newton’s 3rd Law – Action/Reaction:
When a first body exerts a force F1 on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force F2 = −F1 on the first body. This means that F1 and F2 are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
Did you catch that? Just kidding, unless you’re really into physical laws and laws of mechanics you might not understand this definition…here’s the definition that I understand: “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.”
In our world, morally speaking, this reaction is called consequences. Everyone who makes choices both consciously and sub-consciously will find that there are consequences to each and every choice we make. All too often, however, in our world today many people have chosen to ignore these consequences by blaming other people for their mistakes, or simply running away from the consequences. Adam and Eve, as I’ve mentioned before faced God’s justice in the garden because of the choice they both consciously made: Action (Choice) = Reaction (Consequence).
Similarly, if we continue by this line of reasoning we come to a junction in the road that brings us to ultimate consequence. Everyone whole heartedly embraces and understands that all humanity will one day face death…as it’s been said, it’s inevitable like taxes. We will one day die. It is quite sad to consider those who are Atheists who believe that there is no further existence after death…that this is all there is to this existence. In the Christian perspective, we believe that our souls do have an afterlife and that within this afterlife there is heaven and there is hell.
As I’ve stated before some people have a difficult time facing this reality and that God would eternally punish those who reject Him. But as I’ve mentioned before if our action is to purposefully and willfully turn our backs on God, then the eternal consequence of such an action is the reaction which leads the soul to eternal separation from God. Hell is a real place! Hell will be inevitable for some people…and I am not the judge, never will be and I’ve never claimed to be. But if we are to embrace such a reasoning as an afterlife and the notion of heaven, then ought to understand that there is such a place as hell.
Here’s are some closing thoughts on this for today:
1) Own up to your actions!
You and you alone are responsible for the choices that YOU make…I am responsible for the choices that I make!
2) Consequences are real!
If you make a poor choice the consequences are yours. If I make a poor choice the consequence is mine. Not someone else’s. Stop blaming others when consequences come that we don’t like that are based on our poor choices.
3) There is always a right and better choice!
God doesn’t simply want a relationship with us, He want to transform us to become like His Son Christ on our spiritual journey! He doesn’t want us to remain the way He has found us. He wants us to choose Him every time in our daily lives. This means consider the consequences of our actions, consider the path that we wish to take and also consider God knows what He is doing! Choose Him, and His path…it won’t be easy but His path is right!
4) Believe in Eternity and live for God’s kingdom in the here and now!
If we choose His path, His direction in our lives, we not only fall in step with His will but we recognize that life is so much more than just this human experience. Eternity is so much longer and lives are at stake. We must be Christ’s ambassadors in our world! We are called to this higher calling to not only look forward to heaven, but to introduce Christ to those who have yet to believe and add to this heavenly family on this journey.
What do I stand for? What do you stand for? I will own up to my choices…I will face the consequence of my poor choices and strive, with His Holy Spirit’s help, to live a Holy life in word and in deed!
A child goes hungry, not because there isn’t food in the village, but because his family has been ostracized for being Christians. They are not privy to the market place and so they have to fend for themselves by begging, trying to cultivate some foods from a meager garden and by digging through other people’s discarded trash.
Another young boy watches helplessly as his father is executed right in front of him, then is hauled off, brainwashed, strung out on drugs and given an AK-47 as a child soldier. This method is repeated over and over again by more than just the now infamous Joseph Kony. Other places in Africa as well as East Asia this is how warfare and power is perpetrated. Many times it goes unnoticed or unreported in our Western news sources…but it doesn’t make it go away for those who are suffering under this oppression and senseless bloodshed.
A young woman is kidnapped in the middle of the night from her bed and becomes a slave to the sex industry, where girls like her are property and a money making business. She is shipped in windowless crates, transported on trains, and moved from one place to the next to fulfill her slavers lust for power, greed and sex. When she is all used up, her body will be thrown out like garbage and the evil owners move on to other victims. Some say it doesn’t happen where I live…think again!
These stories are just the tip of the ice berg that is our fight against social injustice in our world today! It is something that all of us, who claim to be followers of Christ, should be engaged in to some form or another. Whether it’s helping in a food shelf, a soup kitchen from time to time, or supporting a governmental bill that will further help those in need. As Christians we are to be the very hands and feet of Christ, and I’m pretty sure He didn’t solely reside within the walls of the church to help those in need! A part of showing Christ’s love to those around us requires us to extend ourselves and help bring Christ to other’s body, soul and mind.
“A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In so doing, he really stands in their place. He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self. Every attempt to live as if he were alone is a denial of the fact that he is actually responsible. He cannot escape the responsibility, which is his because he is a father. This reality refutes the fictitious notion that the isolated individual is the agent of all ethical behavior. It is not the isolated individual but the responsible person who is the proper agent to be considered in ethical reflection.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics
We, as Christians, have a responsibility to intervene in causes for those who cannot defend themselves or are powerless to act. As protectors of our world we not only seek to keep our environment healthy and clean, but we should also, in our power, seek to bring freedom and hope to those who have none. Social justice isn’t just for the bureaucrat, the foreign ambassador and the law maker on Capitol Hill…social justice is for all of us who have a voice and the will power to actually change the world for the better.
The quote above is apropos…we can’t merely denounce something…watching a news story we just shake our head and say out loud, “What is our world coming to?” Yet we don’t do anything about it, we change the channel and move on in our own little worlds. This isn’t just an indictment on me this is an indictment on the entire Western world when we stand by and do nothing when whole cultures are being wiped out in semi-religious acts of genocide. When nothing is actively being done to stop the active violence in villages and the formation of child soldiers in third world countries. It is just plain wrong when nothing is being done to put a stop once and for all to the sex trafficking industry that enslaves men, women and children. I’m thankful for proactive political leaders and lobbyists who fight every day to change laws and make it an active war on these plights of our world! But it doesn’t just begin and end with these leaders and lobbyists…we too have a role to play as well! We too must roll up our sleeves and get involved! We too have a voice, and so we MUST use it!
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause”. –Isaiah 1:17
“Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.” –Jeremiah 22:3
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” -1John 3:17-18
To Stand with God and His justice, we as Christ followers, ought to be also stand for social justice and social reform so that everyone in our world might have opportunities for freedom. God, I believe asks us to stand for those who cannot make that stand themselves. To speak for those who have no voice, and to make a difference in our world through not only environmental activism but also social activism. We are called to BE THE CHANGE!
Have you ever heard the expression from a parent just before they discipline a child, “this will hurt me more than it will hurt you?” Perhaps in your home you heard it differently, perhaps not. I used to think to myself when I heard this said, “oh sure it will, if it hurt you more than me then why am I getting the spanking?” Humorously I’d try to find ways to protect my rear end from harm. Sometimes I would have enough warning because the phrase my mother used was “go to your room and wait for your father to come home!” And so I would sit up in my room and contemplate what I had done as I was considering how many pairs of underwear I could put on without my father noticing so that I could lessen the blow of the spanking. Truth be told, I didn’t get spanked all that often but I will never forget the phrase, “This is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you.”
I am convinced that our Father in Heaven feels that way too! He does not want to inflict pain and suffering on those He has created, yet because of humanity’s poor choices, at times, He has to. We were not created by a vindictive God who loves to punish. That wasn’t His purpose for creating us. God’s justice wasn’t initially a part of creation until the fall took place. Before the fall of Adam and Eve, God walked with us. God communed with His loved ones. The very fact that He had to drive out Adam and Eve from the garden must have been very difficult for Him! The pain in which He must have gone through because of their deceit and consequential sin. I can almost imagine God saying to Adam and Eve; “This is going to hurt me, more than it’s going to hurt you!”
After all, wasn’t it God who created for Adam and Eve their first line of clothing? (Gen 3:21) Even in the midst of their disobedience God was there to provide for them. God’s justice is something that He withholds until it is the absolute last resort. He doesn’t want to impose punishment on His creation, yet the consequences of willful and utter disobedience is punishment within the realms of God’s justice.
I know many have a very hard time comprehending the God of the Old Testament where it seems that all God does is wipe out whole cultures…yet we fail to comprehend how it must have cost God to do something so drastic. Mankind had ascended into the deepest darkest places of morality and sin. They had turned their backs on the One who created them, and because of this His justice had to take place.
Throughout all of history, God has made the attempt to reconnect with His creation. He has made covenants with them…and it should be noted that none of His covenants were ever broken by Him…they were broken by us, humanity. God knew that humanity could never find salvation by themselves, and so Christ, God’s one and only Son, enters the world to redeem us all. Once and for all, a perfect example of humanity’s blood can now cover all transgressions should they call upon the name of Jesus.
God’s justice should never be taken lightly. We must realize that how we live makes a difference. How we live dictates how God imposes love and justice towards us. If we claim to be Christians and yet our lifestyles say other wise we are knowingly sinning against God. To do so, places us in the path of His judgement. We know of God’s forgiveness and yet many use this as a ‘get outta jail card’ like in the game monopoly. Many think that because God will forgive they can carry on in sin and at some point ask for forgiveness and all will be right again…but to do this is willful disobedience and God will have His justice.
Yes God is a God of love and mercy, but He is also one of justice and judgement to those He loves. “because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:12 NIV)
What do I stand for? I stand for a love relationship with God. I stand for obedience to God…am I always obedient? No! But, I do know better when I sin and when I fall. His Holy Spirit is given to all who call upon His name and He can and will provide prompting, discernment and even conviction when we go astray.
I stand for a God of Justice even when I feel sometimes His justice is harsh. Though I may feel this way, I am not all knowing and unlike God, I do not have all of the evidence. God does, and in faith, I have to trust that He knows what He is doing. I am NOT God, nor am I even close to His level…so why feel as if I know better than He does? Sometimes, this can be temptation, after all wasn’t it Satan in the garden in the form of a snake who told Eve to eat of the fruit because then she would have the knowledge of God?
God’s justice is difficult to understand from our point of view at times. Sometimes we feel it’s too harsh, sometimes we feel it comes to slowly. Yet one thing is absolute within this line of conversation, God will have His justice and everyone one day, will account for what we have done on this Earth both good and bad.
Evidence of this truth:
Matthew 12:35-37 (NIV)
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 25:31-43 (NIV) “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
What I Do Not Stand For:
Mankind taking God’s justice into their own hands; (Governments excluded they provide our base of law and keep us safe). Those who would Lord over people and inflict their marred understanding of justice are not speaking for God!
God’s justice is like the parent that says “It will hurt me more than it will hurt you”. He never wanted to punish His creation, yet without that correction His justice would be the consequence of disobedience.
***Tune in tomorrow as I explore “Social Justice”…an extension of this conversation today!*** “Same bat time, same bat channel” 😉
Hey all, a little over a month ago I was asked to give a book review on a book that just released yesterday, April 9th, 2013. The book is called, “Falling in love with God” by Bob Hostetler. If you get a chance to, pick up a copy and read it for yourself!
For your convenience I have posted two links where you can purchase this great book:
As I read this epic story of God’s love for his people anew through the eyes of Hosea, Hostetler illustrates for us to the lengths in which our Father in Heaven will go to buy back His Bride from the deepest darkest depths of total depravity. Hostetler weaves this journey of God’s Redemptive love in a very practical and personal way for us today! Not only does he accurately expound on the scriptures of the book of Hosea, but brings our lives into focus for the here and now! How God desires to love us more deeply, and He wants us to love Him back! If you have ever pondered the extent in which God will go to win back His Bride, read the book of Hosea in the Bible, then pick up a copy Bob Hostetler’s new book: “Falling in Love with God“. I know you won’t regret it, check it out and I know you will be blessed as I was when you read its pages.
This song has been running through my head all night and all of yesterday. We sang this song on Sunday, but it has just stuck with me. For me, music speaks…for me not a day goes by that I don’t find myself breaking out in some sort of song. It’s just my temperament I guess.
But singing songs of praise isn’t the only form of worship to God is it? Music is a very easy conduit that brings us into worship though doesn’t it? It can transform a humble chapel into the very throne room of Heaven, and connect with in ways with the Savior. Worship is so much more than just the songs we sing though. Mere words cannot express who God is, and how we are called upon to bring Him glory. But that doesn’t mean we ever stop…after all the creatures before God in the heaven are singing His praises never ending (Rev 4:8).
Our worship is all about God and what He has done for us. If it becomes mere performance and we lose the emphasis of authentic praise then we ought to re-evaluate our intentions in His sanctuary. When our songs become anything less than praises to Him, they become empty words that only edify our old selfish spirits. That may sound harsh, but that is the reality of things.
Worship isn’t just for Sundays:
Truth be told, we come on Sundays to get reconnected to God, but we shouldn’t unplug ourselves from Him as soon as we shake the Pastor’s hand and exit the building. In fact His praises should be evident in all that we do, through-out our week! Worship takes on other forms in the work place and on our drive to work. How we relate to others around us can be evidence of our Worship to Him. How we respond when others attack us or cause us difficulties is also further evidence of that same worship of Him.
Why Worship in every aspect of our lives?
Because if we believe in a living and active God who created everything and wants to be apart of our lives then shouldn’t we also invite Him into our work week and into our homes? When we do so, we begin to see the full spectrum of the kind of worship that is required of us. Don’t just hang up your worship with your Sunday suit and tie, only to sit there until the next Sunday morning. Take His praises with you every day! He wants that kind of love relationship with you! He deserves so much more than just an hour a week!
Worship…is not just reserved for Sundays…worship is reserved for everyday!
I find it seriously ironic that many writers of love songs or love stories are good at the concept of but not in life experience of love. Is it their deep desire to find love that keeps them writing even after so many failed attempts at it themselves?
Not to be cynical or sarcastic but why do we keep listening to their music when what they speak about isn’t practiced? It’s like going to a college professor who teaches medicine for open heart surgery…they just don’t have the practical experience where as a seasoned cardiologist in the field performing surgery every day would be so much more reliable.
Real, true, authentic love isn’t for the weak minded or weak of heart. Writers may ponder its existence and miss their opportunity all together. I don’t profess to know all there is about real love, but I do experience it every day with my wife and my kids…and it’s amazing and yet difficult at the same time.
We will always hear the siren call of those writing about love but never actually living it. It might be just me, but I would prefer to live it rather than profit from it as a profession.
Luke 7:44-48 (NIV) 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus had been invited to a dinner party of sorts by a Pharisee name Simon. The dinner was just underway when a woman enters the room. She moves quickly because she understands the customs and knows if she doesn’t find Jesus first she will be met with stiff protest and quick eviction from the premises. Kneeling behind Jesus she begins to weep, it’s an odd sight, embarrassing for the host but Jesus, the dinner guest is unfazed. Her momentary gasps for breath amidst her tears breaks the awkward silence in the room. Soon, her tears are flowing rapidly like a swelling river during flood season. Her gasps increase and she is weeping openly at His feet. As each tear falls like salty raindrops she purposely positions herself over Jesus’ feet and allows each drop to fall onto them. His feet are still dusty from the gravely, chalky road and as the moisture from her tears gathers in the crease lines of His feet mud begins to form. The woman bends closer allowing her long hair to touch his feet. Reaching up she uses her hair like a cloth and proceeds to wipe the muddied feet. Then, from her pocket in her cloak she retrieves a small jar of perfume. The smells of food are suddenly replaced with an expensive aroma of perfume. She pours it onto Jesus’ feet and continues to wipe away the remnants of the dust and dirt. Her sobs are now the only sounds within the dining room.
The host; Simon is shocked as the rest of those gathered guests look on in bewildered amazement. This woman, known by the community for her tarnish reputation is at a Teacher’s feet…such things should not be, and yet Jesus does nothing to stop her. Instead Jesus looks at Simon and tells Him a short story. “There were two people who both owed a debt to a moneylender. One owed five hundred silver pieces, while the other owed fifty.” Jesus pauses as he glances from the woman back to Simon again, the light of the room reflecting in his eyes dances to the light of the flame. “Neither one of the debtors had the resources to pay back the debt to the moneylender.” Jesus continues to say, “but a remarkable thing happens, when the moneylender realizes neither one of them could repay the debt back, he cancels the debt.” Again Jesus glances up from the woman and looks Simon directly in the eyes again as he ask most important question Simon will hear all night, “Which of the two people owning the moneylender money will be the most thankful for the debt cancelation?” Simon doesn’t waste any time as he responds with confidence, “I imagine the person who owed the most would be the most thankful!” Jesus nods in agreement and looks down at the distraught woman still wiping his feet with her hair and say to Simon, “You see this woman who has disrupted your dinner party? She comes with much to forgive, you, Simon didn’t wash my feet when I enter and here she is washing my feet now.” Simon sits pensively as he listens. Jesus continues, “When I entered your home you did not greet me with a kiss which is customary, yet this woman has not stopped kissing my feet since she entered the room.” Silence falls on the room again as all who hear Jesus’ words chews on them like a piece of fatty grizzle. “Isn’t it remarkable?” Jesus asks, “She has been forgiven for a many sins today! She has found love and is reciprocating this great love to me even now!” Then Jesus speaks directly to the woman for the first time with kindness and more respect than anyone in the town had ever given her and her less than perfect reputation; “Woman, your sins are forgiven…” how could such a thing be the others wonder to themselves? “She was a sinful woman was she not? Who was this man that can forgive sin?” The other dinner guests and Simon, the host, murmur and grumble together. Yet Jesus ignores them and continues to speak to the woman at His feet with love and care; He tells her, “Your faith has saved you this day, now go in peace!”
What a moment for that woman! She came seeking forgiveness, she came with such a debt that she couldn’t possibly repay, and Jesus canceled the debt and gave her life again! Imagine the heavy burden that must have been lifted as soon as she got up from His feet? Can’t you envision her moving a little lighter as she makes her way home? Perhaps she sleeps heavier than she has slept in a very long time that night! Those in her household and those that know her well would have seen a drastic change her attitude and lifestyle! It all came about because Jesus allowed her to weep at His feet and to find forgiveness in this humbling act. Oh that we too may kneel at His feet and find such sweet deliverance! Whether you have much to be forgiven for or very little, seek Jesus, kneel before Him with a penitent heart and find your debts of sin canceled!
“Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Calvary, Calvary
Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very Near!”
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Pastor's Ponderings 