Music Lessons

As I was jogging along the path, content to listen to my iPod, a biker suddenly passed me from behind and nearly scared me into the ditch.  I was listening but I was not hearing. I quickly pulled out my ear bud and I think I heard a slight giggle fading into the distance.  Life is so filled with noise that when we need to hear something, we often miss it.

How many times has this been true of us as Christians as well.  We petition and cry out to our Father and ask Him for help, encouragement, answers…we then walk away from our ‘closet time’ and only listen to the sounds of life:

• A Crying child
• The Job’s demands
• Our Spouse’s complaints
• The restlessness of our heart for peace and quiet

If God actually spoke, it would scare us right into the ditch!  And yet, I believe that God does speak and we can hear Him – if we listen.  Sure, God speaks through His Word and we need to spend time studying and memorizing it.  Notice I said “Study” not read!  You will not find a single verse in the Bible that commands us to read the Word.  It always says: Study, Mediate, Hide, Observe, Walk, Learn, Delight, Teach, Cleave, Remember…

The one that stands out to me and I find that it has been sorely distorted over time is that God wants us to Meditate!  For most, the image that crashes into the mind is a body-twisting yoga pose with incense smoking in the background.  This type of ‘meditation‘ implores us to empty our minds of all things and feel the peace and energy that surrounds us – Hogwash!

When we mediate as God requires, it is with a mind filled with His Word and a heart yearning to know more of His will for us.  We have also been given an incredible gift from the Creator – Music! When I combine the practice of Meditation – centering my thoughts on God and His Word – with the gift of Music, I find that God can teach His lessons to me more clearly.

With your permission, I would like to share one of these moments with you.  In the next 4 minutes, remove all distractions from the room in which you are reading this and put on a pair of headphones or turn up the speakers a bit more than normal.

Think about God’s incredible love for you and how much He craves to be apart of your life.  Now press “Play”.

I’m in the river that flows from your throne
Water of Life
Water of Life
It covers me and I breathe again
Your Love is breath to my soul

I can hear Your voice as You sing over me
It’s Your Song of Hope breathing Life into me
I can feel Your touch as I come close to You
And it heals my heart
You restore and renew

-Michael W. Smith, Deborah Smith, Whitney Smith

Mediation is not a common exercise for most Christians; probably because of Middle Eastern and New Age influences.  But make no mistake about it – God not only encourages it…He commands it.

Let me encourage you to find some passages in God’s Word from which He can speak to you.  If music helps in these moments, use that gift as well. Here are a few places to begin:

• Psalm 1
• Psalm 42
• Psalm 46
• Psalm 62
• Psalm 101
• Psalm 121

May you be still and know that He is God.  He has a music lesson for you.

Open Mic:  Share your thoughts

• Has Biblical Mediation allowed you to hear from your heavenly Father?

-Michael G

Jesus gives 6 very clear statements about being one of His followers or disciples.  These are not requirements for salvation or forgiveness; rather they are conditions or evidences of being His disciple.  The 1st Mark of Discipleship is Hate. Here is the second:

“And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  Luke 14:27

Are you kidding me?  First I have to Hate and then I have to carry a cross – Suffer? This ‘following Jesus’ thing sounds more like torture! Before we jump to conclusions about what we presume Jesus is requiring of us, we need to go back in time.

When Jesus said these words, it was BEFORE His own crucifixion.  This was not understood by His audience as a foreshadow of His own death (even though it was).  It was understood to be a reference to the common method of punishment in a Roman occupied country.  To be hung on a cross was a sign of shame; a claim to a curse (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13).  It was the worst form of death for their day.  And to be told that you should carry your cross was to conjure images of a beaten criminal staggering under the weight of a wooden beam or the entire cross.  This image had but one conclusion – a gruesome death, absent of honor.

But here are some things to consider about Jesus’ statement.  He does not suggest that we hang on this cross that we carry – only that we carry it.  (But don’t forget that Paul says that he is crucified with Christ – but we will save that discussion for another time.  Galatians 2:20) He also says that we should carry our cross and follow Him – follow not as a convict behind a Judge but as a cross-bearer following another Cross-bearer!  Do you see the image?  We are fellow cross-bearers with the God of the Universe, but in the end, He takes that cross from us and frees us!  He – alone - lays down His life for us!  The ultimate sacrifice is His to pay and we are the beneficiaries of His substitution for us.

If Jesus paid this debt for us on Calvary, why are we called to be a fellow cross-bearer?

Put yourself in Simon of Cyrene’s sandals (Matthew 27:32).  If you had been the one standing on the sidelines and asked to carry a cross, you would have refused because you would not want to be identified with a convicted criminal.  That is why Matthew tells us that the soldiers “compelled or forced” Simon to carry the cross.  He did not want to be identified with the one carrying the cross.  Do you see it now?  We are identified with the One Who carried the cross when we suffer as a Christ follower.

Call it a Badge of Honor, if you like; a Symbol of Surrender; a Mark of Discipleship.

Suffering is a wedge that

• • Separates the surface from the core
  • Divides the false from the true
  • Cleaves the proud from the humble
  • Splits the stubborn from the surrendered

‘To Suffer’ is not all that we are called to do.  There is victory, power and success in following Christ but we are sometimes called to suffer.

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NIV)
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated– the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Jesus identifies suffering for Him as one way of identifying His followers.

May we suffer for Him; not as Martyrs, but as Victors!

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

• Have you been called to suffer for Christ and how has it grown your faith or the faith of those who have witnessed your suffering?

-Michael G

A man goes to see a doctor about a nagging pain in his shoulder.  As the doctor examines him, the man turns his arm in a certain way and says, “Doc, it hurts when I do this.”
The doctor says, “Then don’t do that!”

Pain is the body’s way of telling us that something is not right.  When pain is doing its job, it acts as a warning bell of something that needs our attention.  When pain is out of control, it serves only to distract and incapacitate.  That’s the thing about pain:  we all hate having it but we would be in a world of ‘hurt’ without it!

If the body has this warning system to protect us from harm and alert us to damage, doesn’t it make sense that God would provide a similar siren for our spiritual life?  Perhaps Guilt is that siren and serves as the pain response of the soul.  But the purpose of Guilt goes deeper than just a warning system.  It is a call to action.

Isaiah

Isaiah saw the glory of God and he responded with “Woe is me!  I am ruined!  Because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5)  In the following verses, Isaiah repents of his sin.  God then asks, “Who will go for Us?” Isaiah cries out, “Here am I.  Send me!” Guilt brought him to his knees so he could hear the message and respond.  Guilt said, “There is a problem – fix it!”

David

The prophet, Nathan, came to King David and confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12) and the Guilt of David’s actions drove him to write Psalm 51:1-19

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.

Guilt is a pain in the soul that tells us that something is wrong and needs to be fixed.

However, this is not the end of the story.  God not only wired us to experience Guilt to point out our shortcomings, He gave us Grace to wash it away.  This is the beauty of God’s love for us.  He is not standing in heaven with a big stick looking for an opportunity to beat us over the head.  He is standing in the pages of His Word holding a bowl of His Own blood – ready to pour it over our Guilt and wash it all away.

Once we have brought our Guilt to the Father and accepted His Grace to remove it, the purpose of Guilt has been satisfied and we are Guilty no more.  If we continue to feel Guilt after we have received God’s forgiveness and Grace, we have believed a lie that says we must some how “pay” for this grace.  That’s not Christ’s Grace – that’s Chronic Guilt.

If I have a sliver that is causing pain but I remove it.  The pain will eventually go away.  But if I continue to dig and pick at the place where the sliver used to be, I continue to be in pain - pain caused by me – not by a sliver. This is what happens when we don’t allow God’s forgiveness to provide healing.  We continually go back to the original injury and replay, relive, and redo the events in our minds.  We dig and pick around at the past and ignore the hope of the future and we feel guilt – guilt caused by us- not by the presence of sin.

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10

The primary meaning of this passage is that Christ died one time for all people and there is no need for further sacrifices.  But in verse 17, the writer quotes Jeremiah 31:34 – “…their sins…I will remember no more.”

I God doesn’t remember them why do we?

Guilt is a warning that the soul is sick; but once the “cure” (God’s Grace) has been applied, guilt becomes a cancer that eats away our soul and prevents us from living the abundant life that God desires for each of us.

May you accept God’s free Grace and live a life free from Guilt but focused on His desire to make you more like His Son.

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

• What role has Guilt played in your life?

-Michael G

Anniversary of Pain

The withered dreams of a lost tomorrow
Still haunt the dark of the night
Threads of memory replay each sorrow
Breathing life into squandered spite

If Time’s a Healer and mends the heart
Why do the winds still send rain?
Sights and sounds send a fiery dart
And make this an Anniversary of Pain

A new kind of normal describes every thought
The dark of night reveals some gray
Fond memories are elusive when they are sought
They grow fuzzy and hard to display

Yet each passing season carries some salt
That’s sprinkled without any gain.
An innocent word unlocks the vault
Introducing another Anniversary of Pain.

Lessons are promised from moments of loss
But patience is really the word
Waiting for answers removes the dross
The voice of healing is heard

The cut or the wound is never the same
A scar is always the gain
The raised tender mark will disfigure and maim
And be a reminder of the Anniversary of Pain

Years slowly pass; the scar becomes callous
A smile comes more often than tears
Memories turn sweet, free of the malice
Joy has defeated most fears

Sharing the wound with the hurt of another
Will cause us to stretch and to strain
Maybe its the lesson – to give to our brother
And be thankful for the Anniversary of Pain

- Michael G

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

• Has a loss or pain allowed you to grow or help someone in need?

-Michael G

Jesus gives 6 very clear statements about being one of His followers or disciples.  These are not requirements for salvation or forgiveness; rather they are conditions or evidences of being His disciple.  Here is the first:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”  Luke 14:26

Is Jesus really asking us to hate as a condition for following Him?  This statement comes from the Man who said the greatest commandment is to love God and love our neighbor as our self. Matthew 22: 37-40 Contradiction?  Confusion? or Comparison?

Perhaps you have read this story…its worth reading again:

The Pearl Necklace

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.  “Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!”

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl’s upturned face.  “A dollar ninety-five. That’s almost $2.00. If you really want them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.”

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.  Before long, she had enough money to buy them.  Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night at bed time, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess–the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She’s my favorite.”

“That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.  About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s daddy asked again, “Do you love me?”

“Daddy, you know I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.”

“That’s okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.” And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

“What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?”

Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, “Here, Daddy. It’s for you.”

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

What are you hanging on to?

-Author Unknown

If our hands are full of our own treasure, we may never receive the true treasure that God has prepared for us.  Love your mother; love your father, your son & daughter; but let that love be as hate when compared to the love you have for your Heavenly father.  “…be My disciple.”

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

• Does your love for something or someone hold you back from loving God as He asks?

-Michael G

I understand Student or Protégé; Apprentice or Scholar; but Disciple? This is not a term we use very often outside of our comfortable religious circles.  But it is a common reference in our churches and we talk and write a lot about discipleship.  So what does it mean to be a disciple or for that matter, what does it mean to be a Christian?  Is it enough to say that you follow the teachings of Christ?  And if that is enough, what does it mean to “follow” Christ?

“Following” neither describes activity or involvement!  One might say, “I am a Christian because I go to church.” Then when you go into the garage are you a car?  Or if you go into a gym are you an athlete?  I wish!  The act of going or doing - in and of itself – does not describe who you are or what you believe.  It is only an activity.

To be an athlete, one must do more than exercise.  There is a change in the nature of an individual that claims this title.  A true athlete decides to be an athlete and then acts accordingly.  It is not enough to practice and train more or eat and indulge less; it is a decision to be different than the average…to be more than the ‘cream of the crap‘…to be changed!  Those who excel in their chosen sport will all refer a mindset; a mental attitude – 10% perspiration, 90% inspiration.

If these are the qualities of an athlete, then perhaps there is a lesson for us who call ourselves Christian, Christ-follower or Disciple!  When we claim the saving grace of Christ as our own, He gives us a new Nature; He gives us His nature.  Does this result in a changed life or merely a described life?  The title of “Christian” should identify a change from who we were to who we are becoming like…it should describe a ‘changed‘ us!  The mindset of a champion for the Christian is literally to have Christ’s mind placed within us. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ.” Philippians 2:5

It only makes sense that if we want to know what it takes to be a disciple of Christ, perhaps we should see what Christ, Himself had to say about being one of His disciples.  In fact, there are only 6 times that Jesus makes a statement that “to be His disciple, we should or should not _______”.

We are going to call these things, The 6 Marks of Discipleship.  These are not the only markers that would indicate that we are followers of Christ.  These are just the six that Jesus talks about.  Would it surprise you to know that none of the six that Jesus mentions include:

• Prayer
• Bible Reading
• Giving
• Service
• Worship

I will not spoil the surprise and tell you the list of 6 now.  We will develop this over several posts…so stay tuned!  For now, read what Dietrich Bonhoeffer said about following Christ and see if you have taken the first step:

If we would follow Jesus, we must take certain definite steps.  The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence…The first step places the disciple in the situation where faith is possible.  If he refuses to follow and stays behind, he does not learn how to believe.

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

• How has your life changed – been cut off – from your “previous life” (before following Christ)?

-Michael G

It’s a childhood past time:  After a good down pour, go out and find a pile of mud; make slimy piles of gooey goodness; slippery castles of sloppy ooze – fun and happiness is had by all!  But as we grow older, the innocence of ‘mudplay’ gives way to another pursuit.

As adults, our search for happiness drives us to jump at the chance for self-indulgence and gratification.  We become satisfied with mere happiness when God has promised so much more – Joy!

A friend recently reminded me of this C.S. Lewis quote:

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

One might say that happiness and joy are simply synonyms and that this is an argument of semantics.  Perhaps, but follow me a little further on this distinction:

Happiness is a temporary, emotional response to our current condition.  It is a human-centered reflex that is activated by pleasing stimulus and removed by unwanted discomfort.  I can produce happiness in my life by satisfying my desires – but it can be removed just as quickly by a change of weather or financial set back.  “To be happy” is man’s attempt at a piece of the divine.  The pursuit of happiness is making mud pies after a rain.

This does not make happiness evil; it just makes it human.  But to be human is to be flawed.  To be human is to need a Redeemer.

Still not convinced that happiness is not ‘where its at‘?  Let’s look at Joy:

1.  Joy, unlike happiness, cannot be taken away by people or situations:

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.  A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.  So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.   John 16:20-22 (NIV)

2.  The source of Joy is Jesus; not human pursuits

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.   John 16:24 (NIV)

3.  The Fruit of the Spirit is a product of the Spirit – not the flesh.  Joy is the result of Love and produces Peace

But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

4.  We should find Joy in the midst of trials.  What human in their right mind would suggest that?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,   James 1:2 (NIV)

So here we are – the pursuit of happiness or the possession of Joy.  I believe there is a difference in the very nature of these two concepts.  If Joy is the goal, then we will not be satisfied with the happy little piles of mud but we will take the journey to the seashore with our Master and find that He has an entire horizon of Joy waiting for us.  It is not a promise of comfort and easy.  Remember what Jesus said?  His yoke was easy and His burden is light…but there is still a yoke and a burden!

May you find Joy in the midst of sorrow and Peace in the midst of pain because the day will come when we will only have the former and not the latter.

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

• Have you experienced God’s joy in the middle of a non-happy moment?

-Michael G

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A rubber band is worthless until it is stretched.  As it turns out, so are we!

If life was always sunshine and roses, we’d already be in heaven – or Hawaii!  But the truth is, we all face the challenges of disappointment, regret and frustration.  It is because of these experiences that we develop an ability to be used by our Creator.  We’ve all heard the Potter and the clay analogy – and it is good!  But the truth is, I get tired of always being the clay!  I want simple problems and easy decisions.  And if I get want I want, I will also get put on the Potter’s shelf – ouch!

I really don’t have any new steps for making the tough decision.  I haven’t come across a silver bullet that always solves the big dilemma.  I wish it was that simple.  But when I look at the examples from Scripture of those who were faced with the tough decision, I see a pattern developing.  Join me in Hebrews 11:

• Verse 4 – By Faith, Abel choose the better sacrifice.  It ultimately cost him his life – but God was pleased.
• Verse 7 – By Faith, Noah prepared an ark to bring salvation to his family.  It cost him his reputation – but God was pleased.
• Verse 8 – By faith, Abraham left his home and went to an unknown land.  It cost him the comfort of his ancestral home – but God was pleased.
• Verse 17 – By Faith Abraham choose to obey God and offer Isaac as a sacrifice.  It would have cost him his son – but God was pleased.
• Verse 24 – By Faith, Moses choose to give up a life in Egypt to be with his people.  It cost him the throne – but God was pleased.
• Verse 30 – By Faith, Joshua choose to march around a city rather than attack it straight on.  It cost him the ridicule of his enemies – but God was pleased.
• Rahab, Samson, David…the list continues and God was pleased with their decisions.

I don’t pretend to understand a lot of what God chooses to do in my life; actually, I am fairly clueless much of the time.  But it seems very clear to me that when I am stretched to my capacity and feel as though I would snap, that is when God starts to use me the most.  So it seems that the real key to dealing with the tough decisions of life is found in one thing – How’s your faith?

And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6

Open Mic:  Share your thoughts

• How has God grown your faith through tough decisions?

This week’s discussion is Making Tough Choices. Bonnie Gray is hosting a blog-and-comment discussion on “keeping faith fresh.” When you have finished reading here, hop over to Faith Barista and join in on the jam session!

-Michael G

Finally, that’s settled!

This week’s discussion is How Does Your Faith Affect Your Personality? Bonnie Gray is hosting a blog-and-comment discussion on “keeping faith fresh.” When you have finished reading here, hop over to Faith Barista and join in on the jam session!

Ignoring the dictionary, which came first?  Chicken or Egg?  For one who takes Genesis literally, this one is easy – Chicken.  With this in mind, I thought the question may be read backwards for this Jam Session.  It might have read “How does your personality affect your faith?” After all, outgoing personalities will likely express faith in a very ‘noticeable’ fashion, while those who tend towards introversion will be content with a more private expression of their faith.  We are born with personality and faith comes later.  So which word comes first?  The chicken (personality) or the egg (faith)?

In this case, Bonnie has it right – Faith must come first! (As it turns out, the dictionary would agree!)

While it is true that we all have a personality, we all don’t have faith.  God gives us a measure of faith based on our need and request and if I am not asking for my faith to grow, chances are, God will not give me much more than I already have.  So when it comes to our faith having an impact on our personality, we will probably only see an impact if our faith is actually growing.

As a kid – and even as an adult – I enjoyed whittling on a stick or piece of wood.  I was never any good and everything ended up being a spoon or a knife or something indescribable…but I enjoyed it!  But I always wished that I had a set of really cool whittling knives. Some knives can cut away large chunks of unwanted wood and others are designed to carefully score or impress the wood with living detail.  In some respects, I am a lot like the rough piece of wood.  My personality is full of splinters and knots; my demeanor and mannerism is often out-of-sorts with my family and friends.  I can be hard to handle.

I think Jesus saw the same thing in many of the disciples.  He spent the entire day healing and performing miracles and as the evening came, He and the disciples go out to in the boat and a storm overtakes them.  The disciples cry out in fear “He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?‘ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” (Matthew 8:26)

Peter was one of the sailors that night and when we look at him, he is impetuous, brash and quick to speak without thinking.  He had little faith…any his personality showed it.  But God had a plan for Peter.  He whittled away at his rough edges; He sanded smooth the bent of selfish ambition and carved His Own image into his heart.  God grew his faith, tested his faith, strengthened his faith and it changed his personality.  How do I know?  Peter wrote this many years later:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life…For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:3-8

Faith is at the beginning of the list.  It is the foundation upon which everything else must be built…even our personality!  God desires to carve away the imperfections of our temperaments and replace them with His goodness, knowledge, etc…

Without Faith

• Our Pride never bends to Humility
• Our Selfishness never surrenders to Love
• Our Anger never softens to Kindness
• Our Bitterness never sweetens to Charity
• Our Hate never cools to Compassion
• Our Weakness never grows to His Strength
• Our Fear never blossoms to His Trust
• Our Doubt never vanishes to His Assurance
• Our Defeat never gains His Victory

The Potter seeks to fashion His vessel and the Whittler wants to carve His masterpiece and all because the chicken really does come before the egg!

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

1. What areas of your personality do you struggle to surrender to God?
2. What parts of your personality have you seen grow in faith?

-Michael G

These are the the images of being pursued!  It is scary, exhausting, filled with danger.  I experience the gazelle being chased by the cheetah…it is a race for life!  Every dodge and turn can spell survival or death…my chest constricts – I hate this feeling!  Can you relate?  Have you felt this sense of looming doom?  The constricting grasp of financial disaster; the oppressive pressure of unrelenting illness; the suffocation of loss and death.  It pursues…it seeks to cripple and destroy!  Can there be anything good about being pursued?

Would it surprise you, then to know that God pursues you?  Would you be afraid to know that He desires to not only pursue and catch you but to devour you?  We are marked by the Creator and sit squarely in His sights and are the object of His pursuit.

I suppose your view of God and His intentions will determine if this image scares you or thrills you.  For me, it is both.  God is both loving and good .  He is both holy and just.  His goodness and love fill me with the hope that He has nothing but my best in His plan.  His justice and holiness send shivers down the spine of my selfish form.  I don’t want to be pursued and captured by the One Who defines good and evil.  I want to be engulfed by the One Who creates and gives life.  I don’t have a choice – He is both!

How else can we explain His demotion to Earth?  He, the Supreme Ruler, in the comfort and grandeur of His perfect Holy Place stoops to become mere man…to pursue us!  How can we grasp the notion of Him walking among us and experiencing our smallness so that we would be able to see God with skin!…He pursues us!  How can we justify our selfish pursuits for importance, success and significance when He willingly surrendered His life and power to the hands of hateful mob…He pursues us!

• God comes to Adam & Eve…to commune with His creation – He pursues them
• God comes to Cain; warns of sin at the door – He pursues him
• God comes to Abraham; shows him a Promise, a Plan – He pursues him
• God wrestles with Jacob, maims him, calls him Israel – He pursues him.
• Jesus comes to a lake, calls them to be fishers of men – He pursues them.
• God meets Saul on the road, blinds him, calls him Paul – He pursues him.
• God brings road block, pain, discomfort, blessing, joy, trial… – He pursues us.

Pursued, caught, conquered.  It seems this is what we expect and yet, an almighty hand grabs hold and the glint of cutting steel catches our eye.  The knife is not at our throat; it is at our side.  We are helpless before the sheers and our Maker is removing the weight of our own overgrowth.  The very things we hold closest to us, He lovingly cuts away and the unexpected result is a new sense of freedom…relief!

His pursuit is not to end my life but to fulfill it.  His pursuit is not to devour me but to consume me.  His pursuit is not to remove what I want but to give me what I need.  His passionate pursuit of love stuns me; fills me with wondrous fear and finds me in my darkest hour.  Without His pursuit of us, we would all be forever lost!

May you know the pursuing & consuming love of your Creator.

John 10:14-16

Open Mic: Share your thoughts

1. How has God pursued you?
2. How have you resisted His pursuit?

-Michael G