The Strength of My Life

I’m sitting in my favorite corner at McDonald’s…in a fog…just staring into space…my back hurts…my mind is asleep.

And yet it is good to be still, open to what the Holy Spirit may say. For truly, I need His words in my inner being to drive away an old habit. I am weak, but HE is strong.

Lord, Lord, Lord…I need your strength to keep body, mind and spirit alert, alive, awake and fit.
A song comes to mind:

Every day I look to you, to be the strength of my life
You’re the One I hold on to, to be the strength of my life
Be the strength of my life; be the strength of my life; be the strength of my life today

You, God, through your word, through your love, mercy, grace, through your Holy Spirit are my strength. For I am weak today. I am weak and I am depressed. I am in pain in body, mind and spirit as I try to find the pleasant places of my boundaries, to appreciate the beautiful inheritance I find as your child.

I am limited, by your design…I limit myself, spurred often by Satan’s lies…and those limitations squeeze me into shutting down. There’s a frown on my face from concentration and effort. I move as though immersed in molasses.

Oh God…You are the strength of my life. Fill me with your enabling power to do good things; to climb out of the pit of despair and the boggy, miry clay. Despair is not my natural habitat, yet this morning it claws at me. Its boggy ground slows my feet, makes my steps harder, wears me down.
Father! Lift me on your eagle’s wings; renew my strength so that I may not faint. Hide me in your shelter; set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure.

I am leaving McDonald’s. Thank you, Father; I am strengthened for the day. The lines have indeed fallen in pleasant places for me. I may not be running, but I can walk now.

Psalm 16:6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.

Psalm 40:2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

 

Choosing Hope in the Face of Failure

I laugh about it now, but I stressed over the error for weeks. My beautiful new refrigerator was installed and the delivery men gone, when I realized that it was two inches deeper than my measurements. This fact was not a deal breaker because the fridge fit the width between the two adjacent cabinets. Unfortunately those extra inches of depth caused this appliance to block the utility drawer that opened across the front of the fridge. I used this drawer every day.

Since the front door has beveled edges it was not as deep at the sides as in the middle. I could open the drawer about 6 inches and touch the front compartments of the small organizer tray inside. Other important items in the back were frustratingly beyond my reach.

I thought almost obsessively about how I could rescue my spare keys, tape measure, and the winding key for my antique clock. My first solution was to find someone to help me temporarily disconnect the water line from the freezer unit and roll the 250 pound refrigerator out of the way so I could fully open and empty the kitchen drawer. I put off taking action, and time went by. The sight of the drawer taunted me with feelings of hopelessness in the situation.

One day I heard God tell me to push the plastic organizer tray to the back of the drawer and tilt the front of the tray up. Startled by this simple solution, I followed the instructions and the tray slid out easily with all the items I thought were so important. I felt such joy and laughed at myself for feeling so discouraged over something God fixed so easily. This experience reminded me that I am free from the lie of hopelessness. And I have an infinite resource and refuge in Christ who is not repulsed by my failures.

Psalm 94:19 (NIV) When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Psalm 9:10 (NIV) Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Finding the Holy Spirit in Unlikely Places

Last Sunday we celebrated the day of Pentecost, a day commemorating a time when God poured out his Holy Spirit on his people, which Pastor Jerry Cook described as a “radical relocation of God’s presence.”
 
We see amazing things that God does through his Spirit. We remember what he has done in our lives. We see him work in a multitude of different ways in the lives of different individuals. God is definitely not a “cookie cutter” God. He gives people unique gifts according to His knowledge of them. Praise Him for that!
 
So I’ve been pondering something recently. If God is everywhere at all times, if his Spirit has been, and still is, hovering over all of creation, if he loves all people and is constantly trying to communicate with us and to establish a relationship with all of us, then is it possible that the Holy Spirit has revealed aspects of God’s wisdom to people in every corner of the globe, regardless of race, nationality, culture, and even religion? Let me explain….
 
We Followers of Jesus have as our inheritance a priceless set of books, letters, poems, proverbs and prophecies, inspired by God, called the Bible. The Bible is living and active, a book that is powerful because of the truth it contains. We believe the truths in the book are inspired by God’s Holy Spirit.
 
But God’s Spirit is evident in more places than the Bible! He is constantly moving through the universe bringing light, goodness and life wherever He goes. Can He give wisdom and insight to a poor farmer in Cambodia? Can He deposit and grow a loving heart inside a mother in India?  Can He stir the heart of a secular Jew living in Moscow to fight for human rights? Can He help an Eskimo in northern Canada find food for his family? Can He give three men in Portland the courage to confront a hate-filled violent man on a commuter train? I believe He can….and does just that kind of thing all the time.
 
The authors of the Bible Project stated that God forbade mankind in the Ten Commandments from forming any image of God (an idol). One reason for that was that He had already created something in His own image….us!! Human men and women reflect something of who God is. And since God is love, wherever men and women show love, concern or compassion for others, they are revealing a piece of that image to the world.
 
So where am I going with all this? Well, when our children were little we were taught not to just point out and correct all their bad behavior, but that we should “catch them doing something good” and then reward them for it. That positive point of contact was a more powerful way of affecting their behavior than a negative one, so we were taught. What if, when we are with non-Believers of any race, culture or religion, we watch for that spark of the Spirit of God and then celebrate it with them. Maybe we could even say something like, “That looks like God” or “That looks like something God would do” or “That is just what Jesus taught us to do!” Besides being a bit shocking for them, it just might open up some doors of further conversations about how we know that, how we know God, or what God looks like and where we learned all of this.
 
Jesus calls us to love all people, even our enemies. How much easier it is to love people when we catch a glimpse of God in them, however small. And there may be a much larger spark than we could ever imagine. Maybe without knowing it, some non-Believers are just micrometers from the Kingdom. Would this help us be better neighbors in our community? Could this minimize or even eliminate the tension between “us vs. them”? Most of us really are on a similar journey….to discover how best to live in this world and how to make it a better place. We can learn tips from each other, but we must stay open and curious about what others have learned. Then we might earn the friendship that opens doors….and opportunities to share why we have such faith in Jesus, the eternal loving Son of God.

 

The Holy Spirit and Pentecost Resources

It is my pleasure to draw attention to the THIRD person of the Trinity and what we referred to as Pentecost recorded in Acts 1-2. This passage has special significance for Christ-followers not only looking to the past, but is very relevant to our present and future.
 
I recently participated in a Boeing Factory tour near Seattle. From our tour guide I learned that two men were intrigued by flying and decided to strap themselves to the wings of a single person plane to enjoy this innovation. They were later inspired to come up with a way to propel groups of humans to fly higher than ever before. So what started out to be a small beginning, has now become huge industry. The innovative work of William Boeing in the early 1900’s led to creating shared traveling experiences in the air, that take people all over the globe and actually helps us feel like the world is a much more knowable place.  
 
Similar to the Boeing’s significant of the airline industry, Pentecost represents an important moment in the unfolding narrative of God's pursuit and redemption of His beloved creation. Similarly, Boeing and Pentecost involves an invisible power that impacts the trajectory for all of mankind when we choose to work with it instead of against it. Boeing may have changed the way we live and experience the world, but Pentecost has changed the way we live and experience God and has altered our existence for all of eternity. 

On Sunday, June 4th we dedicated our service to talking about the Holy Spirit and Pentecost followed by a time of openness and prayer for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit for empowered living. Here are a few follow up resources that I trust will help feed the hungry soul of those who want anything and everything God has promised for His followers.

Luke 11:9-13 NLT
9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

 

The Holy Spirit By The Bible Project
Video Overview

Check out this brief overview of the Bible with a special emphasis on the presence and participation of the third person of the Trinity: The Holy Spirit .

YouTube Video Link | TRT 4:10

Alpha Course Film Series on the Holy Spirit
Episodes 9-11

Check out the following video resources from the 14 week discipleship video series known as The Alpha Course.  Nicky Gumbel is an Anglican priest, author and the developer of the Alpha Course. Since 2005, he has been Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton in the Diocese of London, Church of England.The Alpha Course welcomes everyone, especially those who might not describe themselves as Christians or church-goers by fostering an environment of hospitality where people can bring friends, family and work colleagues to explore the Christian faith in a safe and respectful way.

Click on the links below to watch YouTube videos that are approximately 30 minutes long for each segment.

Who is the Holy Spirit? | Alpha Film Series | Episode 9 (click to watch)
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What Does the Holy Spirit Do? | Alpha Film Series | Episode 10 (click to watch)
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How Can I Be filled With the Holy Spirit?  | Alpha Film Series | Episode 11 (click to watch)

The Radical Relocation of the Presence of God
by Jerry Cook

Check out the following excerpts from the book, The Monday Morning Church by Foursquare pastor and author, Dr. Jerry Cook. Jerry's insights and practical way understanding the significance of Pentecost and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit has been a refreshing contribution to the mission and expression of the church.

The renowned pastor wrote six books, including the bestselling Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness, The Monday Morning Church and his most recent, The Holy Spirit: So, What’s the Big Deal? With his wife, Barbara, he also wrote Choosing to Love: The Odyssey of a Relationship.

Click HERE to download excerpts from Chapters 1-2 of The Monday Morning Church that talk explain the Radical Relocation of the Presence of God.
 

Foundation of Power

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’ve always thought of “kingdom” in terms of the usual English definition: the king’s domain or territory, where its inhabitants are subject to the king’s rules and the “Kingdom of God” as the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled. If obedient, I’m in; otherwise I’m out. There’s a top-down feel to it.

But a recent word study revealed that the Greek word may come from a root word meaning “base” or “foot”. In its New Testament usage, it means, “foundation of power”. The Kingdom of God is a foundation of power. This is novel; this has a bottom-up flow. It seems to say that it isn’t so much a matter of where I put my head, but a matter of where I put my feet.

King David says in Psalm 40:2, “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” And again, in Psalm 18:36, “You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.” As a warrior, David knew the importance of solid footing. He knew that having his feet under him and his body aligned with them would give him stability and power to remain standing in the middle of the struggle. I, also, have learned from martials arts training, that my “power” is astonishingly multiplied to throw or move men many times my size when my base, my foundation, is solid.

So now I ask myself, “What is the base empowering my response to __________?” Are my words and actions based on a slippery, squishy foundation of anger, pride, intellectual prowess, moral superiority or cynicism? Or are they based “on Christ, the solid rock”, empowered by God’s foundation of strength?

Lord, I pray, let your Foundation of Power come – be the bedrock of strength from which I build and live. Let your will fuel, in me, the capacity to do all those outrageously impossible things I find in the Sermon on the Mount, like loving my enemies, forgiving, practicing generosity and living peacefully in a world that is hostile. May your will be done in me and may my feet not slip from your rock; may the giants fall instead of little-ol’-me! Amen.

Psalm 18:31-32 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
– the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.

Psalm 89:14-16 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.

The Eve of Redemption

In 1964, a man named PF Sloan wrote a song called The Eve of Destruction. Barry McGuire and his gravelly baritone turned it into a hit song in 1965.

The eastern world, it is explodin',
Violence flarin', bullets loadin',
You're old enough to kill but not for votin',
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin',
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
No, no, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Is it remarkable that lyrics written more than fifty years ago may even ring truer today? The eve of destruction. For those of you not old enough to remember, the 60’s were tumultuous days and this song was definitely in tune with the undercurrent of the times. These days feel equally tumultuous to me with the current political situation in this country. There is much unrest, just like in the sixties… except more complicated somehow. Sometimes it can feel like we are careening down a long tunnel toward a horrific, violent demise as a culture… or even as a species.

Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
And can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away,
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave,
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Admittedly, fifty-three years is a long “eve” for any event (or is it?). A lot has happened in the last five decades but the world is still turning and we are still bopping around on it. If we dwell on all the darkness in this world, it can be difficult to believe that virtue and goodness will ever triumph. I must admit to wondering if there is hope for God’s promise of redemption but I refuse to believe that our only option is to simply live out meaningless days in a pointless life.

What I missed (hey, it’s been said that if you remember the sixties, then you weren’t really there… so I must plead the fifth on any further explanation) in the song at the time was in the chorus: No, no, you DON’T believe we're on the eve of destruction. The song is written as if a plea to those that do NOT believe we are destroying ourselves. I did not realize it at the time, but those words were written for me. Despite so much overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I am compelled to believe in the inherent goodness of all human beings. Therefore, I have found reason to stand upon God’s promise of redemption as written in Isaiah:

The world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:9

Redemption is not some future event that we are awaiting, but it is available to anyone at any time. In fact, I believe that redemption is at hand. To fulfill God’s promise of redemption, we must understand that a divine spark resides within each and every one of us. We must then use this spark to help illuminate the darkness that fills this world… feed our souls. We cannot illuminate the world, of course, without first illuminating our own lives so that we can rise above our self-centeredness and surrender to God’s will.  We Christians honor the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the instrument of our redemption and there are people all over the world, who believe in God’s promise of redemption, living lives of honor and integrity.  

“Redemption is God telling us that the reason for which He created the universe will be realized: that goodness will prevail.”
Simon Jacobsen

Something is happening in the spiritual realm. God is fulfilling this promise of redemption in individuals all over this planet every day and the spirit of the redeemed heart cannot help but draw others toward that spark… as we are drawn toward the miracle of redemption.

And I tell you over and over and over again my friend,
I do believe we're on the eve of redemption.
Yes, yes, I do believe we're on the eve of redemption.

“Not Good Enough” by Terry Sheldon

We all know the feeling, right? You do your best. You pour your heart and efforts into something, and there seems to be an elephant in the room. It’s that dreaded feeling that follows you – close, but not close enough. I’ve noticed this even when I’m getting good feedback from others, be they authorities or my friends, family or workmates. Why in the world are we so sabotaged this way? Sometimes the harder we try, the worse it seems to get.

We are all conditioned by our experiences and, as Brené Brown alludes to, our past shame. And I believe the biggest thing that trips us up is the evil we don’t talk about – comparison. You may be doing a good job, but here come those thoughts, “Just look at them. I will NEVER be as gifted or creative.” We make those awful assumptions, but we don’t see their failures or the hidden back stories. And, the irony is, they are probably secretly making the same assumptions about you. Yes, others are likely admiring YOU for your talents and efforts. They just haven’t told you yet.

I look at the members of CitySalt Church, and I see an amazing group of people. I greatly admire all of you for what you bring to us City Saltines. By just being the way you are, you teach us all so many things – how to be compassionate, to hold back our snap judgements, to focus on people first, and issues second. And how to love. So many unique points of view, so many ways of showing us God.

Please, let’s practice being the body of Christ that God needs us to be, each with our own amazing gifts to share. If the Enneagram has taught me anything, it’s that every one of us has our own perfect and unique value. Do not let the enemy lie to you about your identity and your efforts. You are not merely good enough, you are personally stellar.

Let’s all take stock in what we bring, exhale and move about comfortably in that. It would be such a shame to withhold our gifts.

Art of Neighboring | 201 Awareness and Empathy - by Mike D'Eliso

Missed the first Art of Neighboring conversation? Not a problem. Join us for our 201 session on May 28 at 10:00 as we pick up the conversation where we left off. 

We’ll be exploring ways to increase our awareness of our neighbors and deepen our empathy for those who we cross paths with on a daily basis. In order to love our neighbors we need to know one another. Maybe that starts with learning each other’s names. How would that impact our prayers for or neighbors? What is the Holy Spirit doing in the midst of us meeting those down the street? What are some of the culture norms and values unique to us in the pacific northwest, and how to we respect these while reaching out to neighbors? What does that look like as we know and be known, serve and be served, celebrate and be celebrated, and ultimately love and be loved. 

We’ll see as strangers next door transform from to something greater. 

Tending My Thought Garden

It sometimes starts when I wake up. My mind replays failures from the day before, past criticisms that still sting, but worst of all, lying voices that say my hope for a blessed future is a deceptive fairy tale.

Currently, I fight my most intense spiritual battles over my thoughts. For me, it is imperative that I do not let deceptive, discouraging thoughts stay in the forefront of my mind because they can take root and multiply. I compare saying no to these thoughts with pulling weeds in a garden. This work is never ending and I gladly accept this assignment because the results are such a blessed relief. Peace and joy then pass thru my mind’s gate and I sleep better at night. I’m so very thankful Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection gives me the authority to defend my mental fence line.  

Jude 1:9 (The Message) “The Archangel Michael, who went to the mat with the Devil as they fought over the body of Moses, wouldn’t have dared level him with a blasphemous curse, but said simply, ‘No you don’t. God will take care of you!’“

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

I daily put on the helmet of salvation and protect myself by believing God blesses me every day regardless of my circumstances. I simply look for my blessings during the day, and heartily thank God for them. I stand firm with the knowledge that the provision of good things to come is God's responsibility. I can then enjoy the adventure of discovering new truths and abilities without the pressure of producing them. 

My offensive strategy is to choose thoughts that direct me forward in the purpose and assignments that God gives me. I remind myself that all is well for me by the healing and emancipating power of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, and his resurrection. A very wise associate pastor from a local church informed me that the minute she gets out of bed each morning, she stands up, raises her arms in praise and enthusiastically declares Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it!” There is nothing like praise to push back the influences of hell.

Ephesians 6:15-18 (The Message) “Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued…Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them.  God’s word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

"The Art of Neighboring" by Mike D'Eliso

Shortly after 9:00 PM, I finally settle into our couch to catch up on my instagram friends after rocking to sleep a baby that didn’t want to give in. My son asleep. My wife jumping into her evening shower. DING DONG. Why on earth is my doorbell ringing?!

Feeling a little confused and a little jumpy I was honestly relieved to see that it was my neighbor John from next door. But then I was hit with the next thought. Why are you here? Turns out John needed help. His minivan was up in their front lawn after he had to swerve to miss a small animal scurry in front of him. He and his wife were now stuck.

It didn’t take a second thought to throw on my boots and coat to come help. After all, these were the neighbors who let me run an extension cord from their garage to my fridge when we lost power for a week in December’s ice storm, who we house sit for during their annual summer family camping trip, and who let me use the extra space in their yard debris bin when I over prune.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbors. Well, first, he calls us to love God with everything that we are and then to love our neighbors as ourselves. When challenged with the question, “who then is my neighbor?” Jesus gives an example of an unexpected hero who acts in selfless love and thus is the true neighbor in the story. I’m talking about the parable of the good samaritan which can be found in Luke 10:25-37. If Jesus highlights that even a despised Samaritan can be a neighbor, then should I not also look up and down my own street and know that I am surely called to love these neighbors?!

How do we as a church, the people of CitySalt, live out our salty faith, in authentic ways within the places we already spend the most time?

What would our personal little worlds look like if we initiated genuine expressions of tangible love to those around us where we live, worship, work and play?

What if we neighbored well?

My hope is that if people know how much we care, they would begin to care about what we know. Crucial conversations would present themselves and we will have earned the right to share the hope that is within us. No bait and switch. No bible thumping.

I hope this call to love generously encourages you. Not that we would create large “outreach” events to check an “evangelism” box on our christian to-do list. Rather, that we would all be little light houses in our communities guiding friends to safe harbors. At this point, I don’t know exactly where each of my next door neighbors are with God or how they worship. But I do know me. And I know that Jesus calls me to love my neighbors the way I would want to be loved.

"A Smell & a Memory" by Lauren Watson

While watching TV I saw a commercial for ToysRUs with trolls and I suddenly saw in my memory an orange hair troll toy I was given when I was in 3rd grade. I had fallen off my bike (before the days of helmets) hit my head and spent 3 days in the hospital with total amnesia. My parents not only gave me the troll but a bouquet of carnations in a white poodle vase. When I remembered the troll, I suddenly smelled not only the flowers but the distinctive enamel paint of the vase. I don’t remember too many tender moments in my childhood, but this fragrance memory did bring back the picture of my mother sitting on my hospital bed and kissing my forehead.

The next morning I woke up with the realization that my mother’s kiss came during the 3 days of which I have no memory. As soon as I knew who I was in the hospital, there was no touching or tenderness: in fact, one of my neighbors told me how worried my parent had been and I was shocked. So this was not something I had forgotten, it wasn’t available to me before. Miraculously, it was given to me with a physical smell that penetrated the darkness and void of a severe concussion.

What an amazing and powerful God to restore things lost in total darkness. He has shown His power and His love by giving this memory to fill the void where I have no loving recall of childhood. My upbringing was not nurturing, especially when I was sick or injured, I am learning to accept support, concern and love from my church family. He is restoring my ability to receive and believe I am worthy of being a part of the Body, I feel this is a special gift to remind me He is in control of my past present and gives me hope to the future.

Ps 68:5-6, Jn 1:12, Rms 8:15,2 Cor 6:18

 

"Tensions in Our Faith" by John Rice

We hear a lot at City Salt Church about the tensions within our faith. Whereas two things sometimes come across as contradictions, most often it seems we are to somehow hold those two things in tension at the same time, both of them expressing something of God’s truth. There is the tension between being predestined to be chosen by God on one hand and then the significance and power of our free will to choose or not choose God on the other hand. There is the tension between truth and grace, between judgment and forgiveness, between justice and mercy, between giving and receiving, between being like a child and being mature.

This week I came across a Scripture in Hebrews, chapter 10 verse 14, which caught my attention as another of these tensions and truths. Paul says:

By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Wait. What?

By Jesus’ sacrifice, He has made us perfect FOREVER. In grammar terms, the tense used here indicates something which has been done in the past and continues up to the present time and beyond. The word forever indicates that pretty clearly as well. We have been made perfect, and we are perfect now and will continue to be forever. Wow. That certainly raises some questions, doesn’t it? I don’t feel very perfect. In fact, I feel like I’m a long ways off from being perfect! But look what Paul says next. Who exactly has been made perfect forever?

….those who are being made holy….

Wait. What?

If we have been made perfect forever, how can we still be being made holy? Why do we still need to be made holy? This verb tense indicates we are being worked on in a continual manner, possibly, but not necessarily, with some end in the future. Maybe this “holy-making” goes on into eternity? Who knows?

So how do we deal with these two different concepts? How about this for a stab at an answer? When Paul is talking about us being made perfect forever, he is following an argument that Jesus’ sacrifice was exponentially different from the sacrifices of animals made at the temple year after year. Those sacrifices only had the spiritual power of covering sin for a definite period of time, one year. Jesus, though, having sacrificed not animals but His very self, and He, being the Son of the living God, had the power to cover sins forever. So spiritually speaking, those who believe in Him and accept His gift of atonement, truly are viewed by God as perfect, as the Son is perfect. And this is both now and forever. Scripture tells us that God remembers our sin no more. It has been removed, as far as the east is from the west. It’s kind of like God looks at Jesus and sees all His people through that lens. We truly are made perfect in Jesus.

But, on the other hand…..

We still struggle with sin, weakness, brokenness, addictions, sickness, bad thoughts, bad motives, etc, etc every day of our lives! Using some biblical language, we are told “to pick up our cross” or that we might have a “thorn in the flesh” or that there is a “sin that easily entangles us”. We are obviously not perfect yet! So how do these ideas work together? Here’s a thought….

Having been made perfect by Jesus’ sacrifice, spiritually speaking, the bridge between us and God has been restored. With the bridge restored, we can be confident to move back and forth, talking to God, learning from Him, establishing a stronger and stronger relationship with Him, experiencing His goodness, mercy, grace and love in new ways. He welcomes us freely and generously. And in doing so, we find that we WANT to be more like Him, we WANT to please Him, we WANT to learn His ways and we trust Him more. Living like this, we are truly in the process of being made more holy. We still will struggle with sin and brokenness in this life, but with our eyes turned toward the Lord, we will experience the formation of our souls as we are made more like Jesus.

Because of this tension, I take great hope in the following verse:

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus!
Phil 1:6

"The One Who Went Down to His House Justified" by Randi Nelson

I was recently sharing a story that Jesus told about a Pharisee and a tax collector at prayer in the temple (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee, respected, learned, religiously at the top of the righteousness game, thanked God that he was not a sinner like other men, especially not like the tax collector across the way. The tax collector, on the other hand, “would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I was surprised, as I related the tax collector’s part, to find my eyes stinging and my throat tightening with tears. For a moment, I was in his place, broken, humbled, and seeking mercy from God.

He could have been bitter, wanting nothing to do with God or with that self-sanctified Pharisee and others like him. Rome had dumped this job on him; his neighbors despised him for it. Trapped, he could have become churlish, turning to abuse of his power over collections levies to buy his escape.

Instead, with honesty about his brokenness, he turned to God for mercy. His admission of sinfulness cut to the core; it stripped away all pretense. Why did I start to cry when telling his story? Because I realized that I am he; and I want to be more like him. I want to be more familiar with raw humility and honesty about my sinfulness. I don’t want my right-doing to insulate me from right-being.

Most times, I’m not under as much pressure as this man, so I can start to look and act more like the Pharisee. God forbid that I should become so insulated that I can’t be real with myself and with God. Because, as Jesus says, the one who truly “went down to his house justified” was the one

  • who beat his breast in recognition that he was poor in spirit
  • who mourned his plight
  • who was meek, standing afar and unwilling to lift his eyes
  • who hungered and thirsted for righteousness by acknowledging his sinfulness
  • whose honesty revealed a purity of heart
  •  who was persecuted even for his desire for righteousness

He is the one who was “blessed” (Matthew 5:1-11).

I love this guy. I’m so thankful his story moves me; there’s hope for this crusty heart of mine.

Isaiah 57:15 – For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite”.

Psalm 51:6, 17 – Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart … The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

"Walk Humbly" by John Rice

Last Sunday Pastor Mike spoke on the topic of retaliation in reference to Matthew 5:38-42.   And yet again, Jesus, as He has done in all of His teachings during the Sermon on the Mount, shocks us with His invitation to look deeper into God’s heart. In this passage we look at justice and mercy.

When Jesus says, “You have heard it said…….but I say……”in verses 38 and 39 of the passage, it sounds like He is reversing what has been taught for generations under Moses’ Law. But as Mike pointed out, this wasn’t a reversal of the Law as much as it was the use of hyperbole to help us understand God’s fuller directive for us to love others.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8); He doesn’t change from the Old Testament to the New Testament. His character is the same; His will for us is the same. So why does Jesus feel the need to make such a shocking re-direction of the Law as He does here? One idea would be that the people of His time had taken this piece of the Law and looked at it from only one angle, while being blinded to the other angle. More specifically, they understood the teaching about justice, but didn’t see the part about mercy.

Mike then quoted Micah 6:8, which to me is one of the most beautiful, succinct and powerful truths of scripture:

God has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you,
but to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?

Doesn’t that kind of say it all? All over the Bible God is referred to as a God of justice. He hates lying lips and falsehoods. He hates oppression of the poor and false testimony. He hates deception. But He is also a God of mercy: He requires us to forgive those who wrong us and to help those in need. As always, we meet the tension between truth and grace. It seems we never get free of this tension. But how do we determine whether we are to act in justice or in mercy? When someone begs money from us, do we just give it without any further discernment? And if we are to refuse, how do we know that is God’s will for the situation?

I think the answer lies in the last phrase of Micah 6:8…… to walk humbly with your God.

If we walk humbly with our God, we get to know His voice better. We get to know His heart better. We get the loving instruction we need from a good, wise Father. Can we hear specific direction from Him on a given matter of our daily lives? I think we can. This was certainly an expectation from many of the people we read about in the Bible. For just one example, look at David. Of course, God’s voice is sometimes very quiet or perhaps He leads us by an inner sense of peace or intuition. Very few people I know have ever heard an audible voice. But as we continue to walk with God, to pray to Him, to converse with Him, to get godly counsel and to read His word, we will be able to be more confident that we know His will when we make decisions in our life, when we need to decide whether to walk a mile, or two, or twenty, with someone who asks us to go with him.

"In God's Hands" by Sara Gore

I found my wallet yesterday. What a tremendous relief after searching for over a week!

Misplacing my wallet was nothing new to me, but I worried this time because 10 days had passed. I delayed creating new bank and credit card accounts with the hope it would turn up soon. I ran out of cash and groceries and was left with peanut butter sandwiches. Raised in a partially pessimistic environment, my default pattern was panic, hopelessness, paralysis, and isolation. I worked hard to avoid those traps and learned a far more valuable lesson that I treasure. 

After praying for God’s help to find it, I felt a receipt of joy and calm. This reminded me my burden was now in God’s hands and all would be well, no matter the outcome. I resisted the many urges to panic and stay stuck in a hopeless funk. Persistent patience was my doorway to the path of trusting God and enjoying His plans for me. I chose to not give up on myself because God says He will never give up on me.

Life experience has taught me an attitude of hopeful and joyful expectancy in God’s faithful provision is crucial! My choice of hope and joy is a vital piece of armor in the battle over my mind’s attitude and my faith in God’s salvation. A member of a previous church I attended once said the helmet of salvation is living with the belief that we can each look forward to good things from our Lord every day! This protects our mind from the lie of hopelessness.

When I finally found my wallet, it was in one of the first places I looked. It had fallen behind a bag of office supplies and was hidden. My subsequent searches had jostled it loose and made it visible. I’m so thankful I did not give up. And I believe my choice of trusting God and resisting hopelessness gave me eyes to see what was waiting for me to claim. My renewed goal is to spend more time in joy and thanksgiving for God’s gift of life and salvation, regardless of my circumstances! And most importantly I feel a bit more aware of God’s loving presence that is always with me. Thank you Lord Jesus!

“O Lord you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1 NIV

"The Rock" by Lauren Watson

At our monthly prayer group Pastor John had the group praying around scriptures based on The Rock. Stability, safety, eternal, strength and unchanging all are images described in the verses and show different aspects of the character of God. As we sat quiet in listening prayer, I saw a couple pictures that have stuck with me. In Israel everything is stone; Jerusalem is made of stones and in the garden of Gethsemane is a sculpture of Jesus entreating the Father before He went to the cross, made of stone. I saw the image and realized He and the rock were one. He fit comfortably and perfectly into the rock and it was there He met with the Father, pleaded with the Father and acquiesced to the Father’s will. I saw that he was inviting us to be as intimate with Him, the Rock, and be in the same position while we joined together to pray.   

One of our party prayed we would have the eyes to see in the spiritual realm and the courage to join the battle. My mind went to the Oregon coast and the large rocks at the beach that are littered with broken crab, clam and muscle shells. The sea gulls, from a high perspective, drop the seafood against the firm surface to break the hard shell.  I knew that we, like the birds, need to drop the difficult issues from a perspective higher than ourselves and let the solidness of our Rock smash them.

Prayer is conversation made intimate by relationship. We can nestle in closely into the bosom of our Rock or we can join in the fight and battle using His strength because He is our Rock.

1 Sam 2:2, Deut 32:13, Ps 18:31, Ps 27:5, 1 Pet 2:8