Labels matter, who are you anyway?

 Pastor Ruel has been preaching through the book of Philippians (I always type "Philippines", seems appropriate) and so I have been carefully reading and re-reading this wonderful letter. This morning I read

"Therefore, my sisters, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. " Paul to the Christians at Philippi (4:1)

 In one sentence the apostle Paul describes them in 4 different ways. In this situation he is not only telling them how he feels about them; he is also telling them how Jesus feels about them, about you.  Look at how Paul addresses the Philippians:

• "my sisters" - the original uses generic "my brothers" so I took some liberty and changed it to "sisters". If you are applying this personally, then it is completely appropriate. To Paul and Jesus we are family, brothers and sisters. I have 2 sisters and I love them dearly.. In Christ I have many sisters. Hey Sis..
  
• "beloved"- You and I are God's beloved. Some of us have suffered a lot of rejection and hurt. God will never reject you. He loves you. You are his beloved. Try looking in the mirror today and say out loud "I am loved. I am Jesus' beloved."
  
• "longed for" - At Thanksgiving and Christmas my homing instinct kicks in. I'm like a bird flying back to its nesting grounds. I want to be with my family. I long to be together with them watching football, eating turkey, sharing love. God longs for us that way. He wants to be with us, to share a meal, to talk about life. When I was back to the US last time I spent time with my younger sister Margaret. She is 1.5 years younger than me and growing up we were very close. It was so great to stay with Margaret and her husband Steve. I can imagine living next door to them and visiting them every day. I miss her and I long for that closeness again. Jesus longs to be with me that way. A longing is stronger than a want, its an expression of a heart need. You are "longed for".
  
• "my joy and crown" - In English we would say "my pride and joy". You make me feel happy and proud/honored. Sometimes we say "I'm honored to call you "friend". Jesus is honored to have me as his brother and child. As I typed that last sentence, I found it hard to believe. I need to say it out loud: "Jesus is honored to have me as his brother". I want to react "you have got to be kidding! No way! If you knew what I'm really like, you wouldn't say..." but then I remember - he knows exactly who I am; and he stills says "you are my pride and joy. You make me feel proud and happy." I don't understand how that is possible, but I will not call God a liar. All I can do is believe it and accept it.
  
• "my beloved" - he ends his sentence by whispering to our hearts "you are my beloved. I love you."  Thank you Jesus.

Among all these wonderful labels I don't want to lose the command he is giving - "Stand firm in the Lord". Well, he just made it a lot easier for me. Today I'll stand firm, knowing I am loved, I am longed for, I am the pride and joy of Jesus and God the Father. I am family. Knowing who I am makes it easier to live the life God intends for me. Thank you Lord. I love you too!

6 essentials for those who don't want to quit

Quitting sometimes looks attractive. It sounds attractive to me to NOT do anything, not go to church, not read my Bible, not pray, just vegetate, act like a plant, veg. I forget that there is something else plants regularly do- they die and decay. Vegetating for me turns into death and decay. In fact I don't do Nothing, rather I do the wrong things, I sin.  I turn into the worst version of myself. Well maybe not the worst, but definitely in that direction.

So how can I NOT QUIT. Sounds like a stupid question doesn't - just don't quit. Paul in the letter he wrote to the Philippians shares his secret to "keeping on". Here is what he says,

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,  but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example." 

1.  Adopt the attitude of a learner, a student. Don't think you know it all. Often I'm asked by an employer to talk to their employee about some part of their work where they are not up to standard. Most of the time people humbly receive the feedback but every so often there is someone who interrupts and says "I know, I know!" I want to shout at them and say "If you know, then why are you here? Why don't you do what you know you should do?" "Can you please just shut up and listen?" I don't say that, because I need to be more polite, but on the insides I'm shouting. If I have the attitude of a student, then it is OK not to know something, it is OK not to know how to do something. It is OK to be ignorant, but it's NOT OK to stay ignorant. Learn, grow, progress. Accept imperfection in yourself and others. Just keep growing.
2. Focus. The finish line is a lot closer for some of us than for others. It is probably closer for my parents than for me and closer for me than for my children and grandson. I can finish the race. There is a prize waiting for me at the end that is worth the struggle and pain of the race. Paul says the key is "one thing" then he says that one thing includes 2 things: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. Science has proven that the idea of multi-tasking is a lie. Human beings cannot multi-task. We need to focus. How many times a day do I nearly run over some dummy who has stopped walking and is standing in the middle of the busy sidewalk staring at his phone? This is how we are wired. I can't focus on the past and the future at the same time. I need to choose one. If I am going to live in my past failures or successes then I am like the dummy standing on the sidewalk. I'm not moving. I need to focus on the next few steps ahead of me. What do I need to do NOW? I raise my eyes frequently to the top of the mountain, but then I focus on the path ahead.
3. Believe you can and will finish. This is a long race. It's a tough uphill race. This is more of an ironman than a marathon. This is scrabbling over rocks on the side of a mountain, moving upward against the pull of gravity. This race is too difficult for me. But then I realize that Jesus put me in this race. I sometimes think he made a mistake. I'm not built to run or climb. Lord don't put your money on this horse! Scripture says he "took hold of me" for this purpose. He intends that I will finish the race, so who am I to say "I can't do it"? By God's grace I can and will finish.
4. Press on. Move! Keep moving one leg in front of the other. Physics is our friend. An object in motion tends to remain in motion. Keep moving. Some translations say "I strain forward toward the finish line". When you are leaning forward your body wants to move forward. Lean forward into the Lord - Have a heart attitude that is leaning forward, pressing on, off balance in a good way - if you don't move your foot you are going to fall on your face - kind of off balance posture. What can I do to lean forward? Set my Bible next to my bed? Put pictures up of those I want to remember and pray for? Make pictures of my goals and dreams?
5. Hold on to progress achieved. When you're climbing a mountain it is easy to go downhill. Gravity drags at you. Even when you stop to rest it is easy to slide downhill. You have to find a good flat rock to rest on. If you are not careful where you put your backpack it will start sliding and rolling back down the mountain. When you pause for a breath, you have to be careful. What progress have I achieved in my walk with the Lord toward the goal he has for me? How can I hold onto that progress?
6. Don't climb alone. When I search google images for "mountain climbing" the first page fills with images of the solo climber. The only solo climbers on Mt. Everest are dead climbers. Mountain climbers assault the great peaks of the world together in teams, lashed together, in case one of them loses his/her footing and starts to plunge toward the bottom of the mountain. Other translations says "walk together with those who follow our pattern of living". Surround yourself with good people who have the same focus and goal. If you want to lose weight, join weightwatchers, stop drinking attend AA. If you want to learn to follow Jesus get into close relationship with those who have the same goal. This is probably my biggest struggle - I'm a natural loner who needs the community of other men. My biggest prayer request is to find or form such a community. 

3 Reasons to Never Give Up

People quit all the time. I run an employment agency and at least once or twice a month I talk to people who are quitting their jobs for "no good reason".  Many Christians also quit. They stop actively following the Lord. They shift the car into neutral and coast. They still go to church, drop some money in the offering, and listen to the message. They may even hang around after the service to drink coffee and "fellowship",  but they've stopped growing in their relationship to the Lord. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.  Many people quit something because it is difficult. Being a DH in Hong Kong is one of the world's toughest jobs. Quitting because something is hard is almost always the wrong thing to do.  Last Sunday as our Pastor was teaching on Philippians 3 I began looking at Philippians 3:12-21 from the perspective of quitting. He preaches in Filipino, so I have a good excuse for letting my mind roam. Here is what stuck out to me:

3 Reasons we should never give up

• Jesus has a purpose for me and he is working in my life  

 But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."  3:12b

Jesus had something in mind when he first took hold of my life. Earlier in this letter, Paul says "God is at work within you both to will and to do his good pleasure". God has a purpose for my life and he is actively working to bring that goal to fruition. If God hasn't given up on me, how can I give up on myself????

• Jesus has promised a reward to finishers. 

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (3:14)  What is "the heavenly prize"? Is it heaven itself? Is it a reward or status we receive in heaven? Is it simply me actually becoming the person that Christ wants me to be? Living out your God given potential? Over and over again God promises rewards to those who don't give up, who perservere through trials and tribulations, who overcome. I won't know what that prize is unless I "press on". 

• I am a "citizen of heaven". Citizens of heaven don't quit. 

"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. "

Family and friends say "It's not worth it. Just give up and quit. It's okay." They say "it's so unfair, you shouldn't stand for it anymore. Quit." God says "I have a plan. I called you. I'll bring it to pass." When I look to the Lord to ask "Can I quit?" I see nail pierced hands and a thorn crowned brow. I know the answer. "No". 

Sometimes we need to end one thing in order to move onto the next thing that God has for us. I've done that recently. That is not quitting. It is just changing direction and focus. In our pursuit of God's purpose for our lives, we should never give up. 

Tomorrow I'll post about "How NOT to give up". 

Where is the awe? Fear and trembling

"I can live in a way that pleases God." This statement ought to blow our minds. Christians readily accept this because we think of God as a warm and loving father who will always love his children unconditionally.  We confuse God's unconditional love with "being pleased". I love the child who disobeyed my order to "don't touch that", but I'm not thrilled that my $400 new toy is now in pieces on the floor. Experiencing the love and acceptance of God AND experiencing the pleasure of God are not the same things.

Most people cannot even conceive of God as a loving Father. If you ask them "Do you have assurance that God accepts you and will accept you into his kingdom?" they readily answer "No." They can't be sure of his unconditional love and acceptance, so they try to live in a way that pleases him, hoping to gain that assurance of love and acceptance. Christians, on the other hand, think that because they have assurance of God's love and acceptance - then it follows that their lives are pleasing to God. We're wrong.

Living a life that is pleasing to God takes effort. Paul, in his letter to the Christians at Philippi (2:12-13) says,

"My dear friends, you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I’m absent. In the same way continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him."

Observations:

1. These Christians were trained to obey. Paul discipled them. They learned a lifestyle of obedience under Paul's tutelage. When he was with them, he already observed that they knew how to live the Christian life, to walk as followers of Jesus. He exhorts them to keep on obeying even though he is no longer with them.
2. Living a life pleasing to God takes work.  He tells them to "work out" your own salvation. It is not automatic, but rather takes effort. After 61 years I am still fighting to establish godly habits that will help me live a life pleasing to God, and to stay free from ungodly habits that will take me away from God. 
3. Living the Christian life, a life that habitually pleases God is possible. Paul says "work out your own salvation with "fear and trembling". Why does he add "fear and trembling"? Is it because we are supposed to be afraid of making a mistake? People who are afraid of making mistakes NEVER DO ANYTHING. They are paralytics, afraid to move for fear of inciting anger. They are like the servant who buried the gold talent in the field because he was afraid of his master. His master called him "lazy and evil". The "fear and trembling" comes in because it is possible to live as God wants us to.  It is the fear and trembling of AWE. Have you ever held something of great value: a 5000 year old vase, keys to a new house, a newborn baby? You heart is afraid, your body is trembling in awe. Is this real? Is this little baby really mine. She is so delicate, so beautiful, so perfect ... wow... Today you and I can live lives that will please Almighty God. You and I have within us a power, a supernatural ability to live like Jesus lived, to live for Jesus. Be in awe.
4. Living for Christ is possible because God is at work in us. God is at work in me. I have often disobeyed the Lord. I have ruined whole patches of my life, and YET God is at work in me, creating the desire and the actions that please Him. I can because HE DID. I can, because HE DIED. He is at work, so with fear and trembling, I need to WORK to develop holy habits that will help me live in a way that habitually brings a smile to the face of my Father. 

I'm amazed. I'm awed. Lord, it is possible to please you today. Thank you for making it possible. I'm in awe of you.

It runs! Barely, but it runs.

Yesterday I helped my dad get ready for the day. Millions of people around the world do this for their elderly parents every day. This week Ione and I will join their ranks. I didn't realize that he had an electric shaver, so I shaved him the old fashioned way with shaving cream and a razor. It was like shaving a giant raisin. His skin has so many folds in it, his neck looks like the gullet of a turkey, and I almost despaired of achieving a clean shave without nicking his thin skin. 

As I helped him dress I saw how many scars and dents his body had. One side of his chest was injured in the past and it shows. There is a large scar across his midsection from an emergency operation.  He looks like an old model T. No one would expect it to run, but it does! 

This body took him through the Great Depression and World War 2. It took him through 70 years of marriage and raising 6 kids. It has weathered the world for 93 years, AND it is still running. His mind remembers only events from 50 years ago, and sometimes those details get mixed up. He struggles to remember his children and sometimes his spouse. Yesterday we took mom to the hospital because she was suffering chest pains. Dad couldn't articulate his thoughts but he was so worried. They released mom and she didn't have to stay overnight, but the whole incident disoriented dad. "My wife is in the hospital" he repeated even though she was sitting across from him at the table. The mind is a strange thing. Dad is amazing, worn, beaten up, his wheels are about to fall off, but he loves and worries about his wife. He runs, just barely - his mind is mostly gone - but his heart is still fully there.

You are not a muggle: Working out the work of Christ in us

Harry Potter was not a muggle. He grew up in a muggle family and he thought he was a muggle, but he was, in fact, a wizard. There was something stirring inside of him, longing to come forth, a power, an identity, the real Harry Potter. After he discovered that he was magical Harry was taken to the Hogwarts School of Magic, so that he could learn the nature and use of the magic that was already within him. You know the rest of the story.

If you are a child of God, there is something greater than magic inside of you. The Spirit of God lives inside of you and the nature of Christ is daily being re-created in you. God is at work within you, producing the desires and actions that please him.  Because God is at work in us, we are called to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling". We are not working FOR our salvation, but rather working OUT the salvation that God has worked within us. Like young Harry, we need mentors and others to help us develop, but make no mistake, this greater magic is there.

This greater magic is called the saving work of God. It was given to us as a gift from God. The gift was paid for with the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Paul puts it this way:

"He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross. My dear friends, you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I’m absent. In the same way continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.  It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him."  The apostle Paul to the Christians at Philippi."  Philippians 2:8, 12-13 GW

Paul says that Jesus "humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross." Theologians call this the "finished work of Christ". What they mean is that Jesus, through his death, accomplished the salvation of mankind, and even the restoration of all of creation. When he said "it is finished" he was saying that the work of salvation was fully achieved. Jesus achieved salvation by obeying the Father and allowing himself to be nailed to the cross. It is his work, NOT OURS. We should never confuse "working OUT salvation" with "working FOR salvation". We are told to work out our salvation, but never to work FOR our salvation. Jesus already did that. If you asked Christ to forgive your sins and trusted in his work on the cross, then you are redeemed. The greater magic of salvation is at work inside of you.

I can't work FOR salvation because Jesus already finished that work. What I can do is work OUT the salvation he has achieved for me. Jesus through his death and resurrection has put the greater magic back into those who put their trust in him. We work out our salvation by obeying him, by walking in step with him. The good news is that he has already put the "want to" into our hearts. The magic is there.  Do you sense the magic inside of you?

"Lord, today I want to cooperate with your Spirit, to walk in step with you, to obey you. Thank you for putting in me the desire and ability to live out, work out my salvation. Amen.

Hiding from the all present God

I've been reading Your God is too safe by Mark Buchanan. In the chapter on practicing the presence of God he suggests that since God is everywhere "in Him we live, move and have our being", then interacting with the omni-present God should be natural and easy. The truth is that we go out of our way to hide, and like Jonah, to run away from God. As I read this, I realized that I avoid God. I avoid talking to him, I ignore him, I attempt the impossible: to hide from him.

Why? I want to understand this. Is it shame? Am I like Peter saying "get away me from Lord, for I am a sinner" or Isaiah "I am a man with unclean lips and I live among a people with unclean lips." Is it stubborness? Do I want to do what I want to do, without asking God's opinion? For many years I've operated under the maxim "it is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission". At it's core, it is a disrespectful rebellious attitude.

Lord, show me why I hide from you. Help me deal with those things that keep me in a "distant land".