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Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Motivational

IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE

thEvery election cycle we hear the same series of promises from the same people, parties or special interest groups. In a familiar slogan everyone promises CHANGE. Whether people want to change the “old way” of doing things or others want to return the “new way” back to the old we are a community who want and often demand change. It is almost as if we get bored with the status quo and borrow life from the expression, the grass is greener on the other side. Still, for all of the promises it seems very little actually changes. We fluctuate between political parties and government still runs with the same level of arrogance, waste and broken pledges. We adjust our immediate surroundings hoping a fresh coat of paint will make things better. But after the paint has dried whatever walls were not cleaned before will reveal the same old stains and smells. Why? (more in this later)

Ancient Israel were a people not too different from us today. They had experienced some tough years of leadership with Moses and, as a young nation, lived their fair share of set-backs, failures and successes. Nevertheless, through it all, God used Moses to prepare His people to inherit their land of promise; and many years later leadership changed from Moses to Joshua with Israel’s story continuing from the wilderness to Canaan. Given time leadership shifted again from Joshua, to a series of unnamed elders then to judges and eventually a king. And so, born from a desire for change, many kings policies affected the people and land of Israel from then to today.

Like ancient Israel we too assume a person, policy or shifting in the scenery can provide us with the lasting change we long for. Sadly, like ancient Israel, we still have failed to comprehend what kind of change we are all desperately in need of. While a cosmetic modification will always look and feel right, in the moment, it soon fades because what is at the heart of the problem is THE HEART! If the heart of the individual, or nation, has not been altered by Jesus then there will never be enough suitable changes that will last long enough to bring us into right relationship with Him or with one another.

In fact, is this not the great appeal, and testimony, we share when speaking of a relationship with Jesus? Simply stated we are all expressing a story of how He rescued us and then changed our lives for the better. But when you consider how you have been changed, by a relationship with Jesus, you quickly discover what He has touched is deep within your heart. Certainly God has applied a “fresh coat of paint” to our cosmetic surroundings and we often point to a better life, friends or favor we are experiencing. But for some, if not most, the aesthetic changes can be few and far between and never as glorious as the lasting peace, hope and love we experience because we are born again by His Spirit.

What did Jesus really change? THE HEART! Granted we are all living through a process where the “old us” is adjusting daily into a new humanity in Jesus; but for this to happen we must allow Jesus to confront our prejudices, fears, hurts, offenses, pride, EVERYTHING! If we genuinely desire lasting change, that will impact us and our world, then we must be willing to allow Jesus to humble us to the place where He is the “changing” agent that cleans our hearts from everything that robs the fruits of His Spirit being alive in us.

Too often we think our personal relationship with Jesus equates to Him working around our special interests and particular prejudices when, in reality, God’s track record of dealing with people is pressing us into situations where we conform to His likeness, or reject Him in favor of our manufactured image of self-worth.  The other side of “For God so loved…” is with His love also comes the stern adoration of the Father that desires His sons and daughters to no longer be controlled by the passions of selfishness and self-centeredness but selflessness and Christ-Centeredness. 

We all say we want change….BUT if we don’t come to a place of acknowledgment where we know our hearts need to be amended, and He is the only one who can change our heart for His goodness, than any “changes” outside of Him will only be temporary and eventually fail.  In reaction to Jesus’ changing of our hearts we need to resist the desire to default to our past prejudices and learn to say we no longer want to return to the past of who we once were!

The reality is instead of thinking God is on the side of our prejudices we need to comprehend He is deliberately clearing them out. Why? Because all things from creation to humanity are on a collision course with the Missio Dei (the mission of God) where He (the Father) will redeem all things back unto Himself through Jesus alone (see Colossians and Philippians) and only He is Holy perfect in love and justice.
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When we are born again, we are to live in a new way of believing, behaving and belonging. It continues to be a mysterious and amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit that renews our heart, mind and soul to work for His Kingdom. Through this supernatural process His new renewal, in us, wipes away the old order of doing things in favor of a new order of living His way, with His Heart, love and passion.

How can we attain a life that has no lust, self-interest, offenses or love that is manipulated by want and desire? The only way is by rejecting the old life and placing our full trust in God. Daily we must make ourselves vulnerable to allow the Holy Spirit to do a ruinous work in our life for His glory.

Yes, it is time for change but not the kind of change than embraces Jesus for what blessings we can borrow from His rich treasury, but change born from a desire to want Him and Him alone! If we do not come to a place where we accept God can remove His blessings from our lives, and it not affect our trust in Him, we may remain prone to consider God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as just another temporary change. But once we come to a place of fully trusting in Him, and our hearts are truly beating for the heart of the Father, over the heart of self, then we will have the lasting change that will transform our lives, communities, churches and nations for the His glory and the coming Kingdom.

Change is good, necessary and eventually destined to occur; but we, as Christians, should look to the only change that really matters…the life changed by Him. And one by one, if we are changed into His likeness then our world cannot help but be changed for His glory as well.

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

SHALLOW, DEEP & PROFOUND

ShallowhalmovieposterHere is a list of “shallow” but profound statements:

  1. “Only the shallow know themselves.” – Oscar Wilde
  2. “Silence is as deep as eternity, speech as shallow as time.” – Thomas Carlyle
  3. “Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.” – Christopher Reeve
  4. “Deep breaths are very helpful at shallow parties.” – Barbara Walters
  5. “Our culture is all about shallow relationships. But that doesn’t mean we should stop looking each other in the eye having deep conversations.” – Francis Chan

We live in a cosmetic world. Fast cards, fast people, quick glory, instant wealth and whatever you view through your social media begs to glorify the cosmetic exterior, of anything, without giving much thought to what is inside. Every morning I have the habit of scanning the overnight news and try to catch up on local and world events. Perhaps, not surprisingly, no matter where I go there will always be a variety of articles trying to draw my attention to an A-list movie star, new car, socialites divorce or cosmetic surgery just right for me. Truthfully we live and are surrounded by a shallow world. But, not everything that is of a shallow concern, in life, is unbeneficial; in fact I might even argue God uses the shallow just as much as He uses the profound.

In a teaching I shared with our community I addressed how we all live in a secular / spiritual paradox. On the one hand we are people who desire to express great devotion to God, through common grace works, sacrificial living and spiritual disciplines (like prayer, fasting and meditating on God’s Word). While on the other hand that very same person can be consumed wishing to impress other people with their “blessings” and the fact they are not shallow. As Shakespeare wrote, “The lady doth protest too much, me thinks.” (HAMLET) This is the paradox we all struggle with and I would suggest if we approached life with a Hebraic / Biblical holism we may find ourselves less tempted by the secular or spiritual trap.
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To be shallow is not a sign of being bad, evil or deceitful; nor is shallowness a sign that there are no depths within the person…after all even the ocean has a shore. Consider this…there are many shallow amenities of life, that are not terribly deep, such as eating, drinking, walking and talking (they are all ordained by God). But when we are not living in alignment, with Jesus, then the paradox kicks in and our eating becomes gluttonous and our drinking slides towards drunkenness. Even something as simple as walking, without Jesus, can lead down paths sown with the seeds of destruction and our beautiful language can be turned profane if we do not let Him mature us. However when we are living fully alive, in Him, the Holy Spirit safeguards our shallowness from being trapped by the paradox; and the secular / spiritual is replaced by a new creed: “To live is to worship and to worship is to live.”

I once picked up a good bit of advice I would like to pass along. In the shallow matters of life use your God-given commonsense in commonsense ways. There will be plenty of days ahead when deeper things will come; and I have learned God is the one who draws you deeper by opening the unseen and unknown. So, while you mature “in the shallow end of the pool” keep your entire life closely aligned with the Father (God), live in the Son (Jesus) and be led by the Spirit (the Holy Spirit). The time will come, for those who patiently wait on the Lord, and seek Him above all, when He will bring us deep diving. Until then determine to resist the secular / spiritual paradox, live and experience life in a true, open and trusting Biblical community and most of all be willing to have the deep the conversations that press us toward maturity in Jesus!

“Determinedly take no one seriously but God, and the first person you find you have to leave severely alone as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.” (Chambers)

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA