Not my Righteousness but His

As I was studying for last weeks sermon I came across 2 Samuel 22 verses 21 through 25 which say: “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.“For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not acted wickedly against my God. “For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. “ I was also blameless toward Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. “ Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness before His eyes.

The phrase in verse 21; According to the cleanness of my hands, is an interesting one. It is these words that are one reason why some believe David could only have sung this song before his sin with Bathsheba. Yet when the whole text or chapter is looked at it seems to indicate that David sang this towards the end of his life.  I really wondered about it and it how it fit with the end of his life and then it hit me.

What this does is actually brings about this argument that this could be made and that is that David simply believed what the Prophet Nathan told him in 2 Samuel 12:13: The LORD also has put away your sin. David knew he was a forgiven man, and that the cleanness of his hands was because they were cleansed by God, not because they had never been dirtied. What I see David is saying his being clean is all about God and not about him. Remember that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to Him for righteousness.

Here is the strange thing with this and that is that some people think they are going to get into heaven on their righteousness, but the truth is that will not happen because of what Isaiah 64:6 says, our righteousness is like filthy rags. The only way we are going to make it to heaven is to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness because that is the only righteousness that will be accepted. So here David is talking about God’s righteousness that is now his righteousness because of his relationship with God. .

David also says here in these verses:  I have kept the ways of the LORD . . . I was also blameless before Him: David here is not claiming sinless perfection here but he speaks of his general righteousness and of his righteousness as it contrasts with the wickedness of his enemies. We can come to God in prayer we can claim the same things but not on the basis of our own righteousness, but again with the righteousness we have received from Jesus as 2 Corinthians 5:21 remind us: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Have you trusted in Christ for His righteousness? Do you still wrongly believe your righteousness has something do with getting to heaven? It is all God and not you – you need to trust in that.

What is wrong with his face?

“What is wrong with his face”?

There was a  young man who suffered from a skin disease and he was standing at the end of the register bagging groceries like he did every day when two females come through getting groceries. The one begins to stare at him and then whispers loud enough for him to hear, “What is wrong with his face”. The other looked embarrassed just smiles uncomfortably. This man still remembers these powerful words till this day.

This week, I have posted about the power of words.  The power of positive words which are kind and encouraging.  The power of negative words as heard in people with “potty mouths”, gossip, and slander.  The power of the powerful phrases like “Thank You”, “I am sorry”, and “I Forgive you”.  I hope that  in this post and in those other posts you have seen and understood the power of words – both in a positive way and a negative way.

Back to the opening line – “What’s wrong with his face?”

That line was said to me when I was in college.  I am the one with skin disease (sever cystic acne)  which caused a lot of scaring on my face.  I was the bagger at the end of the register bagging groceries the day the mother and her little girl came through the line. I know that the little girl was not trying to hurt me by asking her mother what was wrong with my face. I want you to know it has been over 20 years since this happened and I still remember it like it was yesterday. You know what this shows to me?  This shows the power of words.

Here is the thing; I have not allowed the innocent words of that little girl 20 years ago ruin or run my life. I must admit when it first happened I was bothered by the words she said because they were powerful.  Now what this has done for me is this:  it has served as a good reminder for me of words have power. If the innocent words of a little girl over 20 years ago can stick in my mind like this then I need to think hard about the words I say everyday. Think about the negative things that we say everyday and what that does to people? Then again, what about the encouraging words that you and I say each day?  Words are powerful – we need to be so careful with them.

Let us be people who leave then negative words behind and choose the powerful words that are positive to make a difference in this life. Tell others today – thank you, I am sorry, I am proud of you, I believe in you, I love you, I forgive you, Forgive me, You Matter, You are precious to me, You are beautiful, and I’ll fight with you . Use kind and encouraging words – these will make your life and the lives of others better!   If we do this, it will help us to show others Christ in a real way!

What are the most powerful words ever spoken to you?

Disappearing Act

What would happen if you did not show up for work for ten days and during that time you would just go and do something completely different from what you normally do?  Gordon MacDonald in his book Building Below the Waterline  tells of a friend who was a college president who would do this very thing.  He would work as a shoe shiner, at a railway station or at fast food restaurant.  Why would he do this?  “Because in my line of executive work, it’s easy to lose touch  with the larger, very real world of common people.  And once a leader loses that touch, a growing ineffectiveness seeps in.  You forget where the action in life is centered.” (Page 198)

MacDonald does a good job of showing that we as pastors need  to know that people do not eat, sleep, and breathe church like we do.  People live everyday trying to get by in life and do not think about church – they are certainly thinking about God but church is another story – it does not cross their minds.  MacDonald goes on to tell how he used to show up at people’s work to visit with them and see what they did.  He talked about how appreciative people would be but more than that it gave him a real glimpse into their everyday life and would give him avenues to talk with people about their life.  He talks about how now pastors have classy offices where they expect people to come to and make appointments to visit and get counsel. (Pages 199-201)

There are several thoughts I have here.  One is that I have study that I spend time in each week and it is good for being quiet and me preparing at times but sometimes it just keeps me away from people which I do not like at all.  Now with this understand that I live in a rural area where it can be a little hard to go to work with some people because they work so far away.  One of the the things that I do is go and sit at the local mom and pop convenience store where all the old men sit when the weather is nice and some of them are church members and some of them are not.  I sit with them on occasion and when I have it has made a real difference with me and with those I sit with and visit with. 

I also do something a little different to get out of the church and with others and it might not make too much sense to some but here we have a hunting club.  For the seven weeks of deer season, men (some who are church members and some who are not) gather every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to hunt together.  We get there and talk and laugh and share then hunt and then gather back up on ‘the hunt club path” to talk about what we saw and what happened.  It has been a real time of ministry and opportunity to share with others and see them outside the church. 

These are a couple of the areas that I disappear to be with people who are living their everyday  life away from the church,  These are a couple of the areas that I find connection with people who are members and find connection with people who are not.  These are a couple of the areas that I find fresh ideas and realize that for people their lives do not center around church like mind does.

If you could get away and do something different for 10 days – what would you do?  Where is your favorite place to get away and connect with people outside of church and work?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

Gratitude: Is it Worth it?

I guess it is because it was just Thanksgiving and I preached two different messages on the subject but gratitude is on mind.  One thing that I have noticed is that in this current generation of instant satisfaction is that  the art of gratitude is nearly lost. Why do I say this?  Think about how often do we pause to consider the seamstress who tailored the shirts that we wear or the truck driver who delivered the goods that we purchase at the store or the many hands that labor in the background to provide our many comforts in this life? 

Think about this.  How the farmer grows the wheat, the wholesaler sells, the distributor supplies, the truck driver delivers, the baker kneads and bakes and the salesperson sells the bread. If you consider them, their support staff and those who provide the background material and ingredients, it requires hundreds of laborers to provide a single loaf of bread. How often do we stop and consider this? How often are we grateful for those in these various positions?

Gratitude is an important part of life. Zig Ziglar tells us, “The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for." Is this because you get more things or you begin to recognize what it is that you have?

We get these words of encouragement about thankfulness from Charles “Tremendous” Jones who says, “An attitude of gratitude flavors everything you do. Learning to be thankful is the golden thread woven through every truly successful life.” Part of being successful is recognizing all that you have been blessed with in life.

We should have this attitude of gratitude. Thankfulness should be woven through our lives and not something that we celebrate just one time a year. It should be a constant in our lives. We should live our lives in a state of gratitude for many reasons which I will hit on throughout this this week. Here is the unfortunate thing, we do not and we really live our lives in a state of gratitude at all.  Instead of gratitude we ask questions like why are they doing it this way because my way is better, why are they doing that because that is not how I would do it, or we say something like – is that really the best they could do? We miss out on so much when we live in selfishness and not in gratitude.

We see this in Colossians 1:12 - giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.  We need to be giving thanks to God because of how well he treats us. God has given us who do not deserve anything a great inheritance. We need to be giving thanks to God who does not give us what we deserve but gives us so much more.

Think about this – Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us: In the divine administration, the Father is mentioned in connection with the broad sweep of His plan of redemption. He is the Person of the Trinity who initiates the plan of the ages. We are to have an attitude of gratitude toward our heavenly Father for his plan of salvation. When was the last time you really thanked God for salvation?

The thankful person is one who is conscious of benefits they have received. The Merriam Webster Thesaurus has the following antonyms for "thankful" — unappreciative, ungrateful, self-centered; careless, thoughtless; unappreciative, ungrateful. How many people do the antonyms describe that you know? Do these describe the person you look at in the mirror?

There is a tragic story told about a young a ministerial student, Edward Spencer, who personally saved 17 people on September 8, 1860, when a passenger boat floundered on the lake. The effort permanently damaged Spencer’s health and he was unable to continue his pursuit of the ministry. At his death some years later, it was noted that not one of the 17 people he had saved ever came to thank him. We all think "How horrible!" but how many times have we all forgotten to "in everything give thanks" to our heavenly Father for so great a salvation! Unfortunately we are all have a tendency to be eager to ask but slow to appreciate our heavenly Father continual blessings on us.

Another reminder of this is that we read in the gospels that Jesus healed 10 and only 1 returned to thank him. Are you one of the 9 or are you the 1? I too often fall into the 9 camp – how about you?

If you had to rate yourself from 1 – 10 (1 being the worst and 10 being the best) where you would rate yourself in the area of gratitude?  Why did you rate yourself that?  What other thoughts do you have reading this?

A Loving Husband?

Last week I looked at the wives and thought that things should be fair and now look at the husbands.  Look here at Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

Throughout the Bible, God says more about the quality of the husband’s leadership than He does about the wife’s submission. Bad marriages are usually the result of the husband’s inability to love his wife instead of the wife’s refusal to be submitted as to the Lord. Rarely will you ever find a wife who would not be willing to follow the leadership of her husband who loves her unconditionally.

In Ephesians 5, Paul devoted twice as many words telling husbands to love their wives as he did in telling wives to submit to their husbands. Ephesians 5:25 tells us that Husbands are to love their wives in the same way that Christ loves the church. That means I must love my wife to the point of dying for her. You husbands must love your wives to the point of dying for them.

The word here for love is agape, which is the type of love that is based on commitment, not emotions or romance. If you’re here this morning and you no longer feel like you’re in love with your wife, let me shoot straight with you. It doesn’t matter whether you feel love or not. Biblical love is a verb and a command. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 reminds us that, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

If you do not have the feelings of love, it does not mean that you can take a pass on your responsibility as a husband. Act with love, and the emotions will follow. A happy marriage does not come automatically because we are naturally self-centered but marriages work because the husband and wife work at it.

I have done good amount of marriage counseling through the years. I have had husbands tell me that they did not love their wives anymore. I remember specifically a couple I counseled several years ago. The first time they came in they sat three feet apart and did not look at each other. They both told me separately that divorce was on the horizon and the husband said he did not think he loved his wife anymore. I told the husband to do the following for two weeks then both of them come back. I said – whatever it was you did when you were dating to impress her, do it again. If you wrote notes, write notes. If you wrote poems, write poems. If you took her out to certain places, do it again. If it was flowers then take her flowers. Whatever it was – you do it for two weeks and act in a loving way toward her. Two weeks later they came back. I set the chairs apart on purpose and they pulled them together. The held hands the whole time and they glowed. I asked them to tell me what changed. He said, I started doing all those things I used to do for her and for whatever reasons I fell madly in love with her again.

Husbands you need to love your wives in word and action – regardless how long you have been married. Love is a verb and a command!

The last part of verse 19 here challenges husbands to “not be embittered” with their wives. That means that even if your wife is not doing what you think she should, you are not to become resentful. Husbands must prevent a sour attitude from taking root. The only other time this word embittered is used in the New Testament, it refers to something bitter in taste. Husbands are not to be caustic, bitter, resentful or sarcastic toward their wives. These things are especially hurtful to women. Women are different than men in that you can be sarcastic with another man and he will shrug it off and not become upset by it, but if you do that with your wife you will cut her deeply, far more than you may realize. So, put off these traits of criticism and sarcasm because they are from the old life. As Christian husbands you do not act that way anymore. If a husband says something sharp to his wife it is very difficult for her to give him the support which the Lord asks of her. We need to be encouraging our wives relationship with Christ – not discouraging it by our words, attitude, and actions.

Husbands- love your wives!

What did I miss?  What is the best marital advice you ever got?

I am going to be at The Sticks Conference and travelling there today – I will comment when I get a chance.  Look out Orangeberg  –  Me and the Cycleguy are coming!

What would you do?

Have you heard about Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani?  He is an Iranian Pastor who is facing execution.  If not you have not heard about him you can read his story here.

I heard about him yesterday morning when I read a tweet that Rick Warren posted.  later in the day I found and read some articles on what was happening with him.  Let me say his story got me praying for him and his family but it also really got me thinking about persecution and me and my faith. in Christ.

In the article above it shares this:

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.

You see a man who is full on for Jesus regardless and he is willing to say the truth and face the consequences.  He has been asked to recant his faith now on several occasions and he has refused knowing that staying true to his faith in Christ means that he could well be executed.  To him he obviously he know the consequences but he also knows the rewards.

In preparing for my Wednesday evening Bible study I came across some words of Christ which hit me hard in relation to what what Pastor Nadarkhani is facing.

Here are the words of Christ from Mark 13:9, 11-13

⁹ “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

¹¹ When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. ¹² Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

These verses make me think and make me wonder about things and about my faith.

Here is what I wonder …..

• What would I do? 
• Do I have a faith strong enough to withstand what Pastor Nadarkhai has and is?
• Would I stand up for Christ?

I pray that I would stand strong for Christ but I can not say but what I can say is that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is a hero of the faith in my book.

Any thoughts on any of this?

The Power of Forgiveness

I have taken a good amount of time in that last few years to think long and hard about forgiveness. During this time I have looked to the Scriptures to see what they say about forgiveness.  When I come across verses that talk about forgiveness I look closely and really think about what it really means to forgive. I have come across a verse recently that has me really thinking.  The verse is Colossians 3:13 which is in a list of things we believer are to put on and it really hits hard on forgiveness. The verse is Colossians 3:13 and I want you to think about it.  The verse says:  bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Let me share with you what I am learning and hopefully and prayerfully you give your insights so that I can keep learning.

Forgiving is absolutely freeing and unforgiveness is absolute bondage. We are told to live forgiving one another, after the pattern of Jesus’ forgiveness towards us. Understanding the way Jesus forgave us will always make us more generous with forgiveness. The problem with most of us is we really do not understand forgiveness or if we do we really do not want to give it to people because we see it as a weakness – if that is the case then we see Christ as weak – which is not true. Forgiveness shows true strength – it has taken me a long time to really grasp this point.

Think about this: when we consider the staggering debt Jesus forgave for us, and the relative small debts we hold toward others, it is a lack of gratitude toward Christ for us to not forgive others. The more you think of how Christ forgave you; it should make you much more generous with your forgiveness for and toward others.

What are your forgiveness habits? Are they anything like Gods?

· God holds back His anger and tolerates us a long time when we sin against Him. Is it your habit to hold back your anger or do you lash out in your unforgiveness?

· God reaches out to what we would call bad people to bring forgiveness to them. Is it your habit to forgive someone you would consider to have a bad character? Should that make a difference?

· God makes the first move towards us in forgiveness. Is it your habit to forgive only if person comes to you first?

· God forgives knowing that we will sin again, sometimes in the exact same way. Is it your habit to forgive only if the offending person promises to never do wrong again.

· God’s forgiveness is so complete and glorious that to those former offenders He grants adoption in to his family and makes them His sons and daughters. Is it your habit, even when forgiveness is offered to not have anything to do with the offender again?

· God keeps reaching out to man for reconciliation even when man refuses Him again and again. Is it your habit to not continue to offer forgiveness to someone if they do not respond the way you want the first time?

· God’s forgiveness offers complete restoration and honor. Is it your habit to feel that you just need to merely tolerate those who sinned against you and not honor them even if they are due honor?

· Once having forgiven, God puts His trust in us and invites us back to work with Him as co-laborers. Is it your habit to not trust someone whom you have forgiven and not allow them in your life at all?

These are tough questions that I am dealing with in my own life. These are all questions to help us think about how freely God forgives and normally how stingy we are with our forgiveness even though we are called to forgive freely. I have so many areas that I am working in when it comes to forgiveness – what about you? Are there people in your life that you have not forgiven? Are there people you need to ask for forgiveness? Do it and free yourself from the bondage you are in.

What can you add to this about about forgiveness?

** I will add more to this subject tomorrow**

Quitting and The Funeral

I took my daughter and her friend to the funeral of a friend this past weekend.  The young man, who was 17, died of a massive heart attack in his sleep a week ago.  I meet the young man once or twice but  really did not know him too well at all but went so that I could support my daughter.  The funeral service for him was very touching and gave me the same view of the young man as my daughter has shared with me about him. He was nice young man who was really funny and had a zest for life.

The funeral was really a touching tribute to him and God honoring as he was a solid believer in Christ.   He played for both rival football teams in the area because his mother moved from one place to the other.  With that both teams were there in their uniforms sitting by team one behind another right behind the family.  Really a powerful service from many perspectives and there were two powerful stories shared that I took away from this young man’s life and I want to share one of those with you.

The young man played football for the local football team as I said and toward the end of the service  the coach got up and was going to give the mother a football signed by both teams.  He was not going to say anything just give her the ball to her then said, “I need to say something”. 

He then told this story:  Brian really struggled the first day of practice this year.  He threw up twice and had a really hard time.  He did not give up.  He worked hard throughout practices and struggled to get in shape.  It was really hard for him but he did not give up.  The first game came and he did not play at all but stood on the sideline and cheered his team on and did not complain.  He did not give up on getting in and playing.  The coaches saw something in him that week in practice and so the second game came and he earned a spot on a special defensive alignment that happens about 10 times per game.  So the second game this season he played about 10 plays and the rest of the time he cheered and encouraged his team.  He worked hard and did not give up on getting more playing time.  The coaches all took note and notice he was playing even better in the practice between week 2 and 3.  Week 3 of this season he started and play very well and had some excellent defensive plays and tackles.  That night he died in his sleep and something I learned and saw in Brian this season was He worked hard and never gave up.  Then the coach kneeled down and said some private words to the mother and gave her the signed ball.

I love that this young man did not give up.  He worked hard and kept working hard and did not quit.   Never judge a man (or woman) by what they do but by what makes them quit.  One thing I do not allow my kids to do is quit.  If my kids start something,  a sport or an instrument or whatever,  they must finish it.  I want them to know that it is not about quitting but it is about working hard to the end, even if they do not like what they are doing.  The lesson I want them understand is that we need to not quit, but  work hard and finish strong what we start.

You might be going through a hard time right now but let me just encourage you to do not quit – keep pushing forward.  Keep moving forward in Christ!  Just be reminded that  in Philippians 1:6, Paul says, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."  Jesus has not and will not ever quit on us and we should never quit on what he is calling us too.  Keep on and do not give up!

Have you ever quit something that you regretted later?

Wrestling? Christ, our life? Leadership?

When doing some study recently I came across a verse that has never been in my Bible before. Isn’t it funny how God does that?

Here is the verse:  Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Did you notice this phrase: Christ, who is our life?  It struck me as soon as I read it and I love it when that happens.  In a very real way for believers, Christ is what life is all about or at least that is how it is to be. Christ should be our life.  Without Him we would be dead in our sins and we would be hopeless – absolutely and completely without any hope.  When we understand that Christ is our life, we have real hope and we know the Truth.  In John 14:6, Jesus said about himself: I am the way, the truth, and the life.  By realizing that Christ is the Truth we also realize that He is our life, we can have a new attitude about anything that happens to us. If He is truly our life, we have nothing to fear.  When Christ is your life – what is there to fear?  Nothing!

The problem is that too many do not have Christ as our life but we just have him as a slice of life.  Christ should not just be a slice of your life but Christ should be the center of life and touch every area of it.  If Christ does not make a difference in how you treat friends, or how you treat your spouse or children, how you behave at work or when you are out with friends – then I would have to say that He is not your life .  When Christ is your life – everything you do, watch, listen to, the way you act, your attitude – everything – it is all affected by your relationship with Christ.

These are thought that I have been challenged by the last couple of weeks and I am really wrestling with them.  Why do I at times fear when I have nothing too fear? Is it a lack of trust of Christ on my part? Do I have Christ as a slice of my life or in the center of my life that is touching every other area?  I wrestle with these questions because I see them as playing a part in how I am as a leader in the home, in the church, and in the community.

Do you ever read the Bible, find verses that have not been there, think about them, wrestle with them, and question things?  Do you have any thoughts about what I said?

 

Have you ever….

Have you ever blogged what you thought was a great post …………. and really got no response at all?

Have you ever helped out someone out of a really tough spot and went out of your way to do so…….. and never got a “thank you” or were noticed by anyone that you did it?

Have shared  a dream or something your were going to pursue…….and got laughs instead of encouragement?

Have you tweeted something profound ………….and it was like a tree falling in the woods…no one noticed (or so you thought)?

Have you ever made a comment on someone else’s blog that was AWESOME and insightful ……… and no one said anything about it but everyone commented on some silly comment made by someone else?

Have you ever preached your heart out or do whatever it is you do for a living…….. and got the “that would have great if you would have done…” comment?

Have you ever…..

Let me just say that I have all the above happen and sometimes it just plain stinks when these things happen.  When it does happen, you have to ask yourself these questions:  Why am I doing it?  Am I doing these things so that I can be notice?

I, everyday, realize more and more that this life is about me decreasing and Christ increasing (John3:30).  I, everyday, have to remind myself that it is not about me but it all about Christ.

So….When I write that great post that I think no one reads or likes…..it does not matter because I wrote it for Christ and who He wants to be encouraged by it will be.

So…When I help someone out and never get a “Thank You”……it does not matter because I did if for Christ and he knows and Thanks me.

So…When I share the dream that Christ has given me and people laugh…..it does not matter because I am pursuing it for Christ and he will be known because of it.

So…When I ….. well you get the picture…. it is all about Him and not about me.

Have you ever struggled with these things?