The Need That Only God Can Meet

Mother Teresa worked for years with some of the world’s neediest human beings. This hands-on experience helped her to see beyond the surface of the diseased and suffering patients being given care. She began to see a great unmet need. A basic need in everyone she met. A need for God.

She writes in her book, A Simple Path -“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

But this hunger for God is not something new. It goes all the way back to the Garden. With the broken fellowship that ensued Adam and Eve’s departure from the intimate walk they had experienced with God. The great French thinker and inventor Blaise Pascal identified this problem within himself:

“What else does this French mathematician craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself” ( Pensees #425).

It may be that Pascal is echoing the same truth that St. Augustine of Hippo discovered and wrote about in his Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” This seems to be a universal truth that extends through time and to every person who has ever lived.

Jesus stated clearly that He has the authority to give eternal life to all those that the Father had given him. Then with the next statement, he explained the meaning of the phrase -“eternal life.” Jesus said, “And this is eternal life: that people know you, the only true God, and that they know Jesus Christ, the One you sent” (John 17:3). The sense of knowing described here is the idea of an authentic, trusting and loving relationship with God.

Only God can meet the need (yearning, emptiness, loneliness) that exists in the heart of all those He has created. We are after all His creations meant to live in a real fellowship and relationship with Him. It turns out that Jesus Christ is the key given to mankind that will unlock this gift of eternal life.

All that awaits is for those who know their need – to put their hands on the key (Jesus Christ). . .  and open the door. On the inside, the room is filled with light, joy, hope and the warmth of a Loving God.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!” – Psalm 34:8

Lion By The Stream (How Thirsty Are You ?)

In C. S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair, Jill finds herself lost and thirsty. She meets Aslan the Great Lion (Aslan is Lewis’s Christ figure in all of the Chronicles of Narnia books).

[First, she spots the Lion]

. . . she came to an open glade and saw the stream, bright as glass, running across the turf a stone’s throw away from her. But although the sight of the water made her feel ten times thirstier than before, she didn’t rush forward and drink. She stood as still as if she had been turned into stone, with her mouth wide open. And she had a very good reason; just on this side of the stream lay the lion.

[Second, she hears the voice of the Great Lion]

It was deeper, wilder, and stronger; a sort of heavy, golden voice. It did not make her any less frightened than she had been before, but it made her frightened in rather a different way.

“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.

“I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill.

“Then drink,” said the Lion.

“May I – could I – would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.

The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.

“Will you promise not to – do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.

“I make no promise,” said the Lion.

Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.

“Do you eat girls?” she said.

“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.

“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.

“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.

“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”

“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.

[Finally, Jill trusts the Lion]

It never occurred to Jill to disbelieve the Lion – no one who had seen his stern face could do that – and her mind suddenly made itself up. It was the worst thing she had ever had to do, but she went forward to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted.

*******

“Jesus, the Great Lion of the Tribe of Judah, offers this invitation to those who hear His voice:

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

And again,

“He who comes to me shall not hunger: and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

Have you dared come to the stream?

Have you the courage to trust the Great Lion?

May God grant you the faith to step toward Him, . . . and trust Him, . . . that you might live.

Your friend,

Dar

 

The God Who Keeps It Simple – (God’s 3 Step Action Plan For The New Year)

“And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

I want to simplify, focus, and accomplish more this year than last year. How about you? What I mean is, I don’t want to spend another year quickly multitasking through each day and then at the end of the week wonder if I’ve hit any targets.  And I happen to know that the difficulty rating on hitting a target becomes much greater when you don’t know what the target is. It’s hard to make a proper assessment of how close you’ve come when you don’t know where you are going.

What do I know about targets and objectives in life? I know that, at the end of the day/the week/the month/the year/my life, I want to please God. He made me, He loves me, He died for me and He lives in me through the gift of His Spirit. I also know that He speaks to me through His Word, the Bible. But there is so much in the Bible. . . what does it tell me about pleasing God? I would at least like to please God with my life – wouldn’t you?

Thankfully, the prophet Micah provides a target with a simple 3 Step Action Plan to Please God. After dispelling the idea that God needs more offerings or sacrifices (outward demonstrations of religious piety) to satisfy Him, Micah lays out the following:

Step 1 – Act Justly. Now this seems simple enough but at the same time a little challenging. In Micah and the rest of Scripture it is clear that to act justly means to look out for the needs of others. On any given day, if we pay attention, we will likely come across people who may be less privileged or affluent than we are. Always be on the look out for those who are overlooked by others. Be willing to stand in the gap for the ones with no one else standing for them. Make sure they are treated fairly and justly. If in doubt,  just do the right thing. Abound in goodness and not evil. There is enough evil to go around but there’s never quite enough good.

Step 2 – Love Mercy. Micah is not just telling us to occasionally show mercy, he is imploring us to love mercy. That means to be generous in our kindness to others, surprise people with unconditional attitudes and actions of love and forgiveness. (That is love and forgiveness and grace that doesn’t ask, nor expect, to get anything back!)  This is the sort of lifestyle that is uncommon. It throws people off. It makes them ask, “What kind of person would go out of their way to make sure that I am cared for?” The answer of course is the kind of person who has experienced the love of Christ in their own heart and has known the generous forgiveness and compassion of God the Father.

Step 3 – Walk Humbly With Your God. What does this mean? Well, as it turns out, God actually wants us to want Him, to desire Him. It pleases God that we would pursue Him to have a real one-on-one relationship with Him. What does that look like? It begins with a personal trust and reliance (faith) in God Himself, and then a hunger to know God and His Heart more and more. Iwant to thirst to honor Him with my life, to love Him through my actions (not just words) and to serve Him in whatever way He calls.

You may ask, “Where does the ‘Humbly’ part come in?”  The answer is, in all we do, we do for His Glory and His Fame, not for our own. Humanity’s pride has a way of turning everything toward ourselves and tarnishing every achievement. It is not we ourselves that we proclaim but King Jesus! We who follow Him want Him praised and Him thanked for all He has done and is doing to shepherd us with His love. There is an unparalleled and inexhaustible joy that comes from serving the King. What more could we want?

If you are looking for a target to hit, a fresh start for the new year or a renewed purpose for life . . . then let me recommend one that has stood the test of time and continues to inspire, challenge and bring great contentment to all who make it their own. While it remains unknown by many, overlooked by others and neglected by some, (but hopefully not you and me) – the Word of God through the prophet Micah clearly and simply gives a daily and life-long plan for living:

 “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

God’s Best for the New Year,

Dar

One Thing About Jesus . . .

“. . . you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

He is eternal and has always and will always exist. Through Him everything that exists has been made. Prophets for centuries foretold His appearing. When the time was perfect, He did come and was born to a young virgin named Mary in the town of Bethlehem and was laid in a manger. He became and will continue to be a fully real human in real human flesh. He has been and will continue to be fully God at the same time. He is uniquely unique. There is not now nor will there ever be another being like Him.

Again, when the time was right He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. He immediately faced down and defeated the temptation of Satan in a desert wilderness, one on one. He then announced to all that He was in fact the One who had been prophesied to come in all the Old Testament Scriptures. He began to preach “Repent and believe the good news!”

As He spoke and taught, He was recognized to possess a wisdom, insight and authority in His speech and thoughts that had not been witnessed in the history of mankind, nor since that time. No other guru, teacher, prophet or wise man ever born, has spoken with His knowledge, wisdom and understanding. He confounded those who opposed Him. He left the worldly-wise dumbfounded and the masses and crowds were amazed and marveled at His ability to expound the greatest words ever spoken.

He demonstrated His absolute authority and complete control over every aspect of the natural world. He walked on water, He changed water into wine, He calmed the winds and the waves and He multiplied bread and fish to feed thousands who hungered.

He revealed an uncommon compassion and mercy on everyone He encountered. He healed the sick, cleansed lepers and made the crippled to be able to walk. He took away blindness from those born blind and restored the hearing to those who could not hear. He demonstrated a mastery over every disease and infirmary He came into contact with. He displayed His power over life and death by raising to life those who had died.

He dominated and ruled over every demon and devil. He liberated all who were possessed by evil spirits. The kingdom of darkness recognized Him, feared Him and submitted to Him.

He claimed that there was a way to peace with God but also the exclusivity of being the one and only way to God. There is no other path, person or philosophy that will lead to the Father in Heaven. He asserted  that He and the Father are in reality One.  He revealed that He was in fact, the Way and the Truth and the Life to a sick, sinful, deceived, hurting and lost world of people from every part of the planet.

He stated that He was the answer to the world’s greatest, deepest, strongest and oldest problem – sickness, bondage and evil of sin which separates all humanity from and causes an estrangement from a loving, patient and merciful God. He revealed that He had the desire to and power to forgive any and all sin.

He on the other hand stated that He was without any sin, challenged any to see any sin in Him and He demonstrated a life of pure sinless perfection in all His speech and actions. And because He was sinless and because He was indeed God in the flesh, and because He was filled with a generous grace and limitless mercy for those estranged from God, He would be the Answer.

He chose to take the place of punishment for our sin on a Roman cross outside the city of Jerusalem.  He became our substitute and took our place on that instrument of torture for the penalty of our sin. He endured the suffering and scouring and the stripes of abuse and pain for us. He took our sins to the cross.  He defeated sin, death and the devil for us on a bloody cross because we couldn’t. He set us free from the guilt, free from shame and free from the eternal separation we were facing as rebels of God and His ways. In real space and real-time He took our real sins and now gives to us (in an exchange that only He could do) a real righteousness (not our own, but His) with which we will be able to actually live eternally in the presence of a Holy, Righteous, Just, Forgiving and Loving God and Father.

After the death of our Redeemer and our Savior on the cross, He then was buried in an empty tomb. But the tomb could not hold Him and death could not defeat Him, so then on the third day He rose from the death that He had endured for us. He was and is alive forever. He overcame death for us. In His human resurrected body, He began to show Himself to different people, in different places and at different times. As He demonstrated His power over death, He proved that His words and promises could be trusted, and He gave a real and certain reason to have hope for the future.

After showing Himself to many and continuing to teach and train His disciples for forty days, He then ascended visibly in His human bodily form back into the heavens and back into the presence of God the Father and the legions of angels at His command.

Now He sits enthroned in heaven and intercedes for His redeemed people who have been bought with the price of His own blood which He  shed for them. He also now continues to rule and reign as the Sovereign King of all the created universe.

In the future, at a day and time no man knows, He promises to return again to the earth to bring all of history to a final close by judging the world of those who have chosen to follow their own paths in opposition to His gracious offers of mercy, grace and forgiveness. And at that time He will also reward those who have turned to Him in repentance and sought Him and Him alone in faith as their only hope of pardon, joy, and peace with God for eternity.

Until that time, He promises to never leave nor forsake His people. He gives us the gift of His Spirit. He goes with us through all the trials, tests, troubles and tribulations that this world has to offer. He, as the Good Shepherd of His Sheep, promises to guide, protect and bless His people until the day of His return.

He also leaves His followers (disciples), with instructions and guidance for how to live and how to be about His business until He returns as the Eternal King of the New Heavens and New Earth that He will establish. He calls us to be the kind of disciples who will continue to seek Him, learn from Him, follow Him, and model Him to a watching world. He also leaves us with the great privilege of being His personal ambassadors to take the amazing message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth  (every nation, language group, and ethnic group on the planet).

He is the LORD of All Creation, the Sovereign King of All the Earth and the Master of our very lives.

His offer to a desperately needy world is urgent, timely and merciful. He offer is valid and trustworthy, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  Also, He announces, warns and commands, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”(Mark 1:15).

Oh, by the way, one thing about Jesus  . . . He loves you!

God’s Best,

Dar

Time To Turn The Page

Turn, Turn, Turn (to Everything There is a Season) – The Byrds

In October of 1965 the American rock group, The Byrds recorded “Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season).” The following month it became a No. 1 hit on the top 40 charts.

Almost all the words come from the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The words make clear that time itself will bring about inevitable changes to our lives. But, on the other hand some changes are not inevitable, they are a result of our own choices. These changes have the potential to be positive, both for ourselves and for others, but we must be willing to turn to them.

There are some things in life we can’t change. For instance we can’t change our own personal histories. We can’t reverse the rising of the Sun and go back in time for a few redos of our life events. For most of us, there are a few things that, given the chance, we would really like to do over.

The lack of taking many of my classes in high school very seriously sort of jumps out at me at the moment. But if I think about wrong decisions in school, I have to be honest and say it all started in kindergarten for me. That’s when it was determined that I couldn’t be trusted with scissors in group activities. I had never been trusted with scissors before I got to kindergarten and I guess, as it turns out, for good reason.  But alas, the fact remains – what is done is done and anyway, hair does grow back.

With this New Year, we “turn the page of our lives” again. In a way it is a real opportunity, if we choose it, to have our own personal redo. Not a redo of the past but a present change of course and a future direction for our lives. For many of us that’s good news. What would you like to change (that can be changed) about your life this year? With God’s help change for good is not only possible but highly probable.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian Church that “For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” In Christ, we can turn the page. We can turn the page on wrong actions and life choices we have made in the past. We can turn the page on things that have kept us from enjoying the kind of relationship with Christ that deep in our hearts we long for. We can turn from grudges to forgiveness, we can turn idle thoughts into action, we can turn from our complacent self-centeredness to a renewed trust and service to our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. For it is in Jesus and Him alone that we find sure and certain strength for the road and guidance for our paths.

The last line of  The Byrds rock ballad, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” is a soulful pleading, “I swear it’s not too late”. And of course in Christ, as long as we have the breath of life, it is not too late – but why wait? Today is the day to turn the page and live a new song.

Turning The Page – In Christ, Through Christ And For Christ – A New Song I Sing!

Dar

A Purpose for Living in the New Year

“And this is His commandment: We must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us” (1 John 3:23).

This is a great summary statement of the Christian life, something any follower of Christ can “hang their hat on”. The Apostle John, who knew Jesus so well, takes two related objectives for all Christians and sums them up in one easily memorable purpose statement. Take a moment and look at it with me.

First of all our faith starts with our belief in a particular person: We must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. For people of faith our belief goes beyond just acknowledging who Jesus is, it must also mean that we trust in Him for everything about our lives. It means that we are grateful to Him for our very existence, that we owe the pardoning of our sins and restoring of a right relationship with God to Him alone. It means that we depend upon Him daily for all of our guidance, protection, provision and blessings in this present life. It also means that we are counting on Him and Him alone as our hope for the eternal life to come.

But the call of Jesus into the lives of  His followers doesn’t stop with belief in Him. It goes on to the second part of John’s statement (love one another, just as He commanded us). Jesus calls us to allow His transforming, life-changing love to work in us in such a way that it affects everything we do. All of our thoughts, speech and actions, as we ground ourselves in Him, will become channels or conduits to loving, caring for and helping others. Love in action is the natural result of our relationship with Christ. It’s the mark of the Christian in a world that desperately needs to experience the human touch of God in their lives.

In the busyness of modern life we are all confronted with a daily barge of ideas, goals and objectives. Information, challenges and requests for the commitment of our time and lives come at us from an assortment of avenues and angles. What shall we make of it all? To who and what will we ultimately give ourselves  and our lives to?

John takes these two commands of God and forms them into one because they are directly related and at the core of what it means to live a purposeful Christian life. To believe in Jesus means to trust Him. And to trust in Jesus means that we will, by the strength and wisdom that He gives us, love other people as He has loved us. Trust Jesus, love people.

Simple Strategies For Serving Our Savior,

Dar

 

 

The God Who Is Sovereign Over The Kingdoms Of Men

” The Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men” (Daniel 5:21b).

Elections have come and gone again. The votes have been cast, the polls have closed and the votes have been tallied (at least for most states).  It has been another long season of political campaigning, pundit forecasting and expert analyzing, and now it is time consider where we are as a nation.

If my hopes and dreams for the future of this country and for my family are vested  in the promises and pledges of men and women, I missed a good opportunity to trust in the Real Rock of Security – God Himself.

It is God who desires that we trust in Him for our lives, our hopes and futures. He gives us earthly leaders to rule. He raises up men and women in places of responsibility for the benefit of others. We must remember that God’s plans for His people are for good and not for evil.

Even in the midst of difficult times Our God does not abandon us. He promises to never leave us nor abandon us – and He doesn’t.  Remember: we are not in the hands of the good hands people – we are in the hands of the Good Hands God!

After God revealed the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him, Daniel praised God: “the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:20-21). Daniel clearly understood that there was nothing outside the governance of God’s gracious, almighty and eternal rule.

Even the King of Babylon came to the same conclusion: “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and His kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to Him. He has the power to do as He pleases among the angels of heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop Him or challenge Him, saying, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’ (Daniel 4:34-35).

And so it is. Praise God that He is indeed the only Holy Sovereign King! Praise God that He is only good and not evil. Praise God that He actually cares for us and is thinking of us every moment of every day. Praise God that He not only has the power to do good, but He also continually does good – whether we are aware of it or not.

Totally Trusting The One Who Is Totally Trustworthy,

Dar

The God Who Breathes Life Into Dead Bones

Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 37: 4-6)

Many years ago, God told Ezekiel to prophesy to His people, that one day, He would bring their dead bones back to life. And the God who spoke to Ezekiel then is still in the business of giving Life – not death. Jesus died our death for us . . . to give us life, Eternal Life.

This is our God! The God who breathed life into Adam and Eve is the same God who breathes His Life giving Spirit into anyone who, after coming to the end of themselves, discovering their own emptiness, acknowledging their own powerlessness,  and giving up on their own plans, simply turns to Him and trusts in Him for the promised gift of  new life-giving breath.

Our God is in the business of giving life where there is no life. God is in the business of making that which is old, new. God’s Method of Operation is to reach out to the defeated, go to the downcast, hold up the diseased, come along side the discarded, pick up the damaged, lift up the discouraged, and give life to those who have been given up for dead.

An old standard of the Church puts it this way:

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

Fill me with life anew,                                                                                      

That I may love what Thou dost love,

And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

Until my heart is pure,                                                                                   

Until my will is one with Thine,

To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

Till I am wholly Thine,                                                                                   

Until this earthly part of me

Flows with Thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

So shall I never die,                                                                                             

But live with Thee the perfect life

Of Thine eternity.

 

Finding Satisfaction With the Sweet, Saving, Sealing and Strengthening Breath Of God’s Spirit.

Dar

The God Who Works Through Those Who Trust In Him

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence” (Jer. 17:7).

What is this trust that Jeremiah writes about?  Trust is another word for  active faith . . . faith that actually believes in and relies on  the LORD . . . faith that can’t help but show itself in the life of the believer. As the great reformer Martin Luther once wrote:

“Faith is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God.

“Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. And so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question rises, it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them.

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times. This confidence in God’s grace and knowledge of it makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and all His creatures.

“And this is the work of the Holy Spirit in faith. Hence a man is ready and glad, without compulsion, to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, in love and praise to God, who has shown him this grace.” (From Luther’s Commentary on Romans.)

As Luther stated, real trust/faith/belief can’t help but bear fruit in the life of the believer. This fruit doesn’t come to life through our own power, hard work or craftiness. It is fruit that comes from God – working through us by the mighty acts of an indwelling Holy Spirit . . . given to all those who trust in Him.

Again, as the Prophet Jeremiah writes:

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD  and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank,  with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Trusting In The God Who Likes To Work Through His People –

Dar