Casting Stones

I was following a train of thought in my morning bible study the other day when I came across John 12:47 where Jesus said, “If anyone hears my words and doesn’t follow them, I don’t condemn (or judge) them.  I didn’t come to condemn (or judge) the world but to save the world.” (God’s Word ©)  When I comprehended those words I had a similar reaction as when I worked in the outside garden department at The Home Depot in Tulsa, Oklahoma when the summer temperature was 110 with 75 – 85% humidity and would walk through the sliding door into the inside of the store.  The blast of cold, air conditioned air was not necessarily refreshing, it was almost like an electrical shock to my whole body!

I sat back in my chair that morning and let the words “I didn’t come to condemn the world but to save the world” reverberate throughout my being.  In a flash, I saw before my eyes all the articles that I had read where various Christian Churches or leaders had made derogatory comments against legislation that was recently passed that didn’t agree with our biblical viewpoint. I thought of all the little “funny” jabs that I have heard different Pastors or evangelists make from the pulpit about churches that may not celebrate a Sunday service as exuberantly as my church affiliation, and I considered all the negative comments that I have read and heard (many personally) from individuals who have vehemently disagreed with some of the Christian leaders I hold very dear to my spiritual upbringing.

I also recalled the sting I felt a few years back when members of our own family and a few Christian friends made judgmental statements against my character when I began to deal with the situation surrounding my wife’s initial diagnosis of the early onset of Alzheimer’s.  In my most vulnerable time of emotional pain and confusion when I needed love and compassion, I was faced with a barrage of criticism and fear.

If Jesus were here on this earth today, how would He have handled the announcements of governmental legislation that didn’t agree with His Father’s ways?  How would He have handled conflicting beliefs in the church?  How would He have handled another person’s tragedy even if He didn’t necessarily agree with decisions the individual involved may have made in the past as well as in their present situation?

I think the statement He made a few thousand years ago answers that question.  He would not judge or condemn, He would act in love in order to help bring salvation into the lives of the people involved.  Or to bring a clearer definition of the word “save” which is the Greek word “sozo,” Jesus would work through the actions of love in order to bring healing, wholeness, peace and joy into the various situations He saw around Him!

He didn’t react to the problems in society by judging it or the people living in sin, He simply loved on them!  And you know what?  As part of the body of Christ, we are representatives of Jesus in the world today.  Therefore we should be doing the same things today, here and now, as He did back then.

Another rude awakening I had was when I realized that I reacted in the same way toward my distractors as they did to me!  My immediate response, after the initial shock wore off, was to judge and/or condemn them.  Whoa!  Well… thank God for His grace.  I think I’ve finally learned my lesson and am doing my best to walk in love and forgiveness.  How about you?  What do you think about Jesus’ words on how we should respond to the dark areas in our society or in the lives of those who are close to us?

Kind of gets you thinking doesn’t it?  Jesus’ response to the religious leaders who brought the women caught in the act of adultery to Him was to challenge them by saying “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7 English Standard Version)  I know that I have unwittingly thrown many stones in the past, but I now aim to take Jesus’ standpoint on the negative situations around me. What about you?  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

Avon

Well, I must report that our afternoon walk yesterday went without a hitch!  I was all prepared for any squirrel sightings but alas, there were none to be seen as we walked around our little community.  Our oldest daughter had called from North Carolina earlier in the day and we ended up talking for almost three hours!  Therefore by the time we got out to take our afternoon walk it was close to five in the afternoon.  Maybe the squirrels were home preparing their dinners…

And speaking of dinners… as we were out and about at the later hour of the day, we did pass by many homes where you could easily detect the aroma of people’s barbeques as they were most likely cooking their evening meals.  There was a very pleasant fragrance in the air that brought back memories of starting the fire for supper while camping in the midst of a Redwood or Pine forest.  It was all there, the smoke wafting its way up through the tree canopies, the sound of crackling firewood and the various flavors of the food being cooked on the open grill.

As I continued studying in 2 Corinthians chapter two this morning, those remembrances came to mind along with the thought of one of my wife’s favorite perfumes.   2 Corinthians 2:15 in the Contemporary English Version of the bible says: “In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone.  For people who are being saved this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life.  But for people who are lost it has a bad smell and leads them to a horrible death.”

It is interesting to note that the initial use of the word translated “perfume” here or “fragrance” or “aroma” in other translations specifically defines a sweet and pleasant flavor.  The second use of the same English word (in most translations this is found in 2 Corinthians 2:16.  The CEV combines the two verses in to one) is actually another Greek word that is a general term “denoting an odor of any kind, salutary (promoting health) or deadly and therefore more appropriate here, where it is used in both senses.” (Vincent’s Word Studies)

It is interesting to me due to the fact that to God we are only and always a sweet fragrance to Him!  To people, on the other hand, we can carry with us the sweet fragrance of the life of Jesus to those that are saved or actually act as to reflect the stench of death that emits from those that are lost without Christ.  It is a fragrance that one can immediately recognize when they come into its proximity as we did when we walked past the patios where people were barbequing last evening.

My Mom was always a great fan of Avon products.  She always had a supply of them on hand and would freely offer them as gifts to those who came by to visit their home.  When my wife and I were married she immediately set out to find a favorite perfume for Piper.  We finally found one that was very pleasant for both of us and my wife wore it for years until Avon discontinued that particular fragrance (bummer!).

I can clearly remember giving her a hug before I left for work in the morning and then being able to pick up the scent of her perfume on my shirt throughout the day.  For me it was a very pleasant experience and a vivid remembrance of my lovely bride.  In opposition to her delightful fragrance that stirred up wonderful thoughts, I also recall times when I worked in the garden department at The Home Depot in Oklahoma when I would wait on certain customers who (to me) wore perfumes that were simply awful!  These fragrances did not stir up wonderful thoughts and made me want to complete our interactions as fast as I could!  (try that while keeping a smile on your face as you perform top notch customer service toward them!)

According to the verse in 2 Corinthians both of the above examples are similar to the way the different individuals we come into contact with on a daily bases can perceive our presence around them.  Are we a fragrance of the life of Christ or of death?  When people may not seem happy with our being around them we must remember that it is probably not us, but the fragrance of Christ that is not appealing to the dark areas of their lives.  At that point it is most important for us to simply allow the love of Christ to so emanate from us that the lost will come to desire the sweetness of Christ for themselves.  That’s the time to listen to the small still voice inside of you and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.  There is a right time to share the Gospel or to just simply smile and quietly love on them while letting His light shine through you.  Remember, He is the One that is able to make the change… not you!

So go out today and let the sweet fragrance of Christ permeate the atmosphere wherever you go.  It’s like the times I got into my Camaro and could tell by the lingering flavor in the air that my wife had driven my car that day!  It always brought a smile to my face!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

Squirrels...

Yesterday afternoon the weather was beautiful and I just had to get out and enjoy it!  So I grabbed the leash, helped my wife into her transport chair and off we went.  I am not exactly sure why, but my wrists and knees were a little bit sore, and I proceeded to instruct the dog that she needed to be my helper on this walk and not a hindrance!  Well, as you can guess, that worked fine until we got around the corner from our house, and were walking down the incline of the driveway by the garages when the dog spotted a squirrel scampering down the middle of the tree shaded street.

Now Mandie is usually cool around other dogs, humans and even around cats… but let her catch sight of a squirrel and she goes nuts!  (no pun intended!)  I think that it might have started when we lived in Oklahoma and she would regularly chase a red squirrel that liked to use our back fence as his means to get from the trees in one corner of our yard to the field on the other side.

So picture this… With my wrists and knees screaming in pain, I am attempting to protect my wife and slow down the wheelchair as it careens down the driveway to the road, while I grab for the lease which is hooked on the handle of the chair, yank it hard and yell (while laughing at the same time) at the dog to stop and follow me and not the squirrel who seems oblivious to the whole hilarious escapade!

By the time we got to the other side of the street and up onto the sidewalk, I finally got everything under control enough to stop and catch my breath!  I’m sure it was a comical scene as the dog was panting with a triumphal look on her face, my wife was grinning and I was probably bright red from all the activity!  After making sure I had regained the dog’s attention, I made her sit and stay while I got my wife straightened out in her chair, and myself settled down!  Then we proceeded on our casual walk around the neighborhood lake.

I think most of the people with dogs in our neck of the woods must have had the same idea as we did, as we met quite a few along the way!  Every few minutes we stopped, greeted each other and jockeyed our dogs around to assure that things stayed friendly (which they did!).  By the time we got back home I was exhausted!  I took off my shoes, plopped down on the couch, messaged my wrists and had a drink of ice water!

I considered that experience as I read once more, from 2 Corinthians 2:14 to begin my study time this morning.  It begins by the Apostle Paul stating, “But I thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ…” (God’s Word ©)  My immediate thought was that God is always leading us, but do we always follow His lead?  Like Mandie getting distracted by the squirrel yesterday and not following my commands, do we also get distracted at times and fail to follow our leader?

I am thankful that our neighborhood is pretty quiet and that there were no cars coming down the road or up the driveway as I was trying to get things under control on our walk  (or that there was no one else walking where we were at the time… at least as far as I could see!).  I guess one could say the same thing when failing to follow God’s leadings.  Sometimes things in our lives are kind of quiet and we can seemingly get away with a little distraction, but then there are other times when things are already hectic and a small distraction can really cause personal difficulties to us or to those around us.

Next time we go out for a walk I plan on being more aware of my surroundings (ie; that the squirrels are back in their harvesting mode!) and will take measures to assure that the dog is under control and following my lead before the distractions come upon us!  This is also something I plan on doing more in my personal life as I accomplish my daily tasks.  I plan to be more aware of my surroundings, of any possible distractions and that my eyes are firmly planted on God and where He is leading me!

I plan to follow Him and let Him lead me into each daily victory!  How about you?  Will you wildly chase the squirrels in this life, or stay attentive to Him?  I’d rather not have the sore wrists and knees again!  Have a good day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What ADVENTURE am I expecting today?”

Great Faith

I heard a sermon yesterday where the Pastor was teaching on the subject of “Great Faith.”  His spoke of the two places in the Gospels where Jesus specifically talked about individuals with this level of faith.  These two people only had a couple of things in common.  They were Gentiles and they were fully committed to Jesus.  As non-Jews they came to Him with little knowledge of the baggage of the Law.  They approached Him with only His abilities and His love in mind and did not carry the burden of their personal inabilities to keep the dictates of the Law.

Both of these individuals put aside their own places in society, their own pride and sought Him, for they knew Him to be the only answer they had.  The Centurion humbled himself from his place of authority and honor in the community while the women threw out any personal pride at being called “a dog” for the sake of her daughter’s healing. 

The Contemporary English Version makes 2 Corinthians 2:14 relevant to this thought by stating, “I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory…”  The characters in these stories understood the possibility of Christ leading their situation into His victory!  They knew that they had to get into His victory procession.  They realized that what they needed had to come from Him… and Jesus called their actions “Great Faith!”

I often wonder, especially over the last four years, what the Lord would call my actions of faith when it comes to my wife’s situation.  Am I as sold out and certain in my conviction of His abilities to bring His victory into our lives as the Centurion and the Mom that approached Jesus were?  I would like to think that I am, and even though I have my weak moments, I strive to be sold out to Him and His Word.

Using His measure, how would you rate your faith?  Are you willing to set everything aside in order to approach Him?  From what I can see… it has to be all about Him and His victory procession.  I jotted down a note to myself yesterday as I continued to study 2 Corinthians 2:14 that left me with the thought: “What am I expecting each and every day, in each and every situation I face in life… His victory or my failure?”

I think the answer is self-evident.  How about you?  Have a good day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

4th of July Parades

I was reading a Fox News article this morning that described many of the various parades and other celebrations that occurred across our land yesterday in honor of our country’s independence.   Many of these gatherings were not only in celebration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence back in 1776, but were also in commemoration of recent times when the citizens of our great country banded together in times of tragedy in support of freedom and the common good for all such as the all city celebration in Boston, which was the first large gathering since the marathon bombings, or the re-opening of the Statue of Liberty where the island was heavily damaged due to the fierce winds and flooding of Hurricane Sandy.  One participant whose mother’s home was destroyed was quoted as saying: "This, to us, Liberty Island, is really about a rebirth.  It is a sense of renewal for the city and the country. We wouldn't have missed it for the world."

You and I can also celebrate the rebirth from our failures and faults as we commemorate what Jesus did for us on the cross.  And just like Him, we can also participate in triumphant parades that He wants to lead us in on a regular basis!  Colossians 2:15 declares that “on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.” (Good News Bible)  You talk about Victory Parades!  That festivity that occurred a few thousand years ago must put Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade or the Rose Parade in Pasadena California to shame!

Today we can also participate in regular victory processions.  In 2 Corinthians 2:14 the Apostle Paul tells us that “I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory.” (CEV)  The Message Bible puts it: “in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade.”

When’s the last time that you marched in a parade?  I think the last time I was in a parade was when my wife (or girlfriend at the time!) and I marched in our hometown’s annual Rose Parade as part of a local radio station’s marching band… playing our transistor radios!  (anyone remember those???)  But the Word says that we can march in a victory parade all the time!  Does that sound far-fetched to you?  Well… if the Word says it, then it must be true!

It may not be a physical parade that you march down the center of town in, but it is a victory procession that you can march right in the face of the enemy of our souls when he attempts to disrupt our lives with any kind of problem!  Remember Jesus Himself told His followers that “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27 KJV)  When the enemy says “you can’t” you tell him “Yes I can for it is written…” then turn and join God’s Victory Parade that is marching by your life today!  Have a great weekend.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What PARADE am I expecting to MARCH IN today?”

Declare Your Independence!

On July 2, 1776 in the midst of the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence which resulted in the legal separation of the original Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain.  Following this action the Congress turned their attention to the Declaration of Independence which was a document explaining this decision.  This statement was prepared by a Committee of Five with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. 

After much debate and revision, the Declaration was finally approved on July 4^th.  Even though most historians have concluded that the document wasn’t actually signed until a month later on August 2, 1776, the 4^th of July from the onset, has been celebrated as the day to honor the independence of the United States from the rule of Great Britain.

What day do you honor as the day you celebrate your independence from the tyranny of rule of the prince of this world?  The day you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord is the day when the enemy of our soul’s power over our lives was broken… for good… unless you knowingly or unknowingly give him the reign in any part of your life!

Ephesians 1:21 declares that Jesus “is far above all rulers, authorities, powers, lords, and all other names that can be named, not only in this present world but also in the world to come.” (God’s Word ©)  Then in the very next verse the writer brings home the point that “Christ is head over everything for the good (or for the benefit) of the church.” (Ephesians 1:22 God’s Word ©)

Now that you have attained your legal separation from the government of the power that used to have you enslaved, are you walking in the fullness of the benefits that Jesus has provided for you?  We didn’t have to fight in the physical bloody battles like the brave members of those first thirteen colonies to receive our independence.  Jesus did it for us! (see Job 33:24-24, Colossians 1:20-23 for starters!)  He provided our personal 4^th of July to celebrate with rejoicing and praise, and expects us to live the independent, yet loving and powerful life that He died for us to have.

As you celebrate the independence of our great country today (or whatever day you celebrate for the country you call home) think not only of the determination, zeal, blood, sweat and tears that it took over the years of war that concluded with our freedom, but  think also of the blood, sweat and tears that Jesus shed for you and me so that we could live totally independent from the power, authority and dominion of our spiritual enemy.  He’s been defeated… our job is now to live like it!

Have a great holiday!  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting to CELEBRATE today?”

Question Authority!

Colossians 2:10 informs us that “Christ is in charge of every ruler and every authority.” (God’s Word ©)  Well… if that’s true, and I for one believe the Word of God to be the infallible truth of God that supersedes any other conflicting evidence, then as “Rebels” (see yesterday’s post) to the untruth that prevails in the world around us, we should boldly “Question Authority!”

Whoa now!  You’re probably thinking that my radical, laid-back, fight the establishment northern California roots are coming out!  And in a way you may be right… except, I am talking about challenging the authority of those who would attempt to convict you of things that are already covered by the atonement of Christ! 

The King James Version states in our verse in Colossians that “Ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”  The literal translations more accurately define the word “power” as “authority.”  Robertson’s Word Pictures further describes the meaning of this statement by saying that “There is no other place for Christ.  He is the first in time and in rank.  All rule and authority comes after Christ whether angels, aeons, kings, what not.”

So… am I saying that we are to go right out and rebel against the established government under whose jurisdiction you may physically reside in?  No!  I am saying that we have the right to question the authority behind the decisions that are being made.  Is the authority of God or does it come from another source?  The point of our scripture is that Christ has the ultimate authority over everything and that the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (women, boy or girl) availeth much!” (James 5:16 KJV)

The bottom line here is simply: “In whom do you place your trust?”  Take a look through your bible and see all the things that Jesus has already redeemed you from.  Take a look at the Greek word “sozo” which defines the contents of the salvation that you received from Him when you became a Christian.  Go to Deuteronomy chapter 28 and study out the curse that Jesus redeemed you from according to Galatians 3:13.

I think that many times we are too fast in accepting what is coming against us without knowing or realizing that our redemption from that attack is already legally ours through what Jesus provided for us through His blood shed at Calvary!  It’s all part of His grace toward us!  As Christians we have a right to question any authority that contradicts the truth of the Word of our heavenly Father!

I’ll share a few more thoughts on this subject throughout the rest of the week, but for now… take a look around you.  What does the Word say about what’s happening?  Dig in to the handbook of our faith, pray placing your trust in His ultimate authority and boldly walk in the promises that Jesus gave to you!  Have a good day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”