Monday, April 13, 2009

Pirate Saga Hero


I’ve been following the drama on the high seas, as most Americans have this past week, with the pirates of Somalia versus Captain Richard Phillips.

When I first heard that the captain had willingly sacrificed his life for his crew and ship, my ears perked up. It had special meaning during this week leading up to Easter. The parallel between that and what Christ did for us was too coincidental to ignore!

As I followed the progress with latest updates on my computer screen, I continued to pray for the captain and his family. But Saturday night I was convinced that he would be freed Easter Sunday. I just felt that God was so in control, and that the dramatic symbolism of the message that was being sent to us would not be lost on the world.

Just as one normal human being like Captain Phillips was willing to lay down his life for his friends and fellow shipmates, so was Jesus willing to do the same for us.

That was his plan from the beginning. But the difference was that we were not his friends. He was truly ours, but we were so lost in our sins and evil ways that we (as a human race descended from Adam) could not even fathom the kind of sacrifice Christ was willing to make for us. We would be considered the pirates in this case! ;-)

So if Captain Phillips is a hero today, who is Jesus? He has to be at least a hero, but obviously is more than that.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. – John 15:12-14

Let us rejoice in the salvation of both the captain and the crew! In the meantime, you may want to take a moment to read and meditate on the powerful words of the whole chapter of John 15. They may take on greater meaning in light of this pirate and hero story.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Ignorance is Bliss?

I just read a great joke online. Let me share it with you here.

A friend whose husband was stationed at Fort Bliss, in Texas, actually got a letter addressed to "Fort Ignorance."
"How did you know where to deliver it?" she asked the mailman.
"We were stumped at first," he admitted. "But then I remembered, Ignorance is bliss." ;-)

Are there times in your life when you are so overwhelmed you don't want to know what you don't know?!

I would call that a time when you might think that "Ignorance is bliss."

However, if you get pulled over by a policeman for a traffic violation, or get audited by the IRS, or have to appear in court for violating a law you weren't aware of, you will quickly find out that ignorance is not bliss!

Ignorance truly is something to be avoided in regard to the important areas of your life. In this age of information overload it can be a daunting task to keep up with everything relevant. But the most important thing to make sure you're not ignorant about is the purpose and meaning of your life.

We only have a brief time on this earth. It's like a drop in the bucket compared to the timeline of human history. And when you get to the end of your life and look back, it will seem like a flash as well.

Make no mistake - you will be accountable for how you lived your life: the choices you made and the things you did. What will you say to Almighty God when you stand before him one day and he asks why he should let you into heaven?

Many people think that if they are good enough they will enter. But think about that for a minute.

After all, God makes the rules, does he not? What does HE say about his entry requirements? He tells us that all have sinned; none of us are righteous - no not one.

Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned - Romans 5:12
So if none of us are righteous and no amount of good works could pay the price, how could we then be worthy to enter heaven?

This is where we must receive and accept the answer that God in his love and his wisdom provided for us.

In the Old Testament the only way the Israelites could be forgiven was to offer blood sacrifices. This was a symbol of God's solution to us in replacing the continuous daily sacrifices by one final sacrifice in the blood of the Lamb, God's Son Jesus Christ. Jesus was God in the flesh - totally God and totally man - the only possible answer to the problem. He was the only one who could be holy and perfect enough to qualify as a spotless, sin-free sacrifice for us.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. - Romans 3:21-25
The grace of God is all that can save us from our self-righteousness and pride, and our hearts that naturally turn away from God. Once we realize and grasp the truth that we are incapable of saving ourselves, according to God's requirements, we then can be ready to accept the finished work of grace and love that was provided for us through Jesus' death on the cross - the ultimate - and final - sacrifice.

But the glory of Easter and the symbol of the power we have in Christ is in the Risen Christ. It is He who overcame death, and along with it sin and the devil and the power of our fleshly nature (with death as its ultimate outcome).

Our spirits are then reborn and we have the power to live by the new nature of our enlivened spirit man instead of the fleshly nature with its striving for its own desires. That is where the wonderful fruit of the Spirit can burst forth in new life, bringing forth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Hopefully, you are well aware of the above concept and have chosen to accept God's grace and love into your life. You truly have something to celebrate every day, not just at Easter.

But if you have never heard God's love and plan for you expressed quite this way, reread the above and ask God to reveal his truth to you. Allow the direction, purpose and consequences to line up to be the best possible for you - not only while you're living here on earth, but forever after you've gone on from this earthly realm. You will live a life beyond your dreams!

Ignorance is definitely not bliss! I trust you will be celebrating this Easter with new eyes and a blissfully overflowing heart for God's wonderful gift of new life to you today!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Just One Degree

While I was waiting for some soup I was making to come to a boil, I noticed first the steam started rising and slowly the bubbles started popping one by one in various places. Then it finally came to a full boil before I turned it down to simmer awhile.

As I watched, I thought about what a difference just one degree makes. The temperature can’t be one degree less than the boiling point, or you can wait day and night, and it will never come to a full boil.

In thinking about my life, I thought that was an appropriate analogy as well. For many years I’ve had a particular dream and big goal I’ve aspired to. I’ve kept the dream alive and simmering over the years. There have been occasions when I’ve turned the fire up a bit and things have been steaming hotter towards my goal. But somehow, I never was able to sustain the intensity of the fire long enough to bring it up to boiling and get to that next level where things are really cooking!

That’s why I’m excited that recently I’ve seen a way to move forward with that big dream I’ve had. I’ve lit the flame and have been tossing on the fuel to help it turn into a big glowing bonfire this time! I trust that you will see the result of that as things come to pass within the next 12-18 months, which I’ll share with you along the way.

What level of intensity are you experiencing with your biggest dreams and goals? Are you getting close to where you want to go? Do you need to turn it up a degree and get your activities to the boiling point to make your goal happen the way you really want it to?

Usually it just takes time added to activity sustained in order to accomplish a goal. So just keep on doing what you know and turning up the flame till you get where you want to be – and your life is bubbling over with happiness and pride of accomplishment!

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. - Philippians 3:13-15, NIV

In the meantime, I’ve discovered a great video that illustrates this principle of 212 degrees. Enjoy and be inspired! http://tinyurl.com/212insp
Great food for thought!

P.S. The picture above is of a painting I did, titled "Changes of State."

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Pearly Whites

You may have heard someone declare, “It’s either black or white! There’s no gray area!”

Have you ever had your chimney cleaned? The flue can get pretty sooty and that can be dangerous. It won’t work well or be safe in a dirty condition with creosote build-up. When it gets to that point, it’s time to call in an expert to take care of it properly and make it clean and functional again.

Sometimes we feel drab and need whitening and cleaning in our lives to make us functional and not in danger of "catching fire" and doing some harm to ourselves or others.

I just came from getting my teeth whitened. It was my first time and a quick process with a great system I discovered nearby (and reasonable too). Here are my before and after pictures – a difference of about 6-7 shades in just 15 minutes.

As I was thinking about having a whiter smile, I thought about some of the verses below relating to our sins becoming white as God grants us forgiveness. He covers them up with the righteousness of Christ, who paid the price for our sin and dirt and mess. They are gone forever. The stains are removed once and for all through his grace.

With all the stuff we do and think and that comes our way in life, we can get really stained and dirty. We need to go before the Father, confess our sins before him, and ask him to make us clean – inside and out – to take the stains of the world, the flesh and the devil away from us.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. – Isaiah 1:18, NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! – John 1:29, NKJV

And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. – Revelation 7:15, NIV

For details on the teeth whitening company I used, visit: http://www.whitesmileusa.com for a location near you.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Just One Day


What a difference just one day can make!

Yesterday I was out enjoying the beautiful flowers and flowering trees in the yard and neighborhood. The day was sunny and beautiful, with short sleeves in order. It appeared that spring had definitely sprung!

What a difference today! Rain showers and overcast skies greeted the day and popped up intermittently throughout. And just to show you the difference in flowers from one day to the next, take a look at these two pictures. One I took just yesterday and the other today (in between showers!). It always amazes me how fast things seem to grow once the first green shoot sticks its head up through freshly mulched beds.

Think about the different days you’ve had for a minute. Many of them are just routine, all fading into a blur with the commonalities of everyday life. But some jump right out in your memory, as defining moments, when nothing stayed the same after them.

Perhaps the moment may have been a serious event that changed the direction of your life. It could have been a business decision, a job loss, a health diagnosis, a relationship crisis or divorce, or a serious accident.

Or perhaps it could have been an insight or paradigm shift that caused you to make a decision to change your life direction and go God’s way – or the opposite. Or a variety of other things in between.

Take a moment to think about the difference of a day long ago when Jesus rode into Jerusalem amid shouts of “Hosanna!” (meaning “save us.). He was being hailed as the Messiah, the coming King who would save his people. Garments were thrown before his path, palm branches were waved. He was treated with honor and respect due a kingly office.

But the next major scene shows the fickle crowd turned against him only days later. His plan to save them did not line up with their expectations. Amid shouts of “Crucify him!” Jesus laid down his life like a sheep led to slaughter. He died with a crown of thorns to symbolize his kingly office and the suffering servant.

Indeed, only a couple days later, he truly did complete the plan of the coming king to save his people, through his resurrection and power over sin and death.

What a difference a day makes! Ponder the differences of the days and the mindsets of the people and of Christ: from the Palm Sunday parade to the crucifixion of Good Friday and on to Easter morning and the arisen Lord and King!

May this Holy Week make you more aware of the importance and fragility of life. We know not what the next day will hold. Let the Risen Christ rise within your heart and change your world today!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17, NIV

Monday, April 6, 2009

All We Need

Sometimes a powerful story can shed light on a struggle we may be having. This story was forwarded in an email. The original source is unknown. May it be a blessing to you!

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told his father that the car was all he wanted.

As graduation day approached, the young man anxiously looked for signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and he told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago.

With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11, ‘And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?’

As the young man read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because we ignore Him and are blinded by our own arrogant expectations of how things should happen?

If you have been asking God to do something in your life, perhaps you have already received the answer – and you may not recognize it yet. Or it may be right around the corner. Will you know it is God’s answer when it comes?

"Opportunity is missed by most people beacuse it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." (quote attributed to Thomas A. Edison)
Reflect again on the verse above in Matthew 7. Trust that God your Father knows what you really need before you even ask him!

The passage below comes just before Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer.
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” – Matthew 6:7-8, NIV