May 28, 2014

"For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army." I Samuel 17:16

Are you ready for a giant life lesson from David?

Let me ask you, "How do you measure yourself? How do you measure your problems? Do you ever measure yourself against your problems?"

Another big difference between David and the rest of this bunch - including the giant, was how they measured themselves and how they measured their problems. How about if we look at that this morning?

Goliath got in trouble because he overestimated himself. He overestimated himself because he measured himself against the other soldiers. For the most part, that was a good comparison because he was bigger and tougher and stronger than anyone else. He was a champion and he didn't inherit the title he earned it. Two errors here that eventually proved fatal. (1) He measured himself against men who were smaller and weaker than he. I see many people who do that. In order to feel good about themselves they find weaker, smaller, and less talented people and therefore arrive at an unrealistic value of themselves. It is not healthy to inflate your ego by measuring down. You may become a champion by defeating inferior opponents but you won't remain a champion that way. (2) He defied God and despised the man of God. Yes, he was big but not that big!

The Israelite soldiers measured themselves against the giant. They arrived an unrealistic view of themselves by measuring against an unrealistic standard. I know people like that who are always defeated because they set unrealistic standards for themselves. Somehow they have the knack for putting themselves in no-win situations. It is healthy to aspire to be like someone who may be bigger or stronger or more well-known than you but use that for motivation to get better. That is not what these guys did. They devalued themselves by overvaluing Goliath. Not good. Not healthy.

And then there was David! Let's learn from David! David didn't measure himself against the soldiers and he didn't measure himself against Goliath, he didn't measure himself at all! He just lived in the power and grace of God and let God handle the giants, and the lions and the bears in his life. The healthy approach to a self-esteem is not to measure ourselves against others but to lose ourselves in God! God has not called us to compare to others He has called us to complete others! David didn't compare he committed!

Are you struggling with self-esteem or self-worth issues? That is a common struggle. It is one we must each conquer and the sooner the better! But don't follow the lead of the giant and don't emulate the soldiers. Don't get into the measuring or the comparison trap. Be like David! To love yourself lose yourself in God. To find who you are and what you can do, find yourself in God.

There is a giant difference!

May 27, 2014

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes."  I Corinthians 11:23-26

As I shared Sunday, when Jesus calls you to Communion He is calling you to meet Him in His suffering. When you share in His suffering He promises to share in yours.

Meditating on that thought I was reminded of this song from the '80's I think expresses this thought quite well.

You said You’d come and share all my sorrows, 
You said You’d be there for all my tomorrows, 
I came so close to sending You away,  
But just like You promised, You came there to stay, 
I just had to pray.

CHORUS: 

And Jesus said, “Come to the water, stand by my side, 
I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied. 
I felt every teardrop when in darkness you cried, 
And I strove to remind you, that for those tears I died.” 

Your goodness so great, I can’t understand, 
And, dear Lord, I know that all this was planned. 
I know You’re here now and always will be, 
Your love loosed my chains and in You I’m free, 
But Jesus why me. 

Jesus, I give You my heart and my soul, 
I know that without God I’d never be whole, 
Savior, You opened all the right doors,  
And I thank You and praise You from earth’s humble shores, 
Take me I’m Yours. 

He is a God of comfort!

Praise His Name!

May 26, 2014

I hope you are enjoying your holiday week-end. 

I share this devotional thought I found online this evening.

Memorial Day – to some it’s merely the beginning of summer and to others it’s a solemn day to remember those who have passed from this life. However, to the war veteran and to the families of fallen soldiers, Memorial Day carries significance so deep that words cannot express their hearts.

When we look into the eyes of those who still mourn these once vibrant men and women, we often sense their loneliness and pain. We hear them choke back tears as they simply say the ranks and names of their military brothers and sisters at a Memorial Day service. White gloves, dress uniforms, rigid posture, and perfectly precisioned salutes represent the reverence and respect flowing from within. Those who have been personally affected by war understand and appreciate this day of remembrance.

What should we say to those who sincerely honor this day? "Happy Memorial Day" doesn't seem fitting. "I'm sorry for your loss" may be closer to appropriate. What would the fallen soldier want from their comrades and the rest of the country on this day?

In an often quoted Memorial Day speech given in 1884 by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., the speaker ended his address with these words, “Our dead brothers still live for us, and bid us think of life, not death -- of life to which in their youth they lent the passion and joy of the spring. As I listen, the great chorus of life and joy begins again, and amid the awful orchestra of seen and unseen powers and destinies of good and evil our trumpets sound once more a note of daring, hope, and will.”

The American soldier who gave his or her life for U.S. citizens to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness won’t be telling us how to observe the holiday. But I believe that Holmes’ proposition to “think of life, not death” would honor the fallen soldier. Their sacrifice follows the example of Jesus Christ laying down His life for our freedom. It's selfless love for others – not so they can mourn forever, but live!

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:16

Notice that in scripture and in military service, the willingness to give up one’s life is not dependent on the worthiness of the people who benefit from the honorable act. In a perfect world, all who receive freedom and grace would be worthy of such a sacrifice and full of gratitude. But that’s not the way it is anywhere on earth.

"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:8

We are blessed to be living in a free society. May we honor our American soldiers for the liberty we have in this country. May we also give thanks to Almighty God for the freedom we have to spend eternity with Him because of His gift of forgiveness through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

May 25, 2014

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes."  I Corinthians 11:23-26

Communion calls you to remember the worst and most agonizing moments in Jesus' life. Why would He call you to meditate and commemorate a crucifixion?

Why would Jesus call you to into fellowship with Him at the point of His pain and suffering?

Isn't that a little morbid?

Jesus calls you to the cross because He suffered great pain to pay the penalty for your sin so that you won't have to remain trapped in your pain. When you come to the cross through the symbolic elements, the bread and the cup, it should cause you to remember and relate to:

• The reality of His pain

Through Christ, God really knows how it feels to suffer and experience agonizing pain. So when you are suffering physical or emotional or psychological pain, you can better identify with His pain and have a greater appreciation for depth of His love for you. And you can also be sure He understands the pain you experience.

• The reality of His provision

Coming to the Communion table to remember His suffering by the symbolic body and blood of Jesus helps you reconnect with the horrible agony He endured to provide an atonement for your sins. He didn't die because He was a sinner but He died because you ARE! He paid a price to bear the painful penalty of your sin so you can be delivered from its judgment.

• The reality of His purpose

Jesus laid down His life for you. That means He chose the pain and suffering that He bore and died on purpose! And He did it for a purpose!  No one TOOK His life, He gave it up to shed His blood to take away your sins!

Our Savior wasn't really lynched and arrested and beaten and crucified by accident or against the will of God, He willingly laid down His life to set you free from sin!

And, He is able to bring purpose and meaning from your pain.

• The reality of His presence

When Jesus was experiencing the worst of His agony on the cross, He was forsaken by His Father on died alone. Because He died alone you will never have to and when you are in the midst of your suffering He will be with you to comfort and encourage!

• The reality of His promise

Because God has never failed to fulfill a promise, you know you can count on his promises. He will never leave you in your time of need! You will never suffer alone and someday He will receive you into a place where there is no more pain or grief or suffering or bad memories!

So, when God calls you into the suffering of Jesus through Communion, He is calling you to remember all that He accomplished for you on the cross! And when you come to remember and to commune with Him, you can bring not only your praises but you can bring your pain. When you enter into His suffering you call Him into yours as well! You don't just go back to the cross but you bring Him forward into your memories of loss, abuse, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, ridicule, failure, or fear. He will meet you there in sweet communion.

That’s why Communion is so significant for a believer, it calls you into His suffering so He can enter yours.

May 24, 2014

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”  I Corinthians 11:23-26

I am thankful for a good memory and I am very thankful for good memories! The older I get the more I realize how important it is to make as many lifetime memories as you can.

But I also realize there is a reason 6,005,000,000 post-it-notes are sold every year! We are afflicted with the aggravating tendency to forget what we should remember and remembering things we should forget.

After all, that is the reason for the holiday of Memorial Day - to remember those who fought and died in foreign lands in order to defend our freedoms! We NEVER want to forget those brave heroes!

Communion is a spiritual equivalent of Memorial Day, each time you observe Communion it is a reminder of a Spiritual Warrior Who died to deliver you from the Enemy. When you remember it causes you to be sorry over the suffering you caused Him but thankful for the love that inspired His suffering.

Or, in a more practical sense, you could think of Communion as God's "post-it note" to remind you to remember Christ's love and His suffering that saved you from sin.

When we lose touch with God's grace we can become prisoners to our painful memories.

Memories are powerful because they recall not only experiences but emotions.

I spent many days being cared for by my Great Grandmother Snyder. My sister and I loved going over there to stay when our mother went off to her job. We have many pleasant memories of those days spent during our early childhood. In her neighborhood there were some mourning doves and that is where I first remember hearing their soulful cry.

Nearly every time I hear a mourning dove I remember Grandma Snyder and reconnect with the feelings of being with her.

So, memories can be very pleasant or they can be very painful – some are both. Because they are painful and pleasant or both, they become very powerful!

To a great extent your life will be dominated and defined by your most powerful memory. Communion is given to be a frequent reminder of how much God loves us and the price He paid to save us from our sins.

Taking the bread and drinking the cup helps us reconnect with our emotions of when we first experienced His salvation. When we can remember how much we are loved and how blessed we are it puts our own pain and suffering in perspective. His suffering becomes our dominant memory during  the Sacrament of Communion, as it should be!

May 23, 2014

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." I Corinthians 11:23-26

The big idea in these verses is, memories are so powerful they can shape the reality you live in if you allow them to. Memories are one part event and one part emotion. When the event is traumatic enough and the emotions painful enough, and when they are repressed, rehearsed   or relived, they can define your life.       

For example:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Mark Twain said, "A cat who sits on a hot stove won't sit on a hot stove again! But it won't sit on a cold one either!"

A painful experience will attach a bad memory to your conscious mind that will process into fear or caution the next you face that situation.

Some painful memories reside in the subconscious and manifest themselves in the form of phobias or irrational fears.

For instance:

I have stated that I have a fear of heights, but I really think it is a fear of falling because I can sit by the window in a jetliner 35,000 feet above the ground and it doesn't bother me at all. But standing at the edge of a cliff near the Blue Ridge Parkway or on a roller coaster (Scooby Coaster included) it's SWEATY PALMS time!

Where did that come from? I could never figure it out. That is until my Mother explained that when I was just a few months old - much too young to roll over - she turned away for a moment while I was laying on my changing table and I rolled off the table falling to the floor and hitting the toilet on the way down. (I know, that explains some things, right?).

I don't consciously remember that happening but does my sub-conscious?  Probably!

Because I don't want subconscious fears defining my life, I defiantly boarded the Scooby Coaster with reckless abandon and rode it - TWICE!

Whatever your painful memories, whether conscious or not, you don't have to allow them to define your life nor do you have to give into the fear. You can learn the difference between a hot stove and a cold one!

Jesus calls you away from your fears and phobias when He calls you to Communion! Gathering in His presence surrounded by His people to remember His love, His grace, His atoning death for your sin, and His promise that there is a perfect painless place in your future!

When you take the bread and the cup and enter into His suffering, He steps into your pain!

May 22, 2014

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." I Corinthians 11:23-26

I don't know about your memory but the trouble with mine is this - I remember things I should forget and forget things I should remember!

Apparently, Jesus was aware of that tendency because he gave us a way to be reminded of how much He loves us and the radical way He proved His love. We call it Communion.

Our Founder understood the importance of Communion as a spiritual Sacrament and a constant spiritual reminder:

"...if we consider the Lord's Supper as a command of Christ, no man can have any pretense to Christian piety, who does not receive it (not once a month, but) as often as he can." - John Wesley, The Duty of Constant Communion, (section 21)

How often do you need to be reminded of God's grace?

Taking the bread and the cup reminds you of His grace toward you (God's Riches At Christ's Expense)!

How often do you need to be reminded that you are forgiven?

Taking the bread and the cup reminds you that Christ took the penalty for your sins so you can be forgiven!

How often do you need to be reminded how ugly your sin is?

Taking the bread and the cup reminds you of the horrible suffering caused by your sin.

How often do you need to recall the thrill of that day when you trusted Christ and experienced the joy of salvation for the very first time?

Taking the bread and the cup reminds you of that wonderful day when salvation came to you!

How often do you need to remember your total dependence on Jesus for......well.....EVERYTHING!?

Taking the bread and the cup reminds you of your TOTAL dependence on Christ!

How often do you need to remember the hope of someday sitting at the table with Him at the Great Banquet?

Taking the bread and the cup reminds you of the hope of Heaven!

Since these important realities often get smothered by the pain and pressures of life, being often reminded is important.

"do this in remembrance of me....." 

Take, eat and remember - often!