Celebrate Easter

This Sunday, we will head to church to celebrate Easter. New clothes, pretty flowers, yummy food. All good things but what are we celebrating? The arrival of spring? An obligatory religious observation?  Let's take a few minutes to focus on what the day really means.

Jesus died. The One who healed folks who couldn't see or walk. He even brought some back to life. The One who fed the hungry. The One who loved people to wholeness, showed them how to live. The One who called people to repentance from sin. The One who said if we saw Him, then we had seen the Father.

This One, the Hope for all the world, died. And He said He had to. That it was why He came. To be the perfect sacrifice, required for the sin of the world. Can you imagine how His followers felt? Talk about grief and disappointment and confusion. I mean, really, they followed this Man and believed that He was going to change the world. They gave up their way of life to answer His call. They saw actual miracles and placed all their hope in Him.

 Then He ups and dies. Certainly they must have had a few moments of doubt - if He were really who He claimed to be, wouldn't He have asserted a little Divine power and wiped out the bad guys?? Ponder for a moment what your feelings would have been – disappointment, confusion, disillusionment, fear, maybe even anger?

Then, to the amazement of them all....even though He had told them...His body isn't in the tomb. He appears! Living and breathing! NO WAY!!!

The initial response must have been shock. Then, I imagine that Jesus’s words and explanations from the preceding three years began to sink in. They finally grasped what He meant, why He came, why He died and that He had come back to life. I wonder how long it took for them to understand what His death on the cross accomplished.

He paid the debt we owe God . Sin is costly - it exacts death from those who commit it. And Jesus's voluntary death was the only means by which our debt could be paid. So He paid it. Mercy. Amazing mercy. Love beyond compare. I hope we never get over being amazed at such great love!

But then He did the impossible. He defeated Death! No longer would man have to fear Death because Jesus overcame it! Not only can our sin be paid for so that we can be acceptable to God, but we now don't have to fear Death. He conquered it! Because of His resurrecting Himself, He gives to us the promise of resurrection. To live forever, without sin or death. Oh hallelujah!

This year, as we celebrate Easter,let's focus on what His death AND His resurrection do for us. And ponder, just for a moment, that this same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in us. NOW. Is there anything in your life that could use some resurrection power? A relationship? A dream? Finances? Self-control? Joy? Hope? Because of Easter, that power, that Glory, can be present in our lives through Jesus. Those of us who are Christ-followers have resurrection power that enables us to live supernatural lives. If that doesn't describe you, do you want it to?

Celebrate Easter. For real.

Practice these things for peace

One of the most pervasive problems in our world today is the battle against anxiety. It plagues every social strata, every age group, and both men and women alike. In fact, statistics tell us that well over 50% of Christan women- whether it’s mild nervousness or debilitating fear - are losing this battle.

Yet Scripture makes it clear that God wants us to have peace. Not anxiety In John 14:27, Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” His plan indeed is for us to have genuine peace, and He tells us specifically in Philippians 4 how we can access that in our lives. Instead of viewing anxiety as an inescapable burden of living in this world, Philippians 4 frames it as an invitation from God for intimacy with Him. And Paul tells us how to RSVP yes to that invitation…

Verse 9 instructs us “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things and the God of peace will be with you”. If we want to enjoy the peace that is unlike what the world can offer, peace that we cannot understand, then what are the “these things” we should practice? While the Apostle Paul is likely referring to all the topics he addresses in the book, I see four specific things in this chapter that are the pathway to peace for those of us in Christ Jesus. The things we should practice (not “try” a time or two and expect miraculous results but practice so as to form new habits) are 1) rejoicing in the Lord 2) praying with thanksgiving 3) discipline our thoughts and 4)learn contentment.

First, rejoicing in the Lord. Is Paul describing a “Pollyanna attitude”, where we pretend all is well even when it’s not? Is he telling us to just “praise the Lord anyway”?

I think not.

I believe that we are being instructed in Philippians 4 to find joy and satisfaction in who Christ is and what being justified in Him means for us. I believe it is setting our hearts on the treasure of our relationship with Him and cultivating a love for Him that surpasses our loves for other things (including ourselves). Rejoicing in the Lord. Practicing that into a habit opens the pathway of peace into our hearts.

Second - praying with thanksgiving. Verse 6 - “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.” Both elements of this habit to practice are crucial. Paul acknowledges that life in this world tempts us to worry. No doubt about it. There are small things that nip at our hearts and minds and there are very big things that threaten to devastate us. In this chapter, he confronts that truth and he tells us what to do. He does not say ignore them or pretend they don’t exist. He says instead PRAY. Go to the only source who has the power and the desire to do something about what is plaguing your heart. PRAY. Pour out your requests to Him. Tell Him all about your troubles, as the old hymn puts it. But don’t merely recite a list of wants and desires - instead pray with THANKSGIVING. That is a most critical component. Gratitude. Being thankful to the Lord. Thankful for what? I Thessalonians 5:17,18 explains it well - “Pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

We can begin with being thankful for the blessings we like - what we consider as “good” in our lives. Make it a habit to continuously recognize, acknowledge and be grateful for the countless blessings we enjoy. My husband has made it a habit to record three specific things to be grateful for in his journal everyday. I am not as faithful as he is to do so but when I practice this, it makes such a difference. Gratitude displaces fear, worry, a critical spirit, negativity, the list goes on and on. Gratitude to God is so powerful that it spills out onto earthly relationships as well. Expressing appreciation is a game changer in all the ways!

The third habit that we are exhorted to develop is verse 8 - think right. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Learning to discipline our thoughts, practicing what it means to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) means that we choose not to fall prey to speculations, “what if’s” or destructive thoughts. This passage is not advocating “the power of positive thinking” or ostrich-like deniability but it is instructing us to be intentional with where we fix our thoughts. And to trust the character of God to sustain us, care for us, and provide what we need for victory. This habit cannot be overstated - it is very powerful - but we should know that, depending on the state of your mind, it can involve hard work to develop. But God be praised that our brains are not set like concrete but rather they are pliable and able to be changed. With His grace and our perseverance, we can develop new pathways for our thoughts to follow so that we more quickly default to trust than to anxiety.

The final habit this passage lays out for us is to learn contentment. Verses 12,13 explain “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” The fact that the apostle says he has learned contentment lets us know that it is not a natural state! We naturally strain towards discontentment! But Paul tells us we need to learn the secret of being satisfied - joyful- regardless of what our circumstances dictate. And that secret is abiding in Christ. (So for the record, verse 13 does not apply to winning a Natty !) Learning that only through the power of Christ and leaning into who He is so that I trust Him is the secret to learning contentment. To not only pour out my requests before God but also to peacefully, joyfully accept His answer, even when that answer is “no”. What a powerful habit to develop!

And if we pursue and practice these habits, verse 9 promises us that “the God of peace will be with you.” Practice effects peace. Amen.

Have you heard....

When I was a little girl, a popular TV show had a segment where a group of girls sang a song that went something like this "You'll never catch one of us repeating gossip...so you'd better be sure and listen close the first time!"  Hee-Haw.  Made us laugh every time we saw it.

It's not so funny being the victim of gossip, though.  Can you relate??


God makes it very clear that He hates gossip.  He lists it among murder and pride and lying in Proverbs 6:16-19 --
There are six things the Lord hates – no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers.

The dictionary defines gossip as "idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others".  OK, so what's "idle talk"?  Since Scripture warns us about such, we should know what it is.

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  Matthew 12:36

Gulp.  This sounds serious indeed. And it is.  Gossip, or idle talk, consists of things said about other people that are not profitable to the subject, the hearer, or the speaker.

  Gossip is sometimes lies sprinkled with some truth.  Words that cause the hearer to think less of the person being "discussed" .  Words that destroy relationships.  Murder reputations.  Other times, the juicy morsels are all lies.  And irreparable damage is done. But sometimes, gossip consists of things that are true but would have been better left unsaid.  Words that are not profitable for the one being discussed. Secrets shared that should have never been disclosed.

Take a look at these verses with me:
 Proverbs 16:28,  A troublemaker stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret  Proverbs 11:12-13.

I've done it.  Maybe you have, too.  Shared some information that was of no benefit to the hearer or the subject.  It's almost comical how we do it.  "Did you hear that..." or "I don't know if this is right but I heard..."  My personal UNfavorite is the one thinly disguised as a prayer request - "I know you'll want to be praying about this....".  Super spiritual for sure.

I don't know why we are tempted to do it.  When we do, we have fallen prey to the deception that such "sharing" will be beneficial to US.  That by tearing someone else down, we will look bigger. But that's the biggest lie of all.  We not only do damage to others with our gossipy words, but we also destroy our own selves.

Maybe we will be motivated to curb our gossipy tongue when we remember the truth of Proverbs 18:21 -
  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits 

We will enjoy the fruit of life-giving words.  Or we will reap the consequences of death-inducing words.

My Mama said it this way "What goes around, comes around."

Amen, Mama.  Amen.

Stop trying to be popular

Not one single person I know wants to be unpopular. Not one. In fact, nearly all of the people I know are likeable, and well-liked. (I say "nearly" because we all know there are some grumps out there - in everybody's life!)

So is this a bad thing? Especially for Christians? Aren't we called by Christ to love others, to do good to all, to be kind and generous? And that kind of behavior makes us popular, right?

Ummmmmm maybe not.
At least that's not to be the goal. Check out what Jesus said in Luke 6;26 -
Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers treated the false prophets.

I don't like it when someone doesn't like me. It bothers me. I want to fix it. Maybe you are the same way.

Recently, I asked the Lord for some help in one of these situations and His answer surprised me. As you might imagine, it had way more to do with my own heart than that of my UNfriend.

There is alot of Truth packed into this one verse. And it pours out at different angles. Let's unpack it to see some of what God has for us in it:

1. Being popular is not something to seek or even to desire. Jesus says "woe to you when all men speak well of you" - this lets us know that being popular will bring sorrow, not joy. Woe, not blessing.

2. Jesus equates being well spoken of by everyone with the life of a false prophet. That is dangerous! Elsewhere, He tells us that false prophets devour people instead of loving them, led others to destruction instead of to Him, and are everywhere. (Matthew 7:15, 24:11,24)

3. What is it about false prophets that puts them in the Scriptural thesaurus with desiring to be well-liked? The idolizing of self.

Gulp.

When our goal is to be popular, we are actually worshipping our own SELF. And when that goal is blocked, our heart is revealed. Do we fret or get angry or even seek retaliation towards someone who mistreats us? Do we accuse them of being unlikeable themselves and even try to discredit them with others?
Do we try harder to win them over, to move them from disliking us to liking us (or at least to neutrality!)?

Or do we examine our own hearts and see what is there...

If we are being mistreated because we are living so much like Jesus that it makes someone uncomfortable, we are to rejoice. (Matthew 5:10-12)

If we are disliked by someone because there is a problem between us, we are to go to that person and make it right (Matthew 5:23,24)

If, however, we are uncomfortable because someone's lack of love for us blocks our goal of popularity, then we are our own problem. We have an idol. And that calls for repentance.

It's not your fault...but you can fix it

Are you in conflict with someone right now?


Maybe it's your teenager.  Or your co-worker.  Somebody at church or in the neighborhood.


Maybe it's your spouse.


Ask yourself some questions about that...


What bothers you about that person?
What is the source of the angst between you?
What would you like to change about this relationship/that person?
Do you think things can get better?


This isn't a post about changing the other person to make this better.
And it's not a post about changing yourself.


This is a post about the problem.

I continually surprise myself at how easily I get distracted from the real problem.  How quickly I can slip into thinking that my relational concerns are the rooted in someone's quirks or issues or even their sin...or my own.


Those are not the root but rather the leaves and branches of the conflict.


Ephesians 6:12 spells out the problem clearly - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.


The root of the conflict between you and your child, you and your neighbor, you and your spouse is not the other person.  And it's not you.  It's not any person - it's spiritual.


The spiritual forces of evil that wage war in the heavenly places against the saints.
It's not a sci-fi movie - it's real.


The unseen powers of wickedness that temporarily rule over this world are the cause for the problems in your relationship.  The source for the conflicts that torment us.  That's the enemy.  That's who we need to battle...not the other person.


How easily we are deceived into blaming someone for the tension, the separation, the pain that exists in our relationships.  We battle the pride and selfishness and anger and greed of our friend, our child, our spouse...and ourselves.


And we keep losing.
The conflict persists.  Intensifies.  Breaks us apart.


Because we're fighting the wrong combatant!


We don't have to lose this war.  We don't have to experience the casualties of conflict. But we do have to fight. 


The right hostile forces.
With the right weapons.


For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4

Spiritual forces cannot be defeated with fleshly weapons.
Arguing, pleading, manipulating, even counseling are insufficient (sometimes even more destructive) in our struggle against them.
We need divine power.


The weapons God has divinely equipped us with are found in Ephesians 6. Verses 17, 18 - the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 


Two weapons.  Divinely powered to destroy the real enemy in our relationships.
Prayer and God's Word.


No substitutes will effect the change we want, the peace we desire, the blessings we seek.


Take a moment.  Ponder that relationship that is in such strife. 
It's not their fault.  Or yours.
But you can fix it.


Pray.
Pray God's Word over the problem.  Into the conflict.  Unto victory.


(Suggested resources - Stormie Omartian's books - The Power of  a Praying Woman, The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of a Praying Parent ; Beth Moore's Praying God's Word )