Insecurity destroys relationships

It would be fair to say that intimacy and insecurity are polar enemies at play in both earthly and heavenly relationships.

Lack of trust or faith in the long-term promise of things is insecurity, which creates a host of worries and stress in the present that suck away the contentment of life-giving, joy-filling relationships.

Psalm 40 says
Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

One's individual purpose and identity in life is found in Christ, and Christ alone. Attempts to fill that critical bond with other earthly relationships will only end in heart ache, tears, or worse.

Psalm 40 continues:

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

Attempting to walk on eggshells before the Lord is no way to live. Do this deed or perform this action, the Lord doesn't want that quick fix mentality. We're ok with Him because of what He did. Being ok with Him isn't a matter of what I can or cannot do. Christ wants a long-term, heart-convicted mentality of His purposes, ways, and life-giving Truth. In that frame of mind, it's much easier to love Him and others when I accept it's not about me or what I can do.

Being happy

I here often in America, the phrase "I just want you to be happy." Or "I just want so and so to be happy." My mom says that to me often, as if she is stating that as the end goal for my life.

Happiness is not a bad thing, but I think the Bible teaches us that happiness isn't the end goal. Just "being happy" is a near impossibility in my mind, as we live in a disastrously fallen and broken world. I don't think we'll truly be happy until we are redeemed in the New Heavenly City, experiencing our joy and life directly from Christ.

That is where happiness comes from, real happiness I think. But that doesn't mean happiness in this life like our culture imagines. Jesus was tortured, He sacrificed the ultimate...the things Jesus did, people in our culture would not deem them as happiness-inducing actions.

Psalm 68:1-6 states:
May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.

As smoke is blown away by the wind,
may you blow them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.

But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.

Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds —
his name is the LORD—
and rejoice before him.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

and then Psalm 68:19 states:

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.

I think it's key to remember that our happiness comes as a result of our righteousness being found in Christ. Like Psalm 68:3 states.

"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful."

Being found in Christ is not necessarily going to bring us the good and comfortable things of our culture that we may think might bring us happiness.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:30

May we find all our happiness locked up in the redemption we find in Christ. For it is through Him, by Him, and for Him that we live and have any of our being.

what God thinks and feels

I'll speak for me first. I am often most wrapped up in myself. My desires, my thoughts, my wants, my needs. They come first.

I think we as a community do that as well, even as a worshipping universal church. Part of our fallen nature pridefully put us first. We deem the fruit on the tree appropriate to eat, although God had restricted it for our good. We think we know better.

My point is, do we genuinely think about what God feels or how He might react to things we set out to do or thoughts we might have, before WE act? A great deal of theology, studying God's economy, is even seen through a dedicated bias towards understanding God's relationship to man. Understanding God as He fits into the human experience and history.

May I offer that this is completely backwards, yet we continue to live in this predominant, mainstream thinking. The better question might be: how does man, by grace, fit into the desires of God's heart and movement to bring the Kingdom here to earth?

After all, it is God's story. God's creation. God's universe. By grace He's invited us to take part. By His mercy He gave us breath to participate. By love He saved us when we took for granted His gift.

We're still like society pre-Copernicus. The earth is still the center of the universe. God fits into our experience when it's convenient and appropriate.

If you don't think so, I would challenge that doesn't our society, and members within the church, wouldn't it look radically different in so many lives and actions, if we truly believed God first on a deep level?

Psalm 22:3 declares: "Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel." (NLV)

Now God doesn't need our praises to survive, but I do think they affect Him. When we choose to withhold our praises by our stupid selfish actions, I think the Lord gets more uncomfortable sitting in His chair.

We know the end story. Revelation 5:6 promises: "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

The text specifically describes location. "standing in the center of the throne..." Christ, at the end, and as He should always be, is the center of attention.

Do we think about what God thinks and feels before we take action? Do we consider His purposes?

perplexed by grace

God is good. All the time. God is good to me. All the time.

The ironic thing is that I don't realize this all the time. I wish I did.

I feel now, Sept. 1, 2009, is a point in my life where the scales have somehow been removed from my eyes and I'm seeing incredible amazing God and the blessings and gifts He's given to me in my life.

And I'm incredibly confused. Perplexed is a better word. I don't understand it. I want to understand it. I don't feel like I necessarily have to understand it. But it's really crazy!! (His grace)

The provision of relationships, and sustenance, and beauty...I am in a funk of "wha?"...for me??

I wonder if my life could get any better. I don't say that arrogantly, but with a genuine heart of thanks. And even in recognizing incredible blessings, there is still doubt present. I wonder, and I actually doubt, it could get better.

One thing I am certain of: I have an obligation, not a works obligation, but a responsibility of love obligation, to turn His blessings and provision around and put them to use to furthering His kingdom here on earth.

But ya, for now, I don't get grace and the joyful giving of Jesus. But I'm okay with that.

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

-Psalm 16 (NIV)

Psalm 96

This Psalm complements the Great Commission really well I think.

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness;

tremble before Him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;

He will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,

He comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His truth.

-Psalm 96 NIV

seeing more clearly...

Over the past couple of weeks, I feel like my "spiritual vision" has been improving. I've been seeing more clearly...

This is both good and bad.

Bad because I'm seeing more and more how corrupt and wretched I really am. My sinful and selfish ways are often earthly and unspiritual. I often run on the wisdom of the world, rather than relying on the pure wisdom that comes down from heaven. The thing that has become extremely clear is the envy and selfish ambition wrapped up inside me.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:13-18 NIV)

The good part of all of this is that in seeing the sin and wretchedness, it is more abundantly clear day after day how great is God's faithfulness, and how His grace is really more than enough; it's everything! There have been so many good things that have come up and happened in my life in these past two weeks. So I'm writing this more as a testament to God's faithfulness even in the midst of a corrupt and sinful one.

Psalm 89:1-18 captures God's faithfulness of what I'm talking about.

Great is your faithfulness Oh God!....

be still my soul...

In our conect-a-thon world, we've got this mentality that we always need to be plugged in. Not doing so, we sometimes begin to feel anxious, like something is wrong. Surfing the net, facebook, cell phone texting, watching the Office...or work or getting together with friends for sports activities or for a coffee chat or community group...

Don't get me wrong, community is fundamentally important to this life we live, but it can also become an idol along with all other sorts of electronic means of "plugging in" that exist in our society nowadays.

Tim Keller makes the point that an idol is something that serves a good purpose, it can be a good thing, but it becomes elevated to being an ultimate thing. I think we should remember this.

One of the greatest ways, I think as Scripture teaches, and Christ often did himself, is to remove oneself from the world, go to a solitary place, and just have time to be with Jesus.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 46:10-11 NIV

This Scripture gives us the image of God as a Mighty Fortress. When we attempt to be still before the throne, with the King, we can picture ourselves doing so protected and surrounded by a mighty fortress. This will hopefully help block out all the "plugging in" temptations that battle for our attention.

How could a soul in solitude with Jesus not be renewing?

sharing what's been up with me: restoration

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12 NIV)

This past weekend was awesome. God is graceful and compassionate in the least expected times. I went to Texas for a wedding which can only be described as: complete awesomeness. I mean primarily the wedding, but being in Texas didn't hurt matters. The fullness and completeness of the love and joy of Christ were so evident and visible throughout time with friends and the ceremony and festivities of the wedding. I wanted to bottle it up and take it home to have some more for later.

Before this weekend, I had just felt sort of blah, going through the motions, and this weekend helped me realize the complacency of that and how I was walking (or barely shuffling along) with Jesus, which is not ok. It's hard to describe exactly the specifics of the blah-ness, but it was there, and this weekend encouraged me through grace upon grace.

Different conversations and seeing the love surrounding the wedding provided a very clear distinction of what is found in Christ. That which is found only in Him. I talked with people and had conversations that resulted in a swelling up of compassion and recognition that Christ is so completely and extremely needed everywhere in this world. In every relationship, in every family, in every society. And in the wedding, I saw a clear and tangible proof of that.

And I don't think by coincidence, this morning, I woke up and really had a sense that there was more serious spiritual attack going on than normal. The enemy does not like it when your joy of salvation is exploding. So that's not saying a lot, other than I can positively testify that Christ is the Lord of compassion and all things good, and unto Him we are to take our brokenness, even if we forget to intentionally do so.