Author: admin

Conform, conform, I really must conform,

To think that I should be myself would cause me alarm!

These are partial lyrics from a song I learned during my middle school years – yes, I can remember that far back!  Mrs. Fulk  got together youth from area Churches and prepared a musical.  I was one of the 20 or so youth that volunteered.  It was a come one come all group that practiced for several months before going public.  We sang probably 10ish songs, without music, and there were readings in between songs.  I remember where I stood, stage left, second in, first row in a Church that wasn’t my own, and that I had bad middle schooler hair.  You know exactly what I’m talking about.   Isn’t it crazy the things we remember.  Unfortunately, I’m better at forgetting than remembering.  I don’t remember too much about it.   I can’t remember the theme of the musical.  I don’t remember any song or speaking part.  In fact, the only thing I do remember are the partial lyrics above.  But these words and the tune have stuck in my mind for about 40 years now.  I have recalled these words hundreds of times throughout the years.  They speak volumes.  I don’t know why these particular words have stuck with me, or maybe I do.  Anyway, I can’t think of these lyrics without thinking of Romans 12:2:

And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Conform is a funny word.  What does it mean anyway?  In the original Greek, conform is the word summorphizo, “to make of like form with another person or thing.”  In Latin, “con” means together and “form” means make – to make something like something else.  In English conform is a verb (action) means “to be similar or identical; to be in agreement or harmony; to be compliant; to act in accordance with prevailing standards or customs.”   To be alike.  To think alike.  To be in agreement.  To be in harmony.  To be compliant.  To be the same.  To be popular.  To go along with the crowd. To meld with the world.  Who doesn’t want to be like everybody else?  Who doesn’t want to be like Mike?   I do.  I think if we’re honest we all do.

My chickens are nonconformists.  My prevailing standard is to get chores done before 8:00 p.m.  They don’t have that same standard.  That causes some friction.  We are not harmonious when I want them to do one thing and they want to do another.  Have you ever tried to catch a chicken that didn’t want to be caught?  My chickens do not conform to my way of thinking.  They are independent thinkers.  Remember poor Diane on Cheers? “People, people work with me, work with me!”  She was trying to get folks to sing.  Her crowd was having nothing of it.  They were not compliant nor would they conform.  I’ve used that phrase on my chickens to no avail.

Here’s the problem, Brother Paul’s message from God says “don’t”.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  (NLT)

So, what’s Paul saying here?  Simple.  Don’t be conformed, be transformed.  Okay.   Don’t be like everybody else.  Don’t go along with the crowd.  Don’t follow the prevailing standards or customs of this world.  If everyone’s jumping off a bridge…heard that haven’t you?  Could you ask me to do something just a little bit harder (she said sarcastically)?  Obedience, Beth.  So, we are not to be like everybody else.  Fine.  How do we do that, or not do that?  How do we get from conformer to transformed?  God says through Paul that we are to let him transform us into new people.

How are we transformed?  What does that even mean?  Here we go again.  Translated from the Greek word metamorphoo, to change into another form, to become different.  In English transform is also a verb (get busy) meaning “to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; become transformed.”  Butterflies.  So, it means to change one thing into something else.  To convert one thing to another.  To reconstruct something into something else.  To make over — redo.  To turn around – change.  To change something that wasn’t into something that is.

Got it, I just convert, reconstruct, makeover, turn around, change.  That’s exactly it!  Sounds easy, right?  Just make a change.  Get a makeover.  Go the other way.  Be independent.  Dare to be different.  You go girl!

Wrong!!

Paul says “let God transform you into a new person”.  First, we have to recognize that only God can transform or change us.  If we think we can do anything without His power, we think more highly of ourselves than we ought.  Ouch, sorry.  We must recognize that we are powerless without the Most Powerful.  Second, check out the word “let”.  I don’t know about you, but this is the hardest part for me.  It’s easy for me to say God is powerful enough to change me.  It’s harder to humble myself enough, to throw all that I am at His feet, to let Him change me.  You see, the call to conform, to be like everyone else, to think like everyone else, to go along with prevailing standards and customs (the world) is an incredibly strong force.  I am not powerful enough, in my own strength, to fight the urge to conform.

But this isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ.  Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception.  Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.  You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness – righteous, holy, and true.  Ephesians 4:20-24

Brother Paul tells us again what God wants us to do.  Change our thoughts and attitudes – yikes!  Out with the old, in with the new!  Conforming is the easier route.  It requires nothing of me – no newness involved, I’m already there.  There’s no resistance in conforming, no call to be different.  Transforming is a heart wrenching, life-long journey but this life-long journey does just that – leads to life.  This journey is a one-way journey, God’s way.  We are not to be changed by the world – from the outside in — we are to let God change us — from the inside out.  Are we willing to let God change us into the people He wants us to be?  Are we willing to throw off the old self?  Are we willing to allow Him to change our thoughts and attitudes?  I hope.  You see, God’s message from Paul doesn’t say:  “Beth,  it’s okay to conform and just be transformed when you feel like it.”  God’s not making a suggestion or a request.  He’s giving a command.

How do we become nonconformists?  By being watchful and observant for the world seeping into our thoughts, minds, actions, attitudes, lives.   Remember, we are powerless to be unworldly on our own.  Pick up The Book.  Read it.  Our lives should conform to The Book, not The Book to our lives.  The Book is all about the character of God — who He is.   We are to mirror that character to the world, not let the world’s character be what we reflect.  Humble yourself and let God reveal himself to you.  He’s waiting to do so.  Knowing God is the only way to be truly transformed.

We all want deliverance from something, don’t we?  We’re always seeking to get out from under something.  Aren’t we?  Needing deliverance started way back in Genesis.  Remember Adam and Eve and their date night in the Garden?  They pulled up to the table and ordered the knowledge of good and evil platter.  From that day forward, we’ve needed deliverance.  Deliverance from our own sin or from the collateral damage of the sin of those around us.  The Israelites are a prime example of both.   We know their story well.  We live their story well.  Disobedience, consequences, redemption, deliverance.  Disobedience, consequences, redemption, deliverance.  Over and over.  We’ve talked about this before.  But, what do we do after deliverance?  Do we just bebop along like nothing ever happened?  Do we expect deliverance, assume deliverance, appreciate deliverance, praise deliverance?  Praise the Deliverer?

Exodus 13-14 tells us of a particular deliverance.  Specifically, Exodus 14:29:

The people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry land, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.  This was how the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians that day…When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and put their faith in him and his servant Moses.

After this deliverance, what did they do?  They sang!  They struck up the band and sang praises to the God of deliverance.

I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

Moses’ Psalm (song), in Exodus 15:1-21, is the very first song recorded in the Bible.  It obviously hit number one on the scroll weekly countdown as it was probably the only song of the day.  Isn’t it interesting that the number one song of that day was a love song?  A love song to God.  We hear all kinds of love songs on the radio today.  Mostly of the heartache and brokenness that is experienced in a relationship.  Moses’ song is a very different love song.  This is not a love song of heartbreak or loss. This was a love song of hope!

Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?

Who can ever praise him half enough?

Psalm 106:2

Do we sing to Him?  We see God’s mighty power and we are delivered daily from our Enemy – God daily parts the waters for us to walk through at home, at church, at work, at life — isn’t that a reason to sing?  Sing for job offers.  Sing for shelter.  Sing for paychecks.  Sing for health.   Sing for healing.  Sing for life.  Sing for death.  Sing for rebirth.  Sing for friendship.  Sing for family.  Sing for protection.  Sing for hope.  Sing for deliverance.  Sing for the cross.  Sing for victory.  Sing for mercy.  Sing for joy.  Sing for love.  Sing for deliverance.  Sing for God!

Who else among the gods is like you, O Lord?

Who is glorious in holiness like you –

So awesome in splendor,

Performing such wonders?

Exodus 15:11

Revelations 4 says that the elders fell down, laid their crowns before the throne, and worshiped the one who lives forever and ever because He is worthy.  They sing!

You are worthy, O Lord our God,

To receive glory and honor and power,

For you created everything,

and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.

Revelations 4:11

Just as the Israelites sang for God’s deliverance and mighty power, and just as we read the elders in Revelations sing simply because He is worthy, we should do the same.

Sing to God.  Just sing, sing a psalm, sing out loud, sing out strong, don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a psalm.

Oh my goodness, I love that dog!  Remember Shenandoah, our worst-best dog?  She’s so funny, as in odd, peculiar.  She’s your typical lab – high energy, family oriented, cute as can be.  She also loves water.  Well, sort of.  Labs are retrievers, that’s why they make good hunting dogs.  Their ancient ancestors were the St. John’s Water Dog.  No wonder she likes water.  Well, sort of.

Down our neighbor’s way is a creek or for some of us it’s a crick.  Shenandoah loves the creek.  She high steps in with those big webbed feet biting at the water those big feet splash into the air.  She puts her nose down into the water and when she’s not eating whatever is growing down there (ew!), she throws the water up in the air with her nose.  She leaves that creek with a smile on her face, no kidding.  She comes home and dramatically throws her body on the floor with a huge sigh – exhaustion.  That’s how you know a lab is happy, when they’re exhausted!  That’s when we’re really happy too, when she’s exhausted!

Everyone in this neck of the woods knows that we’ve had an unusually rainy summer – understatement.  It seems to have been a daily deluge for weeks on end.  That’s exaggerating a bit.  Well, sort of.  Anyway.  We have had a great deal of rain. When you have a dog, it doesn’t matter how much rain you have, they need exercise and they need potty breaks.

I went home from work one day at lunchtime to take her out.  It was raining.  I hook her up to her collar and her leash (we call them necklaces, that sounds much nicer), and go to walk out the door.  Stop.  She stands at the door but will not budge.  She looks at the rain and looks at me.  She said “You’re crazy if you think I’m going out in that.” Yes, she talks.  She even tried to go lay down on her bed.  We had us a little tug-of-war.  I won but it was touch and go for a minute.  Our peculiar puppy (Labs are always puppies) did not want to get wet.  Our St. John’s Water Dog descendant didn’t want to do what she was bred to do, get wet.  She wants to get in the water but she doesn’t want to get wet.  She wants the reward, the fun, but doesn’t want to do what she has to do to get the reward, get wet.  Go figure.

If I think on that, I might be more like my dog than I care to admit.  I wondered, do we ever want the crown without going through the cross?  Wouldn’t we like to get into the cool, refreshing creek and splash around, but not get wet?   Wouldn’t we like the crown without having to pick up the cross?  Maybe.  Daily dying to self, like going out into the rain, can be annoying, I mean the world’s a pretty cool place to live in, right?  Why can’t we just cut to the crown?  Because we just can’t.  We can’t get in the creek  without getting wet.  We can’t get the Crown of Life unless we train for and run the race, just as Jesus did.  Laying down our cross, denying self, takes training.

We learn so much from Paul.  He says:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Competition was everything to the Corinthians.  Similar to our Olympics, the Isthmian Games were held in Corinth and participants came from all over the Greek world.  These games tested participants in horse racing, music and arts, and various athletic contests.  And, of course, the winner got a prize – a crown of pine.  Ooh, aah.  The prize later changed to a crown of celery.  Ooh, aah, yum.  Anyway, the Corinthians were very familiar with competitions and they would have understood Paul.

Do I want the prize without training and participating in the race?  Do I just want to cut to the chase and show up at the finish line and have the Crown of Life plopped on my head?  Do I just want the crown without going through the work of the cross?  You see, the cross is work.  Why?  Because it is the Cross of Christ.  He died on that cross for our sins.  In order to get the Crown of Life we must go through that cross.  We must acknowledge our sin, repent of our sin, turn from our sin, pick up our cross and follow Him.  We have to get wet.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.   Luke 9:23

By training, shouldering our cross daily, He tells us we will have trials, but He also tells us of our reward.

This is a message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:

Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test.  You will be persecuted for ten days.  Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.  Revelations 2:8-10

If we acknowledge Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross and what he died for – our sins — repent of those sins and allow ourselves to be changed by Him.  If we are disciplined followers and run the race of faithfulness to the end, daily picking up our cross and dying to self, we will win a crown that will last forever.  Not a crown of pine or celery, but the Crown of Life!

…I rejoice to acknowledge, who will not be content with shallow logic.  They will admit the force of the argument, and then turn away with tears to hunt some lonely place and pray, “O God, show me thy glory.”  They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God.

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God.  The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate.  The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire.  Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.  Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to his people.  He waits to be wanted.

The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer

Wow, this dude is deep.  I love it!   Frankly, some (ok most) of this seems over my head.  It’s taken me a week or more to begin to grasp what Tozer was talking about.   I had to read and re-read to try to get a little bit of understanding.  As glimpses of understanding came, I wondered to myself “Do I want God?”  Do I want to taste, to touch, to see with the eyes of my soul, to experience God?  Some may say, we already do that, it comes with being a Christian.  But I say that if we do not continually examine and question ourselves about God, about who He is, about how He works, about what He expects, and just assume that because we are Christians, that that is enough, we miss out on the relationship and the experience of God, and then we fail to see the wonder of God.

As David said during his time in the wilderness:

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this

parched and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

Do we “earnestly” search for God?  Do we “thirst” for his living water?  Do we “long” for Him?  What does it mean to “thirst,” to “long?”  Are “earnestly,” “thirst,” “long,” parts of your relationship with God?

Do we long for God with our whole body? Mind, body and spirit?  Everything that we are?  Does our mind know God but our heart not experience God?  Do our bodies, by our actions reflect that we know God?  Do our hands, our feet, our hearts physically reach out to him?  Do we long for the Spirit of God to bubble up from within?

Further in Psalm 63, at verse 6, David says:  “I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.”

Do we “meditate” on God other than when we have a request?  Other than when we need Him?

Fulfill your longing and your thirst by meditating on God.  Chase after him and you will see the wonder that He is.

How about chasing after God by searching through the scriptures for verses that encourage us to thirst, long and meditate on God?  Make a note of scriptures that will encourage and remind you “to see with your inner eye the wonder that is God.”

Lord in Heaven, we run to you.  We want to know you.  We want to experience you.  Show us your wonder today.  Amen.

All scripture is beautiful because it is God breathed.  Some scripture is melodic and rolls right off the tongue.  Some scripture is more difficult to speak.  Some scripture is easily understood.  Some scripture is only understood with prayer and revelation by God.  But, all scripture is beautiful because it was whispered by the One.

We recite scripture in our worship services, at funerals, at weddings, at anniversaries, at special events.  We memorize scripture for times of fear, anger, comfort, strength, exaltation, hope, honor,  praise.

One of the most widely recognized scriptures is the 23^rd Psalm.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:  he leaded me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear not evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:  though anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is such a beautiful Psalm.  But to be flat out honest, usually when these verses are recited in unison, it is just downright depressing.  Could we be any less dramatic?  Any less enthusiastic?  Anyone else feel that way?  We recite it in monotone, as slow as we can possibly go.  It is just a dirge!  We certainly don’t make it sound like the breath of God whispered to His children.

If you carefully read the words, visualize the sights and sounds of David’s time, Psalm 23 is not actually a dirge, it’s a psalm of praise!  Check this out:

The Lord protects me!

He is all I need!

I find rest in him!

He is my strength!

He leads the way and when I am following His lead, He is glorified!

When I travel through tough times and my spirit is crushed,

I won’t be afraid because He is always with me!

His love, mercy and grace are constantly protecting me!

He shows my enemies how much He adores me!

He honors me, even when I’m not honorable!

His love for me is overflowing!

His mercy and love seek only

good for me every day!

And I will live with the

One True God in eternity,

forever!

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like praise to me.  That sounds like something we can call upon for comfort, for strength, for support, for blessing.  Our cup runneth over, isn’t that worth a little enthusiasm people?  What I have recently learned is that it is my attitude toward the Bible that really matters.  How I read it.  I’m learning to read the Bible the way I believe God meant for it to be read.  Reverently, respectfully, hopefully, joyfully, expectantly, instructionally.

Are you a checkmark person?  I’m a checkmark person.  I love, love, love making checkmarks.  Any other checkmarkers out there?  Give me a list and I can go to town.  Check-Check-Check-Check-Check.  I used to be a Bible checkmarker.    When I read the Bible I would mentally make checkmarks.  Love your neighbor – check.  Be charitable – check.  Do not kill – check.  Do not steal (if that doesn’t include postits from my employer) – check.  Be patient – check(ish).  Be kind – check.  Love the Lord God with all your heart – check, check and double-check!  You too!?!

Flat out, I wasn’t reading the Bible the right way.  If I read it seeking the character of God and expecting Him to reveal his character to me, and not looking to make checkmarks of God, I will be making checkmarks like crazy. This is how it works.  If I’m mirroring His imagine, I will love God the way He loves me – check.   If I’m mirroring His image, I will love my neighbor – check.  If I’m mirroring His image, I will not kill, by hand or by heart – check.  If I’m mirroring His image, I will not steal, even scrap paper that doesn’t belong to me – check.  If I’m mirroring His image, I will be kind – check.  You get it, right?  It’s all about Him!

It is exciting to read the Word of God because all scripture reflects the character of God.  All scriptures are His whispers to us.  Yes, scripture can put us in our place, but instead of reading or reciting scripture as a dirge, we need to read and recite looking for his character.  In looking for His character, we will see His guidance, direction, encouragement, discipline, support and blessings.  The Creator of the Universe revealing himself to us!  Isn’t that worth a little enthusiasm people?

We need to read the scriptures like they really matter, because they do.  Not like a dirge and not for the checkmarks.  Alistair Begg seems to say it best:  “The confidence of heaven is in the Word of God.  If you want to know God,  if you want to consider God, if you want to know if God knows you, read the Bible.”

On some evenings, the moon is particularly radiant in our neck of the woods.  Last night the sky was completely clear, not a cloud.  The moon was spectacular.  While looking at the moon, I couldn’t help but be in complete awe and wonder.  Trying to wrap my brain around God’s outrageous creation held me in awe.  I wondered that a God that created such a spectacular creation created and loves me.  Even me.

Walking this morning in the dark I again was struck in awe and wonder.  There’s this mud puddle in the field across from ours. In that mud puddle I saw the reflection of the moon.  Gorgeous.  It was crazy, I could see two moons.  One bright and brilliant in the sky and one bright and brilliant in the puddle, but wait – the one in the puddle is out of focus – in focus – out of focus – in focus, you get it.  What’s going on?  While watching the puddle I noticed the ever so gentle breeze, almost imperceptible, moving the water causing the moon to lose its sharpness.  The moon in the puddle was crispless.

This reminded me of my relationship with God.  When things are going well, He is perfectly clear.  Peace?  When I study His Word, He is perfectly clear.  When I snuggle up to Him and cleave to Him, He is perfectly clear.  But you know, like the wind, it only takes the very slightest movement to knock Him out of focus for me.  The gentle breeze of an argument with a loved one, an overdue bill, car issues, kid issues, animal issues, health issues, job issues, sin issues, etc. issues, all cause ripples in the puddle and distort our vision.

Like the moon in the sky, God is always perfectly clear.  Like the moon in the puddle, life encourages us to lose our focus.  But we have great hope!  Jesus came to bring our lives into focus.  The prophesy of Isaiah in Chapter 42 tells us of that promise.  It tells us of that Jesus.

Look at my servant, whom, I strengthen.  He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him.  I have put my Spirit upon him…To open blind eyes.  To bring out prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

He came to open our blind eyes and show us how to see clearly.  He can do for us what he did for the Disciples on their way to Emmaus.  Suddenly, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.  Suddenly, everything came into focus.  Suddenly, the Disciples could see Jesus for what He was.  Suddenly, the ripples stopped.  Suddenly, everything came back into focus.  Suddenly.

Suddenly can happen to me too.  I can regain focus by feeding on His Word, eating the bread of life, and drinking the cup.  By taking Him in.  By refocusing.  By persisting in His presence.  By talking to the man in the moon.

Life is a series of decisions.  Without thinking about it, we make thousands of decisions in a day.  Studies show that the average person makes about 35,000 decisions a day.  That’s crazy, but if you think about it, you’ve just made a decision!  Should I do this or that?  Should I say this or that?  Should I go here or there?  What time should I get up?  What time should I lay down?  What should I wear?  Heels or flats?  Am I going to work or not?  Church or not?  Eat in?  Take out?  Chocolate or carrots?  DUH!  Sometimes we’re plagued by our decisions and other times it feels like we have the plague when we have to make a difficult decision.

So how do we make our decisions?  Handwring?  Flip a coin?  Rock, paper, scissors?  Guess?  Analyze?  List pros/cons?  Pray?  Remember – if you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.

Roy Disney was the older brother of Walt Disney.  From what I’ve heard, Roy was the businessman and Walt was the creator visionary of Disney World.  Walt died in 1966 about the time Roy was going to retire.  Roy was able to realize Walt’s dream, and so that no one would forget whose dream it was, when the park opened it was called Walt Disney World instead of Disney World – decision made!  Something tells me there were more than 35,000 decisions a day made on this venture.

Roy Disney said:

It is not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.

Chew on that a bit.  When your values are clear; your decisions are easy.  So, what do we value?  Think about that.  Do we even know what we value?  I really had to think about it.  What do I value?  What has worth to me?  What is important to me?  What principles or standards dictate what I value?  Of course, I can say the perfunctory things like family, friends, home, jobs, God.  But when I get honest with myself, God-honest, the kind of honest He desires, wide-open honest…

You know, if I don’t decide what I value, what has worth to me, what is important to me, the world will define it for me.  It’s like that for all of us.  I’m sorry to say that too often I’ve not defined my values nor lived my values.   This is quite evident in some of my decision-making.

I think Mr. Disney was on to something.  If we know what we value, what we believe and we’re willing to live by those values and beliefs, our decisions should be easy.  The decision is easy, the follow through is sometimes harder.

Our Lord is quite clear about what our values should be, if we are His.  He also promises that if we are His, the decisions are His.  Doesn’t that make it easy?

Whether you turn to the right or turn to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.  Psalm 32:8

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him, though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.  Psalm 37:23-24

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.  All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.  Psalm 25:9-10

Over, and over again, He says follow Me, commit to Me, value Me.  So, what do we value?  Are our values clear?  Are our decisions easy?  Do our decisions reflect God?

If someone asked that question, how would you respond?  Jesus!  Of course, that’s the right answer for every question – when in doubt shout Him out!  But seriously, think about it.  If you had to tell someone what love was, what would you say?  How would you describe it?

Love.  It’s trending right now or it’s trendy right now. Both are true.  But does anybody really know what true love is?  Foreigner didn’t.  Remember, “I Want to Know What Love Is…”

Nazareth didn’t — Love Hurts.  Isn’t that funny?  A rock group named Nazareth (actually for Nazareth, Pennsylvania), with the same name as the childhood place of the Father of Love singing about how love hurts.  Wrap your mind around that one.

Remember Jennifer saying to Oliver – “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”?   We know enough about God’s character to know that in fact the opposite is true.  Love means constantly having to say you’re sorry.

The dictionary has 28 definitions for the word love.  How do we know the world doesn’t know what love is?  Eight of these definitions refer to – hold your ears youngins – sex.  Remember Love American Style?  Contrary to what the world would have us believe, sex is not love.  You can have sex without having love.  Okay, enough with the “S” word, I mention it only to show where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re heading.

Vine’s Bible Dictionary defines love as follows:

Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered.  Love seeks the welfare of all and works no ill to any, love seeks opportunity to do good to ‘all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.’

Hmmm.  Does that help define or conjure up more questions?

What’s love got to do with it?  Tina Turner didn’t know either or she wouldn’t have asked  “What’s love…” 16 times in that one song.  Can’t you hear it?  “What’s love got to do, got to do with it?  What’s love but a second-hand emotion?”  What does that even mean?  Anyway…

After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter,

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

Once more he asked him, “Simon son of John do you love me?”

Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time.  He said, “Lord, you know everything.  You know I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”

John 21:15-17

A story of redemption, love, service, but mostly love.  God’s love.

The word love in these verses is translated from the word agape the first two times it is used.  Agape love is charity, goodwill, benevolence, harmony.  It is not romantic love or sexual love.  Agape love is an action love.  Agape love is not an emotional love, it is an act of the will.  This is the kind of love God has for us.  I know this for sure because I’m not always Miss Lovely, yet He loves me so.  This kind of love is always an action, remember the Cross?  God is love.  It comes naturally to Him.  It doesn’t come naturally to me because I’m a sinner.  But I am to love as Christ loved, willfully.  Remember the Cross?  God is love.  Mirroring Him would mean – Beth is love.  If this is so, isn’t this how it should work?

Beth is patient and kind.  Beth is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  Beth does not demand her own way.  Beth is not irritable, and she keeps no record of when she has been wronged.  Beth is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Beth never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Egads!  In reality, it’s more like this:

Beth is patient and kind (Sometimes, especially when people are patient and kindable).  Beth is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude (Especially when the world resolves around me!).  Beth does not demand her own way (I just don’t understand why folks can’t see how right I am!).  Beth is not irritable (Just testy!), and she keeps no record of when she has been wronged (Every dog has their day, dog!).  Beth is never glad about injustice (I’m sure they deserved it!) but rejoices whenever the truth wins out (It’s all about perception!).  Beth never gives up (I’m weary!), never loses faith (Where are you Lord?), is always hopeful (I am walking in the Valley!), and endures through every circumstance (Just give up, you can’t change anything!).

Clearly, that’s not love, that’s Beth, under the influence of the Influencer. Flee from me Terrible Tempter!

The last time Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, the word love has a different meaning.  This love is translated from the word phileo.  Phileo is different.  Phileo is not a willful love.  Phileo is a friendship love, a brotherly love.  A love that you cannot have for your enemies.  Phileo is a hey, I want to hang out with you kind of love.

The world is all loved up but doesn’t know how to love.  Love is not sex, it is not agreeing, it is not rude, it is not impatient, it is not hate.  God teaches us lovers, through Peter, to get beyond ourselves to the real love.  Then Peter teaches us lovers what he learned about love from God – to get beyond ourselves to the real love.

Through Christ you have come to trust in God.  And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.  Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News.  So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.  For you have been born again.  Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death.  But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.  1 Peter 1:22-23

Because of His resurrection, redemption and cleansing we are able to sincerely love.  Until we accept all that Jesus has to offer, we cannot sincerely, purely, freely, unconditionally love.  It’s simply not possible.

Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me, the Cross tells me so.   If you want to know what love is, ask the One who is love, He wants to show you.

While porching the other day, just taking in all of the early morning sounds of darkness, a sweet smell wafted across my nose.  I slowly inhaled to take in all the sweetness.  Then it was gone.  Has that ever happened to you?  Out of the blue a beautiful aroma will gently appear on the breeze.  It lingers for a few seconds and the breeze either carries it to another place, or we stop noticing.  You know what I mean, don’t you?  Out for a walk and the breeze carries to you a reminder.

Smells are in the nostril (that’s a funny word) of the smeller.  What is fragrant to me may be stench to you.  To me, babies smell good.  Flowers smell good.  Rain smells good.  Cookies baking smell good.  Laundry on the line smells good.  Horses smell good.  A roast in the oven smells good.  Aged leather smells good.  But there are other smells that just plain…stink.  When they arrive on the breeze we get wide eyed and look to see where they came from.

Have you ever thought about the smells of the Bible?  Living in a hot, arid land, wearing a robe, taking care of livestock  — think about it!  I know what I smell like when I clean the barn.

The story of Lazarus made me think about Bible smells.  I know, weird.  Specifically, John 11:39:

Then they came to the grave.

It was a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.

“Roll the stone aside,”  Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, said,

“Lord, by now the smell will be terrible

because he has been dead for four days.”

Jesus responded,

“Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?”

The King James Version says:  “Lord, by this time he stinketh.”  Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking that that Martha was one practical woman.  That was my first thought too!  Yikes!  But you see, Martha need not fear the stench, she need only believe.

You know that upon his death, Jesus was laid in a tomb, just like Lazarus.  Luke 16 tells us that the evening after Jesus’s death that Mary Magdalene, Salome and the other Mary went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus body.  These ladies too probably thought about the smell of death.  But hadn’t He also told them that if they only believe they would see His glory?  In fact, what did the angel at the tomb say to them:  “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive?”  The angel was saying, the stench of death is not here, only the sweet aroma of everlasting life.

You see, Jesus had told them repeatedly about His resurrection, but it wasn’t until the angel spoke that that they remembered.  The absence of the smell of death reminded them of the sweet smell of Jesus’s words.   They need only believe.  We need only believe.

Just as Martha ran to tell others the good news that Lazarus was alive, and just as Mary Magdalene, Salome and the other Mary ran to tell others the good news of Christ’s resurrection, we are to do the same.  We are to spread the sweet aroma of everlasting life.

Now, wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.  Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God.

But his fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing.  To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom.  But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume.            2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Are we spreading sweet perfume everywhere we go?  Are we talking about Jesus, pointing to Jesus, looking for Jesus, sharing Jesus, living Jesus, proclaiming the aroma of salvation to all?  Do our lives smell like we know Christ, defer to Christ, fall humbly at the feet of Christ, or should we be afraid to roll away the stone?

 

If He said come on, let’s go.  If He said, follow me.  If He said, drop everything.  If He said, I have something for you to do.  If He said, I have somewhere for you to go.  If He said, I have some folks you need to talk to.  What would I say?  What would you say?  I will follow, I will drop everything, I will do what you want me to do, I will go where you want me to go, I will talk to who you want me to talk.  Those are all the right answers, right?  Those are all the things we’re supposed to say if we are followers of Christ, right?

Well, let’s talk reality.  For me, I’d say, with great enthusiasm…Yes, yes, yes, I will follow, I will drop everything, I will do what you want me to do, I will go where you want me to go, I will talk to who you want me to talk but, let me first finish this load of laundry – I need clothes to take; run to the store – I need snacks for a road trip; gas up the car – how else will I get there; run to the bank (yes, we still do that) – you need a little jingle in your pocket; make a call – people gotta know where I’m going; set my email autoreply – someone else has to take care of others in my absence; get a horse/chicken/dog/cat-sitter – someone needs to take care of my babies here while I’m there.  I am one prepared woman!

Then I’d say…Where’re we going?  All that way?  Am I going alone?  That might be best.  Who else is going?  Do they have to?  Will they be good traveling companions?  Maybe.  How long does it take to get there?  That long?  What route will we take?  That’s a busy road you know.  Who are we going to see?  Why them?  Do they know us?  I don’t know them.  What will we say?  Can we write out a script?  Will they like us?  What’s not to like?  Can we stop and eat on the way?  Let’s get our priorities in line.  Are we there yet?  How much longer?  All these thoughts would flit through my mind in a nanosecond.  Jesus would probably look at me and say good grief girl!  Relax!  Slow down!  I’d be going but, but, but…

Did the Disciples have any of those same thoughts when Jesus called them?  We don’t really know what all of them were thinking when they were called.  I kind of hope they had some of the same thoughts I did.  I’d like to think of them as just as human as me because they were just as human as me, as you.

The Disciples were not called by chance, they were called by choice.  Jesus prayed, called and instructed those He chose.  Jesus prays, calls, and instructs us as well.  Why?  Because we are Chosen.  Chosen to be His.  Chosen to follow Him.  Chosen to be His Disciples.  Chosen to spread His Word.

Look what Jesus said to His Disciples in Matthew 10:

Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel – God’s lost sheep.  Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.  Give as freely as you have received.   Matthew 10:7-8

You know it’s the same for us, right?

Jesus Prays:

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony.  My prayer is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.  John 17:20-21

Jesus Calls:

You didn’t choose me, I chose you.  I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.  John 15:16

Jesus Instructs:

Don’t take any money with you.  Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with an extra coat and sandals or even a walking stick.  Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.  Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy man and stay in his home until you leave for the next town.  When you are invited into someone’s home, give it your blessing.  If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it’s not take back the blessing.  If a village doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, shake off the dust of that place from your feet and leave.
Matthew 10:9-14

Jesus prayed.  Jesus called.  Jesus instructed. Where to go.  Where not to go.  Where to stay.  What to say.  What to do.  How to do it.  He prayed.  He called.  He instructed.  Because He’s a Forever God, He’s still doing that today.  He’s praying for us.  He’s chosen us.  He instructs us.

The question is not really “if” Jesus calls, it’s “when” Jesus calls.   Is there something He’s calling you to do?  Is it something too big?  Is it something too scary?  Is it something too uncomfortable?  Is it something too difficult?   If we are His, He is calling.  If we are His, we go in His power.  If we are His, He is right there beside us, every step of the way, praying for us and instructing us.   When Jesus calls, how will we answer?