The Bullet of The Abundant Life: The Feast
Recently, while eating at a smorgasbord, I was struck afresh with a fantastic new thought about our Lord.
As I walked through the line, I know my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Three salads looked great, but I could take only one! Two meats were my favorite, but I could take only one. They happened to have four delicious desserts … strawberry shortcake, chocolate meringue pie, tapioca pudding and lemon ice box pie … oh, what tempting confusion! Of course I couldn’t take all of them. I could take only one! The blazing lesson was that there was far more there than I could ever take!
How true this is of our Lord! He offers to all of us more than we could ever use! Our pitiful little spiritual receptacles are forever inadequate to drink totally of His bounty. I don’t mean to be irreverent, but just as God offers us a smorgasbord in the natural realm ... night, day, sea, mountains, male, female, youth old-age, etc. … so He does likewise in the spiritual realm.
It’s senseless to compare the beauty of the mountains and the beauty of the seashore. What insanity to debate the glory of Hawaii verses the grandeur of New England. What futility to argue for the taste of steak over ice cream.
All of the above have their place for a person’s taste at the proper time. The variety of our choices is what adds brilliance to life. God can comprehend them all at once. We mortals can scarce take them one at a time!
Those of us who are thirsty for God’s reality should comfort ourselves in knowing that the Father has offered us more than we could ever experience in a hundred lifetimes. Likewise, we shouldn’t be critical of our fellow searchers who have chosen a spiritual dessert or main course different from ours.
All of us can go “through the line.” We don’t have to depend on others to make our selections for us. Nor should we be critical of their appetites and selections! The Father only wants to give us what is good! So long as we select something He has given us in Jesus Christ we can’t go wrong!
Welcome to the feast!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Bullet of Love: Objects, Objectives and Influences
If you want to multiply your joy then I encourage you to love people who are victorious in life. People who follow Christ have good things happening to them all the time. If your friends and loved ones are those who are always getting in trouble … denying the reality of Christ, the principles of love, concern, honesty and compassion … then instead of multiplying your joys you’ve multiplied your sorrows.
Make no mistake … Christians should love all men and women but there must come a time of separation, choosing to throw our lives in with those who are seeking God, or choosing to be with the crowd that rejects Him. The principle is irrevocable … loving in spite of anything makes us conquerors over everything!
If you want to multiply your joy then I encourage you to love people who are victorious in life. People who follow Christ have good things happening to them all the time. If your friends and loved ones are those who are always getting in trouble … denying the reality of Christ, the principles of love, concern, honesty and compassion … then instead of multiplying your joys you’ve multiplied your sorrows.
Make no mistake … Christians should love all men and women but there must come a time of separation, choosing to throw our lives in with those who are seeking God, or choosing to be with the crowd that rejects Him. The principle is irrevocable … loving in spite of anything makes us conquerors over everything!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Easter: “Forgive Them …” (Part 2)
The New Testament writer in the book of Hebrews states that none of us has ever been faced with such insults as Christ. We have been hurt but most of us have never bled! What made His forgiving so great was the depth of injury He endured, bitterness or criticism or all three!!
The power of our Lord’s life is rooted in His magnificent capacity to forgive. I know I need God’s forgiveness. I also need the forgiveness of some of you reading this. All of us need forgiveness. Not just once, but again and again. Life is like closets and drawers. There’s not a home anywhere that doesn’t possess a drawer or closet that is untidy, messy, cluttered or filled with junk. There is still a lot of clutter in my own life. I wish I could get rid of it all today, but I can’t. It takes time. In the interim my only hope is that people will forgive me for my junk or mess they see in my life. I’m really pretty stupid about some of the things I do. “They know not what they do.” The only hope for us sinners is forgiveness. “Father, forgive them.” Man, I like that!!
Have you been “crucified” lately? Why not try forgiveness? It’s the Jesus thing to do. Maybe soon you’ll need someone to forgive you!
The New Testament writer in the book of Hebrews states that none of us has ever been faced with such insults as Christ. We have been hurt but most of us have never bled! What made His forgiving so great was the depth of injury He endured, bitterness or criticism or all three!!
The power of our Lord’s life is rooted in His magnificent capacity to forgive. I know I need God’s forgiveness. I also need the forgiveness of some of you reading this. All of us need forgiveness. Not just once, but again and again. Life is like closets and drawers. There’s not a home anywhere that doesn’t possess a drawer or closet that is untidy, messy, cluttered or filled with junk. There is still a lot of clutter in my own life. I wish I could get rid of it all today, but I can’t. It takes time. In the interim my only hope is that people will forgive me for my junk or mess they see in my life. I’m really pretty stupid about some of the things I do. “They know not what they do.” The only hope for us sinners is forgiveness. “Father, forgive them.” Man, I like that!!
Have you been “crucified” lately? Why not try forgiveness? It’s the Jesus thing to do. Maybe soon you’ll need someone to forgive you!
Easter! Forgiveness!! Rejoice!!!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Easter: “Forgive Them …” (Part 1)
I suppose the most amazing thing Jesus said on the cross was, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” It was the habit of most crucifixion victims to curse their executioners, curse those who watched, curse the world and curse God. The Roman, Ovid, said it was advisable to cut out the victim’s tongue before he was crucified so those watching would be spared the obnoxious noise of his screaming profanities. The Romans developed crucifixion to such an art that, in all of history, it remains the most horrible way for one to die. The victim had to push up with his feet on the wooden support block so he could breathe and relieve the pulling pain in his hands. Exhausted, he would hang again from his hands and suffer shortness of breath. It was a question of agony from pain in the feet or pain in the hands. In reality, a choice of death or death!
The thirst was unbearable. The heat of the summer sun or cold of the winter winds only increased the suffering. Left alone, it could take two or three days to die – sometimes longer. To speed things the executioners would sometimes break the victim’s legs with a staff. Death from suffocation would mercifully follow. The fact that Jesus asked forgiveness for those who nailed Him to the cross is a most staggering thought. Following Him must include that same attitude.
I suppose the most amazing thing Jesus said on the cross was, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” It was the habit of most crucifixion victims to curse their executioners, curse those who watched, curse the world and curse God. The Roman, Ovid, said it was advisable to cut out the victim’s tongue before he was crucified so those watching would be spared the obnoxious noise of his screaming profanities. The Romans developed crucifixion to such an art that, in all of history, it remains the most horrible way for one to die. The victim had to push up with his feet on the wooden support block so he could breathe and relieve the pulling pain in his hands. Exhausted, he would hang again from his hands and suffer shortness of breath. It was a question of agony from pain in the feet or pain in the hands. In reality, a choice of death or death!
The thirst was unbearable. The heat of the summer sun or cold of the winter winds only increased the suffering. Left alone, it could take two or three days to die – sometimes longer. To speed things the executioners would sometimes break the victim’s legs with a staff. Death from suffocation would mercifully follow. The fact that Jesus asked forgiveness for those who nailed Him to the cross is a most staggering thought. Following Him must include that same attitude.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Bullet of Love: Constancy Counts
I want to share a brief thought with you on the Biblical concept that “love never fails.” If we could learn to love, we could conquer all things. Of course, this is why Jesus Christ came … to give us the power to love as He loved through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is impossible without the indwelling power of Christ Himself. That power comes to us only when we yield ourselves and are ready to accept the Truth about God, about reality, about others and about ourselves.
The joy and power of love was brought home to me recently when it dawned on me that the more people I loved the more my joy would be multiplied. If you truly love a person, then you are not jealous and whatever good things might happen to him (or her) also happens to you! Most of us are resentful or jealous when good and great things happen to other people. In fact, it’s human nature to play them down and play our good things up. However, if you really love, you not only rejoice in the good things that happen to the loved person but, actually, experience the benefits of their good fortune in your own life
I want to share a brief thought with you on the Biblical concept that “love never fails.” If we could learn to love, we could conquer all things. Of course, this is why Jesus Christ came … to give us the power to love as He loved through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is impossible without the indwelling power of Christ Himself. That power comes to us only when we yield ourselves and are ready to accept the Truth about God, about reality, about others and about ourselves.
The joy and power of love was brought home to me recently when it dawned on me that the more people I loved the more my joy would be multiplied. If you truly love a person, then you are not jealous and whatever good things might happen to him (or her) also happens to you! Most of us are resentful or jealous when good and great things happen to other people. In fact, it’s human nature to play them down and play our good things up. However, if you really love, you not only rejoice in the good things that happen to the loved person but, actually, experience the benefits of their good fortune in your own life
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Bullet of Loneliness: Finding the Only True Friend
Loneliness is nothing more than an “emotional pain” that says our goals in life have been too low. Loneliness becomes our “friend” when it forces us to enjoy the friendship of God as much as we would the friendship of others.
All of us have to deal with loneliness! From youth to old age it is with us. It can be an ever encircling web that leads to despair; but if we claim the promises of Christ, each period of loneliness becomes a step that leads to liberation and release!
So says our Lord in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation (loneliness) … but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” Loneliness is curable if we accept Christ’s recommendation!
Loneliness is nothing more than an “emotional pain” that says our goals in life have been too low. Loneliness becomes our “friend” when it forces us to enjoy the friendship of God as much as we would the friendship of others.
All of us have to deal with loneliness! From youth to old age it is with us. It can be an ever encircling web that leads to despair; but if we claim the promises of Christ, each period of loneliness becomes a step that leads to liberation and release!
So says our Lord in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation (loneliness) … but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” Loneliness is curable if we accept Christ’s recommendation!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
The Bullet of Loneliness: God’s Perspective
It is an amazing and mysterious truth that God’s heart can suffer because we ignore Him. All loneliness on this earth is a direct result of worshipping something too small to satisfy us. The Bible says that man’s heart and soul are too big to be satisfied with anything less than God!
This is why David exclaimed in Psalm 37:4, “I will delight myself in the Lord and He will give me the desires of my heart.” Expectations for full living derived from things, other people, success or even love are doomed to eventually fail. Expectations in God are always fruitful, rewarding and satisfying.
It is an amazing and mysterious truth that God’s heart can suffer because we ignore Him. All loneliness on this earth is a direct result of worshipping something too small to satisfy us. The Bible says that man’s heart and soul are too big to be satisfied with anything less than God!
This is why David exclaimed in Psalm 37:4, “I will delight myself in the Lord and He will give me the desires of my heart.” Expectations for full living derived from things, other people, success or even love are doomed to eventually fail. Expectations in God are always fruitful, rewarding and satisfying.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
The Bullet of Loneliness: Missing an Opportunity
Let’s zero in on a critical subject we all deal with more than we care to admit … loneliness. "Experts" tell us that loneliness is American’s greatest "mental disease." One of America’s most listened to teachers defines loneliness this way, "First, loneliness is the anguish I feel when I sense that I am being cut off from the spirit of others. Second, loneliness is the evidence that I was expecting others to meet my needs as only God can." The Word of God speaks to the first definition in Psalm 69:20, "I am full of heaviness, I looked for someone to lament with me; but there was none; I looked for comforters but I found no one."
Psalm 62: speaks to the second experience, "My soul waits only upon God for my expectation is from Him." Loneliness means that at the moment I am lonely, God feels the same anguish toward me because my basic delight of life is not in Him.
Let’s zero in on a critical subject we all deal with more than we care to admit … loneliness. "Experts" tell us that loneliness is American’s greatest "mental disease." One of America’s most listened to teachers defines loneliness this way, "First, loneliness is the anguish I feel when I sense that I am being cut off from the spirit of others. Second, loneliness is the evidence that I was expecting others to meet my needs as only God can." The Word of God speaks to the first definition in Psalm 69:20, "I am full of heaviness, I looked for someone to lament with me; but there was none; I looked for comforters but I found no one."
Psalm 62: speaks to the second experience, "My soul waits only upon God for my expectation is from Him." Loneliness means that at the moment I am lonely, God feels the same anguish toward me because my basic delight of life is not in Him.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Bullet of Forgiveness: Relative Guilt?
The cry today of many so-called “scholars” is that guilt feelings exist but guilt itself is only in the imagination. Generally speaking, conventional psychiatrists, psychologists, educators and an increasing number of religious leaders do not admit to the existence of true guilt. (True guilt and false guilt should be differentiated but we will consider that for a future post.)
The popular teaching today is that everything is relative and there are no absolutes. Humanity and our wishes, feelings and wisdom are exalted above the revelation and commandments of God. Moral principles are regarded as merely relative and convenient for our culture and not relevant to how a man should behave.
Illustration: I recall a young and aggressive business man telling me, “You can’t be completely honest in today’s business world and survive. You’ve got to get to your competition and your customers before they get to you.”
That’s relativism. And it’s a lie! Breaking the law of man is called a crime. Breaking the law of God is called a sin. A price must be paid for both.
I am absolutely convinced that all of you reading this article today (as well as the one writing it) are victims … either consciously or unconsciously … of that one awesome reality that crushes joy, reduces meaning and creates despair … guilt!
Only God can remove true guilt. Read Psalm 103, admit your need of God’s forgiveness and get a head start!
The cry today of many so-called “scholars” is that guilt feelings exist but guilt itself is only in the imagination. Generally speaking, conventional psychiatrists, psychologists, educators and an increasing number of religious leaders do not admit to the existence of true guilt. (True guilt and false guilt should be differentiated but we will consider that for a future post.)
The popular teaching today is that everything is relative and there are no absolutes. Humanity and our wishes, feelings and wisdom are exalted above the revelation and commandments of God. Moral principles are regarded as merely relative and convenient for our culture and not relevant to how a man should behave.
Illustration: I recall a young and aggressive business man telling me, “You can’t be completely honest in today’s business world and survive. You’ve got to get to your competition and your customers before they get to you.”
That’s relativism. And it’s a lie! Breaking the law of man is called a crime. Breaking the law of God is called a sin. A price must be paid for both.
I am absolutely convinced that all of you reading this article today (as well as the one writing it) are victims … either consciously or unconsciously … of that one awesome reality that crushes joy, reduces meaning and creates despair … guilt!
Only God can remove true guilt. Read Psalm 103, admit your need of God’s forgiveness and get a head start!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Bullet of Forgiveness: The Heart of God’s Message to Humanity
Most folks … even active church people … seem to miss the main point about the religion of Jesus Christ. As my friend, Jess Moody, puts it: “The world is overloaded with religious pygmies who cover up their runthood with pseudo piety.”
To summarize the message and the meaning of Christ’s gospel in one sentence, I would say this, “God loves everyone of us totally and continually just as we are and yearns for us to admit our need of Him, reject our rebellion from His ways and allow Him to be our Master so that we may know peace, pardon, purpose and power.”
King David expressed is so well in Psalm 103:10, 11, 14: “for God has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For high as the heavens are above the earth so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear (reverence, trust, obey) Him. For He Himself knows what we are made of. He is mindful that we are but dust (frail, weak, temporary, brief).”
But David’s prayer is the prayer of a man who wants to be honest with God, who admits his guilt and who seeks God’s forgiveness.
Most folks … even active church people … seem to miss the main point about the religion of Jesus Christ. As my friend, Jess Moody, puts it: “The world is overloaded with religious pygmies who cover up their runthood with pseudo piety.”
To summarize the message and the meaning of Christ’s gospel in one sentence, I would say this, “God loves everyone of us totally and continually just as we are and yearns for us to admit our need of Him, reject our rebellion from His ways and allow Him to be our Master so that we may know peace, pardon, purpose and power.”
King David expressed is so well in Psalm 103:10, 11, 14: “for God has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For high as the heavens are above the earth so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear (reverence, trust, obey) Him. For He Himself knows what we are made of. He is mindful that we are but dust (frail, weak, temporary, brief).”
But David’s prayer is the prayer of a man who wants to be honest with God, who admits his guilt and who seeks God’s forgiveness.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Bullet of Dealing with Sin: Guilt Removed (Part 2)
Somewhere each person must find forgiveness for not being what he knows he ought to be. Confession is a human necessity. All true confession has two sides to it. First, the negative side simply admits wrong and gets guilt off your chest. Secondly, the positive side looks to God for strength not to sin.
Guilt wants to stay hidden. It breeds best in isolation. Only in the humiliation of honest confession can we be freed from our guilt. Confession ends our endless circle of self justification.
Being honest with God and others deals a death blow to phoniness and pride. Many a husband and wife are living in agony because they refuse to admit where they are weak (phoniness) and view themselves as 100% right and their partner wrong (pride).
Finding forgiveness is one of life’s most glorious experiences. But confession must come first. As a start I’d like to confess to all my readers that old H.D. McCarty has too much pride and too many phony moments. I hope you all forgive me and love me like I am. God has done this for all Christians and it’s a great relief to experience His kind of love and forgiveness.
A man, in his phoniness and pride, tells others to change and then he will love them! Jesus has said, “I LOVE YOU!” And then asks, “Will you change?” It’s foolish to resist an offer like that!
Somewhere each person must find forgiveness for not being what he knows he ought to be. Confession is a human necessity. All true confession has two sides to it. First, the negative side simply admits wrong and gets guilt off your chest. Secondly, the positive side looks to God for strength not to sin.
Guilt wants to stay hidden. It breeds best in isolation. Only in the humiliation of honest confession can we be freed from our guilt. Confession ends our endless circle of self justification.
Being honest with God and others deals a death blow to phoniness and pride. Many a husband and wife are living in agony because they refuse to admit where they are weak (phoniness) and view themselves as 100% right and their partner wrong (pride).
Finding forgiveness is one of life’s most glorious experiences. But confession must come first. As a start I’d like to confess to all my readers that old H.D. McCarty has too much pride and too many phony moments. I hope you all forgive me and love me like I am. God has done this for all Christians and it’s a great relief to experience His kind of love and forgiveness.
A man, in his phoniness and pride, tells others to change and then he will love them! Jesus has said, “I LOVE YOU!” And then asks, “Will you change?” It’s foolish to resist an offer like that!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The Bullet of Dealing with Sin: Guilt Acquired (Part 1)
Saint Isodor of Seville (560-630 A.D.) stated that “One who despairs of being pardoned for sin, damns himself by despair rather than by the sin he has committed.” One of the Bible’s greatest stories of sin and greatness backs up this statement.
David was king of Israel … he had everything. Yet, he chose to commit an immoral act with another man’s wife and then have the man murdered (II Samuel 11-12). The amazing thing is that God still called David “A man after My own heart.” Why? It wasn’t the fact that David never sinned that pleased God … for David did sin. All humans sin. David’s greatness lay in what he did about his sin. He grieved over it, confessed it and repented of it. The guilt of what David had done was about to erupt within him. Guilt must find a release or it will chew us to bits.
What is guilt? It is discovering the truth about ourselves and deciding we don’t like what we find. It is knowing what we ought to be … as employee, student, husband, wife, friend, etc. … but never being able to quite make it. Sometimes our failures are immense and our sense of worthlessness, despair and guilt almost overwhelm us. Hasn’t everyone at one time or another wished to go off and hide somewhere? Move to some hidden cabin? Let the rest of the world go by?
Saint Isodor of Seville (560-630 A.D.) stated that “One who despairs of being pardoned for sin, damns himself by despair rather than by the sin he has committed.” One of the Bible’s greatest stories of sin and greatness backs up this statement.
David was king of Israel … he had everything. Yet, he chose to commit an immoral act with another man’s wife and then have the man murdered (II Samuel 11-12). The amazing thing is that God still called David “A man after My own heart.” Why? It wasn’t the fact that David never sinned that pleased God … for David did sin. All humans sin. David’s greatness lay in what he did about his sin. He grieved over it, confessed it and repented of it. The guilt of what David had done was about to erupt within him. Guilt must find a release or it will chew us to bits.
What is guilt? It is discovering the truth about ourselves and deciding we don’t like what we find. It is knowing what we ought to be … as employee, student, husband, wife, friend, etc. … but never being able to quite make it. Sometimes our failures are immense and our sense of worthlessness, despair and guilt almost overwhelm us. Hasn’t everyone at one time or another wished to go off and hide somewhere? Move to some hidden cabin? Let the rest of the world go by?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Bullet of Victorious Living: “Standing Again,” Part 3 of 3
… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
So, have you decided you will be whole? Are you open to the only source of real power? Will you accept the pain necessary to win? Is truth more important to you than life itself? Are you daily experiencing the “resurrection principle?”
Remember these five words by way of summary: Salvation, Spirit, Suffer, Self, Stand. These alone are the keys to progress in the life of a champion. Jesus Christ is the champion of both “conferences” known to man … heaven and earth. To follow anyone else is foolish and self-inflicted eventual disaster. Christ saw God’s salvation, yielded to his Spirit, suffered the worse pain possible, died to His own will and, then, tasted the honor of the greatest resurrection in eternity. He embraced the “four essentials” and stood again. Will you?
… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
So, have you decided you will be whole? Are you open to the only source of real power? Will you accept the pain necessary to win? Is truth more important to you than life itself? Are you daily experiencing the “resurrection principle?”
Remember these five words by way of summary: Salvation, Spirit, Suffer, Self, Stand. These alone are the keys to progress in the life of a champion. Jesus Christ is the champion of both “conferences” known to man … heaven and earth. To follow anyone else is foolish and self-inflicted eventual disaster. Christ saw God’s salvation, yielded to his Spirit, suffered the worse pain possible, died to His own will and, then, tasted the honor of the greatest resurrection in eternity. He embraced the “four essentials” and stood again. Will you?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Bullet of Victorious Living: “Four Keys,” Part 2 of 3
… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
Key #1: THE SALVATION ESSENTIAL – to know Christ is to find ultimate fullness. The Bible word for salvation is soteria or sozo. It means deliverance, preservation, health, wholeness, etc. Victory is reserved for the athlete with the disciplined body and healthy mind. No example has ever been given greater than Christ. The goal of every athlete is maximum potential. Man can only be “maximum man” when he knows and pursues the intentions and plans of the Master Coach. “To know” means experiential knowledge of Coach God’s will and style.
Key #2: THE SPIRIT ESSENTIAL – The power of resurrection refers to Romans 8:11. To get the coach's knowledge and enthusiasm into his own life should be the goal of every athlete. True, human coaches break down, but the Divine Trainer is always perfect. Any problem is in us and not Him. God’s Spirit is given to the “true believer” and increasingly gives us supernatural power as we obey.
Key #3: THE SUFFERING ESSENTIAL – Until the athlete is ready to suffer with the coach to achieve victory they are both frustrated. You never suffer in the right way until you take responsibility for the right things. (Taking wrong responsibility leads to stupid and meaningless suffering.) Make up your mind what kind of beating you are prepared to take to win.
Key #4: THE SELF ESSENTIAL – Death to self-wishes is the only way to live up to the desire of Someone greater. The champion athlete must put the coach, his team-mates and the victory ahead of his own bruises or feelings. No army ever wins a battle where their first concern is their safety. You fight to win. Dying is secondary. Being a champion is primary.
… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
Key #1: THE SALVATION ESSENTIAL – to know Christ is to find ultimate fullness. The Bible word for salvation is soteria or sozo. It means deliverance, preservation, health, wholeness, etc. Victory is reserved for the athlete with the disciplined body and healthy mind. No example has ever been given greater than Christ. The goal of every athlete is maximum potential. Man can only be “maximum man” when he knows and pursues the intentions and plans of the Master Coach. “To know” means experiential knowledge of Coach God’s will and style.
Key #2: THE SPIRIT ESSENTIAL – The power of resurrection refers to Romans 8:11. To get the coach's knowledge and enthusiasm into his own life should be the goal of every athlete. True, human coaches break down, but the Divine Trainer is always perfect. Any problem is in us and not Him. God’s Spirit is given to the “true believer” and increasingly gives us supernatural power as we obey.
Key #3: THE SUFFERING ESSENTIAL – Until the athlete is ready to suffer with the coach to achieve victory they are both frustrated. You never suffer in the right way until you take responsibility for the right things. (Taking wrong responsibility leads to stupid and meaningless suffering.) Make up your mind what kind of beating you are prepared to take to win.
Key #4: THE SELF ESSENTIAL – Death to self-wishes is the only way to live up to the desire of Someone greater. The champion athlete must put the coach, his team-mates and the victory ahead of his own bruises or feelings. No army ever wins a battle where their first concern is their safety. You fight to win. Dying is secondary. Being a champion is primary.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
The Bullet of Victorious Living: “To Stand Out,” Part 1 of 3
… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
The Apostle Paul, probably the greatest Christian who ever lived, outlined the five keys to the victorious Christ Life in Philippians 3:10-11. These keys must have been written for coaches in a special way. The five steps are absolute essentials if an athlete is to “run to win” and conquer as a champion (I Corinthians 9:24-27).
In Philippians 3:10, Paul gives us the four “musts” if we are to reach the goal of 3:11. Here Paul gives us the paramount aim of his life … a present resurrection that lifts his life clearly above the “dead ambition” of people living around him. This word for resurrection is used only here in the Greek New Testament. It means out-resurrection or exanastasis! We get our word exit from the Greek ex. Ana means again and stasis means to stand. So Paul’s great goal as a Christian is to “stand out again” and again and again above the lesser driven men who give themselves to meager purposes all around him. In an athletic contest only the champion “stands out” and that’s because he alone has paid the price in knowing and applying the four essentials.
… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
The Apostle Paul, probably the greatest Christian who ever lived, outlined the five keys to the victorious Christ Life in Philippians 3:10-11. These keys must have been written for coaches in a special way. The five steps are absolute essentials if an athlete is to “run to win” and conquer as a champion (I Corinthians 9:24-27).
In Philippians 3:10, Paul gives us the four “musts” if we are to reach the goal of 3:11. Here Paul gives us the paramount aim of his life … a present resurrection that lifts his life clearly above the “dead ambition” of people living around him. This word for resurrection is used only here in the Greek New Testament. It means out-resurrection or exanastasis! We get our word exit from the Greek ex. Ana means again and stasis means to stand. So Paul’s great goal as a Christian is to “stand out again” and again and again above the lesser driven men who give themselves to meager purposes all around him. In an athletic contest only the champion “stands out” and that’s because he alone has paid the price in knowing and applying the four essentials.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
“Behold the Lifter” (1)
THERE are two kinds of people on earth to-day;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.
Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.
No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.
These lines, taken from one of Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s poems, touched me deeply. We are not sure of the exact title … someone called it “Which are You?” I immediately thought of the words of John the Baptist about our Lord Christ … “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). To take away sin is to “lift” the pressing and exhausting weight of our sins, failures, guilt, hurts, burdens, weaknesses, agonies, doubts and fears. Praise the Father that His Son is One Who “takes away” and “lifts.” He is One Who will “lighten” our pressures when our next crisis comes along. He “holds us up” whether our suffering is chronic or acute!
Thank God for those people who always refresh and renew us by their presence (Philemon 7). They share our burdens as Christ would (Gal. 6:2). They strengthen us by giving off the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ (II Cor. 2:14). They risk themselves for our good even as Christ did by His Own Cross Life (Phil. 2:30).
The serious Disciple is a “lifter.” One who brings the “Jesus light” of confidence, wisdom and hope to others. He or she determines never to be a “leaner” whose very presence can mean complaining, accusing, self pitying, grumbling and discouragement. Those who truly learn “to lean” on the Lord will “lean” on others least. They have qualified themselves to be “lifters.”
The ten lines above were given to me by a dear friend. He truly refreshed my day by this gift of “lifting.” I have given them my own title … “Behold the Lifter.” It expresses my feelings about the people who were and are “lifters” in the midst of my battles. How wonderful when certain people come into our life and we don’t have to say, “Oh, no, here they come!” How much greater it is to see a friend approach and say with praise … “Behold the Lifter!” These are those who give us joy, strength and confidence. May many say it of each of us!
Which are You?*
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
THERE are two kinds of people on earth to-day;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.
Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span,
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.
Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.
No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.
Wherever you go, you will find the earth's masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.
And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
(And oddly enough, you’ll find what I’ve seen)**
There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.
In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
(Or are you a learner, who makes others bear)**
Your portion of labor, and worry and care?
* Title in question – we couldn’t find the poem under this title when we searched Ella Wilcox’s literary works available from Project Gutenberg.
** My modifications to the poem. In addition to my changes above I would add a final stanza:
Have done then with your leaning, be a lifter of His light
Make it your ambition to give others Messiah sight.
So when you are before them, a “God lamb” for all to view
Christ’s Gospel of lifting will create their world anew!
(1) I thought this work was anonymous until we were able to research and locate the full poem and the author. Before finding that Ella Wilcox (1850-1919) wrote the words I entitled the lines “Behold the Lifter.” The words perfectly describe our Lord in John 1:29, at least to me. I can think of no more noble life than that of one who helps and enables others to find liberty and freedom by being “lifted” higher that this fallen world in which we all struggle! This spiritual release from what people have been creates for them an entrance into a new dimension of what they CAN become in Christ! “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, mud and mire and set my feet on a rock” (Ps. 40:2).
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Paul: A Model for Cross Discipleship Living
The great Apostle Paul struggled mightily with his sins, recognizing that, while dedicated to righteousness as set forth in the law of God and in his own heart, he failed to keep the law through the propensity to sin inherent in his humanity (Rom. 7:19-8:2). Sin has a grip on him he could not completely break! You can hear his anguish in these words, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" He follows this plea with a peon of praise, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! … For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Regardless of the theologians who say Romans 7 is pre-Christian and Romans 8 is for Christians, I still see both chapters at work in my life after 57 plus years of knowing the Lord Jesus as Savior. Though I will never be totally free of sin in this life I can increasingly be freer if I seek and choose the growth path of cross resurrection creativity!
Paul invested his life in spreading this message of freedom in Christ. Eventually, he was imprisoned by the Roman government. As he waited for the final disposition of his case, he wrote to his dearly loved church in Philippi. Commenting on the work of both friends and enemies who preached the Gospel of Christ for varied motives, including those helping and harming him, he rejoiced that Chris was proclaimed. Paul was convinced that Christ would be exalted both in his life and his death. He expressed this certainty thus, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." If he lives, he will be able to continue his "fruitful labor" for the sakes of his dear friends in Philippi and elsewhere. But death entices him for he desires, "… to depart to be with Christ, for that is very much better…." Paul’s heart is torn between, first, his work for Christ in the world and the love he holds for the people he has ministered to and, second, being in the presence of the Lord in whose pleasure and service he has poured out his life (Phil. 1:15-26).
We, like Paul, finally become aware that the only reason life matters is that we can experience more of Christ Jesus, do more for the Savior, draw closer to our Lord and share Him with others in Messiah Love. Conversely, we learn that the only reason we can face death … not only without fear but with excitement … is that we are convinced that seeing Him is the most precious, exalted, invigorating and phenomenal experience imaginable! Our hearts race knowing we are approaching that full and final revelation of our Divine Lord, Lover and Deliverer! It is this kind of expectation that makes the Cross Disciple an overcomer.
To him who overcomes I will give … (all things)! Revelation chapters 2 and 3
The great Apostle Paul struggled mightily with his sins, recognizing that, while dedicated to righteousness as set forth in the law of God and in his own heart, he failed to keep the law through the propensity to sin inherent in his humanity (Rom. 7:19-8:2). Sin has a grip on him he could not completely break! You can hear his anguish in these words, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" He follows this plea with a peon of praise, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! … For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Regardless of the theologians who say Romans 7 is pre-Christian and Romans 8 is for Christians, I still see both chapters at work in my life after 57 plus years of knowing the Lord Jesus as Savior. Though I will never be totally free of sin in this life I can increasingly be freer if I seek and choose the growth path of cross resurrection creativity!
Paul invested his life in spreading this message of freedom in Christ. Eventually, he was imprisoned by the Roman government. As he waited for the final disposition of his case, he wrote to his dearly loved church in Philippi. Commenting on the work of both friends and enemies who preached the Gospel of Christ for varied motives, including those helping and harming him, he rejoiced that Chris was proclaimed. Paul was convinced that Christ would be exalted both in his life and his death. He expressed this certainty thus, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." If he lives, he will be able to continue his "fruitful labor" for the sakes of his dear friends in Philippi and elsewhere. But death entices him for he desires, "… to depart to be with Christ, for that is very much better…." Paul’s heart is torn between, first, his work for Christ in the world and the love he holds for the people he has ministered to and, second, being in the presence of the Lord in whose pleasure and service he has poured out his life (Phil. 1:15-26).
We, like Paul, finally become aware that the only reason life matters is that we can experience more of Christ Jesus, do more for the Savior, draw closer to our Lord and share Him with others in Messiah Love. Conversely, we learn that the only reason we can face death … not only without fear but with excitement … is that we are convinced that seeing Him is the most precious, exalted, invigorating and phenomenal experience imaginable! Our hearts race knowing we are approaching that full and final revelation of our Divine Lord, Lover and Deliverer! It is this kind of expectation that makes the Cross Disciple an overcomer.
To him who overcomes I will give … (all things)! Revelation chapters 2 and 3
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Bullet of Godly Goals, Part 3: Happiness
Amidst all of life’s activity one should stop and ask, “Am I really happy?” "Have I found true joy?” “Do I know where I’m going?” Activity is NOT synonymous with happiness.
There is real barrenness in the cluttered life. The greatest Christian who ever lived … Paul … said he did one thing: pursued the knowledge of God! If your pursuits haven’t yet taken you to life’s greatest adventure, maybe you’d better re-examine your direction. Don’t clutter you life with second rater priorities!
After all, it’s not how many years you pack into life BUT how much life you pack into your years that determines real success.
This is what Jesus meant in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
Amidst all of life’s activity one should stop and ask, “Am I really happy?” "Have I found true joy?” “Do I know where I’m going?” Activity is NOT synonymous with happiness.
There is real barrenness in the cluttered life. The greatest Christian who ever lived … Paul … said he did one thing: pursued the knowledge of God! If your pursuits haven’t yet taken you to life’s greatest adventure, maybe you’d better re-examine your direction. Don’t clutter you life with second rater priorities!
After all, it’s not how many years you pack into life BUT how much life you pack into your years that determines real success.
This is what Jesus meant in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Bullet of Godly Goals, Part 2: True Success
The kind of person one is can always be measured by one’s goals. The highest goal of life is to live first in relationship to God then in relationship to man.
The man who thinks all people will call him blessed if he succeeds is deceived. Your success makes little difference to your true friends! They will love you anyway. Your enemies will be jealous of your attainments and hate you more. The vast majority of folks don’t even know who you are and couldn’t care less whether you succeed or fail!
Those who do attain the top positions find life rather lonely. In fact, leadership can be defined as “having responsibility for situations over which you have no control!”
Goals are essential if one is to get the most out of life. If you’re seeking nothing in particular, that’s what you’ll find … nothing in particular. One who fails to plan, plans to fail.
The kind of person one is can always be measured by one’s goals. The highest goal of life is to live first in relationship to God then in relationship to man.
The man who thinks all people will call him blessed if he succeeds is deceived. Your success makes little difference to your true friends! They will love you anyway. Your enemies will be jealous of your attainments and hate you more. The vast majority of folks don’t even know who you are and couldn’t care less whether you succeed or fail!
Those who do attain the top positions find life rather lonely. In fact, leadership can be defined as “having responsibility for situations over which you have no control!”
Goals are essential if one is to get the most out of life. If you’re seeking nothing in particular, that’s what you’ll find … nothing in particular. One who fails to plan, plans to fail.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Bullet of Godly Goals, Part 1: Choices
The drive to success, status, attention and prominence is one of life’s most insidious traps. Many try to live out their own frustrations and failures through their children. The little ones are pushed beyond good sense to satisfy the status needs of the parents!
Goals are only as great as the value and greatness of the thing we pursue. One man’s goal is to drive an expensive car. Another man desires wealth so he can give to the needy. One man desires to live for himself, another to live for others. One man gives his life in service to his company (employer). Another man gives his life in service to God. Whose goals are greater? Is it greater to shoot 70 in golf or be a great leader to one’s wife and children? (You could do both but only one is necessary!)
The drive to success, status, attention and prominence is one of life’s most insidious traps. Many try to live out their own frustrations and failures through their children. The little ones are pushed beyond good sense to satisfy the status needs of the parents!
Goals are only as great as the value and greatness of the thing we pursue. One man’s goal is to drive an expensive car. Another man desires wealth so he can give to the needy. One man desires to live for himself, another to live for others. One man gives his life in service to his company (employer). Another man gives his life in service to God. Whose goals are greater? Is it greater to shoot 70 in golf or be a great leader to one’s wife and children? (You could do both but only one is necessary!)
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