Tourist or Ambassador?

Have you ever been to a foreign country? When you were there, did you play the tourist? Did you go everywhere and look at everything and thoroughly enjoy your time at your destination? Of course you did. You probably took advantage of everything there was for tourists to do.

Tourists go to a destination for a temporary visit. They go on their own terms, visit where they want to visit, talk to whomever they want to talk, dress they way they feel like, and conduct themselves in any manner that suits them. And they usually don’t bother to learn the language. Tourists do, however, have to obey the laws of the country they’re visiting or they’ll get into big trouble.

Ambassadors, on the other hand, are sent to a foreign country by their homeland. They go on a specific mission, with specific instructions to accomplish specific tasks. Their time is actually not their own because they represent the Government of their homeland. They speak only to those they have been sent to meet with, they dress in a manner that displays respect for the host country and that reflects the professionalism of their office, and they conduct themselves in a manner that will bring honor to their homeland. And they are always fluent in the language of their host country. Ambassadors do not, to a very large extent, come under the laws of their host country. They have what is called “diplomatic immunity.”

So here on earth…in God’s Kingdom…which are you? Are you a tourist or an ambassador? How do you act? How do you dress? Can you speak “Kingdom” language in a manner that others can readily understand? Think about it, beloved.

                   

                   

Willing But Weak

We’re going to take a backward look at Matthew 26:41. We’re all familiar with it or should I say, we’re all familiar with partof it? But as I said, we’re going to take a backward look so let’s look at the end of that scripture; the part that we’re familiar with:

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Most people use this in the context of failing to do things because, even though they want to do something, they just don’t because they’re “weak.” Baloney!

Now let’s take a backward look! Your flesh is weak but the spirit is willing. God knows we’re weak but it’s our spirit with His Spirit within it, that enables us to do things anyway. It doesn’t matter how afraid we are, it doesn’t matter how unsure of ourselves we are, and it certainly doesn’t matter how weak we are. It’s God, not us, who gets things done! If you could do anything in your own strength or your own confidence, you wouldn’t need God! So don’t be tempted to use the “I want to but I’m weak” excuse because that’s all it is…just an excuse.

And speaking of “tempted,” the first part of the above scripture says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” In keeping with our backward theme, here, doesn’t it make perfect sense to read the scripture this way: “You’re going to be tempted in a whole buncha stuff unless you watch for God in everything you do and keep praying!” I believe one of the things we’re tempted in every day is the tendency not to go forth on the path that God has set before us because we perceive ourselves as weak. Overcome that weakness through prayer.

Get before the Father every day and watch for Him and pray with Him; then and only then will the willingness of your spirit be strengthened.

                   

WHO's Mad at Me?

A lot of times, I hear people say, “Well, I don’t care, I’m just really mad at God right now.”

OMG, people! Don’t play with fire! Some ministers will tell you that “God’s big enough to handle your anger.” But let me ask you this, are you big enough to handle God’s anger? I doubt it.

Let’s get some facts straight:

• God does not change. (Mal 3:6)
  
• God is an all-consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29)
  
• God gets angry at the sound of our words. (Deut 1:34)
  

So where does your anger toward God come from? It comes from your soul demanding something that God doesn’t give; or blaming God for something the enemy did to you; or being really ticked off because God didn’t fix something you insisted on doing to yourself. But boil it all down and your anger comes from not being grateful for what God has done in your life and complaining about it.

Whew! Harsh!

Our soul is a very demanding entity…it wants its rights! It demands its rights! But it has no rights. Everything you are and everything you do were purchased through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. How dare you think you have the “right” to be mad at God? And if you are mad at God, get over it! You simply have no right to think you can stand before your Creator Who forgave your sins and gave you eternal life and say, “I’m mad at you.” How dare you?

Don’t fall for that ooey-gooey philosophy that says God will forgive everyone for everything. Yes, He is a loving and merciful Father, but the scriptures are clear that we must confess our sins before Him and THEN He is faithful and just to forgive them. You now know from the above scripture that the sound of your complaining words can anger God…so be careful what comes out of your mouth. Be grateful for what He has done for you; your anger demonstrates an unappreciative attitude. Please, beloved, re-evaluate how you have perhaps come to be angry with God, repent and ask His forgiveness…and just for giggles, read Hebrews 10:26-31.

Be There

Go forth and make disciples of all nations. A very lofty goal to be sure.

But what, exactly is a disciple? Sometimes we think it’s just someone who follows the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. But if we look carefully at the scriptures, and at the intent of our Lord through His myriad demonstrations, we see that a disciple is actually a lot like our “modern day” Chaplain.

Throughout the years, the United States Government has honored the historic separation of Church and State, but not the separation of God and State. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have full-time Chaplains who minister the love of God and who act as spiritual advisors and counselors to those individuals who serve our great country. Chaplains, whose roles are constitutionally upheld by precedent and tradition, have always been an integral part of our country’s society and are still a major source of spiritual strength at the community level.

I recently had the privilege of completing chaplaincy training with the International Fellowship of Chaplains and cannot begin to tell you what a realization dawned on me as they described the roles and responsibilities of Chaplains. I never felt more like a disciple as I did during that training.

The thing that I’ll carry away from my training is this: be there. The “ministry of presence” is all that’s needed some times. Just be there. A former pastor of mine once said, “When it’s raining and your roof is leaking, which would you rather have? A person who says he’ll pray for you or a person with some shingles and nails who says he’ll help you?”

The world needs your prayers. The world needs your help. Be there.

Seriously?

Most of us are familiar with the phrase from Matthew 26:40 in which Jesus pleads with His disciples and says, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?”

But today we’re going to take a closer look at the next statement that comes out of His mouth: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The Church today (especially in America) is very weak. Even though our spirits are born-again and we have everything we need to live victoriously, our flesh is still very much under subjection to our soul (not spirit) which drives us to temptation and to do all manner of ungodly stuff…like drink enough soda to provide more than all the calories we need all day; or have a Twinkie (or three) instead of an apple; or watch TV instead of reading the Word; or scream at the kids when we take them to school instead of speaking a blessing over them; or anything else that distracts us from watching with Him.

The flesh is weak…or could it be that it’s just untamed?

I fast once a week (LOL)! In “theory” I fast once a week; I used to fast once a week. But today all I did was just put my breakfast off for a couple of hours. Pathetic. Who’s in control…my spirit, my soul or my body? Well, today it was my body. It was hungry. Again, pathetic.

So if we can’t even tame our tummies or TVs, how can we participate with the Lord in this very serious hour of need? And beloved, this hour of need is almost as critical as was His hour of need before His crucifixion. Let’s pray for strength. Let’s pray for endurance. Let’s pray that we can keep up with the very serious requirements of this age because He’s coming…and He’s coming soon.

Hear! Speak! Do!

This is going to be short and to the point!

Mark 4:3-25 is the parable (or story) that Jesus told about the sower and the seed. The upshot is this:

• The “sower” is someone who spreads the word of God around (like a preacher or chaplain);
  
• The “seed” are the actual words that are given (spoken or read); and
  
• The “ground” is the heart of the person who hears the Word.
  

There are four types of “ground:”

• The “wayside” is where the word dies because Satan or a family member or a friend kills it through their own opinion or lies;
  
• The “stony” ground is where the seed can't take root because even though someone is happy to hear it, they don’t do anything (like read the Bible or go to church) to help the seed take root and so it dies at the first sign of trouble;
  
• The “thorny” ground is where the word is choked to death by all of life's worries because people can't see past their own problems; and
  
• The “good” ground where the word actually accomplishes something in a person’s life because the person chooses to act on what they've heard.
  

So?
So…the thing that makes your heart “good ground” is when you repeat out loud the scriptural words you hear and then perform them. Love your neighbor. Speak kindly. Behave like you believe that God’s word will do what He says it will do.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t short…but it certainly was to the point, eh?

They're All Hypocrites!

Wiktionary defines a “hypocrite” as someone who pretends to hold beliefs or whose actions are not consistent with their claimed beliefs. It further defines “hypocrisy” as “the claim or pretense of holding beliefs, feelings, standards, qualities, opinions or virtues that one does not actually possess; or applying criticism to others that one does not apply equally to oneself.”

Let’s see if we can break that down a little bit. If I believe something but don’t act like it, then I’m a hypocrite, right?

So if I believe that it’s important to record my golf score correctly, but put down an eagle when it should have been a bogey, I’m a hypocrite, right? What if I believe it’s important to not drive drunk, but have just one too many and get behind the wheel of my car anyway, then I’m a hypocrite, right? What if I believe that the Bible is true but choose not to act like it is, then I’m a hypocrite, right? And finally, what if I admit I’m a sinner and go to church, am I the hypocrite?

Hypocrisy never keeps people off the golf course, it never keeps people out of the bars, and it never deters people from driving sober. But when someone has his or her own opinion about what hypocrisy is and they apply it to everyone but themselves, then who’s the hypocrite?

Why is a church-going hypocrite any different from a golf-playing hypocrite? Churches are not supposed to be full of perfect, godly, Christ-like, un-sinning saints. Churches are supposed to be full of sinners who are trying desperately to lead better lives…and failing on a daily basis. Churches are filled with people who claim to love the Lord and know that they can’t love Him or anyone else without God’s help, and the only place that help is available is in church.

Hypocrites…really?