Which Thief Are You

I woke up one morning last weekend thinking about the two thieves on either side of Jesus.  Weird way to wake-up, huh?  I know it's Easter Week and all, but really -- what a thought to wake-up to.  But I figured God put the thought on my mind, so I lay there contemplating and praying about them -- or more about my likeness to either of them.  

One is sarcastic.  He’s also bitter and tells Christ to save Himself -- "and us too while you're at it".  The other thief knows he belongs there.  He knows he's getting what he deserves.

I bet many reading this are like me.  I'm not quite as blatant as the bitter thief.  But am I as repentant as the thief who knows he belongs on the cross?

Do I comprehend that Jesus -- the One we sang about and called Wonderful Counselor, Savior, Almighty God, Immanuel and Prince of Peace just a few short months ago -- took my punishment?  Do I comprehend that His back was ripped to shreds? That part of His beard was torn out of His face?  That a “crown of thorns” was jammed down on top of His head so that many of the tips dug deep into His scalp?  That a spike was hammered into His wrists/hands as well as His feet?  That He was then hoisted vertically on a wood beam that rubbed that still raw back and which prevented Him from hardly being able to breath?

No.  If I'm honest, I don’t think I do.

And these are just the physical aspects.  Hundreds -- no, thousands of people -- experienced similar deaths. Many were punished just because they were willing to be called Christians.

But none of these other deaths mean to me what the death of Jesus did.  People in the Old Testament and in Jesus’ era knew what blood represented.  It was life.  Life taken from something (an animal) and given as an offering and sacrifice. 

But blood and death from God’s Son?!  For me?!  Seriously?

What this death and punishment represents is my sin.  

My ugly sin.  

My sins of commission (things I've done).

My sins of omission (things I should have done, but were too lazy or chicken to do).

I know God doesn't want us to live with a woe-is-me type attitude.  

But, if we really got our heads (and hearts) around what He did for us, I think we would have a    WHOA!! WHAT-HE'S-DONE-FOR-ME  type attitude!!!

Happy Easter.

He is Risen!

Solo Deo gloria

It's not Easter, but let's talk about hopping.

I came across a post by a pastor in North Carolina regarding church hopping.  As a board, this issue comes up periodically.   You can read the post in it's entirety here, but here is a quick summary...with my additions  in burgundy from me (I couldn't resist).

First, church isn't about you.  Sorry, but it's not.  It isn't one of many stores in a mall that exists to serve your spiritual shopping list.  Church is a gathered community of believers who are pooling their time, talent and resources to further the Great Commission.  Rick Warren said it well in the very first sentence of his best selling book: "It's not about you."

Second, the very nature of authentic community is found in the "one anothers".  Love one another, serve one another, encourage one another; this cannot happen apart from doing life with people.  Romans, 1 Corinthians and the Epistles have a ton of "one another" references.

Third, the absence of a ministry you desire may be God's call on your life to start it, rather than leave to find a church that has it.  Remember, every member is a minister, and has been given at least one spiritual gift for service in the life and mission of the church.  Pastors are often told what kind of ministry their church needs.  Meanwhile, there are plenty of "holes" (i.e. volunteers needed) in existing programs.  Please get involved.

Fourth, you aren't going to agree with every decision the leadership of any church makes, regardless of its structure or decision-making process.  You either feel you can trust the character of the leadership, or you can't.  Leadership isn't perfect.  But we do pray,  discuss and send lots of emails before we make a decision.  Are they always right.  Of course not.

And being able to trust that leadership doesn't mean they will always do things the way you think they should.  In other words, don't hop every time you disagree.  That's immature.

(And for goodness sake, don't stay and pout either.  Either get on board once the decision is made, if it was one that didn't breach doctrine or ethics, or find a place where you can.

Fifth, don't worry about being fed as much as learning to feed yourself.  Even more, concern yourself with taking what you already know and applying it to your life, and then helping others who are new to the faith!  Let me quote from Mark Batterson's blog.  I saved this from years ago.  It's good.  "My kids learned to feed themselves when they were toddlers.  If you're not being fed, that's your fault.  I'm afraid we've unintentionally fostered a subtle form of spiritual codependency in our churches.  It is so easy to let others take responsibility for what should be our responsibility."

Finally, spiritual depth isn't fostered by satiating your sense of felt needs.  It's receiving a balanced diet of teaching and challenge, investing in service and mission, living in community and diversity that you probably would not select for yourself.  Not long ago we watched the Olympics.  All of those well-tuned athletes, while they focused on their sport, cross-trained so that all their muscles got a workout.  While maybe not fun, it made them a better athlete.

I thought he had some good thoughts and challenges.  Certainly worth our consideration.

That one sentence!

Have you ever read something or heard something and had just one sentence jump out at you?  I'm not just talking about something funny or interesting.  I'm referring to something more like an admonishment.

That happened to me a couple weeks ago. (And yes, it's still on my mind.)  A pastor was preaching and he said; "Stop reading the Bible like the newspaper!"  That's the line that hit me.  Kinda like a pop in the nose that sets you back on your heels.  One of those, I-don't-know-what-he-said-next because I was still thinking about what he just said.

I have to confess, way too often, I treat the Bible as means of information and not a tool of transformation.  This is God's Word.  You know - God.  The One who knows how many hairs are on your head.  Who knew you before you were even born.  Who knows how many days you have on this earth.  The God who was; who is; and who is to come.

What prompted me to write this today was just this morning I was reading the story in Mark 5 about the demonic man whose demons Jesus cast out into the pigs.  Trinity professor D.A. Carson commented that the people in the region begged Jesus to leave, because "they prefer pigs to people, their financial security to the transformation of a life."

I like the way Eugene Peterson puts it at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.  Tell me if this doesn't set you on your heels just a little bit.

Quote of the Week

Just for grins, I put a "Quote of the Week" under my electronic signature at work.  Every so often I get a comment back from one of my customers either via email or the phone.  Because I know that many pay attention, I try to be somewhat intentional with what I put there.

This week, I had a quote by Doug Larson that says; "People mistake a short memory for a clear conscience."  I received a quick comment (positive) early in the week, so I know this one probably caught a lot of attention.

Due to some current thoughts I've had regarding Psalm 139:25-26, I see a little bit of a correlation between this quote and these two verses.  The Message version says it this way:
Investigate my life, O God, 
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me, 
get a clear picture of what I'm about; 
See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong -
then guide me on the road to eternal life.


I know I'm guilty - and probably not alone - in that I try to stuff sins away. Forget about them.  Like God isn't aware of them! I understand that God forgives and forgets.  That's grace and I don't know if any of us really can get our whole head around that.  But, what about wrong thoughts?  Wrong attitude?  Wrong intention?  Pride?  Sins of comission and sins of omission?

I'm fine with God's forgiveness.  But, I should not be fine with thinking I'm better than I am.  I'm forgiven because of God, not because of Todd.  But what this psalm says to be me is -- slow down.  Reflect.  Listen.  What does God want to change in my life?  Even today, I had finished reading about the 7 churches in mentioned in Revelation.  Then what do I do?  I start praying....about my needs!  Seriously?!  I just finished reading that portion of Scripture and instead of thinking about how that applies to me, I just start in asking God to make things in my live easier and better.

Yep.  I need Psalm 139:25-26.  I need it a lot.  I don't know how many of my customers will think about the Quote of the Week like I have this week.  But that's O.K.  I guess this quote is for me.

Gospel vs. Religion - Part 2

Just a quick follow up to Gospel vs. Religion Part 1.  Tim Keller wrote this comparison.  Pretty good stuff.  I made myself type it rather than cut & paste, just because it makes me slow down and drive it into my head and heart better.

Religion: I obey, therefore I'm accepted.
The Gospel: I'm accepted.  Therefore I obey.

Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
The Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God.
The Gospel: I obey God to get to God - to delight and resemble Him.

Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe, like Job's friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
The Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while He may allow this for my training, He will exercise his fatherly love within my trial.

Religion: When I am criticized, I struggle I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a 'good person'.  Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
The Gospel: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a 'good person'.  My identity is not built on my record or my performance, but on God's love for me in Christ.  I can take criticism.

Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need.  My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
The Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration.  My main purpose is fellowship with Him.

Religion; My self-view swings between two poles.  If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people.  If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate.  I'm not confident. I feel like a failure.
The Gospel: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever.  In Christ I am "simul iustus et pecccator" --> simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ.  I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved He was glad to die for me.  This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time.  Neither swaggering nor sniveling.

Religion: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work.  Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral.  I disdain and feel superior to "the other".
The Gospel: My identity and self-worth are centered on the One who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me.  I am saved by sheer grace.  So I can't look down on those who believe or practice something different from me.  Only by grace I am what I am.  I've no inner need to win arguments.

Religion: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols.  It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God.
The Gospel: I have many good things in my life - family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc.  But none of these good things are ultimate things to me.  None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

Having a right to be bitter.

I recently watched a movie called The Edge staring Anthony Hopkins.  He plays a very rich man who was involved in a plane crash at the base of some mountains.  The pilot dies immediately, but two of his employees survive.  Long story short - he saves their butts time and time again. They are negative and bitter and almost cost Charles Morse (Hopkins) his life because of their actions.  Finally, they end up dying too.  Morse is rescued and brought back to "base".  Dozens of reporters are there to find out the story of what happened.  The movie ends with some great lines.
Charles Morse:  "We're all put to the test...but it never comes in the form or at the point we would prefer, does it?
Reporter # 1: "Mr. Morse, what happened to your friends?
Reporter # 2: "How did they die?"
Charles Morse: They died...saving my life.

That caught me off guard.  Sure, Mr. Morse was cool and calculating throughout the movie, but then to say his friends died saving his life!  What?!

And then his line about "the test".  Tests never come at a convenient time do they?

I was then reminded of the story of Joseph.  I'm reading a book called God Built by Steve Farrar based on the story of Joseph's life.  You know his story.  Sold in to slavery.  Chance to be bitter Number 1.  He rises to prominence in Potipher's house.  Apparently he's a babe magnet and Mrs. Potipher hits on him.  When he turns her down, he ends up in prison again.  Chance to be bitter Number 2.  Then, while in prison, he helps the cupbearer out with a dream.  The cupbearer is released from prison.  Joseph reminds him to help him out.  But the cupbearer totally forgets him.  Chance to be bitter Number 3.  Eventually Joseph gets out of prison again.  Rises to the top.  Saves the country during a time of famine.  Then, his brothers - the guys who sold him into slavery years ago - come begging for food.  Chance to be bitter Number 4.  If anyone had a chance to be bitter and angry, it was Joseph.

Farrar points out that Joseph’s responsibility (and ours) is not to stress out over how we have been wronged.  He and we are to move on and trust in the Lord.  “When we are wasting the days of our lives in bitterness and anger over those who have wounded us, we are not trusting in the Lord and doing good.”   Farrar points out that God had great plans for Joseph, but he wouldn’t promote him if he had a diseased heart and bitter spirit.

A couple of verses to meditate on regarding this topic are Hebrews 12:15 and Psalm 139:23-24.