The Highlander

 O sleep, where art thou?  It is 5:30 am and I have been awake since 2:45, and finally gave up the battle of trying to return to the bliss of rest at 3:50 when I finally got up.  Between two daughters who got home at the ungodly hour of 3 am (after watching a midnight showing of Transformers, go figure), and being afraid that every time I turned over I would hear the squeal of Max being transformed from poodle to pancake, I felt “led” to get up.

As I sit here in the pre-dawn moments of a new day, I am thinking about life.  I am enjoying Cathleen Falsani’s book Sin Boldy- A Field Guide for Grace.  I have never read anything by her before, but this book is refreshing.  It is a simple collection of stories from her life that illustrate God’s grace in different ways.

As I was reading a chapter about her experiences in a very poor area in Kenya, she made a remark about the women there that slapped me in the face.  As she talked about the women’s energy and ingenuity in their work, even in the most difficult of living situations, she said this, “They had no time for despair.  They are far too busy living.”  SMACK!

“Far too busy LIVING.”  Now that grabbed my attention.  I thought about the reality in my own life that whenever I found myself depressed, doubting, and despairing, I have stopped living.  In those times I have chosen to throw the car of life into “park”, and refuse to journey on and enjoy the ride.  I cannot enjoy the sights, sounds and people around me, because I am too busy navel gazing while sitting in the drivers seat.

The fact is, I have cut myself off from the source of real life and that is Jesus.  After all, He Himself said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the LIFE.  Despair says that God has turned His back on me, and that there is just no reason to go on.  Despair says that there is no purpose in life, no rhyme or reason to any of it.  It tells me that I am sinking in a pit too deep for me (or God for that matter), to get me out of, so why go on.  Just sit and sulk, and cry, “Woe is me.”  Ever been there?

I remember Jesus telling a guy one time what the definition of real living was.  As always, He made it real simple.  So simple that even “I” can get it!  He basically said that if you love God with your whole being, and other people as yourself, you would live (Luke 10:27-28).  Real life is found in loving God and loving others.  We love in order to live and we live in order to love.

Because He lives in us, His love has filled our hearts (Romans 5:5), and that love has to go somewhere!  It has to be expressed both upward (towards Father), and outward (towards others).  Whenever we are doing this, even in the simplest of ways, we are living.  When we are not, we cease living in the truest since of the word, and start trying to find life in things that can only bring death.  Then you know what happens?  Yep, despair shows up at the door with a great big smile on his face.  He is ready to move in and set up house keeping.

The women Cathleen spoke of were far too busy loving God and others in what they were doing, that they had no time or place for despair.

I want to live!  I want to sieze the day and live it to the hilt.  Yet, I realize that when I look back at my life, far too many of my days have been spent just “existing” and “getting” by, and not really living.  Despair and I have spent more time together than I care to remember.  So, today Papa, as I sit here listening to the birds waking up and singing a song of welcome to the rising sun, I want to live.  Let Your life in me, a life that is love itself, find expression upward and outward today.  In word, thought and deed, let Your love flow out of me, so that when I do put my head down on a pillow later on (and I am looking forward to that!), I will know that by Your grace, I lived!

I hope that today you will have no time for despair, because you too, are far too busy living!

The Highlander

As we walk with God, one of the things that is to be happening with us, is that we are to be becoming more and more like Him.  Yes, as we discussed in the last post, we are in a real battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and that we will win battles, and lose some.  Our struggle will not be over until Jesus returns or we go to be with Him through death.  Yet, in our hearts as children of God, we long to be like Him.

Just whose job is it anyway to make us “godly”?  When it is all said and done, who will get the credit?  Us or Him?  The Scripture is pretty clear that:

1.  HE has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29)
2.  HE will keep us from falling and present us SPOTLESS before His throne (Jude v:24)
3.  HE who began a good work IN us, will perform (or finish) it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6)
4.  HE is our holiness (1 Corinthians 1:30)
5.  HE chose us to be holy and without blame (Ephesians 1:4)
6.  HE sanctifies us by His Word (John 17:17)

I think you are getting the picture…HE alone will get all the glory for making us holy.  We will be obedient and holy, only because HE has made us that way.

You may say, “But HE commands us to obey Him, as well as be holy as He is.”  You are exactly right.  But remember this:

1.  YOU are HIS workmanship, created in Christ unto good works , which GOD ordained (prepared) BEFORE that you should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10)
2.  For it is GOD Who is at work IN you BOTH to will (desire to obey and please Him), and to do (empower you to obey Him and carry out His will), His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13)

So, just what in the heck are we to do?  Focus on trying to be holy and “better”, or focus on Him and loving Him?  (more…)

“For to me to live is Christ…”
(Philippians 1:21)

What is life really supposed to be all about?  It is supposed to be all about Him!  For the Apostle Paul, the center and focus of his existence was Jesus.  Jesus was all he wanted to talk about.  If he was ever sidetracked in a conversation, he always found a way to bring things back around to Jesus.  It was not a forced thing, but a very natural one.  Why?  Because he was deeply in love with his Lord and his God!  Lovers never feel forced or pushed to talk about their beloved.  It comes as natural to them as breathing.

Jesus was his partner in every undertaking and adventure.  He was his constant companion while he was making tents and at every meal.  Even in the most menial of tasks, Paul was learning to live in ever constant fellowship and communion with Jesus.  Paul was not interested in talking about Judaism.  He was not even interested in talking about a new movement started by Jesus.  All he ever wanted to do was focus each conversation on His Lord.  He understood that this new life was not about an “it”, but about a “Him”.

Isn’t funny how much time we spend talking about and focusing on “its” and not Jesus?  Just think about it:

-we talk about “our church” and how great it is.  An “it”.  The funny thing is how we cannot see that we get caught up in a marketing/advertising/promotion campaign to prove to others how much better “our church” is than all the others in town.  We share all that we can offer that others can’t or even how much more the Holy Spirit is moving in our place than He is in all the others.  Flesh, flesh, flesh.  A great big “IT”.  Not a about “Him”.  Who cares?!  Let’s talk about HIM!

-we brag on and talk about the latest christian “superstars/super pastors” and how great and wonderful their messages are.  If they don’t lead us to “HIM”, they are dung.  If all they do is focus our attention on the man or message and not HIM, they are dung.  Tragically many of these “superstars” are only up in front of folks in order to get some deep seated emotional need for approval or status met in a flesh trip called a sermon, and could care less about HIM!

-we talk about the latest “moves of God” and focus on what is happening in them.  Another “it’, not “HIM”!

-we get all caught up in talking about the blessings of God, and the things He does or gives.  Another “it”, and not “HIM”.

-we get buried in talking about our struggles, trials, and valleys, and get focused on them.  All “its”, not “HIM”.

-we trade verbal cannon fire with others in theological wars and word games.  All “its”, not “HIM”.  Of course we justify these things by saying that we are doing it in “His Name” and for “His sake”.  Hogwash.  The reality is that we are arrogant and proud and just want to be right.  No different than the Pharisees 2000 years ago.  We say we are “defending the faith”.  What a riot!  When was the last time God ever needed any help taking care of Himself or His Word?  Do you really think puny little ideas from pusillanimous men are a threat to Him?  Yep, all “its”, not “HIM”.

-we pass our time talking about all kinds of trivial and temporal things.  All “its”, not “HIM”.

On and on I could go, but I think you get the idea.  You see, I get the distinct impression that if Paul or any of the early guys got in any of the above kinds of conversations, they quickly and purposefully made a beeline for HIM in them!

Folks, when we get to heaven, what (or better yet, WHO), is going to be the topic of our conversation and the focus of all our attention?  Will we spend our time talking about our great churches here, our struggles and problems that we had in this life, our denominations, our countries, politics, theological wars, yada, yada, yada?  NO!  NO!  NO!

HE (Jesus), will be the topic of our conversation, worship, and the one Who fully captures our attention!  He is the focus of Father’s love and Abba wants us to be captured and enthralled with Him both NOW and THEN!

Just look at how many times Paul asked God to reveal HIMSELF to His people, in his letters.  He got it!  This is why he could say that for him to live was CHRIST! CHRIST!  CHRIST!!!!

Begin today to invite Him into all you are and do.  Make Him a part of every conversation and experience.  Stop wasting your time on trivial and non-essential things.  Focus on Jesus.  Fall in love with a Person and not an “it”.  Papa did not call you to an “it”, He called to His Son; a living, breathing, loving and glorious Person!  Pursue HIM with all of your heart!

Grace and Peace,

The Highlander