Lion-proof

My daughter must have been about three when we visited a zoo and there was this mountain lion in a cage. Of course, there was a fence between us and the lion. A double fence actually. But they had done a great job making it almost transparent. And as we walked by this lion locked eyes on our daughter and started to stalk in her direction. It was creepy.

Of course, I knew the lion couldn’t get her. I knew she was protected. I knew all he could do was roar. But the prowling, and the stalking, and locked eyes; it was still frightening.

You see, in this life, we have an enemy. The Bible compares him to a lying lion. The Bible puts it this way:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Here’s the good news about our spiritual enemy, the lion. We are protected. God has placed a wall between us and him. For the believer, he can no longer bite.

But here’s the bad news. He still roars. And when he roars, he lies. Intimidating lies, loud lies, terrifying lies, lies that devour.

Don’t listen to the lion’s lies. Tune into the Spirit’s whisper instead.

If you don’t listen to your wife, God won’t listen to you.

At least that’s what Peter says: Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect… so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7

Many husbands have dreams and plans, yet wonder why achieving them is so frustrating. One of the reasons may be that they have neglected the most important relationship in their lives. God says that only as a husband considers his wife will He consider him. A husband’s ear with God is at risk if he doesn’t take his marriage seriously.

Why would God be so harsh about this?

Because God says that marriage and family are meant to be reflections of God’s relationship with us. Somehow the way a husband relates to his wife is supposed to mirror Jesus’ love for His bride, the church. More than that, what kids experience with their dads at home is supposed to be a helpful analogy of how God the Father wants to relate to them. That is, if a child grows up with an aggressive father they are often falsely inclined to think of God as a cop in sky. Or if a child grows up with an absent father often they are inclined to think of God as indifferent to their lives.

We will never reflect God perfectly, nevertheless a husband and dad can either make this heavenly transfer natural or difficult. No wonder God makes it such a high priority. Why would God honor a man’s other ambitions while the most important relationships remain neglected?

Wives & Husbands

I love the healthy example Peter gives us for marriage. Speaking of wives (next week I’ll cover husbands) Peter says they are to be like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master… (1 Peter 3:6).

Now let me just state for the record, that Cindy has never called me Master in all the years we've been married. So I’m wondering what is behind this allusion to Sarah calling Abraham her master.

It turns out it is from Genesis 18, where God appears to Abraham, apparently disguised as a traveler. As Sarah eavesdrops on their conversation, the traveler (God) predicts that Sarah, even though she is quite elderly, will have a baby within a year. Sarah bursts into laughter and says something very similar to, “Are you kidding me? Me and my master?” (Go ahead, look it up).

And this became a hallmark story in their family. How Sarah laughed. So much that when their son was born they called him Isaac, which means laughter. Three things stand out for me.

1. They had a relatable marriage. Abraham and Sarah exhibited both trust and doubt. They were real people trusting God when His plans weren’t all that clear.

2. Sarah was finally at the point to believe that God could work through her imperfect husband. Earlier she had tried to manipulate things by suggesting Abraham bear a son through her maidservant. That was a disaster.

3. Finally, and this is so important, they were light-hearted. I love that there was laughter. As I said, this became cherished family lore. Submission, when it works well in a marriage, is always light-hearted. Not some sober salute, but a joyful partnership of following the Lord’s unpredictable lead.

Taste and See

There is an old Hasidic tradition. The first time a Jewish child opens the scripture to read and study it, his parents or the Rabbi will place a large drop of honey on the first page. The child is instructed to lick the honey from the page, forever imprinting the mind of the child that God and His Word are sweet.

The Bible says, Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:3

God longs for us to not only taste, but that we crave the pleasurable goodness of His word. Just as infants instinctively, eagerly, and incessantly hunger for their mother’s milk, so we are to long for God and His goodness.

Go into Grace

Most of the time when we think of grace, if we think of it at all, we think of past grace. But the Bible also speaks of future grace.

1 Peter 1:13 says, …set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. We forget that grace not only initiates our relationship with God, but carries it every step of the way.

A lot of people live with the idea that they probably needed a whole lot of grace when they first became believers. For them, that was their big grace moment. They also adopt the myth that as time goes on they need less and less grace. And they conclude that if they live long enough, they will get this Christian-thing wired. Therefore when they meet Jesus, there will be no grace required.

Let me give you an example of how this really messes you up. Let’s say you accepted Christ as a four year old in Sunday School. You know, somewhere between the craft and the snack. And then, as you grew up, you were taught that you got all your grace at the front end of your journey with God. And I’m not saying that it doesn’t take a lot of grace for a four year old to be saved. We know it does. But c’mon! On a practical level, if I got all my grace when my biggest sin problem involved cookies …and calling my brother a booger … and ever since I’m just getting more and more like Jesus …it doesn’t leave a lot of room to experience and appreciate grace. A lot of people live that way. A lot of Christians believe that we get grace at the beginning, but from then on we need to “cowboy up” the rest of the way.

But if grace is something that is not only poured out on the front end, but if grace is something we enter into everyday, if grace is something we passionately look forward to receiving in abundance at the end of our lives, if that’s what grace is all about, then that is an incredible hope.

Go into grace.

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The Trinity of God

I admit the Trinity is a difficult concept to grasp. I don’t expect, in this life, to fully understand it. But one of the things that helps me is to think of each member of the Triune God in relation to their role in my life. Peter hinted at this when he said that we, as follower of Jesus Christ, have been …

… “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood” … 1 Peter 1:2

Notice each member of the Trinity is referenced:

• “the foreknowledge of God the Father” -- God the Father as the One who created us and knows us.
• “the sanctifying work of the Spirit” -- God the Spirit as the One who sanctifies and empowers us.
• “Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood” -- God the Son as the One who died for us and redeems us.

Think of it this way. One day a guy was eating his sack lunch on a park bench across street from a beautiful mansion. During that hour, he overheard three different men claiming that mansion was theirs. It turned out, each was telling the truth. The first man was the architect - the one who designed the house. The second was the owner - the one who bought it. The third was the tenant - the one who lived in the house and cared for it.

The Triune God has each of these roles in your life as well. God the Father created you and knows you inside out. Jesus bought you with His precious blood. And the Holy Spirit resides in you, empowering you to live according to the way you were designed and redeemed. God is with us every step of the way.

New website at church!

Check out our new website www.greenvalleychurch.com with some great new videos and features. Just launched today.

The Beatitiudes Backwards

I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on the Beatitudes lately and this morning it struck me that they also work backwards. This has been a transforming discovery for me. Here’s what I mean:

• If we really appreciate how amazing it is that we have been welcomed into the kingdom of heaven, it makes us poor in spirit (humble and empty of ourselves).
• If we know that God’s redeeming comfort is available, it allows us the therapeutic freedom to mourn.
• When we ponder how remarkable it is that we will one day inherit the earth, it produces a healthy meekness in us.
• When we experience God’s ability to satisfy us, it only makes us hungry and thirsty for more.
• If we have really know God’s mercy, we will show God’s mercy.
• When we take the time to gaze upon God, it purifies our heart.
• If we realize that we truly are God’s children, we will look for ways to promote peace around us.
• And if we are secure as citizens of heaven, we will even be able to face persecution, knowing that eternity is on our side.

This was so helpful for me. What do you think?

3 Phases of God's Involvment in Your Life

Three times Jesus invited Peter to be spiritually alert in the Garden of Gethsemane, and three times Peter fell asleep. A lot of ink is spent, and a lot of sermons preached, on how Peter denied knowing Jesus; but before Peter ever denied Jesus in big ways, he denied Him in small ways. (See Matt 26:36-46).

It seems to me there are three phases to God's involvment in our lives:

1) Invitation. God invites us into a new, deeper, perhaps stretching experience with Him. Perhaps we have never thought of this before. It is new. This can be exciting, but we are prone to get weary over time ... which leads to the second phase:

2) Correction. God patiently returns and challenges us back to his original call upon our lives. My experience has been that God is extremely patient and gracious in this phase. But it doesn't last forever. There is the 3rd phase:

3) Missed Opportunity. God will leave us slumbering if we ignore Him long enough. There are times when God wants to do things in our lives, but we are unavailable, so He will pass us by. And God still does what He has planned, but we miss out on the privilege of partnering with Him.

Makes me want to respond to His invitations, and corrections, quickly. How about you?

Well, Don... , Well Done!

Last Sunday, I'm sure, will stand as one of the most remarkable days of my life. I was invited to preach at my mentor pastor, Don Smith's, retirement celebration. He has served at Christ Community Church in Laguna Hills for 25 years. I am so grateful to have been able play a role in celebrating the faithfulness of God through the tenure of an amazing pastor. (It was also one of the rare occasions I ever preach in a suit!). Two of us gathered to pray with Don before the service. He looked at us and said, "It pays to persevere." We were speechless.

What do we do when we disappoint ourselves?

What do we do when we disappoint ourselves? Simon Peter learned the hard way just how far he could fall below his own standards. Confident he would never waver in his allegiance to Jesus, Simon Peter experienced a night of denials.

What do we do when we disappoint ourselves? It is then we must remember what Jesus told Simon Peter right before his denials:

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:32

Some quick takeaways for me:

· You will fail but it won’t be fatal

We usually don’t get the specific details ahead of time like Peter did, but we will fail somehow. Like Peter, the church has always been filled with people that are immature and broken, failing before they succeed. But, as a follower of Christ, your failures will not be fatal. This is known as God’s prevenient grace. That’s a big word, but it simply means, He gives us His grace ahead of time. There’s hope on the other side.

· Don’t get stuck there

God’s plan for you is to return. He knows this side of heaven will have its disappointments, but don’t let that cripple you. Remember Jesus is praying for you. Don’t get stuck focusing on your flaws.

· Look for ways to use what you’ve learned to strengthen others.

Embrace the grace that God offers you, utilize His strength to grow in that areas, and then help others to be victorious as well. Often the victory for us comes as we strengthen others.

Later You Will Understand

Peter didn’t get it. Why Jesus would stoop to wash Peter’s feet. Why the Messiah would mimic a slave. Peter didn’t get it.

It strikes me that we often don’t recognize what Jesus is up to in our lives. That’s why what Jesus told Peter is so applicable to me.

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." John 13:7

This is the real-life truth for those who choose to follow Jesus, captured in this passage: Later you will understand.

For whatever reason, God chooses to reveal his purposes to us on a need-to-know-basis. And often it is after the fact. In fact, some things we will only appreciate from Heaven’s balcony. Some events in our lives will only make sense in the rear view mirror. Faith means trust.

I suppose this makes you uncomfortable. It creates all kinds of Peter-like reactions. Like Peter we say to God, “You're going to do what?!? I need a little more information!”

And once again Jesus says, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand. Trust Me."

.

With the Watoto kids choir from Uganda

The Watoto kid's choir was at our church last Sunday. I don't stand out at all, do I?

Photo with Watoto Leader

GVC families sponsored 26 new Watoto children (which brings our total to 80 for our church). We have sponsored the most children so far on their tour. They are blown away. Here's a photo of me with their leader.

Bible scribe for a day

Yesterday I wrote a verse by hand that will be used in a completely handwritten copy of the Bible (see www.bibleacrossamerica.com). It will be the first completely handwritten Bible in over 250 years. Displayed at the Smithsonian Institute, copies of it will be published at the end of this year. As I stood in line, I wondered what my random verse would be. It was Mark 15:21 which says...

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.

Also I wrote the heading for the section, which is THE CRUCIFIXION.

I'm grateful. I want to reflect on that passage more. I want to reflect on that passage often. I'm glad to be a messenger of the CROSS in any manner possible.