Giving Away Success

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Serious musicians know how to get to Carnegie Hall---practice, practice, practice. There are rewards in life that come about only by application of personal effort. While it's true that you can become a millionaire by winning the lottery, the odds are far greater that you will reach that goal by hard work and ingenuity. Hard work and dedication to achieving one's goals was the heart of the old “American Dream.”

To become wealthy, one must pursue riches. To be a master craftsman, one must combine training, experience and education. Personal integrity is achieved by practicing honesty and sound ethics. Knowledge comes by education and experience. Everyone in America is entitled to a free, public education, but one glance at Facebook and you know that not everyone received one. This is because curriculum, class size, and all the other modern techniques are a far distant second to personal effort on the part of each student.

Nevertheless, life's greatest rewards can not be earned nor achieved by force of will. It is equally true that these successes will not simply be handed out for free. Love, respect, mercy and understanding are not entitlements handed out by the government; neither can you earn them by pursuing them.

Love, respect and understanding come to you when you consistently give them away. We “earn” the respect of others only when we give due respect to others. The Bible actually goes even further. It says to really gain love, respect and understanding, you must give them away to those who are unable or unwilling to repay.

“ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God is love because He gives love without measure—even to His enemies.

As in Christ's case, the return on our investment in love, respect and understanding will not come quickly or easily. But, God is faithful who promised that the reward will indeed come our way. Our cruse of oil will not run dry. God will be merciful to those who show mercy. He will demonstrate His love to those who love their neighbor. He will bless those that bless and have compassion on those who show compassion and grant eternal life to those who give their life unselfishly.

Discipleship Training 2

“ My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

^{Last week I wrote about the life lessons my dog, HyDee, is sharing with me. Her example is helping me grow as a Christian by providing a daily look at how a devoted follower behaves in the presence of his master. Much to HyDee's chagrin, there is more to our fellowship than lap sitting and petting. There are treats, of course, but there are also less pleasing aspects of discipleship.}

^{To be healthy and live a full life, HyDee must do her duty. To remain in good standing with her master she cannot do her duty anywhere or in any way she pleases. There are rules and responsibilities connected with doing one's duty. These rules come from above—from the master—and not subject to her private interpretation. So when the inevitable accidents happen and she fails to do her duty as she should; the master is displeased. He never fails to voice his displeasure.}

^{At the voice of reproach, HyDee shrinks with guilt and runs to curl up in her bed or hides under a chair. There she stays, unable to exercise the joy her master's presence usually brings. She stays where she is until the master corrects the situation; offers forgiveness and restores their fellowship.}

^{Likewise, our sins do not escape God's eye, neither does He laugh them off as youthful indiscretion. God is displeased when we fail. If we love Him, we feel that displeasure as a sense of guilt which we are powerless to overcome on our own. We are ashamed of our failure and seek to hide it. But, God does not leave us in this state. If we are willing to come out from under our chair, He corrects the situation, forgives, and restores us to fellowship. He does this because He loves us. We react the way we do because we love Him and want His fellowship.}

^{At our house, even the master's lap is not all petting and comfort. Schnauzers need grooming or they become matted, tangled and dirty. There are times the master's lap becomes a place of brushing and combing. This is not a pleasurable experience and HyDee doesn't care for it all. She will pull away or run and hide, especially if a bath is involved. Unfortunately for HyDee's sensibilities, the master pursues and persists in grooming her to suit his will. There is no escape from bathing and brushing. The strange thing is, though she resists, HyDee is a bit vain and, once groomed, tends to prance and show off. She feels better or at least happy to be through the trial.}

^{God chastens everyone He receives as His own. Everyday living can leave us tangled, matted and dirty. God will not leave us in this state. Sons of God must be groomed to suit their position in His grace. That grooming is not always pleasant. Some take it better than others, but it's uncomfortable no matter who you are. It isn't particularly pleasant for the master either, but it must be done. However, it does feel great when the trial's done and we can shout, “God is good.”}

^{“ If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons...Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”}

Discipleship Training

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”

The workings of God surround us. From the inconceivable expanse of the universe to the wondrous workings of sub-atomic particles, the entire creation speaks of His glory and teaches us His ways. To discover the kingdom of God, we need eyes to see; ears to hear, and a heart to consider the matter. There is one other commodity of the will we need and to which we seldom give thought. The lack of this commodity renders the others impotent. That commodity is time.

Though we have no control over the march of time, time is still a function of our will. Just as we choose to see, hear and consider; we choose how we will use the measure of time allotted for this life. How we spend time is an indisputable indicator of what we treasure. This matters, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We can be so caught up in a career; pursuing riches and fame, or simply living every day that we neglect to see and hear the still, small things of God. Once we let time flee away, that opportunity for a glimpse of the Divine is gone.

The writer of Hebrews warned his readers “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God...” There is a time to teach and a time to learn. A good teacher must first be a good student. Teaching requires a teachable spirit. That kind of spirit looks everywhere for lessons knowing “the truth is out there”.

Lately, I've been taught by an unexpected teacher. The lessons are simple and taught without words. They are reviews really; reminders of knowledge neglected by misspent time. These lessons are of love, devotion and time management I desperately need. These lessons are being taught to me by a little dog. HyDee, my Schnauzer, is teaching me what it means to be a true servant of the Master.

Each morning this little dog greets me with unbounded and undisguised joy. She has no desire greater than to sit on my lap, comforted and content, for as long as I allow. She has hunting skills, but relies on her master for food and drink. She doesn't need a master to survive and, yet, she places her well being in the hands of her master. Where her master goes, she wishes to go. She is heartbroken when she cannot go with him and thrilled when she is invited to follow. She wants to spend her life, her earthly time, with her master and no other will really do.

Oh, to be so devoted a servant to my Master. Lord, let me cherish the moments I am taught to see You in the smallest things. Grant me also to spend my time gathering the true treasure of Your presence.

Baptism by Fire

     "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? 

     Soldiers who have been in combat will tell you that all that stuff they said about patriotism, and love of country evaporates in the heat of battle. They are no longer fighting for their country or some ideology, but are fighting for their lives and the lives of the man to the right and left of them. When one of those men goes down, another will be sent to take his place in the line. Though the replacement wears the same uniform; has the same commander; and has had the same training, he has no chance of being accepted until he proves himself in combat. Until he undergoes a baptism by fire, no man is brother to those who have been tested.

     The Bible is not riddled with contradictions as some suppose, however it is home to many paradoxes. To save your life you must lose it; give and you shall prosper; to name a couple. Here is another, Jesus said: “ ^{Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division... “ He, the Prince of Peace, also told the same disciples: “ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you...”}

     The life and teachings of Jesus Christ will bring you peace of heart, mind and soul. They will not bring you peace with the world. On the contrary, they will engender division and strife. It is a division that today's Christian sees growing with each passing day. Those who look for the coming of the Lord must face the fire of the world's hatred. Until we pass through that fire with an unrepentant, uncompromising, confession of Christ, we will never experience the peace of salvation.

     “ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ...” The world hates Him; we love Him, and a great gulf separates the two. To pass from one side to the other is to pass through the fire. We are baptized by fire; not even the scent of smoke clings to us. We are washed in the blood; not a spot or a wrinkle shows. We are saved by grace and no power in hell or on earth can remove us from His hand.

Holy Ghost and Fire

^“And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire...”

Baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire is a foundation stone of Pentecost. The two are said together as though they are one and the same. We say, "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and Fire.” It is sometimes said, “he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” Sadly, I've never heard, “he shall baptize you with fire.” Why is that?

The statement is true no matter how you say it. Nevertheless, the two elements are not the same experience. Every Christian who pursues the baptism of the Holy Ghost, may receive it. Yet, every Christian, whether he seeks it or not, will be baptized with fire. Peter tells us, “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you...” Every one God receives will be tried throughout the course of his/her discipleship.

We will be tried, not because we have sinned or because God is capricious, but because God is no respecter of persons. Adam, our father, was tried in the midst of paradise. We shall not have it as easy. We will face the trial of our faith in the midst of a hostile world. God, the world, and we ourselves shall see what we are made of; not always to our liking nor to the stroking of our ego.

By way of encouragement, please remember three things.

^“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.^” God is not out to get you or trip you up. God is building up a soul ready for an eternity of fellowship. You are that soul.

“Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Though you fail some trials---and you will--- God remains faithful to His word of salvation. He will lift you up; clean you off and put you back on the king's highway.

“ For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” Do not fear, what God has promised; He will do. He will complete the work begun in you to His satisfaction.

Jesus testified to the wisdom of John the Baptist. “ For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Be baptized with the Holy Ghost and do not resist the baptism by fire.

Standing Watch

 "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak."

Jesus' words to Peter in the garden of Gethsemane are one of the most quoted and least understood passages of scripture. These words are not an excuse for indulging fleshly desire--not even one so innocent as sleep. Rather, these words are a description of the course of Christian life. They are a reprimand for indifference and neglect which no man who cares for Christ would wish to hear and they are the remedy for spiritual neglect.

Christianity, honestly embraced, is a life-long, internal warfare between the spirit and the flesh. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis posed the question:"Is Christianity hard or easy?" Of course, the answer is subjective. A task that is difficult for me may be easy to another. Lewis answers the question with the illustration of a chick hatching from an egg. He points out that hatching is exhausting, hard work. Then, he points out that hatching is infinitely easier than living a full life as an egg.

Hours earlier Peter had proclaimed that though all others forsake Jesus, he would not. Peter was not boasting; he sincerely intended to die with Jesus if necessary. I think he believed it even after Jesus told him otherwise. His spiritual man, which was three years in the making, was ready to break out. I've felt that surge of the spirit that makes one willing to charge hell with a bucket of ice water. Most Christians live for those moments. The trouble is, we are not always adequately prepared for success. Usually, the fault is not spiritual; it is fleshly.

We have grown up listening and yielding to the demands of the flesh. That's the life and nature into which we are born. It cannot be otherwise. Try and calm a crying baby with spiritual advice. It's not that he cannot hear; he isn't listening. All a child hears are the screams of his flesh. This is not wrong or unnatural; it is life. But, we are not to remain children. Maturing bring another voice. This voice may sound like mom or dad; it may sound like our own voice, or it may be nothing more than the whisper of a still, small voice we vaguely recognize. Some call that voice conscious, others learned socialization, and still others call it instinct or common sense. Christians say it is the voice of the Holy Spirit. Whatever it is called the message is the same. That we do not behave as we "ought" to; that there is a higher, better behavior that the one we display. We know the voice is right and we wish to follow it's dictates, but we continually find ourselves failing to do so. This too is life.

Christianity, through a new birth, substitutes the call of the spirit for the call of the flesh. The demands of our flesh don't go away. We must learn to make them to take a back seat to the spirit. This takes a lifetime. Some are more successful at it than others, but this does not diminish each person's effort. Peter yielded to the flesh and ran like everyone else, but he didn't give up. He mourned his failure and got right back up to try again. No one, not Peter; not your minister; and Lord knows not me, is 100% successful 100% of the time. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh we wear remains weak.

Let's not forget, these words were a reprimand. Jesus was not excusing the disciples behavior because they were born needing sleep. Jesus was scolding His three most trusted disciples as though they were misbehaving children---which is exactly the case. Were they bone tired? Absolutely. It had been an exhausting day. All they wanted to do was close their eyes for a few minutes. Their bodies were crying out for a rest. But, Jesus asked them to stand watch. They tried, but failed. Their eyelids grew heavy; they relaxed and the next thing they knew Jesus was waking them. Jesus' words were an explanation of why they failed not a dismissal of their responsibility to do as He asked. That we are flesh does not "let us off the hook" for our behavior.

So, what are we to do? Be on guard; listen for the voice of the spirit; and pray not to succumb to the temptation of the flesh. "Blessed is the man who endures temptation..." The spirit is the remedy for the deceit of the flesh. Is it hard or easy? Does it matter? ^“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning... And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas

 As December inexorably marches toward the new year, another holiday season is upon us. Modern political correctness has created a controversy over how to greet one another. In the name of the modern mantra "give no offense," many people and merchants have adopted the greeting, "Happy Holidays" so as not to bruise any tender sensibilities. Happy Holidays is a clever way of satisfying the urge to say something celebratory while managing to say nothing and to avoid taking a stance. I don't think there is nothing wrong with saying "Happy Holidays." That is if you are celebrating that we've always celebrated at this time of year and nothing more.

Preferring the exercise of free speech to "giving no offense," I believe one should unashamedly proclaim the object of one's celebration. If you're a Christian, for Christ's sake, say, "Merry Christmas." If you're a Jew, shout,"Happy Hanukkah." If you're a rugged individualist who is not about to give up a day off work and presents in the name of something you don't believe in, feel free to let loose a hearty, "Happy Holidays!" I suppose if you're a follower of Islam, Buddism, or Hinduism it's best to just keep your mouth shut and mind your own business. The thing to do is to decide what you are celebrating and why you are celebrating it. The rest is easy.

To my fellow Christians I offer this gentle reminder, regardless of what the world is celebrating, we are celebrating the birth of Christ. This is not a rant about commercialism. If you want to decorate a tree, stuff yourself with cookies and fruitcake, and shower everyone you know with gifts---knock yourself out; there's no biblical prohibition to any of that. However, in the midst of all the indulgence and celebrating, take time for your spiritual dimension. Feast on the scripture, spiritual song and praise made possible by God's gift of a savior. Don't leave Jesus off your gift list. I'm not talking about money. I'm not even talking about good works or charity. I'm talking about giving God something He actually wants.

What do you give to the God who has everything? Your heart. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength..." this is God's Christmas wish.

Some people find fault because long ago Christmas co-opted the winter solstice celebrations of the heathen in order to memorialize the gift of the Christ child in a way that had roots in the local population. Get over it. The idea of celebrating the birth of Christ is a good one. It's not about a date; it's about an event. God gave His Son to reconcile the breach between God and Man. He gave His Son to the entire world but only in the sense that He gave His Son for each individual in the world. Pick a day and celebrate His gracious gift. But, understand there's no day like today to receive God's unspeakable gift. This Christmas exchange gifts with God. He gave His Son; give Him your heart.

Don't be dismayed by those who wish others a “Happy Holiday.” After all, without Christ, Christmas is nothing more than a chance to rob your employer every December 25^th. If that's enough for you, have a "Happy Holiday." If you want more, I invite you to give the gift of your heart to God and have a "Merry Christmas."