Inside Out

I was reading 1 Samuel 17 this week. You may recall the famous battle between David and Goliath. It may be the best known passage in the Old Testament. I love reading it again and gaining fresh insight. This time I noticed the vivid description of Goliath. We get a detailed picture of his stature and the weight and size of his weapons. Why does Goliath get so much ink? After all, he is the enemy and we know he's going down. I think it is because it develops a stark contrast that has already been provided in 1 Samuel. It is the contrast between the inside and the outside. It is the difference between the heart of a warrior and the physical characteristics of the warrior. Goliath was huge, but he wasn't bigger than David's God. Goliath's weapons were enormous, but they were no match for David's heart. When David was chosen as King Saul's successor God reminded the prophet that there was one overriding criteria. He needed to be a man after God's heart. It determines our success in our own battles today. It is what is our hearts that will determine whether we run to battle (and victory) with David or remain paralyzed with the rest of the army on the sidelines. It was not military ineptitude that kept Israel's army on the sideline. It was their fear. On the other hand, David's heart compelled him to run to battle and trust God to fight for Him.

Grandparent's, Parents and God

I was talking to Pastor John today about his granddaughter Lily. I told him that I was with Jeremy and Mary Beth on Sunday and saw his granddaughter Lily taking a nap. There is nothing more precious than a little child sleeping. When I was watching Lily I told Jeremy and Mary Beth that it doesn't really change as they get older. There are times that I still watch Nick sleep. I am beginning to understand what my parents have told me. It really doesn't matter if his big smelly feet are hanging off the bed, in some ways he will not cease to be my baby boy. Pastor John spoke to me regarding that point. He spoke with the wisdom and understanding of a father and a grandfather. He quoted from the gospel (Luke 11:13) which compares our capacity to give our children good gifts to God's capacity to bless us (with the Holy Spirit). It was a great reminder to me of how God views us as His children. We grow up. We grow old. Sometimes we take on some of the dirt and dust of this world in our journey. But God still views us as His children. He is the Good Shepherd who makes us lie down and rest in cool green pastures and I believe He still loves to watch us sleep.

Spreading Grace

I have been thinking through an illustration that I shared last Sunday. Paul wrote in Romans 12 that he spoke "by the grace" given him. Paul attributed his ability to share teaching with the church (as an apostle) to the grace of God. As I study the context of his writing it is clear that God's grace was not only the source of the message, but also of his authority and credibility. Last week I mentioned that God gives each of us grace. I compared it to carrying around a bucket full of grace that God expects us to pour on others each day. Now that I am a few days into the week, it's worth taking some time and considering how much my speeach and actions have been grace-filled. It's not always easy to reflect on such things. Every day I have encountered many people in many different situations. Certainly I have overlooked golden opportunities to pour out some grace. Sometimes I have been in a hurry, sometimes distracted. Sometimes I have been more interested in dipping into the bucket for myself rather than sharing with others. How much grace have you poured over others this week? I have noticed that as soon as I pour out grace God replenishes the supply.

Twinkle Twinkle

Last night I walked outside and gazed upward. It was a beautiful night. It was nearly cloudless. For me there is an overwhelming sense of the majesty and greatness of God. It was a Psalm 19 moment. "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." I was pleasantly surprised when attending a group study this morning to hear Psalm 19 read aloud as part of the study. It was a great reminder of my stargazing experience last night and my awareness of the glory of God. My reflection brings joy and pain. My joy is obvious. My pain is the result of realizing that not everyone "hears" what the heavens declare. Not everyone listens to the speech that pours from the skies. As we discussed this morning, it is a tragedy that is explained in Romans 1. Even our ability to see what is obvious involves a choice. Paul wrote, "since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened". Darkened hearts create deafened ears, ears that cannot hear the glorious praise of the heavens on a star lit night.

The Body of Christ

This Sunday I am beginning a series of messages about what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. It's one of the most insightful and challenging descriptions of our connection with Christ and one another. What a difference it would make if we applied the simple lessons we learn from the day to day functioning of human bodies. Every day my human body functions with both voluntary and involuntary movements. For example, until now I haven't really thought about my heartbeat...but it's been beating all day. I did think about walking to my car this morning and driving (some would argue about how much I think when I drive). The mindful movements such as my footsteps in a particular direction provide evidence of coordination and cooperation between my brain, nerves, muscles legs and feet. By now I hope you're thinking about the body of Christ. What are the mindful movements in the body of Christ? Movements that give evidence of coordination and cooperation? The Apostle Paul wrote about the body of Christ in several epistles (notably in Romans, 1 Corinthians and Ephesians). In Ephesians 4 Paul establishes the fact that Jesus is the "head" of the body of Christ. In another epistle Paul testifies of the importance of the members of body of Christ to have "the mind of Christ". Our testimony depends upon how our movement reflects whether are receiving direction from Jesus.

Recommended Book

I just finished reading The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. It is a book that I highly recommend. From the title you might surmise that the book is drawn from the famous parable of Jesus about a Father and two sons. It is. However, Keller's treatment of the parable is amazing for a couple of reasons. First, Keller presents the beauty of the Gospel. Somehow it seems to me that much of Christianity has lost the beauty of the Gospel. We have been so overexposed to the "good news" about Jesus that we are almost nonchalant about the radical beauty of God's love for us. Second, Keller reveals our tendencies to seek fulfillment in life apart from God's love just as the brothers in the story. As we do, we tend to mask or ignore our lonely existence in the pleasure seeking frenzy of the younger or the self-righteous bent of the older. I am serious in my use of the word "loneliness". Any attempt to live apart from basking in the magnificent love of the Father for His children is far lonelier than God ever intended. There are many reasons for my love for God. One of the greatest reasons is my hatred of "loneliness". Deep in my heart I have recognized that I was created by God to know Him and love Him in response to His great love for me. I have learned that His love dispels the loneliness that plagues our world.

Signing Day

There's a lot of news this week in anticipation of "Signing Day" for NCAA football. Projections abound. Rumors swirl. Bright predictions about "5 star" athletes allow the experts to rank the recruiting classes. Although I am interested in the recruiting class for the Volunteers, I am also aware that predictions can be (and often are) a little unreliable. There are a lot of reasons for uncertainty. Pardon the comparison between life and football, but predicting talent is a risky business. One of my favorite examples is found in the fourth gospel. Who's the "5 star" recruit...Is it Nicodemus or the woman at the well? Sorry for the incomplete bio, but the Bible doesn't give us her name. Nicodemus has the pedigree of five star recruit. Even Jesus describes him as somewhat of an "expert". On the other hand, the woman at the well looks to have the potential to be declared "academically ineligible" on signing day. Yet, I would challenge you to find a better game time performer for Jesus in any of the gospels. What's the difference? (1) A genuine life-changing encounter with Jesus (2) Heart. Most Jesus recruits that fall short haven't given enough attention to the latter. Even a radically changed heart requires exercise to stay healthy.