A Finished Work in Progress

The concepts of "finished" and "work in progress" don't really go together, but that is what God seems to say about His children.  God, in His mercy and grace, through the finished work of Jesus Christ has done all the work of redemption for us! 

By faith we receive it!

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

EPHESIANS 1:4

And yet...many days I feel that I should hold this sign as my disclaimer to the world!  

This is all a profound mystery and so often my life is lived out in paradox...
   -  I am perfected AND still in progress
   -  I am holy and sanctified AND still messy 

For me, the concept of a finished work in progress serves as a reminder to keep an important distinction between Law and Gospel. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: 

The old has gone, the new is here!  2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

In faith, God has wiped the slate clean
and wants to write a new story through our lives!  

This is most certainly Good News!

The Gospel is the finished work of Christ!  It is because of Who God Is and What He Has Already done, and continues to do, that makes us who we become through faith in Jesus.  This is the place where we find peace and rest.

The Law reveals our imperfection and sin daily!  It shows us what we haven't done, what we should do, and the volume of work to be accomplished.  By itself, we are doomed!  This is where we can become anxious and allow doubt to grow.

Just before his arrest, Jesus reminds his disciples (and us):“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  JOHN 16:33

Everyday, we need to hold a healthy tension - - first, remembering that in Christ, it is finished and the slate is clean.  God holds nothing against us.  And yet...there is work for us to do as He writes His story upon us and through our lives.

LAW  and  GOSPEL

...it's no longer because we HAVE TO, rather because we GET TO!

Maybe this is a better sign to carry!  The exclamation mark demonstrates excitement and eagerness, with a caution symbol as a disclaimer :) 

...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.  PHILIPPIANS 2:12

Let's reverse the order!

It is finished...get to work!

Serve Him

Jesus said: "...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  MATTHEW 20:26-28 

Paul says: I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. EPHESIANS 3:7


I wonder...

...what does being a servant of the gospel I received look like in my life?

...in what way is my love for Him impacting the ways I love and serve others?

...how am I helping others to also hear and receive this precious Good News?


I'd love to hear your story!  

What does being a servant of this gospel look like in your life?  

(Seriously, I'd really like to know.  Post a comment below or send a note through the Contact Form on the right.)

AND...Let me know how I can be praying for you?

For now...I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  EPHESIANS 3:16-19

Compelled by Love

Language!

Sometimes it's so difficult to say what you mean, and mean what you say!

In a recent conversation, I was challenged on the topic of "heart motivation," when it comes to living out a life of faith, so I'll take Luther's question and ask: 

"What does this mean?"  

When grace enters in, when God's love is received, when God's Holy Spirit comes to dwell in a person...what changes?  Do our motivations change?

I think of the disciples response in recalling their conversation with the resurrected Jesus as He joined them walking to Emmaus as they were just beginning to process what he had been teaching them - "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"  LUKE 24:32

In our worship liturgy we sing, "create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me..."  God's love and grace come to us as a free gift.  When God's grace enters, it soothes and comfort, it heals, it works a transformation process from the inside out.  

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  EZEKIEL 36:25-27

God's love moves me from a motivation of personal gain to one of love, the kind of love that is always for the good of another.  The words "shall no longer live for themselves..." ring in my mind...

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-15

Lord, I thank you for the unending grace that you pour out every day.  May my life be a reflection of your grace so that others may experience your love and receive it for themselves.  

I invite you to add your thoughts to the conversation!

When Disaster Strikes

It's Monday.

Imagine walking into your place of employment, only to discover...

Your office is now a pond!

PANIC!!!! 

Water travels down...  

You imagine what else may have been impacted???  

So you bravely descend the stairs to the lower level...

Mayhem!  Devastation!

I can barely imagine the range of emotion that descends in this moment!

Thoughts rush in...
   ...what do I do?
      ...who do I call?
         ...what is salvageable?
            ...how will we open for business?
               ...will the disaster plan we put in place be effective?

They are all coming at once!

What prepares us to face trials of any sort with hope?  James, the brother of Jesus has words that may be hard to hear...

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.  JAMES 1:2-8

Pure joy???

REALLY???

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.  JAMES 1:12-18

Challenges can become opportunities for God's people to give witness to the faithfulness and provision of HIS grace...
...the people that clean up
   ...the people that pray and encourage
      ...the knowledge and wisdom to make decisions

Disasters help us remember what's most important - - PEOPLE!  When there is only damage to property, how often do we think, "at least no one was hurt."

Disaster is also an opportunity to reassess and clean house - in whatever form that may take... getting rid of unnecessary items stored that may be useful "one day," prioritizing what's most important, or re-focusing on values.

Mission, Jesus style calls us to recognize the opportunities that the Lord gives us to show how we trust him in the midst of disaster and devastation.  The saying "this too shall pass," comes to mind.  It will.  The circumstance will pass, but people will remember the ways in which we express the fruit of God's Spirit in our lives:  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  GALATIANS 5:22-23

Giving God praise for His faithfulness in the midst of the circumstance
may help someone learn to trust Him for eternity.  

May the peace of Christ that passes understanding
reign in your heart and mind!

Joy, Happiness & Delight

 
Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.  PSALM 1:1-3

Joy... something deeper than a momentary emotion.  Merriam-Webster defines joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.  I think of contentedness, happiness, and love.

... think about the opposite... the result in the absence of joy.  Webster notes: calamity, ill-being, misery, sadness, unhappiness, wretchedness.  I know people who live at both ends of this spectrum.  

We have the ability to make choices every day.

Choices for how we spend time and the people we spend it with.  

The Lord is constantly pointing us in directions that create a healthy environment for our well-being and for the well-being of the people around us.  The Lord calls us to "delight" in the law of the Lord, His Word, meditating on it day and night.

To meditate on God's Word is to ponder it...read it and consider how it applies. It aligns our perspective with the goodness the Lord has for His people and His creation.  It comes from our position of abiding with the Lord - taking in what He will teach us.

Day by day it changes us, and the outflow of our lives begins to bless the lives of the people with whom we come in contact.  The prophet Ezekiel uses imagery of a river that flows from the temple of God, he writes:

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.  EZEKIEL 47:12

Imagine your life as having nurturing and healing properties
for the people you meet...what a blessing you will be!

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 12

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
    Twelve Drummers Drumming
    Eleven Pipers Piping
    Ten Lords a Leaping
    Nine Ladies Dancing
    Eight Maids a Milking
    Seven Swans a Swimming
    Six Geese a Laying
    Five Golden Rings
    Four Calling Birds
    Three French Hens
    Two Turtle Doves
    and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Twelve Drummers Drumming = The Twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed:
     1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
     2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
     3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
     4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
         He descended into hell.
     5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven,
         and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
     6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
     7) I believe in the Holy Spirit,
     8) the holy catholic Church,
     9) the communion of saints,
   10) the forgiveness of sins,
   11) the resurrection of the body,
   12) and life everlasting.

Maybe I'm a slow learner, but it took me several years to put the pieces of this faith journey together.  Since I didn't  grow up in the faith or the church, I was an a baby Christian as an adult. Sometimes people assumed I knew more, or "should have" known more than I did.  

As part of a "confessional" church, we declare this confession of faith each Sunday during the worship gathering.  Together we declare what we believe.  Sometimes it felt like a rote exercise...but I didn't fully understand.  One time someone said, "I'm so glad to be part of a confessional church where it's clear what we we believe"... and I began to appreciate these words differently.  

Many years into my journey, I learned that the origins of this confession are unknown, however the earliest known use dates back to the early church as candidates for baptism made their declaration of faith.  When I grasped the magnitude and envisioned people from every century, from every tribe and tongue, the educated and those still living in an oral culture, the young and the old...it was overwhelming!

Now when I make this confession, 

I imagine the body of Christ in its fullness, for all time!

On this 12th day of Christmas, I invite you to celebrate, along with the millions that have gone before us who served their course in faith - - together declaring this same confession that Jesus Christ is Lord - - creator, sustainer, redeemer, and the ultimate keeper of justice.  

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  JOHN 3:16-17

The Lord loves you dearly!  

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 11

On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
   Eleven Pipers Piping
   Ten Lords a Leaping
   Nine Ladies Dancing
   Eight Maids a Milking
   Seven Swans a Swimming
   Six Geese a Laying
   Five Golden Rings
   Four Calling Birds
   Three French Hens
   Two Turtle Doves
   and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Eleven Pipers Piping = The eleven Faithful Apostles:
1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

Faithful...   

How miserably I fall short of this.  Doing things I should not do...Not doing things I should...
But then I draw comfort from the people God chooses to reveal in the Scriptures.  People, just like you and me...with strengths and failings.  I give thanks for grace!

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.  MICAH 6:8

God knows we will never live in perfect obedience to his will on this side of heaven.  In his mercy and by His grace, he sent His one and only Son into this world to bear the burden of our sin.  Receiving this gift of grace comes by receiving what the Lord has done, and is doing for us.  

As I read the words above, I hear the Lord asking us to try.  He beckons us to live in humble obedience to his will - - a loving heart towards all humanity and all that sustains it.  

Loving God - - Loving Others 

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 10

On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
   Ten Lords a Leaping
   Nine Ladies Dancing
   Eight Maids a Milking
   Seven Swans a Swimming
   Six Geese a Laying
   Five Golden Rings
   Four Calling Birds
   Three French Hens
   Two Turtle Doves
   and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Ten Lords a Leaping = The ten commandments: 
1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17) 

I once heard it said that every person has a radio station that plays in their head 24/7... WIIFM

What's In It For ME?

We go through life with the aim to "get ahead" or at least not get trampled on.  And the truth is that we trample on each other all the time.  When we've been trampled enough, we become conditioned to be cautious and cynical, not really thinking that anything or anyone could be ALL GOOD, so we consistently take matters into our own hands.  

I think of a commercial for a Tae Kwon Do studio some years ago, which ended with a young boy and girl stating "nobody bothers me!" In the perfect world, no one would be out for themselves.  People would always be living for the good of others, but on this side of heaven, that doesn't happen perfectly...

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  JAMES 4:1-3

The 10 Commandments help us to know that none of us can do life perfectly...always...in every moment...living for the good of another, even when they have wronged us.  I know I can't.  How often I fail.  Sometimes though, I do get it right...but it doesn't completely erase the wrongs that cause disappointments, hurt feelings and strife.  

Cynicism creeps in - - Is it possible that there is such a level of GOOD in this world?  

The Lord is good...ALL GOOD, ALL THE TIME!  

Be thankful for the giver of all good gifts - - the Lord himself - - who came to earth to intercede on our behalf, living the will of the Father perfectly!  

All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.  For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”  JOHN 6:37-40

Jesus is our redeemer and the example of how to live having received the grace of God.  Mission, Jesus Style calls us to let go of our former ways, striving to get our own way.  Having received grace, we're called to live in such a way that others also find the giver of these good gifts!

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.  MATTHEW 7:11-12

In the same way, let your light shine before others, 

that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. MATTHEW 5:16 

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

On the ninth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
   Nine Ladies Dancing
   Eight Maids a Milking
   Seven Swans a Swimming
   Six Geese a Laying
   Five Golden Rings
   Four Calling Birds
   Three French Hens
   Two Turtle Doves
   and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Nine Ladies Dancing = The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 
1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness, 6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control.  (Galatians 5:22)

...against these things there is no law.

When we spend time with someone who consistently exhibits these qualities, we are bound to behave in similar fashion...not because of a mandate or an expectation, rather because being treated in this way creates a desire to treat others the same.  Treating someone in such a way that they are built up, creates joy for both parties. 

Who can condemn someone for these qualities?  The Lord calls us to live this way, and in doing so, causes others to look for the source of such goodness.

At some point in my journey, I began to see the primary purpose in life as helping other people find the Lord, recognizing that He was calling them to know Him.  When we live out our faith, other people will find the Lord.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9 

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 8

On the eighth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
   Eight Maids a Milking
   Seven Swans a Swimming
   Six Geese a Laying
   Five Golden Rings
   Four Calling Birds
   Three French Hens
   Two Turtle Doves
   and a Partridge in a Pear Tree


Eight Maids a Milking = The Eight Beatitudes
1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.  (Matthew 5:3-10)

This passage begins Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where he teaches about living as a child of God in the Kingdom of God. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  MATTHEW 5:3
As the Lord leads us to recognize our spiritual poverty and receive His grace, we receive the kingdom of God.

Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.  MATTHEW 5:4
This leads us to recognize the impact of sin upon our lives, and we mourn; however, God's grace pours through and provides comfort and assurance.  

Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.  MATTHEW 5:5
As His grace is received and experienced, a desire for righteousness grows...and God is faithful to provide and a journey of growth lays ahead!  

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.  MATTHEW 5:6
As His grace is received and experienced, a desire for righteousness grows...and God is faithful to provide and a journey of growth lays ahead!  

Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy. MATTHEW 5:7
As one acts with mercy, he is shown mercy by the Lord.  Growing in the ability to show grace to others provides the ability to to recognize God's grace and mercy more fully.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.  MATTHEW 5:8
This thought always brings to mind Paul's words from Romans 12:2...Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - - his good, pleasing and perfect will.  As God cleanses our hearts and minds, the ability to see God and the fullness of his love becomes more and more evident. 

Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.  MATTHEW 5:9
God calls his children to bring His peace to the world.  Those who know the Lord are His ambassadors to the lost and broken, who also need His love and grace.  We are forever changed!
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-21

Some years ago I began to understand that the peace we receive from the Lord is within us.  He did not promise that it would become peaceful around us.  

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  MATTHEW 5:10-12

Rest in the assurance that, ultimately, you are safe in the Lord!