The Great Commission...

When Jesus was finished with His work here on earth, one of the last things He did was to give His disciples a final word -- we call this the Great Commission.

Just seven chapters into the book of Acts, Stephen became the first disciple to give his life for the unapologetic preaching of Christ and of the Salvation that His death and resurrection made possible.

In the centuries since this Great Commission, countless Christians have suffered and even died for their obedience to this command!  Many have dedicated their lives to obeying these "last words" of Jesus here on earth.

Over the last few weeks, God has been in the process of bringing me to a place where I realize that my life has not been so dedicated...

Of course, I could personalize this (and I do), but that would be difficult and challenging, so I'll speak for a moment in that all-inclusive plural -- "we"...  I'll share this conviction -- "if the shoe fits" and all that...

Here we are in our great free country where the Bill of Rights has declared that government cannot prohibit us from practicing religion freely.  Yet, the tide is turning -- we are told that this "right" simply means that government cannot have anything to do with religion.  Then, we are told that it means we must be tolerant of every other religion.  This is interpreted to mean that we cannot share our beliefs with other people because it is intolerant of their beliefs.  Some in our country are pushing ratifying the UN rights of the child, which would tell us that teaching our children about the Lord Jesus would be a violation of their rights.

We are right on the verge of completely losing this great freedom that we have to "practice" our religion -- because for the Bible believing Christian, sharing Jesus with other people is a crucial part of practicing our religion...

We think we have convictions -- that we would tell others about Christ even if it was against the law.  We believe this is a conviction -- meaning that we would be willing to die for this cause of all causes.

And yet, now, while we still have freedom -- and for the past (how many?) years, we have become absorbed with our lives -- our comfort.  We tell our children, "I just want you to have things a little better than I had them" -- probably stemming from the Great Depression era when that really meant something!  It might have been worded "I don't want you to have to beg in the streets for food" or "I want you to be able to have a job so you can provide for your family".  But, we don't mean that at all -- we mean "I want you to have a TV in every room", "I want you to have fun", "I want you to have a nice house".  Cell phones, computers, cars, you name it...  We have lost track of Christs "last words".

One day recently God hit me with this thought -- "If you are not telling people about Christ while you are FREE to do so, what makes you think you're going to tell them if it could mean you are imprisoned or killed?"

More than half of my life is now in the past.  I have loved God and learned about Him.  I have gone to Church and dressed nicely (to represent my desire to give Him my best).  I trust God for Salvation, and for my daily needs.  I believe He has a plan for my life, and I want His plan and only His.

I have worked and earned money and spent money and acquired for myself things and for my family that we wanted.  And, I conclude with Solomon that it is empty.  It just does not matter.  It is nice and fun and comfortable, and I thank God for these things.

But, have I missed something -- have I been so busy making myself comfortable in this life that I have failed to obey Christ's last and greatest command...  Have I laid up treasures on earth, or in heaven...

Lord, I have certainly passed up many, many opportunities to share Your Gospel with people you have brought into my life.  I ask that you would give me the wisdom to recognize opprotunities you bring and the courage to share You, my Savior, with the world around me.

Silence of The Lamb

I have been silent here on this blog for a month now. That is because we have been experiencing God's Silence...

What do we do when God is silent? Obviously, this depends on the nature of the trial and the nature of the silence... Well, I can't say that I have any real answers, but I have some thoughts -- some are not spiritual, but are reality...

• Pray
• Cry
• Wait
• Search the Bible for answers
• Panic, but with nothing to "do" to fix anything
• Worry
• Repent from Worrying
• Search in vain for some "Magic Formula"

Some trials have no "deadline" associated with them. My wife and I have both experienced the death of a spouse. This was a trial that just went on and on, but there was no date or time that something bad was going to happen. It was simply enduring the loneliness and grief of loss. Well, it wasn't "simply" anything, but we could just trudge along day after day waiting, waiting, and more waiting until we could see God provide comfort and relief from grief in various ways. He was and is faithful!

But, this present trial is much different and doesn't merely require "endurance". The truth is that our severance pay has now run out, and (even with unemployment, gifts, and other forms of income) we are going to run out of money to pay our basic bills. Waiting means something entirely different than it did after we each lost our first spouse. Waiting means running out, potentially losing the home we just built, having to find family or friends to let us live with them until we can find a job to begin the rebuilding process.

I have been told -- and I can see on the news -- that we are not alone. There are a lot of people across this "land of opportunity" that are on the verge of losing everything they have worked for. It may give a little comfort to know that others share the same dire circumstances that we are experiencing, but then, this is not really "comforting"...

So, is there any consolation? Is there any comfort? Well, I can list some things that I believe, but they sound very hollow when I think of the possibility that we might have to find friends to help us move those things that we don't want to part with -- though we know not where to store them -- and have our credit ruined while we go "beg" family and friends to help us. And, when we think about wanting to provide some sense of stability --- or even just food and shelter -- for our teenagers, who have already experienced the loss of a parent... Here are some thoughts that might be considered "comforting", though it does seem increasingly hollow:

• We have trusted in the blood of Jesus for our Salvation. Though our home, our "things", or even food can be taken away, NO ONE can take away the gift of eternal life that God has promised. Yes, this is definitely a comfort.
• We know that God "will never leave us nor forsake us." Of course, getting an understanding of what this means in this particular circumstance is definitely a challenge. Allow my humanness to show through for a moment -- It isn't Jesus in Flesh here with us. He doesn't require food or shelter. I know, He has a plan, and in His plan for us, He has not "forsaken" bringing His plan for us to fruition. (Though a different context) He who has begun a "good work" in us is faithful, and He will continue it to the "Day of Jesus Christ" -- He will not forsake His "Good Work" in us.
  
• James tells us that we KNOW that the trying of our faith will bring forth patience, ultimately making us "perfect" or "complete". Of course, it feels like a slap in the face to read (or be quoted) the verse to "consider it all joy"... I have to read these verses to say that we should consider the final result joy -- the result of maturity -- that is where we find the "joy" -- not in the trial itself! Yes, I know that in this trial, God has considered us "worthy" of these trials, and through this, He will bring us to greater maturity. Well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it...
• We know that our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, walked this earth and experienced all the different sorts of temptations and testing just like we experience, and yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). And, we also know that He knows the infirmities we have in this life (Romans 8:26)

My prayers have become childlike. Maybe that is what my Daddy in Heaven wants. I have certainly been brought low. I pray as David did in Psalm 142:6 (though his persecutors were trying to kill him) -- Lord God, Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

Heavenly Father, Daddy, please help us! Please, Lord Jesus, hear our cries, see our tears, and feel our longing for your help. We feel helpless. We try to do what we know to do, but doors continue to slam in our faces. We pour out our broken hearts before you. We thank and praise you for saving us from eternal damnation in Hell! We need deliverance here on earth today... We need a job that will allow us to be faithful to pay our living expenses -- to work for our food and shelter. We are truly incapable of fixing our current dilemma without your help...

In Jesus name -- through whom we have Salvation and whom we desire to serve -- Amen