Thank You For Laying Down Your Life

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 

John 15:13

Today is Memorial Day, a day of remembrance. A day we honor soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice that we might enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today. 

The ultimate soldier in the ultimate battle is Jesus Christ. He died for our salvation, to redeem us from sin and death. 

My prayer is that our country honors the death of soldiers who died fighting for our freedom to live and worship in a manner we see best. 

Don't Miss God

Just a little reminder from one of my favorite authors, A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God.

Another Day for Grace

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

I am a teacher and there are some things I do every day with my students. We review some basic grammar concepts for just couple of minutes because although every book and teacher assumes all students know and understand basic grammar, they don't. Normally, after about three months it starts kicking in, but I have a class this year that it wasn't until just last week they started to really demonstrate that they knew basic grammar. It took a while but they got there. The key is that I know that if I review  a concept for just a few minutes daily the students will learn retain much more than if they have long lessons spread out over the year. 

God knows what he is doing with our world. He keeps sending his messengers, us, to tell the world of salvation through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many people misunderstand his apparent delay of judgement. The delay is grace, not neglect. He just keeps offering repentance to the world. Every day we are a testimony to those around us. Each day the Holy Spirit works to bring people to repentance. 

Think about this today as you interact with people at work, school or just when you are out and about. God is giving each person you see another day to accept his grace.

Far or Near, God Restores

I have seen their ways, but I will heal them;
   I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners,
   creating praise on their lips.
Peace, peace, to those far and near,”
   says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
Isaiah 57:18-19 (NIV)

God saves us because. Because of his grace, not our goodness. 
He sees our ways, but, he still will heal us. 
We go astray and he still guides. 
We wander and he restores and comforts us.
We could be far or we can be near and he still offers us peace with him in Christ. 
Whatever the wound, he will heal. 

Father, help us to walk with you in humility and willingness. Thank for your healing love for us. Praise be to you in us today!

Time To Call A Professional

And it will be said: 
“Build up, build up, prepare the road!
   Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”
For this is what the high and exalted One says—
   he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
   but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly 
   and to revive the heart of the contrite.
I will not accuse them forever,
   nor will I always be angry,
for then they would faint away because of me—
   the very people I have created.
Isaiah 57:14-16 (NIV)

Amazing! God, is high and lifted up, who lives forever, also lives with those who are contrite and lowly in spirit. My problem is that when I am feeling down I don't always look to God. I kind of want to pull myself together first. 

The truth is that the more I try to pull myself together the worse things get. Once I was going to try to fix a drain pipe below the sink in one of our bathrooms. As soon as I started to remove it I realized it was beyond me. The previous owners had tried to just throw more pipes onto the problem. It was a mess. We had a plumber come and he fixed it. 

This is kind of like us with our problems, we try to fix things and just add more problems. When we are lowly in spirit it means that we realize that God alone can make things right. Joy comes in knowing that God wants to revive us. 

God knows our weaknesses, our frailty and our need for him. He wants to build us up and remove the obstacles from our way. 

Father, we need you to work in our lives, to build us up and remove the obstacles from our ways. We look to you and wait upon you to lift us up in you. Praise be to you in us today!

Voting for Justice?

I have been receiving a lot of voting guides and ads lately. An election is coming up in a few weeks. My son marched in the Torrance, CA Armed Forces Day Parade on Saturday with his school's band. At the beginning was a long group of dignitaries from including our new U.S. Congresswoman, Maxine Waters. Below are a few verses I find enlightening.

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

Exodus 23:2-3 (NIV)

“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." 

Exodus 23:6 (NIV)

"Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 16:18-20 (NIV)

One of the things that I find sincerely troubling is the corruption in government and how apparently easy it is to manipulate those who consider themselves Christians. You see, during the last presidential election the Democrats were voting on their platform issues. One of the key issues was whether or not to keep God in their platform and the support of Israel. It took three votes to strike it down and it sounded pretty even to me. 

The truly troubling issue is that the Democratic party is considering the idea of removing God from their platform at all. Take away God and you take away justice. 

As Christians we can not be persuaded by the illusion of feigned outcries by politicians about social justice when they do nothing to actually help people get out of poverty. When I saw Maxine Waters in the parade I wondered how she continues to get elected when she does so little. Where are the jobs? With rampant gang activity, senseless killings, drugs and corruption the hallmarks of her district, where is the justice? 

Christians beware. I know that I am taking a controversial position here but, I also know that I can not see how anyone who says they believe in God, can vote for someone whose party consistently denies God to the point where they are voting to remove his Name from their party platform. 

It's Time

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
  and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, 
   and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV)

Here is the good news: if you are reading this he is seeking you and you can find him. He is near, that inkling in your heart to seek God is the Holy Spirit working inside you, drawing you to the Lord. Do what you have to do. If you need to confess, confess. If you need to repent, repent. Seek the Lord. He will find you. He will have mercy on you. He will freely pardon you.