Self-Deception

I remember as a teenager watching, with my family, The Flip Wilson Show, the number two rated show on TV during its four-year run. If you’re over 50, you probably remember the show. One sketch I remember is “The Devil made me do it.” It was a sketch about temptation and the work of the Devil tempting people. You might remember that just after Jesus’ baptism, he went into the wilderness for 40 days where he fasted and prayed. During his time in the wilderness, the devil appeared to him and tempted him in three different ways. Jesus resisted each temptation and eventually the devil left him alone until a more favorable time. Luke 4:13 The devil tempted Jesus, but most of us don’t need the devil to tempt us. Our own desires lead us into temptation without the devil’s help. Jesus’ brother James described the work of our desires, saying, “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” James 1:14 (NLT) James continued, “These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” James 1:15 (NLT) When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “lead us not into temptation,” or “don’t let us yield to temptation …,” he was teaching them to pray against desires that would drag them towards sin. (Matthew 6:13 ESV and NLT ESV) Temptation always works in cooperation with self-deception. When we are wrestling with temptation, we deceive ourselves by saying things like: “No one will ever know” or “Just this once” or “I’m not hurting anyone” or “I deserve this” or countless other self-deceiving justifications. Temptation won’t work on us unless it can find an inroad of self-deception. Pastor and author Tim Keller comments on self-deception saying, “Self-deception is not the worst thing that we do, but it is the reason we do the worst things.” Self-deception and its partner in crime, temptation, are why we need to pursue our relationship with Jesus constantly. Jesus is “The Truth.” When we’re connected to Jesus, self-deception loses its power. Jesus, “The Truth”, reveals every area of self-deception in our lives and teaches us to resist evil desires.

Teach Us to Pray

After over 40 years of praying, I’m still amazed at the mysteries and paradoxes surrounding prayer. Jesus prayed regularly. His disciples were so used to him praying that they asked him to teach them to pray. He often taught the disciples and crowds about prayer. “When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.” Matthew 6:6 NLT “When you pray, don’t babble on and on.” Matthew 6:7 NLT “Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Matthew 6:8 NLT “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLT “Your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11 NLT We’re told to pray in a private place, yet Jesus and the disciples prayed with others around them. We’re told don’t “babble on and on,” and we’re told to “keep on asking.” We’re invited into a prayer relationship with “Our Father who is in Heaven” even though He knows what we need before we ask. There are things God does because we pray. There are things God doesn’t do because we don’t pray. When I pray, a transformation takes place within me. As we increase our prayers, God will bring about more action in us, in others, and in the world. Lord, teach us to pray!

I Did the Crime - He Did the Time

The Apostle Paul announced: “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23 (NLT) Everyone includes you. Everyone includes me. We all fall short. We’ve not only fallen “short of God’s glorious standard,” our sin has hurt others. Some of our sins have hurt others in small ways and some sin has wounded people deeply. The sin of others has hurt us in small ways and other sin in unforgettable ways. The answer to falling “short of God’s glorious standard” is mercy. I’m thankful that God’s mercy toward me is “afresh every morning.” Lamentations 3:23 (NLT) (I find it interesting that the solution for Romans 3:23 is Lamentations 3:23) Mercy, by us towards others, is not deserved. If it were deserved, it wouldn’t be mercy. God gives mercy because of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus’ death paid the price for me “short of God’s glorious standard.” The old song says: “He paid a debt He did not owe; I owe a debt I could not pay.” I could also say “I did the crime, but He did the time.” Because of God’s mercy toward us, He commands us to have mercy on others. Jesus said: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (NIV) Mercy, by us towards others, is not deserved. If the person deserved mercy, it wouldn’t be mercy. Jesus’ brother James understood Jesus’ teaching about mercy. He wrote: “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” James 2:13 (NLT) Who in your life do you need to forgive? Who do you need to quit “making them pay” for their wrong? What if God withheld mercy from you?” Are you able to rely on God’s mercy because you’ve been merciful to others? If you don’t figure out mercy, there will be “no mercy” for you. Jesus, help us grow in mercy towards others. Amen.

Closing The Gap

I heard a wise woman recently say, “The gap between her and Jesus was greater than the gap between her and people in her life far from God.” Interesting! I had to think about what she said. I wondered, is it true? Is the gap between Jesus and me, in character, nature, purity and holiness larger than the gap between me and people I know who snub God? After pondering and meditating on her statement, I concluded she was right. I might be a friend of Jesus, a child of God, walking in a relationship with Jesus, but I’m nowhere near the grandness, purity, and character of Jesus. Jesus has been working on transforming me since 1979, but the gap between Jesus and me is still massive. I have so far to go. I am being transformed into His likeness, but being transformed is a lifelong process. I will only be like Jesus when I see Him as He is. (2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 John 3:2, Romans 8:29-30; Philippians 3:21) Realizing the gap between Jesus and me is greater than the gap between me and people who ignore God has changed my perspective and attitude towards friends and family. The gap between Jesus and me gives me common ground to love, care about and for people in my life. We are told to “love our neighbor, love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.” (Matthew 5:43 NLT) I can love them because I’m just like them. I wonder how many times Jesus has prayed over my life, “Father, forgive Matt. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.” (Luke 23:34 NLT) You and I are a lot more like our neighbors and enemies than we are like Jesus. We need Jesus’ love, forgiveness and grace every day. Let’s not kid ourselves, we’ve got a lot of transforming to do. “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

Runing With Endurance

The Apostle Paul references running throughout his letters to the various churches. He used the ancient Olympic games that happened every four years throughout the rule of Greece and Rome as an illustration of the race of faith. The Olympic games were familiar to the citizens of Rome. Paul compared running and “the race” to the Christian life. Running is an apt metaphor for the race of faith. When someone does not finish a race or event, the officials put next to the person’s name, DNF. DNF is the acronym for Did Not Finish. The officials do not list the reasons for DNF. For most serious runners, DNF is the worst result they can imagine. Runners will limp, crawl, creep, and fall across the finish line rather than DNF. Anyone can start a race. Starting a race is easy. In High School, I ran with someone who started every race in front of the pack. His starts were great, but he would lose steam and not finish well. Starting great but not finishing was one point of Jesus’ Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed. “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.” (They started well.) “But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long.” (They DNF) Matthew 13:20-22 (NLT) To the church in Corinth, Paul wrote: “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step…. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT) To the church in Galatia, he wrote: “You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?” Galatians 5:7 (NLT) To the church in Philippi: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:14 (NLT) Towards the end of his ministry and life, he wrote to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT) Paul ran with endurance. He ran to win; he ran to finish. There was no DNF next to his name. Over 40 years of ministry, I’ve seen lots of people start the race. Most of them with great enthusiasm. I wish I could say I’ve seen them run with endurance, run to win and run to finish. Too many have settled for a DNF next to their name. Many more start the Christian life than finish it. I’m always excited when I talk with someone or see someone who “dropped out of the race” but then re-enters the race. Maybe they “dropped out” because of a spiritual injury, or a team member who disappointed them, or a coach who was hard on them. Whatever the reason for “dropping out,” my heart surges with joy when I see them get back in the race. The letter written to Hebrew Christians encourages endurance and finishing the race. “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT) Keep running! Get back in the race! Let nothing stop you from running! Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Can You Say, "Imitate me"?

The last few weeks I’ve been thinking about parenting and what parents’ “model” for their children. Everyone knows children learn by what they see their parents do. We have common statements that describe this reality. “Do what I say, not what I do.” “Monkey see, monkey do.” “The seed doesn’t fall far from the tree.” “Actions speak louder than words.” Children watch their parents closely. There is a tendency by the child to pick up the habits and practices of their parents. If the parents yell at each other, throw around insults and “name call” they almost guarantee their children will do the same. When confronted with the reality that children imitate their parents, people respond by saying, “I know a child who … his parents were the worst! He didn’t pick up his parents' traits. We can all think of situations like that. Those children are the exception and not the norm. The Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth “… you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT) That is a very bold statement by the Apostle. He knows he is adequately imitating Christ and, because he is imitating Christ, he can challenge the believers to imitate him. I want to live a life that is worthy of imitating. Could I say, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ?” or “Imitate my honesty, my integrity, my leadership, my serving, my compassion, my kindness, and my forgiveness?” As a parent, the onus is on me to live a life that is desirable for my children imitating. Do I want them to tell the truth? I better be a truth teller. Do I want them plugged into a church and regularly worshipping with God’s people? I better be involved and regular. Do I want them to be generous? I better be generous. Do I want them to live a life of service? I better be serving. The inescapable truth is our children will imitate us and they will live the kind of life we live. The Apostle Paul said, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) Jesus, transform us so we live lives worth imitating. Amen

Talking About Jesus

I love talking to people about Jesus. The night I said yes and surrendered control of my life to Jesus and began the journey as a follower, I immediately wanted to spend my life telling others about Him. That is what Jesus has allowed me to do. I get really excited when I talk with someone, especially if they know little about Jesus, and we discuss the most amazing person who ever lived. We can see his influence in many aspects of life, from the calendar to the way people communicate, even if they don't recognize it. I’ve talked to three people in the last week that have almost no knowledge of Jesus, the Scriptures, or why people believe and go to church. The “church” world is completely foreign to them. I love talking to them. It’s all new, interesting, and challenging. Unfortunately, those who have been around the church can become bored with living a life of faith. I often wonder how someone who follows Jesus, the most intriguing and impactful person in history, can ever get bored. I’m baffled by bored “Christians.” The immense interest in Jesus, has caused both the TV series “The Chosen” and the movie “Jesus Revolution” to become popular. People want to know about Jesus. Take advantage of the season we are in and invite people to join you for Easter. Engage in conversations with them. It's likely they want to know about the King of Kings. Easter is coming. Jesus, help us! Give us the courage to share the wonder of the Most Wonderful One. Amen.

Easter Is Coming

We are only a few weeks away from one of those times when people are more likely to accept an invitation to a church gathering. It’s Easter. There are people in your life that you want to know Jesus in the way you do. You want them to experience His love, grace, hope, and forgiveness. Easter gives you an opportunity to invite them to join you for our Easter Celebration. There is a month until our Easter Celebration. Now is the time to pray for your friends and for opportunities to invite them to join you. Jesus is more concerned about your friends and family than you can imagine. He loves when we pray for people to come to faith. The Apostle Paul wrote: God “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4 (NLT) The Apostle Peter wrote: “The Lord … is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) Jesus sacrificed Himself for the people you are praying for. He is working in their lives and desires to use you as a messenger of compassion and mercy. God “brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (NLT) Jesus gave me a couple opportunities to talk to people this week about Him. During our conversation, I invited them to join us for our Easter Celebration. It’s never too early to invite people to our Easter Celebration.

Fruit Of The Spirit

Paul the Apostle wrote to the Galatians about the “fruit” that is developed when the Holy Spirit is given permission to work in the lives of His believers. “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) The last sentence always pops out to me. “There is no law against these things.” Every one of the fruits the Holy Spirit produces are totally and always legal. There can’t be a law against love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Jesus was the epitome of the “fruit of the Spirit.” Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control define Jesus. The “fruit of the Spirit” shone in His teaching, His healing, and His suffering. Hanging on the Cross, Jesus spoke words of hope to the thief, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” To the Father he prayed, “Forgive them they don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus wants to produce in us the “fruit of the Spirit.” Producing fruit often requires the pain of pruning (John 15.) He prunes us to produce LOVE by bringing people into our lives that are hard to love. He prunes to produce PATIENCE by leading us into and permitting situations that try our patience. If the fruit came naturally, He wouldn’t need to prune us and it wouldn’t require the Spirit to produce fruit. The fruit doesn’t come naturally so it requires pruning and the flow of the Spirit to produce. That is why it is called “fruit of the Spirit.” Next time you are in a tough situation, ask yourself, “What is Jesus pruning in my life? What fruit is the Holy Spirt trying to produce or ripen in my life?”

Jesus Never Stops Working to Transform Us

God’s ultimate plan is to transform His children into the image of Jesus. Everything God does in His children’s life is about that transformation. The Apostle Paul instructed the followers of Jesus to “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.” Colossians 3:10 (NLT) God created Adam and Eve in His image. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 (ESV) The image of God in Adam and Eve was altered when they disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit. Their rebellion did not destroy the image of God in people, but disfigured it. God has been working since Adam and Eve’s “fall” to restore His image in his creation. Jesus is God’s key and ultimate work, enabling the restoration of people “in His image.” Followers of Jesus “all show the Lord’s glory, and… are being changed to be like Him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NCV) People often wonder what God is doing in their lives. I can tell you what God is doing. He is working to transform you into the image of Jesus. Our transformation will only be completed when we finally see Jesus face to face. As the Apostle John wrote: “… we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like Him, because we will see him as He really is.” 1 John 3:2 (NCV) Jesus never stops working to transform His followers. He’s working in your life to transform you! Don’t fight the transformation! Work with Him.