Changed by the Spirit ... temporaily

One of the most encouraging (yet saddest) Bible verses has to be this one: "At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you." (1 Samuel 10:6–7)

Samuel is blessing Saul and predicting his spiritual awakening and opportunity. Reading the wonderful start of Saul's kingship, we are amazed as this shy and insecure young man leads a group of shepherd and farming tribes into a new era of statehood. Continuing the story however, Saul regresses to jealousy, defensiveness, and fear.

That happens to a lot of us. We make a great beginning in the faith. We experience God's presence, devote ourselves to serve him, and are empowered by His Spirit. Some of us see miraculous interventions of God's hand. Our worship is fervent and heartfelt. We can't wait for time to read the Bible and ponder about God's goodness and the mystery of a relationship with Him.

And then the troubles of life ensnare us. We see others thriving beyond our gifting or coming up on our heels to claim the work we love to do. We get upset with the behavior of fellow believers and label everyone as hypocritical (ourselves excepted, of course. Our bad behavior is "only a response" to others?) We're disappointed when our prayers are answered differently than hoped. We change our focus from life with Jesus to life around us.

Slowly we drift from our first love of Christ. We depend on Sunday services and a "verse of the day" to feed us. And we focus more and more on the shallowness of others, even as our toes become pointed from spiritual depths of living water to the worldly shores of self-indulgence and pleasures. Or, like Peter, we find our eyes on the impossibility of walking on the waves instead of on Jesus and sink out of sight.

How can we prevent our precious faith from becoming mere religion?

1. Approach life with Jesus as just that: Life With God. Salvation is a walk beside God, listening to what he says, loving what he loves, and enjoying his presence in good days and bad.
2. Meditate on God's goodness. Be thankful. Marvel at the privilege of knowing a Good God. He's not a demanding idol like the gods of other world religions, who insists on more and harder and "never enough" to satisfy the gods. Our God paid the price in full for our salvation. And he gives us a day of rest in which to enjoy him ... every week. Imagine such a joyful approach to his creatures!
3. Affirm God's nature. Have a sense of wonder as you explore how God reveals himself in scripture. For example, the 10 Commandments list qualities God values, such as holiness (recognition that God is above all and separate from His creation); truth and honesty (don't bear false witness); faithfulness (don't cheat on your spouse and family); honor and respect (of parents, who represent the various authorities we submit to); and of contentment (not envying others).
4. Turn quickly from failures and sins. God forgives us. After confessing sin and making it right with God and others, we should move on to live life to the fullest. Constantly groveling and talking about how lousy we are only causes more damage.
5. Trust that God will accomplish his purposes in us and others. Relax and face up to it: you're not a god and never will be in control. But our Good God can do anything and His strong arm holds us safe in sunshine and storms.
6. Look forward to the day with God. Approach each morning with the anticipation of partnering with God. Who knows how wonderfully you will be His hands extended.
7. Include others in your journey. Studies show that the unchurched are surprised that their Christian friends don't talk about their faith. They see how shy and embarrassed we are and wonder if Christ is worth following. Most would attend church with us if we asked a few times.

 Read more: 
*Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. Deuteronomy 8:5

*Don't envy sinners but always continue to fear the LORD. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed." Proverbs 23:17–18

*While the son was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20

Moravian Prayer: Parent God, our teacher and protector, let us learn from our mistakes. Help us be open to correction as we receive your forgiveness. Amen. 

Lent Day 5: Thankful for new beginnings

"Yikes!" I just picked up the dissertation sent in last week. The editors and I missed a few things. How can there still be dozens of improvements after dozens of readings and hundred of dollars spent for edits?

Laying aside the copy (at p.35 of 350 already zoning out with all the qualifiers - get to the story, get to the story!), I'm reflecting on the grace of God at the cusp of another week. Some of you are hunched over your keyboards at work. Some are unloading tools for manual labor. Some stretch in their beds after a long weekend or a night shift.

God is extending his favor to each of us. Lent, the time for thanksgiving and meditation on Jesus as Savior, reminds us that God's mercy is new every morning. We do not have a Father in heaven who looks for the smallest infraction so he can thump us and cow us with power and anger. Our Father calls us into relationship, allowed us to kill his Son to ransom us from eternal banishment, and then--and then--lets us choose for or against his provisions. No other world religion or folk traditions can dream up a God so tender, so lovingly sacrificial, or so merciful!

This morning, I'm asking God for wisdom and understanding. I want to recognize him when he speaks. To obey him better. To follow more closely. To swim in his sea of new beginnings and surf his waves of grace. How about you?

Read more:

*Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8

*My child, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and people. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. 

My child, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke because the LORD disciplines those he loves as a father the child he delights in. 

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided and the clouds let drop the dew. 

My child, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight. Preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.

*I will set my eyes upon them for good. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. Jeremiah 24:6

*So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Moravian Prayer: God of heaven and earth, as we worship, let us praise you as Lord who is able to shape us as a people of one mind. You are the one who also provides for us the life-giving water needed to sustain our growth. Amen.

*But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV

Leadership genius

King David's name is familiar to anyone who has read the Bible. Kids who know Bible stories have heard of the teenager who felled a seasoned warrior - a giant at that - with a well-placed stone flying from his sling.

Off the top of my head, I think of David as:

• shepherd boy, defending the flock from lion and bear
• killer of Goliath, with a faith that is both bold and innocent
• younger brother of soldiers, eager to get the scoop on battlefront news
• musician and composer, harpist, singer, poet, and dancer
• leader of a rebels, living on the run in the hills
• replacement for a disobedient king
• polygamist and adulterer
• schemer and strategist
• someone who came from a simple life to extravagance and leadership perks

I am always surprised to read that God considered this flawed man his friend. We'd never elect him to a church board or (horror of horrors) let him pastor a church or lead a denomination. He wasn't of the priestly class in his day, either. He was a warrior of his time, accepting as his due the privileges of clan chief - the right to servants, wives, and wealth. Because David's reign was so bloody, God refused him his desire to build a temple.

Something I rarely connect with David is his genius for leadership. He had the charisma and skill to attract rough outcasts into a band of brothers, complete with families and belongings. Later, he united tribes with little in common into a strong nation.

Reading 1 Chronicles 23-27 is eye-opening. Near the end of  David's reign, the details of the king's wealth are impressive. But my eye is caught by the men listed as overseers. These "mighty men" and strong-willed, gifted leaders reported to the king and did the king's business. Even when his personal life became a mess, when his children were indulged and spoiled, when political turmoil ousted him for a season, the administration of his dominion ran like clockwork.

It's easy to assume that God is blessing a ministry or business when it's running smoothly and money is flowing. Inexplicably, God gifts some for leadership of tens, hundreds, thousands, and beyond.

When God blesses with leadership genius, the person must work extremely hard to stay centered on the core values of integrity and friendship with God. Without character, success goes to one's head, destroying a gifted leader with a wash of self-indulgence and dissipation.

W and I were talking about how hard it is to finish a life well. It seems even more challenging for those who start gloriously and achieve a lot early on.

A good name is more valuable than riches, said the sage. It's a good idea to guard our hearts and reputations even more zealously in seasons of success than in times of anonymity or struggle. 

Read more:

*Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

*Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLT

*What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:1-4 NIV