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If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful, because he must be true to who he is. 2 Timothy 2:13 (NCV)
I sat across the desk from the young woman who, through her tears, shared her story. He’d cheated on her once, while they were engaged. Got caught red-handed so to speak, but they worked through it. She’d decided she loved him enough to forgive him. She believed his tear-filled confession. Her trust in him slowly returned and they were married.
Now, six years later and with two adorable children at home, he once again came to her for forgiveness. He’d met a woman. They’d slept together. He regretted that decision and wanted to ‘come clean’ and be the dad, husband and lover she deserved. She didn’t know if she could go on this way. She wasn’t sure that she could ever trust him again.
I’ve knelt with a man at the altar (a different story). He’d called and asked to meet at the church. I found him in tears sitting at the altar. Three times in the past year he’d gone home with a woman that wasn’t his wife. Someone he’d picked up at the bar. There wasn’t any love, just lust. No relationship, just a desire on the part of both parties to ‘have a little fling’. Now, he had to come clean. His wife had no knowledge of what was coming. They’d been together for nearly 20 years. Four great kids, a successful business and for all appearances, a good wholesome family.
These were ‘good people.’ They were active in our church. They taught Sunday School and greeted visitors. The man went home to his wife and confessed his sin. They went to counseling and the last I heard were completely restored in their relationship. The marriage of the young woman, I’m sad to say, ended in divorce. Too much damage. Too many wounds. .
I don’t tell these stories as a post against marital infidelity, although I certainly could. These stories, which I imagine are played out a thousand times a day, awakened in me a new understanding of the passionate relationship with have with Jesus.
Being unfaithful to your lover hurts. It hurts your lover. It hurts you. It’s a family breaker. While there are, thankfully, many stories of families that have endured the devastation of infidelity, many aren’t able to overcome the hurt, the distrust, the anger.
We all have affairs in our relationship with Jesus. Times in each of our lives when we make decisions that are directly contrary to what he desires of us. Sometimes they are flippant ‘flings’ that catch us unaware. Sometimes they are well-thought out decisions.
The point is this. Regardless of how many times we disappoint Jesus, he will never say enough. No matter how many times we fail to live for him, he will never say ‘I don’t love you anymore’. He knows we’ll fail him…again. He knows we’ll reject his love. But because of who he is, he can never turn his back on us.
If you truly love someone, you will do whatever you can to keep from hurting that person. If you truly love Jesus you will do whatever you can to keep from hurting him. These life stories I shared beg the question each of us must ask: “How have I had an affair with other lovers (lust, money, desire, fame) and hurt my Jesus?”
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I do love you. I realize that I’ve let you down so many times. I don’t know how you can possibly love me after I’ve done so many things against you. Thank you for your forgiveness and grace. Empower me to live to please you and not myself. Amen.
Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. Mark 8:34 (NCV)
It’s one of the ultimate dichotomies of the Christian life. Jesus taught on several occasions that if we want to be greatest we must be least; if we want to be strong in our faith we must be as a child; if we want to see God work in mighty ways we need to give up trying in our own power.
I like how the New Century Version translates Jesus’ words in Mark 8. “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want.” His words seem contradictory at first glance. Doesn’t God tell us in the Old Testament that if we obey his law he will provide for us? Doesn’t Jesus himself tell us in other places that if we obey him he will be with us always and give us the desires of our heart? Don’t the other New Testament authors challenge us to live Godly lives so we can see him working in our lives?
So what gives? What is Jesus trying to tell us about getting the things we want and/or need?
What Jesus is telling us here is to take a close look at the difference between what the world provides for us and what he can provide for us.
We all want to be accepted and respected. But the world’s standards for acceptance are based on our abilities, our looks, our status, our performance. None of these matter to Jesus. His acceptance of you has nothing to do with your looks, your body shape, your report cards, or the number of awards hanging on your wall. He accepts you because he loves you. You can do nothing to gain more of his acceptance.
We seek security. Security in most people’s minds is measured by the amount of money we have in our bank account, the size of our retirement fund, the size of our house and the amount of our toys. In our struggling economy we’re learning the hard way that money offers no security. Retirement accounts have been wiped out. Once secure careers have ended abruptly. Security doesn’t come from money. Jesus says, you want security? Look at my track record. I’m the same today as I was yesterday. I’ll be the same tomorrow. You can trust me.
We want love. Love, for many people is defined by relationships with other people. We fall into love because love makes us feel accepted. Love gives us security. Love encourages us to be all we think we want to be. But all too often we realize that love relationships aren’t secure. All too often relationships lead to feelings of rejection rather than acceptance. Once again the things we ‘want’ slip from our grasp. Once again Jesus says, “I’ll love you. Your mistakes won’t make me reject you. Even if you are unfaithful to me and cheat on me, I’ll still be here when you come back. There is nothing you can do to make me love you more than I already do. There is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you.
Acceptance. Security. Love. Give up seeking these things that you work so hard to find. You may find them for a season here on earth, but they will fail you. When you are willing to give up seeking for the things you want and turn to Jesus he will bring them into our life.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus giving up to receive is hard. I seek comfort in so many things that don’t last. Help me to let go of my desires so that you can give me the things I strive to have in my life. Amen.
He did this so that we could be the kind of people the law correctly wants us to be. Now we do not live following our sinful selves, but we live following the Spirit. Romans 8:4 (NCV)
I don’t understand genetics. I’m not sure any of us do, but some understand far more than I do about what makes a person the way he/she is. For example, how is it that two people, born of the same parents can be different as night and day in personality, looks, and body shape/size? Or, how is it that a child, separated from parents at birth will have many of the same traits, likes and dislikes at their parents even though they have never ever seen them? These are just a few of the amazing things about how we are put together as human beings.
What’s even more amazing is how we can be ‘put together’ in Christ. We are born into a human body. We are influenced by our surroundings in more ways than we can imagine. The older we get, the more the effects of our past can dictate who we are and how we react to things in our environment.
Jesus came to give each of us a new start in life. Because of his grace and forgiveness we no longer need to be imprisoned by the things that happened along the journey of life.
“But,” you may say, “You don’t understand. I was abused as a child.”
“I know but” you may say, “my parents divorced [died, abandoned me, were drug addicts, are in prison,]. So that’s why I am the way I am.”
I won’t minimize the fact that life experiences have a huge impact on us. We are wounded, bruised and scarred by a whole variety of things. With Jesus in our lives those things that once were destructive influences on our ability to live free can be used for the glory of God. Because of Jesus we don’t need to walk as wounded any longer. That’s what grace is about. That’s what mercy is about. That’s what forgiveness is about.
Jesus Christ is well aware of your past. He sees the scars. He saw the abuse. He knows the feeling of being rejected. He came to free you from the effects of all the bad stuff that’s happened in your past. We no longer need to live the way we once did. God’s Spirit in us gives us new life through Christ. God’s Holy Spirit in us allows us to use the struggles of our past to strengthen those who are hurting.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, my past continues to haunt me. I see myself becoming the very type of person I don’t want to be. I relive the abuse of my past on a daily basis. Forgive me once and for all for the mistakes I’ve made. Free me through your grace to leave the old life behind and live the new life you have prepared for me. Amen.
But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. James 1:5 (NCV)
“There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”
We’ve all heard or said that at some point in our lives. The intent of the saying is, at least from my perspective, that asking questions is not only okay, it’s to be encouraged. Asking questions allows us to grow in knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways.
Still, we all know people who we avoid asking questions to, people who make us feel like a total idiots because we don’t know the answer to something. It could be a boss, a spouse, a professor, even a friend. It only takes one sarcastic comment, one condescending remark, to keep us from ever asking questions again.
How a person responds to our questions is usually a sign of their character. Responses that shut us down or attack our self-esteem are intended to hurt us, not build us up. In a real love relationship questions are never met with sarcasm, anger, or condescending responses. Even if the answer can’t be given, a person of Godly character will always respond in a way that builds up, never tears down.
You can come to God with your questions. He’s proven over and over again that he will never be angry with your questions. Look at the lives of Job, of Moses, of Jonah and others. These were men who at some time or another questioned why God did what he did, or even argued with God about what he was doing. Yet he never attacked them for their questions.
Your Heavenly Father may not answer your questions the way you hope but he will never criticize or use sarcasm in response to your request. You don’t need to be afraid to ask God the hard questions. First of all, he knows the questions you ask before you verbalize them. Secondly, he made you the way you are. He realizes that your mind can’t comprehend the vastness of his wisdom.
God will give you the wisdom you need for the moment. Godly wisdom that may not seem ‘wise’ in the eyes of the world, but is always best for you. Wisdom you can trust when circumstances are tough. You can always trust him to listen and respond in love.
PRAYER: Father, I have so many questions about life and direction. Thank you that I can rely on you for the answers I need for life. Give me courage when the answers I get don’t seem to come fast enough or aren’t what I want to hear. Amen.
I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people. Ephesians 1:18 (NCV)
It wasn’t the teachings of Jesus that drew people to him. It was his character. That may seem strange to say. We focus our energies on what Jesus taught, and to be sure, those teachings are the basis of life. The things Jesus taught us bring hope from despair, confidence when we are afraid; wisdom when we are worried; direction when we don’t know the way. But the reality is, the blind man wasn’t able to fully understand the spiritual blessings Jesus had to offer until his vision was restored. The parents who lost their little girl no doubt knew that God was a mighty and powerful God, but the full realization of what that meant didn’t come until their little girl sat up in the very bed she’d died in moments earlier. The father who sought Jesus out for healing for his demon possessed son knew the power of prayer. Why else would he seek Jesus out? Still, until he saw his son in a normal, calm state of mind, he didn’t fully grasp the significance of the hope Jesus offered.
Jesus’ teachings simply backed up, clarified, and verified what he’s already done in the lives of people who were in need. No wonder that in the garden he prays for those who will seek him after he is gone. He understood the difficulty we have as finite humans to believe without seeing; to hope in the unseen; to live by faith when prayers seem unanswered, and life is unbearable.
As Christ-followers we are called to show others the hope they can have in Christ. What an awesome privilege! So many are looking for hope in today’s world. Hope to get through physical pain and illness. Hope to endure the pain of relational disaster. Hope to endure one more day of starvation or the ravages of natural disaster.
Paul prays that we will understand the hope Jesus has called us to. Why this prayer? Paul also knew, perhaps better than any of us what it meant to be rejected, alone, in danger, despised and rejected. But he also knew the hope only Jesus can offer. People around us aren’t seeking profound teachings or messages of a better tomorrow. They are seeking strength to get through one more day. What can we do to show them the hope of Christ? That answer is different for each of us because we each live in different situations, different circles, and different circumstances.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I am surrounded by people who are seeking hope in a world where hope seems dwindling at best. I praise you for the hope you have shown me and the blessings of living in you. Empower me with strength, courage and wisdom to lead those around me to the hope I’ve found in you. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 