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They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Psalm 19:3
Go outside on a clear night. Get away from the city lights and look heavenward. See it? Stand and gaze for a few moments. Perhaps even lay down on the cool, soft carpet of grass below you. Look intently and listen. Do you hear it?
It’s the sound of the heavens. Oh, you won’t hear actual words. Angels sang to announce Jesus’ birth, but there haven’t been many heavenly choirs. This sound is different because this sound is not distinguishable to the human ear.
Take a look at their song though. Those stars over there? They’re the Baptist stars. Staunch & stoic they stand silent in the night boldly proclaiming the truth of the creation and the creator. The Pentecostal stars are over there. They’re the ones shining brightly and seem to dance in their heavenly place against the black backdrop. The Lutheran stars are off to the left (not sure if they are having a pot luck or not).
The Spanish speaking stars are over there right next to the English speaking stars. The French speaking stars are next and so on down the line.
You may be thinking, “What sky is he looking at?” You may be wondering what color the grass is in my world as well.
You’d be right of course. You see, all of heavens speak one language. Stars, planets, asteroids, moons and all the other celestial bodies join in perfect harmony to praise their creator. We humans have a hard time understanding each other. We have a difficult time dealing with people from different economic, cultural or religious backgrounds. But when we look at outer space even the atheist stands in awe at its complexity and enormity.
The language of heaven is a language of praise and unity. It’s a language that is understood by all and heard by none. Not a single star needs to speak praise for the creator. It simply shines, and all its buddies join in.
What would our world be like if we as Christ-followers shone in unity and as brightly as the stars you see as we lay here in the grass looking up at them? Would anyone be able to doubt the power and majesty of our Creator? I think not.
The Psalmist writes, “The Heavens declare the glory of God. They do it without seminary training. They do it without allegiance to any organized group. The heavens declare God’s greatness in silence, yet it’s a message we all can hear and understand. Live in peace and unity. Proclaim God’s glory without saying a single word by living a life pleasing to God.
PRAYER: I stand in awe of your majesty my Lord. I confess that we as your creations have been pulled apart by all sorts of things that don’t really matter. Empower us by your Spirit to shine forth to the world. Amen.
So people receive God’s promise by having faith. This happens so the promise can be a free gift. Then all of Abraham’s children can have that promise. It is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Romans 4:16 (NCV)
Usually people refer to ‘Cheap Grace’ as grace the people take advantage of. A college professor once said to me, “I have no patience for people who go out and sin because ‘they can ask forgiveness later. It cheapens what Jesus did on the cross.”
I agree with him somewhat of course. Paul says ‘shall we go on sinning so grace might increase?” The answer of course is a resounding NO! As Christ-followers we would never think it’s okay to sin so that we get to ask forgiveness. That’s a preposterous idea!
But there is a more subtle way we cheapen grace. It’s seen every week in our churches, in our families, in Bible Studies, retreats and conferences across the world.
Not all of us are guilty of course, but cheap grace sneaks in the cracks when we least notice it. Grace is cheapened when we measure our Spiritual Maturity by our Spiritual Activity. It’s as though we believe that the more we read the Bible and the more we go to church or Bible Studies, the more God will love us.
Abraham was not a perfect man. He wasn’t a very good husband. He wasn’t a very good father. He wasn’t a good boss. His leadership skills were lacking overall. Still, he was God’s friend. Why? Abraham believed God and God’s promises and because of that he was considered faithful. His faith is what saved him, not his works.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s important to read and study God’s word because it contains the words of life and liberty. It’s vital that we, as Christ-followers, talk with our Heavenly Father on a regular basis. Strength in living comes as we fellowship with the body. But those activities won’t bring ‘more of grace to you’; they will simply make you more aware of the grace available to you.
There’s an old gospel chorus that goes something like this, “Every promise in the book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line. All the blessings of His love divine. Every promise in the book is mine.” Those promises don’t come because of anything I’ve done. The promises given me are completely because of what Jesus did for me on the cross.
Don’t cheapen God’s grace for you by adding all sorts of activity requirements. You have all you need in Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord I have to admit I get a little proud of myself at times. I look at all the things I do for the church, all the songs I sing to you, all the times I proclaim your word. I confess that at times I feel these actions make me more spiritual. I thank you that I have all I need in Jesus. Amen.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NCV)
I like the way the KJV words this verse, “Charity [love] suffereth long”.
We don’t like to think of love and suffering in the same sentence. We’re taught when we are young that love is signified by a smile and a hug; a kind soft voice; warm chocolate cookies and milk.
Reality can set in far too early about love though. More and more of our children learn that love can end and sometimes, harshly. Mommy and Daddy used to say “I love you all the time…before the divorce.”
“My mommy says she loves me but she is never there when I call her and her boyfriend hits me all the time.”
“Friday he said he loved me, but it’s Monday and he says he doesn’t want me around anymore.”
Reality is, from a human perspective anyway, love isn’t the warm, fuzzy, eternally blissful thing we always dream of. Fairy tales end at the gates of Disney World and real live sets in harshly and quickly.
Too often we confuse love with passion rather than suffering; with comfort rather than conflict; with happiness rather than hardship. But love doesn’t have to be that way. True love, Godly love isn’t measured by fireworks and party hats.
Godly love determines, before you leave the house that the guy that cuts you off on the interstate isn’t invading your spot, you were saving it for him. Godly loves means that before you lash out at your child for forgetting an assignment AGAIN, you listen to their own pain and help them learn to make good choices. Godly love means that when the food comes to your table cold and late you notice the red eyes of the server and ask how her day is going.
Godly love isn’t easy love. Godly love gets taken advantage of; is unappreciated; suffers…long. Godly love endures constant disappointment, patiently works through rebellion and always puts the needs of the other person before your own.
People have had enough of the love the world offers. That person in the pew behind you at church, you know the one who never keeps her kids quiet, just may be at the end of her rope and needs understanding rather than judgment. That teenager with long hair and scruffy clothes may be making a statement that says ‘All I really want is to be noticed.’
How can you show Godly love today? Who will irritate you for the umpteenth time that may just need a smile rather than a rebuke? Before you act, measure your love for others according to God’s love for you. His love for you ‘suffers long’ and he asks the same from you.
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the way you love me. Thank you for the patience you’ve shown when I rebel, struggle or get impatient. Empower me with your Spirit to show others the great love you have shown me. In the loving name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:40 (CEV)
It was the week before Easter when our small community choir visited a homeless shelter in a nearby city. Our small town, rural environment didn’t prepare us for what we experienced. Some of us had seen them in passing, the younger ones hadn’t. They were ‘bums, or hobos’ when I was growing up. Now the more ‘politically correct’ title was ‘the homeless’.
Our stereotypes were greatly wounded by the experience. After our concert we sat with men and women who missed their families dearly. Mom’s who admitted that their choices sent their children away. Dad’s who longed to know how their little boy was, but because of the mistakes he’s made, wasn’t allowed to. The tears of remorse flowed. The stories came out.
The experience taught me to look a little differently at the man on the street corner holding up a ‘Will Work For Food’ sign. These were men named ‘John’ and women named ‘Sandy’. Moms and Dads, sons and daughters, who were faced with the same decisions you and I were faced with. They took an easier way, a way that looked better at the time but ended up being a path with stiff and harsh consequences.
There was one other thing we noticed about many of those who stayed for the meal afterwards. They had a deep love for Jesus. How can someone who uses drugs, sleeps under bridges and occasionally steals claim to love Jesus? Better yet, how can I claim to love Jesus and not have compassion (at the least) for those less fortunate, the social outcasts, he’s put in my way to love and when possible give a helping hand.
What a privilege the Father has given us to be able to show the love of Jesus to those less fortunate than ourselves! There was no money handed out that night, but all of us left richer than when we came. Our new friends were reminded of Jesus love for them and the forgiveness only he can offer. We were reminded that not only did Jesus die for all of us. He allows us to minister to one another.
It’s a hard, but true fact that our Father expects us to reach out to those who we least want to reach out to. The dirty, the failures, the ones that we’d rather turn away from. “But,” you may say, “They will just use us. They’ll just take advantage of us. They can’t be trusted.”
The Father turns to us and says, “Yes, they may. I took a chance on you. Will you take a chance on them?”
PRAYER: Father, I’d far rather turn my attention and focus towards the beautiful and lovely. I’d far rather show your love to those who will build me up for my efforts. But I realize your desire is for those who are unlovely by the world’s standards to be shown your love. Empower me to show your love in a tangible way to the unlovely people around me. Amen.
Please help me, LORD! All who were faithful and all who were loyal have disappeared. Psalm 12:1 (CEV)
Talk to anyone from ‘the Good Ole’ Days’ for very long and they’ll tell you things have changed. My Grandfather sold real estate for over 30 years. The way he did business back then would never fly today. Too many forms to fill out, regulations to adhere to and protective measures to put in place. Much of Grandpa’s business was done with a handshake and a smile. Why? Because a man’s word was good back then.
Not so today. Politicians tell every group what they want to hear. Those enlisted to protect the public can’t always be trusted to treat everyone the same. Vows made at the altar are sometimes broken before the day is finished. Even those called to minister for the Lord fall by the wayside because of moral, ethical or spiritual collapse.
I stopped at a local fast food place the other day. Since I was in a hurry I used the drive through to order a sandwich. As I pulled away with my purchase I parked to double check my order. It was wrong! I went into the building and explained my situation to the young lady behind the counter. She was very polite and apologetic. “OH! I’m so sorry! Keep this one and I’ll get you the right one.”
With that she turned and got the crew working on getting me the right sandwich. In the meantime she apologized continually for the mistake. I finally said, “It’s okay! I’m not upset. It’s fine.”
At that point she said, “Well, you see, we’ve had people come in very angry. I’m not used to people like you who aren’t upset.”
As she handed me my correct sandwich I smiled and said, “Well, the difference is, I’m human. I know we all make mistakes.”
As I got in my car I thought of how my one small gesture of kindness and understanding had most likely made that young woman’s day. I didn’t pull out a Bible and start preaching to her. I didn’t hand her a gospel tract or explain how people should be more careful. I simply showed her the love of Christ.
Being faithful begins with you. Be faithful to yourself by realizing your own faults and living with the understanding that you are human. You will make mistakes. You will falter, perhaps even fall. But God’s grace can lift you up. When we realize our own weakness, it’s far easier to deal with the mistakes others make.
Secondly be faithful to your God. As a Christ-follower you are the representation of Christ’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness for others to see. Your heavenly Father knows your weakness. He knows you will fail him every day. Yet, in spite of your inability to follow his laws, in spite of your lack of commitment to him, he loves you and wants a relationship with you. Faithfulness to God begins with a proper understanding and acceptance of who you are and deepens as you grow deeper in God through study, prayer and worship (corporate as well as private).
Lastly, be faithful to those around you. Be a person of your word. If you make a promise, fulfill it. If you fail, confess it and ask forgiveness, realizing you may have damaged a relationship, but you have done everything in your power to restore it. Put the feelings of others before your own rights. In essence, “Be Jesus in Skin” to all those around you.
At the end of the day, may all those who have come in contact with you know the answer to the question “Where have all the faithful gone?” They will answer with your name.
PRAYER: Father I’ve been unfaithful in so many ways. I’ve lost sight of who I am. I’ve grown far from you. I find myself demanding my rights before protecting the rights of others. Empower me with your spirit to be a faithful person so that other will see Christ in me. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 