Recently I watched a video of a man held captive for years, set free and returned home.  When he got off the plane he fell to his knees, kissed the ground and raised his hands in worship…thanking God for his freedom, his family, his home.  No doubt, it was a perfect picture of a heart bursting with gratitude.  He knew he’d been given something he didn’t deserve and all the simple pleasures of life were now magnified.  What once was lost, was now found.

This got me thinking!  I wondered if I was as thankful for the simple things as this man.  I wondered if I had become entitled, spoiled & privileged.  Maybe grace had become expected, as if I were owed this life of mine.  Maybe I was charging into every day with the demand: “give me a straight and easy path”, “give me luxuries not known by most” and “give me what you owe me”.  Not that I would ever say that or outright embrace this notion, but instead maybe my heart had drifted?  Maybe…

As I watched this man again…it reminded me of my past.  It reminded me of times when I felt the same way.  It reminded me of my youth, when every day was an adventure.  It reminded me of laughter in rain, my gorgeous bride walking the isle towards her awaiting bridegroom.  It reminded me of my newborn sons’ cry and the fresh smile of a little girl always meant for me!  It stirred something in me.  It stirred that sense so vital to knowing the depth of His grace.  It brought an ember of thankfulness!

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.  For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”   2 Corinthians 9:11-12

The doorway to knowing God is absolute.  There is no substitute and no way around it.  Without a heart of gratitude, we can never know much less experience God.  A thankful heart is a heart full.  A person of gratitude is a person who has the very touch of God on them.

Here are the four marks or attributes of those who’ve discovered the journey of thanksgiving:

• A grateful heart is a generous heart

When you understand the nature of grace given to you, you tend to measure out the same grace on others.  You tend to be generous with your money, your time, your praises, your prayers.  You desire to give and not always take!

• A grateful heart is a forgiving heart

Wounds not cared for become bitterness which then breeds cynicism and sarcasm. Cynicism and sarcasm are markers of a heart grown cold or a grudge held far too long.  A heart thankful will be a heart that embraces it’s own failures and tends to forgive the same in others.  Thankfulness is the antidote to bitterness and fosters deep compassion and charity.

• A grateful heart is a humble heart

It has been said: “in the south our greatest sense of pride is found in our deep humility”.  We often misread true humility.  We often misread true pride.  Gratitude will unmask our deepest intentions and help us see with clarity.  A heart that seeks God cannot entertain both pride and thanksgiving.

• A grateful heart is a worshiping heart

A few years ago I was given a small new testament Bible by Lisa’s grandfather.  As a marine, he carried it in his pocket during the battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific during World War 2.  I was overcome with emotion.  I knew the depths of this gift and the meaning behind it.  The scriptures abound with the pathway to entering God’s presence: through the gates of thanksgiving.  Gratitude reminds of what we’ve been given and the depth of meaning behind it.  Only then can we truly worship!

 

That video of a man set free is our story!  The kiss of sun on our face, the joy & laughter of a house full or the book of memories of days gone by are a sign of God’s incredible gifts.  When we really stop and think about it, ponder His hand in our lives; it doesn’t take long to see we are nothing but ragamuffins and orphans afforded something that was never ours.  How could we possibly complain about another thing…ever!

Be grateful!  Seize this day before it’s gone.  Make the call, hug the neck, forgive and release the hurt.  Choose to be like the man in the video; set free and overcome with thanksgiving.  Then head into Thanksgiving Day and beyond with a heart warmed by the very touch of God.

The devastation from Hurricane Michael is a reminder of just how quickly a storm can turn our world upside down.  The worst of nature can bring out the best in people.  I watched as the fear of devastation caused the people of Florida to reach out to one another without regard to race, ethnicity, culture or economic status.  It’s a beautiful thing with pictures and stories celebrated on the evening news.  Our nation is hungry to see unity.  A devastating storm can do just that!  It reduces us to a place of helplessness in the shadow of a mighty storm.  It’s a reset button; a re-calibration of our compass.

It reminds me of a story found in the Gospels:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”  And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”     Mark 4:35-41

You know this story.  The scene: Jesus and the disciples on board a fishing boat, at night in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.  Note: the Sea of Galilee lies 700 feet below sea level surrounded by highlands & Mount Hermon to the northeast rising to 9,000 feet above sea level.  The cold highland air meets rising hot air from the sea to create huge storms.

The Greek term for “furious squall” is used here to describe a fierce windstorm which literally means “sea quake”.  It was like a hurricane.  The sides of the fishing boat were low and the boat is taking on water.  For the disciples, this was not something they were going to survive.

And of course, Jesus is laying on a cushion, sound asleep.  He is exhausted from a full day of ministry.  With all that’s happening, he’s sleeping like a baby.  Until, of course, the disciples wake him to ask a poignant question: “Don’t you care that we’re going to die”?

God – where are you when I need you?  Don’t you know I can’t pay my bills, keep this marriage together, survive this diagnosis, overcome this depression & anxiety, reconcile with my brother, beat this addiction?  Don’t you see my enemies surrounding me, hear their insults?  Why are you sleeping when I’m on the verge of death?

Fear replaces faith, even when God is so close you can hear him breathe and feel his heartbeat.

Then Jesus, speaks: “Silence!  Be Still!” or literally “be still, and stay still” and nature responds immediately with a great calm.  The fear of the disciples refers to timidity and lack of confidence in God.  But even so, Jesus transformed the great storm into a great calm with a single breath.

But don’t miss the real gut punch here!  After Jesus had calmed the storm and rebuked them for their lack of faith, this happened:

THEY WERE TERRIFIED – literally “they feared a great fear”.  The great storm that Jesus turned into a great calm now led to great fear! “Who is this that even the wind and sea obey him?”

This is the fear which brings a reset and re-calibration.  It’s me and you eclipsed in the sheer magnitude and power of Almighty God.  It’s a fall on your knees and worship kind of fear.  It’s a fear that brings unity, without question or regard.  It’s a fear that melts away all our other fears.

If you find yourself faced with a hurricane, remember: God is in the boat.  But even more so, when He melts the storm away with a word, concede your flesh and ambitions for a place of humility, subjection and submissiveness before the magnitude of who He is!

There’s never been a better place to be before a Holy God!  And just like those scenes from Florida of help, caring and selflessness in the wake of a storm; choose gentleness and kindness as you lead unity in His Church!

Routine often dulls us to the majestic and beautiful.  That which we see and enjoy on a daily basis succumbs to the certainty that it/he/she will always be there.  We often take for granted those who are closest to us until it’s too late.

This summer, while at the beach, I played in the sun until I got burned.  And then I sat in the shade complaining about the heat and sunburn and wishing I had a little respite from the singe of the sun’s rays.

But the past February, I longed for just a flicker of warmth and the feel of the sun on my face and it’s steady warmth to sooth my pale soul.  I was homesick for the very thing in the summer which I wished would wane.

Every day we’ve had on this earth, the sun has risen and set in it’s path.  We set our clocks by it’s course and we live out our schedules completely tethered to the sun’s timetable.  We just take it for granted.

It is God, who at the beginning of the age of this earth created the sun and set her course:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.  And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.  Genesis 1:14-19

Yet today she will go dark.  That which we have grown to rely upon and take for granted will be momentarily snuffed out.

This time, we’re expecting it.  We have our certified viewing glasses.  NASA has given us the forecast schedule and it’s a big party.

Next time, it will be unexpected.  That which we have taken for granted will be darkened as a sign in the heavens:

“The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”  Joel 2:31

“I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;”  Revelation 6:12

Today, as we enjoy the total eclipse of the sun, remember to pause and give thanks for it’s light – for it is a gift from God.  When she peeks her head back out from behind the moon, pause and give thanks for His grace that gives us a second chance.

And finally – do as the scripture says:

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!
Psalm 133:3

Praise Him for this day, for the Word tells us His day of judgement which will darken the earth will surely come!

So let your LIGHT shine!

In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s as war was breaking out in Europe, there were many American’s who desired to remain neutral.  Although concerned for the suffering of our allies, World War One had caused the bulk of our country to become weary of war.  Within the country we were still in recovery from the Great Depression.  We certainly had our own problems without taking on another overseas conflict.  We would watch from a far with concern.  We would help Great Britain by FDR’s Lend Lease program.  But that’s it…let’s not get involved.

Isolationism.  That was our mindset.  What happens over there, as concerning as it may be, will not effect us over here.  Not until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor did that change.  And boy did it change!  The rest is history…

Recently I’ve been troubled by the Western Church’s isolationism toward Israel.  What happens over there, even though we are concerned, certainly won’t effect us over here.  Right?

I believe we are seeing a gradual shift in politics and world sentiment that will set up prophetic events…potentially in our lifetime. 

As the world becomes more and more anti-Israel, we will begin to see obvious signs of God’s supernatural intervention and protection of His covenant people.  So what do we do?

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.  Psalm 122:6-9

As you watch the news…as you see the rockets firing…as you hear & see the hatred – pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  If it were not for God’s covenant people, we as gentiles would not know salvation – for salvation flows through her veins to us.  Remember what Jesus said in John 4:22 – “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews”.  Not FOR the Jews but FROM – “springs” from or “through”.

So…where is the Church?  Why is she silent?

This past spring, my son and I visited Haiti for the first time.  Jake is 14 years old and I knew this would be a powerful moment in his spiritual growth.  One day our team visited a village surrounding a Voodoo temple.  As we walked into the village I quickly felt oppression in my spirit and could see it in the eyes of the people.  Although we were not there long, Jake picked up on it.  He become very disturbed, pleaded with me to leave…NOW!  Once we got back on the bus we had a great teachable moment.

I shared with him as I do with you now: evil rarely shows it’s hand.  It has the ability to cloak itself and most often can only be discerned through the Spirit.

It disguises itself in robes of light and takes on the look of righteousness.  And that is the darkest, ugliest and most disturbing of all.  For it’s true purpose is to attack the church and tear her apart from within – limb by limb.  This evil turns us against one another through gossip, backbiting, slander, and all around grumbling and fighting in the church.  All the while causing us to forget WHO we are and WHAT we are called to be.

As God’s prophetic timetable ticks towards midnight – the church is fighting, bickering or just too self consumed to notice.  And evil, the same we openly felt in the voodoo temple, now concealed – lulls the sleeping giant into an isolationism of our own making.  That same evil that longs to destroy God’s covenant people of Israel has it’s eye on the Church.

Brother’s and Sisters, it’s time we wake up and start acting like the Body of Christ…the one for which our Lord gave His life.

So I encourage you to be aware and keep your eyes open to what our Hebrew brothers and sisters are enduring – and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Let’s not be isolationists – but help carry this burden and fulfill our scriptural command.  Talk about it in your families and be aware that the prophetic time table is ticking…faster and faster every day, month and year.  Be aware that we may see God’s hand in this lifetime. Then – turn your heart towards Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith!  All these things must be fulfilled – and then you will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds.

Even so – come quickly Lord Jesus!

It’s easy for us to enter the Christmas season and go on autopilot.  The holiday season is so driven by traditions (which are not a bad thing)…and typically the busy gets busier and the opportunity to worship is lost.  The focus of Emmanuel becomes us.  He is here for us…to walk with us…to give us hope.  Us, me and I.  He can quickly become our means to an end for our comfort and needs.  Don’t get me wrong, all of this is true…but we must resist the temptation to become the center of Christmas.  Emmanuel – GOD with US.  <

O Come O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.  That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears.  Rejoice, Rejoice Emmanuel.  Shall come to thee O Israel

Allow me to offer a higher view.  The very nature of God is seen in this amazing transcendent act of love.  The unseen has now become visible and we can focus on what had been so hard to see and understand.  All the while knowing – we’ll never really see and understand fully while we inhabit these jars of clay.  For me, the thing that really captures the nature of Emmanuel are two magnificent moments in the scripture that absolutely blow me away…so much so it brings me to my knees every time I dare read them:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  Hebrews 1

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2

He is The Radiant Glory of God!  The Word tells us that heaven will have no light – for the light will be the Lamb of Glory!  Somehow we just dim in comparison.  This Christmas, let’s worship Him for who He is…not for what we get out of it!  Then the priorities will right themselves and you’ll find a dose of worship that really gives you hope!
Come and Worship Christ the newborn KING!

Over the past year I’ve had a growing chorus of conversations with worship pastors, senior pastors, church staff and lay leaders regarding a troubling trend in our houses of worship.  It has many leaders scratching their heads and wondering how to communicate truth which is unwanted and hard to hear.  It’s not a trend relegated to one church or gathering, but seems to be consistent – especially within the notorious Bible-Belt!  It’s born out of apathy and idolatry.  It’s fed by leaders who’ve fostered it into epidemic status by withholding God’s call to obedience before sacrifice.  Those Pastors who’ve courageously addressed it have found a kinship and brotherhood with the prophets of the Old Testament: despised outcast, the black sheep of the church.

Nevertheless, this Sunday our houses of worship will have smatterings of stoic, gloomy, detached “followers of Jesus” who with their arms crossed offer little to no sign of life.  They will sit & stand, write their checks to God, and keep their eyes focused forward.  Their Bibles with them although there is no recognition of it’s power to transform.  They’ll take inventory of things for which they disapprove bearing up arms for later discussion with those who share their misery.  For some with the spiritual gift of discernment and prophecy, it smells of death and deceit.

We’ve redefined worship and invested in a false image of church, and now worship no longer meets our desires, wishes and preferences. 

If you pass among them and are not one of them – the chill of bitterness and divisiveness is alarming.  They are quick to take a pompous stand on principle and tell the rest of the world why it’s bound for a fiery hell.  They will boycott, stomp and shout righteous indignation while devoid of any fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:16-25).  They’ve forgotten we’re all broken and destitute were it not for the grace of God.

Is it any wonder that our churches are dying while our society has rejected this definition of Christianity?  Is this really what God had in mind for the Church?

How far and how deep have we fallen from truth.  When did we ever fall for the lie that this gathering of ragamuffins and sojourners is a celebration of personal desires and wants!  When did we lose our song?  How did we lose our way?

Church leadership will debate the Sunday worship experience – attempting to balance familiar hymns against the new and innovative.  Enormous amounts of time will be spent in extra Biblical exploits with a desire to entice these people to participate.  Blogs will be written arguing the need for more familiarity while others for more innovation to ensure the future.  All the while we play to fleshly desires and feed the baby more sweetened milk…hoping to make him fat and happy.

Should we not look deeper and harder through the lens of indisputable truth?  And the hard truth is this: our hearts are cold.  The Sunday morning worship experience in our gatherings we call “church” has little do with content, style or personalities.  Sadly, the dilemma lies much further and deeper into the spiritual fiber of the western church congregation.

You cannot revive the dead when they don’t know their dead.  And you certainly can’t do it in 1 hour plus on Sunday mornings.

I’ve traveled to parts of the world where redemption can’t be bought and life in Christ is fresh and new.  I’ve stood with believers who have very little other than Jesus.  The glint in the eyes and the passion in the soul will not be quenched.  Before breaking out in song there is no debate on style – only a song.  New, familiar, old or contemporary is not the issue.  Jesus is the issue – salvation the remarkable – grace the unthinkable and worship the inevitable.

Without exception – the heart passionate to know, love and pursue Jesus WILL WORSHIP!

The weekend gathering has less to do with us and so much more to do with a remarkable community of worship based on grace.

A congregation who enters with a song invested in hours of private worship will not be silenced…not by content, style, personalities or preferences.

But let’s take it one step further:

True worship has an obvious prelude and a remarkable lingering. 

The prelude is a song within that is burrowing it’s way out.  It’s a song of joy, praise, love, and gratitude; or authentic brokenness, surrender and repentance.  The lingering is after effect – the continuation empowered by the Spirit; deeper than musical appreciation or emotional high.  It’s found in self sacrificial service surrounded by gentleness, self control, peace, patience, love, kindness and goodness.  Without these Biblical preludes & lingerings…you have a forged and artificial worship.

So – what to do?  That is the question posed so often and I believe finds it’s answer not in complexity but simplicity.  Let me suggest the following – based on God’s Word:

1. Authority – God’s Word is the first and final authority.  Don’t allow any other cultural persuasion to influence you or those you lead!  Teach it unashamedly and allow it’s power to do the work of obedience.
2. Lead – Speak truth on the authority of God’s Word with courage.  You will face adversity from the cultural pharisees within your church.  Stand strong and go in the power of His Spirit…with wisdom and correction.
3. Pray – The power of prayer is undeniable yet untapped!  His house is to be a house of prayer first and foremost.
4. Model – Be a picture of Biblical expressive worship and lead others to embrace it!
5. Repent – cultivate an atmosphere of redemption and forgiveness.  Allow grace to remind the Church she is a broken but beloved bride.
6. Prelude – teach and encourage private worship as a prelude to church gatherings.  Bring your worship with you!
7. Lingerings – confirm the authenticity of worship by testing your fruits and the fruits of those who follow you.

The symptoms are evident and the prognosis is certain death.  The superficial conversations of preference and style based on personalities are killing our churches and silencing our voice of influence.  We no longer look nor behave as God’s beloved bride.

Until we see it as God sees it and call it what it is…our churches will continue to be nothing more than grand palaces of self worship and self gratification.  And the transformational power of the gospel will lie dormant in a world that is desperate for the real deal.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed?  Have you ever felt like just one more thing would send you over the cliff…put you in a tail-spin, drive you mad?  Have you ever been so overwhelmed the everyday journey of coming & going seemed more than you could handle?
The dictionary describes the word “overwhelmed” as: to overcome completely in mind or feeling, to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy; crush.

If that is true for you, then you have arrived smack square in the danger zone!  The feeling of being overwhelmed is a by-product of the pursuit of too much, the over-commitment of good intentions and the power of “yes”.  Culture tells us we need to excel at excess and obtain all that we possibly can…be all things to all people and rise above the rest.  Success is measured by what we can obtain and the experiences we can possess before all is said and done.
We work hard and play even harder!  And in the end, we learn to deal with seasons of being overwhelmed.  It’s just a part of life.
And then, in our own Martha kind of ways, we give our all to Jesus by selling out on the lie that busyness in His church is an indication of our spiritual walk.  Yet in the end, nothing could be further from the truth.

Can you not picture the clanging, banging, huffing and puffing of Martha as she’s preparing dinner for Jesus & the disciples.  Here she was trying to provide a nice meal to the Messiah and she’s getting no help.  Too much to get done, too much to do!  All the while peering around the corner at Mary who’s comfortably lounging in the den…at the feet of Jesus of all places.  How dare her!  Doesn’t she know there’s work to be done, places to go, meals to prepare?  I can’t do all this by myself.  Anger, resentment…overwhelmed!  Danger Zone!
“Hey Jesus”, she calls out.  “Don’t you care that my sister is not helping me?  Tell her to get in here and help.”
And there we find the rub!  In Martha’s mix of good intentions she has now decided to tell Jesus what to do…and in her loss of perspective has dictated to God that her service in the kitchen far exceeds the ridiculous laziness of her sister.  That’s what happens in the Danger Zone of the overwhelmed.

Now, can’t you just hear the deafening pause as Martha’s words still echo in the room?  Can you just hear the silence before He speaks…
“Martha, Martha, Martha, what Mary has found is what REALLY MATTERS, and I will not take it from her”.  Luke 10:38-42

Uh…that’s gotta hurt.  You mean all this work in the kitchen, this toiling and trouble doesn’t matter? Really?
Really!  Martha was simply overwhelmed by a whole lot of good that she missed the great!  And more importantly, the condition of her heart brought a loving reprimand from her creator in the flesh…sitting in her home.  The One who spoke all things into existence was dining at her table…and she missed him.
She had chosen to serve.  Mary had chosen to worship!

When you find yourself in a season of being overwhelmed…try dropping it all for some time at Jesus’ feet.  Stop chasing the American dream and look for Jesus.  You might just find him dining at your table…looking for you!

Recently, I had a chance to speak with a person seeking faith…yet troubled by a common ailment: “if Christianity is what THOSE people practice…then I don’t want anything to do with it – all they do is fight!” The words were icy…cold and hard-hitting. If Only it had been the first time I’d heard them…

Jesus said: “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13)

When we demonstrate a love beyond ourselves towards one another…we give the greatest of all testimonies to our faith! For when the world disputes the miracles…discards the scriptures…abandons the law and slanders our belief…only our visible love for one another remains!

Jesus knew that! That’s why he said – “A new commandment I give you…” That’s why he prayed that we may be “one”…as He and His Father are one”. (John 17)

When we’re one in worship…the Father is glorified! When we’re one in times of need…the Father is glorified! When we carry a brother’s burden or assume her debts…the Father is glorified!

Those who are searching for hope are watching every move you make. They may not understand your words…your principles…your faith. They may laugh away your convictions. But when you love, forgive and seek no revenge…they’ll stop cold in their tracks. For there will never be a day you look more like your Father…

Words are a powerful tool.  Words can bring peace and launch wars.
Words can soothe the soul or stir formidable conflict.
Words once spoken are like a storm unleashed or a soaking rain that can’t be ceased.

The enormous power of words is wielded like a double edged sword by all those born with a tongue. Yet, words in themselves give a glimpse of what exists deep in the heart!  There’s no greater reflection of the soul than the words we expel.

Even the world knows their strength…let me show you:

• Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs. –Pearl Strachan
• Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so he is. –Publilius Syrus
• Be careful of your thoughts; they may become words at any moment. –Ira Gassen
• The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven’t thought of yet. –Ann Landers
• No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous. –Henry B. Adams
• Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it. –Robert Frost
• Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. – Plato
• To speak and to speak well are two things. A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks. –Ben Jonson
• Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. -Jesus Christ

God’s Word admonishes the church time and time again with guardrails and danger signs of the power of words.  Yet in our craftiness, we conceal our hidden agendas around phrases such as: “I just speak the truth” or “Out of love I must tell you” or “I’m so concerned for”.  In our pious holiness we feel it our sovereign just right and responsibility to tell others how to live their lives.  Not based on God’s Word necessarily…but instead on our opinion based on what “God has revealed to me”.  And in our blindness we say…”you must be like me, think like me, speak like me, share my opinions…then you’ll be my sister…my brother.”

Luke 6:43 – “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.  A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces.  Figs never grow on thorn bushes or grapes on bramble bushes.  A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart.  “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say”.

It’s amazing how Jesus never gives us a vehicle of escape or a justifiable excuse.  He simply says bad fruit – bad heart, good fruit – good heart.  No other possibility, no Oops, no momentary slip, no I shouldn’t have said that.  No out!  Your words wound…bad heart.  Your words gossip – bad heart.  Your words tear down – bad heart!  Your words encourage – good heart.  Your words heal – good heart.  Your words build up – good heart.  End of discussion…over and out…done!

And then…the best of all.  He looks us in the eye – peers deep into our soul and asks: “So why do you call me “Lord” when you won’t obey me?”.
Ouch!  No obedience…no lord.

Words!  There’s no greater indication of the soul.  
Words!  Indicate health in greater degree than the best C-scan, MRI & X-ray money can buy.
Wondering what team your playing for?  Check your fruit…your words.  Feeling like things might have gone slightly out of sync…maybe the fruits getting a little ripe? Your heart grown a little cold?  
Then time to remember who you are…we all are: destitute…broken…desperate…sinful…abandoned!
Yet in Christ (and only in Him) I am now:

whole…healed…fulfilled….forgiven…found!

 Now words have a whole new justification – thanks, praise, love, joy, acceptance, gratefulness…
Now that’s power that can change the world!

Out of words…and thankful for it…

When asked what I miss most about Florida, it’s an easy answer: “dirt” I say. That’s right…just plain ole dirt…the easy to dig in, plant in…with some occasional sand mixed in. This mix of clay and rocks in my yard now is not something I enjoy…at all.

In Mark 4:9 – Jesus says: “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand”.

Why do you think Jesus would say something like that after having spent a few moments taking about dirt, soil and seeds. Best guess would be…it’s a matter of life and death – literally!

A farmer (God’s messenger) comes and scatters some seeds. Some fall on the foot path and is immediately carried away by birds. Some fall on rocky soil and can’t grow roots…so in time die. Some fall among thorns and in time is choked out and die. Yet some fall on fertile soil and grow deep roots. They produce a crop that is thirty, sixty, even a hundred times as much as had been planted. It doesn’t require a degree in horticulture or vast experience in farming to realize that not all seeds planted will grow. Not all soil is alike. Yet the condition of our soil is indeed a choice.

In unique and diverse ways, everyday seeds are thrown your way. Some of us receive it with great anticipation, joy and open arms. Yet – the cares of this world, the lure of wealth, the appeal of nice things and a nice life choke away truth – leaving the only eventuality: despair, destruction, lostness on an eternal scale! But the fertile soil produces a bumper crop. Great soil equals great growth!

So dirt really does make a difference! Pliable, loose, fertile soil ready to receive the seeds and bear a crop for which it was intended. Let’s do some tilling…and check the measure of our soil. The Farmer is casting seeds…let’s be ready.