Martin Luther King Jr. Day

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’
God created man in His own image, in the image of God
He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26a, 27a

Note:  One race only – the Human Race in many colors, many tribes – one humanity.  And man has perverted these things and judges others in their differences as “less than” and “not equal to me”.  But it is not so in the Kingdom of God.  And one day, God Himself will reconcile it all to His plan and design.

“A voice is calling,  ‘Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.  “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;  Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it  together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’” Isaiah 40:3-5

Note: The Bible is filled from end to end with God’s plan for unity.  Such words to us: to examine our hearts to see that we are in the Faith; to give preference to others; think more of others than ourselves; to love others as we love ourselves; to care our neighbor as we do [care for] ourselves. God’s word commands us to be of the same mind as one-another, and to be at peace with all men where possible in us.

So yes, it will all happen as told in Isaiah 40 (and elsewhere in those 66 books) when God is ready to bring this age to a close, and in the meantime you and I could and can choose to embrace everyone – for everyone has been created in God’s image. 

Today our nation remembers Martin Luther King Jr. for his efforts to help us remember and recognize that all people of all colors are those created in Gods’ image, and we have the choice this day and every day to embrace every individual we encounter as just that.  

When I speak, think, or act today, will it be burned up in the fires of Christ on judgement day, or move with me into Eternity.  As I read the Scriptures, those things that will burn will be all those that were not done “in Christ”

“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is:
fear God and keep His commandments,
because this applies to every person.
For God will bring every act to judgment,
everything which is hidden,
whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Is Jesus Enough?

It was at Starbucks, and we were sitting with new friends Rod & Marjie Barnett, whose daughter had become a beloved part of our family while staying with us during her internship here in Phoenix.   Rod shared how he had been in the hospital with stage 4 cancer and was in crushing pain when the curtain opened to reveal a pastor.   The pastor related how he had been driving by when prompted by God to go pray for a man in this room. It was just a prompting of the Holy Spirit that led him to Rod’s bedside, as they were unknown to each other. The pastor prayed then closed the curtain leaving my new friend puzzled, then suddenly the curtain opened again. The pastor had returned to say: “Before I Go, I have one question: If Jesus was all you had, is He enough?”

My friend laid there pondering this question and found himself repeating again and again that YES, Jesus is enough, and that he would never abandon Christ, even as God has promised never to abandon him. He was reminded once again that setting our mind on the things above comes before our ability to move our focus off our circumstances to those things of Christ. Focusing on our circumstances is most often the normal response to life, yet Paul tells us we can change that focus. (See Col 3:1-3)

That meeting at Starbucks was nearly three years ago, and Rod continues to find that significant strength in Jesus alone. At Starbucks, Rod shared wisdom that only comes from above, and I’ve held fast to it in the years that followed. Rod wrote recently giving me permission to share his story here and his paraphrase from Psalm 16:11: “Life is good, because God is in control.”

The Great Commandment first found in Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us that we must love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbors as our self.   When I am asked to do a wedding ceremony, I often follow the reading of that Scripture by reminding the bride and groom to stay close to God; that the Bible, prayer, and worship are our binding glue, while mentors and like-minded groups (and friends like Rod) will impart God’s wisdom to us.

I remind them that emotions WILL rise from time to time moving our focus quite naturally on circumstance, but to raise our focus to the things above, letting kind and gentle words pave our way. Laughter and regular fun help. Ultimately, living centered on Christ, in ever-greater selfless consideration of each other, our marriage becomes the strong three-cord strand that God designed for us.

We all need to see Christ so clearly, so up close and personal that we realize, and understand like Rod, that Jesus is worthy of our losing everything we value in life in order to know Him. The more we know Him the better we are able to serve Him. The more clearly we see God, the more we are able to give to one another, fulfilling the call of the Scriptures.

Marriage is a radical servant-hood and as I wrote last month, it is the end of our perceived entitlements in life, “our rights” and personal comfort.   Keep in mind that the rights and entitlements we think we have before marriage are just an illusion, since ultimately the only entitlement mankind has, is separation from God because of our sin. But marriage brings home the illusion shattering reality. As your pastor I charge myself and you, to live unselfishly, before one another, submitting to each other in the years to come. As we do, the more willing and able we will become to persevere through anything, holding fast to Jesus —knowing that like emotions, trials too will come.

I will leave you with one final thought from the Word of God found in Philippians 4:6-7: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

My friend, a long time follower of Christ, found that day in the hospital, renewed focus, a deeper and sustaining relationship with Jesus, and we will do the same as we explore our relationship with Him and allow the Spirit of God to take us to new depths in our adoration of Christ. If you’d like to hear more about becoming “up close and personal with God”, click here to listen or download an MP3 talk from Dr. Dallas Willard. (left click to listen, right click to download). I believe it will touch your spirit and refresh your soul.

Jesus in the Chair

Followers of Jesus learn early, throughout the New Testament, that the Holy Spirit lives in us, giving us hope and eyes to see that the world does not know or see.  We learn – then so often seem to get distracted, even sidelined, by the complexities of our busy lives.   It doesn’t take long before we’re living life in our own strength, and forgetting that He is with us in all we do.

In recent months we’ve had a pack of five or more Coyotes living somewhere just over the wall of our yard. Because we have two dogs that have had for many years, 16 hour a day yard access through a doggy-door, it has caused us to rethink how we live.   Coyotes easily clear a 6 foot fence, and hunt in packs.  We regularly see four or five out front, and they would snatch either of our dogs in a heartbeat if they could.  These days, the dogs are outside only when under the careful watch of one of us.  We might just sit on the patio and watch them – and perhaps notice that their behavior is altered by our presence. Failure to be watchful, has already caused several of our neighbors to lose their family dogs and cats.

As deadly as Coyote’s are to beloved pets, sin is right outside our walls too – crouched there to destroy the beloved of God.  Sin will destroy a testimony, a marriage, a family, a life.

While we may have forgotten it, we too have a watchman with us – in that chair at the table, in the room where we are sitting relaxing, or dealing with the life issues with one another.  Jesus is in that empty chair, to hear our tone, our heart before our spouse, and to encourage us to see them as He does.   I might tend to see my wife with her faults – we ALL have them – but if I remember that He is there, Jesus is there to remind me that she is good-willed, a saint, created in His image, with His godly character, fully loved and a fellow heir of the Kingdom of heaven.

Keeping that in my mind can and should change my outlook, even my tone, heart and motives as we talk with one another.  What would I say to my spouse in the presence of God that would differ from what I might say were He not there?

I believe it is an act of our will that remembers God’s presence is with us.  Over the years I’ve heard some suggest that we leave an empty chair at the Kitchen table, and one in the Family or Living Room as a reminder, wherever we gather.  One family I visited years ago, kept a chair in their living room with a framed picture of Christ sitting in it.   But nothing takes the place of the sheer and passionate desire for that kind of closeness with God, and our choice to remember He is here, allowing our behavior to become externally and internally more godly  before another of His children.  Don Farr is a Certified LifePlan™ Facilitator and Coach in Paradise Valley, Arizona – find him on the web at http://www.ncs-az.net/lifeplan.htm