“Until a humility which will rest in nothing less than the end of self; which gives up all honor of men as Jesus did, to seek the honor that comes from God alone; which absolutely makes and counts itself nothing, that God may be all, that the Lord alone may be exalted, until such a humility be what we seek in Christ above our chief joy, and welcome at any price, there is very little hope of a religion that will conquer the world.” Andrew Murray, Humility Pg. 11
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.So it is with Christ ….14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ….27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
I Cor. 12: 12-27
Vacations are superdeedooper things. I went on a brief break away a few weeks ago and came back feeling like the guy you see in the picture above. I felt recharged and refurbished, ready to take on the world.
Then last week half our staff took their turns and went on their vacations. Today I am feeling more like this guy.
Now I am not here to bash on vacation-taking or vacation-takers; As I already said I think they are superdeedooper. Everyone needs one. Covering for a fellow soldier while they take some down time is just what we should do for one another. It is what we do here at Cornerstone. One steps back to rest and another steps into the gap for a season.
But the vacation season has gotten me thinking. What happens when people don’t just take vacations? What happens when people quit the work because they are weary in well-doing? What happens when people just never show up for their appointed rounds because …..
Everyone in the body is essential. Everyone has a job. If the body loses a hand it’s not like the nose can just pick up what the hand dropped. If the nose decides to quit and jump off the body it’s not like the foot can start syphoning oxygen from the air for the body to keep breathing.
Maybe this is why churches get a bad rap. Congregants complain how the church isn’t doing this or that; Noses blame hands for not being noses and hand blame noses for not being hands and meanwhile nobody does their job. Then fingers point in blame at the pastor because he’s not doing…(you fill in the blank)
Vacations are good things. Sabbath and rest are biblical concepts; but in the body of Christ nobody gets to live the life of leisure while the rest of the body works overtime to fill in the gap left by those who would rather complain about other parts of the body rather than take up their own responsibility.
Hey fellow body parts let’s enjoy our vacations this year but let’s come back ready to work together to finish building the kingdom!
“Happiness is not a life without pain, but rather a life in which the pain is traded for a worthy price.”
― Orson Scott Card, Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
The above quote pretty closely echoes one of my favorite Scripture verses from Hebrews chapter 12
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” ESV
Every worthwhile endeavor has a price tag attached to it. Even VBS (Vacation bible School) which would seem to be all fun and games comes at a cost to the people who would see young lives changed. There is the giving of time, talent and treasure to every Kingdom event in which we involve ourselves. I am no longer surprised by this nor am I disappointed because I remember something else God said in MA 19:29
“everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold3 and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” ESV
As I come upon a very busy weekend of ministry I am happy because I am being allowed to invest in something that will outlast the sun; That is souls brought into the kingdom of God!
“There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.” ― C.S. Lewis
As soon as I read this quote I knew I would be choosing this picture taken at the Chimes Tower in Longwood. Life is seriously good these days. A time is come of great accomplishment. Whether the world ever sees what I do or not hardly matters. I am where God has ordained me to be and that is my first and greatest joy! I feel like I am somehow escaping the snare of fear of man and approval addiction I have long struggled with!
Have you ever struggled with approval addiction? What helps you overcome it?
We may live in a dark world but the light is constantly working to infiltrate that darkness. I am happy about that truth, even though light is no gentle rain falling across the meadow of our lives; Most times light comes as a fire ball surprising us with its sudden appearance in the sky over our heads. It can be disconcerting even a bit frightening in its scope and challenge. We can rejoice or mourn over its coming. If you are like me you have done both depending on the situation you find yourself in at the given moment of the light’s appearance.
Light is glorious!
Light is filled with hope!
Light is challenging to our personal darkness!
Light is almost always inconvenient!
Light calls us to be better than we are!
Light leaves no room for shadows!
I am glad God has come with His light to infiltrate my life.
I am challenged by that.
I am happy about that.
How is the light challenging you today?
What emotions is that light stirring inside of you today?
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:16-20 NIV
Happiness is mostly a by-product of doing what makes us feel fulfilled.
I think the problem is that most of us end up pursuing things we think will pursue us only to find in the end they could never truly fill the gap. I think it was Spurgeon who said “Inside of every man is a God-sized hole.”. Only in the pursuit of God will we find our true fulfillment and happness.
Thisis my friend Brian Dickens. He is one of our town’s summer musicians doing concerts in the park.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Psalm 77:12-20 NIV
Sometimes I just don’t understand what God is trying to accomplish through His works in my life. Who am I kidding? Most times I don’t understand what God is trying to accomplish through His works in my life! It seems like our whole relationship is one long series of God working and my misunderstanding what He is doing, my complaining to Him about his unfairness and His patience in bringing me around to an Aha moment and an apology for my blindness.
In that I am in good company with the Psalmist here, the Psalm starts out as a lament, a complaint.
He writes… “Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”Psalm 77:8b-9
But then he writes a few verses later… “I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
I use to think that the Psalmist was trying to make the point that in stormy times it is good for people of faith to meditate positively on the power of God and encourage themselves with a walk down memory lane to think about the good old days.
For a while I interpreted Psalm 77:12-20 as “Remember! God showed up then, He will show up now. Don’t worry.”
It is that, but the Psalmist is also trying to say something more. He does talk about dwelling on the miracles of the past, but he talks a lot more about the context those miracles came packaged in…The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
What the Psalmist is trying to say to us here is “Look folks every time God started a miracle it was in a time of confusion and turmoil. It was during a time when God’s people were absolutely sure they had lost Him…a time when they couldn’t find His footprints to follow. Every time God chose to show up the Heavens were brass, lightning flashed, and rain poured down on the people of God.”
The word of encouragement here is about the context. If your world is falling apart. If you feel like you are under God’s judgment. If you feel like God has forgotten you, take heart because you are ripe for an appearance of God. Just don’t stop looking for Him to show up! He will show you His unseen footprints and lead you out!
The Walk to the Water Gardens
A few times a year I try to break away for a time of solitude and prayer. Such times help me to refocus and gain some much-needed perspective on life. Sort of like climbing to the top of a high hill and being able to see the lay of the land below.
The Rose Wall
A few weeks ago I had the chance to break away for a day a prayer at Longwood Gardens just outside of Chadds Ford PA.
My son and I arrived at Longwood after a late breakfast. We walked the gardens together through lunch time and then he headed off to work leaving me with a six-hour block of time to read the Bible and pray.
Joe at the waterfall
Lately I have felt a bit overwhelmed by the scope of work I see God opening up before me. I brought many of my concerns about my own ability to Him that day. In response He took me to the words of Hebrews Chapter 11
” Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.”Heb. 11:1
The Webb House in the Meadow Garden
As I pondered how I should address my current responsibilities in faith I took a long walk through the meadow garden. During the course of that walk I stumbled upon this sign.
I realized then, that every time I begin to get a handle on the pace of life the pace of life seems to quicken. The answer I was left with was to rest in the flow. God also reminded that I am not alone in the boat. If the work is increasing then the labor force has to increase as well.
The night is coming on fast and there is still much to do. God showed me that while I might see a corner piece of some of that work even that much is not mine to do. I don’t have to do everything I see, only those things I see my Father doing.
When my son met me at 9 that evening I felt ready to take on these new challenges facing me in ministry.
When was the last time you took a day to pray and get your bearings? What has the Lord been telling you in your prayer time??
The more we express our gratitude to God for our blessings,
the more he will bring to our mind other blessings. The more
we are aware of to be grateful for, the happier we become.
– Ezra Taft Benson
I promised I would keep you updated on the state of my very first pears from my baby pear trees. Well here they are and I bless God that these little guys are still growing!
Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
Life is never perfect. We have all said that before, but maybe that’s not the best way to put the condition of life into words. Perhaps a better way to say it is that life is not perfectly what we expect. It could be that life is perfectly what we need in order to become perfect. If so, while everything in life may not be good we can still receive it with joy knowing that somehow God will use it for our good.
In that way then the words of the old hymn are true,
