Without Vision Nations Crumble

 

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Where there is no vision, the people perish:  but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.  Proverbs 29:18^(KJV)

The reason the apostles were all willing to die for Christ (and most of them WERE martyred) is they had a clear vision of the cross.  They knew God had been crucified on Calvary, but He was alive again!  The vision of a Lord who not only ruled life but death as well, gave them the power to live and die as conquerors. 

·       It was a clear vision of living in freedom that caused a ragtag bunch of slaves to follow a former murderer named Moses out into the desert. 

·       It was a clear vision of God's holiness that caused Isaiah to fall on his knees and cry out, Woe to me...I  am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes  have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.  ^{Isaiah 6:5} 

·       It was a clear vision of an irresistible call of God that caused a young shepherd-boy named David to stand against Goliath. 

·       It was a clear vision of the need of grace in the life of each one of us that caused Jesus to set Himself towards Jerusalem, submit to  the emotional pain of Gethsemane, the evil purposes of a sham trial, and the excruciating penalty of judgment for all our sins on that old rugged cross. 

My friends, if you can get ONE CLEAR VISION of what your life is to stand for, your days will never be the same.  In Christian circles we call that finding God's will. 

I've been told so many times by sincere, seeking people, I'm certain God wants me to do SOMEthing.  I just wish I could know what His will is.   Beloved, you're no different than anyone else who's ever wanted to know God's will.  The fact is God Himself wants you to know it.  Often we are so less willing to DO God's will than He is willing to share it with us, so that we aren't in a position to hear His will if He shouted it in our ears.  There are conditions to knowing God's will, but...

YOU CAN HEAR AND UNDERSTAND GOD'S DIRECTION FOR YOUR LIFE IF YOU WANT TO; AND IT WILL OPEN YOUR EYES! ^[1]

For You Today

If knowing God’s will for your life is the most important responsibility He’s given you, isn’t it the clearest mandate you need to seek that will, above all else, until He reveals it to you?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] Russell Brownworth, Learning and Doing (a sermon)

On the Right Side of History

 

Monday, January 25, 2021

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”  Genesis 12:1-3

I’m old enough to have a history with experience.  My first vote in a presidential election was in 1968; in a total of 14 elections, I voted for the winner 8 times.  In Las Vegas, being right 57% of the time means you go home with full pockets.  But I’m not sure this applies; it’s just reporting the results like the newscasters.  “Winning” is so very temporary and having the most votes simply equates with popularity.

As each of those voting seasons came to an end, the “winning side” claimed a new era of peace, justice, and the American way, that the “other side” had been defeated, and now we can begin again to set things right.  And every time I heard one of those afterglow statements of victory, I always had an uneasiness about the certitude of the winner.  Depending on whether my vote had been for the victor, my feeling was either agreeably-uncertain, or disdainfully-uncertain.  I always had a sense of what-if, as in what-if-my-vote-was-on-the-wrong-side-of-history?

Now, before I lose you in thoughts of either gloating over winning, or sour-grapes for losing, this is about neither.  It has to do with choosing the right-side of history, which has nothing to do with which side may “win” or “lose”. 

Winston Churchill is often attributed for originating the phrase history is written by victors, however it is a phrase much older than World War II.  It is also suspect according to some:  One author has it that, [t]he more accurate quote would be, ‘History is temporarily twisted by people who’re going to profit from it in the short term.’[1] 

Whether it comes from the political right or left, I think this expediency motive may prove flawless.  It’s simply a matter of understanding that publicity matters when it comes to staying in power; when it comes to holding the high ground in public opinion, perception is its’ own reality.

Now, all of that is a matter of human relationships, political machinations, and intentions of those who would be the victor, not the vanquished.  The tides of popularity and so-called success are short-lived. 

So, what do we make of all this?  Is this just cynicism, or hyper-criticism?  Should we not participate in it at all…summarily trash everything?  Absolutely not!

So, what then?  What is the purpose in all of this?  Why even bring up the matter if there is no end to it? 

Well, I’m glad you asked.

Like the unknown cards in another’s hand, God stands behind the curtain of our ability to see.  And, as with Abraham, the Lord stands ready to bless or curse, depending on whether we intend to act with or against His will.  This is the nature of God in His complete Sovereignty.  Sovereign God is the ultimate winner in complete righteousness.  His will is immutable and irresistible.  And, therefore, it is God’s will which constructs, writes, and validates any “history”.

For You Today

If you want to be on the right side of history, it is a matter of surrendering one’s heart and life to God’s will. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

GO TO VIDEO

[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on Genesis 12 see Yield - Part 2 and Leaving and Arriving      

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[1] Shubham Jain in “History Is Written By Victors” Is A Foolish Phrase

 

James the Just - Part 8 - Patriarchs and Prostitutes

[1]

Thursday, August 22, 2019

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 

Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see, his faith and his actions worked together.  His actions made his faith complete.  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say:  “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  He was even called the friend of God.  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.  Rahab the prostitute is another example.  She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.   Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.    James 2:14, 21-26

How can I know I have a genuine faith, and not a mirage?  How can I be sure?  Look at the examples James gives: 

Abraham was justified... (that means God accepted him) based on his faithfulness.  God asked Abraham to burn the bridge behind him, leave his home and follow God out to the wilderness.  Abraham said, Alright, I'll go.  That was faith.  But it was the loading of the camels, the endless ridicule he endured that was works. 

I can picture the scene: Abraham and Sarah packing up the family stuff, and the neighborhood wag leaning over the fence; 

Hey, Abe...Don't you know there's snakes out there in that sand?  I know another fool that went out there without a map.  He never came back.  Abe, maybe you'd better reconsider this. 

But he went.  Faith came alive in deeds. 

The other example James gives was Rahab the harlot who burned her bridges behind her.  When the children of Israel were marching towards her city, Jericho, she made the decision to throw in with God's people, and she helped by hiding the reconnaissance team Joshua had sent. 

Think of the scene inside the walls of Jericho that night.  

Sister Rahab, are you nuts, girl?  Here we are inside the most fortified city in Canaan.  Those silly Jews don't know how to fight; all they can do is walk around the outside.  You'd better reconsider this; the city fathers aren't going to like it when they hear you've been helping those spies.

But Rahab hung in there, and those silly Jews kept on marching seven days around the walls of Jericho.  And then 7 times on the 7th day....and the walls came down.  The faith of Rahab, a common streetwalker, is chronicled in Matthew's gospel ^{(Ch 1)}.  Rahab's grandson was named Jesse who had a son named David, King David.  And out of the lineage of David was born a king in a manger... Jesus. 

Rahab had faith.  She put it all on the line in deeds.

For You Today

How can you know for sure that your faith is alive?  You can begin to take your spiritual pulse by throwing yourself wholeheartedly into deeds of loving service to others.  I guarantee you will know inside of a month what is genuine and what is mirage. 

Where do you start?  Begin with forgiving your neighbors, and fellow church members. 

Ø  Start to give OF yourself, instead of concentrating ON your own needs.  That is the model Jesus gave us. 

Ø  Start to depend on the Father to supply what needs to be given.... Don’t concentrate on what you don't have to give. 

Ø  But, most of all...Do Start!

Occasionally a person will get involved in a church, and there’s no change.  There’s no joyful satisfaction to being involved in the things of God.  The problem there was the “cart before the horse.”  You cannot work yourself into having faith. 

Faith is a gift from God.  I invite you today to make a commitment in your heart to the Author of faith, Jesus Christ.  Then the works – the good deeds you do – will be a matter of joy, not a matter of trying to work your way into heaven.  It can’t be done!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

 

Go to VIDEO

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of  Wikimedia Commons     Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

It's Not Easy Being Green

[i]

Monday, May 29, 2017

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.  Psalm 37:4^(NLT)

Jim Henson’s puppet character Kermit the Frog had a lot to say about making peace with yourself about who and what you are, and not entering into destructive forms of selfish behavior in order to make sense of that which troubles you.

Listen to the green philosopher: 

It's not that easy being green;

            Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold-or something much more colorful like that.

It's not easy being green. 
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things.
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water-or stars in the sky.

But green's the color of Spring. 

            And green can be cool and friendly-like.
And green can be big like the ocean, or important like a mountain, or tall like a tree.

When green is all there is to be It could make you wonder why, but why wonder?

            Why Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful! 
And I think it's what I want to be.[ii]

Kermit, figured out that he was created green (after all, he’s a frog); but what’s more, Kermit learned to look for the beauty in what God made.  And in so-doing, the frog accepted the fact of his green-ness and his frog-ness, and found that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Note the last line of Kermit’s song:

And I think it's what I want to be.

That is one fine frog commentary on the Psalmist’s advice to us this morning about making peace with all that surrounds your life.  Taking delight in the Lord is a matter of accepting everything about the way you came into this world, including your family, where and how you were born, what you look like, and all the other stuff that makes up the hand you were dealt…and thanking God for His wisdom in giving you breath, life, and even the not-so-wonderful circumstances, or overly-wonderful circumstances in which you find yourself.

What is absolutely astounding in 100% of human existence is that once you come to terms with that hand you’ve been dealt in life – you begin to realize that the heart of God created you in a most magnificent way, better than anything you could have imagined – and it has inexplicably become the desire of your heart too!

For You Today

If God created you to be green, be the best green ever!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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 ^I Title image: By Dawn Endico from Menlo Park, California (Cindy Lou Who meets Kermit the Frog), via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] Muppets - It's Not Easy Being Green Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Standing in the Sweet Spot

[i]

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven columns.  She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table.  She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.  She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.  “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.  To those who lack good judgment, she says, “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed.  Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment.”  Proverbs 9:1-6^(NLT)

Learning to use the wisdom God has made available through His Word is not only valuable for our lives, it is vital!

Rev. Jay Hilbinger, senior pastor at First Lutheran Church in Greensboro, shared in a message this past Sunday about his recent vacation time at North Carolina’s Outer Banks.  Of course there was beach-walking…who can resist such?  What intrigued me more than anything was his illustration of what it means to stand in the sweet spot and hear from both sides.  The sweet spot of a golf club impacting a golf ball is where you get the best results; you get the most distance and accuracy for your shot. 

According to Pastor Jay he found a sweet spot on the dunes just off Highway 12.  If you stand at the top of the dunes facing North or South, on the West you will hear the normal North Carolina birds chirping and the assorted sounds of life in rural villages and towns.  On the East your other ear will pick up the sounds of gulls, terns and the unmistakable roar of the Atlantic Ocean.  That’s coastal life in beautiful North Carolina; one dune, yet two so very different voices – so close to multiple personality disorder!

But, doesn’t this also describe how a Christian must experience life in today’s cultural climate?  On the one hand we have Biblical instruction, the living Word of God, instructing us on what is healthful and helpful for our lives.  On the other hand a myriad of voices calling us to behavior that is destructive in every way.

Standing in the sweet spot to listen with wide open ears and a discerning heart is required for mature Christians.  With one ear we hear the siren call of the far country, beckoning our allegiance to that which disintegrates life, and with the other ear we hear the call of God to be different:

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.  For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:15-16 ^(NLT)

A sweet spot is where you can hear both sides calling and therein know the difference between the two.  For 20^th century Swiss theologian Karl Barth, the sweet spot was Bible in one hand and newspaper in the other.  He qualified this by stating the Bible was to inform the newspaper, and not the other way around!  You cannot “be holy” or different (as God indeed calls us to be) without knowing where the culture departs from serving God’s purposes and will.  The sweet spot of a quiet place to listen is the best use of wisdom.

For You Today

Standing in the sweet spot…growing wise…leaving simple ways behind…that’s a banquet of life!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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 ^I Title image: By Alexandar Vujadinovic (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Side Tracks & Sure Things

[i]

Monday, January 2, 2017

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.  Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.  He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.  And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.        Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-10^(NLT)

As the year changes it’s typically time to think about how things went in the previous twelve months, and then do a little forecasting as to what the next year might bring.  Perhaps there is a new challenge on the horizon, or an old problem that has resurfaced.  Maybe you face a new opportunity that calls for a decision.

That was certainly Abraham’s situation[ii] when God called on him to pick up everything that he called home and family and move out.  It was a tough decision because God hadn’t even named the place, let alone what Abraham would do once he got there.  The poor man didn’t have Google maps or a real estate agent; God just told him to go.

How do you make decisions based on that kind of slim information?  The author of Hebrews didn’t equivocate; it was faith!  You start by faith – you walk by faith – and you finish that way!  

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17^(KJV)

Walking by faith doesn’t mean blindness.  God expects us to investigate where He’s leading by the signs he promises to show us.  The question we all have is:  Just how do I know what is God’s leading, and what isn’t?

Well, that’s also, ultimately, a matter of faith, isn’t it?  But there is a starting point that I’ve discovered over the years that puts some meat on the bones of faith.  That starting point always has prayer as the door.  If you want to walk in faith, there is no more certain beginning than to hit your knees and lay out the uncertainty of your heart to God.  Remember what James said:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  James 1:5^(NLT)

Now, that’s the asking part – even a child knows to ask.  What about the knowing; how can you separate God’s answer from everything else?

My answer for that has always been clearer, and proved itself out in the day-to-day of life when I bring my submission to the table.  It’s something like this:

1.     I pray for God to show me His will on doing “A” as opposed to doing “B”

2.     I submit that I don’t know which is best.  “A” has been my longtime pattern; “B” seems to be a wonderful opportunity.

3.     I confess that I want “B” to work out, but my first desire is not to miss God’s desire for my life.

4.     I explore the pros and cons of “A” versus “B”, trusting God will reveal to my heart how His will is leading to His highest blessing for the sake of His kingdom. 

This is the part that’s like Abraham moving out on faith, not having all the facts, figures, spreadsheets and contracts.  If there’s a change God wants me to move-out to claim, praying for His will is one of the ways I’ve seen that keeps me from letting Russell’s carnal nature make decisions that I will regret.  If you’re going to walk in faith with God, you’ve got to begin with faith that submits to God’s will, not your wants. 

For You Today

So, what’s going on in the beginning of this new year in which you hear God calling?  And, by the way, no contracts, no guarantees come with the “God-walk” of faith; remember, it’s the evidence of things NOT seen!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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[i] Title image: By SMU Central University Libraries, via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] Genesis 12