A Reasonable Faith? A Faith Discovered Through Love

            Have you ever thought about your life as being an intricately woven tapestry?  The longer we live, the more experiences we have, the more people we encounter and each of those experiences and relationships are a colored thread woven together making up the story of our life.

            I recently read the story of a father and son who were out snowmobiling in the Sierra mountains.  Dad wrecked his snowmobile into a tree and badly broke his femur.  His son had to leave his Dad, drive numerous miles to get help and then lead the rescue party back to his Dad.  When I read the story all I could think about was what a defining moment for that young boy.  There is an experience and story that will never be forgotten!  There is a significant thread in his life that will shape his future.

            Think about your life.  What are the major threads – the experiences and relationships – that have been woven together to make your story?  Who are the important people that are the threads holding everything together?  What are the colors of the threads?  The dark threads represent the hard things and painful relationships.  The bright threads represent the joys of life.  Each is necessary to weave the picture God is making.

            The Apostle John tells us there is another weaving taking place in our lives.  It is a weaving of divine love for you and your response to that love. 

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”  (John 14:21)

One of the threads is you.  You become part of the weave has you pay attention to the commands of God and follow them.  This is how you weave your life to the life of Christ.  Another thread is God the Father.  His thread is woven into our thread when we love what he loves – Jesus.  The final thread is Jesus.  He weaves his thread back into our lives as we love him. 

God will not force himself into any tapestry.  Jesus will not force his thread to be woven with ours.  He stands waiting, willing, longing to be woven into our lives but he must be invited.  That is the first act of faith, to simply say “Yes” to Jesus’ thread.  As we keep his commandments we show the evidence of our love for Jesus.

Where is Jesus waiting to be invited into your tapestry?  Is there a fear you are facing?  A stronghold you seek to overcome?  Are there wonderful things taking place in your life?  Jesus wants to be woven in.  He only waits for your invitation.

Peace and grace,

David

A Prayer of Invitation:  Dear Jesus, I invite you to be part of all that is happening in my life.  I pray your thread and the Father’s thread of divine love will be woven into all I do, all I am.  I don’t always understand this but open my eyes to see you and the Father’s love in my life.  Amen

A Reasonable Faith? A Faith Shaped By Grace

             Over the past eight weeks I have been trying to help us wrestle with some of the challenging and pressing questions that people have about the Christian faith.  Increasing numbers of people in our world are questioning whether following Jesus is a reasonable thing.  We’ve looked at questions of science and faith, understanding the Bible, how the Christian faith is different than other faiths, the problem of hell and the problem of evil.  In all of these things I have sought to show that, although there may still be mystery with some things, the Christian faith makes sense.  I have challenged us to consider believing in Jesus and following Jesus does not require us to check our intellect at the door and unthinkingly plunge into belief.  I have argued that indeed, Christianity is a reasonable faith.  Until now.

            There is one, distinct, foundational belief of Christianity that sets it apart from every other faith system, religion and life philosophy.  It is found only in Christianity and it can’t be defended as reasonable.

            When you look at the definition of “reasonable” in a dictionary it says things like “fair and sensible; based on good sense; able to think, understand, or form judgments by a logical process.”  What is central to Christianity that is unreasonable – not guided or based on good sense, beyond the limits of acceptability – you ask?  It is grace.

            Here are some ways to try and understand grace.  Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.  Grace is receiving unmerited favor.  Grace is receiving kindness when you are a complete, total jerk, idiot, nincompoop.  It is kindness on your worst hair day, bad attitude day, fit-throwing day, rebellion day.  Grace does not make sense.  Grace is not fair.  Grace is not logical.  Grace is acceptability in the face of unacceptability.

            Grace just isn’t reasonable.  If you are running from God, ignoring God or rebelling against God you don’t believe you need grace.  No matter what, you reason that you’re not really that bad.  Because you’re really not that bad there really is no need for grace.  At some level you believe you are “good enough.”  Grace is unreasonable to you.

            If you are following Jesus and growing in a heart that is sensitive to the convictions and leadings of the Holy Spirit you become regularly amazed God would be gracious toward you.  As you understand the depth of your sinfulness from which Jesus saved you, a sense of unworthiness can wash over you.  You are not worthless – otherwise Christ would not have died for you – but you are unworthy of the love, mercy and grace poured out upon you that has brought salvation, healing, hope and blessings.  “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me” wrote John Newton as his heart grappled with God’s undeserved kindness toward him.  Grace is unreasonable.  Grace does not make sense.

            If you are looking for a completely rational, reasonable faith then you must reject Jesus.  What he offers you does not make sense because you don’t deserve his unfailing love, his complete forgiveness, his amazing blessings.  And that is exactly the point.  You don’t deserve it.  You can’t do anything to deserve.  You never have.  You never will.  It is grace.  It is unmerited.  It is un-earnable.  It is unreasonable.

            You are either in God’s grace through Jesus or you are not in God’s grace.  Saying “Yes” to Jesus is the difference.  Have you said yes to unreasonableness yet?

Grace and peace,

David

“But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”” (Titus 3:4–7, NLT)

            

Keeping Faith In The Face of Evil - Living With Scars

            If you look closely at my right hand on the knuckles you will notice a significant L-shaped scar.  The story I love to tell about how I got this scar is it came about when I got into a fight in a bar one night.  This was before I was a follower of Jesus and my usual ending to the story is “And you should have seen the other guy!”  Of course, when I tell this story it gets all kinds of wide-eyed looks.  Until I confess it is a total fabrication.  The real story is much less…sensational.

            When I was young I had 26 warts and a bunch of them were on the back of my right hand.  This was before doctors understood that this indeed was one of those times where the best advice was to “rub some dirt on it.”  Or, at the least put some duct tape on it and they would go away.  Instead, one day I had the warts on my hand cut off and then burnt to cauterize them.  (I can still smell that smell!)  My Dad said I was very brave – didn’t cry at all.  The rest of the warts just disappeared after that.

            The result of the treatment was a scar that still helps me remember which hand is my right one and gives me opportunity to tell a pretty good sensational lie about how it got there.  That is the real story.

            Scars make for good stories.  Everyone has a scar story they love to tell.  The scar is a reminder you were injured and proof you survived.  They don’t go away – just a constant reminder that something went sideways.

            There are many scars we have that people can’t see.  They are the scars on our heart and soul, wounds as real and deep as the tearing of our flesh that left the external scar.  They don’t go away either – a constant reminder you were injured and you are still alive.

            In John 20:24-29 there is a curious story about Jesus proving who he is to Thomas by showing him the scars in his hands, feet and side.  Thomas was convinced when he saw the scars of Jesus.  The thing I find curious is the resurrected body of Jesus that had been healed of death and the brutality of his suffering still had these scars.  The scars defined Jesus and identified Jesus.  It seems like they are with him for eternity yet they don’t make him imperfect – they seem to add to his perfection.

            I recently reflected on some of my soul scars as I walked with people I love and care for.  They all had something to do with death – death of a dream or the physical death of a person.  Often, the two deaths were connected.  What had been hoped for down here was taken when they passed from this life to the next.

            The stories that go with these scars are rarely shared and usually only with those we are most intimate with.  They are too deep, too painful these stories.  They are sacred and precious, not to be wasted.  Like the scars of Jesus, we are shaped and identified by these scars.  But Jesus wants us to be defined by his scars not ours.  The scars of Jesus are the promise of ultimate healing, ultimate restoration.  The scars of Jesus tell us death does not win.  Jesus wins.  Let Jesus redeem your scars.  It is the greatest story that can be told.

Peace and grace,

David

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (1 Corinthians 15:54–58, NLT)

Have You Forgiven God?

            Life doesn’t turn out the way we planned, that’s a fact.  And somebody needs to be held responsible.  A lot of people put it at the feet of God. 

It is easy to do when things outside of our control impact our life.  Natural disasters (the insurance industry used to call them “Acts of God”), illness, disease, and crime can all be attributed to God’s direct responsibility or his negligence.  Either way, God’s the one who we hold accountable.

The bad, stupid or wrong things we do are a little harder to pin on God but we find a way to do it.  God should have intervened, he should have stopped us, he should have sent someone to direct us otherwise.  God should have…  God is responsible.  It’s God’s fault.  Since God is responsible for the misery of the world and the misery of our lives, it is appropriate to ask, “Have you forgiven God?”

A number of years ago Gene Edwards wrote a small book about John the Baptist called “The Prisoner In The Third Cell.”  The big idea of the book has stuck with me like few have.  Edwards makes the point that John did everything right.  He served Jesus faithfully.  He spoke boldly.  He was humble and faithfully pointed people to Jesus.  And they chopped his head off.  “He is not the God of your expectations.”  This is Edwards point.

Nothing reminds us of this truth more than when life goes sideways on us.  The pain is real.  The disappointment, anger and frustration are overwhelming.  The anger is consuming because God did not meet our expectations.  Therefore God is responsible and we need to forgive God.  Unless… our expectations are wrong.

Where did you get your expectations about what God is and isn’t supposed to do?  How have your expectations of how life is supposed to work come about?  If you are holding God responsible for any and every bad thing that ever happens in the world and your life you surely didn’t get your expectations from the Bible.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” ~Jesus~ (John 16:33)

God is not seeking our forgiveness but he is longing for our confession.  Confessing to God we are hurting, disappointed, frustrated, lonely, sad and depressed is to yield to him.  Confession is accepting the truth that God is God and you are not.  It is putting things back in right order.  It is, according to Jesus, the path to peace even in the midst of tribulation.

God is all-powerful, all-good, all-knowing.  He doesn’t need to repent to you or me about anything.  But because he is all-powerful and all-good he reaches down into our pain with a hand of compassion and whispers gently in our ear, “I’m so sorry you are in pain.  Let me hold you until we get home.”

He is not the God of your expectations.  And that is a good thing.

Peace and grace,

David