A Supernatural Blush!

At present I am on my eighth pilgrimage in Israel. This is a place that always creates a spirit of excitement within me. So much happened in the short three and one half years of Jesus' ministry here. His daily teachings, countless miracles, and servant's heart made Him an instant success and the subject of everyone's conversation. Today we went into Cana the place of the wedding miracle. Jesus who was one of the guests by invitation found Himself in the middle of a delimma. The host for the grand occasion had run out of wine. Now you might come up a little short on the cake, the peanuts, or the strawberries without little notice but the wine, that was another matter. A shortage here was one of the most embarrassing things that could ever happen. It would be the talk of the town long after the reception was over, unless there happened to be a subject of greater interest that caught the eye and ear of the beholder. And as destiny would have it that is exactly what happened. Mary knowing the crisis of the moment asked Jesus to intervene. While hesitant at first He complies. He asks the servants to fill six pots with water. They are confused but decide to obey after hearing the stern words of a woman who is determined this day will not end in humiliation. Those words were "whatever He says to you do it." Their obedience coupled with the divine touch of Jesus resulted in a miracle that is still being talked about today. The casual reader might ask,"what happened?" I think the poet, Alexander Pope capturing the beauty of the conversion of the water into wine, said it best, "The conscious water saw its Master and blushed." The Holy Spirit did not choose to discuss the actions of Jesus, therefore we do not know whether He prayed, touched the waterpots or simply just gave a command. That's really not important. However, what does gender significance is the elements obeyed. Indeed the water blushed. So how does this relate to us? The importance lies in the fact that we have needs and Jesus when invited to participate has the answer. Yet even greater is the role of obedience in the midst of our crisis. If liquid nature yields to the omnipotence of God, changes it's color and it's purpose, how much more should we as spiritual beings learn to blush before His awesome presence. Admit it, would you not rather hear about the miracle than the mess; see the color of wine rather than embarrassment? It all changes when we give heed to the words of Jesus which create within us a supernatural blush. 

Grace and Then Something More

I read the story recently about a food company that couldn’t understand why their instant cake mix wouldn’t sell. It was a wonderful creation. However they discovered that consumers felt uneasy that the only requirement was simply adding water to the mix. People thought it was too easy. So after giving considerable thought to a new marketing strategy, the company changed their formula, which required the consumer to do something more -adding an egg. This little tweak led to instant success. When thinking about it isn’t this how many Christians look at grace. The thought of God making it so easy to attain and sustain salvation reaches beyond our comprehension.  Surely there is something more that you and I should do.  Yet, Paul so descriptively spelled out our obligation in Ephesians 2:8-9.  ^“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” We read this but are tempted to reply, “Yes Paul I hear what you are saying but surely there is something more to it.  It must take adding the ingredient of church attendance, bible reading, praying, witnessing and the spice of good clean living.” The truth is most us have real difficultly when it comes to doing nothing, especially in the spiritual realm.  We are plagued with insecure adrenalin that forces us to believe that our salvation must take some effort on our part.  Yet, if more proof is needed one only needs to read the last words of Jesus while on the cross.  Gasping for his last few breaths he cried out “It is finished.” In essence He was saying “the package is complete, all ingredients have been included, and you need only to believe.” Nothing can be added to it or taken away. The directions are simple and clear it’s all grace not--grace and then something more.  

 

Choosing to be Content

One of the looming problems of our day is that of contentment.  People are unhappy with their jobs, their marriage, their bank account, and a host of other things that could be mentioned.  This lets us know that although we live in a world of increased pay, technology, and enhanced living conditions our ability to be happy remains unchanged. Ours is the same issue that the writer of Hebrews contended with.  His response was “be content with what you have.”  Paul had some of the same concerns when he wrote “godliness with contentment is great gain.” It reminds me of a movie I watched recently.  A star football player is playing in his final championship game before stepping into the big league. He decides to run the last play for the win and gets injured in the process.  Being left with a crippled leg his career is now over.  However, through a series of events he gets the chance to live his life over.  He approaches the same game for a second time, but decides not to play.  While his teammates are sitting in the locker room watching the clock, waiting for their star player to appear, he is meeting with his mother. He is informing her that he has no intentions of jeopardizing his lucrative income with the risk of injury. His mother asks, “Are you not going to play?” He responds, “Things are going to be different mom.” With sternness she looks at him and replies, “What is so wrong with right now? What if this is all you get? What if this is it? It seems like nothing is ever enough for you, you know, and if you can’t be satisfied with what you got, then your never gonna be happy no matter what you get.” Fortunately, he decided to show up and play allowing providence to determine his future.  Sadly to say most people alter their attitude only after getting what they want. It is always after the fact.  But enough is never enough. However, the word encourages us to choose contentment even when our circumstances are not favorable and we face the possibility of personal sacrifice. In essence we can refuse to play the game or we can place our lives into the hands of God and His providential care. The truth is if we cannot be happy with what we’ve got, we will never be happy no matter how much we get. That’s why true happiness only comes when we choose to be content.    

Cling To The Cross

A few days ago I was summoned to the hospital to be with a family whose loved one was passing away.  When I arrived her husband was in the room along with other family members. The man’s wife was in her early fifties and had suffered an aneurism leaving her brain dead.  The family was signing papers granting permission for her to be an organ donor, which would result in life being given to others. I noticed he was clutching a cross.  When going to his room later I watched as he continued this all familiar ritual. I said to him, “That’s a mighty nice cross you have there.”  Overwhelmed with grief, he replied, “I don’t even know who gave it to me.” That did not matter, what mattered was that he held onto it. Holding this powerful object gave him the strength to endure his pain. His behavior reminds me of Paul’s in Galatians 6:14. “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” In essence the apostle is declaring that all the pain, opposition, and enticement that come against the child of God can be dealt with by Jesus’ unprecedented gift to the church.  What is that greatest gift—the cross. Paul like the grieving husband was saying, “I just can’t turn it loose. While it appears that I’m holding it, in reality it’s holding me.”  Herein the Christian is introduced to a great revelation; He was hung on the cross that we might hang onto the cross. No matter what we encounter whether it is life or death, tribulation or persecution, big or small,  temporal or eternal cling to the cross. During tough times it is our greatest asset.

Silence is Golden II

Have you ever seen or heard something that momentarily took your breath away?  This seems to have happened to Daniel and others who during silence encountered God. Maybe this is why Andrew Murray once wrote, “The very thought of God in His majesty and holiness should silence us.” If this be true then we should focus on two things, first seeing Him and then hearing what He has to say. The very importance of this gets reinforcement from Matt Redmond who writes, “In His presence, we still our heart and silence our tongue in wonder and reverence before a holy God. And often these moments of stillness take us even deeper into Him—creating essential space for us to hear the voice of God.”  This means we should appreciate those times when we are able to steal away from the hustle and bustle of life. Yet when faced with moments of stillness, many of us rush in to fill the space not knowing how to handle it. In church we get nervous and add another song, a brief commentary or scripture reading. And we do no better in our personal lives. The void is filled with TV, IPods, and cell phone chatter. But do we not need to carve out moments of hushed beholding in our daily lives? Do we not need those stilled occasions where He has center stage? Does He not deserve for us to create an environment within our heart where the only voice to be heard is His? Redmond suggests maybe we should ask ourselves the question Bill Hybels asks himself periodically. “Is the ambient noise level of my life low enough for me to hear the whispers of the Lord?”  The only way we are able to hear above the noise is to practice the words of Psalms 131 where the author states, “I’ve cultivated a quiet heart.”  To cultivate means to make a determined effort.  It was in the stillness that Elijah heard from God during a depressed, discouraging season of ministry. It was the same with the disciples as they stood huddled together in a small room experiencing loneliness and fear. As we engage in the quiet moments two truths will emerge. The circumstances that necessitate our hearing God will forever be changing. And the voice we will hear in the stillness will forever be changeless. That’s why SILENCE IS GOLDEN.

Silence is Golden

There are those rare moments when the Bewley home is invaded with all the grandchildren, seven to be exact.  This seems to happen after they have had days of stored up nervous energy that must be released. I’m not sure if their parents plan it that way or we just get lucky every time we keep them. It’s not unusual to hear little feet running throughout the house amidst hair curling screams, laughter, momentary crying, and occasionally a fight or two.  The energy they expend is comparable to a dozen Energizer Bunnies. Needless to say Phyllis and I love it all but relish the moment when nighttime comes. With bathes given, teeth brushed, and pajamas on their little batteries finally run down.  We tuck them in bed, and suddenly start to relax to the most beautiful sound—silence. While we would not take anything for the noise of their presence, yet we appreciate the often repeated slogan--silence is golden. The reason being, the quiet time is what prepares us for all the activity we will experience the next day. The same is true of our spiritual lives.  The silence is what makes the noise productive.  It is no wonder our Father said, “Be still and know that I am God.” However, this is an exercise most fall short of. Matt Redmond in his book “Facedown” says, “There’s a time for every kind of sound when we worship….yet there is also a time when the most appropriate response is simply to be still—and in that stillness know that He is God.” A.W. Tozer commented “that in some instances absolute silence might well become our greatest act of worship.” Most often when we visit God we tend to focus on the noise more than the silence.  By doing so we overlook much of what He attempts to say to us and do for us.  Getting back to those grandbabies, when the noise ceases and they are laying in their beds still and composed, I take advantage of the moment. It is during this stillness that I begin to cover their little faces with kisses and with words of unconditional love.  It’s in that small caption of time that I tell them I will always be there and will never forsake them. Although, I may have said it a dozen times during the day, the noise keeps them from hearing it.  Now with eyes and hearts connected, the message begins to resonate and they fall asleep knowing that all will okay when they awake because they are loved beyond their greatest expectation. How much more does God communicate the same to us? When we worship in the stillness the noise will not overtake us. That’s why Silence truly is Golden.

The Familiar Friend

One of the worst things to happen to an individual is to become too familiar with the familiar. The end result--we take advantage of and take for granted that precious commodity that gives life.  This can happen with a mother, father, sister, brother, a husband or wife. We get so accustomed to their being at our disposal that we fail to appreciate all they do for us. Such familiarity has caused untold hearts to ache and has drawn tears from many an eye. While it is certainly bad to treat our family with such disregard, it becomes even worse when the Holy Spirit is involved.  In a time of reflection this week I have given serious thought to that possibility.  I never want to appear unappreciative to those who pray for me, hold my hand, and offer encouraging words during the good times as well as the bad. I especially do not want to treat the Spirit this way. He is my comforter and helper and offers assistance far beyond what others do. So the prayer of my heart is not to become too familiar with the familiar.  The passion within me is to wake up every day feeling as if I had met the Holy Spirit for the first time, yet yield to Him as if we had been friends forever.  The thought of hearing His voice is wonderful but to know that voice is even more wonderful. Individual familiarity is not a bad thing unless you forget how special the person is.   For all of us the Holy Spirit is beyond special, and forever remains available as our familiar Friend.