Stand Up

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Don Merritt

It is popular in our day and age to stand up for what you believe.  People stand up for all kinds of things from animal rights to going green, from progressive social causes to free speech…

In all of this standing up for things and causes, who is standing up for Jesus Christ?

There seem to be a lot folks who would rather that no body did!

Sometimes it even seems like nobody will stand up for Christ… but things are not always the way they seem.  Our brothers and sisters in Christ are standing tall for the Truth of His Word all over the globe, often in places where this is very dangerous.  People are standing up in churches and communities all over America and in other nations as well; some are even standing up for Christ on the Internet!  Yet, the truth is that standing up for Christ isn’t always a comfortable thing to do; it can be very uncomfortable in fact.  We have all experienced it…

Have you ever found yourself in a family group or a group of friends who are into things that you know to be wrong and who will just laugh at you if you say anything?  I sure have!  They may not want to hear the truth, but they need to hear it.  They may not appreciate what you have to say, but it could be their salvation some day.  Of course if we don’t do our talking in a loving way we’ll never get a hearing.  Consider this:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, 
    my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:1-2

Even when we feel a little shaky or uncomfortable, there are times when friends and family need to hear the truth stated in a loving way.  Our friends and family may not necessarily respond well at the time, but God’s Word has a way of sprouting later and taking root in a person’s life; we may share a little seed that produces fruit years later and we never even know… and yet we have played a major role in someone’s salvation.

Our shelter is in our Lord’s arms, not in our social circles, so why be shy about being Christ’s Ambassador?  There is plenty of refuge to relieve our discomfort, and lives are truly at stake.

Will we stand up for our Lord?

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Who is Sacred, Who is Not

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Don Merritt

How would you approach such a quandary as a Christian? Would you approach it as a legalist and say that a person is sacred if they have behaved themselves and done certain other things that make them “cool” in the church? Perhaps one might say that a person who is a Christian is sacred, but that the lost are not, or maybe that people who are really good are sacred, while the rest are not. Some might suggest that a person is sacred if they are a member in good standing in their particular denomination, or even that no one is sacred until they die and go to heaven.

Yet, I wonder how God looks at this; would He see it the way we do?

Maybe God would say that a person whose sins are forgiven is sacred, and those who remain in their sins are unclean…

I wouldn’t presume to tell you that I am privy to all of God’s thoughts, but I can suggest that Scripture might give us some insight on this topic that can lead us to draw some conclusions.

As we have seen in a previous series of posts, all humans are created by God in His image, and yes, even after sin entered the world in Genesis 3, we still bear His image. With that being the case, and the image of God being in itself sacred, we all have an element of sacredness inherent in our beings; His image. Each of us was conceived in the mind of God and created in every detail with His intentional purpose in mind with talents and gifts, not to mention intelligence as God saw fit to give, and I doubt that God is in the habit of creating that which is unclean or inherently bad.

Yet in spite of this, we make choices as we walk through life, and sooner or later each one of us makes choices that are at odds with the ways of God; some really go out on a dark extreme and really make a mess of things. Yet even in such a dark place, distant and far from God’s presence and will, He still loved us:

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.

John 3:16

Because of God’s amazing love, He sent His Son to die for each one of us, while humanity was still in its sinful rebellion. I don’t know about you, but offhand, I can’t think of any cases in Scripture when God was said to have loved that which was evil, bad or unclean. In fact, the second greatest commandment was that we love our neighbor as ourselves; He made no mention of our neighbor needing to be perfect first, did He?

In fact, which of the patriarchs was so perfect? How about the great Israelite kings David and Solomon; were they perfect? No, I didn’t think so.

I would maintain that every single human being is sacred in God’s sight, not because of the way we behave, but because we were created by God in His image with a purpose that transcends this world. Of course, there are many sacred ones out there who aren’t all that attractive, and some behave in really nasty ways, in rebellion against everything God is and stands for. Yet I really don’t believe for an instant that this sad state of affairs means that they aren’t sacred in God’s sight; can you guess why that is?

Two reasons: First, they are precisely the ones Jesus gave His life to save, and second, because God has gone to all of the trouble to put you and me in this world to take the good news to such people, that they might be brought into His light. Imagine for a moment how different this world might be if more of us saw such people through God’s eyes and took our commission more seriously.

Come to think of it, I have another question to ponder: Who grieves God’s heart more, the lost person who dwells in darkness and acts accordingly, or the Christian who dwells in the light with all of the riches of Christ at his or her disposal, but who is afraid to get their hands dirty taking the light to those dark places where so many need it so desperately?

Yes, I’ll need to ponder that one for some time…

 

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Strife and Peace

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Don Merritt

Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Proverbs 13:10

Have you ever known someone who is always involved in controversy, arguments and disputes? Have you ever wondered why they have so much trouble?

Your answer might just be found in this proverb: Pride.

My way or the highway, you can’t say that to me, I’m right and you’re wrong… Yes, these all come from pride, the continual belief that you are somehow more worthy of respect, more valuable or just “better” than the other person.  Does everybody really need your opinion on everything; must we all hear and agree with your thoughts?

If you want a life chock full of struggle and hassle, then say “yes” to those questions, but if you prefer a little peace and harmony,  think again.

A person who is willing to take advice from another, is a person who doesn’t just assume they are always right, for they are humble enough to recognize that others have valuable insights too. Such a person might even come to understand that they too can be wrong sometimes.

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Photo of the Week: July 27, 2016

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Don Merritt

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I Don’t Know What to Say!

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Don Merritt

There are times in life when we simply don’t know what to say. Suppose the phone rings in the wee hours of the morning, waking you from a deep sleep. If you are anything like me, your first thought, upon the comprehension that the phone is actually ringing, might be something like, “Uh oh, this can’t be good”.

You answer, and the person on the other end is your best friend who tells you that his or her spouse just died of a heart attack; your friend is simply overwhelmed… what are you going to say?

They ask you to come over… what will you say?

You arrive, and your friend is still overwhelmed by what has happened: what will you say?

What can you say? There are no magic words that will make the situation any better, and in all likelihood, your friend doesn’t really want you to say anything, he or she just doesn’t want to be alone right then.

At such a time, few are in the mood for speeches, fewer still are in the mood for condescension: “I told him he should exercise more and lose some weight”.

No, they just don’t want to be alone; it is a basic human need. This is sometimes called “The Ministry of Presence”. Presence is all about a person finding comfort in the fact that there is someone who cares enough about them to be present when they are at their lowest point, even though they might feel awkward or uneasy. It is more about a caring face, than golden phrases; it is more about connection and less about reason.

The Christian presence is powerful, it is more than merely the presence of another body in the room, for as Christians we are a royal priesthood, every one of us (1 Peter 2:9) and as a royal priesthood, each one of us mediates God’s presence to others by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit within us. If that sounds a little too theoretical to you, don’t worry, for I doubt that any mere human comprehends it fully, just know that when you are present with a person in need of your presence, there is more going on than we might be conscious of, for we are bringing the love of Jesus Christ to the situation.

Jesus needed the ministry of presence too. Do you recall the story of His praying in the Garden of Gethsemane? Jesus was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:34), and He asked Peter, James and John to stay close by and keep watch; He needed their presence. As a Kingdom of priests, our presence is an active service to God, one of the most powerful acts of service in God’s arsenal, a service that God has clearly modeled for us.

As you know the Temple in Jerusalem is one of the most powerfully significant symbols in all of Scripture, for it represents God’s dwelling place in the midst of his people. It served as the center of Jewish life, their pride, their joy and their great comfort, for when they gazed upon the Temple, they knew that God was present with them. In the fullness of time, God moved His presence beyond the symbol of the Temple, taking on the flesh and blood for of a man, in Jesus Christ. Jesus could walk and talk in the midst of God’s people; He could literally reach out and touch them, share a meal with them and bring hope and comfort to them. Yet He knew that His time was short; preparations were made to keep God’s presence among His people worldwide, and when the time, His people received the indwelling Holy Spirit. I think it is safe to say that God has gone to great lengths to make His presence available to humanity, and part of His effort is for us to make ourselves available to one another in the ministry of presence.

So, what will we say?

Not a whole lot, so don’t worry about it. Maybe a brief prayer, or a longer silent one. Maybe a hug, a shoulder to lean on or to cry on, maybe the holding of a hand. Perhaps an ear to listen… or maybe just being there.

 

Originally posted on “Church Set Free“

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Naked Ladies

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Don Merritt

No, I didn’t use this title so you would look… but I guess you did.

Actually, that’s what these flowers are called. OK, technically, they are called Amaryllis belladonna, but I think the common name is easier to remember for some reason. They are very strange flowers because they have no leaves, just a stem that pops up in late July or early August, this year, the ones in my yard are in bloom now.

The thing is, I can’t see how they survive without leaves; even the stem is only alive for a short time. They popped up about two weeks ago, and began to bloom on Sunday. If past years are any indication, they will be done by next Sunday, and then the stem will dry up and break off, and I’ll forget we even have some in the yard… until next year.

Here’s a picture from the internet so you can get a better view…

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(That was an interesting image search, but I did find what I was actually looking for eventually)

How does God make flowers that seem to defy what I learned about how plants live back in my school science class?

Even though I don’t get it, there they are every year, and every year I can only think that we have an amazing Creator!

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Relationship 301, part 2

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Don Merritt

Yesterday, we took a look at Ephesians 5 and Paul’s instructions to husbands and wives. Today I thought it might be fun to take another look, but from a “here and now” perspective. If you were going to give advice to a married couple about their relationship, what would that advice include?

I would imagine that most people would recommend that the two should spend time together, that they should talk, that they should communicate openly and honestly. We might say they should always be open and honest, that they should be intimate in everything, that they should make the time for all this “togetherness” and that each should guard against taking the other for granted. Maybe we would recommend that each one put the other first in all things… and of course, that there must be no secrets between them. Oh yes, and they should take some time out to have fun together.

Well, that would be a good start wouldn’t it?

If you read yesterday’s part 1, you might also recall that there was a surprise ending to Paul’s instruction to husbands and wives, for he really wasn’t talking about just couples, he was talking about the relationship between Christ and His Church.

With that in mind, take another look at our suggestions above…

How would our advice to married couples differ from our advice to Christians who desire a better relationship with Jesus Christ? Remember, Paul’s advice to couples was really him describing the relationship between Jesus and all of us…

So, here is my question to all Christians: When are we going to start following our own advice, both with marriage and our relationship with the Lord? What possible excuse can there be for neglecting either relationship, particularly the one with the Lord?

Yeah I know, that’s a tough one for all of us.

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The Cry of My Heart

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Don Merritt

How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Psalm 84:1-2

What does your soul yearn for what does your heart cry out for?

I would imagine there are many possibilities.

As I sit here this morning thinking about it, this might be the question above all questions, the answer to which will tell us everything about ourselves. If my soul yearns for earthly things, say money or status or power, maybe for drugs or drink, possibly for love and romance… what would that say about my spiritual condition?

Yes indeed, there are so many possible answers…

Why is it that my soul cries out for God when I find myself in trouble, but when all seems well, things other than God have my attention? Oh yes, that says something about my spiritual condition!

I want to say that my heart and soul cry out for God, but if that were true, what would my daily life look like; would it look the same as it does now? Hmmm…

The things of this life are all around us, the pleasures of this life call out. The problems of this life are all around us as well; they aren’t easy to miss: The things of this life are ubiquitous in fact, and if my attention is to be on the things that are above, maybe I’m going to need to decide consciously to put it there, instead of on the things of this life. Yes, maybe I’m going to need to put my attention on God purposefully, deliberately as a choice I make. After all, don’t our hearts and souls yearn for the things were pay attention to?

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Relationship 301, part 1

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Don Merritt

Ephesians 5:21-33

With these verses, Paul moves from the general instruction about a Christian’s life to a more specific instruction, beginning with the relationship of marriage, a subject that he writes about in more than one letter, as you know. To be perfectly honest, these aren’t my favorite topics to blog about, for it’s easy to get the wrong impression about where this is headed; a post on this text tends to run a bit long as a result; even so, let’s try the short version today.

The main point to keep in mind as you read this, (ladies in particular) is that the relationship between husband and wife isn’t even Paul’s main point. Gentlemen, I think it is also very important that we recognize right off, that historical and cultural attitudes of the past might color our view of some of this, for over the centuries in male dominated societies, our forefathers sometimes ignored the rules of context here, preferring to seize upon certain verses to impose upon their wives some pretty idiotic ideas, ideas that are entirely in opposition to Paul’s teaching.

Yep, one of these days, I’ll do a series of posts, maybe a whole book on Biblical marriage; that’s probably what it would take to it justice. Biblical teachings on marriage aren’t what most people think they are, at least in my view, for they are always really about our relationships with God more than anything else.

Context: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (verse 21) Did you catch “to one another”?

Verses 22-24 are historically our favorite verses in the entire Bible to quote out of context: Yes sir, wives should submit to their husbands in everything! Ladies, please bear in mind that I usually refer to my wife as “She Who Must Be Obeyed”! Paul is using a cultural attitude from the first century Roman Empire to illustrate the relationship between Christ, represented here by husbands, and the church, represented by wives. He is not authorizing husbands to mistreat their wives, for that would be a violation of the marriage covenant.

Verses 25-31 are instructions to husbands, who are supposed to love their wives as Christ loved the church… “and gave Himself up for her.” Jesus gave up His very life on the cross for the church, and likewise, Paul is telling husbands they should give up their very lives for their wives. Most of the time, husbands don’t need to give up their physical lives for their wives, no it’s more like their will, ambitions and “self”. Thus, for a preacher to teach, and a Christian husband to assert domination over wives is purely a perversion of the text.

Wives give up self by submission, husbands give up self by devotion, and the result is a partnership, not domination; everybody wins.

Consider this: Isn’t this what we’ve been saying all along? Giving up self and serving others? Sounds like love doesn’t it?

The final two verses were seldom quoted in days gone by, and they aren’t always mentioned now either:

This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:32-33

You see, this whole conversation is about Christ and the church; marriage is supposed to be the illustration of that relationship, an illustration that we all recognize and understand, but thanks to the sinful nature of this world, it requires a lot more explaining than perhaps it used to in Paul’s day.

Oh yes, and by the way, husbands really should love their wives as they love themselves, and wives really should respect their husbands.

Isn’t that really a no-brainer?

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In God Will I Trust

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Don Merritt

In times of trial, where is our trust; in times of fear where do we go?

How can a person face trial and the things he fears with confidence?  How can a man cope in difficult times or times of great distress?

When I am afraid, 
    I will trust in you. 
In God, whose word I praise, 
    in God I trust; I will not be afraid. 
    What can mortal man do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4

It is in God that we place our trust; it is in God that we place our hope, for He is our rock and our strength, our hope and our salvation.  We will praise His name, we will recall His words and place our confidence in them, for it was by His Word that the universe can into being.

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