Send it away

I just finished listening to a message by Rob Bell on Matthew 6 and particularly what we refer to as "The Lord's Prayer", and once again I am challenged and inspired by his words. And please don't send me messages of warning and doom for listening to him. A couple of main points really stood out in his message; The first being that if we pray, really pray the prayer it has a way of putting everything in perspective. What are my little concerns when compared to the greatness of My Father in Heaven, Who's name is hallowed and Who's Kingdom will come in totality one day? The second and most convicting point to me has to do with this business of forgiving others; ""forgive us as we forgive out debtors".."For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your heavenly Father will not forgive your transgressions." OUCH! If you have that one figured out completely, please let me in on it..God's love and forgiveness is complete in Christ's finished work on the cross. So then how does He NOT forgive us? Is it more that we cannot walk in the experience of His ongoing forgiveness? Is it that "Jesus people" are forgiving people and if you cannot forgive then perhaps you are not His? Is it that the flow of grace can become stopped up by our unforgiving spirit? So many questions.
What I do know is this; He is pleased with me as His child when I act like my Father. He forgives and so I should forgive. His Spirit is alive and well in me and even when I find it hard to forgive I can step aside and let Him live His life through me.
According to my Greek Key word study Bible the word used here is aphiemi, which means "to send"...or to let go, send away, release etc. We carry offenses and we hold grudges, and man do they get heavy. Our Lord tells us here in Matt 6 how to be free, truly free...send it away, let it go, put down the jawbone. Perhaps today is the day....

The Shelter of His Name

What can I say? this summer has been a little strange. My family and I endured a severe attack from the enemy, lost some "friends" and grew closer together and stronger in our walk with Christ. The beginning of this summer found us facing numbers of lies leveled against us. Vicious, ridiculous lies intended to discredit me and surprisingly enough (well maybe not that surprising really) people we thought were friends believed them without asking us for our side of the story and became part of the gossip chain. Sad to see professing believers find such joy in spreading malicious gossip and slander. I found myself fighting against the fleshly urge to retaliate but in God's grace He strengthened me to wait upon Him to bring the truth out. How marvelous it is to see His hand at work! When faced with the torrent of lies and slander we decided to quietly walk away and put ourselves in the hands of God and there we found the Word come alive in our situation.."The Name of the Lord is a strongtower, the righteous run in and are safe". His Name became a shelter for my wife and I, a place of peace and safety and we can testify wholeheartedly that He is indeed good and He will be the source we need everyday to walk this walk. Have the lies stopped? NO Has the attack ended? Not yet. But in the midst of it all we have a shelter...The Name of the Lord....

The Kingdom breaking in

This summer has dealt a few blows and I am so ready to be done with it. Come quickly Fall!
The enemy attacked swift and hard and he used people I thought were friends to do it. But God is faithful. He has shown up in such a real and living way in our lives and turned a bad situation into something beautiful. Not completely yet, but moving swiftly toward that end. I've spent a lot of time lately just sitting before the Lord, listening, waiting on Him to move me. Where the heck are we going Lord? How long will You wait? I've been feeling the awkwardness of the "already and the not yet" of His Kingdom. The Kingdom by definition is the rule of God in our lives or the reign of God showing up in this evil age. While we believers wait for the return of Christ to bring the Kingdom in all its fullness and glory we are privileged to experience its presence among us if only in small measures and that presence brings healing, peace, joy, righteousness and love to bear in the muck and mire of our daily lives. We feel the pain of betrayal, the sting of loneliness, the ache of physical pain, yet we find, if not completely, at least some sense of His reign granting us victory over the enemy. Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was at hand and I, for one, want to really, really, really know what that looks like in my life. I see the Kingdom breaking in when a friend shows up just to encourage. I see it breaking in when a "short" breakfast time spent with a local pastor friend turns into 3 hours of lively, deep discussion of the things of God. I see it breaking in when just me and my guitar are accompanied by a very real sense of His presence in my backyard. And I see it breaking in when I look to see my perfect wife standing by my side.
Is the Kingdom of God breaking in on your everyday world? Are you seeking it first? Are you willing to put to the sword all the affections that stand in its way? Nothing in this life compares...

Where are all the good writers?

Have you noticed how difficult it is to find good, well written, deeply rich Christian books? Writers like Fredrick Buechner and C.S. Lewis are rare these days. It seems like the Christian community prefers cheesy and shallow. At least that's they way it looks when you cruise your favorite book store. The fundamentalist propaganda also seems to be winning the shelf war. If someone wants to take a stand and build an entire career on one or two points, just cleverly rearranged and repackaged, they get shelving preference with their picture plastered all over the darn store.. Yet the writers with a true gift for the craft get little notice. There are exceptions: I happen to think Donald Miller is a truly gifted author and Rob Bell isn't half bad (though I struggle with his particular theology sometimes ). You know, I guess that's why I am particularly drawn to the memoir and narrative styles of people like Buechner, Lewis, and Wendell Berry. I'm on the hunt now for a porch swing or lawn chair read. Any suggestions?
I almost forgot to mention Michael Card, wonderful writer with unusual depth and insight. You should read anything he puts out.
Wow, I just noticed how beautiful it is outside. Think I'll grab "Blue like Jazz" and take a seat in the swing. see ya

One Thing

"I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" 2 Cor 11:3
Most of us come to Christ in a very simple and focused way. We turn to Him and away from the idols we have been serving. He becomes our main focus, our one and only obsession, our priority in all things. We can't get enough of His Word, worship, fellowship, prayer and the rest, and we are so happy. This may last for months or even years, this state of simple devotion to Christ. Yet at some point we get distracted by so many seemingly important matters and we learn a little too much about the Church (which up till now we thought was perfect), about theology, maybe even about our favorite ministries and the struggle ensues. We fight to maintain our joy, or love, our faith. Curly (remember him?)said the secret to life is "one thing".
Well the one thing for the christian is...Christ. Paul said he preached "Christ and Him crucified". I don't know about you but I so often find myself preaching everything but Christ. I focus on and try to persuade others to focus on my latest pet peeve or I spend precious energy on battling those within the Church who I think are in error and predictably, I end up exhausted, bitter, frustrated and full of spiritual pride.
Jesus commended Mary for her worshipful act of being at His feet and listening. How often do I place myself at His feet to simply listen? Not enough. I, too often spend my time searching the Scriptures to find defense for my positions, many of which I am willing to die on the hill for..and sacrifice others for. And the sad part is I do it because they are Mine. Do you identify?
Now on to the remedy. Today I will live simply as a servant by the water pots (if you want to know what I mean by that, you will have to post a comment or send me a message and I'll explain). I will walk through this day with my eyes fixed on and my ears tuned to, My Savior. I will gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and simply follow. I will not be distracted by the voices screaming for my attention but fix my mind on Him and Him alone..."Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, who's mind is stayed on Thee" Isaiah 26:3
Yes, it is truly just "One Thing"
peace
Barry

You are the Worst of Sinners

Does that offend you? It shouldn't. The only reason you or I think of ourselves as anything but the worst sinner is our continual practice of setting our sights on others as a means of lessening our guilt. Is there really a difference between, let's say, a murderer and someone who murders others every single day in his heart? Between an adulterer and someone consumed by lust? How about a liar and a gossip? Surely those of us who know the Gospel understand that there is really no grading on the curve for our sin, that we all stand guilty before a holy, righteous God. So let's put aside, for a moment, the notion that we are less evil than that person sitting next to us on Sunday morning...or perhaps that person awaiting trial down at the local jail. And if we finally are being true with ourselves and God about our sin we may begin to deal with the crippler of souls...persistent guilt. Does he ever sideline you? Do you have a sin or perhaps a timeline of sin that dominates your thinking and leaves you feeling "less than" before God? If so, it will cripple you until you deal with it. Does it interfere with your prayer? Your worship? Your fellowship? You see, when we allow our minds to dwell on our sin in an unhealthy manner we let the enemy (the accuser) put us in a stronghold and make us totally ineffective. I'm reading a book by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington called "The Bookends of the Christian Life", and yes you should read it. One chapter deals with our persistent guilt and what to do about it. Quoting from an old Puritan writer (I've come to discover that many of the Puritan writers were not legalist prudes but had a good handle on Grace) named Thomas Wilcox, the writers help us deal with our persistent guilt. Wilcox mentions things like; shift your focus from your sin to Christ the Mediator, on Christ crucified, risen, and ascended...etc. But the one that really got me this morning in my devotion time was "Shift your focus from your sin to the Glory of God". You see, even when we fall to the temptation that says God doesn't like us or care enough about us to let us off the hook, we MUST see that God also pardons sin for the Glory of His own Name's sake....Isaiah 43:25.. God is glorified by forgiving sin, by pardoning the sinner, "because in pardoning us he'll make us living monuments of the glory of the grace He purchased. It is Christ's own happiness to pardon"
Yes, it's true! My sin can be an occasion for God to display His own Glory and exalt Christ's sacrifice. As Paul asked in Romans 6..should I then go on sinning? By no means! But neither will I allow the memory of past sin to cripple me. I look back at even the worst of my sin and rejoice with John Newton who said "Two things I know; I am a great sinner and Christ is a Great Savior". And like a friend of mine said once to me, "You can enjoy condemning me as a worst sinner than you if it makes you feel more righteous, because I may have done a few things you haven't, but God is glorified in forgiving me and I choose to believe His Word about who I am" AMEN brother :)
He delights in forgiving you. It is His glory to pardon. btw; your self-contempt is merely and expression of self-centerdness. Be Christ-centered today.

Manna Mercies

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; Great is Your Faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22,23
I woke early this morning (as usual) grabbed my Bible and notebook and planted myself in the backyard to enjoy a beautiful, Indiana sunrise. I was not disappointed. If we would all just slow down enough to enjoy the simple gifts He gives we might live longer and happier lives.
My time was spent in Lamentations 3, meditating on the wonderful mercies of God to undeserving, and often, ungrateful people. You simply cannot hurry devotion, it takes time for God to get through our defenses and bless us with the gift of Himself.
Well He succeeded this morning in getting His message across to me. He is full of steadfast love, mercy, compassion and faithfulness. One Hebrew word seems to jump out here; "chesed" or "hesed"; God's covenant faithfulness to His people. The word, from what I gather, is difficult to translate into English; we find words like; lovingkindness, steadfast love, and faithfulness in our English Bibles, and they bring out the heart of it I suppose. Yet, as with all things God, there is more than we see on the surface. No matter, the heart of this passage speaks of God's steadfast, unwavering, never-ending, covenant faithfulness to His people, which is something I need each and every day. Even though one tiny drop of His chesed is more than any of us deserve and is more than enough for a lifetime, this passage says it is "new every morning"! Amazing! Like the Manna of Exodus, we wake to find enough chesed scattered about to collect for this very day we are walking into.
Occassionally I will wake in the morning with a sense of dread or fear or maybe better said, anxiety. The unknown element and even the known element of the day seizes me like a bear trap and leaves me incapacitated before I even leave the house. But if I could just meditate on and believe by faith that His faithfulness and mercy toward me are new today, how different things could be. The battle for most of us is often one of belief...true faith.. does God really mean what He says and will He be to me what His Word says he will be? We fight to believe don't we? Yet God has blessed me today with a victory over fear, doubt, dread and pessimism. He broke through the thick layer of skull that protects my tiny little brain and grabbed hold of my mind and my heart with the manna of His mercy. I walk today as a beloved child of the King, filled and empowered with His Spirit,surrounded by His mercy and protected by His faithfulness.
How could life be any better?

Christ died for God

I love to mow..Yes I admit it. I am a yard nerd. Preparation for the task includes getting the ipod in position and coveering the earbuds with big red earphones. Man I must look like a dork. But I love to take that time to lose myself in good sermons or good music.So I listened to a sermon by John MacArthur while mowing my yard today. The message was titled "Christ died for God" with his main text being Romans 3:21-26. It made me think how we tend to make the Gospel so man-centered. "Jesus died for you"
"Jesus died for man" Jesus died for sinners"...all true, but all missing something. Though I can't sufficiently put it in words yet (I need to listen at least 3 more times to digest the message) I can say it affected my thinking today. Actually it kinda rocked my world. The fact that God has ALWAYS forgiven men based on grace/faith and not by works has left Him open to accusation. Somehow this gift to man calls God's justice and righteousness into question. If a judge lets someone off the hook for no good reason we consider him an unjust judge. Yet God has always operated this way, even long before Christ died as the substitute. Romans says it was God's patience that allowed Him to overlook sins committed in the past. But we know that any sin forgiven at any time in history was based solely on the finished work of Christ on the Cross. Yes He died for me and for you...but He also died to vindicate God the Father and satisfy His holy justice.....you can listen to the sermon at www.gty.org and search through sermon archives...they are FREE
peace

Abundant Life in a small house

I was visited by an old friend this past weekend. Actually, he was a friend years ago, a kind of roomate if you will. At one time he took up residence in my innermost being, as the Apostle Paul would say, along with a myriad others. But when Jesus Christ moved in the neighborhood, He evicted all those old boys; envy, greed, lust, anger etc. etc.. They no longer have claim on this territory but so often show up, trying to decieve their way in. Sometimes I throw the door wide open and give them free reign of the place. At other times, God graciously allows me to see the situation for what it is and slam the door shut in their sorry faces. Some would say these visitors are simply the old man (old nature) showing up again. I disagree, and I do so, convicted that the Bible teaches emphatically that the Old man was crucified...dead and gone baby.
Paul says in regard to our struggle with sin (Romans 7:17)that it is "no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells in me". Those of us who are "In Christ Jesus" now have a new nature. We are new creatures in Christ, the old has passed away and all is made new (2 Cor 5:17). When I sin, when you sin, we are not acting according to our true identity and it is not me, nor is it you, doing the deed. It is a foreign entity. SIN. Think of it like this; I have a splinter in my index finger. It's beginning to throb and swell. In fact, the pain can be so intense that it really feels like part of my finger. What is the remedy? Tweezers! Get a set and pull that foul invader out. It wasn't me. It was the splinter (sin) in me.
Now if you're like me (poor soul if you are) you've had a difficult time following all this simply because you are too nosey and couldn't keep your mind from running wild with the question; Who or what was the visitor that started all this? OK you've been patient enough.
I went to a good friend's house and found myself suffering from an acute case of House Envy. The place was amazing. so much room, and in a great neighborhood. Everything was simply perfect. And very spacious. Probably twice the size of my little house. But The Spirit was gracious enough to catch me before it slid into mild depression. Actually, He slapped me upside the head, so to speak, and opened my eyes to see all that God has freely given me. Our house may be smaller than some but it is a place of wonder and of peace, a place of joy and love, a place where God is welcome. I have an amazing wife and two incredible children. And our house is filled with books!!!! And music, oh there is music ringing through this place day and night. It is a place of rest and refreshment. A perfect oasis. We don't have everything the world has to offer, but we have access to all the riches of Heaven. And we have "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfaiding" 1 Peter 1:4. Jesus promised abundant life to His followers and I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good!

No or Know? Are we dead?

The key to victory in the Christian life is always surrender. Surrender to the revealed will of God. Surrender to His Word, Surrender to His plans for us. What Frederick Buechner called "The Magnificent Defeat". This is one war where you want to suffer defeat, for the Conquering King is benevolent, full of grace and mercy. Paul makes it abundantly clear in Romans 6 that we will be slaves to someone or something. We are slaves to sin or slaves of God (oh but I'm getting way ahead of myself).

Question for you; Do you experience victory over sin very often? Or are you defeated at every turn? One thing is for certain, God's desire and plan for us is to walk in victory not defeat.

One crucial key to victory is to know the Word. Not only know it but appropriate its power. The first several verses in Romans 6 explain our immersion into Christ (btw, this is a dry passage...no water here). We are DEAD TO SIN. Now there is a world of power in this truth. If you are dead to sin then what power does it have over you? How would a corpse respond when confronted with (insert your big temptation here)?

So when confronted with Sin we can do the usual...Shout no, no, no! Or, like Paul, we can KNOW, KNOW, KNOW our amazing position in Christ and, by faith, claim it.

Another way to look at Romans 6 is KNOW, RECKON, YIELD. We know our old self was crucified / We reckon (or consider) this to be true / We yield ourselves to God.

I'll make you a deal...today you pray for me, that I will experience victory over sin and I will pray for you. I really will...promise...I will pray for everyone that reads this and I know that God will answer. Wanna know how I know God will answer that prayer?

1 John 5:14,15

Peace

Barry

For love of the Beast

We call him CJ. He's more man than beast for sure. All my life I had this one desire..I wanted a Jet Black Lab. Who doesn't want a loyal, best friend? CJ has the run of the house; sleeping in Jon's bed, lounging around on the furniture of his choosing, and watching tv with his bud Jon.He is absolutely the coolest dog on the planet. Funny how an animal can steal your heart. Check out this picture if you don't believe me. He is da man!

Romans and the positional truths

OK, I realize I JUST posted about an hour ago, but I'm just starting and I can't hardly help myself...One of my absolute favorite past times is Studying the Word and one of my favorite places to park is Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. If you only had one book of the Bible available to you, this would be the one to have. Early in my Walk I was challenged to memorize large portions of Scripture and learn to meditate on those passages. My first step was to memorize Romans chapters 6 and 8 in their entirety. Yeah, I was younger then and memorization came easier than today. If you care to follow me for awhile we can take a great adventure into these 2 magnificant passages. Let's start in Chapter 6:1-4
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him, by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life"
You see Paul has been explaining in previous passages that we are saved by GRACE, not by works. And now he must keep this great truth from becoming a license to sin. AND here is the point; You (the old you) is DEAD and you have a NEW life through Christ, which makes it possible for you to live in victory over sin. There are not 2 people in you, not 2 dogs inside (black and white). The old Barry is NO MORE! He is dead. Now sin still dwells in my inmost being, but it dwells there as a foreign object, much like a splinter in my finger. What a glorious truth this is! I have been baptized into Christ and raised to new life.
Today I WILL WALK IN VICTORY BECAUSE OF WHO I AM AND WHO'S I AM.

stumbling toward perfection

Welcome to my first blog. Or maybe it should be, in the words of Mr. Cooper "Welcome to my nightmare". Why did I decide to do this? Maybe to help with my insomnia. Who knows? It only seemed fitting, given the fact that I love to read other's blogs. I decided to call it "Walking with Christ" for the simplicity of it. For that is what I do. Day in and day out., and I thought it best to start with the stumbling aspect since that seems to be what I do best...stumble. Yet His right hand upholds me.
Now for a fair warning to all you brave souls who take the time to read these. I am the kind of person that likes to process by throwing ideas against the wall to see which will stick and that can be difficult to deal with (just ask my dear wife). So, you may find me saying one thing today (ie; in regards to Calvanism, politics, gifts of the Spirit etc) and a distinctly different thing tomorrow. I am working through the complexity of faith in real life on a daily basis and will often change my mind. As a friend of mine told me concerning listening to various teachers etc."Chew on the meat and spit out the bones". So, dear friends....chew away.