Leave Your Baggage - Go Take a Hike!

The first of three posts on "Go now and leave your life of sin".

Key Scripture Passage
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:11 NIV

Reflection
Jesus gave the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8 an extra ordinary assurance: 'neither do I condemn you'.  This assurance gives us a way forward to leave the past baggage, all of it, at the cross, accept this forgiveness, and march onwards.

We are called to 'leave our life of sin'.  Before such a transformational change can happen, we have to grasp the enormity of His love and His grace.  Philip Yancey puts this idea beautifully: “Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.”  So the weight of the past baggage is irrelevant, all that matters is to internalize the fact that 'He still loves me'.

It is time to act, to identify the things that need to go first.  I carefully carve them out, one by one, and stuff them in a leave-behind bag.  Now I am ready to travel light, leaving all this baggage behind.  It is not going to be easy in the beginning, since the temptations will still be around.  Identifying my stumbling blocks along the trail will help me to stay clear of them. 

Knowing God's Word will be my essential navigation tool, prayer will be my hydration pack, and counting my many blessings will be my milestones.  I will use fellowship and friendship from other Christ followers as my nourishing support system, which like a good hiking boot, will take me a long way forward.  After the first few miles, I will start conversations, report what I see, share burdens, and cheer on and thus invest in other hikers along the trail.

Questions to Consider
Are you carrying too heavy a load?  Are you allowing your past sins to haunt you and remain with you?

Action Step for the Week
If you are carrying too heavy a load, identify two of the heaviest stones that you need to discard.  Then go into your room, get on your knees, confess your sins to God, and drop these stones to the floor.  Feeling the warmth of His grace, you are now ready to get up and start your hike.

Cheap Reward?

The last of three posts on "When you pray, go into your room".

Key Scripture Passage
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Matthew 6:6 NIV

Reflection
Have you ever heard the story of Joseph Kratzle?  He was a Chicago service elevator operator in an apartment house and recovered two checks for $114,000 which had been lost by a tenant.  It wasn't like he just found the checks on the floor of the elevator - he spent hours searching through fourteen trash bags and garbage cans after hearing from a tenant that the checks had been lost.  You can imagine the reward Joseph received from the tenant.  Or can you?  He actually received a fifteen cent tip and an offer to put iodine on the cuts on his hands resulting from his search.  Joseph accepted the fifteen cents.  He declined the offer of first aid and administered his own treatment when he returned to the basement from the tenant's apartment.

Jesus tells us when we go into this room alone with God and pray, we will be rewarded.  Does the limited frequency with which we go into that room alone with God suggest we consider the reward akin to Joseph Kratzle's?

There is no better way to experience the kingdom of heaven on earth than to spend time alone with God in that room.  From such times we gain the reward of His peace, His power, and His provision.  I like the way The Message addresses this in Philippians 4:6-7:  "Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." 

Not only does going into the room alone with God allow us to experience more of the kingdom of heaven on earth, it allows us to join the Holy Spirit in extending the kingdom of heaven on earth as well.  As we spend time alone with God, we come to share His heart for the materially poor and the oppressed, and we are better able to tap into His power to break through the gates of hell that so often enchain the poor.

The reward Jesus is referring to is far greater than Joseph Kratzle could have ever imagined receiving.  Would you like to have the reward of experiencing and extending more of the kingdom of heaven on earth?  Then go into your room alone with God as often as you possibly can.

Questions to Consider
When's the last time you went into the room alone with God?  What was your reward?

Action Step for the Week
Set aside 30 minutes in your week ahead to be alone with God.  Thereafter, identify the reward of having done so.

Shameless Audacity

The second of three posts on "When you pray, go into your room".

Key Scripture Passage
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.  Psalm 84:10a (NIV)

Reflection
Do you remember the famous photo of JFK sitting at his desk in the oval office and his son, John Jr. on the floor peeking out from under the desk?  (Click here if you'd like to see it.)  Two thoughts immediately come to mind when viewing that photo.  “What is a toddler doing under the desk of the most powerful man in America?” And at the same time, “That little guy belongs right there playing at his father’s feet.”

The picture captures what I think Jesus is trying to teach in the parable of the friend at midnight who comes knocking and asking for a loaf of bread.  Jesus said, “because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need” (Luke 11:8).  Jesus’ point is that even though God is Almighty, we, His children, are welcome in His presence at any time.  The little John Kennedy Jr probably didn’t want anything more than to be close to his father.  And that’s exactly what God wants us to desire.  Jesus is calling us to simply be with Him.

Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”  I wish I could say that to God with complete sincerity.  But I want so many things here on earth, good things.  But even more than the good things that I often ask God for, He wants to give me the best thing – Himself, time with Him, His presence in my life.

The Luke 11 passage goes on to say, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”   The verse doesn’t say “how much more will your Father in heaven give you fish and eggs and other goodies”.  It says He will give us the Holy Spirit because God knows that is the best gift imaginable.  That’s what we really need and what we should really desire. So, with shameless audacity let’s go often in that quiet room and be with our Almighty, Eternal, Holy, Unchanging, All-powerful, All-wise, All-knowing, Sovereign, Gracious, Merciful, Faithful God.  We belong there, sitting at His feet, not needing to ask for anything, and discovering that one day in His courts is truly better than a thousand elsewhere.

Questions to Consider
Who do you have in heaven other than God? What on earth do you desire that keeps you from spending time simply enjoying God’s presence?

Action Step for the Week
Set aside 30 minutes in your week ahead to be alone with God.  Spend time appreciating how amazing our Father is.

A Frequent Encounter with Royalty

The first of three posts on "When you pray, go into your room".

Key Scripture Passage
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Matthew 6:6 NIV

Reflection
I still find it difficult to believe to this day.

We were visiting Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.  A sudden buzz came across the gathered crowd when news broke out that the Queen Mother's motorcade would soon be passing.  Sure enough it came, but to everyone's surprise, it stopped.  The car door opened, and out stepped the Queen Mother herself.  Much to my amazement, she approached me, called me by name, and asked if I would step into the Palace with her for a private meeting.  I forgot all about my busy schedule that day and humbly followed with a sense of honor I had never felt before.  Imagine - the Queen Mother wanted a private meeting with me!

Well, you can keep it to your imagination because, of course, that story isn't true.  But an even more amazing one is - the King of kings has invited me into a private meeting with Him whenever I choose to come!

Surely I would put aside my petty busy-ness and take advantage of such an amazing invitation as frequently as I could.  Or would I?  Do I?

Why don't I spend more time alone with God?  Is my busy-ness really that important?  Is it because I really don't comprehend who He is, value Him, and appreciate the invitation?  What reward am I missing out on because I don't develop this close intimacy with God?   How much more of the kingdom of heaven on earth could I experience here and now, and extend it to others, if I was only willing to accept the invitation and enter the room with the King of kings?

We'll explore these thoughts in the posts to follow.

Questions to Consider
How intimate are you with God?  Do you value Him so much that you are willing to regularly put everything else aside and spend time with just Him in your "room"?

Action Step for the Week
Set aside 30 minutes in your week ahead to be alone with God.  Ask Him "What do you have to say to me today, God?"  Then listen.

Have You Ever Heard About Microfinance?

The last of three posts on "Go back and report...what you hear and see."

Key Scripture Passage
Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see:  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”  Matthew 11:4-5 NIV

Reflection
"Have you ever heard about microfinance?"  Jackie called me out of the blue with that question.  I had never met her before, but she had been referred to me by our church's missions pastor and had the guts to give me a call and ask me that question.  She then proceeded to report to me what she had seen and heard about microfinance, and Christian microfinance in particular.  2 minutes into the conversation I was hooked, and my life has never been the same since.

What started with a simple question from a sister in Christ who had identified an effective means of empowering the materially poor turned into what is today PEER Servants.  She took a mustard seed step to make a call.  She put her concern about others before her concern of how I might see her.

It didn't stop there.  The fact is virtually all of PEER Servants' growth that has led to hundreds of volunteers offering thousands of hours of service, giving/raising millions of dollars, and extending more of the kingdom to hundreds of thousands of the materially poor has resulted from normal everyday people reporting what they are hearing and seeing.

While we praise God for the growth He has allowed, we also appreciate how much more of the kingdom of heaven needs to be extended to earth.  Let us not grow weary in our reporting what we are hearing and seeing, and as we report, let us make certain it is God, the One who has truly done the work, Who is receiving the glory for the lives that are being blessed.

Questions to Consider
How did you get involved in more intentionally extending the kingdom of heaven to earth?  Did it result from someone reporting to you what they had seen or heard?

Action Step for the Week
Identify just one example of how you have seen the kingdom of heaven being extended to earth and tell 2-3 people about it this week.

On the Importance of Sharing Stories

The second of three posts on "Go back and report...what you hear and see."

Memory Verse
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:9

Reflection
The time on my car clock read 12:56 pm. Just four minutes until I was supposed to pick up my daughter from preschool.  On the short drive I spent my thoughts unpacking my morning to figure out how the time had crept up on me.  I slid into a parking spot and reached my daughter's classroom just three minutes after 1 pm.  Not too bad, but I told myself I would do better the next day. 

As I loaded my daughter and her baby sister back in the car, I noticed an acquaintance parked next to me.  We exchanged greetings, and she shared her daughter had been offered a seat in a specific kindergarten program.  As a result she now felt torn between two options and unsure of what to do.  As she was telling her story, I immediately thought of another friend whose family had been in a similar situation several years before.  They had several options for the husband's employment and were confused about what God was doing; what could the choices mean?  In the end, they discovered through the discerning process that God is at work in our individual lives but also in the life of the community around us.  Just because options are present, it doesn't mean that we must walk through that door.  Sometimes God is doing something completely different.

As my acquaintance finished speaking, I shared this story with her.  The reaction on her face made it clear that the experience of my friends encouraged her in her own decision-making process.  We went on to talk for another 25 minutes in the parking lot about how God works in our lives and the world around us.  We finally climbed into our cars, waved good-bye and went our separate ways.  As I drove home, I couldn't help but think God had bigger plans for my day than merely me being on time to pick up my daughter from preschool.

Questions to Consider

1. Do you have space in your life to slow down to be in the moment of what is happening?  The conversation I had with the woman stretched close to an unplanned half hour, but the time was so encouraging to both of us.  Of even greater importance, I was reminded of how God’s ways are greater than my ways.  He is greater than schedules and plans.
   

2. Are you willing to share stories with others when God presents opportunities?
   

Action Steps

1. One thing I have found valuable is praying that God would ordain the day; that He would orchestrate it in the way He wants.  As the day progresses, I think it is important to believe that in the midst of random events (like running late to pick up a child), God is at work.  Try this for yourself in the week ahead.
   

2. Connected to the above thought, for a week each evening, take inventory of the opportunities God has created for you to share stories of what He is doing.  I think the events and opportunities will amaze us. 
   

What Am I Hearing and Seeing?

The first of three posts on "Go back and report...what you hear and see."

Key Scripture Passage
Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see:  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”  Matthew 11:4-5 NIV

Reflection

People who are willing to report what they hear and see can have tremendous impact in our world.  Check out these inspiring stories of folks in Cambodia, the Congo, Mexico, the Middle East, and right here in the United States if you're not convinced.

So what are you reporting to others of what you are hearing and seeing about the kingdom of heaven on earth?  Do you realize that by simply being willing to report what you are hearing and seeing, you may be able to allow your friends to experience a bit more of heaven on earth?

We started this blog with Jesus' command to "Go and make disciples."  Despite the king commanding me to do it, I find that really hard to do, so I rarely do it (and I am trying to do it more).  Now the king is encouraging me to simply "go back and report...what we hear and see."  Surely that is easy enough to do, and yet again, it seems like I rarely even do that.

When I ask myself why I rarely do it, I come down to either I am not seeing much of the kingdom of heaven on earth, or I refuse to put my pride and ego aside to tell others about it.  It's definitely not the first - I get to see God do amazing things in the lives of people all over the world.  It is much more the latter, and so now I am trying to be much more intentional about simply reporting to others what I am hearing and seeing.

Are there potential repercussions?  Yes, but in general nowhere near the life-threatening risks faced by those featured in the inspiring stories I referenced at the beginning of this post.  And the king who told me to report what I hear and see actually has all authority on earth subject to Him.  Hmmmm - now that should make me a bit bolder, shouldn't it?!

No one can question what you hear and see.  If you get in the game of extending the kingdom of heaven to earth through your actions, you will have plenty to report to others.  And as you humbly report it, just watch how God will extend more of His kingdom to your listeners, and you as well.

Questions to Consider

What have you seen and heard of the kingdom of heaven being extended to earth?  Are you reporting it to others? 

Action Steps for the Week

Identify just one example of how you have seen the kingdom of heaven being extended to earth and tell 2-3 people about it this week.