I’m rich, I’m rich!
August 25th, 2010 | 
Author: He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Most of us spend each day, from early in the morning to late in the evening, doing some type of work in order to provide food, clothes, and shelter for ourselves and our families. And yet, astonishingly, God tells us not to strive after these things. God knows we need these things and as his disciples he will provide them to us.
I don’t think this means we should kick back, say a prayer, and wait for God to send us some new sneakers and a nice meal. It does mean we should primarily concern ourselves with Kingdom work. If we tend to God’s work, he will provide our basic needs. Notice I say basic. We are also cautioned not to be striving after all the things that non-believers strive after; in this day and time that might mean cars, clothes, houses, fame, wealth, and so on. If we read a little further in Luke, we come to verse 34: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If our hearts are with the Lord, then earthly treasures have little value. If our primary focus each day is on working and saving for earthly treasures, giving God only a few moments of our time, then our hearts and lives are earth-focused, not Kingdom-focused.
How do we strive after the Kingdom of God in our everyday lives of work and family responsibilities? Personally, I believe it comes down to developing good spiritual habits: prayer, bible study, listening and waiting on the Spirit, compassionate living, and God-centered ethics. These habits can transform even the most mundane work into Kingdom work. Our lives become a living testimony to the grace and power of our Lord. We become clothed not in fancy clothes, but in the love and peace of Christ. We are driven not by a new car, but by the Spirit of God living in us. This spiritual wealth is priceless and, amazingly, we can give it away over and over and find ourselves becoming wealthier and wealthier. It can never be taken from us. We can’t lose it in the stock market. It’s not dependent on the health of our retirement plans. The currency of the Kingdom can transform our lives and the lives of all those around us. It even stays with us beyond the grave.
I strive after getting rich every day. Just not in the way the world measures richness. How about you? If you’d like more information on developing good spiritual habits that can transform your life into a Kingdom-focused lifestyle, please contact me.
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Ministry updates
Summer break is over and this week will debut the new Virtual Hermitary show on blip.tv. This format will make the show available on iTunes and other outlets.
It is also the first week of Late Night Prayer on Thursdays—a live, online prayer service. The prayer service will follow the form of the Compline of the Daily Office. Participants can remain anonymous and the service will not be recorded. Join the session this Thursday, August 26, at 11 p.m. Central time (Midnight Eastern, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific) via this URL http://bit.ly/c81Oot.
A loud cry
Friday June 25, 2010
Matthew 20:29-34
May we never quiet down, shush, save it for later, hold our tongue, or put a lid on it when it comes to calling out for the Lord and following after him. Let’s be like the men in today’s reading. When the world says “keep it to yourself,” cry out even louder.
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!’ Jesus stood still and called them, saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
Faith and discipline
Sunday June 20, 2010
Galatians 3:23-29
This passage from Galatians is familiar for verse 28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” And yet, perhaps what we sometimes overlook is why this is true. We can all be one–equally redeemed and equal heirs–because faith in Christ makes it possible. No rule-making or rule-observing will save us or make us one. The law, spoken of in this passage as the disciplinarian, showed people where they failed. It highlighted all the rules broken and all the punishments possible. The disciplinarian was a stern headmaster that kept the people of Israel in line until Christ could redeem all people once and for all–through faith.
As popular as verse 28 is, verse 29 is quite striking in its own right: “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” When we act on faith and join with the body of believers through baptism, we are made part of the lineage of Abraham. We are his descedents through faith and heirs to God’s promises to Abraham (see Romans 9:1-11:36 for more information on the promises that extend to Christians).
When we are in Christ we are no longer subject to the heavy rule of a disciplinarian acting on behalf of God to train God’s people. Instead we are heirs, children of God, free from the burden of the disciplinarian, free to be equally redeemed and equally useful in the family of God.
On Memorial Day
Here in the United States, it’s Memorial Day. This is a day for the Nation to remember all the men and women who have lost their lives fighting in the many wars and conflicts the country has been involved in.
As a Christian, I find Memorial Day a sad holiday. It is a sad reminder of lives lost. It is a sad reminder of the sin that causes humans to go into battle against one another.
At the same time, as a Christian, Memorial Day is a day of hope. It is a reminder that Christ came to deliver us from the sin that causes us to engage in atrocities against one another. It is a reminder that He will return and restore the earth and all its inhabitants to the peaceful existence for which it was created. It is a reminder that despite our human failings God reigns and can lift us above the evils of this world, if only we will believe.
Consider this passage from 2 Peter 3:
First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!’ They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgement and destruction of the godless.
But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Church and the Internet
Churches Will Explore Internet Opportunities on Sunday April 25
Internet Evangelism Day is an annual digital outreach focus day for churches. It encourages churches and their members to consider the growing opportunities for sharing the good news online. Ready-made, free downloads – PowerPoint, video clips, handouts, drama scripts and music are available for use in presentations of 5 to 50 minutes.
This 2010 focus day is the sixth observance of Internet Evangelism Day since the initiative’s launch in 2005. Digital media, cell phone Internet capabilities, and the advent of social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter make the Internet an ever-present reality in more and more people’s lives.
IE Day’s website is a one-stop resource covering many subjects, including how to build a church website that is “outsider friendly,” using Twitter in evangelism, and ideas for effective blogging.
Perhaps surprisingly, you do not need to be technical to share your faith online. And you can volunteer to be an email mentor to inquirers with several large online outreach ministries.
Internet Evangelism Day is an initiative of the Internet Evangelism Coalition based at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. It is supported by a wide range of Christian leaders and groups. “I am glad to commend Internet Evangelism Day,” says John Stott of John Stott Ministries. The Virtual Hermitary/Amy Jo Garner ministries is also proud to partner with Internet Evangelism Day.
More information: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com
The best meal of the week
Wednesday April 7, 2010
Luke 24:13-35
The disciples in this passage are in mourning. The one they had looked to as a redeemer had been killed, and they are perplexed at the reports of Jesus’ missing body. The risen Jesus walks along with them, ministering to them and explaining the meaning of the events that had transpired; but they do not recognize him. Not until they sit down and break bread together do they see Jesus: “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.”
Even today, we have an opportunity to draw near to Jesus and experience his presence each time we participate in the Lord’s Supper, also referred to as Communion or the Eucharist. Before he died he gave the example of using bread and wine to represent his sacrifice and eternal presence with believers; he asked the disciples to remember him each time they gathered to break bread and share the cup. Although the Lord’s Supper may seem like nothing more than a simple tradition that we observe out of faithfulness, it is truly a miraculous opportunity to join with our fellow Christians in thanksgiving, blessing, and sharing in the presence of our Lord and Savior.
Next time you participate in the Lord’s Supper, don’t think of it as a duty or obligation: think of it as a shared meal with Jesus and all of his disciples past, present, and future.
Death defeated
Sunday April 4, 2010
Psalm 114
Romans 6:3-11
Luke 24:1-12
Easter Sunday
Here’s a brief message wishing you a Happy Easter!