Hope for Life Blog

The sex was good, the rival eliminated, the baby bump was beginning to show and the whispers and gossip were flying. Then with a point of an aged finger and words that must have caused his head and heart to quake, “you are that man” everyone knew.

From the smug smile that flashed, “I’ve got this under control”, to the horrible realization that he was an adulterer, murderer, deceiver, liar, and betrayer, his world was reduced to the cesspool of reality that he was drowning in.

At that moment only the answers to two questions mattered. What does God say you should do? Are you going to do it?

What appears to be a script for a movie or TV show is a story from ancient times, sadly acted out over and over in the centuries since.

David, second king of Israel, had it all and lost it when lust controlled him. It is then that he answers those two most fundamental of questions. His answer can be read in the 51st Psalm.

Have mercy upon me, Oh God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

David betrayed God, asked for forgiveness and is granted it, yet David still suffered the consequences of that sin (two of his sons die). In spite of all this both the prophet Samuel and Luke describe David as a man after God’s own heart.

If there was forgiveness for David, then there is nothing you can do that God can’t forgive!

Those two questions remain for you to answer. What does God say you should do? and Are you going to do it?

Which of those two is the hardest to answer?

It’s said that the opening of a book is extremely important. The writer needs to engage his readers from the outset, filling them with a desire to read more.

When the apostle Matthew sat down to write the story of Jesus, I’m not sure that he was thinking about that. The first 14 verses of his book are a genealogy. This man was the father of that man, who was the father of some other guy. It’s not the most exciting reading for most of us.

As we read through this list of fathers and sons, there are four names that ought to catch our attention. Four women made this list: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bath-Sheba. Over forty men are listed and only four women.

So these women must be especially righteous, especially virtuous women, right? They are included in the genealogy of Jesus, showing the people God used to bring His Son into the world. We would expect these women to be the examples of what women should be.

But that’s not the case. One of them dressed up as a prostitute and seduced her own father-in-law. One of them WAS a prostitute. Another committed adultery, got pregnant, and married the father of that child after her own husband was murdered. The other was fairly righteous, but she was also a foreigner. The Jews weren’t supposed to marry foreigners, so she shouldn’t even be on this list.

But these names are here. These women are remembered, while other women have been long forgotten. Matthew had his reasons, and I won’t pretend to know exactly what they were.

But I know that there is a lesson here: God can use anybody. Even when they’ve made mistakes. Even when they’ve been taken advantage of. Even when they don’t come from the right family. God can use anybody.

That message is fitting for the story of Jesus. Jesus came and made it possible for everyone to be acceptable to God. He broke down barriers, creating a new nation made up of people from every nation of this world. The story of Jesus is a story of inclusion.

I can be a part. You can be a part. Everyone who is willing to truly put their faith in Jesus can be a part.

We Christians often make the statement that the church is a hospital for sinners.  We mean that to be a warm and inviting description for any of you who do not know Jesus.  It is our attempt to say that we are not perfect, but forgiven.  It is an effort to say that messy lives are welcome in our midst.  It is our confession that we often have messy lives too.  It is a plea for you to know that we are a place of hope for the hopeless, a community for the lonely, a place of healing for the broken, a place of joy for the heartsick, a people of peace in a world at war, and a church of purpose for the life without meaning.

But we are not just a hospital, we are also a wellness center.  If we have given the impression that church is simply a place where everyone is broken, wounded, or hurting …  then we have misled you.  We are a place where people like this can come.  If fact, many of us were like that when we first showed up.  But we do not stay like that.  Church is where healing happens.  It is where broken lives are restored.  It is where joy, peace, purpose, and hope can be found. 

Yes, church is a place where critical care for spiritually wounded people takes place.  And sometimes those of us in church find ourselves in need of emergency spiritual care.  We still have struggles with living out our faith and we still battle with Satan.  But most of us are in the wellness center, not the hospital.  We are learning together how to live as healthy followers of Jesus.  We are learning how to extend care to each other and to those who wish to join our community.

So in one of our churches, you will see people who are bleeding from the wounds inflicted by a hard world of sin and trouble.  They are receiving emergency care.  You will see people with bandages and wounds that are still healing.  They are receiving ongoing care.  But what you will see more than anything else is those of us with scars.  We are healed.  We are healthy.  The scars are our reminder of the God who heals.  It reminds us of how God saves.  And they remind the wounded that they too will be healed.  Just like we have been.    

Blessings,

steve

People love stories. They love to hear them. They love to tell them.

It seems to be natural. Have you ever met a child that didn’t like stories? That didn’t want to be read to at night?

It’s not surprising that so much of the Bible is made up of stories. Well, maybe it is surprising. When we think of what we’ll find in a religious book, we often expect some sort of rule book or owner’s manual, telling people exactly how to live. And some of the Bible could be described that way.

But it’s mostly stories. Stories of grand adventures. Stories of everyday life. Stories of miracles and stories of tragedies. Stories that make you want to stand up and cheer, as well as stories that make you want to boo the villain.

Reading these stories can be a bit like reading any other history book. Until we get to that special part where God invites us to be a part of the story. To add our story to the stories that we find written in the Bible. To jump into the flow of God’s story and ride it all the way to the end.

I love looking at the videos on this website. People tell their story in those videos, their story about how God made them part of His story. Like the stories in the Bible, these stories involve tragedy and victory, great happiness and deep pain. And the stories have happy endings, because God can take every story and make it end well.

You’ve got a story. It’s a unique story that’s being written every day. But your story needs an ending, a happy ending. And I know that the only way your story can end happily is if you make your story part of God’s story.

I did not wake up in a cold sweat.  It was more of a hot sweat.  Kicking the covers off, I went to see what the Air Conditioner thermostat was set on.  It said 72 degrees.  Then I noticed the temperature register.  It was at 82.  Time for panic.  We were living in Texas in the middle of a record string of days with temperatures over 100 degrees.  And now the air conditioner was not working.  We were not the only ones among our friends and neighbors to suffer from the heat.  Civil authorities were issuing constant warnings for the elderly to be aware of the dangers.  Pets, construction workers, and athletes were all recipients of special concern.

Jokes about hell were rampant.  Messages were posted for Satan to come retrieve his residence.  The phrase “hotter than hell” was used often.  People would even joke about needing to go to church if this is what hell was going to be like.  The outbreak of wildfires across the state contributed to the jokes about hell.  And every one of them was missing the point.  It wasn’t just that the heat and fire here cannot really compare at all to what the reality of hell will be. It is that the heat and fire are not the worst part of hell.

The most frightening part of hell is that we will be separated from God forever.  Our rebellion against God – our sin – has separated us from God.  He is perfect and holy.  Sin cannot exist is His presence.  Yet He loves us so much that He could not stand the thought of us being out of His presence.  So He sent His only Son to this earth to do what we could not.  His Son came and lived a holy life here.  He did what He should do and never did what He should not have done.  He was perfect and holy.  And then He died to pay for our sins.  So that by sharing in His death we could be restored to relationship with God. 

God fixed it so that we could live forever in His holy presence.  Unholy people can be made holy by the gift of Jesus.  Believe in Him and live with God forever.  Choose not to believe and be separated from God forever.  That is that scariest part of hell.  God has fixed the problem with hell by offering His Son.  Believe it.  It is the best news you will ever hear.

Blessings,

steve

He asked it! It was a startling question for a preacher to make to our sophisticated and technologically advanced congregation.  I admired his courage and wondered if he would be marginalized for being “out of touch” with the 21^st century.  He asked something like this:

“We are connected to our iPhones, iPads, iTouch, iTunes, iMac, iChat, but

   have we lost the connection to the I AM?”

God says:

“I am your shield, your exceeding great reward.”

Gen. 15:1

“I am Almighty God, walk before me and be blameless.”

Gen. 17:1

“I am the God of your father Abraham…for I am with you.”

Gen. 26:24

“I am the Lord, that is My name.”

Is. 42:8

“For I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like Me.”

Is. 46:9

“I am who I AM, thus you say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.”

Ex. 3:14

“I am with you.”

Jer. 1:14

“I am merciful.”

Jer. 3:12

Jesus says:

“I am the living bread which came down from Heaven.”

John 6:51

“I am from Him and He sent me.”

John 7:29

“I am the light of the world.”

John 8:12

“I am the door.”

John 10:9

“I am the good shepherd.”

John 10:11

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:25

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

John 14:6

“I am the vine, you are the branches.”

John 15:5

“I am Jesus….”

Acts 9:5

So the question awaits your answer.  Are you more connected to your idevice or the I AM?

If so what can you and I do about that? Or should we?

There’s an amazing story about Jesus and a man named Jairus. Jairus was a religious leader, one of the rulers of the Jewish synagogue. At that time, that would have made him unlikely to go see someone like Jesus. But Jairus went.

He went because his daughter was very sick. He went because he was desperate. He went because he considered Jesus to be his only hope.

Jairus was able to convince Jesus to come to his house. But while they were on the way, someone came with terrible news: Jairus’ daughter was dead. All hope was now gone. Or so Jairus must have thought.

But Jesus thought otherwise. He said to the grieving father: “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50)

When they arrived at Jairus’ house, people were standing outside, crying. Jesus told them: “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, because everyone knew she was dead.

Except Jesus. That is, he knew she was dead. But he also knew that she wouldn’t stay that way. Jesus went to the girl, took her by the hand, and told her to get up. And the young girl did!

It’s a beautiful story. As a father, I guess I hear it differently than I once did. I can imagine if my daughter were desperately ill, how hopeless I would feel. And I don’t even want to try and imagine how I would feel if she passed away.

But I know that Jesus’ words would ring in my ears: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

More than 80 times in the Bible, people are told “Don’t be afraid.” Fear is a common element of our human condition. And there’s probably no greater fear than the fear of death. One New Testament writer wrote that Jesus came to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:15)

As we find ourselves facing the imminent death of someone we love or even our own death, that’s the time we need to hear Jesus’ words: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Because even when the worst happens, Jesus can say, “They’re not dead but asleep.” He is able to take even the dead by the hand and wake them up. If we only believe.

Don’t be afraid. Just believe.

We had been talking about Jesus when he asked me this question.  At first, I thought he wanted to know what to do to become a Jesus follower.  But that was not what he meant.  He was concerned to know what following Jesus meant in terms of his daily lifestyle.  He was convinced that Christians spent most of their time consulting a massive list of do’s and don’ts.  That was his experience and he was wondering if that was how he would have to live.

I explained that being a Christian was not about following a long list of right and wrong actions.  Instead, living a Christian life is about being in a relationship.  The relationship with Jesus is what determines how you live your life.  Christians act and think in certain ways because of our connection with a real and personal Savior.  But he insisted I tell him what it meant in terms of life choices he would have to make every day.  So here is what I told him.  Three things.

1.  Do what Jesus did.  Treat people the way Jesus treated them.  Connect to God like Jesus did.  Live like Jesus lived.  Walk in his steps. 
2. Don’t do what Jesus did not do.  Get the things out of your life that are not like Jesus.  Wrong relationships, damaging attitudes, and hurtful actions.  If Jesus would not be that way, don’t do it.
3. Tell everyone about Jesus.  Share the story of what God has done thru Jesus.  Tell how he has changed your life.  Invite them into a relationship with him.

That’s it.  That was my list.  I told him that was exactly how I thought Christians decided how to live their lives.  We make a series of choices every day based on the relationship we have with Jesus.    

I assured him that he would get lots of help in figuring all this out.  God left a book that has lots of examples about how to do this.  Christians live in community as family to help each other live this way.  And God gives His people His Holy Spirit to help them live these things out.

It is really not that complicated.

Blessings,

steve

On a recent trip to Florida, I heard someone commenting on the traffic problems in Orlando. This person cited a study which indicated that the congestion was caused by the number of people who aren’t sure where they’re going.

This is an apt description of the world in general. I would say that many problems arise because people don’t know where they are going. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere, but few seem to know where they are headed.

In a story about Jesus, recorded by one of his apostles named John, we read this: “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:3-5)

In Jesus’ day, people traveled largely by foot on dusty roads and dirty city streets. They wore open-toed footwear. When they ate, they often reclined around low tables, with one person’s feet near another person’s head. Foot washing wasn’t a luxury; it was part of basic hygiene.

It was also a task that was performed by the lowest of the low, the slaves who did the dirtiest deeds. How could Jesus bring himself to perform such a filthy, humiliating task?

He knew where he was going. He knew who he was, where he had come from and where he was going. He wasn’t defined by that task nor any of the tasks that he performed while on this earth. He was going somewhere.

We can be like Jesus in that regard. We can know who we are. We can know where we are going. And that knowledge can free us to do whatever needs doing in this world.

Let me tell you more. Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org. Or check out the four numbered steps on the www.hopeforlife.org website. Life is so much better when we know where we are going.

It was a headline made to grab my attention, and it worked.  This was what I was looking for:  a way to be fit and fat.  Or fat, but still fit.  It seemed to promise an easy way to health without much effort on my part.  Then I saw the pictures.  The two people in the ad did not have an ounce of fat between them.  They looked nothing like me.  In fact, I am fairly confident no one in real life has ever looked that way.  So now I was confused. 

I wonder if that is the way we Christians have advertised the Christian life.  Have we invited people to a life that promises a spiritual walk with Jesus while letting them still live life on their own terms?  Do we try and offer the “best of both worlds”?  Christianity that requires little effort and will not inconvenience anyone.    The image we show is of a life with no problems, no worries, and no pain.  So do people see the image and become skeptical?  Do they realize that something in that view of the Christian life does not add up?

I think a more honest health ad would be a picture of a real person sweating on a treadmill with a caption that talked about months of hard work to lose a few pounds.  Maybe it would even declare that there are no shortcuts and that the way to real health involves a commitment to a lifestyle of exercise, proper rest, and a reasonable diet.  Deep in my heart I know that is the only way to look and feel better.  There are no shortcuts.  The image ad is not really fooling anyone.  They know it, and I know it.

Christianity works that way too.  It is a call to a lifestyle that is radically different.  Honestly, it is an invitation to a life that will still have trouble in this world.  But it is an invitation to be in a relationship with the One who has overcome this world.  So to follow Jesus is not easy.  It is not without pain and it is not without struggle.  It does, however, work.  It gives purpose and meaning in a world of confusion.  It is real.

 Blessings

steve