A New Adventure

We began a new adventure this week. A grandson adventure.

Kyle Steven announced his arrival Friday with a cry that was music to his family’s ears. And while his face was new, he was no stranger.

In that new face were the familiar lines of his father’s brow and his mother’s chin. He is a delight to behold. And to hold.

The other day I held this tiny new life in my arms for almost an hour. His brow furrowed and his lips puckered in his sleep. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

He is a picture of God’s grace. It’s no wonder newborns capture our eyes and our hearts!

Charles Dickens wrote, “It is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.” And when we love them we demonstrate the love God has for us.

“Now just a minute! How is loving a newborn like God’s love for us?”

No one had to tell me to love Kyle. I love him because he is my grandson.

Even though he doesn’t know me yet, I will love him until he does. And then I hope he will love me because he knows me.

The Bible tells us that we love God because he first loved us. Long before we knew him, he knew us and loved us anticipating the day we would know him and love him, too.

Little Kyle doesn’t have to earn my love either. I know that he will cry and misbehave. He will make mistakes, fall and be hurt. But I will still love him, help him and forgive him.

God loves you and he loves me because we are children of his son and daughter, Adam and Eve. We don’t have to earn his love. Just accept it.

What’s amazing is that God is willing to love and forgive us even before we are sorry for our sin. The Bible says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sin, God can offer us complete and unconditional forgiveness as a free gift. Forgiveness for all our mistakes, rebellion and sins.

God knows all about us--our past and our future failures. But he is the original failure forgiver—the God of second, third--and more--chances. Why? Because he loves us.

Usually children and grandchildren accept the love of their parents without questioning it. So why do many people question God’s love for them? The path to peace with God is to accept the love he offers through his son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls us to follow him. He doesn’t call us to simply make a decision. He invites us to follow him and become his disciple. A disciple is someone who re-arranges his life to follow and obey Jesus Christ.

When I look at my new grandson, I don’t know what the future holds for him. I don’t know yet how our relationship will turn out. And when we accept God’s love for us in Christ, we don’t know everywhere it will take us. But we can know that it will be good.

You can be sure I will do everything in my power to give my grandson a good life—just like my other grandchildren. But God can do better than that. The Bible says that he is able to work in all things “for the good of those who love him.” Even I can’t do that!

On Monday we welcomed home not just a new face, but also a new life full of potential. A child to love and be loved by. A new adventure that is a reminder of God’s love for us.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

I’m Good

Have you ever said, “I’m good”?

It’s often said at restaurants. I’ve even said it myself. Usually it’s when a server asks, “Is there anything else you need?” And that’s when we reply, “I’m good.”

People used to say, “No thank you.” Maybe this means the same thing. Or close to it.

But what are we really saying?

It seems what we mean is “I’m fine. I don’t need anything else. You can leave me alone.”

Some cultures thrive on dependency. Having someone else attend to one’s needs is an honor. But modern Americans like to be left alone. We’re a self-sufficient, independent lot.

While this attitude may work in a restaurant, it can be devastating spiritually.

“Now hold on just a minute! How does the way we reply to a server affect us spiritually?”

It’s actually pretty simple. When we first hear about sin and our need for a savior, it can be troubling. But then we look around and notice many others worse than we are. We see hypocritical religious types and think, “I’m not THAT bad.”

So when we’re invited to trust in Christ’s death on the cross so our sin can be forgiven, we reply to God the same as to our server: “I’m good.”

But we’re dead wrong. And if we will listen, the Bible corrects our wrong thinking.

God says, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” The Bible adds that all of our good deeds are like filthy rags in God’s sight.

It warns us about commending ourselves. God says, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

Why? Because Jesus said, “No one is good—except God alone.” And when we compare ourselves to a holy God, none of us can measure up!

If you’re still not convinced, get a Bible and read God’s standard for goodness in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). The only honest response to that list is “I’m ruined! No one could do that 100% of the time!”

And that’s the point--to help us realize we’re not so good and that we need help.

It’s only after we arrive at this conclusion that we can understand why Jesus came. He came to live the life we could not live and to provide a better way—a way that works for everyone.

Through Moses, God gave us a law that helps us discover our true nature as sinners. Through Jesus Christ, God gave us grace—the gift of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ.

When we follow Jesus, obey him and trust the God who raised him to give us eternal life, we become a new person. God changes us from the inside out.

The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Because of our faith in Christ, it is no longer our goodness (or lack of it) that God sees. It is Christ’s goodness. And so God accepts us because we are forgiven in Christ.

As someone has said, “Christians are not perfect, they’re just forgiven.” And the wonderful news is that God’s offer of forgiveness, mercy and grace is for everyone in the world!

Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says, “The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

Once you’ve done that, you can truthfully say, “I’m good!”

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

P.S. Check out the link to the left "Are You A Good Person?" and take The Good Test!

Resume Guidance

In the past two weeks I traveled to three states in the Midwest, Northeast and the South.

Previously I would have had my trusty map and directions by my side. But all that has changed now that I drive a car with a navigation system.

All I have to do is input my destination and the car tells me where to go. It’s amazing!

If I decide to leave the prescribed route to make a stop, the navigator keeps telling me to make turns that will put me back on the correct route. If it gets too annoying, I just push a button and say “Suspend guidance.” Then it leaves me alone until I ask it to “Resume guidance.”

What if I forget to resume guidance? Then the navigator is silent no matter how lost I get. And that reminds me of where many people find themselves in life: Lost with no direction.

“Now hold on just a minute! How is a car with navigation like losing one’s way in life?”

It’s easy to make a wrong turn in life, even if you start out going in the right direction. And once you’re lost, it’s hard to get back on track.

I’ve spoken to many people who started their life’s journey well. Maybe they had parents, grandparents, a friend or a relative that brought them to church. And when they heard the gospel, they put their faith in Christ and began to follow him.

But then they made a wrong turn in life and lost their way.

Sure, their conscience bothered them. No doubt it kept reminding them to follow Jesus and obey him. But they just said to God, “Suspend guidance” and kept on going their own way.

Then one day they find themselves completely lost and unsure where to go. What to do?

The answer is the same as when I’m driving my car. They need to turn “divine navigation” back on in their life. The solution is to turn back to God and ask him to “Resume guidance.”

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

God is able to remove obstacles from our path, get us back on track and bring us to the place where he can bless us and make us a blessing to others. But you must first admit your “mistake” and trust God to lead you again. (The Bible calls that “confession” and “repentance.”)

My car’s navigation system works because it communicates with a network of satellites that plot my location and my destination. Then, from its database of maps, it selects the best route to drive to my destination.

Divine guidance works when we begin to follow Jesus Christ. The Bible becomes our roadmap for life. It’s advice and warnings keep us on the right road. As the scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

When we obey God, continue to follow him and meditate on what he said in the scriptures, he is able to lead us into a joyful and fulfilling life of service. Then, one day, we will arrive at our ultimate destination, Heaven.

So, if you want to enjoy your life’s journey without getting lost, stick with God’s direction. If you’ve taken a detour and gotten lost, humble yourself and resume divine guidance.

What’s amazing is that God is so patient with us. When we return to him and admit our sin and self-centeredness, he forgives us and offers us a new beginning.

God says, “Return to me and I will return to you.”

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Enough Faith

Did you ever feel like you were low on faith?

As I write these words I’m waiting for my car’s oil to be changed. Oil is critical to a car’s life.

I know of a driver who drove a new car until the oil light finally came on--never checked it or added any! Didn’t even think about it. As a result, the engine was ruined.

That’s why I taught my children to check their car’s oil every time they stopped for gas. If it needed some, they could add it before it was too late.

Unfortunately some people ignore their faith like the driver that never checked the oil.

“Now hold on just a minute! How is ignoring one’s faith like failing to check a car’s oil?”

Good question. Here’s how: Some folks completely forget about their need for faith. They say, “I’ll know if I need it” but never think about it.

Faith is like the oil. If you forget about it, your life will end in ruin. So don’t wait to check it.

The good news is that you don’t need a lot of faith. Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…nothing will be impossible for you.”

Now you may think you have at least that much faith—enough for small things. But many often feel inadequate to trust God to use them to do something big. Just like Jesus’ disciples did.

But here’s a wonderful truth: The key isn’t how much faith you have (Jesus said you only need a little). The key is in whom you place your faith and trust.

Some people have faith in faith. They think if you have a lot of it, you’re fine. They might say, “What matters is to sincerely believe.”

Others have faith in themselves. They believe they can overcome any obstacle in their way. And they get along fine until something happens beyond their control.

Still others take Jesus’ words as kind of Christian magic. They believe all we have to do is trust God and he will give us whatever we want. But that’s not what Jesus is saying.

The important thing to remember is Jesus was speaking to people who were already following him and seeking to serve him. When we do that we will face obstacles, but they are not insurmountable if we trust in the God of the Bible.

The journey of faith begins when we personally trust God to do what he says he will do. The Bible says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” That means the place to begin is the Bible.

Then the Bible adds, “But to as many as received him, he gave the right to become sons of God, to everyone who believes on his (Jesus’) name.” So the next step is to trust Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we do that we become children of God.

After that the Bible says we are to obey his commandments. Part of obeying Christ is telling others how they, too, can have peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus warned us that would be a difficult task. But he also promised to help us. He said that nothing he asks us to do would be impossible if we trust him. So as we share the message of Christ with others, we find that God protects and provides for us.

How much do you trust God? The next time you feel your faith is inadequate, stop and check it. Just like you check the oil in your car. And the thing to check is not how much faith you have but in whom you are trusting.

Why? Because a little is enough when your faith is in Jesus Christ.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!