Thank Goodness

You're probably asking yourself what's up with the picture for today's post. Well not only does it touch on today's topic, but I think it's pretty hilarious: when I think of reggae, I don't immediately think of reggae from Finland...but to each their own, I guess.

I was telling my wife the other day that the topics of Kindness, Goodness, and Gentleness are probably the three most difficult for me to separate out of the Fruits of the Spirit because they seem to blend into one another and sometimes seem interchangeable; but here's my best crack at it. Growing up, I was a big comic book fan: I could read Captain America, The Punisher, and SpiderMan all day long, and anyone who's even thought about comic books knows the common theme in those stories: the battle between good and evil. And yes, doing the opposite of evil is the simplest definite of goodness. In fact, Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary says, "Goodness in man is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good." What's interesting about that definition is its observation that goodness is a deliberate, persistent choice. Not only do we have to choose to do good, but we have to do it constantly. You only have to be alive for one day to know that we're constantly bombarded with the temptation to do evil, it's just our sinful nature at work.

In the book of Exodus, Moses asked the Lord to show him His Glory. "And the LORD said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' " (Exodus 33:19). I just love how God refers to His Glory as His Goodness. In reference to this passage, the New JJohn Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible says, "the glory of the Lord lies in His goodness, and that appears in the works of his hands, in the methods of his providence, especially in the distribution of His sovereign grace and mercy, and particularly in His pardoning grace and mercy, through the blood of Christ." You see, God is the ultimate example of goodness, and we see it in the world He created, and even more so in His compassion for us through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ, who came to die and offer forgiveness of our sins.

So what now? Psalm 116:12 says, "How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?" Let's look at Webster's definition of goodness, "The quality of being good in any of its various senses; excellence; virtue; kindness; benevolence; as, the goodness of timber, of a soil, of food; goodness of character, of disposition, of conduct, etc." So therefore, to repay the Lord for His goodness to us, we need to also be good. Goodness of character, disposition, and conduct will make us a well-rounded person that God can use for His glory as a witness to the lost: no one likes the crabby or rude Christian, or the Christian who is always getting into the wrong thing. We must also remember to be good to one another: be just, kind, and honest.

So you think I forgot to keep up the song titles theme, right? Wrong. "Thank Goodness" is actually a song from the Broadway show "Wicked" (which is a PHENOMINAL show, by the way). I chose it for this entry because this past Christmastime, Wicked was coming here to Charlotte and I reeeeally wanted to go. My wife tried to get me tickets when they went on sale, but all the shows sold out in a flash. So she, knowing we were travelling up to NY/CT for the holidays, bought me tickets for the actual Broadway version of the show. She really wanted to get me to see Wicked one way or another, so she did...and I had a blast...and I'll never forget it either. It was special to me that she went out of her way to do that. As mushy as it sounds, when I think of goodness I think of my wife: she's always displays goodness of character, disposition and conduct. She always thinks of others, and it's a trait I really admire in her: God has truly blessed me with an amazing wife. There are many people who practice goodness everyday deep down to their core for the glory of God: I'm sure we know at least one. Those are the types of people we should emulate. 2 Peter 1:3-5a says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness..."

It Is Well With My Soul...

Today we have another entry about a popular hymn, "It is Well with my Soul."

Like I said before, I grew up in a church where we sang a lot of hymns and this was one of them. It was one of those songs where I'd sing it but never bothered to focus on what I was singing because, admittedly, it's a little difficult due to the wording. At their concert in February, Selah gave the background of this hymn and it immediately became one of those most powerful hymns to me once I learned the context by which it was written.

In 1873, Horatio Gates Spafford decided to go on a vacation to Europe with his wife and four daughters. In England he was to meet with his good friend, D.L. Moody, who was to be preaching there. Spafford was hung-up on business here in the States, so he sent his family ahead and in the mid-Atlantic, their ship collided with another and sank immediately. His wife was able to hold onto some debris (and was one of 47 survivors), but all four of his daughters perished in the accident. Upon hearing the news, Spafford received a two-word telegram from his wife with only two words, "Saved alone." He then took a ship across the Atlantic towards England, where he passed the place of his daughters' deaths, then sat down and penned the famous hymn while at sea:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

He lives--oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul!

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall descend;
Even so, it is well with my soul...

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

Wow. What a tremendous story and what a tremendous song. I'll tell you right now: I probably would not have handled the same situation the same way as Horatio Spafford did. In the midst of all this tragedy (he also lost his only son 2 years prior), he found peace in the Lord...because He is sovereign and His will is good and just. It's just so hard to understand sometimes. It makes me think of Job, who went through all those trials and tribulations and still loved and praised God, saying "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). I think one of the hardest parts of being a Christian is trying to make sense of the hard times. Sometimes we get angry, confused, hurt, sad...but God's will is good, and He knows all things. Where one thing may be bad, it could bring about something good in your life...those are the times where we should hold fast to the Lord. I love the Amplified Bible's translation of Jeremiah 29:11, and it's one we should remember always, " 'For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you,' says the Lord, 'thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. ' "

Fruit of the Spirit: And if the devil doesn't like it, he can sit on a tack...

Remember that old Sunday School song?

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.
Where? Down in my heart!
Where? Down in my heart!
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,
down in my heart down in my heart to stay.

Good stuff! Today's topic, continuing on the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is Joy. The dictionary defines joy as, "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation." While joy is pretty easy to define, joy is not something easy to obtain or hold on to, it seems. We live in a world that seemingly exists to crush and exhaust us: we run to and fro, getting this and that done...and we're tired, and we're worn out, and sometimes we're just plain unhappy. That, my friends, is where we forget what it's all about: God and His everlasting love and mercy!

Think about it: we serve a God who spoke the universe into existence. Spoke it...he said "Moon" and there the moon was. Whoa. And yet somehow, in the grand scheme of things, He decided to show mercy on us, his screwiest creation, and sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins so we can spend eternity with Him. Doesn't that make you smile when you think of it? This mighty and powerful God cares for me! That is the source of joy: the remembrance of what God has done for us. It should drive us and put a smile on our face and a spring in our step. Yes...it's hard, very hard, to keep it up in such a day and age...but think about how much God has done for you and continues to do: He lets us get up in the morning, He provides for us, He gives us breathable air, He gives some of us good health...the list can go on forever. There's always something to be joyful about because God always works, sometimes we just don't realize it. This joy will help us tackle even the toughest of times, because in it we realize that God is bigger than anything we'll face. Nehemiah 8:10 says, "Do not grieve. For the joy of the Lord is your strength." God is God and He loves us...when we can continually think on that and have joy in that, we can go through anything!

The dictionary also gives another definition of joy that I like, "to feel joy; be glad; rejoice." To me, this definition goes hand-in-hand with Psalm 28:7, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. " Not only do we have to have joy that God is there for us, but we need to give thanks and praise Him for all that He does. No matter how lousy you feel, getting into some good worship time with God feels great, doesn't it? You stop and ignore all the junk in life and focus on Him...and you rejoice in all that He's done and His goodness. It's joy, folks! A couple days ago I was getting ready for work and I was listening to some praise and worship on my MP3 player, particularly "Agnus Dei" by Donnie McClurkin...it's such a powerful version of that song and sometimes I feel like I'm overwhelmed by the love, power, and majesty of the Lord. It made me think of what praise in Heaven must be like: the angels all in chorus, crying out "Worthy is the Lamb!" And it made me think: because of Jesus, I'll join in that chorus one day! It made me feel GOOD, it made me smile, it brought me joy. It was exactly what I needed for that day...and it's true: the joy of the Lord is my strength. We have to continually think on that: it's easy to be happy about my Yankees winning, or getting out of work early, or finally making it to another weekend without losing my mind. But that joy is fleeting...the joy of the Lord is everlasting because His love endures forever!

The Fruit of the Spirit: L is for the way you look at me...

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. " ~ Galatians 5:22-23

After just chowing down on some chunky, unsalted organic peanut butter with raisins, I was thinking, "I would love to eat an orange right now." That stuff makes your mouth DRY! By anyhoo, it got me to thinking about what to post next...I don't normally do themes because half the time I can't remember what I'm doing, but this time I thought I'd give it a shot. I remember once sitting around with some friends at UNCC talking about what I'd teach if I was a small group leader for InterVarsity. I mentioned the fruit of the spirit as a cool topic. I like the Fruit of the Spirit because not only does it make you hungry, but it gives a very basic outline of how we're supposed to act: you know God doesn't want us actin' a fool here on earth! So here goes: each entry for the next while will be about one of the fruits of the spirit. Today? LOVE...

Love is a word that's thrown around a lot these days...I even do it myself: "I loooove chocolate!" See? I did it. Love has become a word that has lost a lot of meaning in society...so what does it mean? Dictionary.com defines loves as, "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person"...another definition says, "affectionate concern for the well-being of others"...and ANOTHER one says, "the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God." So let's take a look at these definitions: the first one is pretty straightforward - we love our friends, family, etc. I love my fiance...that's love as it's most commonly known by everyone. Once we start to go deeper, though, we begin to see what God is getting at through the scriptures, and also where we all falter.

When you really sit down and think about it, do we have affectionate concern for the well-being of others? Nah. We live in a world full of hatred, prejudices, and fears. The story of the Jena 6 has been in the news a lot lately and I'm not going to take sides on the issue but rather say this: it's an obvious example of people from all walks of life being complete imbeciles. People fight with each other, politicians argue with each other, people walk on the other side of the street when someone who looks different is coming the other way. What in the world is wrong with us? In Matthew 22:39, Jesus Himself said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." It's a commandment from on High...we should be more compassionate. It isn't easy, not in the least bit...it's too easy to ignore the homeless man on the corner or the lady pulled over with a flat tire...it's easy to get caught up in life and not pray for those who struggle. If God has blessed you abundantly, then bless others...it's that simple. It doesn't always have to be monetary: it could be time, it could be physical assistance, it could be something as simple as a hello and a smile. We're naturally wired to think only about ourselves...we need to ask God to help us see others first...to see them in His eyes.

Still having difficulty? Look at it this way: Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. " We sure didn't deserve God's love and forgiveness...yet He gives it freely because of his undying love for us. Wow. Simply put, God loves us, so in return we must love. That's it, end of story. We must love God, we must love others, because that's how we show God to others. You don't have to run around hugging everyone, saying "I love you man!" or doing it out of a sense of obligation. No, rather do it out of a sense of compassion for others and a sense of thanksgiving for the love God's shown you. I know I need to work on it...and I think if we all made a conscious effort to obey what God's commanded, then we can make a tremendous difference in the world, because we need love to make our faith effective. 1 Corinthians 13:1 says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." You see, if we don't love, then everything we've done is useless...just noise...because we can't reach souls, no matter how much of the Bible we've read or how many Christian songs we know. Faith, the Word, and prayer build the car...but love is the gas.

Jesus Paid it All...

I grew up in a church where we sang at least one hymn in every service...now I'm the first to admit that hymns can get a little dry from time to time or just plain weird (See: "God of Earth and Outer Space")...but now that I'm a little older and have some semblance of intelligence, I think about those old hymns and I realize that they were pretty awesome. Sometimes we sing hymns and immediately think "Man, this is boring" or what-have-you...but have you ever really sat down and read the words and reflected on them? A lot of them are beautifully well-written and capture the truth of God's word. Sure the language can be uncommon, but it's a good challenge and isn't THAT hard. From time to time, I'm going to try to pick a hymn and talk a little bit about it, because you can learn a lot about hymns from their history: my fiance and I went to a Selah concert in February and they do A LOT of hymns, but they also talked about the story behind those songs...and they took on a lot more meaning for me. A lot of churches today have gone away with hymns, and I've even witnessed worship leaders up on the pulpit saying they hate hymns...and I think that's kinda sad, because we'd have no Christian music today without those old hymns, in my opinion.

So here goes: in 1865 - Elvina Hall - a member of the Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore, MD was reflecting on her complete salvation through Jesus while her pastor was praying at a service. She felt compelled to write down her overwhelming thoughts and feelings and composed a poem entitled "Jesus Paid it All," which she wrote on the inside of their hymnal. She showed it to her pastor, who later met up with the church organist and found he had unknowingly written a tune that fit Elvina's poem. And there a hymn was born: through an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. To me this song says it all: through Jesus we can be healed, changed, energized, and protected....and when we finally meet Him face to face, we can say, "I couldn't do it by myself...but You did it for me!" So read the words, think about them, and thank God for the truths that are in those words:

I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small! Child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all."

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow'r, and Thine alone,Can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone.

For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim-I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calv'rys Lamb.

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete,"Jesus died my soul to save," my lips shall still repeat.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain-He washed it white as snow.

God Uses Cracked Pots

I remember some years ago, Patsy Clairmont came out with a book called "God Uses Cracked Pots," which apparently was full of funny quips about God and life (I don't know, I've never read it). I always liked the title of that book, because in a metaphorical sense, it's definitely true. When my fiance and I went on our first date, we went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit here in town, which was VERY cool. That day was my 2nd time seeing the exhibit...the first time was a couple weeks before that and the place was PACKED. I remember at some point I was kinda wandering around, avoiding the crowds that seemed to be everywhere and I came to this display case that had a huge clay pot in it, it was probably about 3 feet tall and had thin hairline crack along the front...it was a pretty cool-looking pot...and I noticed I was the only person that seemed to be even remotely interested in it. Next to the display was a small sign that gave a little information on the artifact, and the part that really struck me was the last one, which said something like, "Vessels such as this one that were damaged were discarded by the people of Qumran as useless." Wow. It got me to thinking: isn't that a lot like life? I mean, we are all vessels in one shape or form...and no matter how hard we try, we're flawed and cracked. The beauty of it, though, is that through Jesus' sacrifice, God re-shapes us into a vessel that is pleasing to Him...to the common eye, we as cracked pots are useless...but to God, we are beautiful works of art!

A couple weeks ago in Sunday School, we were continuing our talk about Jeremiah, and we went over Jeremiah 18:1-6, "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 'Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.' So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the LORD . 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ' "

To me, this is the beauty of God's love: that despite our flaws, screw-ups, and hang-ups, God is willing to re-form us into a beautiful creation that is ready to do His work. A lot of times people get saved and remain so woe-is-me about the past and whatnot...but when we accept Christ, we're made new...and that old junk is gone and forgotten by God...so we should forget it too! The Bible as well as history is full of people who came from marred lives to become tremendous vessels for the Lord: some great examples are Paul, who persecuted Christians then went on to write a huge chunk of the Bible; and Nicky Cruz, who was a gang leader and drug addict in New York City, and went on to become a great minister and evangelist (you can read/see his story in "The Cross and the Switchblade"). So yes, God uses cracked pots, and he always will...cracked pots from every race, gender, background...He loves them all, and all can be used for His glory!

Do We Remember? Or Are We Slipping Away?

It's hard to believe that it's been six years since the terrorist events of 9/11. Six years! September 11, 2001 was a day that had a tremendous impact on my life and on the lives of millions: I remember going to New York to see ground zero a couple weeks after 9/11...I'll never forget that horrible, putrid smell, or how solemn the lively city of New York became. I remember how patriotic and faith-seeking people became after 9/11, which was truly awe-inspiring and impressive. But here we are - six years later - and are we the same...or has it become 9/10 for us all over again?

We now seem to live in a country where Britney Spears' VMA performance is big-time news, where celebrity and money are revered, where Christian kids who turn 18 abandon their faith at alarming rates. What happened to us? Did we once again become complacent like we did before 9/11? Everyday I get the police reports of what happened the day before...and a lot of times it saddens me to see what people will do to one another: we have come to harbor hatred, violence, and disrespect. Psalm 33:12 says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"...we need to get to that level once again...and it starts with each of us. I know it's easy to get caught up in life and busyness...but everyone remembers where they were the morning of September 11, 2001. Let's not forget that day...but most of all, let's not forget the lesson it taught us: we are not promised tomorrow, so let's live our lives for today as God intended it! We need to turn to God daily, for everything...we need to pray earnestly that His light would shine in our lives, that we would be a conduit for His message of love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation. We all have hear 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Let's do what God is saying here...let's humble ourselves as a nation, let's seek God's face, let's turn from our wicked ways, and let's pray. Now more than ever, we need God to heal our land...

Another lesson learned, and let's not forget this, is sacrifice: we had many police, fire, and rescue workers who gave their time, and some their lives, to help pull people from the rubble. To them, I say thank you. God, may your hand of mercy and protection be upon police, fire, and military personnel around the country and around the globe...that you may be with them in times of danger as well as times of safety...give them the strength to protect us.

And to those who lost on that day: my prayers are with you, believe me. I hope that God strengthens you when the times become difficult and comforts you when you need rest. In the midst of tragedy, God can and does do mighty things - and I pray that the same would be done in your lives.