The Soil of a Heart

I woke extremely early, got about my Bible & study time as I waited for the morning coffee to brew. I've been doing a specific study on Jesus and I was eager to get into it. Typically, I read rather fast and I am forcing myself to slow down, re-read passages for their full impact and certainly have asked God for revelation so I might get all that He would have me glean from the study.

I love it when a passage, a thought, or intent I had not grasped before jumps off the page at me. It ignites a spark that becomes a flame as God reveals more and I sit in awe that He has shared it with little ole' me. Much I read this morning inspired me but one thing stuck out and encouraged me, a nugget of gold to hold on to and turn over in my spirit to see from every angle.

There was a change in tone and teaching style when Jesus went from proclaiming the kingdom was at hand to the Nation of Israel who rejected Him as the long-awaited Messiah, to a call to the individual to surrender in faith to the yoke of his lordship. Thus began the time of teaching in parables – everyday stories that illustrated spiritual realities.

The first parable recorded in scripture in Matthew 13:3-9 was that of the sower/seed/soil. Jesus, always focused on seeking and saving the lost, preached the gospel in His first parable. Rather than openly proclaiming His message, He obscured the truth from those that had rejected it already. Genuine believers who desperately wanted to understand found Him eager to explain every detail. Those who hated the truth didn't bother to ask.

As I sit with my class of 'tweens, I draw analogies between spiritual concepts and their everyday worlds so they can understand how it is as relevant today as it was in the time Jesus walked the earth. As with the parable of the sower/seed/souls…I can tell by the attitudes, behaviors and interests the four types of soil bearers sitting in the class. There is a distinct line between the askers and the non-askers. The nugget I referred to before was this: in ancient times, the Palestinians used different methods of sowing. Sometimes they sowed first, and then plowed under the seed (gospel). That often happens in evangelism. We sow the seed, and even when it seems the hovering birds (satan) are ready to snatch it away, the Holy Spirit plows it under so it can sprout and bear glorious fruit.    

As sowers, we are called to broadcast the seed of the unadulterated gospel, even if some of it falls on unprepared soil. There will always be wayside soil, shallow soil, and weedy soil, but there will also be good soil that will bring forth crops thirty-, sixty- or a hundredfold. That prepared soil needs only to have the right seed thrown on it.

The Heart of the Matter

Somewhere along the way, many Christians have come to paint a mental and spiritual portrait of Jesus as a mild-mannered, soft-spoken man of grace, peace of mind and heart, and all-inclusive salvation; salvation promised to any and all that accept Jesus into their hearts, which by the way, is a contemporary evangelistic term. To me, this conjures up an image something akin to the peace-sign waving hippies of the 60's. I have often wondered if I was totally off base in my mental/spiritual image of Jesus because, to me, he was certainly not a milk-toast messenger scooping up followers as fast as he could. Consider Nicodemus or the rich young ruler, for instance. The highly educated, influential Jewish leader and the wealthy man would surely have been feathers in the Followers Cap, were that true. Yet, Jesus stood firm in His admonishments of both because he knew their hearts. The Jesus that rang true in my spirit challenges people to face their sin, change their ways and habits through regeneration. Can one have the salvation Jesus offered with mere lip service?

Salvation is a gift but not one passed out like samples of food at Sam's on a Saturday morning. It is not a passive decision but a lifestyle of deliberate action. "Follow Me" is not an invitation to fall blindly into the ranks like lemmings but to set aside with purpose that which you formerly believed and lived, to forsake anyone and anything that hinders your path to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Jesus embodies love, forgiveness, and grace, certainly; but it is by no means an indication that it is an all-inclusive gift card for those that claim a life on Righteous Road half way to Heaven but dwell as citizen of Sodom and Gomorrah! Regeneration is the rebirth Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus. It was turning away from all that is not Christ as Savior and Him crucified. We read in Titus 2:11-15 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority Let no one disregard you.

Still, there are Christians, congregations and entire denominations that open wide their arms to accept any profession of faith from anyone regardless of their lifestyle, active and/or open participation in a life ripe with sin. Jesus knows the heart of man; He is not swayed by flowery words of professions of faith. Jesus confronted and challenged people to look into their hearts, examine the fruit of their lives. Look at what Paul instructs in Titus 3: Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

A regenerated heart and life renewed by the Holy Spirit cannot continue to wallow in the sinful, carnal practices it did before Christ. Professions of faith fall flat when the actions of the speaker reveal an un-regenerated heart and lifestyle. Jesus told Nicodemus, no man has any hope of eternal life without a spiritual rebirth. He refused to proclaim a message that would give anyone false hopes. His words, always tailored to the individual's needs never failed to puncture an inquirer's self-righteousness, unveil wrong motives, or warn of false faith or shallow commitment. That does not read as mild-mannered or soft-spoken to me. I see it as to the point and straight to the heart of the matter. That's my Jesus.

Eye-opening Trip Down Memory Lane

Coming home from the hospital where my dear friend had heart surgery today, I stopped at the local post office to buy stamps...you may remember stamps, they were once little cheap things we put on envelops when we wrote long letters to distant friends, paid bills or actually mailed out Christmas cards. Today, we use the internet more and more for all of the above mentioned correspondence. But today, I needed a real stamp to mail something....it's been a while. The long hot drive home from the medical center found me relieved to pull into our small hometown. I have long loved small town living.

Walking into the post office I was greeted by the familiar smell of post offices everywhere, no matter how big or how small, there is a distinguishable smell they have that can be found no where else. The cool air was refreshing and the hushed quiet felt reassuring, don't know why but it did. The hallway of mailbox faces lined the wall of the empty hall. I miss the brass plates that once adorned post office mailboxes, it's not the same when the detailed brass plates were replaced with the more economical and decidedly less attractive mailbox doors. Now they are just doors, no longer feel like locks to a treasure chest.

Maybe my kid-like fascination with post offices of days gone by was rather fanciful but I've always been enamored by them. I can remember being excited about going to the post office. We no longer live in a day and age where having your kid walk to town to check the mail is a good idea but we used to! I loved climbing the tall steps the old post office, the heavy glass doors the hushed stillness of the hallway that held the beautiful, magical brass-fronted mailboxes. I was also fascinated with the big poster of Uncle Sam pointing to you as you stood in front of it! Ah, and the metal stand with all the brochures from the different branches of the armed forces invited you to enlist and see the world. I always took one of each home with me because they ignited my imagination about foreign place I hoped to one day see. I miss those, too!

Today, I needed one stamp, so I entered the inner office of the post office where you buy stamps and/or send off packages. There were only two men to be seen, the professional though friendly postal worker behind the counter and a man in well-worn overalls talking about the merits of changing daylight savings time to winter months rather than the hot summer months where you work till nine, don't have dinner till eleven and then have to start all over again early the next day. I said, "Sir, I will vote for you for any office for which you choose to run based on that platform alone!" I, too, am not a fan of longer hot days! Never cared for daylight savings time, not any of my life. I prefer my days to be days and my nights to be night over daylight extended well into the night time hours.

He then moved on to discuss with some disdain the state of our country under our current leadership. Terse words about terrorist, birth certificates, et cetera were tossed over his shoulder as he left the glassed in inner office. I commented to the postal worker that he must hear all sorts of commentaries. He said he heard all sorts of things every day. This man, he said, had just lost his combine; he just lost everything and it was so hard to be a farmer in this economy. My heart was heavily burdened for the farmer than just walked out the door. I do not know him, do not know if I would recognize him if I saw him again but  my heart hurt for him. We have a lot of farmers in this area and, sadly, I must say, I have not given them a lot of thought. But this day, I felt a heavy weight of knowing my fellow small-towner, a farmer, my neighbor has lost his entire livelihood. This hurt me through and through. 

Friends, we are all connected, all people. Small town, large cities, third world countries, remote islanders, famous and infamous, rich and poor, educated and illiterate...we are all connected. Sometimes we get so absorbed in our own little worlds and illusion of importance that we never give a thought to "those people" that do not hit our radar. Today, I felt conviction in my spirit for the blind eye with which I viewed my world. How can we say we seek to be more Christ- like if we do not have the heart and vision for all people Christ displayed over and over? God has a world vision, not tunnel vision. As one with a call to be a missionary, I have had a heart for lost people....somehow that world vision has narrowed and I've stopped thinking in world vision terms. For this I asked forgiveness. My prayer is that we purpose to open our eyes to all people. To feel their pain, share their joy, empathize with their issues, show compassion to those where needed and most importantly of all, do this in the name of Jesus!

My nostalgic memories of trips to the post office and my need for one little stamp was, I believe, a divine appointment to show me where I had lapsed into apathy where empathy would be more Christ-like. I always say I wish I got postcards from heaven....today it as a message in a post office...isn't that just like God?! 

Morning........

Morning, Friends.....

One of my dearest friends is in the hospital having heart surgery, so please bear with me as I spend time with her. Truth in the Morning will be back in regular operation soon. Just wanted to let you know why there hasn't been any new post lately.

Take care and God bless!

Out of the Way!

Say it boldly; say it loud…Jesus is Lord!! It's one thing to say that from the comfort of your favorite seat at church but does it ring out from your home and lifestyle, too? Can a co-worker tell you are dedicated to Christ by the way you act at work? Does your demeanor with your family behind closed doors reflect that of one seeking to be more Christ-like? Is your daily walk one of a person of integrity or of convenience? Is situational morality your best friend and/or partner in crime and sin? These are questions to be asking ourselves. It's easy to point out the slips and failings of others but we need to monitor our own behaviors in the bright white light that is pure and holy first and foremost.

I think we as a people cut ourselves too much slack. Yes, we all fall and fail. We will continue to do so as long as we walk around in our earth suits, our human flesh. The issue I have is when we glaze over our shortcomings and dismiss them with a casual, "Oh, I am a work in progress." Yes, we are….however; can we really say we are repentant of our sins when we do not take ownership of them? Is it possible to acknowledge our shortcomings glibly with the wave of a hand and shrug of a shoulder? I'm not so sure this qualifies as owning our sins and true repentance. It's more like the 'wink and a nod' we read so often about in Proverbs….  

I'm not saying we shouldn't forgive ourselves and move on without dwelling on the failing or beat ourselves up with a proverbial whip when we mess up but we should first seek the forgiveness of God and I do not think that is possible when we glaze over the areas of personal sin. If you cannot admit to that sin as being undesirable to God can you ask for forgiveness without acknowledgment and ownership? I do not think it possible. Doesn't scripture say that if we believe ourselves to be without sin we are deceiving ourselves? Denial is a slippery slope we traverse when we blow off that which we do not repent.

All that being said…..is Jesus really Lord in our lives when we overlook sin and call it by another name when it is our own or that of a loved one? 'Self' becomes lord when we use the standard of our liking rather than that of Jesus Christ. There is no 'dying to self' when self-protection is in play. Whether we hold our loved ones and ourselves accountable or not, the day will come when we all stand before our God and answer for that which we have not repented. We will sin and we will fall. Let's not compound the offense by denial and white-washing. Own it up front and confess it. Repentance can only come from a sincere heart. Denial and a sincere repentant heart cannot co-habitat.

Jesus is Lord, this day and every day. We need to get our 'self' out of the way!

Get Out of my Head

I feel I have spent my entire summer trying to get my act together. Maybe this entire year…or several past years! Egad! Somewhere along the line I zigged when I should have zagged and now I look up…regularly… and wonder how I got to this point. I had plans, goals, and direction of purpose….didn't I? I find I question myself about those plans, question my commitment to them, even the sincerity of my intent.  

In part, I believe I have let outside circumstances affect me. I always seem to be waiting on something to happen before I can move on to the next step. I must say, that's nuts and counter-productive! Am I so easily distracted and discouraged that I am swayed from my vision and target goal? As I sit here writing this, I chuckled because I am waiting on the weekend guest we are expecting to come and go so I can move my home office to the guest room in order to help reduce distractions when I work.. Aughh! See what I mean?

In my quest to eliminate distractions, I am working toward paring down the 'things' in my house that vie for my attention. Why do we, I ask myself, need things that require storage? If it can be stored away and not used regularly, do we really need it in the first place? If they are not being utilized…set them free, bless others that may really need them and shake yourself loose from the encumbrance of unnecessary stuff! Stuff distracts. Stuff starts moving in on your personal space. Stuff steals your time when you are trying to accomplish something and continually rearranging the stuff to make anything else happen.

You can box up material stuff and cart it off. Mental and emotional stuff can steal your focus and time as well. We all have issues that require our time and attention but we must be on our toes to not allow our focus get misdirected by anything that is not of God. Therein lays my problem. I have been lax about guarding my thoughts. I'm not plagued with carnal thoughts, just have allowed my focus to be bombarded by so many thoughts and issues. If my mind is clouded with extraneous issues, I am not being productive.

The following is part of a prayer out of Prayers that avail much:

In the name of Jesus, I take authority over my thought life….With my soul I will bless the Lord with every thought and purpose in life. My mind will not wander out of the presence of God. My life shall glorify the Father - spirit, soul and body …I gird up the loins of my mind, and I set my mind and keep it set on what is above – the higher things – not of the things here on earth…..I have the mind of Christ the Messiah, and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. In the name of Jesus, I will practice what I have learned and received and heard and seen in Christ and model my way of living on it, and the God of peace – of untroubled, undisturbed well-being – will be with me. In Jesus' name, amen!

That's my prayer for my life and yours!

The Domino Theory of Thankfulness

One of the things I love most about teaching the 'tween class at church is seeing the light come on in their eyes when a spiritual concept clicks in their heads. We were discussing the need to pray with thanksgiving. I used an example of a recent situation where my back was having spasms and very painful. I told them I stretched out on the floor and thanked God for healing my back and making the spasms go away. They asked if it had already quit hurting. I told no, I was thanking Him in advance for the healing and waiting with expectations of it happening. Knowing God can heal is one thing. Knowing to wait, trusting, and expecting the healing is another. Giving thanks before the healing shows more faith than begging God to do something. Within minutes, the spasms stopped, the pain went away, and I got up off the floor and went back to work. Thankfulness in advance allowed me to be a walking talking witness for the Lord that day. A divine opportunity to share his mercy, healing compassion and mighty works all rolled into one.

My class picked up the fact that I gave thanks in advance and waited with expectation. I shared that the Bible says we are to give thanks through all things, all situations – good or bad. Can we be thankful in the face of the bad things? Of course! We are not thankful for the bad thing, but through the bad thing. I told them we could be thankful about ALL things. We might have to look harder sometimes but the reason to give thanks to God is there somewhere.

Opening my eyes every morning I thank the Lord that my Honey and I woke up alive and have a new day to share. Walking to the kitchen to make the coffee, I give thanks that I have a hard working husband with a job that supports our family and the home in which we live. I am thankful for the coffee that I enjoy so much, for the man that grew the plants that made the coffee beans in the first place. I am thankful for his harvest that puts coffee beans in my grocery store; it not only provides me with my coffee but it provides an income for his family and he is able to buy food and clothes for his kids. I am thankful we live in a country where commercial enterprise is open to trade with other countries so we can buy his coffee beans and have our choice of supermarkets from which to choose. I am thankful for the car we have to drive to the store……. It can go on and on if we only stop long enough to look for all the reasons we have to be thankful. It also illustrated how people are all connected one way or another; the coffee grower and I are both thankful for his harvest! One of the kids came up with the comment, "It's the domino theory of thankfulness." Indeed, it is!

I give the kids an assignment every week to take with them as they go out in their worlds. Sometimes, they are to look for the ways they see God working in their lives. Maybe come back the next week to share an opportunity to stand for Jesus when others around them were not. That day, I told them to watch for everyday situations they discovered for which to be thankful. Thankfulness is a state of mind and heart more than a situational issue based on circumstance. Look around, reasons are everywhere you look!

As for me and my house, this day we choose to be thankful.