Just a greeting?

Great Words from the Apostle Paul....In most of Paul’s letters, he begins his correspondence with: "Grace and Peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

If you are like me, you just read right on by them without any thought of what he is saying. It’s just his normal greeting. It’s like hearing the greeting "How are ya?" or the greeting a few years ago "What’s up?" Most of the time when we hear those greetings, we too just keep on going. We don’t really respond appropriately. We just see them as cultural condition responses much like the Hawaiian "Aloha".

But if we take a little closer look at this greeting of the Apostle Paul, it is a pretty powerful statement and great words to hear and to live by.

Grace- In our Christian thought: God’s unmerited favor; A gift that is free for the taking. We like the idea of grace. In Monopoly terms- it is having the "get out of jail free" card within our possessions. In School terms- it is the curve that teacher put on the test scores when we have done poorly. In our driving- it is the police officer who gives us a warning rather than a ticket with points attached to it. Grace is the gesture of kindness though no gesture was necessary or required.

Peace- Again through the eyes of God: Right relationships. In biblical terms, peace is not the absence of struggle- but the understanding of God’s rightness happening through our life’s situations. In our lives, it is right to see children grow towards adulthood and maturity. But within that growth, there is sometimes emotional, physical, and even relational discomfort and struggle as they grow into a different stage. To ease that journey for them so they experience no pain- is to poorly equip them for the days ahead. Peace is the sense of appropriate and rightness in relationships- not an absence of struggle and strife.

This passage also communicates to us that the power of Grace and Peace comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Not ourselves. Not our own thoughts. Not our own efforts. But God’s power and presence in and through us. In this culture we live in, everything revolves around the individual. It is sad. It is destructive. It makes God out to be some kind of genie to often. Where as, we ought to have a mind set, like our solar system, that we revolve and relate to God. Galileo was laughed at for the notion that the earth revolves around the sun. People will laugh at us at time when we are thinking of God and others before ourselves. But much like Galileo, it is better to be right and laughed at, then to be wrong and experience the consequences.

I know of several people who when they are greeted with "How are you doing?," they respond, "Better than I deserve." Most of them say that out of an understanding of faith that God has blessed them and life is a special gift. And in fact, they(we) all in faith are treated better than we deserve! And it is our opportunity and maybe responsibility to treat others with that same grace and peace. If we treat others through our faith expression better than they deserve, they would experience some of God’s love and Christ’s presence. Definitely something that we can and need to share.

We don’t need to say it, but we surely need to live it: Grace and Peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Free to love others!

Words from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Galatia...

You, my brothers (and sisters), were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love. Galations 5:13

In our household, we have chores for our two children. They are expected to make their bed, do a little cleaning each week, and either set & clear the table or wash the dishes (which mostly means putting the dishes into the dishwasher).

With some regularity, my wife and I will do some of their chores for them- we might vacuum; we might load or unload the dishwasher; my wife might wash any extra dishes. Please note my honesty about washing dishes. The reason we do these chores for our children is not so they can lay around the house and loaf. But rather, we do so because they had worked hard in another arena of life. So our efforts are an acknowledgment of that work and a helpful hand to allow them to move onto other things.

God has provided each believer with a special freedom. That is, we were given a free gift of grace from God to experience the fullness of life with God in this life and the next. We don’t need to earn God’s gift. We don’t work for it. We can’t buy it. All we can do is accept it and live within it.
But what Paul reminds us and the Christians at Rome is that God’s generous gesture was not given just so we could do as we please. God’s salvation and promise was given to us so that we would be free to help, serve and love others.

Sometimes, we accept God’s grace and we then want to live by our ways and not his ways. If we do that, we miss the whole point of God’s gift. God’s gift is given to us so that we might move onto other things in His kingdom.

When my wife and I had completed college, we had accumulated some debt. A very kind and generous relative wrote off that debt for us. It was a great relief. It was like a weight lifted off our shoulders. But that generous gift was not done, I believe, so we could live life however we wanted- buying and spending at our own whim. Rather, it enabled us to do for others and God in ways that we could only dream of before.

So too in our faith, as we accept God’s generous gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are accepting a gift that give us peace and hope. But it also enables us to live life for Him and others in a way that we could only imagine before.

You have received by faith in Christ and are freed to engage in other opportunities within the faith. What good things are you doing with it? Do you feel you are entitled to enjoy life as you please OR do you use your freedom to share God’s love and grace with others.

Ephesians 2 conveys...We’ve been saved by God’s grace, and are created to do good works. We show our love of God by our actions! So then, keep loving others in the name of Jesus Christ!

Faith intersections

The Apostle Paul relays these words to us in Colossians 3:17....

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We like to compartmentalize our lives. Whether it is a purse, a tool box or a filing cabinet. Let work be work. Let home be home. Don’t socialize with co-workers. Some people can’t stand to have items on their dinner plates touching. And many of us has that one drawer that is a catch all for everything else we have.

The reality in life though, is many things in our lives overlap, touch one another, or impact each other. We live lives where the many different arenas we exist overlap and affect one another.

Paul’s word in this passage remind me of our focus and aim in living. That is, what ever arena of life we are in, what ever we are doing, or whoever we are around, we should be living in such a way to glorify God and to give praise to Jesus Christ.

We sometimes want to separate our faith or beliefs out. That is, we can reach into a drawer of our existence and either pull out our faith- when convenient or put away our faith for safe keeping - when it gets in the way. But much like the many interconnecting circles in our lives, our faith intersects with each area in our lives.

When we are at home, at work, with friends, at a party, by ourselves, or whatever we do- our faith should affect what we do. To think otherwise, is to miss the importance of our faith in our lives or to misunderstand how the many things of our lives affect our faith.

Here is the other thought in this passage- giving thanks to God. It reminds me of the words in 1 Thessalonians 5, where it said... "give thanks in all circumstances." Scripture communicates that in all of life, in all of our choices, in all that we say and do- we should give thanks to God. Some days that is relatively easy. Other days are much more challenging.

Can we look at the hard and difficult days of our lives as times where we must learn to lean on God in Jesus Christ. They are the times that our human nature would be challenged to do the wrong thing, but the Spirit of God that is within us can help us do the right thing. Thus, whether life is all roses or we are stuck in the mud- let us give thanks to God. I’m not as far down that road as I’d like to be- but thanks be to God- I am trying to make steps daily.

If we treat life as a gift from our creator, we will enjoy it much differently then if we look at our lives as something we must win or lose by our own strength. Remember to thank God for this day and all that is within it. And may all we say and do be pleasing in His sight!

What's the call?

Listen, reflect, and act upon these words from the Apostle Paul.....

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Colossians 3:15

In the world of professional sports these days, there is a movement towards using "instant replay." That is, to use the tape replays of the events to make sure that the call the umpire or referee made is correct. You see this in football, basketball and some other sports as well. The reason for using instant replay is to try to get the call correct. There was initial hesitancy about using instant replay in sporting events, because it took out the human element of those officiating the game. Wanting to be right has won out- players and coaches are more concerned with getting the call right rather than keeping the human element.

I tell you this because in this verse from the Apostle Paul, the word "rule" might be better translated "umpire." That is, the verse is saying.... let the peace (rightness) of Christ be like an umpire in your heart. In our faith we need to strive to live in God’s right relationships. With Him. And with others.

Even more so, we need to let the rules or guidelines of God’s rightness be the deciding factor in our living. There are times when we don’t care about rightness- as long as it is to our benefit. And there are times that we scream about rightness- because we have felt neglected or cheated. The emotions in each case kick in- and we just want to win. It might be at work, at the store, with our families, when we are in conversation with others- it really doesn’t matter. Our aim is to come out on top.

But the example that God shows us in Scripture is to do the right thing and let Him "officiate" the game of life. We don’t like it when cheaters prosper. We don’t like it when the good seem to suffer. We want justice! But God call us to be people of integrity, people of truth, people of rightness. Do what is right- no matter the immediate consequences. Do what is proper whether it feels right or not. Be of good character even when you can get away with being less than good.
By ourselves, we will fall short of this ideal. With God’s help and God’s perspective- we will succeed many more times than not. Doing right is what Jesus did for us. Not that he had to. Not that he wanted to. But because he exemplified what right-living is all about.

Please be sure to know- though the immediate consequences of doing the right thing are sometimes unwanted and unfair in this world, the eternal satisfaction and character it build is much more rewarding and long lasting! Winning is not everything, its not the only thing, its just a momentary conclusion.

At the end of this life, when you and I meet the Creator- do you want to have won the game in the eyes of your contemporaries or have played it right in the eyes of our Eternal Official (God). Let Christ’s peace rule your lives!

It's what is inside!

This week, let us look at these important words from the Apostle Paul:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

I remember talking with someone about Jewelers' Row in a near by city. I was amazed at what they told me. The person said, often, the merchants would transport their merchandise- costly merchandise- in their pockets as they walked down the street. No special bags or containers. No bodyguard. No special vehicles. Nothing that would draw attention to themselves. Their appearance and intent was to just blend in... someone just walking down the street. They might have expensive jewelry or diamonds on their person or in their pockets, but you would never know that by looking at them.

I think that is how the message of Christ is carried and shared. I think that is why God uses people like you and me to do some significant things in others lives. Most of us tend to look ordinary. We tend to look an unassuming. We are just regular people- with a great message that we carry inside of us. That is what the Apostle Paul is getting at in these verses.

Clay jars in that day were the "everyday" jars of that culture. Special jars were made of bronze. Clay jars were common, available and if they broke... no big deal. Clay jars would not be our best china.... but either our everyday tableware - almost to the point of paper plates. We use them, but we don’t give them special value or importance.

In terms of our faith, the message is the valuable thing... not us. I have seen some people with some amazing gifts in ministry, in music, and in other arena— that when I look at them, I am not impressed. That is to say, the gift is within them, it is not their physical appearance or personality.

As people of faith, we need to remember that God uses us to do great things. It is not us that creates and causes those great things... but God working through us and in us. And isn’t that the message of Christ and the Gospel of God. We have a hope and a promise that is literally- out of this world. God promises life and eternal life to all who believe. But that promise comes as a gift, not as something we have earned, created, or achieved.

There is a popular saying that I think we need to remember in our faith... Take your faith seriously, but "don’t take yourself too seriously." It is a saying that while the job we do might be very important, we need to realize that none of us are indispensable... we all are clay jars.

Be thankful for the treasure that God has place with in you. Be sure to hold onto it and value the message of Christ. But remember, it is the message that has great value, we just have the privilege to be a carrier and container that God’s message has been placed in.

A Gentle Spirit

In continuation from the previous week, let’s look at Colossians 3:13 in this series of Great Words from the Apostle Paul...

Bear with each other and forgive what ever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Col. 3:13

We live in an ever increasing individualistic society. Think about it. We have gone from telephones that were on party lines, to single family phone lines, to phones for each person. We once were considered fortunate if we had a family car- now each driver in the family wants (not needs) their own car. In a humorous way, I’d like to blame all this on Burger King who encouraged us to "have it your way." But they just had a great slogan that represents our nations attitude.

You might be asking yourself, what does that all have to do with our Scripture passage and these great words from the Apostle Paul. We are losing our sense of communal and relational living as a nation. That is, doing what is good for the whole. Allowing others to step forward by intentionally taking a stepping back. Being satisfied with things that meet our needs, rather than choosing things that we want. We are becoming a nation of individuals, not ONE nation under God.

As we continue to go down this path, we find it harder and harder to live out God’s words and commands. As individuals, we learn to hold grudges and to get mad at others when we don’t get our own way. As a community, we push forward together- knowing that sacrifice is necessary and that the end is more important than the means.

I think that one modern day problem is a perfect example of our society of individualists who want their own way and will react poorly when they don’t get it. Road Rage. People who become aggressive and revengeful when something happens to them that they disprove of. Rather than turning the other cheek, they turn their anger into something dangerous to them and others.

God want us and calls us to live at peace, right relationship, with one another. That involves supporting one another. That involves forgiving one another. That involves letting the self go for the sake of the whole. Sports teams have always found it much more difficult to win when they have huge egos on their teams. It is the teams that learn to focus on team goals and making their teammates better- that win more often than not.

In this ever increasing individualist society, we can help others see the true nature of God and the Christian spirit by modeling and living God’s forgiveness and God’s patience with one another. We will build one another up- as we live with and treat one another with God’s grace and love.

Don't forget to Accessorize

Great Words from the Apostle Paul.... In the next few weeks, we will be walking through several verses in Colossians 3. Today we will focus on the following...

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

I have never been known as a fashionable guy. I don’t worry about labels. I do not buy clothes for every new season. As the joke goes, it’s nice to be a guy because all you need is one pair of shoes and one wallet. Saying that, fashion is quite important to our culture. We want to be clothed "properly" for every occasion.

The Apostle Paul uses the clothing analogy to teach us about how we should live out our faith. The image is clear. That is, as we are believers and followers of Christ, there are accessories that are critical to that line of fashion. Just as we try to pick out accessories that accentuate our eyes, hair color, skin tone, etc., so too- we are to accessorize our faith in Christ Jesus with attitudes and actions that match.

Paul in this verse lists some of those accessories. Compassion. Kindness. Humility. Gentleness. Patience. All are very similar to the list of the Fruit of the Spirit Paul writes about in the book of Galatians. These attributes and characteristics go well with the faith.

I would imagine that if you are like me, you have seen someone who is a follower of Christ- who has at times forgotten to put on some of these accessories. In fact, I can tell you (and my family as well) that there has been times that I have forgotten to make sure I have worn those accessories of Christ. It’s easy... isn’t it. We are in a hurry. Our expectations are not met. We don’t take the time to think of the other as a person that God has loved and created. And whammo- we let them have it.

Anymore, I almost always carry a cell phone. It has become a necessary evil. At times, cell phones have saved the day- but sometimes they are just nuisances. But as I get dressed and before I leave home, I always touch my right hip to make sure that the cell phone is there. And the times when I am not carrying it- I feel like I am missing something.

The Jewish people have a similar custom with the mezzuzah. It is a small container that they attach to their doorway that contains a small portion of the Jewish Torah. They are to touch the mezzuzah as they enter or leave a room- reminding them to keep the laws of God.

I think that kind of mental reminder would be good for us as well. That as we put on our clothes, our jewelry, our coats, and the like- to remember to put on (and live out) the attributes of Christ Jesus. I try to do that when I know I am entering a difficult atmosphere- I always say a quick prayer asking God for patience, perspective, and that I don’t humiliate Him by being out of style- in terms of my Christian character and expressions.

As you check your spring and summer wardrobes in the coming days, also check to see if you have the desired accessories that the Apostle Paul wrote about. They are stunning and add style to any outfit you have!