In God We Trust

We Christians make a big thing out of “IN GOD WE TRUST” being on our money. We get mad when the new penny is not going to have this inscription on it.

I got to thinking: "What an ironic thing to put on a piece of money." Americans put money in banks, stocks, retirement and 401Ks…even into lotteries and slot machines. But when are they ever "trusting in God" in the process? Are they thinking about God when their eyes are on Wall Street or the gas station displays, the check out register at the store, or a casino billboard sign? What do the words "In God We Trust" mean in a world of free enterprise and commerce - is it just a nice little catch phrase that, in some obscure manner, validates our US currency?

The most common thing on the minds of Americans right now is money. So, let’s be honest: have we treasured and trusted God’s wisdom and guidance in our lives? Or have we put more trust in financial advisors, stock brokers, our government, TV commercials and advertisements, in houses, cars, credit, in loans, that next "lucky" lottery ticket - or even campaign promises?

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon/money both." (Matthew 6:24).

If you treasure tangible things more than you treasure the Lord’s guidance in your life, you would look backwards at the stock market, mourning your losses, licking your wounds - perhaps even look forward fearfully to future economic problems.

The Lord provided manna and water to Israel, provided a ram for Abraham, fed thousands on a few loaves and fishes, filled his disciples’ fishing nets to near breaking point (Luke 5:6; John 21:6). The Lord provided a sacrifice to the world so that we could have eternal life (John 3:16). He provides healing, peace, comfort and forgiveness.

So c'mon - just how hard can it be choosing to serve God over mammon/money? If we truly believe the words "In God We Trust," then it would be indicative of the kind of reliance and faith we really do possess, whether the economy was good or bad. So rather than putting our trust in man-made corporations built upon sandy foundations (and remember, there are corporate churches, religions and ministries, too!), we should be building our foundations upon the Rock of Ages - investing more in "The Rock" market than the stock market - relying on God’s rescue package in Jesus Christ, rather than band-aid, quick fix bail out packages that deplete our oil supply like the 10 virgins of Matthew 25: 1-13.

How can we do that? By doing his will. And what is His will? Jesus did the will of his Father: ". . . My cause is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34). What are the worries and cares, the items or things that take away the focus of God’s will in your life? I feel that Jesus has commissioned each of us to reach out in love to the world. I believe that, how we each uniquely do this - given the gifts, talents and resources we've been given - is His will for us.
This commandment He gave to love one another should be paramount to anything on the Wall Street ticker or the Wal-mart shelves. By trusting in Him with all our hearts, leaning not upon our own understanding, and acknowledging him in all things - all things - he will direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Each time I look at a dollar bill now, I think how we need to restore an economy strengthened by the unconditional love of Christ.

[Back to Home]

Change Is What We Need!

Another election year over.

As I watched each state of the Union once again turn the predictable red or blue, it only confirmed that my vote would count if I were a Democrat or a Republican. But I am neither. Even if I had voted for another party's candidate, what good would such a vote be among the majority cast for the super parties? I did not want to vote for either McCain or Obama. I know, I know - I seem to find myself a part of a very minute, insignificant tribe that wanders into unfamiliar territory every four to eight years. Exercising my “right to vote” seems to be the question - or in question. So while you may still be scratching your heads, let me invite you into mine for a moment and tell you what I have observed:

We cannot finger point and blame anyone (including George Bush, or any president past, present or future, for that matter) for America’s moral decline and economic instabilities. In fact, I wouldn't wish the U.S. presidency on anyone, and it takes a whole lot of courage (and a certain amount of insanity) to even desire that seat, much less spend the time and money to actually vie for it. But all of the campaign hype and rallies, media blitzes and red herring politics have only, for a moment, conveniently shifted the focus away from two of the greatest, most powerful beasts: GREED and PRIDE. Those who continually feed these beasts are the ones at fault, and feeding them has proven quite costly (and I'm not just talking monetarily, either). And who feeds them? America does. So America is to blame.

Throughout the 2008 campaign, I tried hard not to lose focus on what has become a somewhat clichéd saying: “What would Jesus do?” I thought about the governments that Christ was subjected to - Rome's (supposed) democracy, Judaic law and the Sanhedrin, of which Jesus had plenty of encounters. While Rome tolerated (more like ignored) Judaic law and its obvious lack of “separation of church and state," Israel's children were still compelled to submit to the rule of both Judaic and gentile law. They couldn't very well vote for their Roman dictatorships, and their own legalistic religion pretty much kept them busy and in line, anyway. Sure, there was hope for a Messiah, but I guess His “campaign” at the time wasn't quite as convincing to the Jews as hoped (John 1:11). But of course, the rest is history!

I am appreciating the silence yearned for since the continual barrage of noise: “Obama for change!" “McCain for change!” “Obama for the family!” “McCain for the traditional family!” Yes, even America’s traditional families and marriages are plagued by problems of their own, including divorce, depression, drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, infidelity, etc. I have never seen such emotion generated by political persuasion, or motivations spurred by stereotypical fear and panic as during this election.

Which made me think of a crazy idea: How about “Jesus for change?” How about “Christians for change?” Why not “Christians against greed, pride and violence?” How about Christians for unconditional love? Because guess what, folks - a greater than Jonah or Solomon is here! (Luke 11:29-32) A greater than Moses is here! (Hebrews 3) A greater than Bush, McCain or Obama is here! A “greater than anyone” is here! Have we forgotten the Greatest Candidate of all to win the hearts, minds and souls of America? Our Commander in Chief has already spoken! Or are we so used to being spoon-fed the Bible from the pulpits that we've failed to actually put into practice what the Shepherd of all shepherds has commanded us to do at the most basic level? Because until the world has learned how to love - what other resounding political gongs are taking precedence?

Hey, I'm definitely no saint. I mess up all the time; and can surely take the blame for a myriad of mistakes made in my lifetime (big ones, too). But I know the kind of Christian I have absolutely no desire to be. I don't want to be a Christian against gays/lesbians, or that despises, excludes or hurts people because they have a different skin color, or speak another language. I don't want to be a Christian against Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Mormons or any religion. I don't want to be a Christian that judges those who dress differently, or who might be self-conscious about their weight or their looks. I don't want to be a Christian who is demeaning, abusive, controlling or manipulative to my spouse, family, neighbors, or those I work or do business with. I don't want to be the kind of Christian who cowardly gossips and talks behind peoples’ backs because I don't have the courage to talk to them, face to face, and really get to know them. I don't want to be the kind of Christian who thinks and acts like Christianity is a members-only club, with “being saved” as a part of some pre-qualification checklist. And I don't want to be the kind of Christian that prays, “God, I'm so grateful that I am not like other people - adulterers, sodomites, evildoers, etc. I am SO glad I'm saved, and not lost and blind like them.”

There's been a lot of talk lately about needed change in America. But no president, government, or political party is going to bring that about. The “vote for change” isn't going to happen our way by marking a ballot in the polls. His name was not on the ticket, but in my heart I chose Jesus. And in voting for Him, I voted a vote that really counts!

Non-believers need a change of direction by accepting their inability to live a moral life and by accepting Christ as Savior and Lord.

Believers need a change of understanding to see that Jesus has come to actually live in them, in a living union, so that they are able to change! Because real change happens each morning we wake up and decide how we’re going to be that day by dependence on Christ. Change begins in the hearts of those who choose right now to put into practice what Jesus has commanded us to do all along, regardless of our past, present or future. Change is about forgiveness, and actually making things right. Change begins when we have our eyes opened to what Christ in us would have us do for those around us who are in need of genuine love and prayer. This morning - and every morning - change begins within us.

[Back to Home]

A Trip To Paradise

“A Trip to Paradise – Just Sign Up Here!" Extolling the many virtues of the island paradise of Tahiti, the promoter explained that this was truly where the “good life” was to be found.

His listener was intrigued by the prospect of living in this island paradise. Convinced that he would like to go there, he was advised by the promoter about the necessary procedures required for receiving a “ticket” to Tahiti.

As the precise date for departure was indefinite, the aspiring traveler spent the majority of his meditative moments dreaming of what it would be like when he arrived there. His thoughts so dwelt upon his destination that he was consumed with joyful anticipation. Over and over again he engaged in a repetitive review of the details of the flight – the lift-off into the clouds, the scheduled intermediary stop and the eventual landing.

Expectations for the trip were so high that the hopeful traveler began to eagerly solicit others to join him on the trip. Convinced that such life in paradise was in the best interest of all, he accepted this as his mission.

He, himself, became a promoter, waving his ticket before those who would look and listen, advertising the “good life” that he had discovered, although so distant and yet to be realized.

Is not much of Christian teaching today parodied in this parable?

Is that the good news of the gospel – a ticket to paradise? Is the mission of the Christian simply to be an itinerant travel agent to convince others to take the trip?

Is it any wonder that many Christians today seem to have such a difficult time dealing with their present lives here on this “third rock from the sun”? Their past is forgotten, their future is expected; but the present is but the edgy monotony of waiting on “stand-by”.

Many Christians have “checked-out” of their present situation. They have “checked-in” their baggage of sin at the baggage-counter (altar), and they are holding onto their redemption coupons while waiting for the flight.

Huddled in the waiting lounge of earthly existence, they sing together:
This world is not my home;
I’m only passing through;
My treasures are laid up,
Somewhere beyond the blue.

The good news of the gospel is that the dynamic life of Jesus Christ affects us and is effective in us TODAY!

We look not just for a future realization, but we rejoice in the restoration of humanity as God intended – Christ in us today! (Colossians 1:27)

Any message which relegates the spiritual life only to heavenly expectation, or the futuristic eschatology which fails to account for present realization and participation in the life of Christ, have fostered the inability of many Christians to deal with the trials and tribulations of life on earth.

Such misrepresentation of the gospel has failed to instill an awareness of the importance of Christian growth and development today.

Now is the time and here is the place for Christian living, in order to appreciate and demonstrate God’s purpose in a “new creation” of people with Jesus Christ living in them.

[Back to Home]

City Dog - Country Dog

Did you ever notice the contrast between a city dog and a country dog? Have you ever had a dog that you kept in the house, or perhaps kept penned in the backyard? What happens when there is a momentary crack in the doorway or fence? He’s out of there like lightning! Give him a glimpse of freedom, and he’s gone. I remember a dog we once had who would be charging up the street as I ran behind him calling his name. Did he stop? No way. He would actually turn and seem to grin at me as he ran away from me. The more I chased him, the faster he ran.

On the other hand, have you ever seen a country dog? There are no fences, but only miles of pasture and forest to run in. He can go wherever and do whatever he wants. Where is he? Right smack on the front porch of the house, sleeping contentedly! He is happy to hang around the house, waiting for his master to come play, or take him hiking or hunting.

People are the same way. They cannot stand to be in bondage. They may remain in captivity if there are enough strong threats, persuasive deceptions, or peer pressure, but if you give them a crack of freedom in this situation they are out of there like a city dog.

That is exactly what Christians who have been kept penned up by legalism often do when they first hear about freedom in Christ. Without a personal understanding of Jesus Christ living in them and the grace and truth found in Him to guide them, they see freedom only as an opportunity to indulge the flesh.

When Christians seem to misuse their newfound freedom, we may look at them as “rebelling against God” without first looking more closely and asking, “What are they really rebelling against?’ Usually people are actually rebelling against the legalistic religion that has kept them in bondage, not against God Himself.

When the city dog is running up the street, is he really running away from his master? No, he’s running away from the FENCE. He normally loves his master. He just hates being penned up.

“Rebellious” Christians tell stories about seeing ugly religion, pressure to conform, and man-made standards. Our response should be, “Good! You should be rebelling against those things! That’s not what Jesus Christ meant when He said He came to give us abundant life.” I find that these “rebels” are some of the most excited, dynamic believers I know once the errors of legalism have been corrected.

But to release someone from the captivity of religious authority, legalism and ritualism without adding something in its place is like letting the city dog out of his pen. He’ll just take off running as fast as he can to get away. God’s method of releasing us is by replacing it with Jesus’ indwelling life. Why does the country dog stay near the front door when he has miles of freedom? Because he knows and loves his master. His freedom is not freedom FROM bondage, but freedom to be WITH the one he loves.

In the same way, as I grow to know and love Jesus Christ living in me more intimately, I find myself experiencing incredible freedom and hardly think about roaming away any more. The issue is not what I CAN or CANNOT do. I am free to know Christ in an unhindered personal relationship. That’s what I concentrate on. Then through that relationship, my mind is taught to think His thoughts. Where I am wrong, He lets me know, He reasons with me. He doesn’t lock me back behind the fence!

Yes, if you teach the freedom that is ours in Christ, there are a certain number of immature people who will try to take advantage of it – for a while. But by falling flat on their face, they will learn how stupid sin really is. However, if we are teaching people how to walk according to the indwelling life of Christ, those will be the exception, not the rule. People are looking for real life, and it is found in the indwelling union with Jesus Christ.

To say that the Christian is not under the law is not to insult the law or say that it is bad – it is to maintain that something better has come! Rather than managing His people by law as in the Old Testament, God now wants His people to grow in grace through the leading of the Holy Spirit telling us who we are in Christ. This is why Galatians 5:18 says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” This means that we Christians have the privilege of living in a loving, trust relationship with the indwelling Jesus. His goal is to grow us in grace as a result of our personal relationship with Him, not to “keep us in line” under the law.

Remember that a child of God is not just a forgiven sinner! Christ has come to live in him, making him alive in Christ. And Christ is committed to renewing our minds according to His truth.

But what about those times when we forget and seem to walk away from Christ? You may think you are walking away from Him, but Jesus never leaves you. After giving his witness to Jesus as the Messiah, John the Baptist remarked, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). That is a good way to describe what growing in grace is like. Many times when you hear people talk about “growing in spiritual maturity”, you get the impression that they are getting bigger and stronger. But the truth is exactly the opposite. It means that wanting to do our own way by independence rather than dependence is becoming less and less, and He is gaining greater access to our lives. Trials cause us to depend totally on Christ and His sufficiency rather than relying on our own. When we come face to face with our own inadequacy, we are forced to turn to Christ in us for His total adequacy.

Next time you see a “lazy” country dog sleeping on the porch, look on him as leading the “abundant life” of love and contentment with his master. He could take off if he wanted to, but he loves and respects his master too much to do it.

[Back to Home]

Why Does the Universe Have To Be So B-O-L-D ?

Why did God make the universe so B-O-L-D? So Big? So Old? So Lonely? So Dark?

If God just wanted a place for humanity to live, couldn’t He have just created the Earth for us to live on – and nothing more? Or even more, why didn’t He just place us immediately into “heaven”, His spiritual realm, where we could be with Him right from the start?

Certainly God could have done these things because He is all knowing and all powerful – but He chose to do creation as He has done it.

God is a complicated being – and His plans for us can be more complicated than we can ever imagine. But knowing through science what is now out there in the universe, let’s try to understand why God made the universe so BOLD.

Why Such a Big Universe?

Skeptics presume: “If God’s goal was to make a habitat for humanity, he would not have made so many useless galaxies, stars, planets, comets, elements, and other components.”

Anyone who hasn’t studied astrophysics may not realize that the universe MUST be as massive as it is or human life would not be possible – for at least two reasons.

The first concerns the production of life-essential elements. The density of protons and neutrons in the universe relates to the universe’s mass density. That density determines how much hydrogen, the lightest of the elements, fuses into heavier elements. And the amount of heavier elements determines how much additional heavy element production occurs in the nuclear furnaces of stars as the stars are born and die out.

If the mass density of the universe were any lower, the universe would never be capable of generating elements heavier than helium – elements like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sodium and potassium, which are essential for any kind of physical life.

The second reason the universe must be hugely massive concerns its expansion rate which critically depends on its mass density. A universe with less mass, that is a smaller universe, would not form stars like the Sun and planets like Earth. Its expansion would be so rapid that gravity would not have opportunity to pull together the gas and dust to make such bodies. Yet if the universe’s mass was any greater, gas and dust would condense so effectively under gravity’s influence that all stars would be much larger than the Sun. Any planets such stars might hold in their orbit would be unsuitable for life because of the intensity of the stars’ radiation, not to mention the gravitational disturbances caused by neighboring supergiant stars.

Why Such an Old Universe?

Because of the limited speed of light, what scientists see in their telescopes is what the astral body looked like when the light which they are receiving left the body. Science has a number of ways of measuring the age – the time light traveled from – the star or galaxy being studied. The latest measurements indicate the universe has been around for 13.73 billion years. This is a very long time but it represents the minimum time necessary to prepare a home for humanity. And as it turns out, the minimum time is essentially the same as the maximum time for at least three reasons.

First, essential heavy elements need to build up. Scientists say that for its first 300 million years, the universe contained only 5 elements: hydrogen, helium, and tiny traces of lithium, beryllium and boron. But life requires over 20 different elements heavier than boron. But the big bang creation event yielded none of them. Manufactured exclusively in the nuclear furnaces of stars, these elements built up gradually.

Human civilization, including high-tech societies with automobiles, demands these heavier elements, but their creation took at least 9 billion years and three generations of star formation and death to provide for a heavy-metal-rich planet such as Earth. And slightly more than 4.5 billions years ago, just as that essential abundance first became available, Earth’s solar system came together.

Second, dangerous events must subside. Supernovae so crucial for building up the heavy elements essential for advanced life also shower their environs with deadly radiation. Consequently, advanced life could not be safely introduced until the rate of supernova eruptions in the Milky Way Galaxy had subsided considerably.

Though it took 9.2 billion years for the planet Earth to form, it was necessary for an additional 4.5 billion year delay before the Earth’s bombardment with material and radiation subsided.

Also the Sun’s luminosity or brightness has changed significantly throughout its history. Human arrival and survival on the scene depended on the Sun’s having reached a particular level of brightness and stability. This level was not reached until the Sun was about 4.5 billion years old.

Tidal interaction with the Moon and Sun has steadily reduced Earth’s rotation rate from its initial 2 or 3 hours per day down to its current 24. This is the optimal rotation rate for advanced life because faster rotation caused extreme weather movements with very disruptive hurricanes and tornados.

The third reason is more philosophical. At 13.73 billions years of age, the universe and our location in it is just old enough – and young enough – to facilitate its visual and technological exploration. In a younger universe, the light emitting objects, primarily stars, are jammed tightly together. The light of nearby objects would have blinded observers from seeing the more distant objects.

Also, only when Earth reached an age of over 4 billion years did its atmosphere become transparent enough to enable its inhabitants to observe the most distant objects in the universe. The human era is theoretically the earliest possible epoch that allows astronomers to study the light from the origin of the universe. And if humans had arrived significantly later upon the scene, the situation also would have been less than optimal. At some point (after about 14 billion years of age), the universe will expand at speeds exceeding the velocity of light and humans would then be able to see only a fraction of cosmic history.

Our Creator God apparently placed us here at an optimal time for us to study and appreciate His glorious workmanship in the structure of the universe.

Why Such a Lonely Universe?

The human desire to reach out and touch someone seems irresistible. It was inevitable that our desire to explore and search for intelligent life would extend beyond Earth to other parts of the Milky Way and even to galaxies beyond. But this search by all scientific means possible has yielded absolutely no contact with any other life outside of Earth.

And understanding the physics involved in space travel makes it difficult to believe that any contact with extra-terrestrials will ever happen.

Current understanding of the universe, at least from a naturalistic perspective, supports the idea that only Earth offers a sufficiently hospitable environment for an intelligent species to survive and build a high-tech civilization. It also confirms that Earth may offer the only hospitable environment for the simplest of life-forms. Since advanced life can exist only if supported by billions of years of previously existing simpler life (producing oil and coal deposits), it seems doubly certain that the humanity of Earth is the only intelligent physical species in the observable universe.

While Earth’s location is not geographically central to the solar system, galaxy, galaxy cluster, or galaxy supercluster, it deserves the description “spectacularly favored” for life. Perhaps Someone had a purpose or purposes in mind for limiting life to just one residence.

Why Such a Dark Universe?

Typically we think of light as helpful to visibility, but in some cases it’s the opposite. The car’s dome light after dark causes problems for the driver. And no one wants the lights left on during a movie or slide show. For an astronomer, light can be an enemy.

Researchers who believe in a personal Creator (and many do) thank their Maker for Earth’s placement in one of the darkest regions of the universe. The lights of the universe don’t blind us or limit our view.

Like all galaxies, the Milky Way is filled with bright beacons of light. The brightest are its core and its spiral arms. Located far from the galactic core, the core’s powerful light does not affect us. In its orbit about the galactic center, the solar system rides almost exactly halfway between two spiral arms, and these arms’ crowded clusters of bright stars do not overly illuminate Earth’s night sky.

Astronomers can also be glad that the Milky Way Galaxy sits in one of the darkest locations in the universe where advanced physical life conceivably could exist.

The very best location and quantities of darkness to allow humans to observe all the wonders of the universe equate with the very best location to allow for the existence of a bountiful, beautiful home for humanity. Such a convergence would seem more than an accident. These multiple “coincidences” speak of supernatural intention.

Clearly, Someone wanted human beings to exist and thrive. Just as clearly, Someone wanted us to see all He had done in the universe. His purposes for human existence must be highly valuable. By studying the universe in all its detail – as the Creator apparently made sure we could – we have begun to discover and understand some of His purposes. And that quest continues.

[Back to Home]