"Today you will be with me in Paradise."

Paul Miller, in his book A Praying Life, describes Jesus' amazing ability to have a one-person focus even in a crowd: “When Jesus interacts with people, he narrows his focus down to one person... that person is the only person in the room. The way he loves people is identical to the way he prays to His Father. This one-person focus is how love works. Love incarnates by slowing down and focusing on just the beloved” (Miller, p. 46).

Astoundingly, Jesus manages this even on the cross. He is in agony. Nails have been driven through his hands and feet. Earlier, he had been scourged (for a description of the physical torture Jesus would have received as a prisoner, click here). But his agony is more than physical: for the first time in his 33 years, he is separated from his heavenly Father (see Matthew 27:46).

He has been abandoned by his disciples. The Jews who had welcomed him just days ago with praises, are now heckling him. Jesus is even jeered by one of two thieves hanging from crosses on either side of him.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him.

“Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:39-43).

Jesus’ one on one ministry extends even from the cross! The thief to the left wants down from his predicament and curses Jesus for not fixing things for himself and them. Even in the face of death, this man’s heart is hard and fixed. The thief to the right sees the reality of his own sin and the innocence of Jesus. Not just his innocence, but his divinity. What faith to see God in this suffering, blood-covered man. What depths of love our Savior had for a repentant criminal. What hope for humanity, that it is our faith in Christ, not our works, not a religious process, that saves!

“Christ upon the cross, is gracious like Christ upon the throne. Though he was in the greatest struggle and agony, yet he had pity for a poor penitent. By this act of grace we are to understand that Jesus Christ died to open the kingdom of heaven to all penitent, obedient believers. It is a single instance in Scripture; it should teach us to despair of none, and that none should despair of themselves; but lest it should be abused, it is contrasted with the awful state of the other thief, who died hardened in unbelief, though a crucified Saviour was so near him” (Matthew Henry).

Sources: 

"View from the Cross," James Tissot, 1886-94. Brooklyn Museum.

Miller, Paul. A Praying Life (NavPress, 2009).

Matthew Henry Commentary, retrieved online: http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=42&c=23&com=mhc

I saw Michael Jackson's head burst into flames during that Pepsi commercial...

I remember vividly the Sunday morning that was to be my first at FFWBC in my small home town...

My now wife, Candice, wasn't even my then girlfriend, but she had been persistent in her invitation for me to attend her church one Sunday. Her eyes would sparkle as she described the people, the place and most importantly the Divine presence in the house of worship. She had grown up in the church and was as active as any youth that attended in the numerous ministries the church conducted. 

Reluctant is an understatement for my initial feeling as I approached the entrance. I would carry with me through the doors that first Sunday morning an attitude near contempt. I realize today that my demeanor was much more a reflection of my own self-loathing than a true feeling toward any single person in attendance that Sunday.

After a few hand shakes and pleasantries with people I had known for many years, I parked myself near the back row almost perfectly diagonal from where Candice and her family sat. No way I was walking up there where they sat...the back of my head might burst into flames from the laser-like stares and feelings projected in my direction of ill-repute. I would have soon danced naked on Main Street that very moment...and I was completely sober!

Today, I look back on that day as a pivotal day in a new beginning for my life. Was I comfortable? Absolutely not! Did I run to the altar and fall on my face begging for God to forgive my many transgressions? Unfortunately no. But the one word that best describes that day, hands down, as I look back is...love.

God brought me to a place of His love, filled with His people, using one of His own. I get pretty emotional when I look back and think about it. My negative attitude was completely absorbed by people of His body doing what they were commanded to do...love your neighbor. Even if he's a bum like me.

I never imagined I could be as close again as I was with the church family I grew up with twenty years before walking through those doors on that Sunday morning. Again...I was wrong. I still love and cherish every single person from my first church. Many have been promoted to Glory, and I celebrate for them.  My new church family is just as precious to me. As I sit at my laptop typing the last bit of this post with tears flowing down both cheeks...I thank God with ever fiber of my being for blessing me so greatly with the new church family He did, and for the new beginning He gave me that painful Sunday for just taking a single step in obedience. 

May all my efforts be in service to Him and may He receive all the honor and glory for it all.

A New Begnning - Again

New Life. Typically when I hear those words my mind goes to 2 Corinthians 5:17 and the new life available to each and every one of us in Christ. My mind can never get around our great God's plan for salvation; how we can come to Him and admit that we are sinners and ask for His forgiveness, choose to commit our lives to Him, and He'll grant us forgivenss. He'll even cause His Holy Spirit to come and live within our spirit so that we never have to be alone again. So that His power is available in us. All this never ceases to boggle my mind!

Yet......do you know that even though I know and have experienced all this, I have still chosen at times in my life to turn my back on God?
Sometimes it's been in little ways like being selfish in a specific situation in a relationship. Sometimes it's been in big ways like choosing to live in some kind of ongoing sin.

But always, when I grow tired of doing things my way, when I realize once again that my disobedience is not taking me anywhere that I want to be, I return to God. I have no illusion that my return to God is about any learned wisdom on my part; I truly believe it's about His goodness and grace that seeks me out, that draws me back to Him. When I come back, He not only takes me back, but He totally forgives me
and gives me a new chance, a new beginning.

One of my favorite Bible passages is about this very thing, it's the third chapter of Lamentations. I'm especially fond of the way the 19 - 24th verses read in The Message paraphrase:

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

When I start to get discouraged I often return to this passage and remind myself of these truths found here. That though I may have chosen to "swollow poison", God's love hasn't run out. He is faithful even when I'm not (another favorite Bible verse of mine is 2 Timothy 2:13 ).

What about you, what new beginnings have you experienced?

Forgive?

You know how it goes with the best laid plans, don't you? Well, I'm in Tennessee and flying out this morning. I thought this blog raised some pretty interesting thoughts and discussions, so...the retreat idea will be laid to rest another week. 

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about forgiveness. I’ve had people tell me I should be more forgiving. They will tell me that I should let go of things that happened many years ago. They are right. I should let go of them. And I have, until these same people decide to open up wounds that have long before been healed.

I have given a lot of thought about forgiveness. Yesterday, I saw a church reader board that said, Forgive Everyone Everything. I thought wow. Is this God speaking to me? I really gave it some thought. I asked myself, and I asked God, is this for me? Are you telling me that I am not forgiving?

I got an answer. I want to share it with you because I think I’ve understood something that we all struggle with – we have these feelings, feelings of pain, of hurt, people have violated us, others continue to hurt us and then we think, because I have these feelings, am I unforgiving?

I used to work in a mental health facility. When I was there, I learned that your emotions, your feelings are important. You need to pay attention to them. You need to listen to them. They can be a warning to you. They can give you direction in a way that your rational brain can’t.  Of course, you can’t live your life by your emotions, but you shouldn’t ignore them either. If you don’t balance them, you do get in trouble.

My emotions have been rather raw of late. As I said, old wounds are being ripped open. My heart is being ripped out of me by the pain of some things going on right now. And yet, I am told by those hurting me that it is because I haven’t forgiven.

Okay, finally, here is the answer I got. I thought about someone else that I was supposed to forgive and have – it was the man who molested me when I was 8. I thought okay, I’ve forgiven him because I have to, it’s in the Bible and it is also best for me to do so as well. I get that… then it was like that voice inside, the one that helps you figure things out…I call it God, I believe it is God.  That voice asked me, if he were here today, would you have a relationship with him? Would you let him watch children? Would you just smile and have a cup of coffee with him?

I thought no, I wouldn’t – it would be a very stupid thing to do, wouldn’t it? I thought that through for a while and realized that forgiveness can exist with other strong emotions. Those emotions tell us that there is danger. The danger isn’t over.

See sometimes we forgive for ourselves regardless of whether the person repents or has remorse or not… we do it because we just believe that way, or we are a Christian and know we have to – we pray “forgive us our sins (trespasses, debts) as we forgive those that sin (trespass, debtors) against us.”  So we forgive but forgiveness doesn’t mean we allow other people to hurt us again, or abuse us.

So maybe you’ve wondered this too – you thought, okay, I’ve forgiven, I think I have, but I just don’t want to be hurt anymore. I think that’s okay. It’s sort of like this – when a snake has bit you, you can forgive it, but it would not be wise to make a pet out of it.

So what are your thoughts about forgiveness?

Love lifted me...Praise God!

Although tolerance is not one of the three virtues listed by Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth, I still believe it to be a very important attribute for the mature Christian. Tolerance should, however, be closely balanced with discernment for the Christian to avoid the every present danger we find ourselves in today called apathy.

Aristotle put forth four virtues necessary for a good person to have: temperance, wisdom, justice and courage. While temperance goes a few steps beyond just tolerance, there is also a danger with the balance emphasis of temperance to forget there is One above all else and not all in the world is in balance.

1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (NIV)

¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love

The church I attend recently went through a little tiff. Who really knows where these crazy things start. I guess it's just human nature for us to occasionally want to quarrel...even in matters of faith. Ha! Especially in matters of faith! Everything eventually died down (for the most part), and hopefully we are refocused on our part in the Kingdom.

I really never allowed myself to be pulled into the fray, although one of my fellow members tried to drag me in any way. I guess I was an easy target in his machine-gunner style character assassinations...being just one of the many. Refusing to come unglued and fire back in defensive anger, I adopted the attitude that who I am today is not who I was many years ago, and I owe that completely to God. I live for Him now...not for what other people think of me. As long as I'm being a true light for His love, well sticks an stones...sticks and stones.

It's truly amazing how much peace God has granted me when I can walk up to a man I know has tried to drum up trouble in a church family I hold very dear in my heart and shake his hand. Not in hypocrisy either but in genuine love and concern. That's God folks...not Tony. No, the old me would have tossed and turned at nights plotting a way to fire/get back at him or worse...just belted him in the mouth one day in anger. Not very WWJD.

God has granted me maturity that contains tolerance, love and discernment. And thanks to that last one, I can love my trouble-making brother and still keep an eye on him...just in case.

I'll keep the other eye on my beautiful, loving wife who's still working on the tolerance issue. Her fortitude for defending the ones she loves looms large, and he never receives an acknowledgement of being alive from her. He should probably count his blessings on that fact too.

She's still way ahead of me in most other areas though. Thank You Father for Your tolerance we call grace.

The Wardrobe of Forbearance

Do people ever bug you?

I feel guilty about this, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes I find people exasperating!

It's so easy for me to be hurt by my fellow Believers in a local church who I think seem cliquish or unfriendly, or to become annoyed by a sister in Christ with whom I'm working on a project and she is consistently unclear about what we need. It's no wonder that I see the admonition repeatedly in the New Testament for Christ's followers to bear with one another.

One of my favorite Bible passages with regard to this whole issue is Colossians 3:12-14 (MSG):

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Perhaps I like this passage in The Message paraphrase so much because I like clothes. Whenever I'm planning to go someplace, I take a few moments to consider what outfit that I have in my closet is most appropriate for the event. If I'm at an event and realize that I've totally misjudged the situation and am either over, or under, dressed for the occasion, I feel less than comfortable. I really appreciated it when I was at my oldest son, Devon's, college for the weekend of his graduation because his school clearly spelled out if a particular event was to be casual, informal, or formal (they also even defined what each of these meant for both civilians and service personnel).

I think it's cool that God's Word clues me in on the best clothes for life within the body of Believers. That love is THE all-purpose garment. That God's picked out compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, and discipline for me to put on. He not only tells me how to dress, but he even fills me in on what my deportment should be - even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense.

But what really gets me in this passage is when it says: "Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you." I've messed up a LOT in my life and God has never told me - no more, I've had enough, I'm going to just leave you and forsake you for that one! Instead, He has always forgiven me, cleansed me, and the Holy Spirit continues to work in me so I don't have to continue in my sins.

What about you, do you find it easy to be forgiving and over look the offenses of others in the body of Christ? What do you do when you have someone who really "rubs you the wrong way"?