TO'ed by T.O.

This is a picture from March, 2004. Happy times. Terrell Owens is getting what he wants. A seven-year contract worth almost $49 million.

He helps the Eagles make it to the SuperBowl. He makes a heroic effort to play after recovering from a serious injury. No one can deny his brilliant performance in that game.

Fast forward to August, 2005. Terrell Owens is whining, complaining, and calling it "business" that he is worth more money after a good, but not phenomenal year. He wants a new contract. The Eagles haven't budged and T.O. decides to repeat his antics with the 49'ers. He badmouths his coach and his quarterback....a lot...on national TV. So much for the history lesson.

There aren't enough words to describe the depth of T.O.'s self-centeredness. He is a cancer. T.O. and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, are pathetic examples of everything that's wrong with America's popular culture. T.O. may be a gifted athlete, but he has some serious deficiencies in his character. T.O. is a three year old trapped in a ProBowl body. Unfortunately, Andy Reid and the Eagles have the unfortunate task of raising the boy to be a man.

Good luck, Coach Reid.

Go Falcons!

Partnership in missions...common calling, common goal

Just a little recap...God initiated the idea of partnership in his redemptive plan. Missio dei or God on mission is a great way to describe it. Thanks, Marty. I hadn't thought of that phrase for a few years. God on mission, in the flesh, giving us a living, breathing example of what it means to be incarnational. To the casual reader, there's a lot of Christian subculture words here. They are good words with deep meanings. Investigate them.

The recap continues with the example of individual/individual, individual/church, church/church, church/denomination, and denomination/denomination partnerships. If you're wondering how two churches or two denominations can partner together in missions, the answer comes in points three and four of this article.

3. Common calling in mission partnerships.

The apostle Paul speaks of a Macedonian call to share the Gospel in a specific place to a specific people. That call was shared by Luke and Silas. The Scripture clearly points out that the calling was to share the Gospel with the Macedonians.

One of the mystical components of the work of the Holy Spirit is how he pulls together people of like minds to reach specific people groups. The common calling in mission partnerships takes place through prayer, the study of Scripture, and participation in vision trips to places where one believes God may be calling to join him on mission.

For example, I resonate with two distinct different groups. One group that I have a heart for is the postmodern American culture. God has placed in my path others that have a desire and innate ablity to reach this specific group of people. There are many others that have a desire that all people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ but they do not have the same passion or skill set to reach postmoderns. Another group I have a heart for is a people group in North Africa called the Beja. I cannot tell you specifically why I am drawn to this people group. I can only tell you that there is a distinct call from God to be on mission on their behalf. Not everyone is willing to go to North Africa in a predominately Muslim setting to be on mission. There are, however, those with a common calling that I partner with.


4. Common goal in mission partnerships.

Common calling is accompanied by a common goal in mission partnerships. In mission partnerships, the common calling to a specific people group is the result of a God given unity to believers. The product of that unity are common goals that God gives to the partnership.

I say to potential partners (this gets me in trouble with people from churches with congregational polity), "God doesn't give mixed signals to his people." If God calls you into a partnership, he will not tell you one thing and those that partner with you another. God isn't schizophrenic. He does not author confusion. God authors unity.

These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:14, NASB).

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6, NIV).

There will be leaders that rise up and take the initiative in administrative and logistical areas in any partnership. There will be differences in opinion in those areas, to be sure. If a partnership is truly being led by the Spirit, those differences in opinion will quickly fade under the deep sense of God's hand in the common calling and goal.

Apple laptops aren't worth this...

I want an Apple laptop really bad. Fortunately, we're budgeting for one in the Fall sometime for me. As bad as I want an Apple laptop and as bad as I want to be a good steward of God's money I would never do anything like this.

Partnership from a mission perspective

The word used for partnership in the New Testament is koinonia. For those of you that are seasoned veterans of the Scripture, you will recognize this word is also interpreted as "fellowship".

The three instances* in which koinonia is used in conjunction with missions are:

• common gift, contribution (Romans 15:23)
• partnership in the Gospel (Philippians 1:5)
• partnership in the ministry to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:4)

*The root word is also used in 2 Corinthians 13:13 in the sense of communing, partnering, or fellowshiping with the Holy Spirit.

Two of the uses (first and last) deal with partnering in giving to the work of missions and very well may have been the same common fund collected for the church in Jerusalem. Nonetheless, it gives the present day church a precedent of cooperating in giving to missions. The second of the uses deals specifically with partnering with other Christians in the sharing of the Gospel toward the accomplishment of the Great Commission.

The Lord Jesus sent out the disciples in twos. That is clear evidence that partnering with other individuals is an important part of being missional. It is also a prerequisite for empowered prayer...where two or more are gathered, etc. The partnership of Paul with Silas and Barnabas are other instances where individuals partnered with each other for the purpose of sharing the Gospel.

Churches partnering for the purpose of strengthening other churches and sharing the Gospel is evident in Paul's letters to the Romans and the Corinthians. It is a clear example of the Gentiles within the Church giving aid to and partnering with the Jewish contingent within the Church.

While the language of the Scripture is not in imperative form, there is a solid precedent for partnership in missions. That being said, mainline denominational Christian churches and independent churches that currently do not partner with other churches are missing the mark. Empowered mission work takes place when believers partner together. The growth of the Gospel is also more rapid efficient when partnerships take place.

How partnerships can take place between individuals, churches, denominations and even sending agencies will be discussed in the next two sections of the article.

Biblical basis for partnership in missions...on being missional

I am taking a break for the next week from writing the daily devotional. In its place, I will be making good on a commitment I made to write a manuscript for a presentation on missions that I presented this Spring.

Hopefully it will serve a two-fold purpose: 1) I will keep my word to some friends and co-workers. 2) It will begin to generate a mission mindset at The Journey Church and with others who might read the musings herein.

I truly think it will be as challenging for you as any devotional I would write (or not). Prepare to be challenged to look outside your world to a world that is dying without Christ.

My guess is that the manuscript will be read (when completed and if distributed) by church leaders and churches of a more traditional mindset. My prayer is that they will begin to replace the word "missions" with "missional".
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The purpose of this article is to revisit the Scriptural call of God for partnership in mission. God's call is for local churches to partner with each other and with individuals to increase their effectiveness in sharing the Good News at the local, regional, national, and international level.

This goal of this article is for church leadership engage in Biblical partnership and influence the people they lead to: 1) challenge people to be missional like Jesus 2) understand the common calling the local Church has to mission partnership 3) find unity in the common goal of the Church in mission partnership 4) embrace the common doctrine in mission partnership 4) adopt an attitude of equality in mission partnership 5) openly communicate within the mission partnership.

1. On being missional...like Jesus

To truly understand partnering with other Christians in the work of mission, one must begin with the ultimate example of mission partnership that is embodied in the Incarnation. The Incarnation, God on mission as human, should be a revelation to us that God fully intended the work of redemption to be a partnership (John 1:1-14). Jesus was and is the embodiment of God on mission. Jesus showed us that to truly be a God-follower, we must follow His example of missional.

God chose to set the example of partnership by working with and within humanity to accomplish His redemptive plan. Jesus called on us to carry out the Great Commission through his incarnational or 'missional' example.

In recent history, there are individuals and a scarce few churches that have exemplified the missional example of Jesus . In my opinion, there is no Christian denomination in existence today that embodies the missional church.

That's why it's important that we understand the first biblical example of partnership in mission is God in partnership with humanity in his redemptive plan. The primary example we must embrace in being missional human beings is that of Jesus Christ. Why God would partner with humanity in his work of love and grace will remain a mystery...at least until the Second Coming. Until then, it's not for us to figure out but simply to obey. We must follow the perfect example of being a missional God-follower given to us by the Master in the New Testament. We will fall short of that example, to be sure, but the grace extended to us in our shortcomings is simply one more facet of helping pre-Christians understand the loving nature of the Heavenly Father. I believe that can be summed up in the word "authenticity".

There are a lot of things we can learn from Jesus' example of being missional. We should be willing to understand the cultural aspect of those God puts in our path. We should have an ability to understand the spiritual sickness that underlies the presenting problems of social aberrations. We should have a willingness to approach and socialize with those that are far from embracing the principles of God's revelations of Scripture. We should be willing to share the Gospel and all of God's principles in a way that is relevant to whatever culture God may send us. Jesus modeled a missional relationship with God in each of these ways. Jesus called us to do the same when he said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Understanding the primary model of partnership in missions that Jesus gave us in his incarnational/missional lifestyle is the foundation that all mission work should be built. Embracing that primary example of partnership given to us by God is a secure beginning point explore what the Bible says about local churches partnering with other individuals and churches.

Tomorrow: The meaing of partnership and biblical examples of individual and church partnerships.

a prequel to Partnership in Missions for my emergent friends...

God chose to set the example of partnership in missions by working with and within humanity to accomplish His redemptive plan. Jesus called on us to carry out the Great Commission through his incarnational or 'missional' example.

In recent history, there are individuals and a scarce few churches that have exemplified the missional example of Jesus. In my opinion, there is no Christian denomination in existence today that embodies the missional church.

There has been a resurgence of the missional church. But missional people and missional churches operate under the shadow of the institutional Church. The institutional Church, and the denominations within it, have done a disservice to many Christians in creating and teaching a "corporate America" mindset in doing the work of mission.

The denominational stockholders are encouraged to invest in the local church. The local church, in turn, pay a franchise fee to the denominational mission institution or "sending agency". Professional missionaries are screened and hired by the sending agency and are then supported as the sales force of their denomination. They come home regularly to give reports. The sending agency of the denomination publishes their annual report in the hope of increasing their revenue base. The institution feeds the institution. Some mission work takes place, for sure, but effective mission work suffers.

There is need for a wholesale change in denominations to adopt missional thinking. So that missional people don't come off as elitists or whiners, it's important that missional people are an example to the institutional church by modeling partnership in mission work. A wholesale change in thinking by a denomination will take many years of influence, so that means that people that have recaptured the missional thinking of the early Church should work with their respective denomination while partnering with others to accomplish the Great Commission.

So what if you're like me and you just can't do the denominational thing anymore? Keep some of your denominational contacts. Then look for like-minded people to partner with in missions. There are plenty of movements out there, just keep your ears and eyes open. Above all, keep being missional.

Biblical basis for partnerships in missions...on being missional

I am taking a break for the next week from writing the daily devotional. In its place, I will be making good on a commitment I made to write a manuscript for a presentation on missions that I presented this Spring.

Hopefully it will serve a two-fold purpose: 1) I will keep my word to some friends and co-workers. 2) It will begin to generate a mission mindset at The Journey Church and with others who might read the musings herein.

I truly think it will be as challenging for you as any devotional I would write (or not). Prepare to be challenged to look outside your world to a world that is dying without Christ.

My guess is that the manuscript will be read (when completed and if distributed) by church leaders and churches of a more traditional mindset. My prayer is that they will begin to replace the word "missions" with "missional".
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The purpose of this article is to revisit the Scriptural call of God for partnership in mission. God's call is for local churches to partner with each other and with individuals to increase their effectiveness in sharing the Good News at the local, regional, national, and international level.

This goal of this article is for church leadership engage in Biblical partnership and influence the people they lead to: 1) challenge people to be missional like Jesus 2) understand the common calling the local Church has to mission partnership 3) find unity in the common goal of the Church in mission partnership 4) embrace the common doctrine in mission partnership 4) adopt an attitude of equality in mission partnership 5) openly communicate within the mission partnership.

1. On being missional...like Jesus

To truly understand partnering with other Christians in the work of mission, one must begin with the ultimate example of mission partnership that is embodied in the Incarnation. The Incarnation, God on mission as human, should be a revelation to us that God fully intended the work of redemption to be a partnership (John 1:1-14). Jesus was and is the embodiment of God on mission. Jesus showed us that to truly be a God-follower, we must follow His example of missional.

God chose to set the example of partnership by working with and within humanity to accomplish His redemptive plan. Jesus called on us to carry out the Great Commission through his incarnational or 'missional' example.

In recent history, there are individuals and a scarce few churches that have exemplified the missional example of Jesus . In my opinion, there is no Christian denomination in existence today that embodies the missional church.

That's why it's important that we understand the first biblical example of partnership in mission is God in partnership with humanity in his redemptive plan. The primary example we must embrace in being missional human beings is that of Jesus Christ. Why God would partner with humanity in his work of love and grace will remain a mystery...at least until the Second Coming. Until then, it's not for us to figure out but simply to obey. We must follow the perfect example of being a missional God-follower given to us by the Master in the New Testament. We will fall short of that example, to be sure, but the grace extended to us in our shortcomings is simply one more facet of helping pre-Christians understand the loving nature of the Heavenly Father. I believe that can be summed up in the word "authenticity".

There are a lot of things we can learn from Jesus' example of being missional. We should be willing to understand the cultural aspect of those God puts in our path. We should have an ability to understand the spiritual sickness that underlies the presenting problems of social aberrations. We should have a willingness to approach and socialize with those that are far from embracing the principles of God's revelations of Scripture. We should be willing to share the Gospel and all of God's principles in a way that is relevant to whatever culture God may send us. Jesus modeled a missional relationship with God in each of these ways. Jesus called us to do the same when he said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Understanding the primary model of partnership in missions that Jesus gave us in his incarnational/missional lifestyle is the foundation that all mission work should be built. Embracing that primary example of partnership given to us by God is a secure beginning point explore what the Bible says about local churches partnering with other individuals and churches.

Tomorrow: The meaing of partnership and biblical examples of individual and church partnerships.

On having non-Christian friends and making a difference in the world

A Baptist deacon asked his pastor to go with him to invite a friend/co-worker to an upcoming Easter service. The pastor, of course, accepted the invitation immediately. The pastor met the deacon at the church at the appointed time. They left in the deacon's truck and headed to their appointment.

As they engaged in conversation about their favorite mutual subject of football, the pastor noticed that the deacon was headed down a street that was known primarily for it's night life. No, not night life as in bats or raccoons or even the opera. Night life, as in bars and strip joints. The pastor asked where they were going to meet the invitee. The deacon named the bar. The deacon then asked if the pastor wanted to turn around and go back to the church. The pastor, being the rebel he was and remembering how Jesus mingled with all kinds of people, told the deacon to drive on to the appointment.

The appointment was kept by the invitee/friend/co-worker only because the deacon knew that his friend could always be found at this bar, on this day of the week, having a beer and shooting a game of pool. The deacon pulled into the parking lot of the bar and parked. The pastor looked around to see if any members were driving by and got out knowing this is what Jesus would have done.

The deacon and pastor walked into the bar and made small talk. Being "good" Baptists, they ordered two Pepsi's and got in line on the invitee/friend/co-worker's table. The deacon's friend was, admittedly, taken back by having his Christian friend come into "his world". And when the deacon's friend asked who the friend was he had with him, he was taken back even more. The deacon and the pastor got beat like a drum at the pool table but they made a positive impact on the non-Christians in the bar that night. The invitee/friend/co-worker didn't attend the Easter service, but he was closer to listening to God's message of forgiveness more than ever before.

The pastor never told his church members he went to the bar. He didn't want the deacon to get in trouble.
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Growing up in the Christian subculture, I was taught a form of bigotry. It was a bigotry targeted at non-Christians. Kind of strange, don't you think? In the very same house, I was taught to respect people of other ethnicities and cultures. Even though we were from the South, the "n" word was verboten in our home and rightly so. Being the son of a pastor, I was raised in a home that place a high view on international missions. The result of that was a personal desire on my part to learn and investigate other cultures. The culture of North Africa deeply intrigues me to this day.

The bigotry, of sorts, against non-Christians in my earlier years was a genuine attempt of my parents to keep me from running with the wrong crowd. After all, Socrates did say that "birds of a feather flock together." There is a thread of wisdom to be embraced here, no doubt. But when I began to read the Bible more intensely in my latter 20's, I came across a number of passages that completely blew apart my worldview of non-Christians . No longer could I say, "They just need God." I had to say, "I need to be their friend so they can see Jesus in me." (It also meant I needed live a more authentic Christian life.) Christ hung out with the disciples for sure. He also spent most of his social life in the presence of people that the religious people thought were off limits...white collar criminals, prostitutes, and those with socially unacceptable diseases to name a few.

The following passage of Scripture should challenge every Christian that reads this devotional. Especially if their view is that Christians should only have other Christians as friends.

So buckle up all you Christians, we're going for a ride...this devotional might make you a bit queasy.

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. (1Corinthianss 5:9-10, NIV; emphasis mine).

As Christians, we can't be isolationists. Secluding ourselves from those that are not yet Christians, to paraphrase Paul, would mean that we would have to pack up and move to Mars or something. Over my many years of being in the Christian subculture, I have heard people say in arrogance or ignorance that they had nothing other than Christian friends. The arrogant wear it as a badge of honor. The ignorant probably would have non-Christian friends but they've either been sucked into the legalistic Christian subculture or they simply haven't thought that much about it. The reason for this blog entry/devotional is to jar some and nudge whoever is left.

So how do you have non-Christian friends without being influenced to the point of indulging in the things that cause them and you pain and misery? How do you make a difference in the world without compromising the spirituality that's transformed your life? Do what Jesus did. He had a core of God-followers that he was around the most. When he spent time with those who weren't yet God-followers, it was always after he had spent a lot of time talking to the Heavenly Father in prayer. Talking to God a lot also prepared Jesus for the criticism he would receive from the Pharisees, i.e. religious jerks. (On a very encouraging note to those that attend The Journey Church, you don't have to worry too much about Pharisees in our faith community.)

If you're a follower of Christ and you lack non-Christian friends, get some. It's the only way to make a difference in the world for God. Have Christian friends, but be a friend to those who aren't Christ followers yet. Don't take my word for it. Take Jesus' word for it:

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" 12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:9-13, NIV).

It's time we all made some new friends, isn't it?

Have a great day

The big flashlight: a modern day parable

It was a dark and stormy night. (Nice beginning, huh?) The weatherman had warned of thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. The hail woke us up. Then it got still and quiet. Then the wind picked up again. That meant it was time to get in the 'frady hole (Okie phrase for storm cellar). We had to use our hall bathtub as our storm cellar. But that wasn't the real problem. The problem was, the power was out. It was pitch black except for the flashes of lightning that intermittently gave just enough light to get to a spot and be stuck until the next flash of lightning. I didn't have to worry about that because I had the big flashlight in my bedroom. The other flashlights had weak batteries. I knew that because I could hear Dad screaming something to the effect that I had better put fresh batteries in his flashlight after I go frog gigging next time or it would be my hide. I was thinking to myself he should have listened to the weather before he went to bed. After all, the weatherman said it was going to storm...bad. The more I thought, the worse things got all the way around.

It didn't help matters that Dad stubbed his toe on his way to the kitchen to find some matches and a candle. Now he needed the light so he could find me and kick me into next week. All the time I couldn't figure out what the panic was about. I couldn't hear the freight train sound of the tornado yet. Besides, I had the big flashlight with me. In fact, I was just getting out of bed to find it for Dad.

Now there was another problem. I couldn't find the big flashlight. I couldn't find the only flashlight in the house that had a good battery in it. Brilliant. I needed to find the only good flashlight in the house fast because things were quiet in the kitchen. That meant Dad was getting close to having the light necessary to...well, you know.

Found it. It was under my laundry. Not in the laundry basket, just under my laundry. Under the "clean enough to wear again" pile next to my bed. I clicked the button on the big red flashlight with the good battery, and it lit up my room. I turned around to take Dad the flashlight and saw him standing in the doorway. I anticipated the inevitable implementation of Proverbs 23:13. As I handed the light over to my Dad, he greeted me with words that I completely did not expect.

He took the good flashlight from me and said, "Son, you have to keep the big flashlight where anyone can get to it when it storms. It puts everyone at risk when you keep it to yourself. Now take this candle and go get some blankets out of the closet and get in the tub in the hall bathroom. I'll go get your mother.........What in the world were you thinkin' anyway?"

I was thinking I was glad I didn't get kicked into next week. I was thinking I was selfish to keep the only good flashlight for myself. I was thinking Dad knew that feeling guilty about putting others at risk would be worse than his boot in my backside.
.......................................

Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all (Matthew 5:15, NLT).

Even in the most modern of translations, Matthew 5:15 takes some investigation to understand the truth within the passage. Let's put the passage in modern day terms. "Don't turn your flashlight on and stick it in the laundry basket. Instead, keep it out where everyone gets use out of it." In other words, if we keep the light that Jesus Christ has given to us to ourselves, it deprives those who don't have a relationship with him from knowing him at all. Their eternal safety is at risk when we selfishly keep it to ourselves. If you and I are going to make a difference in the world, we have to put the light of Christ in an obvious place. A place where it can benefit everyone.

Heavenly Father, please help us remember that the light of your love is for everyone. May we never keep it to ourselves. In Jesus name we ask this. Amen.

Have a great day.

On being Johnny Storm

In the summer blockbuster movie Fantastic Four, Johnny Storm takes a leap of faith from a skyscraper and then screams, "Flame on!" He takes off in a blaze of glory and defeats the heat seeking missile intended to kill him. He is a changed person. He has embraced the incredible power created within him as the result of an encounter with force far greater than himself. He is able to do things no one, not even Johnny Storm, thought possible. Amazingly, he begins to understand his new found abilities aren't for his personal glory but for the better good of humanity. He moves from self-centeredness to serving others.

If you're a follower of Christ, your story should turn out a lot like the Marvel comic character Johnny Storm. Since you've been reborn and have become a new creation, you've been given capabilites far greater than your own. In order for you to realize all that God has for you, it will take a leap of faith on your part.
The gifts you've been given of eternal life and the power of prayer aren't yours to keep. Instead they've been given to you to benefit others. God has re-created us so we can make a difference in a world that is sick and living in darkness.

You are the light of the world - like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see (Matthew 5:14, NLT).

The leap of faith you and I have to take isn't that difficult. When Jesus speaks about his purpose and plan for us in Matthew 5:14, he's telling us that he will put us in a position where our light can be seen...like a city on a mountain. He's also saying that our light isn't there just for our benefit, it's there for others to find their way to God...through us. We're a light that should draw others into the community of God.

Letting your light shine in the darkness of the world is actually easy. That's because letting your light shine is more about being than doing. Jesus says that his followers are the light of the world, we don't have to manufacture anything. Being in a healthy relationship with him results in being a light. Jesus puts us in a place where we can be seen, in a community of other lights, so others benefit and can see their way out of their personal darkness. That's easy enough. God's grace not only makes us a light but puts us in a place where that light can be seen.

More on letting your light shine tomorrow.

Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all (Matthew 5:15, NLT).

Have a great day.

Big God

Forgiveness is a big word when it refers to God. Especially the word used for forgiveness in the Old Testament. OT for all of you newbies. We're talking the first thirty-nine books of the Bible.

The word that's used in the OT to describe God's forgiveness toward us is literally translated abundant forgiveness. That's not just plain vanilla forgiveness here. Not a "no problem" or a "it's all good" kind of forgiveness. Think about the word abundant. It means plentiful or profusion. In other words, an ample supply of lavish expenditure. It just keeps getting bigger. Amazing. That's a lot of forgiveness. That's a Big God. Let's talk about the last half of that translation. The word forgiveness means to give up resentment. When God forgives, he lets go "a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury."

So what's that say about God and his ability to forgive? Even though God is displeased with our sin he chooses to lavishly expend his love on us. In other words, you can't begin to tap his forgiveness. He is more than willing to give up any feeling of displeasure with us and his ability to forgive is endless.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, NIV; emphasis mine)

For those reading this that are followers of Christ: Take some time and thank God for his abundant forgiveness. If you meditate on that passage long enough, you won't be able to do anything but bust out in thankfulness.

For anyone reading this that hasn't started a relationship with God: God's forgiveness is bigger than...well, you name it. His abundant forgiveness is there for the taking. Ask him to forgive you and wait for him to pour his abundant forgiveness into your soul.

He's a Big God. Very Big God.

Have a great day.

Thinking beyond forgiveness

Forgiveness isn't easy for a lot of people. Read the following real life situations and think beyond forgiveness. It will help you forgive the big stuff and the little things.


"I can't believe they call screened me."

Forgive them. Maybe they have something big going on in their life right now. As a matter of fact, you may not be the most important person in their life at this second. Or they could be very busy. There's a possiblitiy you could be getting on their last nerve and they don't want to talk to you right now. On the other hand, maybe there's a relationship issue that needs to be resolved. You may need to ask them to forgive you.


"That jerk just flipped me off!"

You didn't do anything. You're just sitting there minding your own business. The person that used their middle finger to tell you you're Number One has bigger issues than not getting his/her way in traffic. Forgive them. It's clear they're leaning toward their Darth side. Ask God to bring something or someone into their life to make it better. You say, "Yeah, right". I say just try it. You'll be amazed what it will do for your attitude.


"I'll never be able to forgive them for what they did."

A fireman accidentally dropped their overcoat on the road after they finished a run. My Mom swerved to miss it, lost control of her car, and ran head-on into a conversion van. She died immediately. Did the fireman make a mistake? Yes. But would being angry at him for the rest of my life bring back my Mom? No. The circumstances were completely beyond my control. Forgiving the fireman was the only logical solution. I had to forgive the fireman for something he did that was totally out of my control. It wasn't just the right thing to do, it gave me peace in a difficult time.

We can't control how other people react to life. When their adverse reaction to life affects us, we have to forgive them. We can learn about how to forgive when we understand where forgiveness comes from. Forgiveness began with God. God, in his perfect wisdom and knowledge knew that humanity was going to make mistakes...plenty of them. God decided to forgive humanity and give humanity a chance to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness is God's gift to us. He forgives us when we use our free will in ways that damage our relationship with him and with others. He could control us. Even though he's God and he has every right to control us, he chooses differently. God shows his love for us by not controlling us. He gave us free will so that we can choose to love him in return. So what do free will, love, and forgiveness have in common?

If God controlled us, that wouldn't be love. If God didn't forgive us when we exercise our free will, that wouldn't be love either. So God forgives. Jesus Christ showed us what it meant to forgive, even from a human perspective. Sure, he was God and he could have simply given the word and rescued himself. But Jesus' mission wasn't to impose himself as God on humanity. His mission as God was to forgive humanity for the wrong done to Himself and to humanity. Another facet of Jesus' mission was to show that humanity had to be a part of God's mission. He showed us we should forgive others for things we don't have control over.

We can't control other people's life situations. We can't control traffic. We can't control other people's oversights. You can't control the fact that I sent this daily devotional out so late.

We can control how we react to life.

Have a great day.

p.s. Please forgive me for the late devotional!

Anything minus one

God can forgive anything we do to him or others. Anything except one thing. Some that read this will inevitiably say, "What's up with that? You've said earlier that God forgives all sins." I did say that. He does forgive all sin...I just forgot to mention the except one thing. It's a sin that I don't think about too much. I don't think about it much maybe because from a very early age I was taught to not even go there. Jesus is the one that let's us know about it. He says:

I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin (Mark 3:28-29, NIV).

The anything minus one is blasphemy. So what exactly is blasphemy? You don't hear about that one much, right? The reason it's not mentioned much is because it's a sin directed at God alone. He's the only one that is directly hurt by this sin. That's the reason it's so grievous. It's the only sin that guarantees the punishment of eternal separation from God. No wonder my parents to me to never go there.

Here's a definition:

blasphemy: 'blas-f&-mE
1 a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God b : the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2 : irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

This sin should make us shudder. Doing something that would cost us eternal separation from God? Something that is irreversible? No way. Why would we want to slander, defame, or make fun of the very name of God? Nothing comes to mind for me. How about you?

Jesus got around the "claiming the attributes of deity" part because he was God. Jesus told the Pharisees (the religious jerks of Jesus time) that you could defame him personally or his name. That's because Jesus knew they were thinking of him only as another human being who dared to claim an aspect of deity. It never crossed their minds "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father " (Philippians 2:10-11, NIV).

We jokingly say to pompous and arrogant people, "Who died and made you God?" Plenty of people, especially celebrities for some reason, claim to be God. Some religions like Mormonism claim you can be a god some day. That would mean that an imperfect creation would somehow become perfect and rule their own universe or planet. One thing is for sure: If I ever ended up in a universe like that, I would be pretty ticked that I was worshiping someone who had been human once. Total buzzkill.

All kidding aside, this is serious business. When we commit those inevitable daily sins, we can have the assurance that God will forgive us. His perfection makes up for our perfection. He has the ability to see beyond our flaws and see us for who we can be. He continues to love us while we struggle to move beyond the things currently holding us back.

Most of you that read this don't think much about blasphemy. That's good. The thought of slandering God is something you don't want to think about too much. It's best to keep God's incredible mercy and forgiveness in the front of your mind. About that blasphemy thing... just never ever go there.

Have a great day.