Infinite Dividends

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Today I was struck by the immensity of eternity and my place within it because of Christ's gift of salvation (my "inheritance"). In a world that is obsessed with investing, or maybe more accurately obsessed with receiving dividends from investments, I have been given the only lasting investment with the ultimate payoff. It is unaffected by age, war, rust, depreciation, disease, weather, disaster, exposure, or financial crisis. It can never be outdated or outmoded by new technology. I have been promised eternity free from pain, death, disease, violence, heartache, depression and poverty. And the best thing is that I don't merely cease existing and therefore cease experiencing these negative things. The end of this life for me is a promised beginning--not an unavoidable termination. I have guaranteed life--and life beyond anything I could ever imagine alongside the infinitely mind-blowing Creator of all matter, space, and time!

It cannot be lost unless I willingly turn my back on it. It cannot be stolen. I have living hope residing within me, not merely a semi-comforting hope of it all ending one day. This is what sustains me. This is what energizes me. And let me be the first to tell you that I hate emotionalism. I don't buy into hype. I actively seek to find holes and weaknesses within any concept I come across. I am a rational and (if I may say so) intelligent person -- ask anyone who knows me. I say that not to pump myself up, but to reinforce the idea of the solid faith I have in my Savior. If it had weaknesses and flaws that other worldviews could better explain I would turn my back on it. But it has not and will not be destroyed by anything this world can throw at it. I have experienced personal pain and frustration that would shake this apart if it were only a frail crutch to lean on. That is why I can confidently say along with the Apostle Paul:

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Windblown

Hurricane, tornado, tsunami, whirlwind... these are all words that could describe the type of change that has happened over the last several months. Yet those terms would fail to truly describe it, seeing as each of them have destructive implications. To say the least, our lives have been hit by a tornado of change over the last three or four months. But, instead of leaving a path of death and debris in its wake, it has left new life, new opportunities, new vision and new hope. Nothing and no one has been torn down or beat up; rather, new foundations have been laid by the Master Builder on which He is constructing exciting blueprints for a future and a hope.


Change is inevitable where health is present. Nothing can grow without change and nothing can heal without it. One can always recognize the fingerprints of God in a situation when the change occurring leaves refreshment, excitement, and peace behind instead of a nasty aftertaste of anxiety, bitterness, and burnout (kind of like the emotional equivalent of a burp after eating spicy sausage, sauerkraut, ginger ale, and triple-chocolate cake... not exactly something you look forward to.) God has been stirring things up recently for our church here in Simi Valley in some very exciting ways. Gifted and integrity-filled leaders have transitioned out and new godly leaders have transitioned in. There is nothing but obedience and righteousness present on any side of the equation and I believe that I am blessed to have a front row seat in this class on Spirit-led Transition 101. Praise God that nothing has come about because of sin, politics, or indiscretion! It is a win-win situation whenever God orchestrates change, unlike the fiasco of man driving it.

Though our circumstances have changed and we are excited to face the new season, our greatest comfort is that we can hold onto a God who never changes! His hand is behind all of this, and through it all His love, peace, grace, and hope never falter because He doesn't change. Along with the Psalmist we can exclaim:

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God!"

Psalm 90:1-2

I am stoked to enter this new season, even if I do feel a bit dizzy from the whirlwind of the Holy Spirit's stirring. When it is His hand that shakes up my life, I have absolutely nothing to fear or lose and everything to gain and hope for!

Evicted

In Philippians 1:6 Paul writes to the people of Philippi, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." I have read this verse many times. I have held onto it in good times and on days where I can't stand the sight of myself because of my proclivity towards sin, rotten attitudes, and all-around poo-faced-ness. What a great joy it is to think that God is still working on me! I don't have to be perfect! I am still under construction, but one day.... (insert dream-sequence music as I imagine myself in a state of future perfection). What I never realized is where this verse says my focus should be right now.

Yesterday, Pastor Dan was speaking vision to our church for the next three to five years. At the beginning of the sermon he told us that, "Vision is not the goal. The process of getting to the completed vision is the goal." I have heard that idea communicated before, but combined with reading this verse out of Philippians today I am struck by the simple truth that my focus needs to be on the process of me becoming more Christ-like. Just like our church cannot focus on the mental picture of the completed five-year vision, I cannot let myself become centered on what I could be; I need to be thinking about what God is doing in me now. The danger of focusing all my energy and thoughts on the vision of my potential is that I will become wrapped up in either apathy or self-loathing because it is just too hard, or it is pointless to even try because I am so screwed up, so selfish, so whatever.

Paul told the Philippians that the work that God began in them will be completed at the day of Jesus Christ. That is not right now. That is when this age ends and the new one begins. But how often do I throw a fit when I don't see myself to be completely Christ-like NOW?

This doesn't excuse me to act like a baby or sin like crazy. What it tells me is that I need to embrace the pain and discomfort of the process of becoming Christ-like because that is my purpose right now. I won't be completed for a very long time. In the mean time it will hurt. It won't be all kicks and giggles. The toddler in my spirit will throw fits as it grows into a man of God. I will be stretched. I will feel sore and bruised.

My life cannot be about my own comfort. Jesus lived with His eyes on the Father and on others before looking at Himself. I am not used to that. I faithfully pay the lease on my comfort zone, but God's transformation of my heart threatens to evict me. Yet if I can learn to engage the hard moments of my growth I will be more apt to catch what it is God is trying to teach me.

Live in the process with occasional glances at the goal. A lump of clay or a blank canvas rarely becomes a masterpiece over night. That being said however, the true art of what God does is not just in the finished product.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

Ephesians 1:13-14

If only I could grasp the intensity of this claim! (Seeing as we no longer use wax seals on letters or packages, this passage can easily lose its luster in our "modern eyes") A seal carries all the weight and authority of the one who owns it. It is a way to prove identity, guard against forgery, and proclaim authority. And I have such a seal placed upon my life by the Author of Life Himself. Through my acceptance of Christ God has placed His royal seal upon my life. But do I live like I am carrying such authority, security, or identity? Rarely.

Life can so easily numb us to the amazing identity we can claim in Christ! How would I change the way I live, act, think, or speak if I lived every day as if I carried the royal seal of the King of Kings upon my existence? What victories could I have where I have experienced defeats? What courage could I have where I quickly default to anxiety? Do others see God's Holy Spirit upon me like they would see a royal seal on a letter? Do they expect the contents of my life to back up the authority proclaimed by that seal? Or do I act like junk mail wrapped up in a fancy envelope?


He has already placed His signet ring upon the wax of my life and left His mark. He lets me decide whether to act like it or not.

Sucker Punch

Do you ever have those times when your weaknesses sucker punch you in your confidence? You look at yourself and think, wow I really can't do this. It doesn't even have to be a bad day for it to happen either. You could just be sitting there minding your own business, drinking your coffee, admiring the serenity of God's creation, whistling Zippity Doodah and... WHAMMMM! All of a sudden you are on the floor with coffee dripping from nostrils that just inhaled scalding hot beverage wondering What the heck was that? and Why do I feel like a loser? and Dang! That coffee is hot!!

Why does this happen? I know it happens to us all. And it is about as enjoyable as watching reruns of C-SPAN while getting a root canal on a day when you painfully realize a little too late that you really don't fit into those pants anymore.

It is during moments like these that I both love and absolutely hate passages that Paul writes so confidently like: "for in Christ Jesus you are all sons and daughters of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:26-27, emphasis added)

I love this truth because Paul doesn't add any small print about feel-like-a-loser-loopholes in our acceptance with God. He so confidently states that if we have given our lives over to Christ's control then we ARE God's children and we HAVE PUT ON Christ regardless of how much we feel like that smelly mystery substance we had to scrape off of our shoes this morning.

I hate this truth because of the little "through faith" asterisk Paul slips in there. That means that it isn't up to me. I am not the one who does the good stuff that earns me the pat on the back, the gold stars, or the accolades of my many fan(s) (thanks Mom). I like the feeling of power and accomplishment and pride when I figure out how to conquer a challenge. But when it comes to my own salvation and standing before God I find myself in a state of helplessness.

Yet somehow I think I should embrace these sinus searing moments because they push me closer and closer to the edge of actually living a life totally abandoned to the extravagant and ridiculous grace of God.

Next time that ugly little weakness gargoyle pops out of the bushes to sock me one I hope I'll be ready.... to give him a hug

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
(2 Cor 12:9b-10)

Thanks Paul..... what a pal....................... argh...

Morning Breath

Sometimes I look at myself and where I am in life and wonder if God knows what He is doing with me. So much change has happened all at once in my life and in the lives of those around me--which makes me think that maybe God got surprised by it all and had to scramble to put someone in the positions I find myself in. But in my heart I know that nothing surprises Him. I am not just the "fill-in guy" in God's mind. He has picked me out especially for what I am doing. Just like Paul said in Galatians 1:15 about his own place in life: "[He] set me apart before I was born... and called me by his grace." Yet even with that knowledge I still find myself questioning God's choice.

Does He have any idea how messed up I can be? Does He know what I deal with? Does He regret His decision when my attitude sucks? Does He get embarrassed when I say this, or think that, or mess up here, or lose focus there?

This morning, while I was half-awake in the shower, God decided to answer these questions. (Now mind you I was not contemplating these theological frustrations when He answered--I was hardly awake enough to remember to shut my mouth when using face-wash... yes I do know what that stuff tastes like... He just decided to drop it on me.) He said to me "Seth, I know what kind of person you are. I knew before you were born what would tempt you, what would depress you, what would distract you. I knew you would mess up, struggle, and fail. I chose you anyway. I created you with purpose. I don't look at all your hang-ups when I see you. I don't sit around worrying about when you are going to screw up next. I know that there will be mistakes made, but I made provisions for that through my Son. He is what I see when I look at you. Don't worry, I know what I am doing."

You gotta love it when God pops out of nowhere and hits you with a humdinger like that. I wasn't awake enough to argue. I'm sure He knew that. And now as I sit in my office I am awake enough to realize how blessed I am to be loved so unconditionally by my Creator. There are days when I am convinced that I fail at being a decent human being, let alone husband, son, pastor, or friend. But God knew there would be those moments. Jesus was sent for those moments. I just need to relax and know that He knows what He is doing.

Reach

I was recently in Oregon for a wedding of some friends. On the way back, as I stared out the window of the plane I was struck by the beauty of creation as it shrunk away beneath me. It was a clear sunny day for those of us above the cloud cover. Inspiration hit me, so I had to write. This was the result. I haven't written poetry in a while so it may get reworked eventually:

In Heaven's wilderness
white tranquil behemoths
float by in silence,
unaware of the perceived barriers
easily created
between earthbound minds
and the Divine Face.

Snowy eternal landscape
solid to sight, feathery to touch
sporadically parts as a window
into the turmoil below...

Yet the Swift Sure Hand,
purposing to reach into the clamor,
dwells in the din
amongst those deciding
the wide and the narrow--
those who could be mere pin pricks,
no more than dust.

Yet they--no we!
are the heat of His heart,
the works of his art.
Not damned or destined for death
but chosen, blessed, renewed.

We tread both asphalt roadways
and cloud-paved skyways,
His hands firmly upon unsure shoulders,
not needing to know the way,
only the Waymaker.