Look... See!

Look at what is right before your eyes...
--2 Corinthians 10:7

There is a vast difference between a casual glance and really seeing. We look at many things, people, events, etc.; but we are often guilty of seeing very little.

The Greek sentence that makes up verse seven is a little difficult. The heart of meaning however, is clear: we tend to make judgements based on a casual glance. We categorize people, based on a surface look. And as people of faith, we must look deeper. We must see beyond what is merely external and temporary.

To put it Paul's language, actually the opposite of, we tend to walk by sight and not by faith (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). We must learn to continually rely on Christ's work within us to flip this script. Again Paul: So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view (2 Corinthians 5:16). 

In the movie Avatar Neytiri says to Sully, "I see you." The meaning of the statement is that she sees beyond the external, much deeper into who he really is. She sees his heart, his soul. (God is amazing, that he can plant such truth even in a pantheistic fantasy movie.)

Look at me...

People all around us are crying out to be seen. Really seen. As are we. We each have a great need and desire to be seen and known. We are uniquely created by God. And our uniqueness, our giftedness, our specialness should be noticed and celebrated. We are reflections of the creative God who takes pleasure in his children. 

We must open our eyes and see - truly see- what is right before us: beauty, need, ability, brokeness, and on. All of this lies behind what is external and temporary in the faces and lives of others. (And by the way, we must look in the mirror with the same intense focus.) 

God, open my eyes that I may see.

For now...
D

GIVE YOURSELF...

For God loves a cheerful giver.
-- 2 Corinthians 9:7

We all know someone with a particular unique quality. They give. And for the rest of this post, let's not think money. Let's not think stuff. Because after all, more importantly than giving our stuff, is the sacrificial attitude and act of giving ourselves.

We all know someone like that. They give... themselves. They usually do it with a smile. Sometimes with a hug. Often anonymously. Always seeking no credit. (Stuff, we can give while seeking notoriety. Ourselves, we cannot.)

Love gives. God loved... God gave. And we are most like Christ when we love, and give.

Paul was an incredible example of giving of one's self.

I am poured out like a drink offering.

(From Philippians 2:17 and 2 Timothy 4:6)

There is a unique joy in giving. Through the act of giving we prove that nothing holds power over us. And the truest expression of Christian freedom is found in the giving of ourselves. This freedom, this joy is addictive. And God loves it. 

I think God smiles on the person who gives himself/herself away with a giggle.

God, help me to be a sacrifice.

For now...

D

GIVE!

But they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 
-- 2 Corinthians 8:5

Giving is at the heart of the gospel. The good news is after all, the story of God's giving to mankind.

For God so loved the world the world 
that he GAVE...

-- John 3:16

For the Son of Man came not to be served, 

but to serve, and to GIVE his life...

-- Jesus, Mark 10:45

Love gives. It is the DNA of God. It is in the DNA of his redeemed.

When we think of giving, we tend to picture money dropped in a basket at church. It is much more. We may even have the image of a puffy-haired, overly made-up man or women - tear in eye - making an emotional plea through the TV screen. The first is short-sighted; the second is sad.

God doesn't need our stuff. In reality, we have no stuff anyway. We are stewards of stuff; not stuff owners.

And let's take that a little further. This God who doesn't need our stuff, desires our lives. Again, however, our lives are not even our own. As Paul writes:

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price...

-- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Any true giving begins with the giving of self; first to God, then to others. When we give ourselves, our stuff - our time, talents and treasures - always follows. There has always been and will always be a heart-treasure connection (Matthew 6:21). 

Growing up in church, I can't count the number of times I heard the hymn at the close of service:

All to Jesus I surrender,

All to him I freely give...

I surrender all,

I surrender all...

Through all the years and repetition of the chorus, the meaning has not diminished and the power never dulled. (Some of you reading this are humming the melody and have been transported into a joyful place in the past.)

We do not surrender out of selfishness. We do not give TO receive. But when we give, we DO receive. 

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, 

running over... for with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

--Luke 6:38

God, I surrender all; and where I'm holding too tightly, help me to give.

For now...

D

(NOT) GUILTY!

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 
-- 2 Corinthians 7:10

There is a difference between feeling guilty and being guilty. A murderer may be completely pathological, and have absolutely no remorse for his crimes. He IS guilty. But he does not FEEL guilty.

The opposite is often true in our Christianity - in our spiritual lives. We tend to feel guilty. But in (theological) fact, because of Christ's work, we are not guilty.

Paul wrote it this way:

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

-- Romans 8:1

And:

For our sake he (the Father) made him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, 

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

-- 2 Corinthians 5:21

The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is not to haunt us with guilty feelings. That is never the result of his presence. Yes, he convicts; but conviction turns us to the Father - and to the redemptive forgiveness he has already offered (again, in Christ). It is not an ugly thing, but instead is a freeing process.

A foreboding sense of guilt (guiltiness) drains us of vitality. Jesus did not say, "I came to shut down your hopes and dreams and joy." He said, "I came that you might have life, truly abundant life." On the other hand, we do face an enemy of the soul who desires to steal away our life, peace and joy. He brings death through condemnation. (All referencing John 10:10.) And sadly, he often uses the tool of religion(s) to do this.

Guilt binds... God's conviction frees. 

Condemnation kills... Restoration brings life. 

Do you struggle with guilt(y feelings)? This does not come from God. We often try to live up to a set of rules we cannot uphold. These become burdens; weights around our necks that drag us into depths that make it hard to breathe and function. It is not how we were designed to live. God intends so much more. And he stands ready to deliver. He offers freedom instead of bondage... joy over remorse... life that overpowers death.

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, 

and I will give you rest.

-- Jesus, Matthew 11:28

God, give me your joy and freedom in place of my sorrow and bondage.

For now,
D

THIS DAY...

Behold, now is the day of salvation. 
-- 2 Corinthians 6:2

Today - this day, however much remains of it - is an important day. It is the most important day; because it is the day, the time, we are given.

And in this day, however much remains of it, God wants to do something in our lives, and through our lives.

Spiritual procrastination is an infection. It is ailment from which we all suffer at times and to various degrees. Prolonged periods of the affliction dull us to the presence and purpose of God in our lives. (That last sentence may be worth a re-read.) I do not have a guilt-goal here, but our misunderstanding of this day's importance (however much remains of it) affects not only us, but others.

Look carefully then how you walk (live), not as unwise but as wise, 

making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

-- Ephesians 5:15-16. 

We have best intentions about what we will do, or begin, tomorrow. But tomorrows become todays, and before we know it, yesterdays.

Now is the day of salvation. 

It is always in the present that God works in our lives. We can reminisce about what he did in the yesterdays; and that is a good thing. But we cannot live there. As one preacher put it: We can no more operate today on the grace God gave for yesterday than we can drive our car on the gas that we burned to get around yesterday. 

We also trust him with our tomorrows. And that is a good thing. But we cannot live there. To stay with the metaphor, our grace tank is only large enough to hold what is required for today.

God gives GRACE-GAS for this day, for now. 

Today - however much remains of it - matters. It is the NOW that God is at work in us and around us. Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "Today salvation has come to this house," (Luke 19:9). Why? How? Because Jesus had come to the house. And that moment was the moment; the Now is the day of salvation moment. 

Jesus has come to our house. And because he is present, this day - however much remains of it - matters. 

God, help me to make the most of the time.

For now,

D

AN EYE ON THE UNSEEN...

For we walk by faith, not by sight. 
-- 2 Corinthians 5:7

Moses was a man of faith. That is actually a massive understatement. Moses' life was defined by faith from his birth until his departing. Moses walked by faith.

There a statement buried in the Book of (Letter to the) Hebrews that provides a key to unlocking the mysterious power of Moses' faith.

In what has come to be known as Hall of Faith, stories of the incredible lives of heroes long past are extolled. The writer continually uses the words,

By faith...

as preamble to each hero's story. These well-known and obscure men and women walked by faith.

And in the by faith... story of Moses, the writer inserts, "By faith... he (Moses) endured, as seeing him who is unseen" (Hebrews 11:27). Moses viewed life, circumstances and relationships through a lens of faith. His perspective was formed through an eternal filter. 

• Moses saw the sea blocking his way... but he also saw him who is unseen - the one parts the waters.
• He heard the rumble of Pharaoh's approaching army, he saw the oncoming storm of spears glinting in the distance... but he also saw him who is unseen - the one who delivers in any circumstance.  
• Moses saw the plight of his people... but he also saw him who is unseen - the one who provides when there seems to be nothing left. 
• Moses saw the giants in the land... but he also saw him who is unseen - the one who brings victory when defeat seems inevitable. 
• Moses was not blind to reality, but he knew of a deeper reality; and he had...

An eye on the unseen. 

Walking by faith does not mean we overlook the reality right in front of us; nor do we fixate upon it. Walking by faith means that we view circumstances, situations and relationships through a filter of the eternal - a perspective that can only come from a transformed (and transforming) mind. As Paul said,

Be (continually being) transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

-- Romans 12:2

Walking by faith means we look through a different lens, through a heavenly filter. We see differently. We are aware of the eternal in the midst of any circumstance. We see evidence of the divine in (and through) every situation. We see the smile of God in the faces of others. We see the hand of God at work in the world all around us.

We have One who is ever-present. He is just beyond our physical eyesight. His voice speaks just beyond our ear's ability to hear. Our five senses cannot quite reach him. But he IS here.

And we will 

...endure, as seeing Him who is unseen.  

God, help me to be fully engaged with the realities before me, but to do so with an eye on the unseen.

For now...
D

THE PURPOSE OF PAIN...

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory... we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride. Those who have suffered through it in my presence will attest that I annoyingly quote about 70% of the dialogue. And one of the great lines spoken by Wesley - the perfect farm boy, but unrecognized, due to his disguise as the Dread Pirate Roberts - is: "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

That may sound overly pessimistic. After all, The Princess Bride is a happily-ever-after fairy-tale love-story. But there is some truth to the line. If we are alive, we will experience pain. The pain of rejection... the pain of death... the pain of loss... the pain of betrayal... and on.

We will face pain.

But that is only part of the story...

Pain is not the end. 

Pain leads us to something deeper. 

There is a part of our character that cannot be forged in the absence of pain's furnace. And it truly is in the desperate times, the lonely times, the desert times, the painful times, that we find our character malleable in the hands of the Master Craftsman, who molds our lives. And he does so without mistake, and always with purpose. We may see only the scars in the short term. But in the hands of the Potter, that which initially scars ultimately produces the beauty of the design. 

Paul writes:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show the surpassing power 

belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; 

perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken;

struck down, but not destroyed.

-- 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 

If I were preaching, I might use an outline like this:

- Pain prepares...

- Pain has purpose...

- Pain is temporary...

- Pain cannot compare with what lies beyond it! 

God, help me to live by what is unseen.

For now...

D

FREEDOM

... and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  -- 2 Corinthians 3:17

Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," (John 8:32). He also said, "I am the truth, (John 14:6).

Bottom line: Where Jesus is, freedom is. When we walk with Christ, we live in freedom.

The opposite is also true: when we turn and walk away - when we walk alone; when we walk in our own power and wisdom - we inevitably live in bondage. We may or may not be aware of the chains that bind. But that does not make them any less real.

But the good news is better than the bad. (And despite what we see on TV and the internet, the Good News ALWAYS overpowers and outshines the bad!)

And the good news is:

God is a God of freedom!

Our freedom was purchased through Christ's sacrifice. And we experience his freedom when we live in the light of his presence.

God, you are my freedom.

For now...
D

FRAGRANCE...

For we are the aroma of Christ...
-- 2 Corinthians 2:15

Tonight is one of those perfect evenings. Perfect temperature. Perfect sunset. A walk around a perfectly still lake. And now, a perfectly clear sky dotted with stars.

There is a fragrance to a perfect evening like this. It is the smell of freshness on a crisp spring evening. You know the smell. It is mountain air in the fall, or a midnight ocean breeze. It is not always the same, but it is unmistakably living, fresh and crisp. And it lingers...

It cannot be duplicated artificially, though the attempt is made in everything from laundry detergent to body lotion. It is a fragrance that is more experienced than simply noticed through our sense of smell.

There is a fragrance to our lives. 

When we have been with Christ, it is an aroma of freshness, crispness and life. And it lingers...

It cannot be artificially produced. Laundry detergent religion and self-help body lotion attempt to produce the aroma. But they fail.

Only time spent with Christ himself can produce fragrance of life. And in a world filled with the rancid smells of death, self-promotion, and the rottenness of decay, it needs to linger...

I'm guessing that tomorrow morning when I pack to drive home, I will still be able to detect in my shirt, the aroma of the evening air sitting out on the deck. In the same way, I hope my life carries the fragrance of Christ.

God, pour in, over, and through me.

For now...
D

YES!

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ... in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.
-- 2 Corinthians 1:19-20

Religions tend to preach a God of No. And to some extent, this is true... Don't kill, don't steal... don't worship idols... don't dance... OK, I added that last one. But see how easy it is? Religion tends to add to... to extend the borders... to overstep.

There was a time in my life when I served a God of No. I attempted to live up to rules - most centering around what I could not do, say, think or be. More and more however, I've come to know God as a God of YES.

He is the God who sees us as we are and says "YES, I will redeem." He is aware of our struggles and says "YES, I will be present." He knows our weakness and says "YES, I will transform."

He has made promises about our past (redeemed)... our present (empowered)... our future (heaven). And his promises are YES. How do we know this? Because he gave us the ULTIMATE YES in Christ his son. And in Christ, all of God's promises are... YES!

So don't kill... don't steal... don't worship idols. But not because of a No. Instead, know that every No must be based on a BIGGER YES!

(And go ahead and dance!)

God, today - and every day - you are my YES.

For now...
D

HANG ON... STAY WITH ME... JUST A LITTLE LONGER...

The prayer of a righteous person has great power...     -- James 5:16

Prayer is much like exercise. Both are things we tend to talk a lot about. The execution however, the doing, usually lags behind.

There is no way to dodge an uncomfortable truth: we practice what we believe. Everything else is just talk.

None of us needs a shovel full of guilt heaped upon us. And that is not my intention. So before you tune out let me just say, hang on... stay with me ... just a little longer... 

We have good intentions. There are things we want to be more diligent about in our lives. The doing has just lagged behind. Maybe, like exercise, we've tried to pray. And I'm not just talking about canned prayers over meals; but really pray. After all, the true purpose of prayer is to know God (see THE POINT OF PRAYER; April 27). We begin strong, but are easily distracted or discouraged. Why? Because we expect immediate results. We want instant gratification. And with prayer (like exercise), we miss the point.

The victory is in the doing. 

The power is in the practice. 

And in the doing of prayer, we have a personal trainer - the Holy Spirit - who says, "Hang on... stay with me... just a little longer..." 

The results won't come. 

The results are!

You are righteous! Not because of you, but because of the One who calls you His! And according to James, because you are righteous, your prayer has great power!

So: 

Hang on... stay with me ... just a little longer... 

God, more importantly than practicing what I preach, help me to pray what I preach.

For now...

D

No one prays alone, no one suffers alone, no