The Fix

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ Luke 3:4-6 (ESV)

Everyone needs stuff fixed from time to time. We’ve all been there – your car, your Samsung Galaxy (iPhone people can’t relate to issues there, but we’re felling ya), your AC on a Texas summer day – you’d do almost anything to get those things fixed right now.

Now make it really real: huge gaps in your life, major pride or rebellion or anger, addiction or continual sin issues, or just these major rough spots that are so bad in your life that it’s like everyone gets splinters when they’re around you. We’re humans – flawed. We have issues, struggles, habits, unresolved things in us. And we simply can’t fix ourselves (although we try and try and try).

It was prophesied thousands of years before Jesus lived as a man, that He would come and be The Fix. That He would take our messes and fix every single one. It would cost Him – a price He joyfully and willingly paid to redeem us – with His life, but in return, He would change us.

Like Isaiah said about Him and we read again in Luke, Jesus fills up those broken places in us that are these valleys we just cannot imagine ever being made whole. He takes the time to remove those mountainous prideful, arrogant character issues that need to come down. Jesus straightens us out – that crooked sin that seems beyond fixing, gets fixed as we submit and follow. And He takes His spiritual sandpaper and begins smoothing out our rough patches.

He’s the fix! None other can be. So are you living in a way that says, “Please fix me, Jesus” or are you still trying to tough it out on your own?

Raise your hand, give up, ask Him to forgive you, and receive His free gift of mercy and grace.  His grace is more abundant than any sins you commit. He’s just that good.

My redeeming God – Thank You for Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for making a way to fix my mess and for choosing me. Help me to live submitted to You, fully trusting You in every area of my life. — In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Price To Pay

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Luke 3:10-11 (ESV)

As the crowds gathered around John and began to respond to his challenge to them to live differently as true believers, they asked what in the world to do. So John, very specifically and pointedly, told them that they needed to live out repentance – to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance”.  He let them know that it was the best and only way to live, but that it would cost them, too. Because quality comes at a price.

Think about your life today: Has there been a cost you’ve paid for following Jesus?  That might look like a number of different things for you or your family. It might be something that has affected your finances, your job situation, or your lifestyle. You may have made some radically life-changing decisions as a result of following Jesus and being led by the Holy Spirit.

The point of the question is – has life been just as simple and routine for you since He saved your soul and became the One to whom you pledge your life?

If it hasn’t cost you in some way, there is a very good likelihood that life is still all about you. We would probably never say it out loud, and we seem to be good at rationalizing it away, but the reality is that we serve and follow a King who tells us to lay down our self (fully) and follow Him all the way to the Cross.

Generous God – You give and You give and You give. My words could never come close to expressing my gratitude for all You do for me. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases and honors You. Holy Spirit, teach me to seek You each day of my life, so that I might live worthy of the call to follow Jesus — In His name, Amen.

The Blockbuster

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Luke 3:16 (ESV)

Imagine the biggest blockbuster movie ever, being promoted and advertised for thousands of years, and it was finally time for the first showing! We can’t imagine it – too big for our tiny minds.  In a way that we will never fully grasp the bigness of, John the Baptist begins walking the countryside yelling about the King that was told about for centuries. Jesus was finally on earth in human form to begin His ministry. That was a Big Deal.

So John was on a mission to let everyone know that it was all about Jesus – everything! He was going to beat sin and death, fulfill every prophecy, live a perfect (sinless) life, die for the sins of humanity, and be raised to new life in victory.

That Guy! – He was on the scene now. So John got a little loud about it. He went all in (and that actually ended up costing him his head on a platter later on in life because of it).

He had to let people know about this Redeeming King that was calling people to live and be different by following Him and taking His perfect life in exchange for their messed up lives.

So how about you? (I’m talking to me, too). Are we passionately sharing with those we know, we love, matter to us, we meet for the first time, we know through school or kids events or cross-fit? Are you living it out like John the Baptist did? Do people matter that much or is it someone else’s job (that’s why we have pastors and evangelists, right?)?

Take time today to ask the Holy Spirit to show you your heart  – respond to Him and do what He says to you. You might not be a yeller like John, but within the framework of who you are, you can be just as passionate about this Blockbuster King who saved you from eternal death and gave you His perfect life!

Father God – by the power of the Spirit Who lives in me, help me to live all about Jesus, in Whose name I pray, Amen.

A New Era

“When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” 1 Corinthians 15:28

Jesus’ resurrection is central to the Gospel. Without Jesus literally returning from the grave, there would be no good news at all. It’s in Jesus that God personifies His redeeming work. For those who believe and follow Jesus, we have a God on our side at every moment who brings life from death, peace from distress, wholeness from brokenness, joy from sorrow, and everything from nothing.

The resurrection of Jesus marks a new era of God’s dealing with the world. He intends nothing less than the total reclamation of His good creation (it is what He called it in Genesis as He created it) that was messed up with sin, selfishness, and rebellion.

It’s the redemption of all things that started back in the garden – Jesus IS the Snake Crusher who brings us back to the garden that He made good!

It’s why the verse above is so powerful, full of hope, and filled with life – the new era makes things right again.

So a good question for each of us to consider: Am I living in a way that is a part of the redemption of everything or am I still allowing my flesh (my sin nature) to have its way and battling Jesus in what He desires to do in and through me?

ASK. Then take some time as you sit and meditate to listen to what the Holy Spirit says to you. Listen to His wisdom and guidance.  Listen to His words that might cut a little at first, but are really freeing when it comes to living out a life in Jesus – a life of being made into His image.

THEN. You can ask Him to forgive you where you’ve been battling, receive that forgiveness, and move into a place of being used by Jesus to reach people with His love and grace. OR – if you honestly answer that you have been a part of His redemption, ask Him to continue to bring you to people who need to hear the truth of why He came and the invitation to new life in Him that He freely offers.

My powerful God – It is such an amazing thing to think about who You are, how powerful You are, and yet how dearly You love me. Help me to live for You and love others out of the life You have freely given to me. — In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Don’t Let It Go To Waste

“But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let his grace go to waste.” 1 Corinthians 15:10 (The Message)

It’s ONLY by God’s grace that we are who we are – there really is nothing good in us outside of Him moving in. The very best we can offer are nasty, gross rags – it’s ALL about Jesus.  He graciously gave us His very life because we needed everything and never even realize it.

We needed a makeover and didn’t know it – it’s like we were living in a black mold-infested house with the roof caving in and we thought it was all good. Then Jesus comes along and we are given – free to us and costly to Him – a perfect new home with every modern fixture, sparing no expense. He graciously gave us new life.

So we need to live with that understanding and “not let His grace go to waste.”  Love God – Love Others – Share His Good News AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN!

Don’t let what He did for you go to waste.

My generous God – thank You for all You did for me when I was completely against You. Thank You for the gift of new life when all I thought about was my own life. Please continue to lead and guide me to live the way You desire me to live, by the power of the Holy Spirit in me. — In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Remember This

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.” 1 Corinthians 15:1

I love how Paul kicks off this chapter here – he wants them (and us) to be reminded of the simple Gospel message again. I’m sure that so many of us would read this and think something like “I get it – I really do. Now can we move on?”

The problem with that thinking is that so often, we humans want to move on to “bigger and better things,” and we forget the simple foundations that make something what it is. We often lose our way, or get off course, or start to pursue something that isn’t even connected to the original anymore.  So Paul wants to remind us of what’s essential – what matters most.  He takes verses 3-9 to go a little deeper on this simple Gospel and the fullness of what Jesus, the Savior of mankind, did.

So – I want to remind us, too, that during this “most wonderful time of the year” (feel free to sing right now), we must take moments daily or weekly to recall the Good News that our lives are based on.

Like my son said to me a couple of years ago, as we got closer and closer to Christmas Day and we were fully enjoying the wonder and joy of the season, “Daddy – I think Christmas morning was really just the beginning of Easter, because that’s the reason Jesus really came.” BOOM! Nailed it, my boy.  So let’s live each day remembering, then living out of the overflow of new life fully and freely given to us.

My amazingly gracious God – would You please continue to bring to my memory all that You did for me. I want to live each day reminded of Your death in my place, burial because of me, and victorious resurrection that gave me eternal life. — In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Conversations With Levi

Honeydew Conversations

So I’m eating some fresh, wonderful, very honey-like honeydew melon with my Levi the other night and the conversation was so spectacular that I just had to share it.

Usually, when it comes to fruit, Levi is my feasting partner – he eats it all, loves it all, asks for it, and loves to talk about the joys of tasting different flavors.  The others are hit and miss, but none have the same love and appreciation for it as him.  On this night, my 2-year old, Finnlay, was strapped into the high chair near us and was not about to let us eat without  beg-screaming (something Finn has perfected) for his share. So I was giving him the best parts of each of my pieces to try and bring him into our melon loving clan.  He was digging it, too: Beg-Smile-Scream (when I was too slow or dared to eat a piece myself)-Laugh-Say “Yummy”-Beg-Scream-Scream and so on.

Wisdom From The Empty Bowl

So I look down and notice my bowl is empty – Levi had eaten the last 5 pieces and I was like, “Hey – what gives dude?!” And that’s when this classic moment with my Levi blossomed.

“But daddy – I just love it all the most.” “Why do you think you love it more than me or Finnlay?” Looking at me perplexed, “Because daddy – Food! You know, foooooood.  It’s me, and it’s food. Has there ever been a closer relationship between a boy and something than me and food?”, as he used his little hands to signify this magical, obviously spectacular relationship that none other on the planet has.

“Oh – I wasn’t aware that you had some special connection to food that makes you love good food more than me. Do explain it all to me, if you would.” So he did – and it was about 30 minutes in length.

The best part was this: “Daddy – you see, my love of food is so big and so good that food doesn’t mind if I eat it. Because food knows how much it means to me – how much my face and tummy smile when it’s near and when it’s inside.  Watermelon is the best fruit, so it makes sense that watermelon is happy to make me happy and never minds if I finish it off. This honeydew thing is pretty good, though – I’m the only one who really loves the fact that I can taste the honey in it. It’s not just a name to me – it’s really the way it tastes. I can teach you. I also know why tamales are so good, why pork tacos need to be eaten in fives, how melted cheese makes a hamburger come alive, and how wrong quinoa is.”

“Okay bub – but why does you loving to eat make it okay to food to be eaten and finished off?”

Food & Relationships

“It’s like you and mommy – you might say something you shouldn’t say or act some way wrong or not put dishes away fast enough (that one seemed really specific and personal to me, but I worked it through & was free), but you know how much love is there and it’s okay. You don’t care about any hurt stuff because the love stuff is bigger. Aaaaaaand – you’re the only ones that love each other that way so it’s just for you.  Food and me is just for me, so it’s okay. Fooooood, daddy.  Me and Food. Food and Levi. I love it and it loves me loving it.”

“Okay – I’m tracking with you a little. Tell me more.”

“Daddy – didn’t they teach this to you before you and mommy married? You had to have pastor people teach you before you were a pastor.” Then he gets this perplexed look on his face, turns slightly to the side, rolls his eyes, and slyly mumbles (with a mockery tone) “I mean, if they didn’t tell you this stuff before you married, I can see why you and mommy didn’t always get it. Maybe they need to go back to pastor school.”

That was the clincher – classic ending. Oddly enough, even The Screecher (also known as Finnlay Ryan), stopped screeching to listen to Levi unload his Honeydew Relationship wisdom for us.  As soon as Levi was done, Finn cries out for “More Yummy” and Levi stands to announce his honeydew has filled his belly with happiness and it’s time to see how it feels in there while jumping on the trampoline.

So there it was – I never knew that loving fruit with a sincerity like no other could shine the light on what a real relationship is meant to look like. More than anything, I was once again reminded of the absolute joy it is to be a dad and just get to listen to my kids pour out what’s on their minds.

*By the way – we played Zombie Run on the trampoline and that honeydew was “sloshy, but still felt good” the entire time!

Perfectly In Charge

“All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:11

Absolute power in the hands of a perfectly loving, giving, and gracious God is a wonderful thing to behold. As a part of God’s perfect rule, one of the cool things He does is to give each follower of Jesus a gift (or gifts) that Paul writes about here in Chapter 12.

Now I spent my late teen and early college years enjoying Scott Baio being “in charge of our days and our nights and our wrongs and rights” in one truly classic TV show. Charles In Charge was pure fun, but over the top cheesy.

And if Charles or Scott Baio for that matter attempted to be in charge of anything that mattered or meant something or was truly important for mankind, it would be absolute failure. In fact – take the person you think is the most with it, capable, smart, able to “git r done” person you know – that person can’t come close to doing a good job of being in charge of the life of a believer. That’s why it is so truly wonderful to have our God perfectly in charge.

The Holy Spirit is in charge, and He’s perfect in the decisions He makes for the lives of followers of Jesus. And He never even needs Buddy (Willie Aames, for CiC fans) to help Him do a thing!

He decides who gets what and He decides when everything happens. It’s His call to make, and that’s a good thing, because He’s the only One who has perfect wisdom to be able to always make the right call.

He includes us by giving us aspects of who He is for the betterment of people around us – so we need to our lives in a way that reaches out to and includes others, too (we get to be like Him in that).

As the verse states, He empowers us – to use the gifts given to us to serve others. After all, Jesus had every single gift listed, He used them perfectly, and He came to earth to serve people. As followers, we need to earnestly seek out what He has for us, then use them to serve people.

Holy Spirit – it truly is a blessing and brings such security to my heart and mind to know that You are perfectly in charge. Thank You for Your faithfulness, and for choosing which gift to bless me with. I trust You and ask for Your wisdom and guidance to know how to live my life in a way that honors You and the gift You gave to me. – In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Gift Giver

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7

The Holy Spirit is very real – very personal. He’s present with followers of Jesus (dwells in us). He’s our Counselor (that’s good, because life can be challenging to navigate at times). He’s our Comforter (because life can just be hard to walk out). AND – He gives us gifts – that are based in the very nature of God – so that as we live in the power of them, we bless and better the community around us. He’s not some impersonal, mystical wisp out there. He’s the very person of God, dwelling in us – and He’s for us. Think about it: He gives to us because we are simply His, then what He gives us makes life really cool for people around us.

The Spirit chooses where to impart gifts as He works to build up the church and reach out to the lost so they may be found. The gift(s) you are given is something God wants to use to continue to fulfill one of Jesus’ key missions on planet earth: to seek and save the lost.

We need to read, pray, listen, be trained, etc., so we can know more about the Holy Spirit and all He has for us. We don’t want to be ignorant or uninformed and we never need to fear anything. Remember – we get gifts from God to benefit others around us. It’s a win all the way around!

Holy Spirit – please show me Who you are, so that I may walk in greater understanding of truth and live my life empowered by You so that others can be blessed. Help me to know the gifts you’ve given to me and live out of them for the sake of others. – In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It’s Good To Know

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand…” 1 Corinthians 12:1-3

It’s always a nice thing to know what’s going on. Trying to figure things out in life “on the fly” is confusing, frustrating, and exhausting.

Right here at the start of this passage, Paul makes it clear that he wants us to be informed and understand what it means to live by the leading of the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in the heart of everyone who believes in Jesus.

Imagine playing baseball your entire life, then being dropped in the middle of a Cricket match in Sri Lanka and expected to just figure it out and do it right. There’s a bat (but it would look really odd to you), there are people out there (but they seem a little too proper to be your opponents), some dude called a bowler would bounce a hard maroon ball at you…and it would all be so confusing to you.  You’d hate the feeling of it all without better information or understanding.

So Paul begins a section here where he tells us the various ways the Holy Spirit works in our lives. It’s something we grow in greater knowledge of as we walk in and with Him. The key is that we truly do move in step with the Holy Spirit – growing as disciples, reading God’s Word, fellowshipping with others, and reaching out to those who are far from God. In these really simple acts, we protect ourselves (actually He does it!) from being led astray by those things that once had a hold of us that Paul calls idols.

Holy God – teach me to walk in step with your Spirit.  Thank You for filling me with Your presence and for dwelling in me. I desire to know You more, grown in my faith, and trust You as you lead me. — In Jesus’ name, Amen.