Loved

We have a difficult time in our culture with the word “love” – never has a four letter word been able to speed healing to a relationship, but yet, when it fades or falters, been able to inflict more damage and harm. We go to great lengths to capture it’s meaning and depth in song, poem and picture.

We tend to use “love” as an adjective to describe our affection for everything from tacos, to our house, to our dog and to our spouses. All the while we recognize there should be differing levels of love. In the English language we only have 1 word for love – it’s love.

Seems limiting doesn’t it?

Maybe that’s why in the closing verses of Romans chapter 8 – the Apostle Paul is asking some questions and driving home a point that he’s wanting people not to miss. He’s passionately trying to communicate something deeper about ‘LOVE’. So he asks several questions, including this valid one:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? – Romans 8:35a

As you contemplate this question and it’s implications…Paul is wanting us to come to ONE understanding.

NO ONE.

NOTHING.

We CAN NOT become separated from this divine, God kind of love in Christ. It’s this agape kind of love. A love that just is. It doesn’t ever quit. A love that gives with no expectation in return. It’s a lavished love. It’s a love that’s anchored in a God that is the same yesterday, today and forever. It’s an unchanging kind of love. It doesn’t have a breaking point.

It comes with NO expiration date.

How do you sum up the radical and profound truth being conveyed in Romans 8:31-39?

Friend, you are undeniably, incurably, incredibly, unbelievably, impressively, unlimitedly, uncommonly, genuinely, irrevocably, wonderfully, creatively, consistently, beautifully, unbreakably, un-mistakenly, persistently, and invincibly LOVED by God.

Transformation

We like transformation. We may just struggle to like its cost.

We celebrate it when people make a change, break an addiction and choose a more healthy path. We like to see things go from the broken or inefficient way they once were, to something better.

Transformation is a great reality, but let’s be honest: it’s tough.

To make something go through a transformation process means it will have to endure adversity. Heck, even donuts – begin as a scoop of dough, but it’s the ‘fire’ they have to endure that brings forth the good stuff. Am I right? Who’s with me?

Transformation on any level involves challenges, set backs, difficulties and endurance.

Friends, God is in the life transformation business.

And transformation of anything, always involves a “mess” before the finished look.

(anyone here remember home improvement projects?)

The Scripture writer James records words like “consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

Pure joy?

As we go through these trials and adverse circumstances – something is getting produced. Produced within us so that we lack nothing. That’s profound. And that might be difficult to swallow. Especially when you’re in the middle of the discomfort or difficulty.

Unless, you’re honest with yourself and looking back over your life, come to the realization that the ‘good’ things about your character have been partly shaped by the challenges and circumstances you had to endure…

Even in the darkness of things you didn’t even choose…God was at work.

A promise that the Apostle Paul is pointing to in Romans 8 – the verse we Christians utter at times. Is not that ALL THINGS ARE GOOD…but rather, that GOD IS AT WORK and will bring good out of all things…

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… (Romans 8:28-29a)

The essence of the character of Jesus – God wants to form within you. Within me. And it’s often through the difficult moments of life where He can form it more deeply and genuinely within us.

Here’s some other thoughts and a quote from a recent sermon on the transforming work God is up too…

Is it possible that in some way people actually need adversity, setbacks, challenges to reach the fullest level of development and growth?

Maybe adversity and suffering isn’t to be avoided, but rather, it can keep us available to a power that is needed…available to God and available for God.

God does some of His best transforming work IN us, through adversity and challenges going on AROUND us.

God does not promise us better life circumstances if we love him. He promises us a better life.

Jesus Christ did not suffer so that we wouldn’t suffer. He suffered so that when we suffer, we will become like him.

God’s the master at creating and building something incredible out of some incredibly challenging and adverse circumstances.

A life of faith is forged through the crucible of sufferings & adversity; it doesn’t just fall into place comfortably. (James 1:2-4)

Discomfort & adversity are tools God can use in our lives. Tools that grow our connection with Christ and Christ’s character within us.

Sufferings can be recycled to help somebody else. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

God may not relieve all discomfort or pain – but he will redeem it. He will RECYCLE it to help you and others.

Suffering creates the possibility of growth in holiness, but only to those who are open to the training – not by arguing with the Lord about what they did or did not do to deserve this, but by praying, “Lord, show me what You have for me in this.”~Elisabeth Elliot (book: A Path Through Suffering)

God is always at work behind the scenes of our lives. He’s at work producing, recycling and creating His heart within us.

“The Best is Yet to Come”

Hang in there. Not everything that happens to you is good. I’m truly sorry for that.

May you remain open to the God who is at work and will bring some kind of good from it…He’s big enough.

Round the Bases

I got to watch my son’s baseball team yesterday in their last regular season game. We were in a small town north of Tucson. Kearny, AZ. It was there in a small town, that I witnessed a big time demonstration of compassion.

In fact, maybe it was more than that. 

Sports sometimes captures moments that transcend the game and put on display humanity at it’s finest. I guess we’ve also seen it transcend toward putting the worst on display as well.

But in yesterday’s moment – it was a boost to the human spirit of camaraderie and the championing of another person, pushing them forward in life, while lifting every heart that was within eyesight.

It was Senior Night. The tradition of announcing all the senior players who are graduating and heading on to the next chapter. One announcement caught my eye and would soon hook my heart. Chris is his name and though I don’t know his past story – I can project his future one.

Chris is the announcer…

You’ll see in the photos that Chris has a condition that has rendered him to a handi-chair. That is a condition he deals with, but it’s not his story. In talking with his mom, he is a great kid that is the announcer for the football, basketball and baseball teams. He is sharp as a tack and knows sports trivia like I know the menu at In-n-Out. Meaning, he knows it well:)

It was his dream to hit a baseball in a game and round the bases. So, that night, he got his shot.

He missed the first couple pitches, but struck the 4th back between the pitcher and third base. Off he went around the bases. As he headed for home, his entire team surrounded home plate cheering him on and then surrounding him in jubilent elation as he crossed.

I was thankful to be wearing sunglasses to hide the water of joy that was leaking from my eyes. After all, I was on the visiting team.

But uniform colors and school names were erased in that moment and everyone was suddenly on ONE team: “Team Chris!”

Chris is heading off to college to study Sports Broadcasting and I’m sure it won’t be the last we’ll ‘hear’ of him. The joy on mom’s face was awesome. The smile that was permanently etched on his face was incredible. The warmth that stirred in every heart within everyone who is a fan of hope was palatable. My eyes leaked. I wasn’t the only one.

Our eyes leak and our hearts are stirred when we witness love.

I thought: That wasn’t just a picture of human compassion and cheer. That was a picture of love! I believe God loves moments like that, because it puts His kind of love on full display. It captures the way things should be…

I believe God is in the business of creating more and more moments like that around us all the time. I also believe He longs to use us in that creation. Keep your eyes open for ways to join him.

Show love. Live Love. Put it on display so others are stirred when they see it.

Love wins.

Freed

I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a prison, a jail cell, some charity ‘jail’ office while your co-workers ‘bailed’ you out or perhaps you got detained at the end of the month at the DMV. Maybe it was high school detention. I’m assuming you’ve been in a spot where you couldn’t leave – maybe it was even a Jr High Band Concert. (sorry, if that triggers bad memories)

When you’re stuck – you’re incapacitated. Frustrated. Defeated.

You’re not freed up to go about life and living.

I know we face situational moments like that. I know we all may also encounter moments that are not simply seasonal situations; they can become more internal circumstances that linger longer. They follow us around. They move in, taking up residence within our heart and our mind.

It can either be guilt from choices we made, choices others made that we’re effected by or things done to us. They become these words, feelings and pains that condemn us, haunt us and imprison us from the inside out.

Condemnation shackles you from walking forward in freedom. It weighs your heart down.

In life we will all have to face consequences, but thanks to Jesus, we do not have to live under spiritual condemnation any longer.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh…  Romans 8:1-3

Your past can humble you, but God doesn’t want your past to haunt you. God has a good future for you to join him in. A new story is yet to be written. Condemnation keeps you stuck in the story of “what was” – but Jesus freed you to walk into the God story that awaits…

Join him again today – the story that’s in the process of being written. Your new story.

You’re not stuck in the past one. As a follower of Jesus: You are FREED…

*if you want to hear the sermon on this – go here