Tonight, praying with my seven year old, I was reminded that our faith ought to be childlike. I listen to my little son as he talks to God, and realize how free and unencumbered he is in his faith.

He trusts The Lord and loves Jesus. He doesn’t question what happened or why. He doesn’t wrestle with deep theological ponderings or try to figure it all out. He thanks God for his family and kitties and puppy. He tells Jesus he loves him and asks for His guidance. He is open and honest.

My little boy simply loves The Lord, trusts Him wholeheartedly and speaks to Jesus from His heart.

I think we could all learn a little something from the prayers of our kidlets.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2 [ESV]

There it sits.  It’s as plain as the nose on your face, but you can’t see it because it is behind your face.  Encased in heavy duty skull bone, floating around in cerebrospinal fluid and growing from an advanced cerebral cortex, four lobes of gray brain matter – the center of all thought and sensation and speech and motion and mood.  Weighing in at an average of just over three pounds, the human brain is a wonder to behold – the most intricate physical part of the human being.  As advanced as humanity is today, we still do not quite have a handle on the brain in all it’s complexity. Only God could have designed and created such an organ – especially out of dirt.

And God created us with this advanced reasoning apparatus for a purpose: to use it.

Selah.

We humans can be a lazy lot.  Maybe it’s that we’re so busy that we can’t be bothered to spend time with God in His Word and prayer.  But we like to be spoon-fed our faith in small, easily-digestible bits.  We like the milk.

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? – 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 [ESV]

There comes a point, folks, where we have to let go of the religious conventions that serve only to drag us through the muck and mire of small-minded legalism and judgment.  And, yes, we need to always stay connected to the body of Christ and seek God’s wisdom and guidance in ALL things.  (“Forsake not the gathering of the brethren” is not merely a Sunday morning attendance command.  It means community, which takes many forms.  But that’s a topic for another time.)

My point is this: I am not saying don’t go to church.  But I am saying this: think.  Think for yourself.  Take the time to personally seek the Lord.  Not only during corporate worship, but at home. Seek Him.  Read your Bible and think about it.  Find how reasonable it is and, if something doesn’t make sense, don’t let it be the Bible’s fault.  Our misunderstandings are not caused by inaccurate translation.  They are the result of our flawed humanity

Do not merely take another human being at his or her word. Save that for God’s Word alone. Again, do not misunderstand me.  I’m not saying ignore your pastor or mentor or family or friends.  I am saying let God’s Word transform your thinking.  Not an “ism.”  Not a dogma.  Not some mega church pastor’s best-seller or radio program.  Let God and His Word change you. Discern what is good and cling to that.  Don’t go to the mulberry bush looking for bananas.

Be guided by God through His Word.  Let the Bible be your diving rod.  Seek the Lord earnestly, with an open mind, setting aside any teaching that is counter to what God says in His Word.  Prayerfully stay in God’s Word and don’t worry what anyone else thinks.  Beware of those who accuse of being “so open-minded that your brain fell out.”

Our brains aren’t perfect.  But they work.  And we need to work them.  “Seek first the kingdom of God”, not religion or opinion.  Discern.  Know the tree’s fruit.  Think.  Above all else, trust in Christ alone.

If you have faith in Christ, you have hope. Don’t give up! Rest in Him. Trust in The Lord. Seek Him first!

It isn’t a matter of just wanting you to feel better.

This isn’t simply to give you a feel good pump up.

This isn’t a marshmallow. Which is a good thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing better that a well roasted marshmallow, stuck on a stick and set aflame over a campfire. There’s just something about black char and tree bark that make the molten gooeyness even more blissful.

But, a steady diet of marshmallows will make you sick. Too much sugar feeling like you wanna barf ill. Ick.

Some Christian teachers just want to keep tossing marshmallows at us. What we do not need is a steady diet of sweetness.

What we need is the truth.

Recognize this for the truth that it is and not as a marshmallow. I say this to comfort you not merely so you will feel better. I write this so you will know the truth of your situation and you can be equipped to help someone out go the same quagmire.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

It doesn’t matter what you have done.

It doesn’t matter where you have been or why.

You may have tried to out-prodigal the prodigal son.

You may have tried to out-smoke Cheech and Chong.

You may think that what you said or did in the past would make the devil himself blush and say, “Don’t think I would have done that!”

Here is the truth about your situation: you are not beyond saving. You are worth saving. You are loved more than you can imagine. You are still drawing breath, so God has given you time. With His help, you can turn away from your sin and find freedom and life and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Will it be easy? Probably not. Will it be worth it? You tell me. Salvation is hope eternal. Hope now, hope forever. The reward of following Christ far outshines the pleasures of any sin. You can know true, deep, lasting peace. You can walk away from all the guilt and shame and be renewed, reborn. “But you don’t know what I’ve done.” You’re right. But God knows. And He is love. He is mercy. Through the shed blood of Jesus is forgiveness of all sin. His grace is sufficient for you. His love is unending.

This isn’t a marshmallow. This is your reality. God loves you beyond comprehension. Jesus died for you.

You.

You are neither helpless or hopeless. You are not beyond His reach. Turn to The Lord, trust in Jesus, rest in a His love and seek His forgiveness and His will. He will never leave you.

Tonight I am just writing honestly, straight from the heart. Not that I haven’t been before (I certainly have), but this is more personal, more like an open letter to all of you.

I would like to think that I have it all together. I do not. I would like to think that you have it all together. You do not.

None of us do.

We are flawed, marred, scarred, weary, broken… We are a mess – individual and collectively. There is no sense in trying to hide it. Ignoring the mess doesn’t make it go away.

But, don’t lose heart. There is hope for all of us, for each of us. That hope is Jesus Christ. Now, I had to think twice at the phrasing of that sentence. It is one of those religious lines that has become so vague, so used, so repeated that it suffers from the contempt that familiarity brings. Yes, yes… Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so…

The emptiness of loveless legalistic religion does nobody any good. Rules and regs are important for setting moral lines and defining what is sinful. But all rules and no heart saves no one. In fact, you and I cannot perform well enough to save ourselves. We are sinful. We are self interested. We are a mess.

I am a mess.

You are a mess.

So… what saves us? The grace of God. The belief that Jesus died for our sins, because He loves us.

Yes, Jesus loves you. The Bible tells us so.

The reality of our situation is that we cannot earn anything from God, and we certainly do not deserve any blessing He places in our hands. But God is our Father, Abba. I’m not referring to the ultra popular ’70s pop band, but the Aramaic word Jesus used to refer to His Father.

To our Father.

It means “papa.” It is a childlike expression of trust in daddy. It is a term of tender endearment, a recognition that He loves us and cares for us in a very real way. We don’t have to understand it fully. We just have to accept it.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. – Romans 8:12-17 (ESV)

Only trusting in a God, believing in His love for us – despite circumstances and trials and troubles – can save us. We must have a childlike faith. No religious incantations, no amount of good deeds, no perfect church attendance will save anybody. Empty religion is just that: empty.

The only thing that matters is that we love God, and love others more than self. And love is active. You don’t just say it, you do it. It’s real. It’s reality. No legalism, for that only leads to judgment (which is ironic, given that we are commanded to “judge not”).

Don’t hide behind religion. Face reality. Be honest with yourself. I am a mess. So are you. We’re all in the same boat. Sin is the great moral leveler, because we all have it.

By the same token, don’t sit and just brood over your broken state. Focus on the solution: Jesus Christ. God’s Word proclaims reality, not our feelings or opinions. Have total faith in Abba, and find the freedom that knowing Christ brings.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? – Romans 8:31 (ESV)

Paul poses it as if it were a question: if God is for us – if He is on our side (or, more accurately, we on His), who could possibly stand up against us? Because to get to us, God’s children, you have to go through Him first!

This does not mean that, as Christians, we will never suffer pain or loss or sorrow or hardship ever again. We hurt just the same as non-believers. But remember this:

15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. – Psalm 103:15-19 (ESV)

We have a promise that extends far beyond this earthly life, with all it’s sin and sadness, terror and worry, troubles and trials and disease and famine and spite and hatred…

Whatever you are facing, it won’t last forever. God is with you always. He will either pull you out of your troubles or see you through them. Whatever you are facing, seek The Lord through it and learn what He wants you to learn, change what He wants you to change, and help others in the same situation do likewise.

There really is no question of whether God is for us. He is. So face tomorrow, face tonight, face your hardships and difficulties head on, resting in faith in God’s love and cars and strength and provision. Have faith and do not doubt. Love God. Love one another. Be bold in Christ.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:5 (ESV)

Meek rhymes with weak.  But that is where the comparisons between the two end.   For meekness, much like being poor in spirit, requires humility.  In fact, meekness is humbleness.

Being meek is not the same as being mousy or milquetoast.  The fact is that being truly humble requires great strength.  We humans are sinfully wired to think of ourselves first.  True humility enables us to measure ourselves honestly – no more, no less.  Humility shows us that we are who we are and where we are in life not because of ourselves, but by the grace and love of God.

Indeed, God gives us humility and gentleness to open our hearts to truly love others – which, after all, is what we are truly called to do.  When we focus solely on ourselves, worrying about passing muster or meeting some artificial standard or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, thinking we are “all that and a big ol’ bag of chips”, how can we possibly love another?

I love Matthew Henry’s take on Matthew 5:5:

The meek are happy. The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a soft answer; who, in their patience, keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else. These meek ones are happy, even in this world. Meekness promotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even in this world.

As Jesus asked, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36, ESV)  None whatsoever.  Today’s earthly stuff is tomorrow’s kindling.  When Jesus talks about inheriting the world, He must be talking about what is important: love, true relationships, trust… the things an inflated ego steals from us.  Being meek is a key to living an honest, loving life in Christ to the fullest and, most importantly, being able to honestly reach others with the love of Jesus.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. – Matthew 5:4 (ESV)

There is no sorrow so deep as mourning. It is pain so deep that, in 1969, psychologist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified five basic stages that grieving people generally experience: denial / isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Clearly, grief is a complex, difficult, agonizing process.

There are many things we can mourn: the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, the loss of a job, moving away from home… Anyone who has faced an unfaceable situation; wished the world would just leave them alone; dealt with anger at their pain or the people around them or even God; wanted to make a deal to get passed the pain; felt like your world was crumbling around you (and maybe even gave up the urge to care)… you know how painful it is to mourn. Sometimes it feels like grief might press the breath right out of you.

Whatever your sorrow, whatever your pain, whatever you are mourning or grieving, know this: you are blessed in Christ. It most likely doesn’t feel like it. Indeed, you may feel a God has abandoned you.

You are blessed because, while mourning and grief and all the junk that go along with them are part and parcel of living in this fallen, sinful world, your pain will not last forever. For those who trust in Jesus Christ, there is always hope. God will see you through.

Trust in The Lord, for He is good. Don’t trust your feelings. Don’t bank on your emotions. Don’t believe the temptation to think God has abandoned you, or is mad at you, or is out to get you, or doesn’t exist or is anything less than the loving Father He says He is.

Does it mean your pain will completely go away? That you’ll never experience loss of this magnitude again? Maybe. Maybe not. What you can rest in is the love of God. He will pull you out, or He will lead you through. Either way, you are blessed, for you will find great comfort in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He loves you. He will never leave you or abandon you. Even when you can’t sense His presence, He is there. Rest in that.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3 (ESV)

” You can be happy! You can find your success! You deserve it because you are the best you that you can be, and you you you you etc…”

For those who truly seek joy in their lives, it will never be found peering deep into one’s navel. When we put our trust in self, in our own ability, we set ourselves up for failure and pain.

True happiness comes from spiritual poverty – knowing that we are nothing without God, that He is our sufficiency. When people are physically hungry, they seek food. When we are spiritually hungry, we seek The Lord. And a soul that hungers and thirsts for Christ will be satisfied.

Blessed are the truly humble, those who are not fooled by the cult of self and recognize their need for Jesus. We all need God, and it is only in Him – our Creator and Sustainer, our Lord and Savior, our Heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit – that we find true, eternal contentment. The stuff of this earth is chaff, kindling for the fire. Find your blessings and joy in the zone a Who loves you, Who watches over you, Who knew you before you were… well… you.

There is nothing impossible with God.

Nothing.

Nada.

Nichts.

Rien.

什麼.

שום דבר.

Niets.

Ekkert.

Niente.

ничего.

Ingenting.

nič.

Kahore.

아무것도.

Aon rud.

無.

Aliquid.

ບໍ່​ມີ​ຫຍັງ.

нічого.

Chochote.

ఏమీ.

Dim byd.

không có gì.

Lutho.

Gʼárnyşt.

hiçbir şey.

Pa gen anyen.

asgjë.

কিছুই.

ništa.

Intet.

walang anuman.

არაფერი.

कुछ भी नहीं.

tsis muaj dab tsi.

ei mitään.

Semmi.

ihe ọ bụla.

Apa-apa.

юу ч биш.

Nimic.

هیچ چیز.

Waxba.

کچھ بھی نہیں.

Did I miss anyone?

Nothing is impossible for God. That includes your situation. Whatever you are facing, you are where you are for a reason. God has a purpose for you now. Right now.

Not just in the future. Now.

Now.

Ahora.

сейчас.

Jetzt.

現在.

You get the picture…

Tonight, don’t worry. Don’t begrudge where you are in life. Don’t wish you were somewhere / sometime / somehow / someone else. Don’t dread tomorrow. Don’t fear tonight.

God is with you. Always. Even in the darkest times. Even when you hurt the most. Even when you cannot sense His presence. God us with you. He lives within you. Embrace Him. Trust Him. Pray. Find your joy in God. Count your blessings with gratitude to God. Rest in His peace. Be secure in His love.

Sleep well, dear friends.