I have to admit… I feel a little naughty. It’s 7:40 Sunday morning. And I’m not at home getting ready for church. Instead, I am seated at one of my favorite Caribous, writing.

And it feels… freeing.

Now, before anyone panics and thinks I have led my family to forsake the gathering of the brethren, relax. We still do church. We even do it on Sunday! We have simply decided our best spiritual course is to break from tradition.

Traditions can be wonderful touchstones to our past, connections that help anchor us to something greater. But every tradition was once a revolution, or at least a break from what used to be the tradition.

I love tradition. There is a comfortable feeling I get when I slide into an old wood pew and grab the red hymnal, turning as instructed to hymn 271, first and third verses only. There is a beautiful resonance to the upright piano and the somewhat off-key church choir singing with such heart that I cannot help but think this heartfelt, joyful noise is very pleasing to God. Likewise, I believe the Lord finds pleasure in many of the worship choruses and praise bands that are now the new tradition.

But the problem with tradition is the narrowing of focus it can bring. I find it alarming to hear pastors and other Christians who deride open minded ness with statements about being so open minded that your brains might fall out. Had the first believers not been open minded enough to see Christ, how hopeless would we be today?

Tradition can, if driven to the point of closed mindedness, splinter and divide, instead of pulling us together as it should (after all, we are all the body of Christ?). I really do not want to raise my little boy to be a follower of Apollos or Paul or Cephas. I want him to follow Christ and Him alone.

Again, this is not an anti- church message. Far from it. I would strongly urge anybody who is not an active part of a community of believers to get connected. Be it a large mega church or a small home fellowship, hook in. Connect. Engage. Join a small group or life group or whatever your church calls it’s house groups. Go where you feel led by God. Just don’t get so bound up by tradition that the heart of Christianity is hardened. Legalism squelches the Spirit.

So… as for me and my, we will serve The Lord. We will not forget the importance of community but, rather, will continue to embrace it wholeheartedly. But we are also choosing to worship outside the box, because that is where we feel led by God.

Today I find myself basking in 2 Corinthians 12:9. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

What a powerful promise! The need for self sufficiency melts away in the wonder of these words. I can remove the worry component from every aspect of my life because my weakness is the canvas upon which God creates miracles.

God’s grace is the result of a His great agape love for us, His children. He is our all powerful, all-wise, all-knowing Heavenly Father. His understanding of our condition goes infinitely beyond our cap it to understand ourselves – or anything else for that matter.

But it isn’t only God’s ability to help us that matters here. It is His willingness. As Jesus points out in Luke 11:11, what father, when asked by his child for bread, would hand him a stone instead? Or if asked for a fish would give him a scorpion? (My son, being seven, would probably prefer the scorpion. I am not getting him one.)

God is our Father, and He tends to the needs of His children. That doesn’t mean He spoils us by fulfilling our every earthly desire. No, He gives us what we need. And, often times, we confuse our wants for our needs.

Paul wanted Jesus to remove the thorn from his side. But God had a purpose for that thorn. And, while uncomfortable and painful, the eternal pain of removing it would have been greater, for the thorn served a purpose.

So often we pray to God – even beg – for the removal our thorns. And, indeed, sometimes He does.

And sometimes, He doesn’t.

At least not immediately.

What we need more than the healing is usually the strength – God’s strength that perfects and completes His work through our weakness and frailty. And, as with all things pertaining to God, this is not merely for our benefit, but for the hope of those around us, who see us basking in His mercy and grace and strength despite our hardships, hurts and helpless conditions.

Today I find myself resting on His grace, seeking His strength. This peace is found through faith, not circumstances. It is that peace that passes all our understanding. It makes no sense to the world, but is utterly sensible to believers who embrace God and take His Word as truth.

Find God’s strength by faith through His grace. Run your race. God is your endurance. Be strong. Be hopeful. Don’t let your expectations box God into a corner. Seek. Ask. Knock. Believe. Rejoice. Rejoice!

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:19-20 (ESV)

Oh, bless their hearts.  They tried.  They really did.  But when a father brought his young “epileptic” (not epilepsy as we think today, but selēniazomai, or “lunatic”) son to the apostles for healing, they couldn’t do it.  They thought they knew how to heal.  They had walked with Jesus and seen Him do it several times.

When the father came to Jesus and told Him what had happened, the Lord rebuked the demon and healed the boy – instantly.  Why couldn’t the apostles do what Jesus had done?

They lacked faith. 

Have you ever seen a mustard seed?  It is tiny.  Really, really tiny and insignificant looking.  Yet it grows – seemingly impossibly – to a height that can reach nine feet tall.  Not only that, it roots very firmly into the soil, making it a very hearty plant as well.

It is through faith that God works through His believers.  Now, don’t misunderstand me.  God will use His enemies as well.  Nothing can or will thwart the will of God.  But there is a definite difference: when God uses His enemies, the results are generally not so great for those who stand against Him (think Pharaoh and the Israelites).  When God works through the faith of His children, wonderful blessings abound.  It may not always appear as such, but, trust me, it is most astounding to see God at work in the life of another!

If we want to do great things for the Lord, we have to have faith in Jesus.  Believe and do not doubt.  Go and do as God has instructed you.  And watch Him move mountains through the work He has given you to do.

(c) 2014 by Chris Courtney.  All rights reserved.  Please take a moment to share this with anyone you feel would be blessed and encouraged.

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Tonight I’ve been reading Philippians 2 and… wow… it is hard to fully grasp the greatness of Christ.

God humbled Himself, becoming a servant in flesh, never complaining about hardships but remaining faithful through it all. He even freely gave up his earthly life in the most humiliating, painful and unfair manner imaginable.

And because of His humility, the name of Jesus is exalted high above all others! It is only through His wondrous name that we are saved. He extends to us eternal love, grace, mercy and salvation. He does not demand that we earn it. He gives these gifts freely to we who do not come close to deserving anything good.

I think of the little things that bug me – the irritations and inconveniences of life, the discomforts and pains, the injustice and sorrow,… Then I think of Jesus and I realize… I have no clue what injustice is. I have no right to feel put out or put upon by anyone. I have no reason to even consider the peccadillos and pet peeves that get under my skin.

I have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. I have pained my Savior and broken His heart. And yet He loves me. He doesn’t give up on me. He never leaves me, never abandons me. I possess an eternal promise far greater than any amount of this world’s “treasure” could ever purchase .

What more do I need?

Embrace Christ and the amazing freedom of salvation. Change your perspective. Let God change your thinking. Let God change your heart. Bow to Him. Seek Him first. Abandon false hope in anything in this world and choose the better treasure: life eternal in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:1-2 [NIV]

A well-known pastor used to frequent a local bar.  He never drank anything stronger than a soft drink.  His purpose was simply to bring the light of Christ to a darkened corner of the world.  The wonderful fact is that, during these visits, he got to know a young lady who had no family.  Nobody cared one bit for this woman.  But, when her birthday came, the pastor saw to it she had a cake.

Everyone in that bar knew who the pastor was, and what (or rather Who) he stood for.  He wasn’t walking in, thumping down a leather-bound Bible and preaching Hellfire and brimstone to these people.  He was demonstrating Christ’s love in a very real, tangible way, by showing somebody who felt worthless that God loves them.  And no human being is without worth.

I wonder how many Christians gave this pastor a sideways glance, knowing where he often hung out, forgetting the company Jesus Himself kept. Jesus dined with “sinners and tax collectors” – shake-down-artist scourges of society.  He publically defended an adulterous woman facing death (John 8) and talked alone with a Samaritan woman who’d had more than a few men (John 4).  He repeatedly stood at odds with people of high reputation in the Jewish community.

Yet Jesus never partook in anyone’s sins.  He never solicited any sort of immorality.  He was out there for one reason and one reason alone:

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. – John 10:9-11 (ESV)

This he does not merely for the good and religious.  The Good Shepherd actively seeks His sheep who have strayed from the flock:

11-12  What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. – Matthew 18:11-14 (ESV)

Jesus didn’t tow the Pharisee company line.  He personified for all the world Who God is, and exemplified how believers should live.  He forgave sinners, freeing us from the bonds that hold us.  He healed the sick, giving us a fresh start.  He stood in the face of legalism and fulfilled the Law with Love:

37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)

We are called to be salt and light- to interact with the culture around us, who may not share our worldview – without caring what others think of the company we keep.  We are called to be counterculture: not adopting the world’s self-gratifying / self-centered goals, but lovingly sharing the Gospel through our lives.  We cannot do this in a vacuum, or from a high judgmental moral perch, looking down upon the “sinners”.  After all, it isn’t “us and them.”  Scripture says all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.  True Christians are merely humble servants of Christ saved by grace – nothing more.

If anyone has a problem with that, well… let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

© 2014 by Chris Courtney.  All rights reserved.  Please share this message and visit us at: http://www.bouvillediarist.wordpress.com

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

ck:

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

 

God is the Ultimate Engineer.  Just think about it: He designed and created each and every human being who has ever lived, is now alive, or ever will live.  He laid out the blueprints in such a way that our lives intersect and connect at just the right times and places.  We are all part of the Lord’s grand design, and we are each – individually – created to fill an active role in His plan.

It is also true that we have an “enemy the devil (who) prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).  He would like nothing better than to discourage us, tempt us off our path and destroy the work God has placed before us.  After all, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is counterproductive to the enemy’s program.

Today I want to encourage you to not be discouraged.  Do what you do to the glory of God.  Create and let nothing get in your way.  Be strong.  Be bold.  Stand firm in the Lord, knowing that whatever you do for God – that is, whatever you do for others in His name – will not be wasted effort.  Despite circumstances, despite appearances, God always wins.  The Lord is in control and the results of our labor are in His hands.

Remember, we are created to serve – serve one another, share the life giving Good News of the Gospel and shine His light on the world.  You are who you are, where you are, because the Lord intends it.  Be bold and fearless.  Be immovable in your faith.  Love one another boldly.  Step up, step out and step away from whatever holds you back from serving as God created you to serve.

(c) 2004 by Chris Courtney.  All rights reserved.  Please share this message with anybody you believe it would bless. 

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

FOOTSTOOLS

by Chris Courtney

 

“The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” – Psalms 110:1 (ESV)

 

Try to imagine the scene: the upstairs room is crowded with people who are in the midst of an experience unparalleled in human history.  Jesus, their Messiah, has been wrongly convicted by a kangaroo court executed in the most painful and humiliating fashion possible.  It would be hard for anybody who had seen His beaten and bloody body hanging on that cross to believe that this man could keep His promise and rise again on the third day.

But rise He did!  He spent forty more days appearing before people, showing them His scars and filling them with faith anew.  He did not leave them hanging.  After ascending into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit on the day we now remember as Pentecost to fill and fuel and empower the believers in that upper room.  They saw the power of God working within and throughout them.  No more fear of the angry Jewish leaders or the ruling Roman overlords.

Then Peter stands up.  Peter, who had so often made such a fool of himself by trying to please Jesus in all the wrong ways.  Peter, who despite his protestations otherwise, denied ever having known his Lord and Savior three times in rapid fire succession.  Peter, the once brash young man who lobbed off the slave’s ear in the garden, now has traded in his personal bravado for true boldness – strength found through the Holy Spirit.

And when Peter spoke to the first church, he spoke with an authority he had never possessed before.  He explained what they had just been through.  He showed them Who Jesus Christ really was (is) – the fulfillment of the Old Testament.  The long awaited Messiah:

32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33  Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” – Acts 2:32-39 (ESV)

It is amazing the power available to us, if we will only submit to the LORD.  God keeps His promises.  And we need to remember that, no matter what we face in life, we will share in Christ’s eternal victory is we remain faithful and seek God first.  Yahweh / Jehovah – our God and King, God of the Jews, our Father – has seated our Lord and Savior Jesus at His right hand.  And He will return, to make footstools of His enemies.