Friday, January 29, 2010

Why Slow Down?

Yesterday I turned 36. I was thankful to be able to take the day off, sleep in, not shave, work out mid-morning, take my 4-year old to Sonic for a slushie, go see a matinee movie with my wife, pick my older boys up from school, shoot baskets in our cul-de-sac with them, watch some TV, enjoy the best fajitas my wife has ever made (and that's saying a lot), and wind down with some friends over for birthday cake. At the end of the day, I realized how much a person can accomplish while they are resting.

It got me thinking about the Biblical concept of Sabbath - and how God offered (well, commanded, really) His people to take a day of rest every 7th. Over the centuries the religious leaders stripped the Sabbath from God's original intentions and placed a bunch of crappy regulations around it which where never intended to be there. Jesus rebuked this legalistic attitude when he said that "the Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath."

The point is this: The God of Jesus Christ is gracious. He is not the rigid, fussy and irritable God so many humans have painted Him to be. He knows we have limits. He knows we need planned periods for rest. And He gave us not only permission, but a commandment to take the issue of rest seriously. The Hebrew word for Sabbath means "rest". It originally had little to do with the word "seventh" per se - as some religious groups insist. God indeed "rested" on the seventh day, and He commanded the Israelites to imitate Him in this pattern.

It doesn't matter which particular day of the week you schedule in for some rest. The important thing is that you DO it. The pace of 21st century life will suck the energy out of your existence if you allow it. For most of us, there is always something more to do - another deadline to worry about, another phone call or email to return, another pressing need demanding our attention. Biblically, "rest" is a matter of faith. It reminds us that while it is virtuous to work hard when it's time to work - we are nonetheless NOT little Messiah-clones designed to be able to meet the needs of the universe.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are wary and heavy-burdened, and I will give you rest. Come and learn from me, for I am humble and gentle in spirit." Remember, a day of rest doesn't necessarily mean sleeping the day away. But it may mean turning off the cell phone, focusing on fun and relationships, and carving out some personal space as well. I know - some will say this is easier said than done. But we tend to accomplish the things we make a priority in our lives. Are you getting enough rest - spiritually, physically and emotionally? None of us are perfect on this quest for adequate rest - but God invites us to it...

Your thoughts?

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

God's Grace...How Sweet the Sound!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had at least three conversations that took the same basic path. We were talking about the marvelous grace of God - and about how His kindness toward us is the only thing that leads to a truly changed life (rather than religious manipulation, trying harder, fear of His wrath, etc.). I based this conviction upon Scriptures such as Romans 2:4, Titus 2:11-13, etc.

In each of the conversations, I was met with similar resistance. While each person seemed to want to affirm the reality of God's grace, they were uneasy about the possibility of "making God's grace too free". Each person said (in their own way) that it is dangerous to talk about grace without talking about holy living. Their fear was that people who view God's grace as being offered with no strings attached would be likely to abuse grace as a license to sin.

I tried to explain that God's grace, by definition, leaves itself open to being taken advantage of. Unless this possibility remains, grace ceases to be grace. The Apostle Paul knew this - and encouraged the Roman believers to live in light of their new life and identity in Christ (Romans 6).

Nonetheless, Paul earlier affirmed that "where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5). Paul's teaching on living in surrender to the indwelling Spirit of Christ in no way diminishes or denies this earlier affirmation. I believe based upon Scripture and personal experience, that until we begin to grasp and embrace the reality of God's irreversible tenderness toward us - regardless of our sins and failures - we will never truly grow spiritually.

I meet so many people like myself - who battle against a vague, nagging sense of God's disapproval. No matter how "good" we perform on a given day, we are racked with existential guilt and a feeling that God must surely be upset with us about something. Often we project upon God the false beliefs we assumed at earlier stages of development and for whatever reason cannot seem to fully lay down.

Thankfully, I am learning with so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ that over the course of time, the truth of the Gospel can chip away, dismantle and expose this false projectionism for the idolatry that it is. From a human perspective, the Gospel is so upside down! The Gospel brings us to the finish line, crowns us with victory and secures our spot in the winner's circle before we have even taken our first baby steps in the race!

The Gospel affirms that the pressure is off! There are no hoops left to jump through. Because of Jesus dying in our place, God is fully pleased with us and no longer are we the recipients of His anger against sin. All of this and more is offered to us simply through trusting in the provision He made through Christ. This is very different than the "organized religion" Christianity is often lumped together with. This is truly revolutionary! T'was grace that brought us safe thus far...and grace will lead us home!

What say you?

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Are the 2012 Predictions Legit?

This week at Valley we will continue with our series "The End of the World as We Know It...And I Feel Fine." Our church's founding Pastor - Raleigh Galgan - will be leading us through Matthew 24 and the "signs" by which Jesus told his audience they could know that the end is near. It's going to be another great week of digging deep into the most amazing Book in the world - the Bible.

As I have been thinking about what the Bible says about the end of the world, I find it so ironic that with all the amazing Biblical predictions which have already come to pass with total accuracy, still so many people would rather look for credence in random so-called "prophecies" related to such things as predictions about the Mayan calendar coming to an end and other outlandish claims. Why does our culture promote interest in predictions which have no proven reliability whatsoever - while at the same time virtually ignoring the one Book on the planet that has never been wrong?

I am not claiming that I fully understand every futuristic detail about which the Bible speaks. There are symbols and mysteries about which we must remain humble and open to careful consideration. But SO much of Biblical prophecy has already come true that it should leave any honest skeptic with little doubt as to its credibility. Many scholars agree that the Bible contains approximately 1,000 specific predictions about the future - about half of which have already come to pass in world history.

What do YOU think about the 2012 hysteria? Do you believe there is anything to it? If so, why? I invite you to chime in with your remarks and I hope to see you at Valley soon! :)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Future is Now...

This weekend marks "round 2" of our 7-week overview of Bible prophecy at Valley Church. As a teacher and preacher of the Bible, this is one of my favorite subjects - and yet, it is also one in which extra humility is required from each of us. One of my favorite places to take my kids is Disneyland. No matter how many times I visit the Magic Kingdom, it never fails that each time I go I seem to notice some detail I never saw before on a ride, building or other attraction.

If this is the case with a man-made theme park like Disneyland, how much more true when journeying through the Bible? Even though I may be familiar with the basic layout and story line, it seems that new details always jump out which I never noticed before. The Bible is an amazing book for many reasons - not the least of which is because of its ability to mesmerize the deepest thinkers and scholars while at the same time dispense a core message that a 5-year old can comprehend!

If you are curious about what the Bible says related to the future - I invite you to join us this Sunday at 9AM and 11AM (5063 Maple Road in Vacaville). Come journey through the reality of a love-story written about a God who loves His people so much He would rather die than live without them for eternity...

Hope to see you there!