new life

Immaturity on Display

~ mercyfortheday ~ 2 Comments

I sat at lunch the other day with people I didn’t know, and I witnessed something unsettling. Our church hosts a monthly potluck on the first Sunday of the month, and we were sitting with people unfamiliar to me. The husband and wife are both retired. Their nineteen year old grandson and his seventeen year old girlfriend were seated with us, as well. The grandson has lofty goals but a very slim wallet. He’s dreaming up schemes on how to get the “toys” he wants. Just that afternoon, he was scheduled to sell some tires out of his dad’s garage. He knew the price he wanted, and he knew exactly what he would do with the money. Part of it would be used to take his dad to dinner, and then a bulk of it would go to buy the gun of his dreams. The price of the gun is the same amount as his monthly car payment, which he can’t afford this month. So, instead of making his car payment, he’ll buy the sweet gun.

Oh. He’s starting a new job soon, which will mean he now has two part-time jobs. And he was bragging about the amount of money he would be making per month with those two jobs. He was so proud of that amount. His grandfather quietly suggested that he open an IRA. IRA? Said the grandson. What’s that? He had no clue about retirement savings. I understand that at nineteen years old, no one is seriously thinking about retirement, but planning and saving early in life greatly enhances a retirement plan. Every saved dollar goes a long way later on down the line.

Then he starting talking about the next toy he would buy after he got the gun. Honestly. I can’t recall what it was, but it was also not a smart decision for someone who doesn’t really have money and can’t afford their car payment. Oh. But he decided that he would sell the car he can’t afford and purchase a rust bucket he had found on social media. This young man does not live in reality. His dreams wore me out.

The grandparents acted as if they had heard similar dreams from him in the past. They weren’t shocked at his plans to spend money he didn’t really have. Because, at the same time, he’s dreaming up a scheme to buy an even bigger toy for himself. He said he didn’t mind if he lived in his dad’s basement all his life, as long as he could have all his toys. I wonder what his girlfriend was thinking. I was thinking she should run while she could, but I just sat and listened.

The reason this scene was unsettling was because it dawned on me that too many people live with the same mindset. They’re surrounding themselves with all the material and sensual pleasures they can buy, and they have no regard for their future or their need for Christ. They seem to think they can rule their own lives and that’s all that matters. What a tragedy. My prayer is that this young man’s eyes will be opened to the disaster that awaits him unless he matures and also pursues a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

This entire scene got me to thinking about how immature we can be as Christians. We can talk big about how good God is without ever having a personal relationship with him. But then. If we don’t have a personal relationship with God, we aren’t Christians. By personal relationship, I’m talking about repenting of our sins and asking God to forgive us. If we haven’t experienced God’s forgiveness, then we aren’t Christians. No matter what we say. We just aren’t.

And a personal relationship with God is not just a one-time transaction. It’s not a one-night stand. After repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness, it’s a daily walk with Jesus Christ. Just as this young man and woman are building a relationship, while shaky at best, we must intentionally build a solid foundation of faith in our quest to live for Christ. It isn’t a one and done type of event. It’s a lifelong process, which unfortunately, many do not pursue. Many treat their salvation moment as a once in a lifetime event and never pursue Jesus with all their hearts. It isn’t a transaction. It’s a lifelong commitment.

Ask any Christian who is running the race in pursuit of pleasing Christ. The race is full of highs and lows, trials and temptations, growth and stumbles. It’s the race of a lifetime, and we can’t just claim salvation and call it quits. We’re running the long distance race of faith and obedience. We can’t just look for the “toys” of faith that will temporarily satisfy us. We must be all in.

I recall a song from my childhood Sunday School class about the foolish man and the wise man. The foolish man built his house on the sand without any foundation, while the wise man built his house upon the rock that would withstand any type of storm. That’s based on a parable that Jesus told to the crowds who had gathered to hear him speak. And the advice is true for us today, just as it was so many years ago. Our faith must be built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and not on the sinking sand where it will collapse and drag us into spiritual ruin.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. Matthew 7:24-27

I was listening to the podcast that our pastor’s record every week, where they dig deeper into the Sunday sermon. This week, they were talking about spiritual maturity. One of them said that spiritual maturity is doing the right things — loving God and loving others. It isn’t a list of things you don’t do, as much as a list of the things you do, is what he said. I agree with this. Sure. While there are things we shouldn’t do as believers, our faith grows by refusing to sin. It grows by faithfully obeying God’s leading, and not succumbing to every temptation that shines it bright light at us. That’s what roots our faith in Jesus Christ.

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.

Signs of Spring

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

I was driving home from running a few errands. After being isolated in the house all week, it felt good to get out and see a little bit of the world. I saw a neighbor and his toddler son working on their lawn mower. I noticed a family of four sitting outside a sandwich shop eating lunch. Most likely, it was their first excursion of the week, too. As I drove, I saw new signs of spring. I realized some trees had already started budding and blooming. I saw some green on trees. Then I noticed white flowers. I knew that soon I would see pinks and purples. The new colors almost take my breath away, as I paused to think of the times we are in.

I remembered the forsythia bush in my back yard. Yellow has never been my go to color, but this spring it jumps out at me as a sign of new life. Rumor has it that snow will fall three times after the forsythia blooms. But this year, there’s no more prediction of snow. Instead, there’s the prediction of illness and possible death. Quarantine. Social distancing. Shelter in place. Face coverings.

But when I see the first signs of spring, I know that new life is forming. The dull color of winter is fading. The gray trees will soon be alive with flowers and leaves. Grass will grow again. Tulips and peonies. Roses and hydrangeas. Zinnias and irises. Fruits and vegetables. All the signs that life goes on are springing into sight. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that when death can happen so suddenly these days, that life also comes in unexpected moments.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

I think of the other season we’re in. It’s the week after Easter. I think of the plan that was fulfilled as an innocent man was put on trial and sentenced to death. Nailed to a cross he never should have been on. Placed in a tomb that wasn’t his. He died a death that didn’t need to happen. But oh. It did. Because out of that death and those days in the tomb, arose a new life that cannot be denied. Oh. It is denied by some. But regardless, the new life that came from that tomb has put the world on notice. That new life is available to all who call on the name of Jesus.

He paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. And in that sacrifice that ended in his death, new life arose from the tomb. That new life brought hope and healing. Forgiveness and fellowship. Sacrifice and sacred selflessness.

For centuries, the stories of this one man’s life and death have been told and told again. Truth has been shared. Lives have been changed. New life blooms each time a soul repents and a heart is changed.

Sure. The truth of his life and death has been denied. There are those who doubt and choose to ignore his miraculous new life. But the truth still stands. And on a day unexpected, everyone will bow and acknowledge this new life. Whether they believed or not, they will bow at the appointed time.

When the veil in the temple was torn in two, new life was claimed.  Direct access to God was now available when that fabric ripped from top to bottom. Day or night. 24/7. God is available at a moment’s notice. The veil was no longer needed. New life. New approach to the throne of God. Immediate access to God Almighty was now available.

When the scales fell from Saul’s eyes, new life began. The one who once hunted believers became a believer. His sins were washed away by the Savior of the ones he hunted. His new life frightened those who didn’t trust him. Others saw the change and accepted the new life for themselves.

 There was a massive earthquake that night when Paul and Silas were in jail. When the jailer thought his prisoners had escaped, he thought wrong. If they had, he thought to kill himself rather than be killed by others. But no one had escaped. He asked what he must do to be saved. Instead of ending his own life that night, he found a new life in Christ.

For the sake of everyone’s souls, the time is ripe for new life. New life with sins forgiven. Guilt and shame are a thing of the past. Bondage removed. Regret dissolved. The old life is gone. A new life has begun. May His name be praised!