A Little Perspective

Perspective is a funny thing. You may be asked to gain some, give some or find some. We live in a world where a pet might be treated and pampered more than a child living across the same street. Drivers lose their cool over missing a stop light. Adults honestly have bad weeks because their favorite team lost a game. Some complain because they have too much work to do; others complain because there is no work. We live in a strange world with many different perspectives.There are lost and hurting people all around us. God so desperately wants our attention on Him, so we can gain the proper perspective. The psalmist says in Psalm 8:3-4, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” It is a shocking reality that God, creator of all things, loves us. When we consider this world and all that is going on in it, this dose of perspective changes everything. Why would God love and care for you or me? We do so many things that offend Him and that are contrary to His character, yet he loves us. When we were enemies of God, He sacrificed His Son for you and me (Rom. 5:10).When you consider the heavens and the works of God (as the psalmist does), it should blow you away that God cares for you. He has proven it over and over again, yet we fail to have this perspective so often. No matter where you find yourself: fresh off the loss of a loved one, sick, hurt, struggling, or tired, take a deep breath and fill your thoughts with God’s perspective today.

“This is what the LORD says:
‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.’ ”

Isaiah 66:1

Biblical Citizenship

I had a great opportunity to preach at my church, Harvest Bible Chapel Lake Zurich, on the weekend of 6.26 and 6.27. The sermon is posted on the church website.

Title: Biblical Citizenship

Text: Romans 13:1-7

Main Idea: "God's ultimate authority mandates Christians to act as good citizens under their government."

You can listen to it here: http://www.hbclz.org/10048/content/content_id/85487/Sermons_Online

Hopefully, it is faithful to God's word, stimulates your thoughts and challenges all Christian Americans in their relationship to the government.

Decision Time

What guides you? What kind of thought process do you go through before making decisions? I read this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) that struck a chord with me. I needed this reminder as I'm sure many of you do:

"We must learn to know the Scriptures again, as the Reformers and our fathers knew them. We must know the Scriptures first and foremost for the sake of our salvation. But besides this, there are ample reasons that make this requirement exceedingly urgent. How, for example, shall we ever attain certainty and confidence in our personal and church activity if we do not stand on solid biblical ground? It is not our heart that determines our course, but God's Word. But who in this day has any proper understanding of the need for scriptural proof? How often do we hear innumerable arguments 'from life' and 'from experience' put forward as the basis for the most crucial decisions but the argument from Scripture is missing. And this authority would perhaps point in exactly the opposite direction. It is not surprising, or course, that the person who attempts to cast discredit upon their wisdom should be the one who himself does not seriously read, know, and study the Scriptures. But one who will not learn to handle the Bible for himself is not an evangelical Christian."

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together. (London: SCM, 1983), pg. 39.

How are you?

What about you? How are you doing in your relationship with Christ? At my church we are in the midst of a major evangelistic push. I am praying for those in the community to respond to our fliers and our invitations. I am not sure about you, but when I become focused on others’ faith, evangelistic opportunities and the many ministry opportunities available, sometimes I neglect the very thing that I should be focusing on. Those are all wonderful things, but Christ wants our hearts fully committed to Him resulting in a vibrant relationship. Sometimes service and leadership can be a barrier to our intimacy with Jesus. Before we can be concerned about others, we must be in the right place with Christ. I noticed this at the end of the book of John when Peter saw John and asked Jesus (in 21:21), “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answers in John 21:22, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Jesus indicated earlier that Peter was to glorify God in the kind of death he would die, and he was curious about John. We are called to disciple, love and serve those around us. It is possible to elevate those goals above our own relationship with Christ. We must be concerned about others but not over our own pursuit of Christ. How is your prayer life? What have you been reading in God’s Word lately? What is God teaching you? When Christ tells Peter to “Follow me,” that is his highest calling. Remember to focus on Christ as we seek to share the gospel and impact our community. No matter what happens with our invitations and with those we seek to share the gospel with -- what is it to you? You must follow Christ. God is in control; seek and follow Him first. He will take care of the rest.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

3 John 4

No "I" in Team

I love sports. I probably love sports too much. Growing up participating in team sports taught me many valuable lessons that I was able to apply in my life. On almost every team I was a part of, the coach used the well worn catch phrase, “there is no ‘I’ in team.” Everyone knows that there is no “I” in team, but there is a “me.” Thankfully, I was not the smart alec who said that behind the coach’s back. For every team player, there seems to be one who makes being part of a team difficult. In the church, we are also a team, a body actually. Christ prayed for us that we would be unified and seen as one. This is exactly what Jesus prays for in John 17:20-21, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” He asks God that the church, then and in the future, would have as close a union as the Trinity itself! What a prayer, and what a challenge for us today! An interesting aspect to this I often miss is not the emphasis on unity, but the results and reasons Christ prays for unity. The last part of v. 21 is unbelievable: “so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Our unity as a body has a huge impact on our ability to reach the world for Christ. We are a team. It doesn’t matter what you think of those at our church, they are the ones that make up our team. As we seek to reach our community with the gospel, our ability to love and serve each other genuinely plays a vital role. Dwell on these verses (and the rest of John 17 if you have time), as we seek to set an example for the rest of the church. Continue to reach out to those in our congregation who may be “on the bench” or might have some “injuries.” We need them, and we need you. Pray for the unity of your church so that your community may believe in Jesus.