Who Are You?

Who are you? In asking that question, I do not mean, “What’s your name?” Rather, what is the nature of your heart? What motivates you and moves you forward in life?

Before you answer too quickly, meditate on Proverbs 16:2.

“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.”

Knowing yourself is not as easy as you might think. There are times when we don’t even know our own motives.

Dietrich Bonehoeffer stood up against Hitler and was eventually executed. But, even shortly before his execution he struggled to know himself. From prison he wrote,

Who am I? . . .

Am I really all that which other men tell of?

Or am I only what I know of myself,

Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.

So, how can we get to know ourselves? The Proverb gives us the answer. “Motives are weighed by the Lord.” It is only as we see ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word - - only as we are sharpened and strengthened in the community of God’s people - - -It is then that we begin to understand ourselves more truly.

Motherhood: A Tremendous Call

When I was in grade school a girl on my school bus pulverized me with her lunch box.  If you’re my age or older, you remember lunch boxes from the 1970’s.  They usually had some theme like the Brady Bunch or the Jackson Five, and they were made out of a combination of industrial steel and lead.  This girl also had a matching thermos inside the lunch box, so when she decked me with the thing I’m pretty sure she flattened one side of my head.

All that to say, with my ears ringing I felt that I was entitled to let loose with a mean spirited verbal tirade against my classmate.  I was sure that I was justified when I responded with a club made out of words.

Word got back to my mother about the exchange.  Soon enough, I was sentenced to my room to memorize a poem.  Thirty years later one line sticks in my mind.  “Boys flying kites haul in their white winged birds, but you can’t do that with flying words.”

At the time, my mom helped me realize that the little tap on the head I got from a lunch box may have been out of line.  But, verbal sticks and stones do break bones.   And, communication is irreversible.  Words cannot be unsaid.

Mothers Day is coming up.  Mothers, remember: the creative instruction you give today may be remembered by your children decades later.  Be encouraged, there is no greater call than being a mother.

God is Light

Do you realize that one of the most important statements about God is that He is light.  John R.W. Stott says that no biblical statement is more comprehensive of God’s essential being than the 1 John 1:5 assertion that God is “light.”  The idea that God is light carries a number of truths with it.  First, God chooses to tell us about Himself.  The God of Heaven and Earth does not dwell in shadows, but he discloses himself, again using Stott’s words, in perfect purity and utter majesty.”

The light that God shines does not simply tell us who God is  — - but light from God allows us to walk.  When we know Christ, the light that we find in God’s Word allows us to confidently move forward in life.  We do not need to hesitate or be unsure.

The next time you notice light, think of the light.  If you look west from Rockford and see a great sunset, remind yourself that God is light.  In Him there is not even a trace of darkness.  He does not dwell in shadows but He blazes a knowledge of himself into human history through His Creation and His Word.  He gives us this light not simply that we can worship His excellence, but also that we can walk forward in life, that we may have right conduct.

It is not the job of the church to hide our lights under baskets.  Rather, we are to be mirrors that reflect the brilliances, purity, and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

That’s Why I’m Fighting Him

It’s only a month or so until the second of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia hits the big screen.  (See Narnia: Prince Caspian)

I won’t tell you what happens, but one of my favorite parts in Prince Caspian is a part where Peter is having a dual with an evil king. 

At one point, there is a break in the fighting.  The dual isn’t going Peter’s way, and his brother Edmund says, “I say, Peter, you can beat him can’t you.”  And, Peter responds, “Well, that’s why we’re fighting him.  To find out.”

Lewis’ point here was that part of the adventure of the Christian life is that we don’t know how every particular dual will come out.  That’s why it’s an adventure. 

There are no guarantees about how a particular matter in your life may be resolved.  The adventure is in continuing on for Christ, even when things look bleak.  But, never forget this.  Christ the King will win in the end.

On Tuesday, April 22, at 6:30, I will be leading a special discussion on Prince Caspian at the Julia Hull District Library in Stillman Valley.  If you are a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia, or you would like to hear some reflection on how Lewis’ Chronicles are relevant for life, then join us on April 22 at the library in Stillman Valley.

Confessing Christ Publically

Occasionally we hear people identify themselves as Christians but decline to talk about what they believe.  They rationalize that their faith is a private matter.

The idea of being a Christian, but being unwilling to share one’s faith or talk about it, doesn’t square with what the Bible teaches. 

Loving Your Pastor

Hebrews 13:17 encourages Christians to make their pastors work a joy and not a burden.A practical way to encourage your pastor is to actively love his children.  One of the great blessings I have enjoyed in the ministry is to shepherd people who love my family.

The Supremacy of Christ

The heart of the Christian faith is all about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, that salvation is found in no one else.Some wonder, “Can one person really be the answer for all who believe?”  The original recipients of the book of Hebrews were struggling with this question. 

Small Steps Along Deut 6:4-9

Some of our best times together as a family are Bible stories after dinner.  Our youngest is now five, but this story took place when she was three.

Our Bible story at dinner the other night was about Elijah.  My wife makes these beef enchilada things that are really good.  While our four children finished eating their enchiladas I shared with them the story of how Elijah was taken to be with Christ in a chariot of fire.

Angels Camping On Our Deck

A couple of years ago, my wife and I talked to our four young children at dinner about whether or not we ought to let angels camp on our deck.  I ought to explain that one. 

Raised in Glory

 Physically, The Bible says that when we die, subject to the disease, decay, and frustration of a fallen world, we are sown in dishonor.  Yet, Scripture promises the Christian, what is sown in dishonor will be raised in glory.  Hear Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 15:

“. . .  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body . . . (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).”

A few years ago, my father in law was killed in a terrible car accident.  The casket was