Mayhem Like Me

Originally posted at MikeShaw.tv

I love the new Allstate commercials:

As I was pondering the new year, it occurred to me that my life has had a lot of self imposed mayhem in it. Everyone’s does, really. Ever since Adam and Eve decided to disobey God and mayhem entered the world. None of us can escape. There is none that searches after God, not one. Thanx to our fallen nature we fall short of God’s best. Also known as sin. You and I sin all kinds of different ways every day. We may mean well, but we just can’t hit the target. Then there are the times that we do what is wrong even when we know better.

Our Sins and transgressions have consequences. Mayhem. What’s worse is the people around us and their bad choices can bring mayhem into our lives! Gee. Thanx a lot. But, before we get all high minded, spiritual and self righteous about it, our sin and transgressions are bringing mayhem into the lives of people around us too. It really is unavoidable.

But wait. There IS good news! Jesus came so that we might have life, life more abundant, and God even takes the mayhem in our lives and brings good out of it for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!

He also changes me and helps me to avoid sin and transgression!

Dealing with a little (or a lot) of mayhem? God has you covered. Now those are good hands!

Independence Day

In the United States of America we celebrate our independence from tyranny and British rule.  The Deceleration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776 was the birth of the greatest country the world has ever seen.

However, the freedom we enjoy had to be fought for.  There were shooting wars with the British, the Germans, the Japanese and others that threatened the freedom that our founding fathers purchased with blood.  There was the cold war with the USSR.  We have the declared, and now undeclared, war against Al-Qaeda, or some would say Radical Islam.

Fact is, our freedoms, though free for us to enjoy, have been won and are maintained at a high cost.  Brave men and women have died so we can eat our bratwurst in safety and in freedom.

Of course there is more to freedom.  Those of us who have Jesus as our Lord and our Savior are reminded of a King who died for His subjects.  Who gave everything He had so His children could have freedom.  Freedom from sin.  Freedom from condemnation.  Freedom from God’s wrath that is to come.

The moment you believe in your heart that Jesus was the only son of God who died for your sins and on the third day rose from the dead, and you confess it with your mouth, you have freedom.  You can’t earn it.  You can’t be a good enough person.  Jesus had to shed His blood so you that you might live.

Our freedom was bought with a high price.  That is worth celebrating July 4th and every day!

Freedom isn’t Free

It struck me yesterday as I looked at my calendar.  Yesterday was Memorial Day and today is Memorial Day observed.  A long weekend we set aside in the United States as a reminder that freedom isn’t free.  It has been bought at a high price.  Men and women who have been willing to give their lives if necessary so that we could enjoy our God given freedoms that are protected by our Constitution.

It also reminds me of what God did for us.  He paid for our freedom (freedom from sin and His coming wrath) by sending His Son Jesus.  Jesus was willing to die so that anyone who accepts His gift can be set free forever.  Romans 5:7-8 says:

⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Yesterday we honor those men and women who were, and are, willing to dare to die for a country that honors freedom.  Willing to fight to keep us free.  I am also reminded of a God who loves us so much that He was willing to die so that we could be free to be with Him forever.  All motivated by love.  For the soldier it’s love of country and sacrificing to make a better life for loved ones back home.  For God, He demonstrated His love.  A love for those who would chose to be His children by accepting His gift of sacrifice.

Today is Memorial Day Observed, but really, in many ways, we observe it every day.  By enjoying the freedom we accept as a free gift that was paid for with a high price.

Driven to Meekness?

It’s weird the things God shows me.  Sometimes it’s weird when He shows me these things.  This one was a particularly painful illustration for me, but one that helped me understand an important principle in being Christ-like.  I call it, “Driven to Meekness.”

It’s a lesson that God has been trying to show me for more than a few months now.  It really hit home when I was driving home Saturday afternoon.  I was tailgating again because someone wasn’t going as fast as I wanted to go.  My heart sunk when she gestured that I was number one when I finally had the opportunity to go around.  It really bothered me, and for good reason.  I was guilty of driving while being a jerk.

What is about driving for some of us?  I am one of the most mild mannered people you will meet (we’ll I’d like to think so most of time) yet when I get on the road that speed demon comes out in me.  And while all of us are guilty of being selfish and at the center of our own universes, that is particularly true of me behind the wheel.  If you are not driving the speed I want you to and I can’t get around you, I get a little upset, and I use my God given gifts of sharp eyes and reflexes to follow closer than is safe, or comfortable for the person I am following.  Add to that that God has allowed me to buy a car with a little power and definitely some quickness that is FUN to drive.  I love to rabbit start off the line and get to 5 over the speed limit as fast (and safely) as I can.  But, if someone gets in my way, well, sometimes that can be an aggravation.  One I sometimes don’t mind expressing with some skillful tailgating.

What does all that have to do with God?  Meekness.  Jesus came to Earth with all power of heaven at His disposal.  By His standards I am slow to understand, slow to obey, slow to be righteous, courteous, long-suffering, slow slow slow.  Jesus could have easily run me over with His supremely superior skill, knowledge and righteousness and laugh as He left me in the dust.  But He’s not like that.  His ministry on Earth wasn’t one of running over the weak because He was in a hurry to get to His destination (the cross to die for us all).  No.  It was the journey itself that was as important as the destination.  As He stopped and He healed all that came to Him, He was revealing the character of the Father.  Jesus comforted the down-trodden and ultimately He died for jerks like me.

It’s called meekness.  Jesus has all power of heaven and earth.  Yet He used that power to serve.  Mark 10:42-45

⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I have a nice car.  I have a certain amount of God given driving ability.  (probably not as much as I think!)  There’s nothing wrong with enjoying those things.  They are gifts from God.  But when I start to get arrogant in my giftings.  When I use them to run people off the road, or scare them, or tick them off then I am not exactly using my gifts for good.

I can have fun driving when it’s safe and when it doesn’t adversely affect others.  I can enjoy God’s gifts, but I need to do so in love!

Galatians 5:22-23

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.

The driving analogy is more than an analogy in the sense that it is literally true for me.  I need to do a better job of driving in love (and I have since Saturday).  It applies to all areas of our lives.  What has God gifted you with?  How are you using those gifts?  Do you get annoyed at others who aren’t as strong as you? as smart as you? as spiritual as you? as fill in the blank as you?

The answer is of course you do!  Our sinful nature is always pulling us in that direction.  But, if we listen to God and obey, we can do better and better.  We can serve more today than we did yesterday.  We can be meek in the areas that we are strong.  I guarantee you that it will be a great witness to those around you.  It’s the best shot you have at being number one in the ways that count.

How Much Love?

God Loves Us!   We know that.  We’ve been told since Sunday school, Jesus loves me yes I know, for the Bible tells me so.  But what does the Bible say about this awesome, amazing, even unfathomable love?  Lots!  Let’s try to scratch the surface.

I guess it’s been 4 years or so ago.  I had the privileged of teaching the Junior High students at church one Sunday.  I decided to do a little math to demonstrate how great God’s love is.  It fell a little flat, so I hesitate to go there here, but only a little.  Here goes.

It starts with one of my favorite verses in the Bible, Psalm 103:11.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.”

That’s quite a statement.  God’s lovingkindness towards those who fear Him is as high as the heavens!  When this was written a few thousand years ago, it wasn’t really understood how high the heavens are.  Now we have Hubble Telescopes and reflectors and refractors with giant mirrors on mountain tops that explore the deepest reaches of space.  God’s creation really does pour forth speech!

Let’s say that the farthest we’ve seen into the Universe is as high as the heavens are.  I have a feeling they are a lot higher, but the second heaven at least may be about 12 billion light years “above our heads.”  OK.  Now we can do some math!  (this is where I lost the Jr. High class).

Light travels at 386,000 miles per second.  386,000 x 60 = 23,160,000 miles per minute x 60 = 1,389,600,000 miles per hour x 24 = 33,350,400,000 miles per earth day x 364.25 = 3,143,275,200,000 miles in a year x 12,000,000,000 light years = 9,429,825,600,000,000,000 miles.  In other words a galaxy 12 billion light years away is 9,429,825,600,000,000,000 miles away!  At a minimum, that’s how high the heavens are above the earth and at a minimum that’s how much God loves YOU!

Still not convinced?  I promise I won’t do the math on this one.  Consider Psalm 139:17 & 18a:

¹⁷How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand

So God’s precious thoughts towards you would outnumber the sand?!  How many grains of sand do you suppose there are?  Starting to get the point?

Paul prayed that we might comprehend this mystery in Ephesians 3

¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
¹⁶that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
¹⁹and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
²⁰Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
²¹to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

AMEN!  Now there’s a prayer.

God told me once and has reminded me many times since then, “Don’t ever forget how much I love you.”  The God who gave His life so that I could live in His presence forever wants to have a close, intimate friendship with me, Mike Nobody.  But see, I’m not a nobody, and neither are you.  Because of what Jesus did we are God’s adopted kids with rights of full sonship and full daughtership!  Don’t forget it.  If you believe that Jesus is God’s only Son who gave His life for you and rose from the dead on the third day, then you are God’s kid!

I’ll leave you with this.  When Jesus went to the cross, knowing what He was going to endure, had you on His mind.  Hebrews 12:2

²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus endured the cross with the joy set before Him.  Jesus was thinking of you!  He was already rejoicing in your choice to trust in Him even as He suffered.

How much love?  (stretching out His arms on the cross)  This much.

Chris Norden Testimony

Chris Norden was on a hike with a local MeetUp Hiking Group.  It was May 22, 2008, just about a year before this story was shot.  It was a beautiful day and the group was having great fun climbing in the Catalina Mountains outside of Tucson.  That’s when disaster struck.  A gust of wind knocked Chris off balance and he fell 60 feet to his certain death!  Chris called on the Lord, and well, we’ll let you hear the rest from Chris:

He is risen!

Luke 24 (NASB)

The Resurrection

¹ But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing;

⁵and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

⁶ “He is not here, but He has risen Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,

⁷ saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

⁸ And they remembered His words,

⁹ and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

¹⁰ Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

¹¹ But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

¹² But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus

¹³ And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.

¹⁴ And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.

¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

¹⁶ But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

¹⁷ And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad.

¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?”

¹⁹ And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

²⁰ and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.

²¹ “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

²² “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,

²³ and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.

²⁴ “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”

²⁵ And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶ “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

²⁸ And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther.

²⁹ But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.

³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³² They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

³³ And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them,

³⁴ saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.”

³⁵ They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

Other Appearances

³⁶ While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

³⁹ “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

⁴⁰ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹ While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

⁴² They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;

⁴³ and He took it and ate it before them.

⁴⁴ Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

⁴⁶ and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,

⁴⁷ and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

⁴⁸ “You are witnesses of these things.

⁴⁹ “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

⁵⁰ And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

⁵¹ While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

⁵² And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

⁵³ and were continually in the temple praising God.

Our God is Alive!

Here we are.  Good Friday eve and the true and living God continues to demonstrate His power and His love.  As we approach Easter we remember that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ willingly gave His life so we might have life and a relationship with Him.

The most amazing thing about Easter is, He didn’t stay dead!  The tomb is EMPTY.  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Now, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for the saints.  If you believe in your heart that Jesus died for you and rose again, and you confess it with your mouth, the Bible says in Romans 10:9 & 10 that you are saved!

Jesus is praying for you.  His ministry is active on the Earth.  We received the most amazing e-mail this morning.  Some of the specifics we can not share, but some we can.  It was a prayer request.  I don’t know what country they were righting from, but they are preaching to Muslims and Muslims are coming to Christ!  They are praying for protection.  Here is a part of the e-mail so you will know how to pray:

We would like to share with you that our Lord Jesus has given a burden and vision in our lives to REACHING SPECIFICALLY TO THE MUSLIMS BY HIS GOSPEL.  Therefore, we have submitted our lives into His hands to be used according to His will and guidance in our lives.  As we are continuously sharing & witnessing about Jesus to our Muslim neighbors, He is touching and speaking to their hearts.  The Muslims are being open to The Gospel of Christ and being interested to know more about Him.   Several of them surrendered their lives to Jesus and they are worshiping  Him in Truth & Spirit.  Praise His holy name!

The believers are living under the fatwa (threats) of fanatic Muslims, but our Living God has protecting them for His glory.

Humbly, we are requesting you please pray for God’s guidance and protection in our lives & specially for the believers .  They are in great need of your kind prayers in their lives.

Please join your prayers with ours for protection for these servants of God who are risking their lives for the sake of others.  That God would not only protect them, but bless them with His presence and power!  That the ministry would grow and many many more hearts would receive eternal life through Jesus Christ!

Pray for the new believers.  That they would be protected from those who would want to do them harm.  That their precious faith would grow!  That God would fill them with His peace and His strength.

Happy Easter!  He is Risen indeed!

« Previous Page