An easy yoke...

“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My load is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

            It is commonly taught that Jesus was talking in this passage about a yoke that harnessed two animals together when pulling a plow.  This yoke was a large piece of wood, fashioned by a carpenter to allow two animals of equal size and strength to pull together, enabling greater strength than either could summon alone.  The more skilled the carpenter, the better the yoke would fit and the easier the pull would be on the animals.  Animals of different size or strength were never to be yoked together as this would cause the weaker animal damage.

            While all of this is true, there was another kind of yoke in use in Bible times.  Often a piece of wood was fitted over the shoulders of a servant so that loads could be hung from it.  A slave or porter was often asked to carry loads that were humanly impossible to carry.  When given a yoke, the loads became much more easily transported.  A yoke was a tool of mercy.

            Jesus removed the burden of sin.  St. Augustine said that when the burden of sin was removed, all other burdens become bearable.  Jesus never tells us that He will take our burdens away, only that He will never give us more than we can bear.  He does promise that, as the Master carpenter, His yoke will be easy and our burden light.  We must choose to wear His yoke.  We must make the choice to be a servant, to do the things the Master wants in the way the Master wants them done.  When we put on His yoke, fashioned by His expert hands especially to fit us, we find that the work is light.  When we struggle under a burden that seems too much to carry, we can come to Him.  He has promised to give us rest.

            Today when you struggle, weary and heavy hearted, instead of looking at the burden, look at the yoke.  The yoke Jesus made is light, but often we struggle under a yoke of our own, amateur making.  We’re just servants, not carpenters.  Put down your burden.  Take off your yoke and come to Jesus for rest.  Learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble hearted.  Let Him give you a yoke of His choosing.

Help for the Philippines

For anyone who watches the news, the horrible conditions in the Philippines are no surprise. Numbers vary with each report, but the latest that I heard was that 9.7 million people have been affected by the typhoon that hit there on Saturday. 650,000 people are displaced, and the death toll is rising. People are hungry, without shelter, and have lost everything. As if the typhoon weren’t enough, the country was still reeling from a 7.1 earthquake in October, and a smaller 4.8 quake hit one of the southern islands yesterday. These are a people who are hurting.

“Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.” Psalm 10:12

If you are anything like me, your heart goes out to those in who have lost so much, who are in such deep need. You are moved, but don’t know what you can do. I know that I feel helpless in the face of such overwhelming tragedy.

We are not helpless.

“For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” Psalm 72:12-14

We are the children of the King. We have infinite resources. We can all do our part.

So, what can we do?

            1. We can pray. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:15. There are multiple verses in scripture that remind us to pray, to pray without ceasing, to pray in faith. Pray. Pray some more.

            2. We can give. I attend River Rock Church in Vancouver, Washington. We have 16 churches in the Philippines, most of them on the island of Panay and on Palawan, right where the eye of the storm went through. Our church is networking with other churches and denominations on the island to immediately provide food and meet other needs. The people of the area are extremely poor and have little resources to rebuild or care for their families. We are the Body of Christ. It is time for us to do what we can to remind these people that God has not forgotten them.

            This Sunday we are launching Operation Philippines. We are launching a website (www.operationphilippines.com) before Sunday for people to visit and see what we are doing and how they can give. We are preparing a list of needs and will be ordering a shipping container so that we can give of our abundance. We have already sent money to get them started, and will raise as much as we can in the coming weeks. Every dollar will go into rebuilding churches and houses and feeding people immediately. We will have t-shirts available saying “I (heart) the Philippines” to remind people to continue. If there is anyway you can participate in this effort, please do!

            3. Send money. So often we send stuff without knowing what the needs really are, and we end up making more problems than we solve. Find a reputable organization and send what you can. Send through our church, or through Samaritan’s Purse (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/). Samaritan’s Purse has had people and resources on the ground since before the earthquake last month. They know what the local needs are, and have the systems in place to get food and resources to people quickly. 

            God cares deeply about the people in the Philippines. We can do no less. Reach out. We can't do everything, but we can do something. Do what you can. Pray without ceasing.

“But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless… You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” Psalm 10:14, 17

Happy Veterans Day!

            Today we celebrate Veterans Day. I am so grateful to the men and women who choose to serve so that the rest of us can enjoy our freedoms. My Dad was veteran, as is my brother-in-law. My brother served as well. I have many friends who are veterans, and are proud to serve. Veterans and their families know the meaning of sacrifice. Most of them have thought through what they are fighting for, and what they value most in life. They understand discipline and the value of hard work. They know what it is to fight for others who often cannot fight for themselves, and sometimes to fight for those who are hostile to them and their uniform. They fight anyway. The United States, the world, is a better place because of them.

            The Christian faith has been compared to being in an army. One children’s song speaks of being in the Lord’s Army. In the World War II era, the idea of an army was positive; it was a group of men who arrived to save. We had an enemy so evil that we could easily unite and agree to thwart him. In today’s society, the idea of an army is ambiguous at best. We understand that the issues are not cut and dried, that different people have different ideas about how we should interact in our world, and we see the horrors and damage that are the result of armed force. Our soldiers put themselves in harms way, and often bear the scars. Innocents often bear them as well. This post is not a condemnation of our fighting men and women. It is a reminder that the United States and the people of God are two different entities. We are not Christian simply because we are American. The two are not the same.

            God has made it clear that we are not his army. He certainly doesn’t need us fighting and killing for him. The Army of the Lord is made of his heavenly hosts, and he fights the battles for us.

“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” Zech. 4:1

 At one point when Joshua was fighting to claim the promised land, God rained hail down upon his enemy, killing them before Joshua and his men even got there. When Gideon was going against the Midianites, God surrounded them with an angelic army, and opened Gideon’s eyes to encourage him. To God belonged the battle.

            No, we are not God’s army; we are his body. We aren’t fighting battles. God is doing that. He gives us armor to protect us, and then tells us to stand firm. He’s doing the actual fighting. We are his physical body, the way he reaches to a physical world. We are his arms, to hug and hold the hurting. We are his feet, taking his message of peace to an angry world. We are his lips, singing the songs of mercy and bringing the words of salvation.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,

‘Your God Reigns!’ Isaiah 52:7

           

We are to be the people with the beautiful feet! We have news to share, and it is good news, indeed. We have news of restoration and help for the people of the Philippines today. We have news of peace for people in Syria. We have news of healing and completeness for the wounded Veterans around the United States.

I am so grateful for our Veterans. I am both American and Christian, and I am blessed by both of those facts. My gratitude needs to go beyond a blog post or a Facebook posting on Veterans Day. I need to see them, to thank them, to offer whatever help I can every day. I need to live as his body.

How will we live as his body today?

Are You Devourable?

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith…”  I Peter 5:8-9

            Christians typically make one of two mistakes regarding Satan.  Either they discount the existence of Satan, reducing him to the personification of the potential evil present in our world, or they go to the opposite extreme, seeing satanic activity in every illness, addiction and atmospheric disturbance. 

            Satan is real.  Jesus Himself spoke of him in terms that were in no way symbolic.  Paul describes him as disguising himself as an angel of light.  He, too, clearly believed in the person of Satan.  He is described as the author of lies, and James says that what comes from him is disorder and every evil thing.

            Satan is bad, no question about it.  But he is not to be a source of fear for the believer in Jesus Christ.  His doom is sure.  While we enjoy heaven and fellowship with God, Satan’s demise, already foretold, will be in the lake of fire.  He holds no power over us, except that which we give him.  Jesus conquered Satan and took his power over us away when He died in our place, and rose from the dead.  “Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.” 

            Peter tells us that Satan prowls around like a lion, looking for someone to devour.  Clearly, not everyone is devourable.  Peter tells us how to be devour-proof.  Resist him.  Stand firm.  James 4:8 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us.  Not actively fight against. Not exorcise.  Not even engage in warfare.  Simply resist.  James goes on to remind us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. 

            Our view of Satan must be balanced.  Our attitude must be one of realistic respect.  He is real. If we give him a chance, show him areas of sin that we refuse to submit to God, then we leave ourselves open to his attacks.  But we are sealed by the Spirit and indwelt by God.  We should not be overawed by his brilliance or cowed by his power.  He is feeble indeed in comparison to Christ.

            Lord Jesus, give us victory over Satan and his schemes.  Help us to hand every area of our lives over in submission to You.  Help us to keep our eyes so firmly on You that Satan is irrelevant.  Thank You for Your work of salvation and freedom in our lives.     

Post-Halloween

Once again, I am sitting in class, looking out the window instead of paying strict attention, like I should. This has been a problem for me my whole life, by the way. On nearly every report card was the comment, “Daydreams too much.” Or “engages her neighbor rather than paying attention.” Anyway, as I sit tuning out my professor, trying not to miss anything but really not focusing, there is a group of people who are walking by in costume. There is an aging Viking. It might be Thor, but if so he’s lacking a little. Like abs. A princess. Frankenstein. A whole mash of zombies. I have no idea what they were doing. My class didn’t dress up, and its not actually Halloween.

            I admit that I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween. Evil is such a present reality, and I don’t ever want to make light of the real evil that exists. People have real experience at the hand of evil. Halloween seems to make light of that. There are real monsters out there. Some of us are living with them or grew up with them. Some of us have suffered at their hands. History is full of them.

            On the other hand, dressing up and pretending to be scared, having things jump out at you while you know you are completely safe, and eating candy is fun! Decorating for Halloween is so much easier than for other holidays; the cobwebs are already up! Little people dressed up as some adult figure are so darned cute. I love seeing the princesses and cowboys and batmen that show up at the door. Even the pets get in on the dressing up these days.

            When my kids were little, our church dealt with this tension by having harvest parties where we bobbed for apples and ate doughnuts off a string and played carnival games, and where kids dressed up as Bible characters. Today, my kids are grown up and making their own choices about Halloween.

            However you feel about Halloween, I hope you are thinking about the issues. I hope you wrestle with how God would have you glorify him on that day.  Actually, that’s my hope for you everyday. Every day, we should be wrestling with how to live in this world, how to participate in culture, and how to do it with integrity of how we say we believe. How can I bring glory to God in my classes? (I know what you’re thinking; perhaps I should stop looking out the window!) How can I bring glory to God in my home, in my workplace, among my friends?

Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good.

3 John 11

Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice… Amos 5:15

I elected not post this on Halloween because I wanted us to focus on the real issue. I don’t care how you address Halloween; I care that you address evil in every part of your life. Do you think about entertainment? How do you decide what TV shows or movies to watch? What about work ethics? Would you engage in practices for work that you wouldn’t engage in otherwise? Is it OK to lie to your boss about being sick? Is it OK to lie for your boss? Is your language different when you drive than it is at church? Do you smile at the lady you are gossiping about later?

            How do you make choices about how to live your life, every day?

Each moment, we get to choose what we will do or say, whether we will bring glory to God or not. We get to choose how to live for him. We decide what others around us will see and know about God. We decide whether we will draw closer or turn away from him.

            So its not whether we dress up and eat too much candy, its how we reflect him to the world around us in this moment. We need to address the evil around us, to armor up and be aware of the choices we are making. Evil is real. We don’t need to be afraid, but we do need to be aware, and not participate in it. It’s not who we are anymore.

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness. Ephesians 4:22-24

Attitude of Gratitude

     I confess. I’m a lurker. I love social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, but I rarely post. I like to stay in the shadows, lurking around, watching everything you do and say. I leave the occasional pithy comments (I seriously need a sarcasm font, so you all will know when to take me seriously). I make myself post from time to time so that my family doesn’t get worried. I love to post silly jokes (cow jokes are my favorite). I try to keep my posts positive and uplifting. Rarely do I share the stuff that weighs on my heart.

     I admire those people who ask deep philosophical questions, probing their friends for the answers to the questions of the universe, those answers beyond 42. They encourage us to think and are willing to engage us and prod us to go beyond our comfort zones. They aren’t worried about making us angry. I think they want us to think deeply, but maybe what they really want is for us to agree with them.

     My favorite time of year on Facebook is the month of November. Over the past few years someone there has issued a gratitude challenge. The challenge is to post something that you are grateful for every single day.

 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”  Psalm 136

     It’s harder than it sounds. There are thirty days in the month. Once you get past your family and friends (how many kids do you have, anyway?!), past the gifts of nature, you have to begin to really look. I find myself keeping my eyes open for things I can post that I am thankful for. Every day becomes a scavenger hunt of sorts. What will I discover today? What might I have missed if I weren’t looking?

     I reconnect with the amazing way God is working in my life. I see my days in a new light. I have a new awareness of how blessed I am. My mood is lighter, and I find myself whistling more. (Yes, I whistle. I like to whistle.) I actually feel better.

 “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,

and good news gives health to the bones.” Prov. 15:30

     Some of the best parts of this month of gratitude are the responses of other people. When we share the goodness of the Lord, we are sharing the gospel, the good news of what it means to be in relationship with God. God is good to us. Sometimes we forget. We get bogged down with the details of life, and we forget the bigger picture that shows how blessed we are.

     We are intended to live life with an attitude of gratitude. We should be a people who are hugely aware of how good God is, of how wide is his mercy and how full is his grace. We can encourage one another just by keeping our eyes and hearts open.

     So, how about it? Will you take up the November challenge? Either on Facebook or Twitter or in your personal journal or your blog will you look for and post every day something you are grateful for? I’ll be watching, and I hope you’ll share with me as I open my eyes as well.

We've Got Today!

“This is the day that the Lord has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”  Psalm 118:24

As I look at the Body of Christ, I see a people who are often just as worried and harried as the non-Christian world around them.  In the words of an old-timer, “too many Christians look like they’ve been suckin’ on sour persimmons!”  The Psalmist implies that joy is a choice.  I can choose to rejoice in this day, or not.  He goes on to give us several clues to living joy:

Live in the present.  “This is the day…”, and truly, this is the only day we have.  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come.  But I have today, this moment.  Right now I can choose to find something to rejoice about.  If you are reading this I can only assume that you are breathing.  This alone seems cause for joy.

Keep focused on the Lord.  “This is the day that the Lord has made…”  God made this day.  To what end?  What does He intend for this day?  As Jesus talked to His disciples in John 15 about abiding in Him, He says that “these things I have spoken unto you that My joy might be in you, and that your joy may be made full…” Living in Jesus, dwelling in His presence, is a key to joy.

Remember to be grateful.  “Let us rejoice and be glad…”  Perhaps finding things to be grateful for, to be glad about, is hard for you.  Maybe you are alone, or facing financial hardship, or perhaps you struggle with depression or poor health.  Still, God tells us to rejoice, if for no other reason than that He died to save us.  Having an attitude of gratefulness to the Lord is a choice we make.  We choose to focus on His blessings and remember consciously to thank Him for them.  This may require a shift in our mindset, but such a shift results in our strength and in our becoming a people marked by joy.  As others around us see joy that surpasses human understanding, they can’t help but wonder at it’s source.