Before the Throne – A Poem

This morning as I was listening to music on my iPod the song Trust in Jesus came on and I started to think about standing before God’s judgment throne. Paul confirmed what is written all throughout the Old Testament, that everyone, even Christians, will face God’s judgment.

For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’”

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:11-12 (NIV).

It occurred to me that as much as I appreciate what Jesus has done for me now, it will only be as I face the judgment throne of God that I will be able to fully appreciate the magnitude of His grace. Just as Solomon did, “I thought in my heart, ‘God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.’” Ecclesiastes 3:17 (NIV). Perhaps it is to fulfill His promise to bring us great joy and blessing that God will reveal, at the end of our days, how much He truly loves us. Only by revealing our great need for His redemption can He make us understand.

Before the Throne

I stand before the throne of God
He opens His book to my list of sins
His messenger begins to read
my transgressions, one by one

In my mind I begin to prepare
my defense, my justification for each sin
I think I am ready to answer
to show that I deserve mercy

The list goes on and on and on
Will it ever end?
My justifications begin to fade
My heart grows weak with shame

How can I stand before His throne
the judgment throne of the Almighty
I tremble in fear of His wrath, His righteous judgment
I know it will destroy me, I cannot stand

I fall to my knees before His throne

I bow my head knowing His judgment is true
Realizing I have no defense
I have broken every commandment, every law
without a single justification

Suddenly before the throne
between me and God’s final judgment
Stands the One who came to save me
His mercy and grace pour over me

I remember with great joy
that while I was yet a sinner
He loved me, He redeemed my soul
I trusted in Him and He is faithful to forgive

Before the throne of judgment and grace
I lift my voice in praise and adoration
Finally understanding completely
What His great love has accomplished

1/8/13: Shared this for Open Link Night at dVerse Poets Pub today.

The Problem with Santa Claus

For many people, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa Claus. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, they start looking forward to Jolly Old St. Nick bringing presents to all the good little boys and girls. Every shopping mall has a Santa Claus waiting for long lines of children to sit on his lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. I’ve even known people whose only Christmas decorations in their homes are Santa themed.

Now I will admit that I have a few Santa Claus decorations and we do hang stockings to be opened on Christmas morning. We even label some family gifts as “from Santa.” The spirit of giving that surrounds Santa Claus—which started with the very first real St. Nicholas who gave presents to needy children—is wonderful.

But there is a problem with Santa Claus. The whole idea of a Jolly Old Elf bringing presents only to good boys and girls contradicts the Gospel message of Christmas. We are reminded in Christmas songs that Santa “knows if you’ve been bad or good,” and if you are bad all you get is a lump of coal.

This is the story of most major religions—that if we are good enough we will earn whatever it is we want most.

Jesus tells a different story. Immanuel, God with us, came because He loves us all whether we are good or bad. He offers salvation and eternal life to all. It’s a free gift and all we have to do is accept it to be on His list.

Santa’s list of who’s naughty and who’s nice might seem to work for making kids be good. But long ago God showed that the threat of punishment or withholding of blessings doesn’t work to make people do what is right. “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.” Romans 8:3 (NIV).

That is why for me Christmas isn’t Christmas without the Christ child and most of my Christmas decorations are nativity scenes. And my favorite Christmas songs aren’t about Santa Claus but are old standards like O Come O Come Emmanuel, O Holy Night, and Mary Did You Know?

Which is why today I want to share Jeremy Camp’s rendition of that last of these on his recently released Christmas CD.

What If Eye for an Eye?

The other day I was listening to Creed in my car and one of my favorite songs came on. The song is called What If? It asks the very important question about what happens if we take vengeance on those who hurt us. The chorus says:

What if you did?
What if you lied?
What if I avenge?
What if eye for an eye?

I thought of what is going on in the news in the Middle East and Northern Africa in response to an anti-Islamic movie that was recently released. It is a perfect example of the end result of eye-for-an-eye mentality.

I have not seen the movie, or even the trailer, and I have no intention of doing so. I am not interested in watching a movie that purposely insults or degrades other humans or their religious beliefs. But I fail to understand how the violent protests that have erupted are a reasonable response to a movie. As insulting as this movie might be, it hasn’t hurt anyone. What if someone made this movie and perhaps even lied about Islam? What if those lied about avenge that injury? The result is violence and death.

This is certainly an extreme example of eye-for-an-eye mentality, and is not indicative of the mentality of all Muslims at all.

But unfortunately we see this mentality on a smaller scale in our everyday lives. When we are hurt we want those who hurt us to pay; we want vengeance.

Many people think eye for an eye is Biblical, and there is certainly some of this mentality exhibited among people in the Old Testament. But God does not call us to such an attitude. In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul reminds us to trust God for justice:

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ”But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21 (NASB).

My favorite part of the song What if? is the bridge at the end that says:

I know that I can’t
hold the hate inside my mind
‘Cause what consumes your thoughts
controls your life

If we cling to hatred and our “right” not to be insulted by others, then hatred will control our lives. I prefer to cling to God’s love and let that love control my life.

One last thing, a warning of sorts: If you don’t like hard rock you might not want to listen to this song. It’s pretty rockin’!

Worship – A Poem

The past two Sundays I have not attended church because we were out camping both weekends with family. I know that attending church is not necessary for my salvation, but I miss it terribly when I don’t go (even when I’m enjoying whatever I’m going instead, like spending time with family or reading a good Christian novel).

I know there are some denominations that believe that missing church on Sunday is a sin, but I’m not sure that is the most useful way to view missing worship services. I believe that the clergy do a disservice to the Gospel when they guilt their congregants into attending Sunday (or Saturday) services.

Sin is anything that separates us from God. It is an attitude of the heart, not the location of our body, on any given day that is important. Attending church services is a privilege, not a duty.

I do believe that the act of corporate worship is important when it strengthens our relationship with God and with one another. It is an essential part of the Christian life because the Christian life is one grounded in relationship. Habitual avoidance of church can certainly lead to a weakened faith and tendency towards sin and separation from God. But occasionally missing a church service does not preclude worship of the Almighty.

As I thought about this, and about how thankful I am that we enjoy the privilege of corporate worship without fear of reprisal in this country, this poem came to my mind.

Worship

Hands lifted high
Our voices rise in adoration
Songs for the King upon His throne
The One who died to save our souls
This is our act of worship

Head bowed down low
On bended knee in supplication
Prayers to the King who does listen
The One who cried for my lost soul
This is my act of worship

Feet on the move
Sharing His love in appreciation
Service of the King who loves deeply
The One who tried to redeem all souls
This is our act of worship

Sneaking through the night
Seeking others in congregation
To learn of the King who reigns eternal
The One who died to save their souls
This is their act of worship

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritualact of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV).

No Condemnation in Christ

I’ve been reading through the Psalms in a book called The Psalms for Prayer. Each Psalm includes a short descriptive paragraph at the beginning, a suggested Bible passage to read, and suggestions for prayer focus interspersed throughout the Psalm. The other day I read Psalm 24, and the suggested Bible passage was Romans 8:1-11. This is one of my favorite parts of Romans, and I especially like the first three verses:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 8:1-3 (NIV).

This passage is a great reminder that the purpose of the law is to help us realize our sinfulness and need for a savior.

The law is necessary for a civilized society. It is good to have an idea of what is right and what is wrong. But the law is powerless to make people always do what is right. Absolutely powerless.

But God’s grace is out strength and power to overcome; Christ is our Savior.

The dictionary definition of condemn is “to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment.” Because of Christ, we are pronounced innocent and are pardoned from the punishment we deserve.

This morning I saw a quote on Facebook that said, “This is the Karma Café. There are no menus. You will get served what you deserve.” My first thought was that I am glad Christianity is not based on karma. When we trust in Christ, we do not get what we deserve.

The law can only give us what we deserve, but the God of grace gives us what we do not deserve. What a blessing that is!

So how about you? Are you still living a condemned life under the law, or have you been set free from the law of sin and death?

It’s About the Heart

In church last Sunday we continued with our sermon series on the Essential Jesus based on the Sermon on the Mount. The scripture reading for the day was Matthew 6:1-18.

There are three things that Jesus talks about in this passage of scripture: Giving to the needy, Prayer, and Fasting. Our youth minister gave the sermon, and she pointed out something I’d never noticed before. In talking about these behaviors Jesus does say “if” you do these things, but rather He starts with the word “when” – as in “When you give to the needy,” “When you pray,” and “When you fast.” He assumes those He is teaching will or already do these things and He focuses on how they should be done.

Giving to the needy, praying, and fasting are all desirable behaviors and they can each draw us closer to God. But Jesus says we should do them all in secret so that only He knows what we have done. If we parade our good deeds in front of men in order to gain their praise then the praise we receive will be our only reward. But if we do these things in secret so that only God knows, then we will be rewarded by our Heavenly Father.

As I listened to the sermon and pondered these words of Jesus, I thought about why I write this blog. I actually had someone ask me recently why I blog.

I have to confess that sometimes I become a bit obsessed with how many page views I’ve had and whether anyone has commented on or liked each new post. And I clearly don’t blog in secret – I don’t think that is even possible.

But as I thought about what is at the core of Jesus’ message – that our giving, our prayer, and our fasting need to be a matter of the heart that are all done to draw us closer to God and not to gain the praise of men – I realized I’m okay with my blogging. I know that in my heart I blog because the writing draws me closer to God and because it is a way that I can bring the Good News of the Kingdom of God to others.

God has gifted me with a talent for writing and rather than bury it in the ground and keep it a secret, He has called me to use it for the furtherance of His Kingdom. I am reminded of a passage from Romans:

But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:8-15 (NIV).

So I’ll continue to call on the name of the Lord and to be those beautiful feet that bring the good news of His mercy. I won’t keep His word and wisdom a secret.

Some things are meant to be done in secret so that only the Lord, who knows the heart, will see why we have done them. Other things are meant to be shared with all who will listen so that they will know Him, too. But all things are a matter of the heart and to whom it belongs.

My heart belongs to Jesus. Who does your heart belong to today?

Out of the Heart

I know that we are not supposed to judge others (see Luke 6:37), and that only God is able to see into the heart of a man (see 1 Samuel 16:7).

But right after command us to not judge, Jesus says:

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45 (NIV).

So even though we are not to judge others in terms of pronouncing their ultimate fate — for only Jesus is our ultimate judge — we can still sometimes tell what another has stored up in their heart, whether it be evil or good, by the things that they say.

One who stores up anger, hatred, envy, jealousy, and pride in their heart will often speak ill of others, revealing the evil that they cling to. They will constantly complain about and judge others. Having people such as this in our lives can be truly exhausting as they are difficult to love as the Lord has commanded us to love.

Each of us must be careful of the words we speak and be aware of any evil in our own hearts that words of bitterness might reveal. When we see such bad fruit in the lives of others it is a good time to take an inventory of our own fruitfulness. It is also a good time to practice the lessons our Lord has taught us about how we are to live and not allow such evil to spread to our own hearts.

Above all, I believe the Lord calls us to be a witness to and pray for those in our lives whose bitterness, envy, and pride can cause us such grief. Quoting in part from Proverbs 25:21-22, the apostle Paul wrote:

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
   if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21 (NIV).

When Paul, quoting from Proverbs, says being kind to your enemy “will heap burning coals on his head,” what exactly does he mean? According to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, this phrase signifies “retribution by kindness, i.e., that, by conferring a favor on your enemy, you recall the wrong he has done to you, so that he repents, with pain of heart.” Vine’s pg. 107. In other words, by repaying another’s evil with kindness, you might cause him to return to the Lord and be saved so that Christ might reign in his heart.

But it is important to remember that it is only by the grace of God that we are able to treat the one whose bad fruit seems to plague our lives with love. It is Christ living in us who loves them and wants to change their heart, to destroy the evil in their heart and replace it with good, who is alone able to give us the capacity to show them love. For it is when we store up Christ in our own hearts that we are able ourselves to bear good fruit.

I’m the Best Kind of Zombie

We all face temptations every day. Sometimes it seems impossible to resist. But Jesus has given us a way.

We were once dead in our sins and transgressions, but Christ has made us alive again in Him. We are like zombies who once were dead but have been made alive again.

The Christian band Audio Adrenaline sings a great song about this called Some Kind of Zombie. I thought it was a perfect song to share during the season of Lent as we seek to turn towards God and away from the temptations to sin that plague us each day.

As I walk through the maze of temptations, I like to think of these lyrics:

Oh here they come
I’m not afraid
there’s no temptation I can’t evade.
I stand up straight
look through the haze
I begin to walk through the maze
here they come
they’re all around me
but I’m dead to sin like
some kind of zombie.

As I listen to this song, I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 6:8-14 (NIV):

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Because of Jesus, I am the best kind of zombie – one that is slave only to the grace of God and not to my sinful nature. Just as this Audio Adrenaline song says, “I walked away from the grave” and into an abundant life in obedience to Christ.

Thou Shall Not Covet

The Ten Commandments are the basic law that was given to the Israelites by God. The last of the commandments is stated in Exodus 20:17 as follows: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

This commandment is in addition to the commandment to not steal, which means that to covet what belongs to your neighbor is something different from stealing it. But what exactly does it mean to covet what belongs to another and why is it a bad thing?

It certainly doesn’t harm God directly if we covet what belongs to another, and it doesn’t harm the person whose things we covet. So what’s the big deal? Why did God give us this commandment?

God instructed us not to covet what belongs to others because He loves us and wants what is best for us. He wants us to trust Him for what we need and what will make us happy and content. He wants to bless us uniquely, and not necessarily in the same way He has blessed another.

When we covet what belongs to another then we lose the blessing of contentment. A lack of contentment brings sorrow and strife into our life. When we covet what belongs to another we dwell on what we don’t have and forget to be thankful for what we do have.

Here are some examples from my own life:

• If I covet the large families that my sisters-in-law all have (5, 4, and 3 kids, respectively), and dwell on a desire to have many children instead of the one son I do have, then I will feel sorrowful. I will forget to be thankful for the wonderful, generous, creative son that God has blessed me with. I will miss out on the blessing of being able to spend so much time with him because my time is not divided among multiple children.
• If I covet the 5 bedroom house that my neighbor owns, and dwell on my desire to have my own library, a larger laundry room, and guest rooms for visitors, then I will feel that life is unfair. I will forget to be thankful for the beautiful house I do own in a great neighborhood. I will miss out on the blessing of my small family being so close because there is no room in our house to avoid each other. I will also miss out on the blessing of not having as many rooms to keep clean.
• If I covet the Thunderbird I was following on my way to work the other day, and dwell on my desire to have a nicer car (preferably red), then I will feel sad. I will forget to be thankful for the (mostly) reliable car that I do drive and that I don’t have to ride the bus to work. I will miss out on the blessing of not having a car payment to make every month and not having higher insurance rates for a newer car.

There are many other things that my friends and neighbors have that I don’t have that I could covet. But God has commanded that I not covet these things because He wants me to be happy and content with the blessings I do enjoy. Although we may think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, God knows that there is no guarantee that having the things we covet would make us more content and happy.

As I thought about writing this post, a song by Dwight Yoakam came to mind. It’s called I Got You. It’s a song about a guy who has lost everything it seems, but he still has his girl and so he is content. He says:

Hey I know my life seems a mess but honey things to me still look real swell
Cause I’ve got you to see me through yeah I’ve got you to chase my blues
I’ve got you to ease my pain yeah I’ve got you girl to keep me sane
So let them do what they want to do cause it don’t matter long as I’ve got you

Sometimes in this life people do lose everything it seems. Sometimes they even lose the one person they think will get them through. But one thing is sure, and that is that we can never lose the love of Jesus.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (NIV).

So let us not covet that which we do not have, but instead be thankful for the blessings we have been given and rejoice in the love of God that can never be taken from us.

Expunging the Record

If a person is convicted of a crime, it goes on his or her record, sometimes referred to a rap sheet.

Under certain circumstances, a person’s record might be expunged. If a record is expunged it is as if it never existed. It is completely erased, never to be resurrected.

Under other circumstances, a person’s record might be sealed. The procedure to seal a record is often used in juvenile cases. Once a record is officially sealed, it can only be opened by order of the court. But it can be opened. It is not really gone.

Scripture tells us that every person has sinned – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (NIV). We all have had a record, some longer than others.

Then in comes God and offers to forgive our sins. And God’s forgiveness of our sins is akin to an expungement. It’s as if the sins were never committed and there is no record of them. The prophet Isaiah recorded the words of the Lord:

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NIV).

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Isaiah 43:25 (NIV).

But as humans, we have difficult time with the concept of the record of our sins being expunged. We worry that the record has simply been sealed and that it could be reopened by order of the Judge at a moment’s notice.

After all, that’s what we do. When others sin against us, we might forgive them. But we don’t expunge the record; we simply seal it. We may intend to leave it sealed, but when another sin is committed against us by the same person, we unseal that record and add the new sin to it. We keep a record of wrongs. Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV).

But a sealing of the record is not what God calls us to do. He calls us to expunge the record just as He has expunged our record. He calls us to forgive AND forget. But we can’t do it in our own strength, and He doesn’t expect us to. He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us and guide us. The fruit of the Spirit includes love. And love “keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV).

So whose record is God calling you to expunge? Who is God calling you to love like He loves you?