Tue, May 26th - 4:05PM

Plan B

  Many, if not most, of the people I know in my town are living on Plan B.  Having had my one divorce, I’m also living on Plan B.  Having given you this clue to the definition, it should come as no surprise that Plan B comes after Plan A.  There was nothing wrong with Plan A, nothing but us.  Some of the unfixables will move on into Plan C and D, etc., but I choose to remain healthy and secure in the middle of my Plan B.

  God has one Plan A for each of us, but because of our poor choices, or lack of good ones, alternate routes are available, and because we choose freely but God knows our choices in advance – He supplies our needs according to the plan we choose. 

  I also know that God’s ultimate plan for His creation will be successfully completed some day, and we can participate with Him in that fulfillment, whatever personal plan we’re in.  Of course, like any typical children, we learn hard lessons hard ways – when we learn.  I simply choose to learn, rather than look for greener grass in  Plan C.

  Now, the devil would love to bog us down with guilt concerning our poor choices.  He’s really good at it, and more often than not we’re carrying guilt over our Plan A instead of being thankful to God for Plan B.  If we don’t wise up and learn how to be thankful, we are set up to move on to Plan C, and thus, carry the guilt of both Plan A and B; enter Plan D…..

  In the same basic way, God has a Plan A for us in other areas of our lives.  Even if our marriages are Plan B, we can cultivate a Plan A mentality when it comes to trusting God for our health and provisions.  It works this way because it is more important for us to learn how to (continually) trust in God than live the entire scope of our lives with a Plan B mentality.  However, trusting God for any Plan A solution is a lot harder and riskier than opting for Plan B.

  We are dealing with very fine lines here.  For instance, Plan A would involve me choosing to trust God rather than doctors, when it involves the doctors getting the glory for the healing.  This is all about building a testimony to God, and if I get healed and consequently testify about the good doctor I had – where is God’s glory?  Is He going to share the spoils with a doctor?  But if you turn it the other way around, and the testimony tells how I absolutely KNOW that God provided the specific doctor, God still gets the glory.  Do you see the difference?  If I trust God over anybody or anything else, I’m already living within Plan A. 

  And by the way, I’ve learned if I’m trying to stay within Plan A for healing, it’s more important that I seek more of God, rather than the specific healing.  Sometimes, I’ve had to reach the point where I wanted more of Him than the healing itself, and when I did that, He threw in the healing gratis. 

  Maybe it’s really quite simple – I need to first seek God; everything else I need will be supplied if I do.  I guess that’s His prescription for all our ills. 

  Our doctor is always “IN”.  Are we “IN” Him?

John

Tue, May 26th - 2:33PM

Who We Really Are

  As I type this short essay I am hearing the background noises in my part of the world.  These sounds attest to me how real the physical world is, and every day they underscore my version of physical reality.  There is also a very real threat here, and the threat becomes visible when the world around me diminishes the reality of God, and His Word in my life. 

  I know the physical world testifies to the Creator, but at the same time it can also distract me from Him.  In 2 Corinthians 5:7, the apostle Paul wrote, ‘For we live by believing and not by seeing’, but unfortunately, most of us can only manage this shift on Sunday mornings, and then, only for several hours.

  So let’s discuss God’s spiritual reality, and who we really are, according to Him.  The bible tells us plainly in the New Testament that we are several things:

• We are one Family - because we share the same blood.

• We are The Church.

• We are priests in the order of Melchizedek – in a kingdom of priests.

• We are God’s house.

• We are God’s inheritance.

• We are spiritual warriors.

• As such, we are part of the army of Christ, and

• We are the bride of Christ, looking forward to the coming of the Bridegroom.

  There is no mystery to this list; these things comprise the spiritual reality God has chosen to reveal to us from before the world was created, and since He existed long before our physical reality, the spiritual should trump the physical – for us who believe.   

  In my local church, we’ve experienced an increasing number of attacks for the last several years, and the pace seems to be picking up.  As this onslaught continues, it becomes increasingly important that we shift our view from the world’s version of reality, to God’s, otherwise we will be taken out  – distracted away from our true effectiveness in Christ. 

  Often, I feel like a spiritual soldier on D-Day, trying to run across the beach when men all around me are getting taken out.  If I get distracted by the reality of the violence, I lose sight of the true spiritual nature of the battle, and the nature of the shelter God has provided through Christ.  In all of this I am convinced of one thing: a good offense is the best defense.  My God has never called a retreat.

  My church has, and is taking casualties, and as the casualty list increases in length, it is increasingly vital that I keep my focus on my very real Commander-In-Chief, and on His battle plans.  It is vital that I see His version of reality, and place my faith first in it. 

  But this isn't easy for me to do, because the sheer noise and horror of the battle  vies for my attention, and if I prioritize incorrectly, I lose sight of the big picture and immediately go on the defense, and on the defense, I first lose my will to fight.  When this occurs, I increase my own risk, and quickly become one who needs help, rather than one equipped to give it, and thus, I too become a casualty and fall out of the battle line.

  While it’s important to have the right enemies, it’s just as important that we not run from them.  The only way we’ll not run is to increasingly focus our gaze upon God, and prioritize His reality.

  I am alive today by, with, and because of God’s life in me.  Someday my physical body will curl up and die, yet I will live, because His life in me is Eternal and can't die or suffer loss.  In the meantime, I am called to have faith in Him, hope in Him, trust Him, fight the good fight (not fight good), and never give up – never.

Mon, May 18th - 11:32AM

Idols of the Heart

  I realize that much of what I write seems redundant, and although I struggle against the syndrome of “One man, one message”, I am responsible to God for what I write, when I write about Him – and often He gives me the one message…

  This last week the title of this piece came to my mind with some force, and I examined my own heart for idols.  I came up with quite a list – and probably a list familiar to many Americans. 

  By Idols, I mean literally ANYTHING that replaces or edges out the first-place position God ought to have in the minds and lives of Christians.  I underlined “lives” because very commonly we Christians keep God in a special, “Sunday” spot in our minds, but His place in our minds never quite translates effectively into the way we live (one man, one message again..).

  I even had to go so far as to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal my idols to myself, as it seemed immediately evident from the outset that I was not being brutal enough in my honesty. 

  Groups of possessions, passions, old ways of thinking, old ways of reacting and particularly old ways of prioritizing my thoughts and life, began to surface.  It was quite an experience!  And with this question in mind:  What takes the place of God in my daily thoughts and my life?, I challenge you to ask yourself what idols you have.  And before you beg out, I will tell you this – we all have them.

  But why is this an important topic to consider, and why now?  I would say this: real Christians are running out of time – ‘to whom much has been given, much is required’ would certainly apply to people God’s Son gave His life for.  You and I have been very expensive to God; there was no higher price, and I would say unequivocally, ‘much has been given’ for each of us.  But are we ready to live the second half of the quote?  We Christians are quickly being brought closer to God’s version of reality for us, but are we ready? 

  I hope I am; I pray that He will enable me to be ready to glorify Him and further His ultimate Kingdom plan concerning my life, while I still have some time left.  It has been my experience that when bad things happen, they happen fast – usually much faster than we’re ready for, unless we’ve prepared in advance.  Well brothers, dark, desperate times are approaching for God’s people, and they’re coming quickly.  Get ready now, while you have the benefit of this brief pause. 

  Tear out the Idols of your hearts; beg God to tear out the ones you can't find, and while you’re at it, beg God to deliver you from all the religious delusions that cause you to live in (blissful) ignorance.  Our lives are NOT composed of philosophical biology – we are alive today because the very real and yes, dangerous God, called our names.  And yes, in order to glorify Him (as we blissfully sing in church), we may very well have to give up our lives, and soon. 

  My constant prayer is that God will have mercy on those who bear His Name.  I pray that we all may indeed, finish well – according to Him.

John