Hope for Life Blog

I sometimes talk to people who say they believe in Jesus but do not attend church.  Or if they do attend occasionally, they are not involved.  Their reasoning is that they are able to worship God anywhere, or that the churches they have attended have not met their needs, or they have not felt connected.  While there may be some validity in these viewpoints, it is possible they are missing the point that church is more than worship, what I need, or how I feel.  Church is not a building, nor is it just about how we worship.  Church is a place to be part of a community of believers.

A glimpse of the purpose for church is seen in the book of Hebrews:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another … (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Meeting together as a community is where we inspire and motivate each other to love and serve in this world.  Even in the early days of Christianity, there were those who did not see the need to meet together.  You need to be an encourager.  You need to be motivated.  That happens in community.  We show unity as we share in the supper of the Lord, engaging again in his death.  We are inspired by singing together.  We petition and praise God together.  We listen together to God’s Word.  We build relationships over weeks, months, and years of worshipping together.

Church is a place for us to help each other, not just a place to receive help.  It is a refuge in times of trouble and sickness.  It is the place to find help in battling the evil One.  It is where people can confess their sins to you and know you will pray for them, encourage them, and help them.  It is a place where you can confess your sins, receive encouragement and know you will be helped.

But you cannot give – or receive – these things if you are not part of community.

Blessings,

steve

Good news:  kids under twelve eat free.  When I see offers like that, it really doesn’t excite me.  I think it is more like interesting news.  My children are grown, so unless the offer is about old folks eating free, I do not get too excited.  Good news is something that I can participate in; interesting news is what other people participate in.  The Bible talks about good news.  If you believe it, it is the best news ever.  If not, it is something interesting to talk about.  That good news is gospel.

Christians like that word.  It is also a word used in our culture to mean something that is absolutely real and true.  But in the Bible it is used to mean good news.  Preaching the gospel is preaching good news.  Gospel truth is good news truth.  Believing the gospel is believing good news.  The apostle Paul wrote in the Bible that the good news is what he preached and what is most important.  Good news is what saves us.   So what is this “good news”?

Paul explains that the good news is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day.  Jesus died to pay for my sins, my offenses against God.  All the things I did that I should not have done.  All the things I should have done and did not.  The things that keep me from a holy God have been paid for by God’s own son.  Not only that, but he came back to life.  Jesus, God’s son, paid for my sins by his death on the cross and God brought him to life again.  That is good news.  That is great news. 

This good news is not just something for me to intellectually acknowledge, but something I get to participate in.  In another one of the books in the Bible, Paul reminds us that our baptism was sharing in the death and burial of Jesus.  And just as he was raised from the dead, we are raised to a new life.  Because we shared in his death, we will share in his resurrection.  I can live with a holy God forever.  I am living good news.  I was crucified with Christ and the old me died.  Now I live for Jesus and someday I will be raised from the dead to live in God’s presence forever.

Living good news.  That is what we Christians are.

This is a statement I often hear in conversations with people who are not Christians.  And I sometimes hear this from those who are trying to live the Jesus lifestyle.  I am a preacher and I have this feeling sometimes.  So if you have been afraid to start reading God’s Word because you have trouble understanding it, or you are afraid you will not understand it, let me share some ideas that have been helpful to me.

First of all, it is true that some parts of the Holy Bible are difficult.  Peter and Paul were two of the most active preachers in the early history of the church.  Both of them wrote letters that are in the Bible.  Peter said that some of Paul’s writings are hard to understand.  He also warned us that there are people who will distort these and other Scriptures in a way that leads to their destruction.  So I know there are some things in Scripture I may not understand.  It is okay to not understand everything. 

Remember that the Bible was written for one main purpose:  to help you know Jesus.  The gospel of John explains that it was written so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and by believing that we can have life in his name.  Jesus did many things that are not recorded in the Bible.  In fact, if everything Jesus did was written down, the whole world would not have room for the books it would take.  But what is written is so we can know Jesus.  So we can believe in Jesus.  So we can live like Jesus.  So we can live forever with Jesus.  When I have trouble understanding the Bible, I try to remember that the focus is Jesus.  He is the important thing to learn from the Bible.  God gave us the Bible so we could know his Son.

Finally, you need to know that there is help for understanding the Bible.  There is a story in the book of Acts about a man who was reading his Bible but did not understand it.  God had a Jesus disciple connect with him to explain the Scripture.  When they began to talk about the Scripture being read, the Christian told him the good news of Jesus.  The Ethiopian believed it, acted on it, and found life in Jesus. 

We can too.

Blessings,

steve

My wife recently had me help her clean out our garage and I was amazed.  I carried off old, used up furniture that was no longer usable.  I threw away toys that were no longer played with and lots of … well, junk.  But I remembered when some of that furniture was new.  I can remember saving up and being so proud when we bought the item that was going to be just perfect for our house.  And now it is not.  I remember when the toys were absolutely the must have item on the Christmas and birthday wish list.  I smiled when I remembered the fun times watching my children play with them.  Now nobody wants them.  The junk I was carting away was something that at one time we thought we needed – or wanted.  Not now.

At first I objected to getting rid of them because I remembered how special they had been.  Of course, I know they cannot last forever.  No toy does.  Neither does furniture.  They are not designed to last forever.  They do not last.  They are like everything else in this world.  They have a limited shelf life. 

As I thought about it, I realized the memories were not so much about the items themselves.  It was what they represented:  good times with family and friends.  I did not mind getting rid of the things so much when it dawned on me I would always have my family.  My kids are grown and their grandparents are getting old.  Now my wife and I have grandchildren.  We are buying toys that will be thrown out someday.  But our family will be together forever.  That is the special blessing for those of us that believe in Jesus.  He died so we could live.  Forever.  My family believes that.

Cleaning out the garage reminded me of what does – and what does not – last forever.  It reminded me of what is – and is not – really important.  It helped me to remember to focus on what matters.  If you would like to know about families that last forever, I can help you.  If you want to know that you will last forever, I would enjoy visiting with you.  You are not junk.  You are special, and you can know that.

Blessings,

steve

I can tell from the way he looks and acts that my dog Lucky thinks he understands me.  The truth is that he does not have a clue.  He knows I love him, he knows I feed him, and he knows I provide shelter when it gets really cold.  He adores me, minds me most of the time, and really enjoys being in my presence.  But does he really understand me? 

Does he really understand when I discipline him that it is for his own good?  Does he understand how dangerous it is outside of his yard?  Does he know why the leash has to be on before we walk?  Sometimes he whines to come in, or he begs for a treat.  I think he believes that I am there to make his life function exactly the way he wants it to be.  He must actually think  that he knows how my mind works. 

He doesn’t.  He cannot reason on my level.  He cannot think the way I do.  I doubt he thinks in terms of the future.  He may recognize things I do, but does he understand why?  We have a relationship, but we are not equals.  We love each other, but I am the master. 

So I wonder if this is how it is with me and God.  We are not equal.  We operate on completely different levels of thought.  I cannot think like God.  I cannot understand God.  I may get glimpses of His character.  I may see the fruits of His action.  I can even communicate with Him.  But for me to assume I understand God is a serious mistake.  I might end up thinking God is the way I want Him to be, or imagine He should be. 

So I pay close attention to what He has said to me.  I do not have to understand it, but I do believe it.  I read His Word, the Bible.  I try to do what it says.  God is God, and I am me.  When I remember that, life works.  When I get the roles reversed, life falls apart.  He is the Master, not me.

Blessings,

steve

 My dog Lucky and I recently spent some time together at obedience school.  I thought we were going so Lucky could learn something about minding me, but the instructor spent most of his time training me.  He explained that even though Lucky was a great dog, he really did not know what was best for him.  Without me, he will go places that are dangerous, stick his nose into places that are not healthy, and maybe even starve to death.  So it is important for Lucky to know that obeying me will be the best thing for him.

Our instructor talked about the fact that Lucky must know the safest place in the world is at my side.  He needs to know that I will protect him, provide for him, and care for him.  His life is best when he follows and minds me.  We spent most of our time helping me understand how to train Lucky to know these things.  Lucky actually is doing very well after his training.  And I learned about my relationship with God.  I don’t think the instructor intended it to be that way, but it was.

I know my life is better with God.  He will protect me, feed me, and care for me.  I have tried to handle my own life and I end up in places that are not good for me.  On my own, I realize that maybe I don’t know what is best for me.  Life is hard.  This world is scary, and there are so many things that I cannot control.  Left on my own, I will mess things up.  Even worse, when I mess them up, I can’t fix them.

So I need God.  I need to follow Him.  I need to obey Him.  I need to learn that life works when I accept Him as my Master.  I believe that to be true for all of us.  God made us, knows us, loves us, and wants what is best for us.  When I forget this, life gets more confusing and difficult.  When I remember it, I find peace, joy, hope, and purpose.

Lucky learned his lesson:  life is better when he obeys his Master.  I learned my lesson too:  life is better when I obey my Master.  It can work for you too.

I learned a lot about Spiderman this past week.  That’s what happens when you are snowbound with your five year old grandson who likes Spiderman toys.  I learned that Peter Parker was bitten by a spider and it changed his insides so he got special powers to fight the bad people.  So he got a special costume and a new name that shows who he is now.  He is stronger and better than he used to be, and he uses his power to help save people in trouble.

And that got me to thinking.  When I became a follower of Jesus, my old self changed.  I received the Holy Spirit to help me become a new person.  Becoming a Christian changed me from the inside out.  It gave me a new identity.  And it made me more powerful.  Because of Jesus, I will overcome the hard things of this life.  Evil, sickness, pain, and sorrow no longer have the power to destroy me. 

I too get to fight evil by helping people in need.  Christians get to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus in this world.  I feed the hungry, care for widows and orphans, help the sick, and befriend the lonely.  As a Jesus follower, I am able to help alcoholics get sober, sexually immoral people live pure, mean people become sweet, angry people become gentle, and greedy people to become givers.

I help the hopeless to find hope, the unhappy to learn contentment, the restless to experience peace, and the rootless to find purpose.  I do this because someone helped me to know new life. 

Spiderman is a wonderful story that someone made up.  The Jesus story is real.  It is true in my life, and it is becoming true in the lives of people all over this world every day.  It can be true in your life too.  You can become a new person with a life of joy, peace, hope, purpose, and power.  You can then help others find this life too.

Blessings,

steve

I love the way fresh snow looks.  Everything is beautiful and clean.  Snow can be so intensely white that it causes snow blindness.  New snow is so pure, it seems as if I am the first person to ever set foot on this landscape.  There are no tracks, no ugly ruts, and no old footprints.  Culture is full of references to the beauty, purity, and cleanliness of snow.  Snow White.  Pure as the driven snow. 

My own backyard is magically transformed by new snow.  No barren spots show in the yard.  Uneven spots are leveled under the blanket of snow.  The dog trail is covered over.  New. Clean.  Pure.  Spotless.

Maybe that is why he used the analogy about snow.  He was a man who committed adultery with one of his employee’s wives.  When she got pregnant, he tried to cover it up by having the husband come home so people would think that was when she got pregnant.  When that deceit failed, he had the man posted to a high risk assignment that resulted in his being killed, took the widow as his wife, and tried to make the whole affair respectable.

But he was a man of God.  When confronted with the enormity of his failure to live according to his commitment, he was devastated.  He begged God to forgive him.  He begged God to wash him in order that he would be whiter than snow.  Forgiven.  Cleansed.  Restored.  Faithful. 

And God did.  His name was David and he was one of the great heroes of the people of God.  He was a great King, a mighty warrior, and man of faith.  He was an adulterer, a murderer, and a hypocrite.  Clearly he was a man who could not manage his own life.  How could he ever make this right?  How could he atone for the horror of his actions, his betrayal of all that he believed?  He couldn’t make it right.  But God could and did.

Have you ever longed for a new life, for forgiveness from past mistakes, for a clean slate?  Have you wanted to start again with a life as clean and as pure as snow?  Have you wanted the blackness of your life to be white again?

Jesus can do that for you.  He has for me, and he has for people all over this world. 

Blessings,

steve

If there is a God, why is the world in such a mess?  I often hear questions like this from people who question the existence of God.  They see and hear about child abuse, sickness, natural disaster, crime, and tragedy, and they are horrified.  So they ask me as a believer how can I believe in a God who could allow such things to exist.

I tell them that God did not do this.  He made a perfect world.  Satan lives in rebellion against God. He could not stand the creation of a perfect world with man in a harmonious relationship with God.  So Satan tempted Eve to do the one thing God told her not to do.  And she did it.  So did her husband Adam.  As a consequence of their action, they had to leave the perfect Garden of Eden and live in a now fallen world. 

Even then, God loved man so much that He enacted a plan to restore that perfect world.  The plan culminated in the coming of God’s own Son to redeem man.  Those who believe in him get to live with God forever.  Those who do not believe in Him, don’t.  So here is my answer:  it is not God’s fault.  He gave us the free will to make choices.  Adam and Eve made bad ones.  So do we.  God promised He would fix it, and He did.

But some of those questioning do not believe this story.  They do not believe in God.  So I tell them to quit blaming Him.  If He does not exist, then He is not the cause of this messed-up world.  If He does exist, the fallen world is not His fault or His choice.  And He will make it right.

So the choice is always yours to make.  Believe God is real and will fix the world we have destroyed, or believe He does not exist and just live with the way things are.  No hope, no future, no life. 

As for me, I believe.  It makes more sense than anything else I have heard.

Blessings,

steve

My electric razor quit the other day.  In the midst of my frustration, I realized that the battery just needed to be charged.  So I quickly grabbed the charger, plugged it into the razor and took off for work.  Imagine my frustration when it still did not work the next morning.  As I was complaining to my wife, she asked if I had charged it.  I sweetly and lovingly – sort of – explained that of course I had.  I even showed her how I plugged it in.  She then – sweetly and lovingly – explained that perhaps I should plug the other end into the electrical outlet.  I had failed to connect to the power source.

I have found the same problem in life sometimes.  Have you ever realized that life just was not working for you?  It might be that life has not turned out like you thought it would when you were younger.  Maybe it is your relationships that are broken.  Or maybe it is that you have no joy, no hope, and no purpose in life.  You know it could be better than it is.  Everything would be better if you could just find the right answer. 

Perhaps you have tried to find the answer that will change your life. You may have tried money, power, sex, drugs, politics, popularity, and a host of other approaches to a more fulfilling life.  Yet, in the long run, none of them work.  None of them can fix your life.  Not in the long run.  But there is a power that can.  God.

God wants you to live life fully.  He specializes in mending relationships.  He wants you to life a life of hope, joy, and purpose.  Not only does He want this for you, but He did something to make it happen.  He sent His Son Jesus to this world to show you life — to give you life.

All you have to do is plug into the power source.

Blessings,

steve