Forget Not

Often translated “neglect,” the idea of forgetting is often connected to actions or behaviors that too often are abandoned at the cost of lost relationships, abandoned responsibilities, and failure to learn. The extent of neglect is ever-growing in our day, but as Ecclesiastes reminds us, “there is no thing new under the sun.”

The Psalmist declares his commitment in Psalm 119:16b, “I will not neglect your word.” His commitment to the scriptures and the revelation of God is recognized as an important concern for daily attention in order that by focusing upon God’s word to us we might not sin against Him. God has given us instructions that are to be “fully obeyed.”
They are important for our knowledge, our meditation, our living and our thinking.

Paul reminded his younger protégé in ministry with these words, “Do not neglect the gift that is in you…put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:14-15 NRSV). Every spiritual gift which is ours to share is a daily stewardship of our capacities and opportunities for serving our Lord. These gifts should not be neglected or under-utilized.

The writer of Hebrews noted the importance of encouragement of one another in the community of faith. He wrote, “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NRSV). Sharing together requires being together and that requires our commitment of time and presence.

As Moses challenged the people of Israel before they entered the Promised Land, he told them, “Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NRSV). We would do well to remember that our God does not forget us. Let us trust Him, follow Him, and serve Him faithfully.

Running with Patience?

Hebrews 12:1 calls us to “…run with patience the race that is set before us,…”
In examining the translation closely, we find other meanings for the word for “patience,”
namely -- endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, and perseverance.

The idea of patience stands in the minds of most of us as a simple “waiting,” “marking time” or “standing by.” Yet, to couple the thoughts of running a race with those ideas of static inaction, we find they do not fit together at all. Our call to run the race of faith is to be about the constant pursuit of that “high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” It is no mission for the fainthearted. It does require “waiting on the Lord” but not in the sense of the passage of time, but rather in the sense of being ready to serve our Lord at every instant.

“To wait upon the Lord” in the King James Version language sense is to take the Old English meaning and apply it ….we are to be “waiting on” in the sense of service and to meet the needs presented to us in response to God’s directives and call. Waiting “for” something is to anticipate a future event and many Christians are spending their days waiting for the Lord’s return, all the while neglecting to be “waiting on” the Lord’s bidding…to teach, to preach, to make disciples, to heal, to cast out evil spirits, to share love, to show kindness, to demonstrate compassion, and to be peacemakers. As long as we wait…without waiting upon the Spirit of God, we will do nothing. With God, nothing will be impossible as He leads. Patience is not about standing around…it is about running with God.

Defining Christian Identity - part 1

(Part 1 of a series of discussing what characteristics identify a Christian Believer)

There are many books of systematic theology that outline the doctrines of Christianity in carefully crafted efforts to organize and describe the relationships defined by the biblical texts and the aspects of faith and practice described therein. I am not attempting such an expansive effort, but I am intrigued with the possibility of presenting a handful of thoughts relating to the matter of identifying Christians in the world today. My suggestions are intentionally not so broad as to include everyone who gathers under the banner of Christian identity in the culture in which we live, but I would suggest that there are defining relationships that offer significant insight into the lives of those who are Christian Believers.


TO CHOOSE CHRIST

Christians exercise their God-given capacity to choose to be followers of Jesus Christ. It is a matter of the will. It is a matter of the mind. It is a matter of the heart. It is a response to God’s invitation to grace, forgiveness and life.

To “call upon the name of the Lord” with sincerity and truth is to regard, to value,
to expect, and to trust. To have hope in God is to place confidence and faith in Him and to act in obedience to His instruction and truth, from the heart of one who expresses faith in God.

Disciples of Jesus desire to follow Him by their decision to walk in faith in the way of His leading.

Where Are Your Lost Abilities?

I heard a college educator recently suggest that you could ask a roomful of kindergarteners about what they could draw and they all would likely assume they could draw anything. You could ask them if they could sing or dance and they all would quickly make an effort to do just that. On the other hand, he noted if you asked a roomful of adults to draw or sing or dance, they often suggested that someone else could do it far better, without ever giving a thought to their own capacities to join in. This educator suggested that one of the great burdens of education was to discover how not to let that happen.

How is it that we diminish our efforts in light of our sense of social acceptance or from fear that our efforts will be less than well received? Might it not be important for us to think and dream and imagine and use our creativity to respond to the needs of the world in ways that we have never given ourselves permission to consider as “our” capacity to influence?

Many have heard the story about the young man who threw the starfish back into the ocean one at a time and when it was suggested that it didn’t matter that he did such a thing he answered by saying, “It mattered to that one.”

Perhaps our abilities, often self-defined as ineffective or limited in capacity, could be the needed investment to bring great changes to the world.

What might happen if significant numbers of Americans began to engage in dialogue and conversation about public policy?. What might happen if a majority of Americans went to the polls and voted in elections for people they really knew or had learned seriously about what they stood for, beyond TV sound bytes?

What might happen if you began to whistle a tune, sing a song, write a poem, tell a story, learn a new skill, or even say thank you a little more often?

What could happen if you would skip television for a week and read books instead? What would fill your mind if you studied your family history, or wrote a letter to a friend, or offered to teach a Sunday School lesson?

What could happen if you would start a personal ministry to bring unchurched children to church every Sunday for the next year?

What might happen if you invested in daily prayer and bible reading and shared what you learned with one other person in some way during each day?

Whenever talents and abilities seem to be presently beyond your grasp, reconsider your mindset as a kindergartener…you could and should develop all your talents and abilities with the joy and enthusiasm that allows you to dream great dreams in light of God’s love and blessings.