Being Nice?

I read this devotional this morning; it's an encouragement for us to be bold.

For neither did his brethren believe in him. (John 7:5)

Can you imagine growing up with a Brother who never did anything wrong, who never called you a name, never teased you, and never made fun of you? Jesus was the nicest Brother in world history—never sinning, never failing. Yet His brothers didn’t believe in Him. We know, however, that later on, Jesus’ half-brother Jude came to such a saving knowledge of Jesus that a book in the Bible bears his name. And His half-brother, James, so strong in the faith that he was the leader of the early Church, penned the Book of James. But neither James nor Jude became believers until Jesus was crucified on a Cross and resurrected from the dead.

Many times we think, ‘If I’m a nice person, my neighbor is going to get saved. I’ll mow his lawn; I’ll bake him cookies; I’ll smile when he drives by. I’ll be a lovely person—and that will convert him.’ Gang, there was no lovelier Person than Jesus Christ. Yet His brothers did not believe in Him until the Cross and the Resurrection. I think some of us need a greater aggressiveness in preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

You can wave to your neighbor for 20 years and wave him right into hell. Or you can take the time at some point to say, ‘You know what? Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again from the dead—and you must believe on Him.’

May we be wisely, but aggressively and radically bold in sharing the full story of the Gospel.

Courson, J. (2003). A Day's Journey : 365 Daily Meditations from the Word (February 28). Santa Ana, CA: Calvary Chapel Publishing.

Our House Is Empty

Well, progress is good. I love change, new things, advancement. We've turned a chapter in our quest for home. Our tenants have moved out of our house. During the next couple months we'll be doing some modifications and remodeling. Since the house is empty it's a prime time to do some things we've always wanted to do. There's a spiritual principle there. It's easier to do remodeling in an empty house then a house full of furniture and possessions. Often when the Lord wants to do a work in our lives He first empties us. That process of emptying involves the Lord taking stuff out of our lives so that He can do His work. I'd like to think that He's been doing that in us. He shows us some shortcoming or sin that He wants to deal with. He gets rid of it and He continues that constant remodeling project.

When we're done with our house that glorious day will dawn; a new song will rise in our hearts. We will finally reclaim our possessions from Public Storage, rent a truck, load and unload, unpack our boxes and then have a charismatic experience to finally have our own space. What a glorious day it will be when God is done with us! Philippians 1.6 says, "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

The Lord has been good to us. He has blessed us beyond what we ever imagined. Surely He has pruned us; certainly He has stretched us.

Amidst all the changes over the years, the one constant in my life has been the friendship of Jesus. He has known me for my whole life. He has loved me no matter what. What a constant companion He is!

Getting Attention

I bought something at Publix (grocery store) that up until recently they have never carried here in Miami. I bought a Seattle Seahawks balloon (for my daughter, of course). Some who know me, know that my favorite NFL team is the Seahawks. I was born in Seattle and love the place. There's not that many of us here in Southern Florida. So I'm excited that tommorrow they make their first Super Bowl appearance in their thirty year history.

As a kid, my hero was Jim Zorn. He was their quarterback. Actually, he was their first ever quarterback. Now he's their quarterback coach. When I was a kid I wrote him a letter. Don't remember what I wrote. He wrote back and enclosed an autograph picture of himself. I still have that picture. Under his name he wrote "Phil. 4:13" which is a Bible verse that reads, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That's a great verse, especially for a quarterback. That scripture on that picture made an impression on me. It helped point me to Jesus.

So the Seahawks are getting attention now. Sometimes you have to be good to get attention. Sometimes you have to be among the best. I'm glad it's not that way with the Lord. You don't have to be the best to get His attention. He's always there for all of us no matter how good or bad we are. Any of us can be close to Jesus - just as close as Billy Graham or any other Christian person. Louie Giglio, in one of his teachings on worship, said that we can be as close to God as we want to be. I want to be closer.

I love watching the Seahawks play. I love watching them play well. I hope they win tommorrow. I really think they will. I'm glad that they are in the limelight. They've worked hard and are doing a great job. I'm at the age now that I realize I'm not going to play in the NFL - not even as a punter. But I know that no matter what I do, I have my Father's ear. And I can be close to Him.