New Grace Every Morning

“They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” —Lamentations 3:23

My vacation went better than expected. Oh yes, I am exhausted and trying to catch up on my physical rest, but my soul and spirit have been refreshed. God surprised me the first morning of my vacation with a new experience. Early Saturday morning as I looked out over the deck to enjoy the view of the lake, I saw a squirrel carrying a branch up the trunk toward the top of the oak tree. A gray squirrel was building a nest at eye level just twenty feet away. Now ignoring the breath-taking view of Lake Keowee, I watched in amazement as the squirrel climbed down the tree, chewed off another small branch, and took it back to the nest. I had never before seen a squirrel nest under construction.

At that point, I declared to the entire family that my vacation was complete. I just experienced something completely new. At my age, new things that happen each day are not usually good: a new gray hair, a new wrinkle, a new notch in my belt, or a new ache in a joint. As it turned out, this week was full of new experiences. I saw a family of river otters for the first time. I observed and even photographed a bald eagle living naturally in the wild. While enjoying a very productive week of fishing I was blessed to watch my grandson catch his first bass while casting a lure from the front of the boat. He reeled it in all by himself. I have a picture of Gavin and his dad smiling from ear to ear. It doesn’t get any better than that.

One of the great things about vacations is the change in things we worry about. On vacation this week, I still had worries and decisions. I had to decide what time I was going to get up in the morning. I had to decide between going fishing in the bass boat or taking a ride on the jet skis. Do I swim in the pool or take a dip in the lake? Lie on the dock or by the pool? I don’t really consider myself a worrier, but as the week progressed, I could feel the burdens of life and ministry lighten.

The scriptures repeatedly tell us not to worry. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34). God does not give us grace for the troubles that will come in the future. God only gives us grace for today. As I experienced new things on vacation, God reminded me that His grace is new every morning. God supplies new grace and compassion for us each and everyday. We begin each new day with more than enough of God’s grace and power to get through whatever challenge we will face, today.

How do we get through the daily struggles of life? Take a vacation. Time off may not change our circumstances, but the rest and new experiences may remind us of the daily, refreshing grace of God. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, lamented the destruction of Jerusalem. As he cried out to God, he declared, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22). He recognized that even in defeat and destruction, it was God’s compassions that keep us from total annihilation. He goes on to say that God’s compassions “never fail, they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (3:23).

I pray for each of you as you read this article. May God bring a new experience and fresh insight to your soul and spirit. May you learn to trust God anew. God’s grace in Jesus Christ is new every morning. Great is God’s faithfulness.

Not All About Me

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” —Philippians 2:4

Last week I wrote about taking a vacation and Jesus telling His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Actually, I didn’t tell you the whole story. In Mark 6, Jesus did take the disciples by boat to a solitary place, but a large crowd had run ahead and awaited their arrival. Jesus’ response is both inspiring and challenging for us. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).

Upon seeing the crowd, Jesus didn’t say, “Woe is Me.” Instead, Jesus put their needs before His own and began to teach them as their shepherd. When the time came to eat, the disciples wanted to send them away, but Jesus said, “You feed them.” Through our Lord’s compassion and the disciples’ obedience, they fed 5,000 men not counting women and children. One of Jesus’ most famous miracles came through a group of exhausted men in desperate need of a day off.

Jesus’ reaction to the crowd demonstrated His sacrificial nature. Philippians 2:5-6 further describes how Jesus put our needs before His own welfare. Jesus, who was God (meaning it is really all about Him), emptied Himself and became a servant. When God created human beings, He knew the price Jesus would have to pay. When Jesus came to earth in the incarnation at Christmas, He had already counted the cost. When praying in the garden, “Not My will, but Yours be done,” Jesus willingly gave His life and was separated from His heavenly Father for you and me.

As I prepared for vacation this year, many people encouraged me to get away and rest. I usually responded, “Oh, it’s going to be an exciting family vacation.” Darlene and I, her mother, and my daughter’s family including our two grandchildren (a seven-year-old and an almost two-year-old) will load into a seven passenger van and travel eleven hours to South Carolina. We’re going to have an exciting time. “Exciting time” is code for I will come home exhausted looking forward to two weeks back at work in order to get rested up.

I remind myself, it’s not all about me. I thank God (really I do) for the awesome privilege of spending two weeks at my brother’s lake house in the mountains of South Carolina and using all his water toys for free. I praise the Lord for having Darlene’s mother with us in Johnstown and for healthy grandkids. God is so good. I praise Him that as a father, a son-in-law, and a pappy, I can look to the interests of others and bless them. It really is not all about me.

What are you wrestling with in your life today? What troubles you? Are you living for yourself or for others? Are you allowing the attitude that Jesus Christ had to be yours, or are you continually asking, “What’s in it for me?” If you want to be truly refreshed in the Spirit, put on the attitude of Jesus. Allow someone else’s needs to come before your own and serve them in the power of the Lord. You never know, a miracle might just happen. And in the meantime, bless someone and take them on a vacation with you. 

Take a Vacation

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."    —Genesis 2:2

Have you ever heard church leaders complain about low summer attendance? Invariably, someone will say, “What if God took a vacation?” I am not really much for using guilt to get people to serve the Lord. The first time I saw a church sign that read, “CH—CH, What’s missing, UR” I was amused. But now when I read such a sign, I am reminded of the critical cry of a dying ministry. Rather than browbeat the Church for low attendance on a summer Sunday, encourage people to take a vacation. We all need some time off.

A day off or a vacation as ordained by God should be a time for recharging our souls, replenishing our minds, and refreshing our bodies. If your body needs exercise, then a vacation should be a time of exertion. If your body needs rest, then time off should be spent recuperating. Jesus told the disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). But a vacation should never be an escape from morality or a time to forget about the Lord.

What if God did actually take a vacation? Well He did! At least, God took a day off. The scriptures tell us that not only did God take a day off, but He institutionalized the day off. The fourth of the Ten Commandments reads, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:8-10).

Some may wonder why most Christians observe Sunday, the first day of the week, as their Sabbath rest and not Saturday, the seventh, as prescribed by the Old Testament. The Jews observe Saturday as their Sabbath, and a few Christian denominations still do, but the early Church began meeting on Sunday calling it the Lord’s Day, the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Each Sunday became a celebration, an anniversary of Easter. John writes in Revelations 1:10, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.” Several places in the New Testament we read about the Church gathering “on the first day of the week” (John 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 6:2).

If God took a moral day off, then prayers would not get answered. Our sins would not be forgiven. If God completely severed Himself from any relationship with His Creation, the world might fall apart. Colossians 1:17 tells us that “in him all things hold together.” A vacation may be a break from one’s responsibilities at their local church but not from the spiritual responsibilities of being a Christian. You may miss a Sunday with your home church, but why not check out a new ministry at your vacation setting. You may miss Sunday School or your home group but take a moment as a family to have devotions and pray together.

This year, take a vacation. You may stay home because of finances, but change your routine. And remember to make your time of rest holy unto the Lord. Don’t forget the three Ps of a godly vacation: Play, Pray, and Pay. Play and refresh your soul, mind, and body. Pray and draw close to God. And Pay—don’t forget to continue to support your local church and the ministries you sustain. Have a great summer!

High Cost of Freedom

“It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”—1 Peter 1:18-19

Celebrating Independence Day, known by many as the Fourth of July, has come to mean eating picnic lunches, watching fireworks, and traveling. Along with the traveling we may also complain about the high price of gasoline, but few of us take the time to consider the high cost of the freedom we enjoy. Try it just once. Read over the Declaration of Independence.

The last line of the Declaration of Independence reads, “For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were not radical wild-eyes ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security and possessions, but they valued freedom more. Many of them lost their lives and their fortunes, but not their sacred honor.

This Independence Day, let us pause and remember those men and women who paid dearly for our freedom. On Memorial Day, we remembered those who gave their lives for our freedom. We remember the 618,000 who died in the Civil War and the nearly half a million who died in World War 2. World War 1, Korea, and Vietnam deaths totaled over 200,000. In recent years and even today, although the numbers do not compare to those of earlier conflicts, we hear reports of young soldiers who pay the ultimate price for freedom. The death toll from Operation Iraqi Freedom is nearly 4,500 and from Afghanistan’s Operation Enduring Freedom over 1,600. The high cost of freedom includes the sacrifices made by military families as well.

Jesus signed our spiritual Declaration of Independence on the Cross with His blood. Just as the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence declared the colonies free from England, so Jesus Christ declared human beings to be free from sin and sin’s punishment. John 19:30 records, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Another passage declares, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

What have you done to live out Jesus’ Declaration of Independence for you? Just as the American Colonies had to live out or live into the declaration they had made, so each of us must decide if we will receive Jesus’ offer of salvation. Our freedom from sin and death cost Jesus Christ, God’s Son, God Himself, His life. The scripture rightly asks, “How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

How did you celebrate Independence Day this July 4^th? A better more eternal question might be, “How will you respond to God’s offer of salvation and freedom from sin and death?” God loves you so much that He gave Jesus Christ to die in your place. God’s Holy Spirit is calling each of us to respond and receive His love and forgiveness. Let us consider the high cost of our freedom this day and invite Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives.

Holiness and Love Meet

Be holy, because I am holy.—Leviticus 11:44

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.—1 John 4:11

The absolute cutest thing my granddaughter does is to put her hands together at mealtime and questioningly look to me and say, “Pray?” I wrote about that last week. The second most touching thing is when she reaches her arms up to me and says, “Hold you?” She actually means please hold me, but that’s what makes it so cute. This week, God has been showing me another pair of His attributes: God’s holiness and God’s love. Whenever we see holiness and love come together, we notice.

I attended a memorial service last week for a dear friend. This man died at age 87 and lived and worked right up to the last few weeks of his life. The community and his family and friends knew him as a man of integrity. His word was better than any signed contract. As I spoke with the family in preparation for the memorial service, I learned that among other things, he was known to the family as the baby guy. Anytime relatives would visit, they would give him the babies to hold. Even the extended family remembers him holding the babies, everyone’s babies. What a contradiction for my mind to grasp. He was a respected man of character and wisdom but also known as the baby guy. Holiness and love come together.

The same tension of holiness and love describes God’s character as revealed to us in Jesus Christ. God is our Heavenly Father who loves everyone, but God is holy and just. If God is to be holy, sin must be punished. I am reminded of the lyrics of the old hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross by Isaac Watts. We sing in the third stanza, “Sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown.”

Sin both angers and breaks the heart of God. The Genesis flood passage records, “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I created, from the face of the earth.’” (6:6-7)  

In Jesus Christ, God reveals His ultimate plan for dealing with sin. Sin, personal and corporate sin, your sin and the sin of the world, still angers and grieves God. Sin still must be punished, but the Cross of Jesus Christ becomes God’s solution. “Sorrow and love flow mingled down.” Oswald Chambers writes, “The Cross is the exhibition of the nature of God…The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened—but the crash is on the heart of God” (My Utmost, April 6).

My friend, God dearly loves you, but God terribly hates sin. Your sin separates you from God and prevents you from experiencing God’s best for your life. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, took the punishment for your sin. Jesus is God; therefore, God actually punished Himself for your sin and mine. Romans 5:8 records, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Call upon the Lord today. Let Him hold you in His loving arms. God’s holiness and love meet at the Cross. In some sense, as Jesus hung on the Cross with His arms stretched out, God was saying to you and all the world, “Let me hold you.”