 Many years ago, I hurt my foot while I was goofing around. After a while, and the prodding of some of the nurses at work, I finally gave in and went to the foot doctor. He threw my foot under an X-Ray and there it was, a broken bone in all its glorious splendor. I had to put my foot in a boot, and for the next few weeks, I moseyed around on crutches and a boot. Eventually, after some time, my bone healed. It took some time, but it healed.
The other day I was walking around and felt a faint tinge in my right foot. My foot is healed, but it still hurts sometimes. Unless, for some miraculous reason, your name happens to be Superman, you are not impervious to the pains and trials life throws at you. It doesn’t take living too long before you realize that this world is not perfect and the other folks God has surrounded us with are not either. Day after day goes by, and like a hail storm, we are bombarded with this hurt or that, emotional, psychological, or maybe even physical. And then one day you meet Jesus, and you hear about the One Whom they call Healer. Hopeful, you cast your cares on Him. You are healed. Joy and excitement fill your heart, the solution to your pain and problems has been found! A few days, weeks, or even years go by, and something happens. It can be scary because old feelings, old lusts, old hurts that you thought were healed and gone suddenly begin to creep back in. You start to question your conversion or maybe even God Himself. You wonder if you really were healed. Fear, doubt, and questioning become your daily norm and the fear of losing what you thought you had gained haunts your every move. Don’t worry, you’re normal. You see, just because you were healed doesn’t mean you still won’t hurt sometimes. Jesus, our Salvation, the One Who died so that we could be healed, even today bears the scars of His crucifixion in His hands. The scars are proof of the healing…proof of the salvation that was purchased. Your scars, those phantom pains, are not signs of a lack of healing. My pain is a reminder that I am healed. Just because you’re healed doesn’t mean you won’t hurt sometimes. May your scars be a reminder of His scars.
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 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..." -Philippians 2:5 My wife and I were in a little marriage class at our church the other night. The speaker was talking about different lenses we sometimes use when looking at our spouses. Some are selfish, others self-righteous, and others conditional and performance based. He exhorted us instead to have grace-based lenses. That got me thinking about the lenses and filters we use in our day to day lives. Are we seeing people, situations, world events, with the eyes of Jesus? Are we zooming in on insignificant things to the neglect of the significant? Are we seeing a speck in our neighbor’s eye when we have a log sticking out of our own? What a challenge for us all...to see like Jesus.
I’m reminded of the words of the old hymn, “turn your eyes upon Jesus...” But as we look out into the world and deal with our day to day lives—we’re not monks in a desert monastery after all—let us seek to see others the way Jesus sees them. This is no easy task and is impossible in our own strength, but the Holy Spirit will help us, if we but ask Him. “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion...” -Matthew 9:36  2021 was a wonderful year for us as a family and for the ministry. Angela and I were blessed with a baby boy this last December. WMA continues to expand with new missionaries who are reaching people all over the world with the love of Jesus.
Paul exhorts us with these words in Philippians, "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." It can be so difficult to forget the past. It’s tempting to revel in our victories and wallow in our defeats. But Paul tells us to forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead. What should you be forgetting? Are you straining toward God’s call on your life? What a challenge for us all! Thank you so much for your support in 2021. We love and appreciate all of you!  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6 “The Bible is full of contradictions” we hear the skeptics say. Perhaps I agree with them, although not in the way they mean. The Bible IS filled with ironies, absurdities, and paradoxes. For, only in our wildest dreams could we imagine a Man walking on water, or a blind man receiving his sight, or the many being fed with the little.
But the greatest paradoxes, these we find in the Christmas story. We see a virgin giving birth and God becoming a Man. In his book “Miracles,” C.S. Lewis writes, “The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.” The Incarnation is the core tenet of our faith. It cannot be put aside. Our hope rests on the great bookends of the Incarnation and resurrection of Jesus. A Christianity without miracles is no Christianity at all. Again, to quote C.S. Lewis, “A ‘liberal’ Christianity which considers itself free to alter the faith whenever the faith looks perplexing or repellent must be completely stagnant.” And to that I say “amen.” In this world of scientific pursuit and a constant attempt to explain away the miracles of the Bible, I am renewed and refreshed in my pursuit of the God of miracles. We serve the One Who calmed the sea, parted the waters, came to earth as a baby, and died and rose again so that we might live. Our faith is filled with ironies, absurdities, and paradoxes…and the greatest of these mean LIFE for all who believe. Merry Christmas!  Expectations: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. How difficult and distressing when reality does not live up to our expectations…what we think ‘should’ happen.
I have talked/counseled/encouraged/rebuked and listened to hundreds of people through the 51 years I have been a Christian. There are those that seem to have unshakable faith and those that struggle almost daily, and many that are somewhere in between. What makes the difference? I don’t have a deep theological answer to this question just some thoughts from years of experience. My somewhat simplistic observation, I can’t help myself, that’s what I do, look for the simplest answer possible, is disillusioned, unmet expectations. People have wrong thinking and wrong expectations because they have wrong thinking and wrong expectations about people and most assuredly about God. He/she should’ve or he/she could’ve or why did they not respond in a way I ‘expected?’ It gets even weightier when we pummel God in the same way; God should’ve or certainly He could’ve. We, in essence, take God to court and put Him on the witness stand as we throw questions, and yes, sometimes even accusations. I’m glad God does not get nervous over our tantrums! Only time and experience equip a person with the ability to maintain a certain amount of peace and trust in the midst of life’s unruly situations. You must, and you will, learn the benefit of the words of the Apostle James: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." Nothing tests our faith like unmet expectations. Of course, we can assuredly ‘expect’ God to move in our situations…the key is to trust His ways and not our ways. Isaiah reminds us of this timeless truth: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord." Our steady foundation must rest, not on expectations from people, because they will surely disappoint, but on expectancy that God works in His way and in His time!  I have such fond memories of the small group of people that greeted us enthusiastically in the spring of 1977. We had just accepted the call from them to be the pastors of this newly formed church body called Faith Tabernacle. We arrived in Melrose, Florida as a couple of skinny kids, 25 and 28 respectively. We didn’t know a lot, we didn’t have a lot of experience, but we were young, energetic, full of hope and vision. Randy led the worship, gave the announcements, took the offering, preached the message, and handled the altar calls. I was in charge of helping people in and out the creaky little door to the little bathroom that was located in the back of the tiny office space that we rented as our ‘sanctuary.’ Those were the days, my friend…
It’s this time of year especially that I seem to spend a lot of time in reflection about what has passed and also hoping and desiring to embrace what lies ahead. The thankfulness I revel in is always attached to specific memories. One delightful memory that reoccurs regularly as I reflect, was the joy Randy had in leading worship. It didn’t matter if it was on key or out of key it was always sung with gusto. Interestingly enough, those that were in charge of finding the ‘key’ seemed to always find it. One of the favorite songs we all sang together was the following: … Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son … And now let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich" Because of what the Lord has done for us… Give thanks Those of you who know this little chorus will be singing it all day as I will. This is a time to specifically set aside a time of thanksgiving. I know it should be year-round but I have no trouble recognizing a special day for the celebration of a grateful heart. Have a blessed, reflective, Thanksgiving this year… Give thanks with a grateful heart.  And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. -Isaiah 58:12 Last week, Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas held a 50 hour worship event on their campus. It was wonderful to see so many old faces and worship with so many former worship leaders and alumni. One of the themes talked about during this event, was the idea of re-digging old wells that had been dug many years ago. We can trace back so many of the blessings we walk in today to pioneers of faith in previous generations. Truly we stand on the shoulders of the faithful of bygone years. I’m so thankful for the prayers, faith, and sacrifices of previous generations of Christians. It causes me to consider my own life. How tragic it would be if I, or any of us, take for granted the blessings we walk in and fail to realize our own responsibility to not only re-dig the water wells of previous times, but dig our own wells that will be a blessing to future generations. Digging wells takes time, effort, and perseverance. Digging wells moves us from the selfishness of quick blessings here and now, to thinking generationally. God is a God of generations. Yes, His blessings are for us individually, here and now, but a truly “blessed life” is one that impacts future generations…long after we who are alive today are gone.
Secondly, I was reminded that, not only should we take care to re-dig the spiritual wells of the past, but that we should, with renewed strength and determination of heart and mind, focus on our true love…our first love…Jesus. What good does any “ministry” do if our hearts are not first and foremost focused on the One for Whom we live and breathe and have our very being in the first place? It is for Him that we live. Worship is not about singing songs, it is about spending intimate time in the Presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May we never get so caught up in doing good, that we forget our first love.  I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD… -Psalm 27:13 I really resent the feelings of helplessness. I am a ‘rescuer’ at heart. I would take on the bully that tried to harass my little brother. I wrote the advice column in our high school paper. I freely gave my best guidance to friends and family (asked or not), but my goal was to just help in some way. And when I had children, that instinct went into overdrive. To say I was a helicopter mom would be a mild description of my exploits…when grandchildren came…well, let’s just say my efforts of rescue and protection increased exponentially.
Watching and listening to the struggles and horrors of what has, and is, taking place in various nations of the world, as well as, right here in America, can cause an overwhelming anxiety of helplessness. We want to do something but to many of us our platform to make a difference is many times limited. What to do…what can “I do?” You may hear someone, or may hear yourself say, “well, I guess all I can do is pray.” Oh, what an egregious mindset. All you can do? I read this statement the other day: “If you’re overwhelmed by the fact that there’s nothing you can do except pray, then my friend, you undervalue your greatest weapon.” Prayer is one of our greatest ways of helping to change the events in the situations we see. I am believing and waiting for some of the miraculous reports that will soon be coming out about incredible interventions in some of the most hopeless situations. And when it is reported it will be because we prayed! “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD…” Psalms 27:13  "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:1) I was sitting in church Sunday morning, listening to our pastor preach about the Holy Spirit when he referenced this scripture out of Ephesians. “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit.” I’ve either read or heard this scripture probably hundreds of times over the course of my life. But something jumped out at me during church, like it had never done before. Paul meant to put these two things together. This scripture was not just simply a command to a bunch of people who were partying too hard. What if he put these two statements back to back on purpose?
What happens when someone is under the influence of alcohol? Who you truly are begins to come out. Perhaps a person is opinionated, but keeps their opinions to themselves, because, they are well-mannered, and it would be impolite to share their opinions with the rest of the world. After a few too many drinks, this person begins to vocalize their opinions and perhaps even becomes outspokenly blunt, if not down right rude. We are new creations in Christ Jesus. The old man is dead. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That's who you truly are if you are a Christian. What if we began to live daily under the influence of The Holy Spirit? I used to think getting “drunk in the Spirit” meant participating in a lively church service where people are laughing or speaking in tongues or any other number of things. There is a place for that, but what if the kind of “drunk in the Spirit” Paul means for us isn’t just those outward manifestations at all? What if it’s a way of life? If we are truly living under the influence of the Spirit…if we are filled with the Spirit…if we are drunk in the Spirit, then we have no reason to be inhibited by all the trappings that so quickly hold us back from praying for others, or sharing the Gospel with others. We don’t have to be angry or lustful or unforgiving anymore. We are under the influence. We are behaving differently than we used to. We must continually seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day. In the natural, the influence of wine only lasts a short time…so too, we cannot rely on just one experience with the Holy Spirit…We must daily be filled. Let us purpose in our hearts to be always under the influence… His influence! Who knows how God will use us when we surrender our mind, our will, and our very selves to Him?  I can’t remember who said it, but many years ago I heard a speaker say that, “you can’t stop a bird from pooping on your head, but you can stop it from making a nest.” I admit, it sounds a bit gross or weird, but if you think about it for a second, it makes a lot of sense. Think about it in regard to your thought life. We all have experienced thoughts that seemingly come from nowhere. You were scrolling through Instagram or Twitter, minding your own business, and all of a sudden you come across an inappropriate picture. Thoughts you didn’t ask for come rushing in...you can’t stop a bird from pooping on your head, but you can stop it from making a nest. Or maybe you’re driving down the road and someone cuts you off. Immediately, your skin begins to turn green and you feel rage coursing through your veins as if you were the Hulk himself. You can’t stop a bird from pooping on your head, but you can stop it from making a nest. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to, “...take every thought captive to obey Christ…”
We live in the world. We can’t avoid life. We will undoubtedly encounter situations that will tempt us. Lust, anger, envy...whatever flavor of sin is most enticing to you, will come knocking. If not today, just wait awhile. But it is what we do in those initial moments of temptation that make the difference between sin and obedience. Temptation is not sin. Everyone has crazy thoughts. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve walked with God, temptation will come. Take every thought captive. Trust in God. And don’t let a bird make a nest in your mind or heart. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 -Chad Bozarth |
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