Saving Christmas...

I couldn't do it. 

I claim to love people, and I genuinely do care for those around me, but I don't think there's any way in the world that I could bring myself to do what He did - God gave us His only Son.

I couldn't do it. 

I'm just not that compassionate.  I love my girls too much.  Actually, more accurately, I simply don't love others as much as them.  If I were God, the world would be out of luck.

But, thankfully, I am definitely NOT God.  And the salvation of the world does not rest on my shoulders, or upon the shoulders of my children. 

Meanwhile, God demonstrated His absolutely incredible, totally amazing, and perfectly unselfish love to us - that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  While we were still ungrateful, rebellious little clods of nothing, the Creator of the Universe gave up His Son for us.  And most of us carry on without a clue - focusing instead on the thousands of sparkling good things that so often overshadow the best.  Like I said, I couldn't do it.

This Christmas, my prayer is that we all might recognize the jaw-dropping sacrifice that the day represents.  God sent His perfect Son out of Heaven to be born to a poor Jewish couple in a remote Roman province.  And, He did it for one purpose: so that His Son could die for people like you and me.  Did I mention that I couldn't do it?

Jesus came to earth so that we might be saved through His death.  God gave up His Son so that sinners like you and me could know Him.  Suddenly, all the presents, the get-togethers, the decorations and the food seem quite trivial, don't they? Christmas is about the greatest gift ever given: the gift of a Savior.  And I pray that you might know His saving grace and selfless love personally.  

A Time to Love

    I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but a monumental paradigm shift has occurred.  Back in my grandparent’s generation, Christianity formed the rock-solid foundation of America’s culture.  Sure, there were plenty of detractors, but even they had to admire the moral integrity provided by an acceptance of the Church.  Even in my parent’s generation, one dominated by talk of Woodstock and moon landings, the truth of Christianity provided the strong backdrop against which the culture departed. 

    Today, sadly, America no longer seems to be a Christian nation.  Instead of simply railing against Christianity, our culture has bought into the lie that Christianity is but one of many truths.  “Tolerance” is the new religion.

    In the midst of this paradigm shift of core beliefs, those of us who still follow Christ often cling to the old status quo.  Christ is all-important to us, so why wouldn’t He be all-important to everyone around us?  We fail to recognize that our world has changed dramatically, and we suddenly find ourselves slack-jawed when we become the victims of choice for the soldiers of Tolerance. 

    While we should be saddened by the secularization of our society, Christ-followers should realize that this is not the first time in history that Christianity has been in the minority.  In fact, a quick glance at history reveals that most believers have faced a monumental up-hill struggle against the world around them.  True Christ-centered cultures have been exceedingly rare and short-lived, plagued as they are from constant attacks from internal and external forces. 

    In fact, in a promise we often like to overlook, Jesus says that “all men will hate you because of me” (Mt. 10:22).  Therefore, we should not expect to be viewed as the moral saviors of our society.  Respect for the Church is at an all-time low, so much so that scores of believers (including myself) tend to shy away from term “Christian,” preferring instead to be considered a “Christ-follower.” 

     There are many aspects to this shift to the secular that should shame us as believers.  We should be ashamed that the Church did not do more to prevent it.  We should be ashamed that our nation chose this path.  We should be ashamed that our leaders have led us away from biblical truth.  And we should be ashamed that we, Christ-followers, are surprised that the world hates us.

     If we truly reflect Christ within us, than we can be assured that many people, indeed an entire culture, will despise us.  After all, we represent truth in an age where truth has been rejected.  We’re the victims of unjust prejudice, unwarranted rage, and undeserved slander.  Grievous mistakes in our history are held up and declared to be our greatest legacy (the Crusades come to mind…).  We’re blasted with labels of every kind: close-minded, weak, ignorant, intolerant…  And we are blamed for all the glaring failures in our history. 

    Given what Christ said, it is indeed shameful that Christ-followers are surprised that the world hates us.  But it is even more shameful that we often hate back.  Our natural tendency is to retaliate – to use the same tactics and labels that are used on us, and to seek to prove that we are right.  In the process, we cross a subtle yet incredibly important line: we begin to hate those that hate us.

     Scripture teaches us to hate evil (Rom. 12:9).  And there is plenty of evil around us.  But, there is absolutely no excuse for a follower of Christ to hate the person who does the evil.  No one is without sin, and so all of us are in desperate need of God’s grace.  We have absolutely no right to cast stones (see John 8:7). 

    To put this plainly, Christ-followers cannot cross the line between hating homosexuality to hating homosexuals.  We must not begin hating pro-choice advocates simply because we hate abortion.  We even must show love to those who follow other faiths like Islam, even when their faith demands our destruction. 

     The world hates us because of Christ.  But the moment we begin to hate it back, we cease to follow Him.  He modeled love, even to the point of death.  Could it be that one reason our society has lost its respect for the Church is that church-people have lost their respect for others?  We attack and argue all in a vain attempt to prove ourselves to be right.  While we should never shy away from standing firm in the truth, if that truth is not bathed in love, is nothing but a “resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1).     

     Christ-followers, we desperately need to demonstrate His love to the world around us.  Let us stop the retaliation, cease the counter-attacks, and lower our fists.  If someone strikes us because our guard is down, then let us turn the other cheek.  (Jesus modeled that, too.) 

    If we claim to love God, then hating another person is simply not an option.  May we do everything possible to demonstrate to the world the vast difference between hating the sin and hating the sinner. After all, that’s one label that can be applied to us all. 

Unimaginable Heaven

Worship the Lord of Heaven  

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

         As I entered the room, time seemed to relax.  The sights and sounds coming from that magical place nearly overwhelmed me, and I suddenly became aware that my jaw was hanging down loosely.  I didn't care, for before me was heaven.  No, not the real thing, but for a guitar player, nothing this side of a flat-line can come close.  My dad and I had just entered the Healdsburg Guitar Festival's main exhibition hall, and the term "kid in a candy store" cannot even begin to describe the experience. 

     This festival is a gathering of the custom guitar elite; existing on a plane (and price!) that I have never known.  Exotic woods from all over the world littered the entire room, and every glance treated the eye to the most incredible acoustic guitars the world has ever seen.

     Most amazing, however, was that participants were actually allowed to play these exquisite instruments (I call them instruments, though most were so gorgeous that they are better described as "art.")  And so we went about the serious business of playing everything we could get our hands on.  After a while, I realized that, in addition to my fingers, my cheeks were literally sore from smiling.  

     The reason for our visit to Healdsburg was equally special.  The Acoustic Guitar Forum, with which my dad volunteers much time as a moderator, awarded him an "Outstanding Service Award."  The prize?  A custom-made acoustic guitar of his choice.  We were there for him to receive this inspiring instrument.

     As I mentioned, up until this amazing experience I did not know that these guitars existed.  For me, the ultimate example of an acoustic guitar might be a nice Martin or Taylor.  And while many of those are fantastic instruments, I could never have imagined the absolutely stunning sound, playability, and aesthetic perfection that these custom guitars present. 

     In the same way, Heaven (the real one…) is simply unimaginable.  The Apostle John paints a fascinating picture in Revelation 4, but I am certain that his words are totally inadequate to even remotely describe the splendor that he witnessed.  After all, he was using earthly, human language to describe an other-worldly, supernatural place.  Like my description of the Healdsburg festival, a few words can barely begin to accurately describe it.   

     A few years ago, the band "Mercy Me" wrote what is now a well-known song entitled "I Can Only Imagine" (referring to Heaven - the real thing...).  I love the song and have sung it many times.  Yet recently I've come to the conclusion that the lyrics are incorrect.  In truth, there is no possible way for us to truly imagine what Heaven will be like, because it exists on a level beyond our comprehension.  While it might not have the same ring to it, perhaps the more correct title would be, "I Can't Even Imagine."

     The main reason why Heaven is simply indescribable is because its chief Occupant is far more holy, more awesome, more powerful, and more magnificent than what we are capable of understanding.  God is both perfect and infinite, and the greatest gift that He gives His children is not a sea of glass or an emerald rainbow (see Revelation chapter 4), but the gift of Himself.  Above the spectacular views, beyond the reunification with loved ones, and even past encounters with angels, the single-most awesome part of Heaven will be that we are in the presence of the Lord God Almighty!

      So infinitely precious is His presence that Jesus describes Heaven like “a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44)  Even if we can’t fully imagine it, what we do know of Heaven should be enough to make us realize that getting there is worth absolutely everything. 

     The best part, however, is that getting there is free.  Like my father’s award guitar, the way to Heaven is a totally free gift given by God.  But, also like his guitar, we must be willing to accept it.  Jesus, who is fully God, sacrificed Himself for us so that we might have a way to spend eternity with Him.  Our job is to accept and believe. 

     But, that’s not the end of the story…  I’ve recently found myself telling everyone around me about the joys of attending a fantastic guitar festival.  I can’t help it – it’s just a natural response to a great joy.  In the same way, those of us who are certain of our future in Heaven should always be willing to share our hope and our joy with those around us.  May God’s children always do everything possible to let others know that He is worth absolutely everything!

                                                Soli Deo Gloria

                                                            Tim Cotten

Ignoring Freight Trains

         Freight trains are common sights in the small town of Locust Grove, Georgia, where my mother was raised.  Rambling through every hour or so, most residents hardly notice them anymore – that is, until they collide with something.  In 1987, my grandmother, then 66, experienced such a collision first-hand.  She was driving home from church one Wednesday night in her old Ford when the car in front of her stopped suddenly to make a left turn, forcing her to stop on the main railroad tracks.  Thankful that she did not hit that car, she soon realized that a train was approaching.  After a tremendous amount of honking, the car in front of her finally inched forward enough into the intersection for my grandmother to get out of the way of the oncoming train – or so she thought.

     The train caught the last ten inches or so of that old Ford – but instead of just tearing off the bumper, the collision sent my grandmother’s car flying through the night sky, finally coming to rest about 70 feet from the intersection.  The car, formerly a solid tank-like sedan built from Detroit iron, was absolutely totaled.  And my grandmother was not wearing her seatbelt.  Miraculously, however, she survived with only minor injuries.  She suffered no lingering effects and lived on until 1996 (and she always wore a seatbelt after that night…).

      I’ve often wondered about who witnessed that wreck.  As they saw the oncoming train, and realized that my grandmother’s car was not clear of the tracks, what thoughts went through their heads?  Did they honk their horns to warn her?  Did they flash their lights to get her attention?  Did they attempt to push her car out of harm’s way? 

      What about us?  If you or I were there, what would we have done?  Even if we were unwilling to put ourselves in harm’s way for the sake of a stranger, most of us would probably do everything within our power to warn someone about an approaching freight train.  After all, if their injury could be avoided by our action, then our lack of action could be said to have caused their injury (at least indirectly).  In other words, if we see someone in mortal danger and do nothing to warn or help them, then we might as well hurt them ourselves. 

      In our 21^st Century society, this concept has been grossly overshadowed by the reigning king of our politically-correct vocabulary: “Tolerance.”  Truth, we’re told, is relative.  And so any attempt to help someone else see truth from our perspective is met with severe contempt and prejudice. 

      The result of such “tolerance,” however, is not peaceful co-existence, but increased apathy as one group or another gets hit by a freight train.  Think of it this way:

       Group ‘A’ believes that 2 + 2 = 4.

       Group ‘B’ believes that 2 + 2 = 5.

       Group ‘C’ believes that 2 + 2 = fried chicken.       

“Tolerance” dictates that Group ‘A’ refrain from interfering with the other groups.  It demands unconditional, blind acceptance not just of the group, but of their strange (and incorrect) math.  In essence, tolerance requires Group ‘A’ to look on the other groups with apathy (at best) and outright disdain (at worst).  Group ‘A,’ meanwhile, believes that there is something better than “tolerance.”  It’s called “love.”

       In our silly example above, the best, most loving thing that Group ‘A’ can do is not to ignore the other groups. It is also not to fight and argue with them and beat them over the head with a math textbook.  Instead, the most loving thing they can do is to gently help the other groups see and understand that there is only one correct answer – there is only one truth.

      Whether you agree with Christianity or not, it is important to understand why Christians share their faith.  It’s not out of some warped superiority complex or out of some distorted need to have the biggest church (though some self-proclaimed “Christians” have likely had those goals).  Instead, we share the truth of Jesus Christ because we want to do everything within our power to help (and warn) others.  We share because we love.

      Interestingly enough, even atheist Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) understands this:

How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?  How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?  If I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn't believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there's a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.

So, here is some truth:  There are two possible destinations for you after you die.  Belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to avoid the hotter of the two (check out John 14:6).  By the way, He loves you more than you can imagine.  And 2 + 2 = 4.

     I share this not to judge or to condemn, but because someone loved me enough to warn me that I was about to get hit by a train.       

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

At the Edge of the Promised Land

     The land, by all accounts, was simply amazing.  After all, where else did grape clusters grow so large that it took two men to carry them?  What other land was described as flowing with both milk (a necessity) and honey (a luxury)?  Yet the Promised Land was not without its challenges.  Armies of Goliath-sized soldiers protected the inhabitant’s fortified cities.  Without God’s help, Israel had no chance of conquering them. 

     And so, the young nation of freed slaves stood at a cross-road with an identity-defining decision to make: 

Trust God or rebel.

     Sadly, ten men persuaded nearly the entire nation to rebel and lose faith.  Ten of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land returned disheartened and afraid.  These ten had seen the plagues in Egypt.  They had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground.  They had depended upon manna from heaven.  They had even followed the supernatural pillar of cloud and fire to this very place.  But this last obstacle proved that their faith was merely superficial.  They didn’t really believe that God would give them the blessing of the Promised Land.  Despite the pleading of the more faithful spies Caleb and Joshua, the nation turned its back on God at the very brink of extravagant blessing. 

      The sin that Israel committed that day cost an entire generation their lives.  None of them, except for Caleb and Joshua, entered into the Promised Land.  What should have been theirs immediately would now be delayed by 40 years.       

      Several thousand years have passed since that sad rebellion.  We now live under a different covenant, and our Promised Land now comes through the person of Jesus Christ, who came that we might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).  In other words, the blessings promised to us are eternal life and abundant life here on earth.

      Unfortunately, mankind’s rebellious nature has not changed over those countless generations.  As a result, even believers, whose eternal future is certain, are quite capable of missing out of the blessings that God desires for them here on earth. 

     The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a perfect, if sad, example of how Christ follower’s rebellion can sabotage God’s blessings.  This crooked couple wanted to be recognized and applauded for being generous and selfless.  When they saw how a Levite named Joseph was praised for selling a field and giving the money to the disciples, Ananias and Sapphira allowed their desire to impress others trumped their desire to please God.  So, they sold a piece of property and presented the money to the disciples, just as Joseph had done.  However, they had secretly kept a portion of the money for themselves.  Their deception did not fool God, however, and both of them fell dead as soon as Peter confronted them. 

     I can certainly understand how “great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” (Acts 5:11)  Clearly, rebellion of any kind is not a trivial matter.  God takes sin very seriously, and we would do well to remember that there is no middle ground.  Either we trust Him and obey, or we rebel and sin.

     The central truth that the nation of Israel (and later Ananias and Sapphira) missed is that our greatest, most abundant life can only come when we trust and follow God.  Without Him, there is no future hope, no unflappable joy, no rock-solid peace, and no abundant blessing.  Without Him, there is no Promised Land and no chance of hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant!  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

      We do need to utter a word of caution, however.  Trusting in God is not a recipe for a perfect, trouble-free life.  And anyone who preaches that believing in Christ will result in a new Rolex watch and a new Bentley in the driveway is spreading false doctrine.  God’s blessings are not always physical or financial.  In fact, our ultimate blessings won’t come in this life at all! 

    But, we can be absolutely certain that the best, most fulfilling, most satisfying way to live life can only come through following Jesus Christ.  I feel that we, as both individual Christ followers and as a church, have a decision to make each and every day:

Trust in Christ (and obey) or rebel.  May we always choose correctly.   

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Imaginary Strawberries (and other disasters)

         I could hear the sobbing from down the hall; my daughter was clearly heartbroken.  As I ran to comfort her, to push aside her anguish and replace it with the massive onslaught of a fatherly hug, I asked her what was wrong.  By the size of her monstrous tears, I immediately guessed that some small bone of hers must be broken, or at the least some treasured doll had been digested by the dog.  Instead, she looked down limply and wailed,

“I don’t have any more strawberries!!!”

    Now, a word clarification: this catastrophe occurred in February, and our house had not hosted strawberries of any sort since last summer.  Yet, in my three-year-old’s amazingly-vivid imagination, a lack of imaginary strawberries was as disastrous as any Japanese tsunami. 

    Wanting to quiet this surging, blubbering tide, I quickly reached into my pocket and offered a fistful of air that I desperately hoped would be accepted as imaginary fruit.  While suppressing the rising grin that threatened to undermine a daughter’s trust in her Daddy’s sympathy, I said, “Here, sweetie, I have some strawberries for you.”  Apparently, however, my imagination was insufficient to adequately create new strawberries, and the meltdown continued until I suggested we forget the strawberries completely and go play a riveting game of “Candy Land” – a proposition that was gleefully accepted.    

      Unfortunately for most of us, what troubles us the most is far from imaginary.  We have no need to invent devastation, as our lives are often full of all-too-real storms.  For some, the storm involves a sudden and unwanted education about an evil disease.  For others, it has been born on the winds of a declining economy.  Some may simply have been awakened to the fact that their life is not as they had planned, and that they’ve spent more time trying to survive the storms than chasing their dreams. 

     None of us, however, have ever faced a storm quite like the one that was quickly approaching a young carpenter from Nazareth.  Every step that He took carried Him closer not only to certain death, but the unimaginable suffering of bearing the whole world’s sin.  And unlike the sudden traumas that often assault us, Jesus knew full-well the scope of this impending storm even before He first visited Bethlehem.  He knew of the opposition that would arise, of the betrayal that would occur, of the torture, of the nails, and of the death.

     And above all the impending suffering was the inescapable destiny of being forsaken by God the Father.  Nailed to a tree, cursed by men and demons alike, Jesus took upon Himself a massive guilt – the tremendous burden of every sin ever committed. And in so doing, His fellowship with God the Father was severed.  For the Son of God, nothing could have been more devastating. 

     As for us, even though it was our sins that put Christ on the cross, even though it might as well have been our hands that bore the hammer, His tremendous sacrifice does not add to our guilt.  Instead it actually does quite the opposite.  Jesus freely took our sins from us, and thus has provided us with the greatest possible gift: restoration.  Through Him, sinners like us are redeemed and restored to right standing before the Father.  By being forsaken, Christ secured our adoption. 

      But, like my daughter, we have to accept the free gift from our Father (whose gift, I should point out, is far greater than a fistful of air!).  The exchange from sinful rebellion to forgiven restoration is not complete until we accept and believe that Jesus was who He said He was and that He did indeed die for us.  Thankfully, though, this call to belief is not really a call to blind faith.  Instead, it is based upon the single most important evidence in history:

an empty grave.

     We can know for sure that Jesus is both fully God and fully man because He not only died, He was resurrected.  We can know for sure that His sacrifice is sufficient to remove our guilt and our sins because He has the power over death itself.  We can know for sure that His gift of redemption, His gift of grace, His gift of salvation is true because He proved His own deity on that first Easter. 

      And we can know for sure that Jesus is with us even when we lose all our strawberries. He has proven that He is alive, and when we trust in Him, no storm we will ever face will be too powerful, too traumatic, or too catastrophic.  His sufficient grace will strengthen, sustain, comfort, guide, and heal everyone who follows after Him.  The ironic beauty of the cruel cross is that Jesus provides not only the future hope of eternal life, but the present peace and joy of abundant life.  Eternal and abundant life: far better than even the best game of “Candy Land.”  

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Hard Questions...

“God is love.”

1 John 4:16

         Every now and then, a question comes along that is so profound in its implications that all of life seems to pause while an answer is pondered.  This happened recently to me while watching cartoons with my daughter.  Though I’ve been familiar with them for years, I suddenly realized that both Goofy and Pluto are dogs, yet one was a talking character and the other merely a pet.  How could this be?!  My mind reeled in a futile attempt to comprehend this animated conundrum. 

     This is not the first query to cause such internal turmoil.  Many moments have been spent considering such things like why someone would put an ‘s’ in the word “lisp.” Or what exactly a “turvy” refers to in the phrase “topsy-turvy.”  Or whether or not an individual player for the Boston Red Sox’s should be identified as a “Red Sock.”  And this doesn’t even include more profound questions like, “Did Adam have a navel?” or “Where did Seth get his wife?”

      Yet there is one question that plagues any serious thought about God.  Indeed this question is so deeply profound that it has often been labeled “the problem of evil,” and is one of the chief causes of doubt in the existence of God.   In a nutshell, the question is:

Why does God allow evil?

Nearly everyone agrees that evil exists, both in “natural” forms (cancer, earthquakes, etc.) and “moral” forms (murder, rape, etc.).  Now, if God is who He says He is, if He is real, if He is all-loving, if He is all-powerful, and if He is all-knowing, then we have a serious problem.  He has the desire, the means, and the knowledge to stop all forms of evil, and yet He does not do it.  Why?!

     While a comprehensive treatment of this profound question cannot be covered here, on a basic level, the answer is: Love.   At first glance, this may seem like nonsense.  “Evil exists because of love?”  Well, yes.  Please let me explain…

     A couple of years ago, as our daughter Micah was first learning to speak, my wife and I taught her to open her arms up wide and say, “I love you this much.”  Occasionally we would prompt her, and Micah would dutifully (and usually cheerfully) perform the phrase on cue, much to the delight of the nearest grandparent.  Micah’s little act was precious, even though we all knew that she didn’t really understand what she was saying. 

     Fast forward a couple of years, and Micah has developed into a little girl who sincerely loves her family.  Every so often, she’ll come over to one of us, open up her arms as wide as they’ll go, and exclaim gleefully “I love you THIIIIIIIIS much!”  Unprompted, unrehearsed, un-coerced… just a natural expression of a little heart that explodes with compassion and love for those around her.

      As her father, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her as a toddler imitate our actions.  The cuteness was nearly unbearable.  But what truly melts my heart is when she comes, on her own free will, to tell me that she loves me.  That is real love. 

      You see, God could have created us to be puppets; merely repeating the commands of the master.  We could have been robots – programmed only to do certain tasks.  We could have been programmed to praise God, to do good things, and to live holy lives.  But something would have been missing.  Any “love” that we might have shown would have been hollow – no more sincere than when Micah’s favorite doll squeaks “I love you.”   

      Instead, God knew that any true expression of love must include free will – the capacity to choose.  This however, is where evil comes in.  Ultimately, God allows evil because He loves us enough to give us the freedom of choice.  And, beginning with Adam, we have all chosen poorly.  A long history of natural and moral evil has been the result. 

      While the necessity of choice helps explain why God allows evil, there is another reason.  Personally, I would love for my children to grow up in a perfectly sheltered environment – free from all scrapes, bumps, skinned-knees, and other tragedies.  I would like to totally protect them from the evil that’s in this world.  Yet that type of absolute-shielding is not what my girls need most.  They need to learn how to live well in spite of evil.  Ultimately, my job is not to totally protect them, but to train them.

      Likewise, God is more glorified when we learn to love Him in spite of evil – when we worship Him in the midst of hardship.  Indeed, God did not totally shield His own Son from evil, but used it to achieve something far greater. 

      While it is perfectly acceptable to ask for God’s continued protection against evil, I pray that ultimately we might learn the greater lesson that Christ has taught us all – to open up our arms as wide as they’ll go and say to our Lord, “I love you thiiiiiis much!”  After all, that's exactly what He did for us.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Refuge

“But You, LORD are a shield around me,

My glory, the One who lifts my head high.”

Psalm 3:3  

    As a freshman in college, I had the pleasure of getting to know a young refugee from Ghana, Africa.  While his entire story was fascinating, I was particularly captivated by his account of how he and his brother escaped their native country during the mid-1990’s.  Forced to flee in the midst of ethnic conflicts, they became separated from their parents and had to walk several days to the Atlantic coast.  There, they illegally boarded a cargo ship that was bound for America.  Amazingly, they survived on nothing but a large jar of mayonnaise. 

    Most of us probably have no concept of what it means to be a refugee.  We can scarcely imagine being forced to flee from our homes and go for days without food (and then only find mayonnaise!).  Yet we don’t have to be political refugees to recognize the importance of finding refuge and shelter.  Whether we’re fleeing for our lives, like my friend, or simply looking for rest after a hard day, we all understand our need to find a place of peace and safety.

    Ultimately, such a place exists not so much as a physical location as a spiritual condition.  King David was still in the wilderness, fleeing from his own son, Absalom, when he wrote the words above.  My friend commented several times about the supernatural peace that he and his brother felt, even when their circumstances were in turmoil.  Conversely, many of us can probably testify that a physically quiet and peaceful place can be a place of tremendous internal struggle (or am I the only one who has wrestled with their thoughts while lying in bed?). 

    True refuge depends not on our circumstances, but on our connection with the sovereign God.  When we are at peace with Him, all other turmoil fades.  There is a catch, however.  Peace with God depends upon both repentance and surrender; neither of which are particularly comfortable.  Yet there is no better place of refuge, no more secure place of shelter, and no stronger fortress than being in true fellowship with the One who controls it all.  

Saturated with Truth

“The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Matthew 12:34

       At my house there lives a three-foot-tall parrot.  Well, not really, but my daughter Micah does repeat nearly everything she hears.  Most of the time, this is a good thing.  For example, throughout the Christmas season (and for a few weeks afterwards), she told the Nativity story to everyone who would listen (and to several who would not!).  Actually, her version of the story usually involved some extra-biblical elements pieced together from various events and conversations she’s witnessed.  She once told her grandparents a version of the Nativity story which included how a camel broke Joseph’s cell-phone but the wisemen came, fixed it, and gave it to baby Jesus…

     Needless to say, her mother and I have been forced to become quite selective about what words we use.  While playing with a doll recently, Micah abruptly told the doll to “shut-up.”  She promptly received a warning that that phrase was not welcome in our house.  A few days later, however, I caught myself saying that exact phrase to my hyper-excited dog who was threatening to wake our sleeping baby.  …Oops.

     Like it or not, what we say and do is often absorbed and imitated by those within our influence.  This is true not only for our children, but for anyone with whom we have a relationship – friends, family, coworkers, etc.  Conversely, our language is often highly influenced by what we ourselves witness.  Think about it for a moment.  If we hear someone use a humorous phrase, we tend to remember it and use it ourselves sometime.  If we frequently hear certain jargon at work, we tend to begin using that same jargon later.  Even within the context of church, new believers quickly adopt “churchy” words that may not have been previously a part of their vocabulary.

     The point is this: we are highly influenced by what we see and hear.  While I do not believe that we are totally a “product of our environments” as some educators insist, all of us are naturally influenced by what goes on around us.  And as with Micah, this can be a good thing, or it can be very, very negative. 

     Actually, there is an underlying principle that we all need to remember: we become that which we ingest.  Perhaps the more common way to say this is the old maxim,

you are what you eat.

Even for Christ-followers, a steady diet of worldly words and ideas will eventually produce worldly thinking and language.  Unfortunately, many of us mistakenly believe that an hour or two on Sunday can overcome a week’s worth of secular intake.  We forget that, no matter our age, we are all like Micah in that we tend to repeat that which we see and hear.     To use another metaphor, we are like sponges; only dripping out that which is soaked up. 

     Here’s why all this is important:  If we claim to be Christ-followers, then we must be very diligent to “set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col. 3:2)  This begins with what we intake; what we read, what we watch, what music we listen to.  After all, in order to truly set our minds on things above, we must actually know about the things above.   

     This does not mean that we withdraw from the world.  Jesus even prayed that God would not remove us from the world, but that He would protect us from the evil one (John 17:15).  He goes on to ask that we might be “sanctified by the Truth,” meaning scripture.  In other words, we must be so saturated with Godly things, chiefly His Word, that the world loses its influence and power over us. 

    Being saturated in truth demands a steady diet of scripture.  There are no shortcuts.  If we claim to follow Christ, we must spend time regularly reading and studying His word.  And the more we know scripture, the more our thoughts and language begins to reflect it.  Ultimately, the more we know the Word, the more we grow to resemble Christ. 

    While nothing can take the place of scripture, I would also like to strongly encourage us to listen to music that reflects scriptural truth.  Whether it’s hymns and praise choruses like we use on Sundays, or something completely different (did you know that there is such a thing as Christian country music?  Or Christian rap?), our personal choice of music can greatly encourage us to keep our minds on “things above.”  I would personally be happy to assist in suggesting Christian alternatives to any style of secular music. 

     If our ultimate goal on this side of eternity is to be as Christ-like as possible, then I pray that we might all do everything within our power to know and follow His commands.  That includes being totally saturated with His truth, constantly thinking of “things above.”  May we be disciplined in our intake so that we reflect only Christ. 

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

High Expectations

    I read recently that boys in America have a 0.008% chance of eventually playing football in the NFL.  Yet around our country, many parents and coaches (as well as the boys themselves) have expectations that the young athlete will one day play on Sundays. 

    Unhealthy and unrealistic expectations can be devastating.  They destroy trust and create a barrier for open relationships.  Yet you don’t have to know the next Peyton Manning to be guilty of improper expectations.  In fact, you don’t have to be a parent or coach at all.  We all tend to create our own unhealthy expectations for God.

    Most church-goers are probably familiar with the Matthew 7 passage in which Jesus commands us to “Ask… Knock… and Seek…”  Verse 11 goes on to say that "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"  God indeed promises to give good gifts to us, His children.  A problem arises, however, when we begin to think we know what gifts should be given (and when they’re to be given… and how...).

    For example, our affluent culture leads us to expect some things that probably should be classified as “wants” rather than “needs.”  A good job; a nice car (or two); a large house – these are not bad things, but scripture never promises that they will be given to those who follow Christ.  And those unrealistic expectations lead to distrust and disunity with Him. 

    Even the things we think we absolutely “need” such as food and water actually pale in comparison to what we need most – the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And He told Paul:

“My grace is sufficient for you.

 My Power is made perfect in your weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

What is most amazing is not just the boldness of the statement, but its truthfulness.  Nothing else is needed more than His grace.  Not food.  Not clothing.  Not shelter.  Not a family.  Nothing.  That is because ultimately, this world is temporary.  His grace is eternal.  When we believe in Him and receive His grace, we gain what is most important not only in this life, but access to the next.  Nothing else can sustain us here more perfectly, and nothing else can give greater hope for the future.  Simply put, we can expect much from His grace.

                               Not I, but Christ…