Month: April 2016

“People who fail deserve to be punished, including me.” This was a toxic thought that had been prevalent in my mind for many years. I had never recognized it for what it was – a lie. It was subtle. You see, those exact words never came out of my mouth, but they influenced so many decisions I made. Decisions to act or not act were made based on this thought. Why should I help somebody who deserves punishment? Besides, I was too busy punishing myself.

When I made the decision to begin this process of detoxing my thought life, I yielded my right to determine what thoughts needed to go and which ones should stay. I left that to the One who knew me before I ever took a breath. The One who knows all my thoughts. The One who knows me better than I know myself.

That morning He revealed this ugly thought to me, it was as if blinders came off of my eyes and I could see how this way of thinking had robbed me and others of so much love. If you know me, you may be thinking right now, “I don’t get it. I always thought you were a pretty nice guy.” I was, because you’re probably pretty nice too. But what about that segment of society that is not so lovable? You know, those undesirables living under the bridge? Or even the rich man who craves power so bad he’ll run over anybody to get it.

With the help of Holy Spirit, I had identified a toxic way of thinking that had held me back from a level of joy that I had only heard about. Now that it was exposed for what it was, there had to be a remedy. When you’re afflicted by an ailment of some kind, you look for a remedy, right?

Our gracious Father has the remedy for toxic thinking – it’s the truth found in His word.

There was a remedy for this toxic thought.

 

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 5:10-11)

 

What if God had looked at me the same way I looked at others I had deemed less than desirable? I don’t want to think about it.

For the next 21 days, with the scripture above in mind, I replaced “People who fail deserve to be punished, including me” with “Others and myself are the objects of His love.” Let those words wash over you for a minute or two. Utter those words about ten times in a row over yourself and tell me you don’t feel the presence of God!

It’s been well over a year since that morning of revelation and I’m finding that I can relate to this:

 

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:35-36 NIV)

 

He had compassion on them in spite of their awful condition. Without a doubt, some of these same folks would later yell “crucify Him!”

I want to love like that. I can. I will. I am the object of His love.

 

His beloved,

 

Kevin

 

 

We were still inside the Dallas city limits as we drove down I-45 on our way back home. Being on the overpass, I naturally took a glance to my left to see what might be below. I saw a village. Not the kind of village you might think. I saw the homeless. There were quite a few tents along with makeshift shelters made of cardboard. I saw a few folks milling around, seemingly unrushed to be anywhere in particular.

I’ve seen sights like this before. Living near a major metropolitan area (I live 50 miles north of Houston), it’s not unusual to see someone living under a bridge or in an alley. Just a short distance from our house there are entire families that live in tents and makeshift shelters in the woods.

This time, when I looked, something felt different. Much different. As I looked underneath the freeway that day, a lump came up in my throat. I felt a small tear in my eye. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when I didn’t have that same reaction. On most occasions, when driving past a scene like the one in Dallas that day, I already knew in my mind why these people were there. They were lazy, irresponsible bums. After all, this is America. There are plenty of ways these folks can get back on their feet again, right? Besides, most of them have learned how to panhandle, right? I was a righteous judge of their character and motives.

As I’ve mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, I’ve gone through quite a change in the way I think. It’s still changing and will continue as long as I’m in this body. Repentance is what it’s called in the bible.

I’m learning that how we see others is often a reflection of how we see ourselves. You see, when Jesus said “Love your neighbor as yourself”, He was essentially telling us that we can’t really love our neighbor unless we love ourselves. Love myself? That sounds almost unscriptural! We’re told to deny ourselves, right?

“Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

The word deny means – to affirm that no one has acquaintance or connection with someone, to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests (Thayer Definition)

So who am I denying? The answer is simple: I’m having no acquaintance or connection with the man I used to be. That old man died with Christ on the cross and now a new man lives. That new man looks just like Jesus.

One of the very first things He began to change in me through detoxing my brain was concerning my identity and how loved I am by my Father. I am His beloved son in whom He is well pleased. Why? Because I did enough good things today to make Him proud of me? No. It’s because I’m His son. Because I am completely and unconditionally loved by Him, I can love others the way He loves me. When I came into a more complete understanding that I am the object of His love, then it became easier to see others as objects of His love also.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matt. 25:34-40)

Never do I feel the pleasure of God more than when I am loving those who have nothing to offer me in return.

We, the church, have been commissioned to do what no government or social program can do – offer hope. That hope is found in the One who gives new life and breaks the endless cycle of hopelessness. What if we realized exactly Who we carry with us and took Him under that bridge?

Hopeful,

Kevin

I am trying to get out of the habit of calling myself a “Christian.” Yes, you read it right. No, this is not a typo.

Now, before you get a prayer chain going on my behalf, let me clarify something. If you call yourself a Christian, I completely understand. I understand the lingo. I’ve learned to speak “Christianese” very fluently, having been a church-goer all my life.

I understand what it means when someone tells me they are a Christian.

But, here’s the big question: Do those who are on the outside understand? The problem is this, in recent years Christianity has become just another religion. At this point in the article, I’m pretty sure I’ve either gotten your curiosity way up, or you’re getting a group together to stone me. Ok, I’m being a little facetious here, so I’ll start getting to the point.

If I were to walk up to any stranger on the street and strike up a conversation about religion and he were to ask me, “Are you a religious man?” Of course I would respond with the “non-religious” answer I’ve been trained to give, “Why no, I’m not religious, I’m a Christian.” What I mean when I say that is this: I believe Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. What he heard is this: You’re a Christian, but you’re not religious. That makes no sense.

Instead of that, what if I said ” I’m a follower of Jesus?” Now we’ve shifted the attention off of religion and on to the person of Jesus. Now we begin to discuss what sets Jesus apart from every other central figure of every other religion.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6)

You see, religion speaks of a way. Jesus is the way. Religion may offer a truth. Jesus is the truth. Religion may promise a life. Jesus is the life.

When I choose to look at it this way, then Jesus becomes the filter through which all other ways must pass. The same goes for truth and life. Am I just splitting hairs here? I don’t think so. Why? Because the religion that calls itself Christianity has added so much of its own perspective to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I think it might be completely unrecognizable if Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John were to time travel and step into our day and see our version.

For example, let’s take this little excerpt from The Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”  (Matt. 5:43-45)

Jesus will get a hearty “amen” on that one from most of the American church unless you’re talking about Muslims or Democrats, of course. We’ll pound our fist on the table when we demand that everybody believe in a literal interpretation of the Holy Scriptures unless it’s the one about loving your enemies or turning the other cheek, then we’re pretty sure there must be some hidden or alternate meaning. Surely Jesus didn’t literally mean to love my enemies, did He?

 

Jesus Christ is perfect theology. – Bill Johnson

 

Let’s let Jesus be the filter through which all of our theology flows. After all, theology is the study of God. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

So I hope you’ll understand when I say, “Don’t call me a Christian anymore. Just let me follow Jesus.”

 

Learning to follow,

 

Kevin

I’ve been stuck in a story the past few days. It’s the story of the rich young ruler in the Gospel of Mark coming to Jesus and asking Him a question.

 

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, That is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22)

 

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”  Those words are jumping off the page at me, and I have been intrigued, awed, bewildered, amazed, shaken, undone, and probably left with more questions than I have answers for. I’ve read this story many times over the course of my life, and never paid much attention to those two words: Loved him.

Why did Mark include that in the story? Because that is the story. For years I made it a story about riches, giving, hundredfold return, etc. It’s a love story. And that’s why it is wrecking me. Jesus looked past the fine clothing and all the possessions the man owned and looked into his soul and saw a man asking a sincere, heartfelt question – “What must I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Before we look into this, I’m going to ask you to take off your traditional American evangelical glasses for a moment.

Eternal life. Most of us have been trained to think of this as going to heaven. Going to heaven happens when I die. What about right now? The word “life” as it is used here comes from the Greek word zoe. It means the absolute fullness of life. It’s the same word used when Jesus told us He came to give us life more abundantly (John 10:10).  Eternal life begins the moment you say yes to Jesus.

I imagine this man had gone to other rabbis asking the same question, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” He probably got this answer from them: “Observe and keep the Law, then you will have eternal life.” He was already doing this. Wasn’t that enough? I have a suspicion that he had heard or even seen with his own eyes that there was something very different about this particular rabbi named Jesus. His message was so foreign to the life this rich man was accustomed to living.

Jesus was in essence saying, “You have everything you want. You know all about keeping the rules. However, there is one thing you need. Sell everything you have, give it to the poor. Let Me be your source. Follow Me.” The man was sad when he heard it and walked away.

I love the way The Message Bible tells the rest of this story:

 

Looking at His disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked. Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

Peter tried another angle: ‘We left everything and followed you.”

Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land – whatever – because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land – but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:23-31)

 

There is a supernatural joy found in living life with an open hand. It is a hand that is always open to receive from God’s good hand and having received, keeps it open to give.

Back to those words that jump off the page. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”

These words are making me wonder… was there a time later when this rich man took to heart what Jesus had told him and proceeded to do it? I’d like to believe that there was. Why am I so hopeful for this man? Because Jesus loved him.

I leave you to think on this.

From one He loves,

Kevin