Charisa Stories

Tag: Jesus

  • Confessing my “Hidden Agenda”

    The title “Evangelical Christian” seems to have become a pejorative to many in the media and culture. I understand the frustration (I have written about it a lot) when very vocal or celebrity Christian leaders fail spectacularly. I share your anger when a religious person espouses hateful or judgmental comments. I grieve when an institution or leader fails to protect the innocent.

    Critics say that Christians have an agenda and dangerous desire to control other people’s lives. I confess that has been true for some religious types. But the followers of Jesus that I have gotten to know over many decades don’t resemble that stereotype at all. Perhaps that is why Jesus warned so plainly about the dangers of power. The selfless, giving, and caring believers get little notice in this world but I believe they are quietly and faithfully making a difference. Jesus upset the organizational chart by placing those who serve at the top.

    I thought about what my answer would be if I was asked to outline my agenda. I certainly don’t speak for all Christians but I think I just might represent a number of them as I share my “agenda”.

    Let me start by telling you what this particular Christian does not believe…

    I do not believe you have to be a particular party to be a Christian. Heaven will be bipartisan and I am totally fine that there will not be “sides” of the Golden Aisle.

    I do not believe that God is “judging” America for any particular sin. But if He is judging this country I would suspect it is for the massive squandering of wealth and resources that we have been blessed with while giving back an average of less than 2 percent.

    I do not believe in ranking sins for their offensiveness to a Holy God. I am not referring to heinous sins here but things that are individually more offensive to some of us. The reality is that all sin is intolerable to a Holy God. We are either perfect or in need of a Savior. I am the latter.

    I do not believe that censorship, boycotts, or politics will redeem this culture…only a spiritual renewal of caring love and grace can accomplish such redemption.

    I do not believe that it is my place to relish or desire eternal punishment for others. I am willing to leave that to a righteous and just God who sees the real heart and motives for each one of us and Who will judge justly.

    Here is my agenda. Busted!

    • To try and see everyone through the eyes of Jesus because my eyes are prejudiced and prideful.
    • To try and love them like Jesus because my love is selfish.
    • To try and see that no one misses out on the message of grace, identity, acceptance and one-way love that is offered as a free gift of grace by the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.
    • To let them others know that my relationship with Jesus and His grace has changed my life, given my life purpose, given me strength to endure tragedy, and real hope for the future.
    • To authentically relate how this personal relationship with the living God saved my marriage and made me a better father to my sons.
    • To be gentle in relating the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in every situation. My goal is to introduce people to Jesus. If they are living in a way that is not biblical I will let them work it out in God’s timing while walking with them in grace and love.
    • To exhibit grace and forgiveness to those who attack me for not sharing their world views.
    • To freely dispense the grace of the living Christ to everyone I come in contact so that I can be salt and light to my little circle of influence.
    • To be an advocate for those wounded by the church and other Christians. Our lack of unity must grieve Jesus who prayed for unity of the body during His final agonizing hours before His betrayal, mock trial, and crucifixion.
    • To try to never be surprised or repulsed by the actions of those who do not have a relationship with Jesus. The Lord Himself was always gentle with sinners and always tough on religious hypocrites. We have reversed his example far too often. We are too tough on sinners and too gentle with the hypocrites in our midst.
    • To try and give generously of my time and treasure to those who have not been as materially blessed in my neighborhood, my country, and around the world.
    • To let people know that I love Jesus and I am not at all ashamed of that fact.

    It is easy to dismiss the hypocrite. No problem to ignore the angry and judgmental religious types. But before I came to faith I was troubled when I saw some Christians who displayed something different in their lives. I could not dismiss so readily the joy, peace, strength, courage, and love they modeled. They were “troublesome” Christians to me.  I could not ignore them because their lives were authentic and different (different good, not weird). I want to be that kind of Christian. I take these words of Jesus seriously.

    “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John 15:12

    That was not a helpful suggestion. Jesus made that command the cornerstone of following Him. So that is my agenda. To love others as I have been loved and be a “troublesome” Christian to some.

  • Tired? Feeling Defeated? You’re Ready for Grace!

    Recently I had the opportunity to see Willie Nelson performing at the age of 90. I had forgotten that my music list had a thought provoking song from Willie called “I’m Tired”. Hearing the lyrics of “I’m Tired” again caused a lot of reflection, a bit of sadness, and prayer.

    The narrative tells about the life of a factory worker who is, sadly, merely going through the motions of life.

    Married Rebecca back in seventy-seven
    I still love her and I guess she loves me too
    We go to church on Sundays `cause we want to go to heaven
    Me and my family, ain`t that how you`re supposed to do

    That describes so many people that I know. Tired of their job. Treading water in their relationship. Going to church because they don’t know what else to do. It is particularly sad that so many Christians settle for a faith that leaves them discouraged and prone to sing the chorus of this song.

    But I`m tired, Lord I`m tired
    Life is wearin` me smooth down to the bone
    No rest for the weary, ya just move on
    Tired, Lord I`m tired

    This song penetrated my heart because that was me for so many years. After four decades of uneven striving I was simply tired. I was resigned to stubbornly stumbling toward the finish line so I could finally find joy in glory. The following excerpt is from the revised version of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and it reflects the change in my heart.

    My fear of cheap grace and being soft on sin had led me into a dead end path of moralism and legalism. Legalism takes the sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ and mixes in some “churchified” version of the law. Church by-laws occupy equal footing with God’s Word. Righteousness is no longer about Christ but about right behavior as only they define it. Legalism cherry picks verses that support behavioral control while conveniently ignoring dozens of verses about grace, forgiveness, kindness, love, gentleness, and forbearance.

    Focusing on right behavior can make you a moral and good person. It does not make you righteous. Such focus is not much different (if at all) from an agnostic or sporadic church-goer who really tries hard to do right and moral things. Tim Keller wrote this provocative thought about legalism in his wonderful book The Reason for God.

    The devil, if anything, prefers Pharisees—men and women who try to save themselves. They are more unhappy than either mature Christians or irreligious people, and they do a lot more spiritual damage. 

    Without a doubt. I have been damaged. I have seen loved ones damaged. I have damaged others. I hate legalism but I don’t hate legalists. I hurt for them. I suspect they are as tired, miserable and wondering what happened to their once joyous message of the Gospel as I was.

    Righteousness is entirely because of Christ. Nothing I have done or will do will make me righteous. I spent decades trying to be “righteous”. When I hit a dry spell I would try harder, read more books, buck up, and beat myself up because I felt so distant from God. Lots of helpful Christian friends would faithfully remind me that God hadn’t moved so it had to be me. So I disliked myself more and tried harder and God seemed even more distant. I wrote a book about what to do with lambs that are wounded by the church and THEN I got wounded again by the church. It was like God was mocking me. I had reached the end of my spiritual rope. I cried out to Jesus something deep and insightful along these lines.

    “I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!”

    God does not get insulted by all-caps. In fact, I picture Jesus smiling at that point because I was finally ready to trust Him and not myself. I had reached the point of brokenness that allowed me to really let Him into my heart. I reached the point where I no longer had to be right. I had reached the point where I didn’t want to wear a phony mask of holiness. I had reached the point where I was willing to trust God completely with everything about me. I had reached the point where I was ready for grace. I had reached the point where I was willing to believe what God says is true about me. That I am completely forgiven. I am completely loved. I am completely changed because of Christ. I am completely empowered with the Holy Spirit to mature into all of those things that are already true about me. I am righteous not because of anything I have done but entirely because of Christ.

    If you are tired enough, discouraged enough, wounded enough and ready to scream you can’t do this anymore then I have good news. You are ready for grace. I am not the same guy who wrote the first edition of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People. Writing that manuscript was part of a refining process that God used to bring me to the Throne of Grace and then to begin to create a room of grace around me.

    God is waiting for you to experience His grace. Legalism is a dead end street to misery. There is a better road. What have you got to lose?

    Start by Meditating on this familiar passage from Matthew 11.

    Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

  • What Does a Real Christian Look Like?

    Recently I passed a highway billboard with this message.

    Real Christians Obey Jesus.

    I get the intent of the message. Too many folks leave their Sunday Lesson in the parking lot as they drive to lunch. But exactly what does it mean to be a “real Christian”? We subtly (or in my own experience, not so subtly) program Christians to believe that growth is about doing more right things. That righteousness somehow involves my extraordinary efforts for Jesus. We imply that change can only happen when you are trying hard and being disciplined to obey Jesus.

    The truth is that a dramatic change has already happened when you make that faith commitment to follow Jesus. I think one of the biggest problems in the church is that we don’t teach clearly and repetitively what happens at the very moment we put our faith in the finished work of Christ.

    Let’s just hit the highlights. Scripture tells you that at that moment you have a new identity. You are literally a new creation. God sees you as righteous because of your relationship with Jesus. That’s it. Nothing you have done or ever will do earns that righteousness. It is a gift of grace. You are a saint. Redeemed. Adopted as His beloved child. Right then. Before you do a single thing you are changed completely when you trust Christ. 

    The trick is living out of that truth. Instead of exhausting effort to try and change I now see Jesus putting His arm around me and explaining that I have been already been changed. I see Him telling me that my sins are completely forgiven. I see Him explaining to me that all of those things that used to be true about me are no longer true. That no matter what the Accuser might say those things are dead and buried at the Cross. I don’t have to grit my teeth and try harder to win favor and please Him. That sin does not have power over me anymore.  That if I trust Him and let God love me I will please Him. My faith and trust is what pleases Him according to God’s Word.

    All I need to do to be a “real” Christian is to believe and trust that. I have been a follower of Jesus for five decades. During stretches of that journey you would have been hard pressed to see that my faith was real. What potential judges would not have seen was that Jesus was slowly and patiently working in my life to make me more in His image. I am a very different person today than I was in my early walk. It was never helpful to have someone point out that “if I was a real Christian” I would be doing this or that. What did help was having grace filled believers come along side me, believe in me, and help me find the gift of grace that Jesus offers. Those are the people you remember with gratitude and joy.

    Jesus talks about how we limit our ability to have peace when we don’t allow Him to provide us with strength. He didn’t mention a harness of legalism and works. He talked instead about a yoke, and that His yoke is “easy.”

    Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)

    Jesus wants you to don His yoke. Trust Him. Have faith. He has done the heavy lifting already. Rest in Him.  Learn how to be humble and gentle in spirit. Quit trying so dadgum hard (that may not be in the Greek) and serve out of grateful love. Jesus tells us when we believe those truths, our burdens are light. The walk with Him is easy and natural.

    Being a “real” Christian means beginning each day with a profound sense of gratitude that Jesus offered me this gift of grace. A “real” Christian would never, never, never take advantage of a God who loves you so much that such a sacrifice was made.

    I do believe a “real” Christian obeys Jesus but it is so critical to clarify why and how. I obey out of gratitude for His grace. I love Him because He loved me first. Jesus loved me when I was unlovable. Forgave me when I was unforgivable. How hard is it to follow and obey someone who loves you like that? Not hard at all. And that is real.

    Excerpts from Waking Up Slowly

  • God Changed My Name

    I love the music and lyrics of Christian artist Matthew West. This week I listened to a song titled “You Changed My Name” that resonated deeply in my heart.

    You changed my name, You changed my name
    From Too Far Gone to Saved By Grace
    And now I am forever changed
    All because You changed my name

    I still have a tendency to forget that amazing gift of grace from God. He changed my name when I put my faith in Jesus as my Savior. My new name, mentioned several times in the New Testament, is “child of God.”

    To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

    John 1:12-13

    You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

    Galatians 3:26

    Because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

    Galatians 4:6

    Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.

    1 John 5:1

    So who am I? Retired television sports director? Author of some modestly successful books? Husband of Joni? Father of three outstanding young men? Ridiculously proud grandfather? Executive Member of Costco? All those things define me to some degree. But the one thing that is true about me that I find almost impossible to comprehend is that I am a child of God. Sometimes I answer to my new name and sometimes I just wander off thinking, you must not be talking about me.

    I shared this story in my book Waking Up Slowly: Spiritual Lessons from My Dog, My Kids, Critters, and Other Unexpected Places.

    There is power in believing in a name. Many years ago, for reasons I still don’t understand, I was cast as the lead in our high school senior musical. I had never acted and was not a trained singer. And yet that stellar résumé somehow landed me the role as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. Go figure. The play is based on Miguel de Cervantes’s seventeenth-century novel Don Quixote. The drama unfolds as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition. Cervantes takes on the character of “mad knight” Don Quixote.

    It was fun and challenging to learn page after page of dialogue as well as doing my best not to mess up “The Impossible Dream.”

    As I became immersed in the character of Quixote, I began to understand that the gentle and naive protagonist saw the world through eyes of grace. He perceived what people can become and not who they are at that moment. When he meets a prostitute named Aldonza, Quixote sees her as a lady, treats her with respect, and gives her a new name—Dulcinea.

    Aldonza’s reaction? She lashes out with fury and hatred as all her past junk pours out. Aldonza agonizes that her mother doesn’t know which of her many lovers might be Aldonza’s father. She rages about men who have used, abused, and abandoned her. And now this man calls her a “lady” and gives her a new name and identity. Aldonza hates what she has become, but even more she hates the fear of believing she could change and possibly face another crushing disappointment. At least her identity in a questionable vocation is familiar. And yet Don Quixote sees her as a soul created with value who can be redeemed.

    Gradually, Aldonza understands that Quixote is genuine, and she begins to believe what the old man says is true about her, that she does have value. When the “Quixotic” world of the man of La Mancha is destroyed and he draws his final breath, Sancho Panza, the faithful squire, addresses the grieving woman as Aldonza.

    She gently corrects him. “My name is Dulcinea.”

    Her identity had been changed by an agent of grace. She had a new name and new hope.

    That’s what happens to those who place their trust in Christ. God gives us a new identity and He calls us by a new name.

    His child.

    We also tend to fight back and remind God of what we used to be and all that is wrong about us now. But Jesus patiently reminds us of our new identity. He tells us that we have been changed. That our spiritual DNA has been rewritten. That we are a new creation in Him. That we are holy. Saints. When we believe what Jesus says is true about us, it will change how we live our lives.

    A righteous and beloved child of God. That is not an “impossible dream,” but a theological truth.

    I am a flawless child of God. Not because of anything I have done, am doing, or will ever do. It is because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross. Whenever I start wavering, I need to pause and remember my name.

    I am so grateful today for my new name. Child of God. Doesn’t that have a wonderful ring to it?

  • You Don’t Have to be a Perfect Dad to Have a Powerful Impact

    Singer Dan Fogelberg was one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Every Father’s Day I think about a song written about his dad called “Leader of the Band”.  Fogelberg’s father was a musician and he passed that talent down to Dan. Parts of the lyric made me think of my Dad in his final years..

    The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old
    But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul 

    I thank you for the music and your stories of the road
    I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go
    I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough
    And, papa, I don’t think I said ‘I love you’ near enough 

    My Dad knew how much I loved him. Still I wish I had told him more often. But this is the portion of the song that continues to impact me as a son.

    My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man
    I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band

    My Dad was a wonderful, kind, loving, and sometimes flawed man. He was not perfect but his overall story was powerful. I hope I am following his legacy of joy, kindness and love that he modeled so well. I realize with each passing year how much the leader of the pack impacted me. Every dad impacts the lives of their children. The question is how. Children listen only sometimes but they are always watching. My Dad probably never realized how closely I was watching.

    The last time I saw my father he left me with a memory that will stay with me till I join him in eternity. His condition had worsened considerably after a stroke. When I walked into the hospital room Dad’s eyes came alive and he grabbed my hand with an intensity that clearly communicated that he knew me. 

    Our family had encountered one difficult employee at the hospital. She had done nothing helpful and she had done nothing with a bad attitude. I looked at my sister Sherry as I held my Father’s hand and said, “We don’t have to take that crap!” To my surprise out of that shell that was my Dad came a very clear and loud response…”I taught you that!”

    Those were the final words that he spoke to me. And yes…you did teach me that Dad. And you taught me a whole lot more. You taught me that all of God’s children are to be valued unrelated to color or position. That everyone is important and deserves to be treated with dignity.

    You taught me the concept of grace. When I was in junior high I somehow manage to establish “credit” at a hobby store. I ran up a debt that was monumental in those days. When you found out I was terrified. But you taught me that grace means unmerited forgiveness for obvious guilt. You taught me there is a difference between mistakes of ignorance and willful wrongdoing. You taught me what forgiveness looks like and what it means for someone to pay for your mistakes out of unconditional love with no strings attached. I got a little foretaste of how Jesus would pay a debt for me that I could not pay later on in my life.

    You taught me that humor is a gift from God. That laughing at life and especially at your self makes it a whole lot easier to deal with daily frustrations.

    You taught me a lot Dad. And I will be forever grateful. Perhaps most importantly, you taught me what it looks like to be ready to die. You taught me how to put your family at ease by clearly and consistently letting us know that you were ready to meet Jesus.

    God’s Word consistently paints an image of God as our Father. Many people struggle with that picture because they can only relate to an angry, dominating or selfish father. I am so grateful that I had a dad that helped me to understand the real love of a father and what that means when God says I am His child. But I pray that you will believe the love our Father in Heaven even if the earthly role model was not ideal.

    How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
    And that is what we are!  –1 John 3:1

    That is what we are! A child of God our loving Father. That is a pretty good thing to meditate on for Father’s Day.

  • Science Suggests that Jesus and the Apostle Paul were on to Something


    A recent study published by the Psychology Department at the University of Essex looked at the negative emotional and cognitive effect of hearing bad news only. Here is the opening statement from the study.

    Journalists employing the maxim “if it bleeds, it leads” seem intuitively aware of the negativity bias people have in attending to and remembering bad events over good ones. Indeed, negatively valenced news dominates the press and is shared on Twitter more frequently than positively valenced news

    journals.plos.org

    The study went on to note that “news featuring others’ immorality captivates people, it can have aversive affective and cognitive impacts, increasing emotional disturbances and negatively skewing people’s belief in the goodness of others”.

    I think we have witnessed that increasing and divisive effect on our culture. The authors are correct that such reporting of bad news “captivates” and leads to lots of unhealthy biting on the clickbait of negativity. The study examined an interesting counterbalance. Would showing acts of human kindness and compassion immediately after the acts of immorality create better emotional health?

    The results revealed that seeing those acts of kindness left the test subjects in a better mood and with more positive views of humanity. Just to see if kindness was the difference maker they showed some subjects only humorous stories to offset the bad news. Those subjects felt better but the conclusion was fascinating.

    Quoting the study again.

    Amusing news stories certainly helped buffer the effects of bad news and reduce the mood disturbances they caused. But in comparison, participants who’d been shown acts of kindness reported a more positive mood on average, and a greater belief in the goodness of humanity.

    This shows us there’s something unique about kindness which may buffer the effects of negative news on our mental health.

    niemanlab.org

    I find these studies fascinating as a person who believes in the wisdom of Scripture. The effects of kindness were well documented in the writings of the Gospels, the Epistles of Paul, and many other places in the Bible. It is important to note that these concepts were revolutionary in a culture which focused on power and control. Paul’s message to the church at Colossae is just one example of the amazingly positive potential of following the teachings of Jesus.

    Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3)

    Scottish writer Henry Drummond observed in the late 19th century that “the greatest thing a man can do for his Heavenly Father is to be kind to some of His other children”. That is our job as followers of Christ. Too often we have failed to show up for work.

    We are the hands, feet and arms of God on this planet. Christian vocal group Casting Crowns asked lyrically that “if we are the body why aren’t His arms reaching and why aren’t His hands healing”? I am afraid the answer is a hard truth. We don’t care enough for the lost. We don’t ache for the hurting. We don’t sacrifice for the poor. Perhaps most disappointing of all is that we don’t practice kindness consistently.

    I want the grace that God has given me to make my heart sensitive toward the poor and hurting and spiritually seeking. It is hard to spend much time in the New Testament and not realize our challenge to be kind. Here is a very small sample.

    35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. (Luke 6:35, ESV)

    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (Galatians 5:22 ESV)

    32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)

    4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. 1 Corinthians 13:4, ESV)

    The charge of hypocrisy leveled at the church has a lot to do with our obsession with sin management over living a life of kindness, grace and service. If I am not living out of grace then His arms aren’t reaching as far as they could. Kindness is clearly step one.

    Kindness does require great skill or advanced degrees. One of my spiritual heroes is Frederick Buechner. He wrote that “if you want to be holy, be kind”. You do not have to like someone to be kind. Kindness is powerful. Kindness tears down walls. Kindness builds trust. Kindness shows the love of Christ through our imperfect efforts. For Christians, kindness gives the hearer a reason to listen to our message of redemption and grace. I think writer Alexander MacLaren summarized it beautifully. “Kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it, do not hammer it.”

    Scientific research shows kindness makes a difference to offset the evil in this world. Scripture tells us kindness can make a difference. The world is overwhelmed with bad news. Wouldn’t it be a blessing to be a kind vessel of Good News for those we encounter on our journey?

    Excerpt from Waking Up Slowly

  • Hold Me Jesus

    One of my peers recently noted that “getting old is not for sissies”.

    Indeed.

    Even if you escape personal difficulties you will undoubtedly have family and friends who are going through physical, emotional and spiritual trials. One of the songs that I default to when I am walking through valleys with others is from singer/composer Rich Mullins. The song is from his CD called Songs and it is simply titled “Hold Me Jesus”. 

    Well, sometimes my life
    Just don’t make sense at all
    When the mountains look so big
    And my faith just seems so small

    Right now I am in a pretty good place in my life and journey with Jesus. But then I started thinking about the many friends and loved ones who could relate completely to those lyrics in their current situation. And I can certainly remember seasons of my life when those words accurately reflected the condition of my soul.

    And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
    It’s so hot inside my soul
    I swear there must be blisters on my heart

    And I remember how I used to respond. I would deduce it was my fault and I would decide that I had to do something to bolster my faith. I had to read more verses or do a study or pray more or believe more. But the answer was far more simple and the chorus by Rich Mullins nails it.

    So hold me Jesus, ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
    You have been King of my glory
    Won’t You be my Prince of Peace

    I need to quit flailing and trying so darn hard to be righteous. Hold me Jesus. Won’t you be my Prince of Peace? I have started praying a prayer that is simple and profound.

    “Jesus…would you love me today?”

    And He does. But I remember how I used to think that I had to “do stuff” for God to earn His favor and receive His love and peace. For those of us “doers” who absolutely must do something I have our assignment.

    Trust God.

    That’s it. I have made it so stinkin’ complicated and religious for so many years. When I exercise that simple act of faith I can move forward with confidence. When I trust God obedience comes out of gratitude and not teeth gritting compliance.

    Why did I fight His amazing grace and His unconditional love. Rich Mullins nails that too.

    Surrender don’t come natural to me
    I’d rather fight You for something
    I don’t really want
    Than to take what You give that I need
    And I’ve beat my head against so many walls
    Now I’m falling down, I’m falling on my knees

    That was me. Hanging on to the familiar malaise of self-effort instead of surrendering and accepting grace and freedom. Rich Mullins is now with the King of Glory and the Prince of Peace but his ministry continues around the world. Next time you are flailing and striving to please God why not try that little prayer.

    “Jesus…would you love me today?”

    “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  (Matthew 11, The Message)