Charisa Stories

Tag: Jesus

21 Connect: Day 9 – Grudges Weigh You Down

Carrying a grudge is so easy to do. But I think this writer nails how counterproductive the practice really is.

To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.

William H. Walton

I think we can all agree that God is not honored when we hold grudges, especially against fellow believers. I can disagree with you, but unless the issue is heresy, I do not have permission to dismiss you. We need to iron it out and make up.

That is not the easiest path. My default response when I am wronged is usually sinful, and I take a little comfort that I am not unique. A couple of guys who were really close to Jesus had the same sinful response to bad behavior:

He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” Luke 9:52-54

My response? You betcha! Fire! Bring it, Jesus! But what was His response?

Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village. Luke 9:55-56

As much as my heart cries out for vindication and revenge, Jesus says no. You go on to the next village. You trust God. You forgive. This journey is hard because my sense of justice says that maybe they deserve fire from heaven. But it gets even tougher. Jesus says to forgive my enemies.

I resist with my well-rehearsed five-step program. Step one is to blame someone else. Step two is to vow not to back down and give in because, after all, I was wronged. Step three is to go into hiding and despair. Step four is to be too proud to lose the battle. Step five is to hang on to the grudge, even as the weight of that animosity crushes my spirit. That is an ugly little sequence, but it is a pattern I have repeated far too many times in my journey. I imagine Jesus’ heart is saddened by my stubborn refusal to consider His forgiveness extended to me and, consequently, my refusal to lean on His power to forgive.

There is fear on that road to forgiveness, when I take my eyes off of Christ. My heart cries out in protest. What if they reject, scoff, or take advantage of my forgiveness? Jesus reminds me gently that He understands. And it is the right thing to do, no matter how the other party responds.

Sometimes truth is irritating.

When I break those chains and allow God to heal my heart, the weight of the world is lifted off my soul. Sadly, too often, it is the road less taken. But it is the path that will make a difference in my (and your) journey with Jesus.

I love these principles of Christian living, often attributed to St. Augustine:

“In essentials, Unity. In non-essentials, Liberty. In everything, Love.”

What would the impact of the gospel be if the body of Christ lived by that simple little credo? Satan knows all too well how a world that is shown God’s real love and grace would respond. So the enemy reminds me of grudges both real and enhanced. I turn from forgiveness because I convince myself that my offender does not deserve it. I conveniently forget that I did not deserve forgiveness either. There is no way I have found to release those grudges without the healing power of forgiveness. Author Will Davis Jr. explains:

Once you decide to forgive, you initiate the healing process. Forgiveness gives your soul permission to move on to the higher and healthier ground of emotional recovery. Forgiveness is to your soul what
antibiotics are to infection. It is the curative agent that will help to fully restore your soul. It doesn’t immediately remove the pain of the offense but it does start you on the road to recovery.

I really like that perspective. The decision to forgive initiates but does not complete healing. You and I will, in time, heal. But we will never get there without taking the first step of faith. Would you decide to lighten your load today and give up the grudge?

Excerpts from Waking Up Slowly.

March 28, 2020
21 Connect: Day 8 – The Past Does Not Define Us

I used to spend a lot of time agonizing about the past. It can be just as dangerous to romanticize the past, thinking that life today is never going to be as good as it once was.

I love this E. L. Doctorow quote about writing:

“It’s like driving a car at night: you never see further than your headlights,
but you can make the whole trip that way.”

That is profoundly simple and true. I think this principle applies to writing, living, and especially for living a life of faith. Life is a fog. I wish I could see farther ahead on my journey, but the truth is, I cannot. I can see only as far as the light that illuminates my path. Because I’m a Christian, that is all I really need to know. Christ, my Light, reassures me that I can (and will) make the whole trip in that way. But there is fear in the unknown of the future, and it is easy to dwell in the predictable events of the past.

Not dwelling in the past is a huge issue to address on my journey to slow down, disconnect, and reconnect in healthier ways, both spiritually and relationally. I am learning a lot about what a mess I am. I am pretty sure most of those close to me were already aware of this.

Paul described his past to the church at Philippi. He wrote that what he used to view as valuable he now viewed as garbage, compared to the priceless value of knowing Christ. He explained his desire to know Christ better. And then Paul gave a note of encouragement and a path to achieve that goal by focusing on Christ and always moving forward.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3 : 13-14

That is the plan. I forget the past, look forward, and then take one stride at a time to the finish line. I can’t backpedal and finish the race. I can’t run in place and finish the race. I can’t take one mighty leap to finish the race. I certainly can’t stop and finish the race. It is about putting one foot in front
of the other.

Satan wants desperately to have me wallow in regret or shame of the past. Followers of Christ have an escape plan. It’s not always easy to implement. Sometimes professional counseling is needed to break the chains. But the power for healing is there. Bible teacher and author Warren Wiersbe offers a good perspective on this challenge, as he analyzes how Paul related to the past.

“Forgetting those things which are behind” does not suggest an impossible feat of mental and psychological gymnastics by which we try to erase the sins and mistakes of the past. It simply means that we break the power of the past by living for the future. We cannot change the past, but we can change the meaning of the past. There were things in Paul’s past that could have been weights to hold him back (1 Tim. 1:12-17), but they became inspirations to speed him ahead. The events did not change, but his understanding of them changed.”

I can’t magically erase the events and pain of prior events, but I can break their power. I can change the meaning of the past. I can live for the future. I can believe that I am a new creation because of the finished work of Christ. And I can begin to see myself as God sees me. God knows all of that bad stuff about me, but He chooses not to remember any of it. When the Accuser tries to convict me of those events, his indictments fall on deaf ears. The past does not define me; Jesus does. Prior events and hurts do not defeat me, because I can advance, one step at a time, toward the goal set before me.

The danger of dwelling on the past is wonderfully put by this quote from Michael McMillan.

You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.

The past is forgiven. The future is in God’s hands. Let’s trust Him in this moment.

March 27, 2020
21 Connect: Day 7 – This Crisis Can Teach us the Wisdom of Sabbath

On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
Genesis 2:2-3, NLT

God did not need to rest. He was modeling for His creation that we need to slow down and relax. Think of that. The God of Creation can kick back and enjoy what has been accomplished. Our Creator is telling us that we are creatures and not machines. What is wrong with us that we cannot take moments to enjoy and appreciate both our gifts of grace and the work of our hands?

God understood that the body, mind, and spirit need rest and refueling time. Our culture has lost that instinct and ability to give ourselves permission to rest. Now a worldwide pandemic has forced many of us to slow down. For some it has been a maddening and boring time. For others it has been a revelation of how our busy lives have caused us to forget the simple and sacred moments of daily living.

Jesus demonstrated that the command for Sabbath observance was not about following a hyperlegalistic rule. It was about taking the time to get over ourselves and see what God is doing. Remember this encounter with the Sabbath police?

One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples
through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were
pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them.
Some Pharisees reported them to Jesus: “Your disciples
are breaking the Sabbath rules!”
Jesus said, “Really? Didn’t you ever read what David
and his companions did when they were hungry, how
they entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the
altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to
eat? And didn’t you ever read in God’s Law that priests
carrying out their Temple duties break Sabbath rules
all the time and it’s not held against them?
“There is far more at stake here than religion. If
you had any idea what this Scripture meant‘
I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual’— you wouldn’t be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no lackey to
the Sabbath; he’s in charge.”
Matthew 1 2 : 1 – 8 , The Message

While I am reasonably sure that Jesus did not say “lackey” to the Pharisees, it sure is fun to think about. But the point is that the heart of Sabbath is not rule keeping. It is resting in the One who is our Sabbath. I can acknowledge that God has this under control and He can get by just fine without my assistance for a few hours. Writer Wendell Berry captured the spirit of letting go of my need to control every moment:

“Sabbath observance invites us to stop. It invites us to rest.
It asks us to notice that while we rest the world continues
without our help. It invites us to find delight in the world’s
beauty and abundance.”

The world gets along just fine without my help. That is disappointing and liberating at the same time. Noted author Dallas Willard, who possessed a far bigger brain than I have, says this about the fourth commandment:

“The command is ‘Do no work.’ Just make space. Attend to
what is around you. Learn that you don’t have to do to be.
Accept the grace of doing nothing. Stay with it until you stop
jerking and squirming.”

Accept the grace of doing nothing. I love that thought. I failed to recognize how innocuous and mundane little activities add up, draining my life battery.

Sabbath truly is vital to our very well-being. It can be an oasis in the desert of busy living. God does not ordinarily clamor for my attention. He waits quietly for me to show up, be still, and spend time with Him. I don’t do that often enough.

This time of rest might have been forced upon us but we would do well to learn the lessons of reflection, time, and worship. Things will return to busy soon. Let’s not forget the sacred value of Sabbath.

March 26, 2020
21 Connect: Day 6 – Through the Eyes of Children

In 1971, I was working as a local disc jockey in Chillicothe, Ohio. Yes, I am that old. The world was a scary place in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and my generation was determined to make a difference. Our hearts were in the right place, but our strategy was flawed. We thought political change was the answer. I have since learned that changing the hearts of men and women is the answer, and that happens best through a redemptive and real relationship with Jesus.

One of the songs that impacted me deeply during my early DJ days was compiled by a Los Angeles disc jockey named Tom Clay. He remixed two hit songs from the sixties—“What the World Needs Now Is Love” and “Abraham, Martin and John,” adding audio clips to create a compelling social commentary.

The medley is as powerful today as when I listened to it as a young radio announcer. The record begins with a child being interviewed about the meaning of segregation and bigotry, but the youngster clearly has no idea what those words mean.

Then Clay powerfully integrates excerpts of speeches by John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ted Kennedy’s eulogy for his assassinated brother, Robert. Those moments are intercut with sound bites of news coverage of their tragic deaths and other news stories.

At the time, I didn’t realize the implications of how volatile our country was during that period. My parents rarely shared their fears, but they must have wondered if my generation would have any hope at all with the violence and hatred running wild. Hearing those heart-wrenching sound bites mixed in with the lyrics from “Abraham, Martin and John” still makes me emotional.

“Abraham, Martin and John” laments that Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and John and Robert Kennedy all died too young as victims of senseless hatred. As the lyrics ask if anyone has seen my good friend John, the remix interrupts with CBS broadcaster Walter Cronkite’s special bulletin on November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy is dead.

The song turns to “my old friend Martin.” Were King’s words included in the song—“Difficult days ahead . . .”—a possible premonition of his own violent death? And when Senator Robert Kennedy pays tribute to Dr. King, lines from that speech are stitched into the lyrics, wondering who
will be the next person to “suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed,” an eerie self-prophecy. Kennedy would die during the presidential campaign of 1968.

The compilation gently transitions to the lyric “what the world needs now is love, sweet love,” ending with the child’s voice again, asked to define the word prejudice.

“Umm, I think it’s when somebody’s sick.”

Spot on.

Fast-forward fifty years, and it feels like not much has changed

I am sick. So are you. Since the Garden of Eden all of us have been sick in our sin. Christians are forgiven, justified, and righteous because of Christ, but (and this is a big but) we are saints who still sin. We still have blind spots.

I don’t know if those responses from the children in the song were spontaneous or scripted, but I do know that Jesus asked us to have the trusting heart of a child. Jesus is not saying that I should act childish and immature. If that were the case, I wouldn’t need much teaching. Instead, he meant that I must have that childlike trust, dependence, surrender to authority, and need for relationship. A child isn’t born hating another color, country, or idea. That is learned from adults.

Pray that God will allow you to see everyone you come in contact with today as a child sees him or her. Without prejudice or bigotry or judgment. That may prove harder than you expect. But that may reveal exactly how desperately you and I need new lenses.

GOD’S TAKE
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 18:1-4

Taken from Waking Up Slowly

March 25, 2020
Connect 21: Day 5 Receiving the Gift of Grace

Today’s chapter from Waking Up Slowly is about our reluctance to receive the gift of grace. This 21 day journey explores the actions and attitudes that drive us away from God. One of those is refusing to accept that our salvation, sanctification, and satisfaction are all about what God has done and not about our own self-efforts.

As a follower of Christ, I have everything I need to be content. Yet I wander, looking for something new or the latest trend in the church. What I was looking for in every book, program, study, and event was the sweet gospel of unconditional love, unmerited forgiveness, and complete acceptance. I was looking for grace.

This line from poet Nancy Spiegelberg may be the most indicting summary
of the grace I misunderstood for decades: “Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to You with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known You better I’d have come running with a bucket.”

I am indeed awakening to the mystery, the majesty, and the unquenchable supply of grace given to me each moment.

Grace.

It is a word that has lost its power through misuse and overuse. Fearful grace objectors banter about the ridiculous concept of cheap grace as if I must be wary of receiving a gift from my Father in heaven. Are you kidding me? If I view grace like a sales pitch for a time-share resort, I am listening to the wrong voices. There are no strings attached with grace. No fine print. No hidden costs. No promises to lure me in that have not already and forever been fully delivered. Grace gives me full title to the resort and all the first-class amenities.

Grace.

So God comes along with a redemption plan so radical that we have a hard time believing it could be true. This is what I almost always hear when I share God’s grace with unbelievers or fellow recovering legalists.
“Is this true?”
“Yes, it is,” I affirm.
The follow-up question is the same one I asked when I first heard the grace message.
“Why haven’t I heard this before?”
To be completely honest, I had heard versions of that message over my first few decades of faith.

Thank God I finally understood that I could not do it myself. I could not earn my way to righteousness. And more importantly, I finally understood that this was the best news ever. I could quit flailing and start trusting God’s
gift of grace.

You don’t have to do anything but believe. Radical. Crazy.

Grace

GOD’S TAKE
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for
this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2 : 8 – 9)

A DOSE OF GRACE
Grace is by definition an undeserved gift. Look for people in your life to whom you can give this gift of acceptance, love, forgiveness, and kindness today. Don’t expect reciprocity when you give grace. This is such an important piece to connect more with God and others. Accept His grace as a wonderful gift, and feel free to regift it over and over again.

Excerpts are from Waking Up Slowly. Check it our here.

March 24, 2020
21 Connect: Day 4 – The Owner’s Manual

Today’s chapter examines the role of the Bible in our culture and how there is a movement to diminish the importance of Scripture. Many are quick to find ways that unloving and graceless misapplications of biblical texts have done harm, while dismissing the incredible positive impact this same book has had on history. Commandments against murder, stealing, and lying are the basis of our legal system. The teachings of Jesus lived out by His early followers radically changed the status of women and children. Biblical stories and characters flow throughout great literature and art. Much of the true humanitarian work in medicine was born out of biblical conviction.
Pastor Tim Keller had this insight about Scripture.

If the Bible really was the revelation of God, and therefore it wasn’t the product of any one culture, wouldn’t it contradict every culture at some point? Therefore, if it’s really from God, wouldn’t it have to offend your cultural sensibilities at some point? Yes, it should. If the Bible is the revelation of God, then it follows that this volume contains insights into my spiritual and emotional DNA that only the Designer can fully explain.

Tim Keller

An engineer can look at a design problem and provide a solution. He or she designed the product and knows where the problem exists and how the solution can be implemented. A software designer can look into the code and find the offending bug that wreaks havoc. The designer knows how the program works. I believe that to be true about my design. God knows how my software is written and how to keep it virus free and functioning normally. I capitulate that “normal” may look a little different for me than it does for you, but that is my design.

Psalm 139 was part of the beginning premise of this book. In that text David writes about how we are formed. Keep in mind that he wrote about the miracle of conception and life centuries before sonograms and the advanced knowledge of DNA:

You watched me as I was being formed in utter
seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
Psalm 139:15

Look at the language that David uses when he writes about how life is formed in the womb, using a word that the ESV translates as “intricately woven.” The Hebrew word can be translated to variegate, which means to weave with multicolored threads. The word suggests the complex patterns and colors implemented by an embroiderer.

David could not have used a more apt illustration for the complex beginning of life than the handiwork of an embroiderer.

According to Carl Sagan, a single human chromosome (a DNA molecule) contains 20 billion bits of information. But what does that mean? What if all this information were written in an ordinary book in contemporary language?

Twenty billion bits are comparable to about 3 billion letters. If there are roughly 6 letters in the average word, the information contained in a single human chromosome is equivalent to about 500 million words. The average page of printed text contains approximately 300 words, which translates to
roughly 2 million pages. Assuming the average book contains 500 or so pages, the information contained in a single human chromosome adds up to more than 4,000 volumes.

Sagan goes on to conclude, “It is clear, then, that the sequence of rungs on our DNA ladders represents an enormous library of information. It is equally clear that so rich a library is required to specify as exquisitely constructed and intricately functioning an object as a human being.”

By the way, Carl Sagan was an astronomer and atheist, and he believed this all happened by chance. And yet that same information led former atheist Francis Collins to come to faith in Jesus as he studied the human
genome.

As the director of the Human Genome Project, I have led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of the human genome, our own DNA instruction book. As a believer, I see DNA, the information molecule of all living things, as God’s language, and the elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God’s plan.
Francis Collins

For me, I have found that no volume addresses the most fundamental questions of humankind as completely as the Bible.

Why am I here?
Do I have a purpose?
Is there anything after death?
Is there a God?
Can I know God personally?
Is God a loving or vindictive force?
Why is there pain and suffering if God is loving?
How can I find happiness?

These questions are honestly examined in the Bible, through words and interactions in the stories of the people struggling with those same imponderables. People like you and me. The Bible does not sugarcoat the failings of the most revered biblical figures—it honestly explores evil, sin, consequences, suffering, and pain. It sets forth the basis for true justice for the poor and oppressed, something that people still seek today. I have found principles for success in marriage, parenting, work, leadership, and friendship. I see hope for the future when others say it looks bleak. I realize salvation requires nothing to be sacrificed, other than my unwillingness
to confess my need. Today I will meditate on this verse.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
2 Timothy 3:16

Excerpts from Waking Up Slowly.

I welcome your comments, thoughts, questions, concerns, and praises. Let’s talk!

March 23, 2020
21 Connect: Day 3 Busyness is Not Next to Godliness

My personal belief is that one of the biggest and most damaging mistakes that the church makes with new believers is not teaching clearly and continually what happens when
you put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It seems that we too often get young Christians immediately into studies and activities, suggesting that change can happen only when you are trying hard and concentrating on the spiritual disciplines.

That was my struggle for forty years before I realized a simple truth. Dramatic change took place the moment I made that faith commitment to follow Jesus. Scripture tells
me that when I decided to become a follower of Christ, the following things happened immediately:

I was given a new identity.
I became a new creation.
I received the gift of the righteousness of Christ.

I struggle with that concept because I am not always righteous in my behavior. That may well be the biggest understatement in this volume. Here is the amazing theology of the gospel: God sees me as righteous and worthy because of my relationship with Jesus. Nothing I have done or ever will do could earn that righteousness. It is a gift of grace because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

I was changed completely when I put my trust in Christ as my only hope for salvation. I did not have to struggle with futile performance to change. I was changed that day. But it has taken me forty years to know Him better, never realizing I had been carrying around the key to that kind of relationship since day one.

Now I see a different picture. I see Jesus standing at my side and explaining that I am completely changed. I see Him telling me that my sins are forgiven and I can quit relitigating past mistakes. I see Him explaining to me that all of those things that used to be true about me are no longer true. I see Him repeating that, because I tend to nod my head without really believing it. Jesus explains to me that no matter what the accuser might say, those things that used to define me are dead and buried at the Cross. I see Jesus telling me that I have the Holy Spirit to comfort me and provide an unshakable source of strength.

He reminds me gently that I don’t have to grit my teeth and try harder to win favor and please Him. He tells me for the ten
thousandth time that sin does not have power over me anymore.

And I see His demeanor being just as patient and kind as the first time He told me that truth. I hear Him remind me that power over sin is looking to Him for my strength and not trying to fight it with my busyness and resolve.

I see Jesus looking deeply into my eyes and tenderly expressing (again) that it is my trust in God that pleases Him. No other works are required. My faith is what pleases Him according to God’s Word. Nothing else. I picture Jesus embracing me and saying, “Relax. Rest. Let Me love you and then, out of that rest and love, you can love others. Quit making it so complicated, Dave.”

I have a hard time putting my full weight on those truths. Today I want to meditate on these words from Jesus.

“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

What a wonderful thought for such a time as this.

Excerpts from Waking Up Slowly.

March 22, 2020