What Are You Reflecting?

If humans were created in God's image, and I believe we were, that image has certainly been defaced and distorted over time. Sometimes, I wonder if we've retained any of his glory at all. We are so overcome by sin and self that surely he has removed himself from us completely.

Fortunately, he has not, and we have his promise that he never will. In John 10:27, Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." He makes this statement to contrast himself with those who claim to be shepherds but are not. "The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it." (verse 12)

Since we are his, as in most families, his children reflect his character, his values, his image. His children carry out his plan, demonstrate his love, and receive his inheritance.

Our challenge is to allow his image to shine. The sinful, decadent life does not reflect the true image of God, nor does the self-focused, hedonistic life. A follower of Jesus bears the fruit of his presence: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control.

I am convinced that once we can present to the world a crystal clear picture of who Jesus really is they will find him utterly irresistible.

READ:

He (Jesus) is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. Heb 1:3

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Cor 4:6

Galatians 5:22,23; John 10; Genesis 1:26,27

Lessons from the Sea

Tony Moore at Topsail Island 2013

Every year, while at our beach retreat, I think I should write about things I think as I walk the beautiful miles of white sand. And I have never done it.

This year, I came up with a strategy. I'm going to call it my Word of the Day. Each day, I was struck with a different aspect of nature which led me to compare it to its Creator, asking, "How is God reflected in this element of creation?"

So, I have some words with simple thoughts. I would love to hear your thoughts and other words you would use. Here are mine:

VAST - We arrived at Surf City after dark on Sunday evening. I can't be at the beach and just go to bed. I have to go to the water. As I stood in the warm water, I saw a near full moon high in the sky. It was the brightest night I've ever experienced. I looked out on the water - it looked like it went on forever. I looked into the sky. The stars were brilliant. Immediately, I thought, How vast is this universe! And how vast is God's love. Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

MOVEMENT - It was cloudy on Monday, but still warm enough to enjoy the day outside. I noticed that nothing living is always perfectly still. Movement has been built into all of creation. The tides, the wind, running sandpipers, soaring seagulls, diving pelicans, and migrating geese, butterflies, and sharks, the sun racing across the sky while the grass reaches for the sunlight, clouds billowing and dissipating, the blood coursing through my body. That same movement of resurrection life is in followers of Christ. Acts 17:28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

COLOR - The sun was out in full force the rest of the week. No more gray skies and water. The colors were radiant. They were all there, not one hue missing, though I noticed that it's apparent that God and I both favor blues. Throughout the Penteteuch and again in John's Revelation, colors are significant and prominent. God isn't boring. Look around, there's no such thing as white people and black people, we're all shades in between. Wouldn't it be boring if every blade of grass were the same shade of green? 1 Peter 4:10 God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts.

What did you come up with? I'll have more next fall.

 

Love God Love People

Some churches teach that all you need is a relationship with Jesus. We've even sung "He's all I need."

That is true regarding my salvation. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is my source of salvation. Jesus, however, said there are TWO great commandments. It would be difficult to call yourself a follower of Christ unless you live by both.

The first one is a bit easier than the second. We can't see God. He's easy to love from a distance. But, people? Now, that's a different story. We actually have to deal with their quirks (and our own) when we engage in relationships.

So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
Luke 10:27

Can you say that you love God?

What about his people? Do you love them?

You Are Not Alone

It's easy to feel alone when you are taking a walk of faith, but I don't believe God ever gives you a mission just for you. There will always be others who will help you, encourage you, follow you, or need what you offer. Many times, the reason for the mission is so that several, or many others can follow your lead.

You may have read this scripture. Then the Lord answered me and said, "Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets so that the one who reads it may run with it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:2, 3 NASB)

Habakkuk was encouraged to grasp the vision God was giving him and to pass it on with such clarity that someone else could actually carry out the mission God was giving Habakkuk! See, the mission isn't about you. Don't be a vision-hog. Look for someone that will sign on and commit to be your supporter. 

 

But, what about those other people who will be discouragers and will say you will never accomplish anything? Jon Acuff addressed that today as a guest writer for Michael Hyatt. You can read the entire blog here. In his post, he wrote,

The truth is, you should never waste time trying to turn someone who hates you into someone who likes you. Instead focus on turning people who like your dream into people who love your dream.

So how do you know who a hater is? Simple, someone who hates on something without a solution to make it better is a hater. If they don’t have a fix, an idea, a spark of improvement, they’re just there to hate. That’s one of the main differences between hate and feedback.

Don't be discouraged. God has a helper - maybe many helpers - for you. It's biblical to leave the haters in the dust, see Matthew 10:14. Let the haters hate, but let those who hear the voice of God and catch a glimpse of his heart run to spread his love to those who need it most.

Living (Out From) Under the Law

I've seen some Christians, pastors, and churches try to legalize morality. It never works in the long run. No human will keep every law - even if you divide the laws into categories. A couple of months ago, I heard a well-known pastor talking about the 3 types of laws in the Bible: Civil, Moral, and Ceremonial. This week, I read about them again in an article. I was not brought up under that teaching. So, I set out on a search for this three-law-types thing. I asked,

• Are they differentiated in the Bible? No. I couldn't find any support for the three kinds of laws in the Bible itself. Anywhere.
• Are they listed elsewhere? No. Oh, sure, the categories themselves are listed in plenty of writings over the years, but there's no concensus on which laws go in which category. Often, the writer will point to one example. For instance, "Thou shalt not bear false witness" is a moral law because it reflects an unchanging character trait of God. Well, who decides that? Sure, God is trustworthy, He never lies, and Jesus is the truth. Those are characteristics of God, for sure. But what about all the instances in the Bible when God condoned, blessed, or even instigated a lie? Perhaps this would be a good Bible study for you. I'm not advocating lying, I'm just saying that categorizing Biblical laws does not work. There is no agreement on what is legal or illegal for those who follow Christ. And, don't get me started on "Thou shalt not kill."
• Does the Bible argue against categories, or is it just silent on the issue? I was taught that all Biblical laws were the same, and if you break one, you've broken them all. That actually IS in the Bible (James 2:10), so to me, the Bible is not silent.

My view of the Mosaic law comes from the Bible (from both Testaments). In Jeremiah 31, God says through His prophet, "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

 

This same verse is quoted in Hebrews 8 where the writer states, "For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another," and "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."

 

These verses state that the true, permanent law of God is a heart issue, the law of love. I don't cheat on my wife, because I love her. I honor my parents, because I love them. I give, because I love my fellow earth dwellers. I spend time with God and His people, because I love Him - and them. I'm not trying to stay out of hell or trying to get into Heaven by keeping a law, I'm following my Jesus-filled heart.

 

At this point, I've concluded that there can be 50 categories of laws if someone wants to make a list, but if we truly understand what Jesus offers us we will live in freedom - freedom from the law, freedom from sin, freedom from the opinions of man, freedom from our past, freedom indeed. This is so clearly explained in Galatians. Why are we still tripping over the law and stumbling in our walk with Jesus. Shake off the old. Stand up strong in the new. Take a breath of air as if you've just been released from a prison, because you have.

 

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6

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Inauguration Day Thoughts

I have friends who are Muslim, Hindi, Sikh, Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, Hispanic, African-American, Asian, gay, straight, bisexual, transgendered, and probably some other identities of which I am not even aware. Some have lived under great oppression, some still do. Some live with family histories that include horrible stories of how they were treated. America isn't a Christian church or even a Christian nation, it's a free country. I grew up here in Greenville where people who weren't "like us" were treated as if they had no right to be treated with dignity, no right to live in my neighborhood, no right to belong here. Somehow, our mindset was that this land was our land - not your land, that God shed His grace on me - not thee, that all men are created equal - excluding you. That's the South where I was raised. That is not America, and I will continually point out the good that is among us and decry the evil that cloaks itself in religion or in tradition. That evil causes division and is founded on a baseless pride. I have no right to be proud to be a white Southern male Christian if my sister has to hide the fact that she is an immigrant Sikh. I do not believe this only applies to my region or my generation. We are all susceptible to these thoughts unless we learn to love our neighbor as ourselves.