Gold through Fire (2011)
Profound
Submitted by Compass Keeper on June 7, 2011 - 14:03
"DUDE. That was profound." I say that at least once a day. I realize that I most likely ruin the intellectual value of the moment with the use of the word, "Dude," but it just kind of slips out. Despite my "surfer" lingo, I would consider myself a "profound" theological quote collector. I love them! In the past few days, however, I have been reminded that the ability to espouse "profound" truths does not necessarily equal a "profound" person.
In Misty Edwards speech on "Relevance," she boils down the definition of a "profound" Christian to one who simply lives to learn love. In a time of intense prayer and fasting, Misty had once begged the Lord to show her His plans for her life. She admits that she was at first disappointed when He only whispered, "I love you." For days she pleaded for something more “profound,” until she suddenly realized this expression of affection was the most raw, penetrating glimpse of the Almighty's heart that she could have been given. The Kingdom boasts no greater assignment than to grow to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength." After this point, Misty explained that, "The small questions in life just got smaller." For instance, "Am I going to be great? Will I be known? How big will my ministry be?" all disappeared in the light of the one thing that mattered, "Will I learn to love?"
One day we will stand before the throne, "turned inside out," soul bared for Christ to see. Our one desire should be to show Him "a heart on fire."
I'm not suggesting we abandon the pursuit of robust, solid depth of thought, or even an extensive vocabulary. That's a mistake Christians have too often committed in the past. What I am suggesting, is that we not confuse the formation of Christ-like character with “big” words and “big” respect.
The amazing thing about Jesus is that He possessed BOTH!! He constantly WOWED crowds with His eloquence and knowledge of the Scripture. The most "profound" and lasting picture of our Messiah, however, is of a Man loving His friends "to the end." Our most "genius" image is a dying Man whispering, "Weep not for Me," through cracked and bleeding lips.
You want to see something profound? Watch a Man wash his friends' feet. Watch a Rabbi get in the dirt to put His hands in the defective eyes of a beggar. Watch a King take a leave from His palace to hold your hand.
Watch your Maker say, "I love you."
I think we’re all going to be surprised at the seating arrangement at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Jesus told the disciples that He would call those normally seated at the “far” end of the table to come and sit at His side… The shoemaker who dedicates his life to making specialty sandals for lepers, the wife of a martyred pastor in India, the Ethiopian evangelist whose house is destroyed by militant Muslims…
…These faces which never made earth’s history books are going to be “Heaven’s” big names.
So, yes! Study the Scripture, dig deep! Let its truths become a part of your very being. But
"Jesus, I love you, too."
Haylie
Submitted by Compass Keeper on June 7, 2011 - 13:59 I don't know how 'Haylie' knows what she knows. She can't count to ten yet, or tie her own shoes. When Social Services dropped off this 14-month old victim of domestic abuse at my grandparents house for safe-care, I fully expected to be the one teaching her things. Turns out I had alot to learn.
Though all we originally knew about this tiny gift was her name, it only took about 30 seconds to discover what was most precious in the world to her--a small, pink, plush doll she affectionately dubbed, "Baby."
Whether sleeping, eating, or playing, this miniature version of herself was the object of Haylie's delight and affection. Once I noticed she wasn't holding it and asked her curiously, "Haylie, where's your baby?" Her blue eyes lit up with panic and her head flipped from side-to-side. "Baby!? Baby!?" She reached out her little hands in desperation and called out for the toy until someone had returned it safely to her arms. An obvious wave of relief came over her as she clutched her, "baby" tightly. You're safe now, her body language seemed to say.
This didn't strike me as particularly remarkable behavior until the conversation I had with my grandmother this morning. She told me that the foster care system had returned Haylie to the custody of her biological grandparents. "I miss her," my Grandma explained mournfully, "but it was hard for me to carry her around. Most babies that age are easy to hold onto, they just clamp their knees around you. She didn't do that! She would just kind of hang there and waved at people...I guess it's because she was just counting on you not to drop her."
My heart jammed in my throat. "How in the world," I wondered, "did a child rescued from an abusive situation learn this sort of abandoned trust? HOW did a child whose parents for all purposes abandoned her, develop such a loving loyalty for her own, 'baby?'"
Conversely, my thoughts shifted to my relationship with my Heavenly Father. How could I, who is certain of the undying love and loyalty of my Caretaker, find myself so often "clamping my knees around Him," digging my fingernails into His skin, and screaming bloody murder!?
How could I, who belongs to the Omnipotent, entertain the thought that He would "drop" me?
Never once has my Abba become so distracted that He has left me, His baby, behind. Never once have His eyes lit up in panic as He cries out for His abandoned baby girl.
His voice is steady, constant--
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you."
It is extreme confidence birthed from His extreme love that allows men to endure extreme persecution for the name of Christ.
It takes less than 30 seconds in His Presence to understand what is most precious in all the world to Him.
Child of God, it's you.
Wherever you are. Whatever appears to be threatening you, remember that His love is stronger.
Rest in that. Relax your grip and go limp in His embrace.
You're safe now.
Human Epicenters
Submitted by Compass Keeper on June 7, 2011 - 13:56 Scientists estimate that our world shudders with an earthquake every 11 seconds. That's over 2,700 times a day, 1,000,000 times a year. Multiply that throughout man's existence and you've got yourself a boatload of seismic activity.
Some are tame enough to shatter light bulbs, some bold enough to shatter nations. Out of all the earthquakes in history, however, there is one which rises to put the others to shame.
It happened on a Sunday. Only a handful of people witnessed it. As far as we know, its rumble only displaced one stone. That was enough, however, to shift the landscape of eternity.
In a few quivering moments, an age-old war was ended. History's most destructive force was itself destroyed. Victory was clenched as death died.
Unfortunately, this Easter morning miracle has never managed to make the pages of a textbook.
It doesn't have to stay that way.
Let me explain.
The more I study these natural phenomena, the more I understand that every Christian is a living, breathing, potential epicenter for world change.
I'm gonna get all sciency on you. Earthquakes are the result of underground energy explosions. A disturbance occurs along a fault line in the earth's crust, the jagged plates start grinding together like a grizzly bear that hasn't eaten for a month, and things up above start getting shaky.
The site of the underground blast is called afocus, while the place directly above it on the earth's surface is called the, you guessed it, epicenter.
If we could somehow get a bird's eye view of the energy waves that burst from this hot spot, we would witness a world-wide ripple effect like on the surface of a pond. Seismic disturbances register on the opposite side of the globe.
Friend, if you are in Christ,
you are an earthquake waiting to happen.
You are sitting on history's most dangerous fault line, the mighty grace of God. The same focus which cracked open Christ's grave is just waiting to burst beneath your feet.
For good reason, David Crowder calls the redemptive meeting of God and man a beautiful collision. The real "rumble" of your life happens beneath the surface in your relationship with Christ. If you want to make some noise, you have to dig deep into your Savior.
The God who formed the world in its infancy is yearning to do some major world-remodeling through you. You see, earthquakes don't just change the shape of living rooms and skyscrapers, they literally change the topography of the planet.
Just like people, no two quakes have the same impact. Your voice is unique and irreplaceable. The landscape of the Kingdom was designed to be shifted by God's rumblings in your life.
Are you rooted down deep enough in Christ to let this happen?
There was a time when God's people were called those "who turn the world upside down."
What’s your legacy?
Good to the Last Drop
Submitted by Compass Keeper on May 31, 2011 - 17:46 I am a living advertisement for Maxwell House Coffee. Every morning I guzzle my cup of Joe like it’s “Good to The Last Drop” and then some. Companies could make millions by filming my desperate attempts to slurp up every precious drop of the liquid lightning. Did you know you can almost strain your neck trying to get to that last, stubborn, little dribble!? The sight of the squeaky-clean bottom of my cup is always proof of a battle well-fought. As I pondered this daily ritual, the thought struck me, “Is this what the end of my life will look like?”
….gulped dry of all I had to give, a reservoir of love poured out, no restraints, for the Kingdom?
I recently watched a dramatization of “St. John in Exile” that gave me a striking glimpse of a life lived, “to the last drop.” Actor Dean Jones portrayed the Apostle as an aging, yet feisty man who was anything but defeated andeverything but done declaring the Lord Jesus Christ.
What impressed me most was the way John used up everything he had for the Gospel’s sake. He prayed ardently for the prison warden who would come to visit him, “accidentally” left out scrolls for the guards to confiscate and read, organized a system to improve living conditions for the prisoners, and penned the Gospel of John.
What could have remained a rat-infested prison cell became a powerhouse for the Church due to John’s zealous surrender.
“I’m glad I’m still in the fight,” John remarked as he shook his fist, “if there’s the smell of battle-smoke, I want to be there.”
And he was.
A desert island packed with convicts had become the front-lines for Kingdom warfare, not because of its location, but because of John’s location.
John brought the front-lines with him.
Are you that kind of warrior? Does the darkness tremble when you enter a room, not due to your own power, but due to your commitment to allowChrist to have every last drip of you? Never once in your life have you stepped out of a war zone. Every corner of this planet is full of eternity’s battle-smoke.
The question then becomes, “Are you tiptoeing around enemy territory, or are you taking it back for our King?”
Your everyday surroundings become lethal, loaded weapons when placed in the hands of your God.
Listen closely to the ancient apostle’s quavering voice as he explains the reason for writing his gospel, “It’s the gift that only I can give.”
Christian, you have so much to give.
Christ has filled you to the brim with Himself.
Only you can choose to give it.
When you run into glory, will there be anything left in your cup?
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering….I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
-The Apostle Paul
Alive
Submitted by Compass Keeper on May 31, 2011 - 17:42 My wager is that you’ve been doing this for quite some time now. You could start holding your breath to prove me wrong, but truthfully you could only last that way for a few minutes.
Our bodies need oxygen. We can’t escape it.
This morning I was reminded of the necessity of breathing when a particular phrase in a devotional book caught my eye, “Love Him like our life depends on it.” At first glance, this seemed slightly extreme, like some sort of drastic motivation technique. I mean, yes, loving Jesus improves the quality of our lives, but if we failed to love Him for a few minutes it’s not like we’ve stopped breathing right? We’re not going to fall over and need to be resuscitated, right?
Wrong.
In my analysis of this command, I had mistakenly defined the term, “life.” I generally assume someone is alive if they’re breathing, walking, talking, and have a heartbeat. Jesus, however, made it perfectly clear that it is possible to possess a pulse and still be dead as a doornail. He called the Pharisees, “Whitewashed tombs…full of dead people’s bones.”
Extreme? Over the top?...Not when you hear Christ explain His definition of life.
He looks us straight in the eye and whispers sincerely, “It’s Me.”
“I AM the Life.”
If all of our vital organs are functioning except for our lungs, wewon’t make it. Breathing is crucial. If all of our ducks are in a row except for our intimate connection with Christ, we’re sunk.
Jesus is everything.
“Only if you’re breathing Me in and out have you begun to live.”
In the message on Sunday, my pastor compared prayer to breathing. “It’s just like air!” he explained, “It’s our life-force!” Real prayer goes beyond conversation. It’s a feeding on, in-taking of the Bread of Life. If all Scripture is “God-breathed,” then when we pray His Word we are literally breathing Jesus.
I often make the mistake of separating my “breathing Jesus” time from my “everyday life” time. Think of the tragic results that would occur if I would do that with my physical breathing!
“You know, I think I’m just gonna breathe for about an hour this morning. My schedule’s just too crammed the rest of the day.”
That’s absurd!! No matter what we’re doing, we make it a priority to breathe. It’s the one thing we can’t throw out of our routine if we want to survive.
Jesus demands that same sort of attention! Connection with Christ is the one vital priority we cannot set aside if we want to go beyond surviving to thriving.
In my recent involvement with the persecuted church, I have noticed a striking common denominator linking those who suffer valiantly for Christ—they understand and live like “Jesus” is the sole definition of life.
Most of them have forsaken all that the world would deem “necessary” to survive in order to maintain their connection with Christ.
“Deny your Jesus,” they are told, “Or lose the acceptance of your family.”
“Go ahead,” the saints reply, “Jesus is my Bridegroom and the Love of my life. I will go without earthly approval to enjoy the embrace of Heaven.”
“Deny your Jesus,” they are told, “Or lose your home.”
“Go ahead,” the saints reply, “My Jesus had no place to rest His head. He is the One Place I call Home. I will go without a roof so that my heart can rest in Christ.”
“Deny your Jesus,” they are told, “Or live as a scavenger, lacking basic food and water.”
“Go ahead,” the Saints reply, “Jesus is my Sustenance, my Treasure. I would rather run on an empty stomach than an empty soul. His Presence is my Energy.”
“Deny your Jesus,” they are told, “or we will take your life.”
“Go ahead and try it,” the Saints reply, “you may destroy my flesh, but my life, my life you cannot touch. My Life is seated at the right hand of Heaven’s throne, and is guarded by all the power in the Universe. I do NOT fear you. Take what you will, but know that in your taking, you are only giving me more of my heart’s desire. End my earthly journey and send me Home to my Beloved,….which is far, far better.”
The Persecuted Church understands the one thing that is crucial….Jesus.
Though our western surroundings may be plush with material comforts, Christ remains our One Thing.
Does your definition of “necessity” need to be revised?
How long have you been holding your spiritual breath?
Ruthlessly remove anything that has been clogging your spiritual airways.
Wake up.
Breathe Jesus.
Live.
The Same Jesus
Submitted by Journeyer on May 10, 2011 - 10:30 Haik Hovespian breathed air, drove to work, and talked on the phone just like we do. He carried a Bible, knew “all” the good worship songs, and prayed with his family around the dinner table just like we do.
Unlike us, he never prayed that God would save him from death. His seat at the dinner table sat mysteriously empty for 11 days before his family got the call from the morgue. The gardener who found his body along the road could only identify him by the Bible he found in his pocket.
The courageous Iranian pastor had effectively given his life in exchange for the release of a fellow Christian from prison.
As I watched some home videos his family had taken of the events, I was astonished. Inspired. Dumbstruck, by the weight of this man’s devotion and the tidal wave of Spirit-fire his sacrifice had created.
I tearfully begged God to endow me with the same sort of passion this man had. I felt like a puny, smoldering candle next to the fireworks this man’s life had ignited.
I have to admit, a big part of my inner turmoil arose from jealousy. WHY, I asked, do I have to live somewhere with no persecution!? If I lived in a place like that, I would definitely be as on fire as he was!
As I wallowed in self-pity, God graciously struck me with an uncomfortable truth. As I noted earlier, this man had the same Bible I do, he knew the same songs I do…..he prayed to the SAME JESUS that I do.
Location was not the determining factor, It’s what he allowed Christ to do with him that made the difference.
This man turned the Middle East upside down because he made the decision to really know his Savior. The Jesus he preached, the Jesus he loved so intensely, the Jesus he readily exited earth for… that’s MY Jesus.
How many times do we excuse our apathy by viewing the Jesus of the “super” Christians as Someone other than the Jesus who is with us today?! NO MORE.
The same Jesus that shut the mouths of lions, felled Jericho in a moment, made the sun stand still. That’s OUR Jesus. That’s what Haik understood, and what we need to understand if we truly desire to be filled with holy fire.
A hostile environment can’t offer us any more Jesus than we have right here in our plush, western homes. We may not be receiving death threats, but we shouldn’t need them to pursue our King with every bit of our beings.
The very same Fire that ignited the “greats” of the past is at this moment blazing at your heart’s door, yearning to consume you. Will you open yourself?
“When they kill me,” Haik said in the years before his death, “It will be because I was speaking, not because I was silent.” I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna SHOUT. No matter who hears.
