Killing pride with thanksgiving

Pride is the most natural and the most illogical sin that we commit.

It's the most natural because ...

... our sinful nature insists that we sit on the throne of our own heart. We want to rule our own life. We want the world to revolve around us.

It's the most illogical because ...

... absolutely everything we have comes from God. 

Our brain? God gave it to us. 

Our achievements? God gave us those. 

Our possessions? God gave us the ability to make money and obtain those. 

Our next breath? If God so chose, it could be our last. Only His grace continues to give us the next and then the next.

King David got it. As he offered up a prayer of thanksgiving for all of the material that had been collected to build the Temple in Jerusalem, he was moved to acknowledge that there is no room for pride in the human heart. Anything we do, anything we give, whatever we are … it is all because of God's favor upon us.

1 Chronicles 29:13-15 (New Living Translation)

"O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace."

Is there a root of pride in your heart? Replace it with prayers of thanksgiving to our God.

How honest should I be in my prayers?

There are more than a few Christians who are ... er ... well ... um ... hypocrites ... (ouch, that hurt!) ... when it comes to prayer.

That sounds harsh but here's what I'm talking about: Something is going on in the life of a believer and there is obvious inner turmoil in their heart. Maybe they question God's love for them. Maybe they question if God is even listening. Maybe they question why God would allow such a tragedy to happen. Maybe, just maybe, they're angry at God for not heading off some evil at the pass.

But, if you listened to their prayers, you wouldn't hear about this inner turmoil. Why? Because they think it's wrong to be brazenly honest with God in their prayers.

They can't imagine expressing their frustration Him. So, they keep it quiet. There ends up being a part of their life that they simply will not share with Him.

The result: They experience inner turmoil while praying boring, tame, predictably worded prayers with no hint of that inner turmoil. Do you know what someone is when they present themselves outwardly to be something different than what they are inwardly - a hypocrite.

So, what am I saying?

Am I saying that if you are questioning God that you should tell Him exactly how you feel?

Am I saying that if you are upset at God that you should be completely honest with Him and let it all out in your conversations with Him?

Well, my answer to those questions doesn't matter. What does God's Word say about it?

In my Bible reading this morning, I came across Psalm 13. Listen to how King David prayed:

"O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?

How long will you look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,

with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

"Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!

Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”

Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

"But I trust in your unfailing love.

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

I will sing to the LORD

because he is good to me."

I think that one of the reasons that King David, who wrote this psalm, was a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22) was because his heart was true. He wasn't sinless - not by a long shot. But, his relationship with his God was real. Rugged, but real. If he felt it, he expressed it.

But, notice one more thing. After David expressed his inner turmoil to God, he always ended up in a happy place. He ended this psalm by saying that not matter what questions he had, he was going to trust in his God and sing of His goodness.

So, don't be a hypocrite. Be honest with God in your prayers. But, make sure you end up in a good place with Him before you say "Amen."

A reason to be excited about the American church

In one of the conversations I enjoyed with my church family yesterday, someone asked me: “Pastor, where do you see the American church in 10 years?”

My answer came fairly quickly because I think about the American church a lot. I am excited about Westside Baptist Church and believe that God is growing us and providing opportunities to serve Him in ways that are going to be exciting.

Yet, when I think of the American church, I am gravely concerned. Why? Because I believe that the American church is in desperate trouble. I believe that it is much like two of the churches mentioned in Revelation 2-3.

Of the church at Ephesus it was said:

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” (Revelation 2:4)

This was a church that was busy doing a lot of commendable, incredible stuff. But they weren’t motivated by love. So, it didn’t matter.

Of the church at Laodicea it was said:

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16)

This was a church that enjoyed prosperity. So, they didn’t sense a deep-seated need for Jesus. Thus, they just went through the motions of ‘religion.’ They weren’t hot (on fire for the Lord) or cold (in obvious sin). If they were on fire for Jesus, He could fan the flame. If they were in sin, He could discipline them and bring them back. Yet, they were apathetic about the things of God thinking that things were ok and satisfied with it.

But, there’s hope! There’s always hope. The word “repent” is used 8 times in Revelation 2-3 as the Lord is addressing His congregations. When God's people repent (turn from sin and turn to Him), they are renewed.

I am encouraged that there is a rising tide of local and national leaders who are calling God’s people to repentance and praying for God to move in revival again. Just two of the many who are doing so are Anne Graham Lotz and Ronnie Floyd. Ministries like OneCry are doing the same. God is also rising up a new generation of young men and women who are ready to charge Hell with a water gun. They are tired of apathetic Christianity and want something worth living and dying for.

Yes, as I think of the American church, I am gravely concerned. But, there is also reason for unfettered excitement. The determining factor is whether or not God’s people will respond favorably. Jesus is waiting on us…

Revelation 3:19-20 (New Living Translation)

Jesus said: “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

My family's visit to the St. Louis Old Courthouse (July 9, 2014)

After visiting the Gateway Arch with my family, Kim wanted to check out the Old Courthouse. You can see the courthouse in this picture I took at the top of the Gateway Arch. It's the building with the green, round top. 

Here's a picture I took simply because I liked the reflection the courthouse made on an adjacent building. (It looked a little better in real life.)

I'll admit that I wasn't excited about visiting the courthouse. I had no idea what historic event happened in that building until Kim shared it with me as we were entering the building. (More on that in a moment.)

The inside of the courthouse was decked out in spectacular patriotic colors and American flags.

Outside the courthouse, a statue was erected and a marker explained the significance this particular courthouse played in American history. Dred Scott and his wife filed a lawsuit to try to gain their freedom. The story is long but the Scotts, as slaves, saw the evils of slavery firsthand and wanted freedom for themselves and their children.

It was in this courthouse that they filed a suit that ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court. The ruling in that high court was not in Dred's favor and, in fact, was utterly despicable. In essence, one of the justices in the majority opinion stated that neither Dred Scott nor any other persons of African descent were American citizens and thus were not entitled to the rights and freedoms shared by all Americans. That ruling was one of the major precipitating forces that led only a few years later to the beginning of the American Civil War.

In 1857, after he had lost his case (which had caused so much upheaval for his owner who had refused to give him his freedom), he was sold to his original owner for $1. His new owner immediately set him free. Where was his freedom legally granted? Back in a courtroom in St. Louis. We were able to visit that courtroom and take a few pictures on our trip.

My family's visit to the St. Louis Gateway Arch (July 9, 2014)

We took a brief family vacation to St. Louis this week (July 7-10, 2014) and were thankful that there was a lot to enjoy that was free or very inexpensive. One location that our whole family enjoyed was the Gateway Arch.

I took my iphone out and enjoyed taking some pictures while I was there.

After taking some photos outside the arch and checking out the Visitor's Complex under the arch, Zach, Joseph and I purchased some tickets to take the ride to the top. Kim wanted to watch a movie on Lewis and Clark and Sean stayed with her.

Here's what the small, claustrophobic!!!, cars look like that took us on the 4 minute ride to the top of the arch:

The doorway was about 4 1/2 foot tall. Once 5 people got into this small space (with our heads hunched over), the glass door closed and we took the ride to the top.

Once at the top (630 feet up!), the doors opened and we got out to take a look.

Here's what we saw:

Finally, I took a video to give yet more perspective on how incredible this man-made wonder is. It's nothing fancy. It just pans over the whole extent of the arch and then focuses in on Kim, Zach, Sean and Joseph.

Why Does God Seem So Unjust?

In my Bible reading this morning, I came across the age old question: "Why does life seem so unfair?" In fact, an even more specific, targeted question is: "Why does God let those who oppose Him seem to live without any divine punishment? In fact, many of them do quite well in life."

This very sort of question was posed by Job:

Job 21:7-15 (New Living Translation)

7 “Why do the wicked prosper,

growing old and powerful?

8 They live to see their children grow up and settle down,

and they enjoy their grandchildren.

9 Their homes are safe from every fear,

and God does not punish them.

10 Their bulls never fail to breed.

Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.

11 They let their children frisk about like lambs.

Their little ones skip and dance.

12 They sing with tambourine and harp.

They celebrate to the sound of the flute.

13 They spend their days in prosperity,

then go down to the grave in peace.

14 And yet they say to God, ‘Go away.

We want no part of you and your ways.

15 Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him?

What good will it do us to pray?’

Here are a few personal reflections in response to Job's question:

1. It only SEEMS that many folks go through life without trouble. That is a faulty perception. In truth, everyone (righteous and wicked - and everyone in between) experience trouble in life (Job 14:1).

2. God's patience and love for His creation keeps Him from immediately dealing with wrongs. Because He loves the world (John 3:16) and longs for people to repent, He is long-suffering with even the wicked and gives them time to return to Him (2 Peter 3:3-10).

3. Ultimately, the Day of Judgment will right all wrongs. There is coming a day when every knee will bow before God and give an account of their life. Those who are saved will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:6-10) and those who are unbelievers will be at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This accounting with be so thorough that even the casual words that we speak will be weighed in God's righteous courtroom (Matthew 12:36).

4. This is why we can forego treating even our worst of enemies with cruelty (Romans 12:19-21) and why we can forego immediate approval for our righteous deeds (Matthew 6:1). We know that one day, we will stand before Jesus. On that day, He will punish all wrongs and reward all rights.

So, does it seem that sometimes those who live a godly life experience more than their fair share of trials and some folks who stiff-arm Jesus experience more than their fair share of successes? Just wait, my friend. One day, our God will make all things right.

In the meantime, we should strive to share the Gospel and take as many as we can to the Judgment Seat of Christ!