Cast All Those Cares

Doing a bunch of 'care casting' today...

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV

As a man I have responsibilities and the best way for me to be responsible is to to be 'carefree'... burdenless... buoyant.

I am throwing all the 'weights' I carry like someone out in right field throwing the ball to stop a runner from getting on base.

I'm aiming them at Jesus. I'm not telling Him to take away my responsibility. I'm just giving Him the weight of my responsibility and asking for guidance, direction, creativity and provision. Grace makes us float. It allows us to fly by riding the currents of God's mind.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV

That roaring lion wants you burdened down... afraid... isolated.

A firm faith keeps us light on our feet, nimble, smart and unpredictable.

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The King

Jesus is both lion and lamb... king and silent sacrifice. The lamb aspect is what we see now. An outsider. Living and traveling outside the 'camp'. He is never mainstream and if the name Jesus becomes mainstream it is a different Jesus. He must be altered to appeal to the masses.

We have only seen glimpses of the lion... a whip in His hand overturning the corrupt money changers. A flash in His eyes and a bite to His words as He talked about religious leaders who were leading people astray.

Today we know the lamb. One day we will see the lion and all the history we have with Him when He was on the 'outs' will be brought into a throne room.

"He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God [is] with him, and the shout of a king [is] among them." - Numbers 23:21 KJV David's men shivered with him in a caves but they heard the shout of a King on the battle field.

Can you hear His voice?

"When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "IT IS FINISHED," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." - John 19:30 ESV

That is the shout of a King!

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Every Knee Will Bow

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess...

"for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." - Romans 14:11 ESV

"I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth [in] righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath." - Isaiah 45:23 NKJV

Will it be God's power that brings everyone to their knees?
Will it be His mercy?
Will it be His goodness?

Maybe it is just the knowledge that He was true to His word and history turned out just the way He said it would.

Maybe it will be a quick review of our own life where see things clearly all of a sudden.

What will happen to open everyone's eyes so that they see something and surrender to the fact that God has been and is worthy of all praise?

Life is hard... very hard for some people... things can be unfair... still all those bitter disappointed people are going to drop to their knees and have the same confession that the blessed seemingly privileged people have.

Right now people question God's existence. Many question His goodness. Others say He is just unknowable.

The Bible says there will be a day when everyone will see enough about who He Is that they will bow the knee to Him. The most stubborn and the most passive.

We can put up a good fight and then surrender later or we can just start there.

"Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.' " - Matthew 21:42-44 ESV

Jesus is the stone that will bring us to our knees later. Why not cast ourselves on Him now?

I'm praying for people tonight. I trust God for them but still my heart aches. If they could just get a glimpse of whatever this is. If they could just see what I sometimes somehow see that causes me to worship and get overwhelmed with thankfulness. Just a glimpse of who Jesus really Is. Just a taste of grace and mercy.

Open our eyes God. Open the eyes of the blind. That is what you did here when you feet walked in the world among us. Please do it today and tomorrow and the next day. Please we want to see that happen to the people we love and interact with... both friend and enemy alike.

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Knocking On Doors

Knocking on doors with gospel tracts in your hand. I do that.

Some of my friends reading this might say, 'I do that too.'

Other friends might think, 'That is just crazy. I would never do that.'

Still others used to do it long ago for a season.

I get it.

I was just sitting here thinking about families. They all are a combination of function and dysfunction. I think one of the reasons why people like sitcoms is because people want to peek inside the lives of other families or groups of friends. "And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town." - Matthew 10:11-14 ESV

How do you 'find out who is worthy'?

I knock on their door. It is usually with someone who is very different from me. Some families have a person there who lets you 'in'. It might be the mother or the father or an adult son or daughter. Then you start talking and dysfunction can turn into function. Prayers get prayed. Jesus has a new home to live in. It is crazy really. I knock on some doors and shake off the dust because no one there wants us in their home. It can happen for many reasons but it happens and i imagine there is some mockery sometimes going on after we leave the doorstep. The thing is... it really isn't us they don't want. They don't want HIM. Still He Is patient and merciful and loving. Others may come on some future date with gospel tracts in their back pockets. We might come back weeks later, or months, or years later and someone might want HIM on that future day.

He sends us... strange imperfect us... odd folks who are just crazy enough to care and go knowing we are mocked... knowing that we don't really know what we are doing and have clashing personalities at times.

"And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:15-16 ESV

Hardcore.

If you never go you just won't see that miraculous dynamic where dysfunction turns into function. To bad for you really. It is worth a little mockery. It really is.

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Last Saturday we went door knocking in a neighborhood and after 4 or 5 doors I just didn't feel well so I went and sat in my car with the AC on. It was just too hot for me. My partner sat with me for a few minutes and then he got out and kept going. Two other men were on the other side of the street knocking on doors also. We were all there together. I sat there praying for them a little and just thinking about being in the car with them out there. A few minutes later, maybe 15 or 20, they came back all excited with cold water bottles in their hands that someone had given them. A family had invited them all in.

For a moment I thought, 'If i would have just stuck it out I would have been in that house.' but it was just fleeting. I was just glad to be there in my air conditioned car talking to these great people who saw God move. I got to see God move.

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The One Person You Need To Know

Jesus is a 'pivotal person'. You need to know Him. I can't stress this enough. It is good for us to know the people in our life... parents... siblings... children... friends... but in the moments after we die it is how well we knew Jesus that is going to matter the most.

That might sound fanatical... even offensive... but it is true.

He Is the bridge back to The God we are or were cut off from. Knowing Him is all important.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" - Philippians 3:7-8 ESV

If we know Him then we have something to give others beyond our place (friend, brother, son, father, etc...) and personality.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained." - Philippians 3:14-16 ESV

Jesus has what those who have lost everything need. A person can lose everything but it they have Jesus they will make it through the storm.

"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Hebrews 6:19-20 ESV

Jesus keeps us anchored to Heaven. We stay connected. He Is the connection. This anchor holds. No force can knock it loose. Not even we can sever the connection. He makes us safe and sane.

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Survivorship Bias Or Real Results?

Survivorship bias is an interesting and important concept to understand. The 'survivors' are not the best judge of how good or true a practice is. You really have to look at both the survivors and the casualties to get an idea of how well something works.

If you say, 'We have a great college. there are 100 people in our graduating class this year and 85% of last year's class are gainfully employed.' That only gives part of the picture. How many students enrolled but then dropped out? How many came as healthy happy individuals but are now addicted to drugs and alcohol? How many suffered abuse or died on campus? How much debt was accrued?The brochure isn't going to have those numbers. Those numbers are needed to see if the institution is truly great.

At the same time we understand that all institutions, ideas and philosophies have casualties. That is the way of all human institutions. Good ones have better ratios and pump out very high quality work, people or results.

I saw this yesterday as I was reading John chapter 18 and it really spoke to me about Jesus' leadership.

"So he asked them again, 'Whom do you seek?' And they said, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus answered, 'I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.' This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: 'Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.' " - John 18:7-9 ESV

Jesus did not lose any of his disciples. None of them died before He did. None of them died before He rose from the grave.

"In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" - John 14:2 ESV

He made 'a place' for those who died after He rose into Heaven. He didn't lose any of them. He NEVER loses anyone.

Churches lose people. Leaders fail. Philosophies have flaws. We make mistakes but because we 'survived' we think it was because of something we did. Wow. So many are so wrong about that. Then they teach their faulty programs to others and say, 'Look! That got me where i am now.'

No. Jesus is the one who did it right. He is the only one who has really done it all right.

If you embrace who He Is and what He did for you on the cross then you will become His. He won't lose you. He can't lose you. He has ever lost anyone yet... not really... people do walk away from Him but He never walks away.

"...for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " - Hebrews 13:5b ESV

Never... no... never.

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The Comparison To God That Must Be Defined

"And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam..." - 1 Samuel 17:7a KJV

This is a simile. If I know nothing about a weaver's beam the sentence is meaningless. 'Weaver's beam' might as well be 'Fubdwd Polulvue' if I have never seen or heard of such a thing. I know less than I did because now a gap has opened.

Our mind stumbles. Our mental picture has a spear in it but we only know that some piece of knowledge is missing about the spear. The sentence made us dumber. If 'Weaver's Beam' is never defined we have a closed circle... a mystery with no end... a cliff hanger with no resolution.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth... For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." - John 1:14, 17 KJV

"Christ; ... Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" - Colossians 1:7b, 15 KJV

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ESV

If Jesus isn't defined we can't know God. No math will bring us there. God is lost to us without understanding who Jesus Is. If what Jesus has done means nothing then we are cut off from understanding the first thing about God. But if we do know Jesus then we know the most vital things about God. A relationship is established on this common understanding. We become alive.

Without Jesus all we have is death because it is all we understand.

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