Our Bible study for Wednesday night focused on the letter from the Apostle Paul to Philemon. Philemon is a part of the Bible that has often troubled me. I remember thinking at one point that Paul was blackmailing his friend Philemon but I that God would not have allowed a letter in His revelation to mankind that encourages such behavior becomes a “how to” manual for “Christian blackmail.” There had to be more to it than what I was feeling.

There are several messages found in those 25 verses that are important to us. Paul spends a great deal of time in this short, personal letter commending Philemon for his friendship and ministry with the local church; he commended him for opening his home to the church and expressed a great desire to once again return to Philemon and enjoy his company and hospitality. But the big message conveyed in this passage is the idea of living out our faith even when we have the legal right to bahave otherwise. In other words, according to the law, not only was Philemon not obligated to forgive Onesimus, the runaway thief and slave, he had the right to have him punished, up to and including death. But the law that was chiseled on the heart of Philemon took a higher precedence.

As our study was concluding, someone mentioned to me that there is no information telling just how close Paul and Philemon were. We know Paul respected Philemon, personally knew his family, and also treated Philemon as a son (just as he did Timothy, Titus and later Onesimus).

I thought about the relationship between Paul and Philemon quite a bit after the study ended. I came to the conclusion that we all need a “Paul” in our life. We all need someone who can call us to attention, challenge our thinking, and help us make the right decision in difficult times.

I don’t have a “Paul” in my life. Do you? Yes, we have the Holy Spirit and he can work in ways that a “Paul” can’t. But it would be really nice to have someone like Paul speaking into my life, who views me as a “son” and only speaks what the Lord directs him to speak and always has my best interests at heart.

But even more, I want to be a “Paul” to someone else. Perhaps being a “Paul” should become more of a pursuit than finding a Paul.

Anyone lose a slave lately?

In Pursuit!

If you have been on Facebook for very long, you will discover that you can send a “piece of flair” out to your friends. I don’t know how they came up with that name but a “piece of flair” is a pithy saying intended to bring a smile, comfort or simply to make someone think a bit. One of my favorite “pieces of flair” came from a lady friend. It read, “Inside of me is a skinny girl shouting to come out but I usually shut her up with a piece of chocolate.”

The other day I sent one out that said, “in the end it will all be okay; if it’s not okay now, it’s not the end.”

What a great thought for all those folks searching for things to be hopeful about. And what a challenge for those of us who know the source of hope to live hopeful lives so those watching will ask what makes us so different.

I was reminded this past Sunday in our Sunday school class of the passage of Scripture from 1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect….” (NIV)

Christians should always be strong towers of hope. Our focus should always be on God and what He has stated in His Word. And we should carry that hope into every arena God leads us to so folks can see the difference our faith makes.

Always In Pursuit

He Knows My Name—

I have had more than one discussion with folks who feel as though they have been a disappointed God or done something to remove themselves from his sight.

I think all of us are familiar with those feelings. But the truth is that we are never out of his sight and he is never disappointed in us. (We probably do some things he doesn’t particularly like, but he’s never disappointed in us)

One of the newsletters I receive from Christianity Today is called “Church Laughs.” The weekly newsletter contains a cartoon as well as a little “weekly funny.” The “funny” for today was taken from the Christian Reader and was submitted by C. L. Null from Oklahoma City, OK: “My Sunday school class of youngsters had some problems repeating the Lord's Prayer, but they didn't lack in imagination. One child prayed, "Our Father, who art in heaven, how'd you know my name."

I think sometimes we all feel that way. But not only does he know our name, he “delights in us” and “sings over us” (Zephaniah 3:17). Mike Bickle says that each of us are his “favorite.” To grasp such great love is more than we can wrap our brains around yet this is truth and we need to keep telling ourselves the truth.

However God also promised we would endure difficult times. Some caused by others, some caused by our enemy and perhaps some caused by our own actions. But the good news is he has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

So, in our pursuit, we need to always remind ourselves of the truth. God’s not mad at us; He has not turned his back on us; He hasn’t forgotten our name; He’s crazy about us; and He’s got this great song he sings over us!

Isn’t it great to be In Pursuit?

Knowledge brings responsibility!

I have used this information in my teaching times (on a number of occasions) over the past year and a half. It is based on Nehemiah 1 where Nehemiah receives distressing news of conditions back in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah had a pretty cushy job with the Persian king. He got paid to eat and drink. He was also, in all probability, one of the closest advisors to the king and spent a great deal of his time in his presence. Life was good! But when Nehemiah got the bad report concerning the Holy City Jerusalem, he couldn’t rest and enjoy the good life any longer. He spent four months weeping, praying and fasting over the conditions there.

During this time he repeatedly asked God for directions concerning his personal involvement. Weeping, praying and fasting were not enough for Nehemiah. But through these times, God answered Nehemiah’s prayer and instructed him to go to the king and request the necessary documents and funding to lead a group back to Jerusalem with a God given plan to rebuild the walls and repopulate the city.

In our 9 AM Sunday school class yesterday (January 11, 2009) we spoke about the pain present in the world at the time of Jesus birth. Our Lord came into a world that endured genocide and tyrannical political leaders and the first few years of his life, he lived as a refugee in Egypt. But Jesus didn’t hide or try to keep himself insulated from these issues. He was part of the daily life, living as salt and light to a dark world with the taste of death in its mouth.

I don’t know what God has in store for our world; it really doesn’t look too good right now, but I do know that as a disciple of Christ, I’m not to hide or keep myself insulated from the pain of this world. As Nehemiah did, I need to weep, pray and fast as I seek God’s direction for my life. And then as Nehemiah and Jesus modeled, I need to live as salt and light in a tasteless and dark world.

With God’s help, Nehemiah got the wall rebuilt in 52 days. I wonder what rubble God would have me to dive into over the next few days?

Always In Pursuit!

In Galatians 5:25, the Apostle Paul inserts a little phrase that should loom very large in the lives of those who live by the Spirit. The phrase is, “”let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (NIV) He first reminds the Galatians that they have been made alive by the Spirit, but not through their own accomplishments or good works, nor through anything he himself had done. And now that they had been regenerated, it was their responsibility to make sure they stay in step with the Spirit.

Paul must have been trying to convey that the Spirit was not going to stand still; He was not going to regenerate them and then simply leave them alone to stagnate. The Spirit has places for us to go. As well there is a path for us to walk and He, the Spirit, is going to lead us on those paths, but it’s up to us to follow and take the necessary steps.
There’s a great example of this given in the life of Joseph, the husband of Mary. AS you read through the genealogy recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, you will find his name entered as the “husband of Mary” rather than the “father of Jesus.” The fact that Joseph’s name is attached to this account proves his willingness to “stay in step” with the Spirit. We find Joseph taking Mary as his wife despite the appearance of impropriety. He also willingly provided care and protection for Mary and Jesus, both in Egypt and back in Israel following their return. These actions indicate that while Joseph may not have understood everything, in fact nothing may have been even close to way Joseph would have done it; yet he still stayed in step with what God, the Holy Spirit, was doing. The fact that God was doing this was more than enough for Joseph, who is described as a righteous man in Matthew 1:19.

When I was a freshman and sophomore in high school, I played the trumpet and decided to become part of the school’s marching band. I discovered that I could play the music and I could march in step, but for some reason doing both at the same time was beyond my capability. If I close my eyes and work hard at it, I can still hear the band director yelling my name and telling me to get in step. It was not a positive experience for any of us. Being out of step was a miserable. I think Paul knew that too and wanted to encourage the Galatians and us to make sure we are always in step with the Holy Spirit.

It’s part of being In Pursuit.

On December 31, 2008 I was informed of the sudden death of a long-time friend (from our church) while returning from his granddaughter’s wedding, with his wife, his grandson and his grandson’s fiancé. The SUV they were riding in was hit by a drunken driver and my friend Don was killed instantly. Soon after, I was also informed of the death of long time friend and the first senior pastor I worked with, Larry Mather. He had a huge impact upon my life while I was in college. He taught me a great deal about ministry by allowing me to spread my wings and then guiding me to a safe landing.

These were sobering bits of news, especially because of the day they were received. It was the same day my own father died, 28 years earlier. Dad was 49; Don and Pastor were 77. (If my father had lived, he would have been 77 this year.) None of them were old enough or unhealthy enough to say it was “time.” But it was.

My father lived every day as though it could be his last. I think he could honestly say when he died that he had no regrets, especially for the last five years of his life. They were the best years of his marriage, best years of his ministry and certainly the best years with his sons not to mention the birth of his first grandchild.

My friend Don also lived life to the fullest. He loved his wife, loved his kids and adored his grandkids. He was a pretty good golfer too! I’m pretty confidant he went out with no regrets. Both men are in the presence of God. I know Pastor went out being able to say, “It is finished” and was then met with a resounding, “Well done……….”

The lives of these three men cause me to want to live each day without regrets. I don’t want to take a chance on not telling someone that I love them, or that I appreciate them. And I don’t want to take a chance on not spending time with my wife or my sons. I don’t want to “half do” the work God has called me to do in case I go out as unexpectedly as these three men did. When my life on earth ends, I want to hear, “well done…….” I want to go out, whenever that may be, without any regrets. I want to be able to lay my head on a pillow and know that if I don’t wake up, it will be okay.

What a way to live!