The Path: straight ahead

An analogy: Imagine there is a pathway before us.

Those who are faithfully following Jesus daily by faith re walking straight ahead, empowered by grace.

To the left is a ditch where the self-absorbed and apathetic get caught up (concerned mostly with self).

On the right is a ditch were a person gets stuck when he or she is over-stressed and overwhelmed. This person cares deeply but is overwhelmed!

Usually when a person is awakened to the Gospel truth, they swerve from one ditch to the other. (Over and over.)

God’s wisdom helps us learn who God is, who we are, and what He asks of us — the faithful pathway straight ahead. We stay on this road by grace-driven effort, neither passively sitting back or doing it all in our strength. God designed that when we follow Him we turn neither to the left hand or the right.

Jesus walked this path perfectly for us, and invites us to join Him, walking in His steps.

The Pathway: turning neither to the left or the right

This happens as we are daily rejoicing in our salvation received by grace, devoting ourselves to the good works He brings in front of us. People who are becoming generous with their time, talents, and treasure are resisting the urge to fall into the ditch on the left, and have spent time in the ditch on the right.

Do you notice how these people are compelling? You notice there is something different about him or her, as they are caring in their interactions with others — speaking to the person no one else notices, pausing from the break-neck pace to help someone in need. They see the hurting and marginalized.

How do we begin on the path?

Repent and believe the Gospel. Quit trusting in yourself, and place your full confidence in Jesus, the Righteous One, who lived the life we have failed to live (pleasing God perfectly from a pure heart), and died the death we should die (receiving the full wrath of God).

How do we stay on the path?

Continue Repenting and believing the Gospel. The oft-used metaphor of walking shows us it is a long obedience in the same direction, marked by repentance and renewal.

Walk. Step-by-step. Neither worrying we will fall off, nor thinking that life would be better on another path. (That is, walking on the path is no so much about self — it is about God and others.)

All of this with grace-driven effort.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
—Galatians 5:16

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
—Colossians 1:28-29

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
—Hebrews 12:1-2

Misplaced confidence

“There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence.”
—John Calvin

The Dad life?

This is hilarious and Church on the Move did an excellent job on that vieo. Yet, if we get past the humor in it, can you agree that it actually is a bit sad that this satire shows us what ‘Dad’ is reduced to these days? What’s missing?

Lyrics:

A quick reminder.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day has been full of joy, gratitude, laughter, and rest. (And some football with a side of gravy, of course.)

For all of us shopping on ‘Black Friday,’ let’s remember whose money were are spending, and what it is for.

A reminder for guys: hobbies are not cheap. Sure you’re going to use that new gadget? Need one that snazzy? (Are you thinking, “I really need _______.”)

Let’s not go into debt trying to buy happiness. Joy is there to be had … freely.

Men, let’s take the lead in our families, setting the pace for what we consume, and how much.

An undivided heart.

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like Yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before You, O Lord,
and shall glorify Your name.
For You are great and do wondrous things;
You alone are God.
Teach me Your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in Your truth;
unite my heart to fear Your name.
I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify Your name forever.
For great is Your steadfast love toward me;
You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
—Psalm 86:8-13, ESV

Excited.

What do you get excited about?

Here someone famous is giving away tons of free stuff.

Do you know anyone with this kind of joy about their salvation?

(What if the most Famous One ever gave away His life for us? Could we get excited about that?)

The Secret Power of Time

On a snowy morning (in Portland), the following sped-up video is worth your time and attention. Enjoy.

Professor Philip Zimbardo conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. Time influences who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world.

The goal.

In all areas of life that involve working and striving towards a goal, we must define the ‘win.’ Had some interesting conversations with people recently about what does it mean to ‘win’ in the Christian life. Perhaps the reason some of us are frustrated in life is that we’ve made something our goal that may not be attained in this life. Or tomorrow.

Here’s my simple take:

The goal of Christian spirituality is Christ-likeness and restoration of the image of God (2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Peter 1:4)

To that end, let us welcome God as He introduces anything into our lives that leads us towards Christ-likeness. Any circumstance that makes be depend upon God and lead us towards Christ-likeness can be received by faith as in keeping with His will. As we are being restored into the image of God, we will be less of our own ‘self.’ At least less self-concerned, and more consumed with Him and His will — loving people. It’s a journey. In the end shall be like Him (1 John 3:2).

Getting boys to read

Is the best way to teach boys to love reading by pandering to their tastes? (Like a book about all things gross: Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty.)

Is it by bribing them with video games?

Thomas Spence writes in the Wall Street Journal (9/24):

When I was a young boy, America’s elite schools and universities were almost entirely reserved for males. That seems incredible now, in an era when headlines suggest that boys are largely unfit for the classroom. In particular, they can’t read.

According to a recent report from the Center on Education Policy, for example, substantially more boys than girls score below the proficiency level on the annual National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test. This disparity goes back to 1992, and in some states the percentage of boys proficient in reading is now more than ten points below that of girls. The male-female reading gap is found in every socio-economic and ethnic category, including the children of white, college-educated parents.

The good news is that influential people have noticed this problem. The bad news is that many of them have perfectly awful ideas for solving it.

Read the rest here including a very good strategy for getting boys to read.

(Could the reading gap have more to do with competition for boys’ attention than with their supposed inability to focus on anything other than outhouse humor?)

Feed me or feed others?

If you ever say to your pastor, “Pastor, It’s your job to feed me.” He should graciously remind you, “No, it is your job — and will become your joy — to feed others.”

[See Ephesians & 2 Timothy 2:2]

Consumers cannot become disciples who make disciples unless they are drawn outside themselves.