Acceptance Archives — Page 2 of 2

Today’s Word is BLAME

Mon-Apr-27-2020

I have ministered to many, many people who are looking for someone or something to blame for the difficulties they are going through. We often want to tell this person the wonderful verse from Jeremiah 29:11 that says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Many people know this verse and are encouraged by it. It sounds like it is especially addressed to someone who is not prospering or has been harmed, or perhaps someone who feels like the future holds no hope. By this verse we are reminded that God is not the one who is the perpetrator of the terrible things that happen in our lives. I am thankful that I did not grow up blaming God for things, but some people have developed the tendency to accuse him of doing them harm. These are the ones who resent this verse. It seems to them to be a false promise.

Perhaps they feel as though they have been lied to. They do not see prosperity or a hopeful future. Rather, based on their terrible lot in life, they have become weary of relying on hope, and now would rather get a secondary satisfaction out of finding someone to blame.

If you are one of those, I suspect it is because you may have had more than your share of difficulties, tragedies, and abusive or harmful circumstances. It seems unfair and maybe you direct the blame toward God simply because you can’t think of anyone else to take it out on. After all, he’s the great “fixer,” isn’t he?

The path to overcoming this resentment involves reinterpreting our expectations of what life is meant to be like. We must admit that no person will escape difficulty at some time. And at those points, would we be willing to let someone comfort us, even though they do not fix the problem? If we cannot release our problem in exchange for warmth and acceptance, this is an admission that all of life is about “me” and essentially a declaration that I cannot be satisfied, since life will never go perfectly for me or anyone. I am thus waiting for the impossible.

Jeremiah 29:11 is not about a formula for success by which we become happy when good things finally start to happen. It is more about a relationship with a loving God who meets us in the middle of the ups and downs of life and walks us through them. The hope and the future of which God speaks is that of being loved and accepted. This is hope … that I will make it. I don’t have to know “how” I will make it, but only that God will never forsake or abandon me. At those times when we may feel disappointed or even abandoned, the Scripture says this,

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

This is describing the Captivity of the Jews in Babylon. The great truth is that God heard their cry and came to them. No nation, no evil, no bad thing can keep us in its grasp forever when we belong to God. We keep seeking him “with all our heart.” Notice that the promise to restore their “fortune” is not so much about wealth, but rather he said we would “bring them back” to their original place with God.

Did God put you in the places of difficulty or “captivity”? So it seems, by this Scripture. But remember, the Old Testament is a story of learning what God is like, and we learn by experience. Would reading an explanation of restoration teach us well enough? Not for me. It is by being in the place of captivity, feeling the despair, longing for being home and at rest that I learn by experiencing, internalizing, and claiming the beauty and victory of restoration and peace.

This is God’s plan for a hope and a future, that he goes with us into our wildernesses, allows our pain and struggle to teach us, and then restores that which was lost.

I cannot blame God for letting me learn the hard way. And I thank him that the great gift of his presence is my hope and my future.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is COMMON

Thu-Apr-2-2020

“The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he made so many of them.” ― Abraham Lincoln

Growing up I had a struggle with self-worth. It took me decades to overcome that. I lived under the misconception that I needed to fix myself, and that somehow by becoming perfect I would gain acceptance. There would be no reason for anyone to dislike or reject me. What I needed to learn was that common people have a mixture of strengths and weaknesses, all of which we must embrace.

I am just me. You are just you. We are somehow both unique and yet common. We are not invincible, but more like clay jars that wear out, or get cracks and chips. The scripture calls this a good thing, because it helps us to be humble and yet confident. Such an attitude leaves us open for God to pour his Spirit and power into us.

“But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” – The Apostle Paul (2^nd Corinthians 4:7)

Give God thanks for things about yourself that you discover going through your day. If something reveals your fragile nature, don’t curse it. Think of it as another aspect of the tapestry that is you. What seems to us to be flaws in our makeup are really what makes us unique and interesting.

Give thanks that God has blessed a common person like you. Acknowledge that you don’t have to be “special” or “worthy” or “talented” in some way in order to earn God’s approval. Affirm that even though you are fragile, God has stored a life treasure in you. He has a purpose for you and can keep you from falling apart as you use your treasure to touch and bless others.

There is a story about a young girl who takes two clay jars hanging on the ends of a pole and carries them across her shoulders to the well every day to fetch water for the family. One of those jars has a crack in it. On the journey back to the house, water drips slowly from that broken jar. The result is that the neighbors all notice and enjoy the fact that the flowers on that side of the path are always more beautiful.

Others are blessed by our commonness and our vulnerabilities. They are all part of the treasures of God within us. We should appreciate these things about each other, because through them is shown the power of God to use the ordinary to do extraordinary things.

It’s not so bad to be a “cracked pot.”

Have a blessed day,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is COST

Tue-Mar-24-2020

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” — Muhammad Ali

Every accomplishment, every activity, every possession, and every relationship each has a cost and a benefit.

The prize fighter Ali knew that the great accomplishment of a world championship of boxing would come at the high cost of rigorous and relentless training. The world is full of people who have underachieved simply because they were not willing to do the unpleasant, difficult steps to become who they were meant to be and to achieve the goals along the way that lead to success in life.

Every activity in which we participate is the same. Going to the movies has a cost and a benefit. The same is true with our possessions. Sometimes folks pay more than what something is worth at face value because they may get an added intangible benefit. For instance, wearing a certain brand of clothing or watch, driving a certain car, or living in a certain neighborhood might seem of greater value than just the base value of the item.

Before we invest in something, we count the cost to see if it is worth it, and if we are willing or able to pay the price.

Jesus said, “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28)

There’s a hidden meaning here … You and I have enough resources to do lots of things in life. But only one had the ability and willingness to accomplish the redemption of mankind from sin. That was God. So, he “counted the cost,” which was the life of his son. And he was willing to pay thar price. The benefit of God’s restoring the relationship between himself and his people came at a high cost.

There are certain things that we can’t achieve on our own, because it is not within our ability to accomplish or we are unable to pay the price. The cost is too high. Salvation is one of those things.

Did God achieve the goal of restoring our relationship to him? Yes, he did. The cost was extreme. He sent his son, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Because of what was achieved “for” you, new doors are open “to” you. I would define success as living a life of deeply and fully loving God and passionately loving others with the love he gives us. There is a great cost and sacrifice for us in this. But his cost was infinitely higher. And the benefit is too extraordinary to measure.

The saying, “God helps those who help themselves” is not biblical. It is the other way around! God gave “his help” up front, for free. That’s what opens the door for us to achieve greatness. Once we receive this gift of salvation, we learn that we will have to make sacrifices in order to accomplish the purposes that God placed within us. But it is well worth it for us, just as it was for him.

Is there something difficult, unpleasant, or sacrificial that you need to do that has a higher purpose? Jesus set the example and unlocked the door for you to do that.

Have a blessed day,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is NOURISHED

Tue-Mar-17-2020

If you were promised that all your physical needs (food, clothing, shelter) would be taken care of for the rest of your life, it would still not guarantee that you would be happy or fulfilled or have no worries.

Lots of us, including myself, have at some point in life fallen into thinking that what we need is enough money to meet our basic needs and pay our bills, and then we could stop worrying. However, such is not the case. When those surface needs for survival are pushed aside, underneath is a great longing to be accepted and to feel like our life is worth something to others.

And deeper still within us is that place that can only be filled by the love, grace, and Spirit of God, offered by Grace and received by Faith. This is the foundation. No amount of emotional or physical provision will stand throughout life unless built on God our Rock. Jesus spoke in Mathew 7:24 about building a house on Rock or Sand. For those who built on Rock, when the storms came, “it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” But if built on Sand, “it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Sometimes God makes a miraculous provision of our surface needs in time of drought and desperation to remind us that we should rely on his grace as the provision for our deepest needs in our inner being. While traveling through the desert for 40 years, the Israelites of the Old Testament encountered several times of crisis where food, water, or safety was in short supply. For one period of time, God supplied “manna,” which was an unusual substance like bread that would appear on the ground in the morning. Free food! Along with the following reminder …

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

What goes into our mind and our heart is far more important for “living” than what goes into our stomach. Sometimes God will miraculously get us through some bad times by supplying food, money, or other provisions. What he wants to teach us is to trust him, and to seek deeper nourishment than just food.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he went through temptations in the desert, and during those 40 days he fasted (nothing to eat). So, Satan tempted him to turn stones into bread. (I’m sure some of those rocks were in the shape of a nice freshly baked loaf of homemade bread.) Jesus resisted by quoting the above passage of Scripture from Isaiah … We do not live by bread alone, but by God’s Word.

Keep yourself spiritually nourished … this is one of the keys to “really living.” You have deeper needs than the physical, or the money, or being surrounded by convenience. Your soul, your heart, and your mind all need God-designed nourishment.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2)

Today’s Word Is ATTIRE

It’s Humor Day!
Fri-Mar-13-2020

One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were about to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were worn and a little ragged around the edges. In his hand he carried a worn-out old hat and an equally worn out Bible.

The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed in expensive clothes and accessories.

As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.

As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. “Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worship.” The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.

The next Sunday, he showed up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots and hat. Once again, he was completely shunned and ignored. The preacher approached the man and said, “I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church.”

“I did,” replied the old cowboy.

“If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?” asked the preacher.

“Well, sir, God told me that he didn’t have a clue what I should wear. He said He’d never been in this church.”

If you’re looking for a church, find one where God is surely there. If he is, you will be welcomed by God’s people, regardless of your attire. The Bible will be taught and honored, and many will be carrying one. The love of God will flow in relationships. The life, teaching, miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus will be openly proclaimed. The Holy Spirit will be at work changing lives. And mission work to bless those in need will be practiced. There is a praise chorus by Lanny Wolfe that goes like this …

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

I can feel his mighty power and his grace.

I can hear the brush of angel’s wings,

I see glory on each face.

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

Have a blessed weekend, including rest, family, and worship,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is PURIFICATION

The Steps of Christian Maturity
Beatitude #6
Filtering Out the Junk
Tue-Feb-25-2020

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Jesus (Matthew 5:8) (Beatitude #6)

In this series, I haven’t told you yet what the word Beatitude means. The dictionary says it is “a state of extreme happiness or bliss.” Each Beatitude starts with the Greek word “makarioi” [pronounced ma-kah-ree-oy] translated “Blessed.” But some versions translate it as “Happy.” To the Jewish reader in Jesus’ day, it was a word that meant to live a full life of trusting God, following his commandments, enjoying his blessings, and being thought of by others as a very blessed and happy person.

In our journey thus far, we have gone from humility, turning to God, releasing our old ways, being genuine and self-accepting, and becoming hungry and thirsty for the best life God has for us, to leaping forward into a life that shows mercy and compassion to others. In this process we are being transformed inwardly from a self-centered person into someone who is “pure in heart.”

This doesn’t mean perfect. We are human, and often must remind ourselves and others that “nobody’s perfect.” It is a way of admitting that all of us are right sometimes and wrong sometimes … and that’s OK. But as we change, we are becoming more like Jesus in our behaviors, attitudes, interests, and purposes. The word for this process is “sanctification,” meaning “being made holy.”

Growing up in my family in which my Dad was a pastor, I sensed an expectation from many sources that I was supposed to be perfect. And so, I tried … and failed miserably. Based on my personal experience, perfectionism is not recommended! There is a healthier way.

The Christian life is not about earning perfection, but rather is a relationship with God, who by his grace and through our faith, “clothes us with the righteousness of Christ.” He declares us to be acceptable in his sight because Jesus paid the price for it. (See Scriptures below.)

This “new life” has a purification aspect to it. It is not about being pressured into being perfect, constantly struggling and stressing, feeling unacceptable. Rather … it happens like this … as our life of faith gets better and stronger, we begin to lose desires for certain things we used to like that were bad for us. In addition, we see things in ourselves that hinder us and decide to lay them aside for his sake.

Think of the oil filter in a car. It removes impurities. And this is what the presence of the Holy Spirit within us is doing. Were there undesirable, unhealthy, or sinful things within you that you used to like and gravitate toward but are no longer interesting or tempting to you? As you mature in faith, you begin to be increasingly less interested in self-destructive things. This is what Jesus is talking about … the “pure in heart” … those persons who are having the “junk” filtered out of them.

Many years ago, I decided to switch from secular music to Christian music on the radio. It didn’t happen instantly! I tried a little bit at a time. After a couple of songs, I would have to go back to my rock-n-roll station. But more and more, the contemporary Christian station became my “go to.” Sometimes, I would listen to those good old songs from the 60’s and 70’s … the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel … but after two or three songs, I would have to go back to my Christian station, and I became blessed by that. Secularism was being “filtered” out of me. I still occasionally listen to those old songs, but my norm has changed.

And the more this purification happens, the more you “see God.” You see him more clearly for who he is, and you see him in many situations and people. You increasingly feel clean, alive, more interested in enjoying God’s way of life, and less interested in getting into hurtful behaviors that leave you with problems.

Today’s word is “purification” rather than “purity,” because it is more about a process than a demand for instant perfection. We still need to maintain those beginning steps of humility and genuineness, that hunger for more, and that merciful attitude, as we move on to higher levels of maturity.

Purity is a worthy concept, but be patient, purification takes time. In the meantime, are you feeling it? There is a new you, the best you, emerging.

May your life be blessed!

Chaplain Mark

CLOTHED WITH HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2^nd Corinthians 5:21)

“… so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith …” (Philippians 3:8b-9)

“And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24)

NOTE: If you have not read the previous articles about each Beatitude, you should scroll further down and read previous days’ entries and catch up. We are discussing the faith journey toward Christian maturity as described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

The Beatitudes … Matthew 5:2-10 (NRSV)

2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Today’s Word Is MEEK

The Steps of Christian Maturity
Beatitude #3
Meek Means Genuine.
Wed-Feb-19-2020

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” – Jesus (Matthew 5:5) (Beatitude #3)

Meek does not mean “wimp.”

It means … genuine … not self-inflated … avoiding violent or forceful solutions to problems … open and honest … accepting of one’s own strengths and weaknesses … disciplined … power under control … respectful of others.

Going back to Day 1 of our series, the Beatitudes began with deciding to embrace humility and to ask God to direct our life … (1^st Beatitude). Next, we realize that God accepts us we are, but also wants us to develop into our best self. So, we step forward by letting go of our old selfish ways, even though the process will involve grief … (2^nd Beatitude).

Now we are ready to just be who we are, as God created us. We can appreciate our uniqueness. We can stop the self-criticism, stop the obsession with seeking approval from others, and simply be satisfied with things as they are. We can honestly say, “I like being who I am. It makes me smile to think that God created me a certain way for a reason. He wanted me in His world for a unique purpose. I am not a mistake. I don’t have to fight to earn the right to be here. I am the me that is supposed to be.” This is what it means to be meek … genuine … satisfied. (3^rd Beatitude)

When I reached this realization, I finally relaxed. As a teenager and young adult, I had been afraid that I might be flawed and unacceptable. But that constant haunting feeling that I was defective and needed to fight my way upward went away when I fully embraced my acceptance. The essence of meekness is that I know God loves me, and I don’t have to struggle to prove anything. Nor do I need to always feel hurt or get offended by criticism. I am me, and that is good.

To get things right with God is not so much about worrying that we must change ourselves to become acceptable to him, as it is to be at peace and receive his love. Then we can go about pursuing our purpose in life one day at a time.

What does it mean that the meek “inherit the earth”? Your inheritance, your earth is the sphere of influence that God gave to you. It includes family, neighbors, fellow believers, strangers, career, community, whatever you touch. Jesus is saying to you that as a meek, genuine, peaceful person, you are to “take charge” of your sphere of influence as your inheritance … to saturate your territory with love, joy, hope, and peace so that it radiates and touches others, and to let others see the new you, the real you.

Having started with humility and then releasing those things that hold you back, you are ready to live more fully. You can use your gifts and talents; you can love and mentor your family; you can have a positive effect in your workplace, your church, your circle of connections. You have been set free to make a difference, to use your “world” and your “gifts” to leave a legacy.

Being meek or genuine is the launch pad to a great future full of adventure and fulfillment.

Be blessed!

Chaplain Mark

If you have not read the previous steps of the Beatitudes, you should go back and catch up. We are discussing the faith journey toward Christian maturity as described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.