He Sent His One And Only

1 John 4: 9&10 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Wildland fires are burning in much of Idaho right now. Acres upon acres of timber, grassland, junipers and sagebrush are aflame. For those who have lived in the west for any period of time, it is just a part of summer that we know and accept. Granted, we accept it grudgingly but our ability to control this part of reality is marginal at best. Dry thunderstorms (low precipitation cells for the weather people out there) are not uncommon. Lightning hits dry fuel and we have what we have.

I recently saw posted on Twitter a series of images of a wildland fire area in central Idaho. The devastation to the landscape is total. Wildlife killed and displaced is a reality. Evacuations are taking place in many areas where homes and businesses are threatened. Our local airport is an aerial tanker base where single engine attack tankers, multi-engine tankers and a huge DC-10 tanker are flying missions into harms way. They fly to drop fire retardant chemicals to stem the advance of the fire and to provide safety for those on the ground fighting the fires. This is a dangerous occupation. Flying planes into mountainous terrain where thermals created by fires cause turbulence you and I are seldom if ever exposed to in our own airline flights. Occasionally the best laid plans go awry and there is a fatal crash. That is the nature of the fire fighting flying business, and part and parcel of the element of risk involved. Sometimes there is a sacrifice that is paid by one person on behalf of another. No one wants this to happen, but it does.

God sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. These words from 1 John 4:9 give me pause. I am not always worthy by my own actions of the sacrifice that was made by Christ. I have not always loved God. In fact at times I have been down right mad at God. But through it all, He never stopped loving me. He knew how screwed I could be. He knows how screwed up you can be. It just does not matter because His love is so complete and unconditional that He sent His Son to the cross for you and I. Jesus suffered the humiliation of becoming human, suffered the cross and sacrificed His life for you and I. He paid a price we could not pay. When a pilot of one of the wildland fire attack planes sits down in the cockpit he knows he will most likely safely return. And the pilot also knows there is some small chance that may not happen. For Christ, that was not the case. He knew He was going to die. And the most important thing is He knew He would be resurrected by His Father. The same holds true for you and I. We know we will die, and we also know that we too will join Jesus on that all important day. Death is not the end, and death in sin does not have the final say for us in Christ. Death has no sting and death has no victory in Christ. It's all because we are loved by God. Verses 9&10 of 1 John 4 wraps it up pretty nicely. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  I am forever grateful that I am loved by God. I hope and pray that you embrace this same love today and everyday in your life. We can simply rely on His love and His grace.

PRAYER: Lord, we give You thanks for Your unending love. You loved us even before we were conceived and You love us in spite of our selves. Your Son paid the price in His sacrifice for our sins that we could not pay. For that we give thanks. And Father we ask for Your blessings for all that go into harms way fighting fires in our land today. Give them the strength and courage to do what they must do. And let them feel Your love when they are in fear. These things we boldly ask for in the name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Narrow Channel

Matthew 7:13&14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

The channel markers show the way

Bringing a boat (safely) out of a dock usually involves follow a specific course along a channel. The channel is the path defined as having a sufficient depth of water to allow safe passage. The channel may be mark the main course of a river or the area where the bottom has been dredged. In some locations you follow aids to navigation in the form of buoys set out to mark the channel. When boaters stay in the channel, they are safe. When they leave the channel, they place themselves in an at risk condition. One of the most classic, and tragic examples, of running aground is the grounding of the cruise ship Costa Concordia in 2012. People can lose their lives when a decision is made to depart from the safe route.

For some who look at the Matthew7:13&14 they find words of discouragement. The challenge set forth in these verses can seem daunting to the casual observer/reader. They may read it, and be left with the thought of 'A narrow gate, many try, only a few find it. I surely will fail.' And when taken out of context that is exactly what one can be left thinking. The truth is the path, or channel for those nautically inclined, is narrow but well marked. The channel is marked by the words of Ephesians 2:8&9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.   It is the path of faith that leads to salvation. Christ  did the navigation work. He laid out the channel markers. When we stop trying to earn redemption and look to the cross for our salvation we find the course to follow in our lives. When we stop trying to rack up points by completing good deeds or stop trying to buy our way into heaven, then we find ourselves on the right course. Please go not misinterpret what I am saying. Good deeds and giving charitably are things we do out of love. We show love because we were first loved by God our Father. But these actions do not earn our salvation. Jesus did what we could not do. His sacrifice on the cross paid the terrible price, and we are the benefactors of that phenomenal act of love. When we accept the cross for what it really means, we find the narrow path is actually well marked. It has been marked by the blood of Christ. Follow Christ along the narrow path. Stay in the channel and do not be tempted to try another course.

PEAYER: Father help us as we follow Christ. Give us the faith to stay the course. Guide us with the light of Christ. Send down Your Holy Spirit to fill us with the faith we need to endure the temptation to jump off course. Help us to avoid the path chosen by many who try to earn redemption. Let us not be tempted by the foolish wisdom of man to deny Jesus. This we ask in the name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Andy's 23rd Birthday Thoughts

1 Corinthians 2:12-14 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

A bright new day is on the horizon

Thursday was my son Andy's birthday. Andy is celebrating his 23rd birthday. Granted, it’s not much of a celebration as he is in the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Andy is about 3 years into an 8 year sentence for killing an Afghani civilian while serving in Afghanistan. His Facebook page (We Stand Behind OFC Andrew Holmes) has several Happy Birthday wishes posted. He does not have access to Facebook, but someday he will be able to read the postings.

I was giving thought on what to say in my post, and the 1 Corinthians 2 verses on wisdom of the world versus wisdom of God came to mind.  A young person Andy's situation has a couple of roads to take when their time in prison is over. If their mindset is "I was falsely accused" they may wind up living their life as a victim. Never moving beyond the perceived injury of the past. Worldly wisdom would push one along that path. And there is a lot of baggage to carry if that is the path chosen. Another path would be to continue in a life of sin and lawlessness. It's a path that many take when they feel the world will not give them a fair chance to start fresh. Lots of baggage to lug around on this path too. 

Post prison life is no bowl of cherries and it takes no small effort to succeed with a felony record on your résumé. But the path of following Christ in a post prison life gives one the opportunity to embrace the forgiveness freely given, and paid for by Christ. The ability to accept forgiveness is something not all in this world can do. Some feel a sense of unworthiness. This holds them back for their entire life. Some feel as if they need to earn forgiveness and struggle their entire life trying to achieve that which cannot be achieved by their efforts alone. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. Along the path of unworthiness the baggage requirements are staggering. 

Those who embrace the wisdom of God poured out by the Holy Spirit accept the grace given, and the salvation that is found in the grace of God.  There is no earning to be done. No endless pile of works to be completed to tip the balance sheet. And there is no constant sense of low self esteem or unworthiness. These people open their hearts to be healed and to begin life anew. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This same principle holds true for those of us who were prisoners of sin. We who were prisoners, and under the sentence of death that is in sin, have been set free!  Truly what is embodied in verse 12 is for our own edification.  What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. When we through faith grasp onto the grace given us, we find the wisdom of God trumps the wisdom of the world by many orders of magnitude. When this is the path chosen you can leave your baggage at the side of the road. 

Friends, which path are you taking?

PRAYER: Lord of all creation, grant us this day your wisdom to discern Your truth. Help us with Your Holy Spirit to cast aside what is professed as wisdom of this world. Help us to hold onto Your grace amidst the glamour to follow in the path set forth by the wisdom of man. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, when others would seek to draw our attention away from the cross. This we ask in the name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.