growth

Unlimited Access

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1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5

Through my online reader I see headlines from several national newspapers. When I see what interests me I go to it. But after I reach the mark of “ten articles per month” my access is limited. It is so disappointing to click on an article and then see the screen popup with the message: “For only $___ a month you can get unlimited access.” You see my frugality now.

Thankfully, God is not like this. When difficulties and challenges arise we do not run out of access to God. Through Jesus we have access to God the Father. We obtained access to this grace, the peace with God through Jesus Christ, by faith in Him. Access  does not run out. We have unlimited access. This is good news to me because the challenges that produce pain for me have not run out either.

Discipleship through challenges

The text describes a massive feedback loop essential to discipleship: A challenge, and then rejoicing because we have knowledge of a process and the experience of God’s love.

The process: suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The experience: Love poured into our hearts. Jesus Christ mediates our access to God and has made peace. Our access to God is reality by the Holy Spirit. He has poured God’s love into our hearts. God’s love that takes the shame out of our suffering. God’s love that moves us into a growing, persisting, full, and hopeful life when we are hurt.

To rejoice in our sufferings seems ludicrous and impossible were it not for a firm conviction of God’s love for us through Christ Jesus and our unlimited access to Him.

 

What do you know?

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1Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.  John 13:1

Sometimes we find what we know or don’t know to be paralyzing when it comes to decision making. Jesus kept an enlarged view of life that included eternity. But it wasn’t just that he knew what was ahead (Judas’ betrayal, the cross, the disciples scattering), he knew WHO was ahead. He knew He was returning to the Father. And this knowledge fuelled His service and His love.

These verses introduce the Upper Room dinner and discourse Jesus had with the disciples before His crucifixion. What an extraordinary evening! In the next moment in John 13 we see Jesus taking the servant’s role and washing the disciples’ feet.

When you are under stress what knowledge dominates your life? 

The knowledge that you are out of time? That you are under appreciated? That you deserve better treatment? That you have an enemy? That there’s possible conflict behind “that door?”

Or

The knowledge of your relationship with Jesus? The knowledge of the Father’s love for you? The knowledge of the greater vision of where you and your coworkers, friends and family are headed?

Under great stress the first thing likely to go for us if we are not being trained by our troubles in faith is our awareness of the Father’s great love. Servanthood and love will go soon too.

So, where are you headed? Its not just a question of destination. Its a question of who. Jesus is our destination! Its His character through these life stresses that the Spirit desires to form in us.

 

The Truth About Leadership

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The Truth About Leadership

I just finished my first read of The Truth About Leadership: The No-Fads, Heart of the Matter, Facts you need to know, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Its a good read with plenty to apply in your leadership challenge. I’m getting ready for our Origin Student Leadership Retreat in February and was helped by the book to zero in on the issue of understanding your personal values as key to leadership growth.

I recommend the book. The paragraph below caught my attention as my New Year Resolution Theme is to keep saying yes to Jesus. 

Quoting University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan’s address to graduating seniors they build on Stephen Colbert’s humorous remarks on the need to always remember to say “yes” to the folks offering you a job.

Michael added: So, drawing on Colbert, James Joyce, or Norman Vincent Peale, depending on your reading list, my first word of advice is this: Say ‘yes.” And to summarize Colbert: “…say ‘yes’ as often as you can.” Of course, saying ‘yes’ can lead to mistakes. So don’t be afraid to make a mistake, because, as he continues, you can’t be young and wise at the same time.

Saying ‘yes’ begins things. “Saying ‘yes’ is how things grow.” Saying ‘yes,’ he goes on, leads to new experiences, and new experiences will ear to knowledge and wisdom. “‘Yes’ is for young people,” Colbert concludes. And I agree. An attitude of ‘yes’ is how you will be able to go forward in these uncertain times.

(Kouzes and Posner write) Michael’s advice (and Stephen Colbert’s too) is clearly appropriate for graduates seeking employment, but it’s also especially relevant for leaders seeking to make change happen. You have to say yes to begin things. You have to say yes to your beliefs, you have to say yes to big dreams, you have to say yes to difficult challenges, you have to say yes to collaboration, you have to say yes to trust, you have to say yes to learning, you have to say yes to setting the example, and you have to say he’s to your heart.

Are you ready to say yes to leadership? When you are ready to say yes, doors will open to entirely new adventures in your life. When you are ready to say yes, people will join you on the quest. When you say yes, you will discover your own truth about leadership.  p. 163-164

Becoming A Gracist

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Scripture:  2 Peter 1:10-11

10Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Observations:

Therefore:  it connects the call to keep building our character in response to God’s grace in the Gospel to diligence…

Calling and election:  The reality that God chooses us for inclusion in His Kingdom on the basis of grace through Jesus Christ and not our own merit.

Application:

The accusation against the “gracists” is that they give people excuses to sin grandly.  But here’s the deal, my sin, does not add that meaning to my life.  My sin actually points out where I have not let areas of my life be infiltrated and changed by the grace of Jesus.  The Gospel tells me that for those who receive Jesus as Lord are forgiven.  “To make my calling and election sure” means that I am making efforts to cooperate with the Spirit of the Living God so that I respond to His grace.  His grace propels me into a greater vision for life — to be like Jesus and honour Him with my life.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I’m thankful that improvement / growth in Christ is not a means for securing my position with you.  That’s settled!  Thank you.  This mysterious choice you have made to elect, to choose, to include has changed my life.  You accepted me, and thankfully you are still working on me.  Grant me the grace to keep working with you all the days of my life.  AMEN.

Y(our) Remedy for Spiritual Stagnation

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Scripture:  2 Peter 1:5-9 NLT

5In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

8The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Observations:

Peter observes that the failure to grow in our faith creates

shortsighted, blind (or myopic) people

who have forgotten that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Application:

Remember, treasuring, reflecting on the Gospel and Jesus’ extraordinary love for us shown at the cross is the catalyst for all that is good in our spiritual growth.  If you want your relationship with Jesus to regularly be refreshed consider again the delight of coming to know Him and the joy having sin forgiven.  Pause again and consider His unmerited kindness expressed towards us.  Dive into the depths of your simple confession: “Jesus is Lord.”

Shortsighted, stagnated Christians have trouble seeing an increasingly large vision of God.  They have trouble looking back and seeing God’s grace in their past.  They have difficulty looking forward and seeing how God’s grace pulls them forward into a new way of living in His Kingdom.

Since we are interested in “our” spiritual growth I must never underestimate the power of listening long, patiently, and hopefully in the power of the Spirit with another follower of Jesus who is struggling to see grace.  The challenge when I speak is to give voice to a vision of grace without falling into the wide and destructive ditches of moralism or relativism.  Without this grace-infused wisdom we are doomed to be the blind leading the blind.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for wiping out my past sins.  It cost you so much!  Its a problem when my sin seems larger than your grace.  Such lies are unworthy of Jesus.  I want Him to stand in the darkened rooms of my life and say to me, “Truly, Truly, I say to you…”  May He cast out the darkness and let me hear again, “You are my beloved.”  Then I will see.  AMEN.