Copycats

We are all copycats.

We might think that we are original. Unique. Different.

But in reality, everything that we do, say or think has been taken from someone else.

Granted, you probably have brought together a mixture of imitation that no one else has. But it's just the mixture that is unique.

Think of an newborn.

How does he learn to talk? By copying what he hears.

Take a baby born in the US to English-speaking parents. Put him in a Spanish-speaking family in Argentina. He'll speak Argentinian Spanish, not US English. In fact, he'll probably struggle in English classes in school, like all the others in his class.

He listened to what was around him and learned to shape his mouth and tongue to produce the unique sounds that he was hearing.

Every thought that we have had, has originated in a thought that someone else had. We read a book. We ask a question. We watch TV. We listen to music.

All of that shapes our thoughts.

We are not copying everything that we see or hear. We pick and choose what we want to copy.

Therefore, it is highly important that we choose carefully whom we imitate.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "Be imitators of God as beloved children" (Eph 5:1).

What better standard for the Christian than to be an imitator of God?

Obviously, none of us can part the Red Sea or create the universe, but there are attributes of God which we can copy.

For starters: Holiness. Righteousness. Justice. Mercy. Love. Truth. Patience.

Being an imitator of God gives us a filter for all the other copying that we are doing.

When we listen to a conversation about parenting, we can ask ourselves, "Are these godly methods?"

When we decide what clothes to wear by looking at what everyone else is wearing, we can ask ourselves, "Will these clothes bring honor to God, or to myself?"

When we hear about others cheating on their spouses, we can filter that through the question, "Does God cheat on His bride, the church?"

When we're caught up in a discussion that turns to an argument, we can pause and ask, "Is this how God would respond to this person?"

Being an imitator of God guides us in the multitude of decisions we make each day.

It gives us the opportunity to choose what we do, say or think, not on the grid of what everyone else is doing, but on God's standards.

Still struggling with temptation?

Here's an excellent letter, a summary of the Christian life and it's battles against temptation.

I was thinking of writing something similar, but found this already written and great!

Letter to a struggling gay Christian

How's your prayer life?

What does your prayer life look like?

What are the requests that you have for other people?

Physical healing?

New job?

Financial problems?

Broken relationships?

Those aren't necessarily unbiblical, but how often have you prayed for others like Paul prayed for the Ephesian church?

Ephesians 3:14-19 is one long sentence that reveals Paul's prayer life for the believers in Ephesus.

Whittle out all the clauses, phrases and modifiers and you'll see that Paul is praying that they would be able to comprehend and know the love of Christ.

Is that even on your prayer list?

Comprehend means to grasp the facts of Christ's love. His incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection. His choosing of me to be His child. His advocacy for me when I sin. His role as High Priest, mediator between God and me. And so much more.

Paul prays that the believers would comprehend all the facts: the events and works of Christ that demonstrate His love.

To know His love is to experience it. His comfort in the time of sorrow. His strength in the time of weakness. His companionship in the time of loneliness. His forgiveness in the time of failure. His grace in dealing with ungracious people. His mercy in reaching out to others.

Paul describes Christ's love as immense.

An unlimited source of learning and experiencing.

We will never reach the end of Christ's love. There will always be more to comprehend and to know.

So how should you pray differently for others?

Dead, but Made Alive

What is death?

A fact of life. Unavoidable. Death confronts us every day.

Death is essentially a separation from life.

A rose that is in a vase is dead, because it is separated from the life-giving roots.

A body is dead, because it is separated from the life-giving spirit.

And something that is dead can do nothing.

I used to be dead.

Not physically, but spiritually.

The sins of my life separated me from God, the giver of life.

I thought I was alive. I thought I could do what I wanted to do, go where I wanted to go, be what I wanted to be.

In reality, I was dead. I was doing what someone else wanted me to do. I was under the control of greater powers. I could do nothing on my own.

But God made me alive.

Because His love for me is so great, because His mercy is abundant, He made me alive.

I was dead. Nothing in me could bring life to my soul.

A corpse can do nothing.

Just like God raised Jesus from the dead, He raised me from the dead, breathing life into my soul.

Not only that, but He has given me a place in heaven with Christ.

Why?

"So that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7).

God wanted to display His vast grace.

So He chose me to be the recipient of that grace.

Nothing that I have done.

Everything that He has done.

His grace is amazing!

To the Praise of His Glory

Ephesians 1:3-14 paints a magnificent picture of our glorious Savior and the blessings He has showered on us.

All to the praise of His glory, Christ accomplished salvation for me!

Jesus has become my Lord (v 3).

I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Nothing will be held back from me in eternity (v 3).

He chose me before creating the universe. He loved me long before I knew Him (v 4).

He has a purpose for my life: to be holy and blameless (v 4).

He predestined me to be adopted as His son. Not because of what I could bring to Him, but because of His love toward me and His plan for me (v 5).

He made that adoption possible through the death of His own Son (v 5).

He has blessed me in the Beloved, Jesus Christ. All the blessings of fellowship, unity, love and more that Christ receives from His Father have been showered on me.

Through the blood of Christ I have been redeemed. I am set free from the slave market of sin and have become a slave of Christ (v 7).

His blood has granted me forgiveness of my trespasses, according to the riches of His unlimited grace. He will never reach a point where He can no longer or will no longer forgive me (v7).

He has poured out His grace on me (v 8).

He has revealed His plan of salvation to me (v 9).

He has made me an heir (v 11).

He chose me to bring praise to His name (v 12).

He has sealed me with the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of my inheritance. I will not fall out of God's favor so that He writes me out of His will (v 13-14).

All of this to the praise of His glory! Not because of anything that I have done. Not because of anything that I could be.

But because He wanted to.

Are you tired?

Are you having a hard time sleeping at night?

Aches and pains?

Bags under the eyes?

Moodiness?

Has your get up and go, got up and gone?

Have I got a deal for you!

Sounds like an infomercial, doesn't it?

There certainly are any number of ailments that inhibit sleep. And maybe you should check into that. Or maybe you need a new mattress or pillow.

But the Bible suggests another possibility:

"Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
And refreshment to your bones."
(Proverbs 3:7-8)

Your poor sleeping habits is because you are involved in sin.

Some things are obvious:

Maybe you're staying up late to watch porn after everyone else has gone to bed.

Maybe you've been deceitful in your business practices and are worrying.

Maybe you've had a fight with your spouse.

Maybe you're fighting with God about a step of faith.

Maybe you're abusing your body with overeating, or drugs.

Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

Obey and turn away.

Confess your sins to God and to others.

Get help in the battle against temptation.

One side benefit might be a good night's sleep!

Life's tough...and then you die!

My kids have heard me say this often. Usually I said it when they were moaning about some task that they had to accomplish, but didn't want to.

It sounds rather pessimistic and cynical, but I think it's biblical.

Consider Job.

He lost everything. His family, his possessions, his business, his retirement - all in one day.

His wife turned on him. She couldn't even stand his breath.

He was the laughingstock of the neighborhood children.

Tormented by nightmares and physical pain.

Criticized by his friends.

Even God seemed distant.

Life's tough.

Job had no hope that his life would get any better. There was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. No bright light at the end of the tunnel. No hope of turning the corner to have it all disappear.

Life's tough.

But then you die.

Job's hope was not in this life, but in the future life.

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!" (Job 19:25-27).

Job believed that God was alive. He hadn't been abandoned.

Job believed that God would rule the earth. He would set things right.

Job believed in a physical resurrection. His body was just temporary. It will rot away, but he will be given a new one.

Job believed that he would stand in God's presence. He would see God with his own eyes.

It was this hope that sustained him.

It was this hope that overwhelmed him. "My heart faints within me!"

In the midst of the suffering, he could rejoice because he knew what the life after death brought.

Standing in the presence of God! Wow!

Missing the Target is Easy

Some things you only do because of where you are and who is with you.

Like going to family camp with my kids.

It is only there that I go on the zip line and only because they are with me. While the thought of jumping off the tower is not so intimidating, I fear more the landing which might result in a broken ankle or hip - mine or the teenager who is there to "catch me."

I only do that at family camp with my kids.

It is only at family camp with my kids that I pick up bow and arrow.

Here it's not a fear issue, but a failure issue. It's not so bad to miss the target when your kids aren't much better. But this year, my son was way better. It was still a good time and we weren't competing. It was just interesting to see that he had gotten a grasp of the concept and was doing a good job of hitting the target consistently.

And I figured out why I don't hit the target: It's hard work. It takes practice. It takes discipline. I didn't really want to succeed.

Pull back the bow. Aim. Release without losing the target from sight. Adjust for the next shot.

I'm not good at hitting the bulls eye.

I'm really good at missing the target all together.

I really can't imagine a bow hunter actually hitting the head of a wild turkey. 

We learned in theology class that the root word for "sin" in the New Testament means "missing the mark."

Missing the mark is easy.

So is sin.

It's easy to give into temptation. It's hard to fight it.

It's easy to lie. It's not always easy to tell the truth.

It's easy to be lazy. It's hard to get out of bed when the alarm clock goes off.

Just like it's easy to miss the target, it's easy to sin.

Victory over temptation takes the same skill as hitting the bulls eye with an arrow: hard work, practice, discipline.

And I think that success along the way helps, too. If you hit the target one out of five times, you'll try harder to get closer to the center. The thrill of victory leads to the next challenge.

If you have victory over temptation once, it's easier to fight the next time. Once you've experienced the joy of obedience and the peace of a clear conscience, you want to have those emotions again.

So don't put down the bow yet.

Hard work.

Patience.

Discipline.

You Can Fool Just About Everybody

We are all master deceivers.

It may be little things like eating chocolate when you are on a diet.

It might be big things like having an affair with your boss.

It's easy to deceive others.

If no one asks, I don't have to tell.

And no one is going to ask anyway. We would much rather live in our secluded worlds. We don't want to step out of our comfort zones. We don't want anyone to know what we are like, so we don't go beyond talking about the weather.

And it's easy to avoid the issues, even if someone does ask.

Talk about other problems. Talk about the acceptable sins.

Keep up appearances. Build a wall.

But make it look good.

That's how we roll.

For decades.

Job asks his counselors a question: "Will it be well with you when He searches you out? Or can you deceive Him as one deceives a man?" (Job 13:9).

The answer to both questions is "no."

No, it won't be well with me, when God searches me out (Psalm 139:23-24).

No, I can't deceive God like I can deceive others.

God is omniscient and omnipresent. There is nothing that can be hidden from Him.

He knows my thoughts.

He knows what I'm doing when no one else is around.

Even in the dark in a distant motel room.

I can't fool God. And neither can you.

Why not take away temptation?

For decades I have prayed that God would take away my sinful desires. I have hoped that a time would come when I would not lust after sinful pleasures.

I often disgust myself and wonder why God doesn't just take away the temptations.

Why doesn't He just change my desires?

Wouldn't I be much more effective for Him if I didn't have to struggle with temptation?

Is there no cure?

It seems that Paul thought the same thing.

He wrote in 2 Corinthians 12 about a thorn in the flesh., some kind of a problem that was distressing him.

The end of Romans 7 clearly indicates that Paul struggled with temptations, too. Like you and me.

Paul asked God to remove the thorn, but God responded, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9).

Think of it like this: if God removed all temptations and difficulties, we would think that we're pretty good. After all, no problems means righteousness, right?

If I ever got to the point that I didn't struggle with temptation, I wouldn't need any help from God.

Rather than praying that God would remove temptation, I should call upon Him to resist it. I need to humble myself and ask for help from the only One Who can help me.

As I experience His power in the deliverance from temptation, rather than the removal of temptation, I will be able to boast in my weakness and God's power.

As I live a life of purity, God's strength will be evident in my life. He will look great and my sin will look miserable.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

David undoubtedly knows that there were "grievous ways" in his heart.

Like the rest of us, he was aware of his sinful thoughts.

He knew about the sins in his life that no one else knew about.

And, like us, he knew that god is omniscient. He knows about those sins, too.

So what does David want god to do?

I think he is asking God to expose his sins.

He wants God to tell him, "These are the things in your life that grieve Me."

He wants to make sure that nothing is hidden between himself and his God.

But he is also calling out for redemption.

"I know You'll find sins, but lead me in the way everlasting. I want to deal with those sins. I want Your forgiveness. I want Your righteousness applied to my sinfulness."

What a glorious hope!

We can't hide our sins from God. And even though He knows about all the sins that no one else even imagines, He is able to forgive them and lead us into the way everlasting (1 John 1:9).

A Bad Day

Ever had a bad day?

You hit the snooze button too many times and the race is on.

The kids won't get out of bed.

There's a fight at the bathroom door.

Milk gets spilled.

Gas prices went up.

Traffic is bad.

Then you get to work and it just keeps getting worse.

How do you respond?

We all have bad days. And we get bad news.

Life is tough.

How do you respond?

Consider Job.

1000 oxen and 500 donkeys stolen. All but one of the servants tending them were murdered.

7000 sheep killed by lightning. All but one of the servants tending them were killed by the lightning.

3000 camels stolen by a raiding party. All but one of the servants tending them were murdered.

Seven sons and 3 daughters killed when a storm hits the house where they were celebrating together. All the servants in the house, except one, were killed in the collapse.

And this all happened in one day.

Everything he had worked for, everything that he loved, his means of support, his retirement plan, his hope of grandchildren - all gone in a matter of hours.

How did Job respond?

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD'" (Job 1:20-21).

Job humbled himself, fell face down to the ground and blessed the name of the LORD.

No bitterness. No anger. No complaining.

Humility and worship.

Have you responded like that?

He Preserved my Life

Psalms 138:7

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

I've never been one to take high risks. So I've not been in many life-threatening situations. 

But I have been through trouble. 

There have been times when I wanted to run away to Wyoming. Change my name. Erase my history. Start all over with a new identity. 

There have been times when I wanted to go even further. Drive off a cliff. Take a bottle of pills. Get cancer. Anything to be out of the problems. 

But God has preserved my life in the midst of trouble. 

Why? 

Because I'm a great person? Because I'm a valuable asset to God?

No. 

God has preserved my life. 

Psalms 138:8

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

 your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.

God has preserved my life because of His steadfast love. Not because of who I am or what I can do. 

God has a plan for my life and He will fulfill that plan. 

For His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136:26).

Each verse of this psalm ends with the phrase "for His steadfast love endures forever."

His attributes, His actions, His protection and His establishment of Israel are used as examples of His steadfast love.

Sometimes we think that love is a comforting thing. Like a warm blanket on a chilly evening.

Love may ultimately provide comfort, but we see in this psalm that love is the motivation behind God's works.

God's steadfast love motivated Him to create the universe. He was perfect, lacking nothing, for all of eternity before creation.

But His love motivated Him to create a universe where man could dwell and God could demonstrate His love (Romans 5:8).

His love moved Him to choose Abraham, to deliver Moses and the nation from Egypt, to protect them and to provide for them.

He didn't have to do any of that.

In the same way, God acts in my life, motivated by His love.

He didn't have to let me be born, or to live for almost 50 years.

He didn't have to put me in a family that attended a church where the Gospel was preached.

He didn't have to save me.

He didn't have to bring joys and trials into my life.

He didn't have to do any of these things.

But He chose to do it, because He loves me.

"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever!"

Creating a Culture of Care

"What's God doing in your life?"

"What did you read in your Bible today?"

"How is your struggle with temptation going?"

"How have you been showing love to your wife this week?"

"How can I pray for you?"

Why are those questions so hard for followers of Christ to ask each other?

Is it because we don't really care about the others?

Or is it because God is not working in our lives and we don't want anyone to find out?

Paul communicated with the church in Corinth that he was discouraged in ministry. He doesn't give details, but his time in Macedonia was troubling. "...our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn - fighting without and fear within" (2 Cor 7:5).

"But God..." - two great words in the Bible.

"But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more" (v 6-7).

Titus, Paul's pupil, companion, fellow-laborer and friend came along to comfort his mentor. His presence was a comfort and also his news about God's work in the church in Corinth.

Each of us yearns for someone to be a Titus to us. When we're down, we wish someone would come alongside to comfort.

But are we being a Titus to others?

Rather than wishing for someone to ask us about what God is doing in our lives, we should be starting those conversations.

Rather than getting discouraged because no one seems to care, we should be cultivating a culture of care by expressing concern for others.

Like so many other areas, it's easier to point the finger at what others are doing wrong. But we need to be the ones initiating change.

Choose Wisely

"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?" (2 Cor 7:14)

We often look at this as a negative.

Don't get married to an unbeliever.

Don't go into business with an unbeliever.

Don't have unbelievers as your best friends.

Usually the applications are illustrated with examples of how an unbeliever pulls the believer into the world's system. The believer gets sucked into illicit relationships. The believer begins to make unbiblical business decisions.

While those are applications which can be drawn from this verse, and those illustrations may be true, it seems that we often forget the reason that God gives.

Just keep reading.

"Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty" (v 17-18).

The command of verse 14 is not from a God who wants to bring us into a convent or closed society. God is not trying to ruin our lives.

The command comes from a holy God who wants to meet all our needs - even relationships.

He wants to be our father, but He is holy. His holiness demands that He can not look upon sin. He cannot dwell in the presence of sin.

If we are involved in sinful relationships, God cannot be there.

If our loyalty is divided between God and others, He can't fulfill His desire to meet our needs.

In reality, it's a choice we make.

Do we want to make alliances with people who are not following God?

Or do we want the loving Creator of the universe to be our Father?