BREAKING FREE FROM OUR COMFORTABLE CHRISTIAN LIVES

When I was in Israel, our Jewish tour guide would always say goodbye with the words, "have sweet Christian dreams." Many of us try to live like that. We just want to stay in a sweet Christian dream until we get to heaven - not too bothered or disturbed.

In 1536, John Calvin had published the first volume of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, which was already a best seller. The printing press had just been invented around 1440, and Calvin was well known for his Protestant ideas. He decided that he should continue writing from the security and serenity of Strausbourg, a safe city for Protestants. He intended to lead a tranquil and comfortable Christian life, unbothered by the strife and filth of the world.

In order to get to Strausbourg, he needed to pass through and spend one night in Geneva. Unfortunately for his plans, but fortunately for the history of the church, he was recognized by Farel, a Protestant leader in Geneva. The Protestants had just secured control of local government in Geneva, but they were fairly uneducated and were without capable leaders. The Catholics were certain to retake leadership and possibly treat the Protestants harshly if the Protestants did not succeed in effectively directing the affairs of the city.

Farel did his best to gently persuade Calvin to stay in Geneva and provide leadership to the Protestants. Farel insisted that people were open to Protestant ideas and this was the time to guide them into clearly understanding the authority of the Scriptures. Calvin was unmoved and adamant on his need to move on to Strausbourg.

Finally, Farel called down curses on Calvin that went something like this: "may God curse your plans for study and comfort and security in Strausbourg if you don't stay here and help the church in its time of need." Calvin was shocked. He had always considered himself to be an academic and a thinker, not a leader and not someone who got his hands dirty in the practical details of moving the hearts and minds of people. Yet, he sensed that God Himself was speaking to him through the words of Farel. Calvin was so shaken that he felt that he could not go on to Strausbourg without holding God in contempt. He would stay in Geneva even if it cost him all of his comfortable plans and even his life.

Calvin's leadership of the Protestant church in Geneva became a foundation for reformed churches across Europe and the world. God blessed Calvin's surrender to His call and honored Farel for boldly speaking the truth.

We all need Farels in our lives - people who boldly and clearly speak God's truth to us so that we can't run or hide. We all need to daily consider how to leave our comfortable Christian lives behind and unreservedly serve the living God who has entrusted us with His truth and His grace for His glory. What will you do to follow His call?

DYING LIKE WE LIVE

I spent several hours this week visiting my 89 year old uncle in the hospital, where he is dying of pneumonia, with antibiotic-resistent infections in both lungs. We can all learn from watching death's relentless conquest in overcoming the physical body. We will all be there sooner than we think.

Both my uncle and the man in the adjacent room were desperately using some of their final breaths to cry out for help - but only miracles can help them now. It is too late for medicine.

My uncle has been in denial about the approach of death for several years. He could not comprehend that he would some day lose control over his mind and body. By the time that day came for him, or comes for any of us, it is too late to try to get right with God, it is too late to develop the relationship with Jesus Christ to which God has been calling you for your whole life. The chasm of self-consumed living and thinking is just too hard to overcome at the last moments with a dying mind and body.

All of us have just the briefest wisp of time in this body to use our gifts, talents and opportunities for either ourselves or for the glory of God. Time in the Word of God, time in prayerful communion with our Heavenly Father, and time praising and worshipping God the Son - Jesus Christ - develops relationship with the Almighty that gives peace and confidence and joy as the end of the physical body approaches. That lost time cannot be made up at the last second. It is too hard, too far, too wide, too foreign, too hopeless.

Thankfully, God sometimes intervenes to overcome even that hopelessness, as He did with the thief on the cross. That, however, appears to be the exception, not the rule, and it doesn't make up for a life of wasted time and wasted opportunity to know and love and live for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For the saint who knows and loves God with all of his or her heart, the outcome is so much different. As Dwight L. Moody so famously said and lived:

Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal- a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.

I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.

Dwight L. Moody also said:

Preparation for old age should begin not later than one's teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.

The same can be said of living in such a way that we are prepared for death. Now is the time to chose our purpose, to really know our God and Savior, to live for and love Him with all of our heart, so that there is no real fear in death, because we know Whom we have believed and that He is faithful to complete what He began in our lives. How grateful I am for the absolute assurance of our eternal glory with God in His kingdom - a life without regrets.

THE GRACE OF GRATITUDE

Acts 2:46-47 - The saints in the infant church "received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God."

How often do we receive our food like that? How often are we glad and praising God for our heartbeat, for our breath, for water? If God inhabits the praises of His people, is He inhabiting your life? How should we live out "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"?

As I was reflecting on this, I recalled every time that Jesus broke bread, he thanked God the Father first. When we pray thankfully before we eat, we are following Jesus.

I never want to take God's goodness for granted. I never want to assume that I deserve anything. It is all a gift by His grace and He deserves the praise!