Out In the Deep

Archive for 2012|Yearly archive page


The Fellowship of Christ

In Devotional on May 27, 2012 at 7:50 am

“ God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (1 Corinthians 1:9)

Compared to other religions, Christianity is less focused on a way of life, a set of principles, a collection of moral laws or spiritual techniques.  Rather, it has this strange obsession with a Person, Jesus Christ.  It is for this reason through church history that the Christian church has been doctrinal – always attempting to get right the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.  Whatever perspective we come from in other matters, whatever background or state we find ourselves, we are united together in a unique fellowship that centers on one thing – Him.  We are a group that might not normally mix.  However, our fellowship and preoccupation with Jesus makes brings us together.


The Shepherd’s One Surety

In Devotional on May 16, 2012 at 9:34 am

“What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”  (Matthew 18:12-14)

The only thing for sure is that the conscientious shepherd takes initiative to reach the wayward sheep.

One uncertainty is which strategy to restore the sheep is best.  I came across a situation where a mother is taking a stand on principle by not attending her daughter’s wedding.  Knowing something of the situation, I wonder if the principle is strong enough to so drastically close communication in this relationship.  It is certainly a matter of contrary opinions as to which is the best approach to win the daughter’s heart.

Another uncertainty is whether or not the sheep will ever be found.   Every success story of rejoicing overshadows many where a large expenditure of time and energy was spent resulting in no discernible fruit.

Nevertheless, amidst all this uncertainty, the call of the shepherd is to try. Use the best methods you know how.  While there will be failures, there will eventually be rejoicing.


God’s Love Practically Expressed

In Devotional on May 13, 2012 at 10:28 am

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)

You can imagine God expressing His love by sending an angel to come to Earth and carve with glorious light upon the side of a rock the words “I love you”.  The angel can then bid good-by and return to heaven leaving mankind with a kind of conceptual rendering of God’s attitude towards us.  Christian truth, of course, is nothing of the sort.  We understand conceptually that God loves us but the love is expressed very practically in details in human history.  His atonement was not merely blowing a kiss.   It was stepping into our lives and sacrificing Himself in order for us to become a new type of being.  Christian love is action.  It is sacrificing for the other.  It is transforming.

Faith and Analysis

In Devotional on May 11, 2012 at 9:23 am

“And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”

Analysis isn’t wrong but sometimes our reasoning keeps us from stepping forward and receiving the obvious gift that God has for us.  We can let the man on the pallet die while we make sure everything is ordered into proper mental categories and the plan is scrutinized from every possible angle.  Or we can step forward, a bit haphazardly, taking advantage of the opportunity that could quickly flee away.

There is no formula here.  Analysis and reflection can keep us from foolish mistakes but it can become its own worst enemy.  Faith often calls us to move forward whether we feel ready or not.


David, Unresolved

In Devotional on May 9, 2012 at 11:08 am

“Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Psalm 42:9)

There are a thousand reasons to feel unsettled.  Being off nutritionally, affected by the weather, facing stress, feeling overtired and reacting to the cunning confusion of spiritual enemies all add up to the sense of a gray day in a gray world.  As movie goers, we expect such a low moods to be resolved within two hours.  We look for the Mighty Ducks to score in the last seconds against the sinister team in the black uniform and ride off in cheers of glory.  For David, this didn’t happen.  The Psalm ends and nothing in David’s surroundings really changed.  The message he preached to himself, however, was to hope in God and set his focus on the fact that one day he will praise God with a joyful heart.

There is no spiritual achievement of feeling up (you may have a sunny disposition or may be going through a positive season).  There is no shame in feeling down either.  Whatever our feelings may be, focus not on the feelings but on the spiritual exercise of hoping in God and the expectation of God’s faithfulness.


A Lesson In Humility

In Devotional on May 8, 2012 at 9:30 am

“ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”  (Luke 18:13)

Lee Irons quotes on his blog (below) Jeff Iorg’s book that opens “In my 20s, I was determined to change the world. In my 30s, I tried to reform the church. In my early 40s, I discovered I was the problem.”  So common is our propensity to see the problem as something external— something out there.  If we could get those others to act right or at least believe right, then we will be on our way to the kingdom of God.  Jesus’ lesson on humility starts with me.  This is not to say that there should never be a movement of external social reform.  However, this reform should proceed only after much more effort has been expended to clean up my side of the street.

http://upper-register.typepad.com/blog/2012/05/building-character-for-godly-leadership.html


God Before Us

In Devotional on May 4, 2012 at 11:51 pm

“I have set the Lord continually before me.”  (Psalm 16:8)

Brother Lawrence spent his time doing the tedious tasks in a monastery kitchen.  It was here that he practiced a profound spirituality.  “Men invent means and methods of coming at God’s love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God’s presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?”

Any common business – emptying the trash, running a letter to the mail, driving into town to get a gallon of milk – can be that means through which our love for God is expressed.  As we walk with the consciousness that God is before us and we set our thoughts on Him, every moment can be sanctified, every thought can be a holy one, and every step an adventure.


Ruling One’s Spirit

In Devotional on May 2, 2012 at 9:25 am

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”  (Proverbs 16:32)

In many cases, we cannot help how we feel.  This fact may seem discouraging but it is actually freeing.  It also means that we are not responsible for how we feel and we should not feel guilty if we feel down in the dumps or angry or anxious.  What we are exercised to do is control our behavior – our response to our feelings.  For this, we have many tools at our disposal – fellowship, prayer, solitude, meditation, exercise, sleep, proper nourishment, personal inventory and conversation to name a few.  Happy is the one who is not ruled by his internal emotions but chooses the right tool at hand to do the next right thing.


Distributing Lunch

In Devotional on April 29, 2012 at 5:34 pm

“and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples toserve to them, and they served  them to the people.” (Mark 8:6)

We may be prone to confess our own inadequacies before such a large need but that is yesterday’s news.  Of course, the demands are much larger than what we humans are able to bring forth.  Nevertheless, God uses us still.  He takes our meager offering, blesses it and then gives it back to distribute.  Tell my heart that when I want to draw back, give up and forget the whole thing.  Step forth to do the next right thing and see if God doesn’t multiply the results.


Whole Burnt Offering

In Devotional on April 24, 2012 at 6:06 am

“and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  (Ephesians 5:2)

Of the Leviticus sacrifices, the whole burnt offering was consumed in its entirety.  It brought forth an aroma to God that was a delightful.   Beyond the sin offering that was so awful it was taken outside the camp, beyond the trespass offering that dealt with the violation of God’s government, Christ also was this offering of total and complete consecration.  Paul used this image to tell us to walk in love – go throughout our day sacrificially denying our own selfish pleasures.   This sort of wholly offered life – walking in love shedding off the self-centered pursuits in favor of others – actually delights the heart of God.  Like the whole burnt offering, it brings forth a fragrant aroma.

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