Deeper Still by phil mccallum | Archive

Petrified Christians

1 Comment 28 February 2008

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Song: Desperation Band Promises

Scripture
‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ “For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” Mark 7:7

Observation
Littered across the salt pan of the Arizona deserts are scattered tree logs toasting in the sun. Don’t try to build a night time fire with them to warm yourself from the desert chill, for this is petrified wood. The trees once full of carbon molecules were transformed one drip at a time into stone. What was living was replaced by what is dead.

The same happens in any vital relationship with Christ. There is a trickle through effect that replaces what is real and vital with what is inert.

How does it happen?

In one scenario, a maverick spiritual leader centuries ago read the Bible and called Christians back to a vibrant relationship with God just as the early Christians knew. During that first generation the children of that movement read the Bible and experienced the fire of God. But as one generation gave way to the next, the children and grandchildren quoted the founder rather than going to the foundation in the Bible. Now when the Bible is read adherents want to know how their founder would have interpreted the verse rather than how the Holy Spirit is speaking to them today. It’s petrified wood.

In another scenario, a trend setting pastor discovers the secrets of bringing large numbers of unchurched people to Christ and into the church. There are conferences, books, magazines, DVDs, podcasts and more. Young leaders immerse themselves in the right blogs and imitate everything from preaching to hairstyles. The magazine graphics look cutting edge, but it is petrified wood because group think has replaced the Holy Ghost.

Application
How can I keep the fibers of my relationship with God fresh and alive? How can I keep my ministry from calcifying? The answer is simple: keep close to the source. Be careful not to marinate too long in anything other than the Bible. Read the writings of great historical figures. Enjoy the expansive thoughts of contemporary thinkers. But always keep close to the source. The more we nourish what God is growing in our hearts with what is fresh from the Lord the less likelihood we have of replacing good wood with stone.

Prayer
Father, I’m not sure I can see the petrified parts of my relationship with you as Jesus can. While he was on the earth he could see what no one else could. Give me eyes to see it now in my own life. Amen.

Challenge, Criticism, Disappointment, Encouragement, Failure, God's Favor, God's Presence, Overcoming, Setbacks

Is God Against Us?

1 Comment 27 February 2008

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Song: Mercy Me Word of God Speak

Scripture
The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were approaching on the road through Atharim. So he attacked the Israelites and took some of them as prisoners. Then the people of Israel made this vow to the Lord: â€œIf you will hand these people over to us, we will completely destroy all their towns.â€ The Lord heard the Israelitesâ€™ request and gave them victory over the Canaanites. Numbers 21:1-3

Observation
When life goes badly is God against us?

Many think so. Their motto is: “Life bad equals God mad; life good equals God glad”. That is the human race’s most basic theology. The crippling motto transcends every culture and religion. Even Jesus did battle with that corrosive thought. Such a theological proposition sounds plausible enough, but it is deadly wrong. This page from the desert journals of the Jews enables us to leapfrog over this pathetic concept.

Why use the word “pathetic”? Because when we take hard life circumstances as a reflection of God’s face toward us, we freeze in place afraid to move forward lest we cop it more. Instead of moving forward, using the strength God has given to us and the love he showers on us, we grovel in suspicions of the Lord’s intentions toward us. We who are favored sons and daughters of the Most High, behave as the friendless and fatherless. That is pathetic.

The Israelites were still in shock from a hit and run raid by their enemies. Blitzkrieg snatched up friends and family. At that point the people could have given into their feelings of vulnerability. It had been a rocky road through the desert. They had littered the wasteland with grumbling. There was ample evidence that they had ticked God off. They could have huddled in their tents like children afraid of daddy coming home. Instead, they stepped beyond their fear of God’s intent toward them and trusted his love enough to bargain.

Their deal was this: if God would put their enemies into their hands they would in turn scrape the map clean of every town they inhabited. They would have their loved ones back and God would have for himself the beginning of space to create a new nation. God liked the deal and delivered.

To make that deal with God the Jews had to step over the shriveling theology of God’s displeasure. The people risked rejection by probing God’s heart to find out his heart for them. It seemed as if God were against them, but they dared to ask for more. In the asking they discovered what is true for us: God is for us.

We will not discover the smile of God by stalling in the dust of our disaster. We must move beyond setbacks and ask in the road ahead if God will indeed open doors.

Application
There have been tough days in my life when I have believed the criticisms of those who had no interest in my progress and have taken their words as the voice of God. As I reflect over the past I see that God’s eventual blessings proved them all wrong. You loved me…and them…far more than I imagined. I have discovered that when life is bad, God is still good. Faith is the ultimate act of bravery to open the door and to see who is on the other side. The risk of asking a little bit more can open to us kindness brighter than we could ever imagine.

Prayer
Father, no failure is final, including mine because your Son is my Savior. Give me the courage to step past the barricades erected by the fearful and to join where you are fighting for my future. The precious words today are “with” and “for”. God is with me. God is for me. That is reassuringly enough. Amen.

Rest/Sabbath

Rest as an Act of Faith

No Comments 25 February 2008

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Song: Desperation Band Hiding Place

Scripture
Then Jesus said to them, â€œThe Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!â€ Mark 2:27-28

Observation
God knew that we need rest so he modeled resting for us. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath because his rest was the first rest ever taken. He who is boundless energy puts boundaries on himself. God rests not out of need but out of example for all of us to follow.

When I rest I am giving proof of the lordship of Christ over my life. Rest is the ultimate act of faith, for it proves that Jesus is truly in control of all and is Lord of all. As I rest I trust him to do for me what I cannot do for myself. Rest also demonstrates my submission to Christ. As I sabbath I am not rushing about to accomplish my agenda, I am submitting to his.

Because Jesus is the Lord of the sabbath, when I choose a day or season of rest it is he who determines what comes into my life during that season. For the disciples there was a walk with the Master along with nibbles along the roadside from heads of wheat. For my day it may be a conversation, a song, a scripture, a journey that percolates the Lord’s presence into the deepest level of my being.

Application
Since July, this has been a sabbath year for me. Someone asked me this past week, “What are you doing on your sabbath year?” I thought to myself, “I didn’t know I was supposed to do anything, isn’t that the point of rest?” We can strive to keep busy to prove to Jesus that he is our Lord, when in fact what he may well want is our rest. Last night I attended the recording of a new CD/DVD at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. After 2 hours of worship in the foyer of heaven with about 5,000 others, Leslie whispered to me, “If our sabbath year was just to be here tonight, it was worth it all.” The Lord has taken me on quite a journey this year. I’ve had time with three mega-churches along with some awesome hearted friends along the way. Most of all I’ve found in the resting season that Jesus is truly my Lord as he takes care of the details I cannot attend to while I rest.

Prayer
Jesus, you are my Lord and may my rest be all the proof you need today. Amen.

Direction, Evangelism, Faithfulness, God's Call, Waiting

Shine

No Comments 23 February 2008

Scripture
Then Jesus asked them, â€œWould anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.â€ Then he added, â€œPay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be givenâ€”and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.â€ Mark 4:21-25

Observation
The message of these words of Jesus is this: if I become a bright light bulb the Lord will put me in a useful place to shine as far as possible.

How do I become a higher wattage follower of Christ? By paying close attention to what I hear. And how can I hear? I must read the word and let it affect me. I listen to some after they read a Bible passage and squirm as they argue against hope and question the book. I have come to a conclusion. To gain true insight, I must not read the Bible, I must let the Bible read me. The scripture is living and active and it probes through my soul like pruning shears. The more I let the word of God have its way in my hidden areas the candlepower of my heart will increase.

If my light is bright, will the Lord put me in a cupboard? Well look to history.

Take an obscure preacher who spoke to a handful of bible college students in a now defunct institution and who spoke to dying men as an army chaplain. He was cut down from an appendicitis attack and his widow returned home to London. But she took with her folders of shorthand dictation that recorded every word her husband had spoken. Ten years later she published a book of his thoughts called My Utmost for His Highest.

Take another story of a missionary to Japan filled with burning zeal to touch every household in Japan with the gospel. But declining health sent him as an invalid back home to be nursed by his faithful wife until his death. Wanting to change the world, the missionary could not change his own clothes. His wife nurtured her own soul through the ordeal with books, magazines, scriptures and kept clippings of the encouragements that the Lord sent her way. The result was a devotional called Streams in the Desert.

Application
Jesus does not make it clear who brings the lamp out into the open and places it on a stand so that all will see its light. One could take his words to suggest that we should put ourselves forward to position our story of Jesus in the most accessible place possible. But I think more often it is the Lord who gives us a lamp stand and it is he who pulls us out of ineffective places and puts us in a place where our light is useful. The one thing we have control of is the brightness level of our light. The Master puts us where he wills, but it is up to us to be sure we are the highest wattage bulb possible.

Prayer
Father, somehow it is comforting to know that all of this is not up to me. You place the lamp on the lamp stand it is mine just to shine. I trust you in that. Amen.

Desire, Moods, Prayer, Thirst, Worship

Playing Tag with God

1 Comment 22 February 2008

Scripture
My heart has heard you say, â€œCome and talk with me.â€ And my heart responds, â€œLord, I am coming.â€ Psalm 27:8

Observation
More is recorded in the Old Testament about David than any other character and his name is the last name mentioned in the Bible. The reason why is condensed in this one verse: My heart has heard you say, â€œCome and talk with me.â€ And my heart responds, â€œLord, I am coming.â€ What causes David to stand out among the three greats of the Old Testament was his relationship with the Lord and his ability to communicate that with others. Abraham had a friendship with God, but he related to God more like a business partner and we don’t see much of his heart. Moses saw God face to face, but we read more of the laws God gave him than their personal relationship.

David, however, left the windows and doors open to his most personal experiences of God so that we can enter into the same relationship ourselves.

It begins with God’s pursuit of David and of us. We are naive to think that we think of God first. The fact is, whenever we consider the Lord and desire him it is because he has been lonely for us. God desires conversation with us. He wants to talk with us.Â He who is limitless wants to know about our finite lives; we who are bound are to be stretched into the boundless mind of God. God stoops low to meet with us and crouches into our existence because of his great love for us; we are carried further than the most distant star and deeper than the earth’s core when we enter into the mind of God.

What set David apart from most human beings is that he answered the call of God. He said, “Lord, I am coming.” He did not dismiss God with a yawn or place him on hold. He spontaneously bounded toward the Lord even as the Lord sprinted toward him. That is a relationship of love.Â It was William Barclay who said, “The kingdom of God is not for the well intentioned but for the desperate.” There is one phrase that will keep us from knowing what David knew: “just a minute”. The presence of God is like a sunrise or sunset, for we have just a brief window to enjoy it. Often he will not linger to pander to our indifference.

Application
How many times in a day does the Lord nudge me with his presence? More than I consider. I cannot be passive; I must be active.Â I must pursue him even as he pursues me.

Prayer
Father, today as I sense you playing tag with my soul, let me bound toward you. Amen.

Criticism, People Skills, Pioneering, Protection

Surviving Snake Bite

No Comments 21 February 2008

Scripture
As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, â€œA murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.â€ But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasnâ€™t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. Acts 28:3-6

Application
This is like a scene from the opening of the ABC TV show Lost. Paul, along with 275 other passengers, had been washed up on shore of an island. The wind is cold, and so Paul led an impromptu effort to build a bonfire. Paul could have sat on the sand, but instead he worked to serve others. While in the act of public good, he was bitten by a snake.Â Snake bite was nothing compared to the lashing of wagging tongues.

Public opinion is a viper ready to bite the hand that is serving the public good. Bystanders live by the rule that bad things happen to bad people and that good things happen to good people. Satan was there sharpening their words, for the people chose the one word that would have stung Paul most. They called him a “murderer”. That word smarted, for the one time hunter of Christians had been forgiven and transformed by Christ to become a church planter. The enemy of our souls has a way of reminding us of what God has forgotten about us.

What happened next revealed the character of Paul. He could have let the venom of accusation paralyze him. When we are false accused life can slow into numb disbelief and replay of past memories. Paul, however, did nothing of the sort. He shook off the snake and went on with his business.

I read in the news this week that Robert Irwin, the 4-year-old son of the late Steve Irwin, was playing with a boa constrictor (obviously we are dealing with a different kind of family) and was struck by the serpent. His mother Terry was so proud of her son, because he was pleased to have had his first hit. He said, “I hope it wasn’t venomous.” The other assured her son that she would not let him play with poisonous snakes.” If a 4 year old can shake off a snake and move on, than we should as well and if a mother cares for her child then even more so the Lord cares for us.

Application
There are times that Satan will try to use spent ammunition to level us. Like Paul, we must make the choice not to wallow in pointless regrets, but to shake off the snake and to get on with our business for God. That choice to move past the opinion of others is something that God will honor. For Paul he protected him from the snake’s death serum. For us, if it is useful for his glory, God will vindicate us. Our responsibility is to shake off the snake, move on and leave the results with the Lord.

Prayer
Father, help me not to listen to what you have forgotten. Help me to live in the now and not the then. And help me to move further than public criticism can imagine because you are leading my life. Amen.

Anointing, God's Call, Humility, Leadership, Rest/Sabbath, Service

On Seeing Myself as a Sheep

No Comments 20 February 2008

Scripture
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever. Psalm 23

Observation
What was David’s reaction when the wizened prophet Samuel chose him out of all his brothers to be anointed with oil to be king? I just realized as I read Psalm 23 that we know exactly how David felt, for he told us in this song. In verse 5 David sang, “You honor me by anointing my head with oil.” How many thousands of times have I read Psalm 23 and missed the reason why David wrote this Psalm? Surely he wrote these lyrics after Samuel’s visit as his heart response to God’s kindness to him. Samuel had anointed him with oil and David the shepherd boy was dumbfounded that it had happened to him.

With the motive for writing the Psalm revealed, the words take on new meaning. We now have a window into the soul of David as he walked back from the house into the fields to tend the sheep for another day. Months would pass before he would be sent on an errand that would lead him to Goliath to leave shepherding behind forever. During those days he reassessed his life, and his conclusion is astounding.

David, the crown prince of Israel, took on a new outlook on life. He saw himself as a sheep. If he said, “The Lord is my shepherd” then he must have by inference considered himself to be a lamb following the Lord. A dumb sheep is not a metaphor kings are likely to claim. A lion is more likely. But David’s heart is revealed in his choice. He would be a king, but he would follow.

Application
When God asks me to do great things, what is my heart response? Too often it is pride. I like the lion metaphor. But David’s humility rouses me to better desires. I am only a sheep following the shepherd. Though I may be asked to lead, it is the Lord who is my leader. There is a disarming humility in considering one’s self to be a bleating sheep. It’s not impressive, but it does touch the heart of the shepherd.

Prayer
Father, I see how you left David in the sheep pens a little while longer so he would not forget who he was, where he came from and just who you are. I see that in my life too and embrace it for all that it is worth. Thank you for being my shepherd. Thank you for the stream and meadow you give to me. And I take the hope that ahead is feasting. Today it is enough just to be with you, for you are the constant, whether I am in the field, the valley or at the feasting table. Amen.

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