Category: Christian Spirituality Blog

Jesus Is Making Everything New

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

Jesus makes everything new

It feels great to have a day off, a bit of relaxation, a fresh year with new possibilities, a chance to do spend time with others for a bit.  It feels so darned good because maybe something in your life is getting awfully old, and you’re ready for a change:

A look in the mirror today has you longing for a new body… A glance at the financial budget reveals that it doesn’t budge a bit, and you long for a new job…  A walk into the kitchen looks like somebody puked dirty dishes all over, and you wish for a new house…  But this is nothing compared to not sleeping well; still grieving over a death in the family; constantly dealing with chronic pain, cancer, and sickness; and, facing, yet again, Mom’s barrage of Alzheimer inspired questions…. Maybe I could just have a new life….

These, and a thousand more circumstances, wait for us tomorrow morning when we wake up.  It is the same old, same old.  Day after day, month after month, year after year.  Maybe it will be different this year….?

The world as we now know it will someday pass away.  Christians have a future hope – it will literally be heaven on earth.  There will be a renewed earth and God will descend to dwell with us.  God will bring us to the original design He had in the garden with Adam and Eve – an unhindered relationship between Himself and humanity in which we are no longer dogged by our sinful nature, a sinful world system, and all the temptations that the devil uses to exploit for his own purposes.  Tears, death, sorrow and pain will a thing of the past.

Eventually, our struggle with the brokenness of this world and our lives will be completely over (Revelation 21:1-6).  To know your problems are temporary and that Jesus will change everything is a great comfort and help to us in our present troubles.

One of the problems we experience in this present age is that we are impatient people; we want good things to happen, and to happen now!  All of God’s people throughout history have been looking ahead for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises.  God said to the prophet Isaiah:

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.  I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more” (Isaiah 65:17-19).

In the first coming of Jesus to this earth, God’s people thought for sure all these promises would be fully realized.  But, like a young couple in their engagement period, the promises of God had been initiated and promised, but not yet realized or consummated.  There have been people throughout the centuries that have said, as the Apostle Peter identified:

“Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?  Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”  Peter responded, in part, by reminding Christians:  But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:  With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:4-9).

Jesus is making everything new.  God is even now in the process of moving history to its final stage.  Can we be patient in letting him do his work until that final day comes, or will we be impatient?

We live in an amazing time where we have instant communications and can travel anywhere in the world in a relatively short amount of time.  The earth is a big place, but we can traverse it by plane in less than two days.  It used to be that a ship going across the Atlantic Ocean took about three months from Europe to America.  Now, we fly across the ocean in a matter of hours.  Yet, we freak out that we’ve got to get to the airport two hours before a flight and grump and complain about standing in a twenty-minute line to board a plane.

It used to be that communication moved at the same pace as a ship.  Knowing about a significant event that happened in Europe would take three months to reach America.  Now we can know about what kind of bread some French dude ate for breakfast almost instantly after he eats it because he posted it on social media.  We act like a whiny pre-teen if we need to wait a few extra seconds for something to load on our computers and smartphones, as if the world were about to end.  Well, in all truthfulness it is about to end.

Yet, in the meantime, we are not to simply wait for the end to come and spend our remaining time trying to figure out exactly the day and hour of Christ’s Second Coming.  Instead, when Jesus said, “I am making everything new” he means that he is now at work transforming all things which will culminate in his Second Coming and the final passing away of the old order of things.

We properly anticipate Jesus coming again when we let God change our hearts and lives, our neighborhoods and workplaces, our families and churches, to be just like Christ.

God is now, today, in the business of preparing for Christ’s return by doing away with the old order to make room for the new.  The Apostle Paul put it this way to the Corinthian church:  If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).  With every changed life, there is the reminder that God is not slow in keeping his promises, but is active in transforming lives for his own glory.

The book of Revelation helps us to break our fixation with our weird past.  It enables us to sever the ways we have always done things.  It reminds us of God’s capacity and action for renewal.  We can walk now in newness of life.  Christians are people, according to Paul that “were buried with Jesus through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)

To be patient, to hold fast in endurance, it is necessary for us to know the whole story of God and what he has done, is doing, and will do.  In the fall of 1991, a car driven by a drunk driver jumped its lane and smashed headfirst into a minivan driven by a man named Jerry Sittser. Sittser and three of his children survived, but Sittser’s wife, four-year-old child, and mother died in the crash. In his book, A Grace Revealed, Sittser shares the following interaction some months after the accident with his son, David, who was one of the children who survived:

“Do you think Mom sees us right now?” he suddenly asked.

I paused to ponder. “I don’t know, David. I think maybe she does see us. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t see how she could, Dad. I thought Heaven was full of happiness. How could she bear to see us so sad?”

Could Lynda, my wife, witness our pain in Heaven? How could that be possible? How could she bear it?

“I think she does see us,” I finally said. “But she sees the whole story, including how it all turns out, which is beautiful to her. It’s going to be a good story, David.”

God knows the whole story.  He knows how you are going to turn out.  When everything passes away, when all is stripped from your life, when the world as we know it is done away with, what are you left with? 

Christians are left with participating with God in the renewal of all things.  Followers of Jesus are left with alleviating and doing away with the evils and troubles of this world.  Whenever believers seek to do away with things like global poverty; when we work to end the world of sex-trafficking or abortion; when we help others come to grips with the evil of this world through changing old satanic ways of operating; when we come alongside others in their trouble; then, God is using us to make everything new.

The end is coming, but it is not yet here.  God is presently working to make everything new by bringing his salvation to all kinds of people.  Allow God to be God, and do that work both on others, and in you.

Jesus Lives Here!

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

Jesus Lives Here

Frankly, and to the point, Jesus abides with your every dream about life and happiness, hope and fulfillment, purpose and direction, emotional healing and wholeness, as well as thriving and flourishing in your daily life.  What is more:

To live the Christian life, to totally and completely center your entire life around the person and work of Jesus Christ, is an act of rebellion against all that is unjust and broken in this world.

Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest intellects in American history, was a pastor, theologian, and scholar.  He insisted that the hope of humanity lies with turning to and dwelling with Jesus:

“Conversion to Jesus Christ is a great and glorious work of God’s power, at once changing the heart, and infusing life into the dead soul…. Jesus Christ is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper focus; and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.”

St. Augustine may have lived centuries ago, but he knew life without Jesus.  Life with Jesus was so compelling for Augustine that his thoughts, vigorous intellect, and spiritual devotion left an enormous footprint that can be found even today, not only in the church, but in the academy.  Reflecting on his life, and all he had experienced and accomplished, Augustine uttered this simple prayer to God:

“You have made us for yourself, Lord Jesus, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Arguably, Christianity’s greatest convert was the Apostle Paul.  Once a vehement opponent to Jesus and faith in him, Paul had a dramatic encounter that left him completely undone.  He gave his life to Christ and became Christianity’s most influential missionary.  Here is just a smattering of his thoughts on Jesus:

“Christ was truly God… but he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.  Christ was humble.  He obeyed God and even died on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

“His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy… For God has rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free” (Colossians 1:11, 13).

“Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:8-9).

“Christ has introduced us to God’s undeserved kindness… Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful” (Romans 5:2, 6).

Cyril of Jerusalem

Jesus is the One who fills our hearts with love, delivers our wayward souls from emptiness, and sets our feet on the solid rock of faith and hope in God.  All the love of God is found in Jesus.  And the amazing thing is that Jesus so closely identifies with us, that we enjoy God’s peace and healing in our lives.  Not just personal transformation, but systemic change in institutions and corporations, families and neighborhoods, is possible in Christ.

To live for Jesus is an act of subversion against all that is evil, dark, and unjust. Imagine a world where love rules, not hate; where creativity and faith abound, and are not squelched; and, hope, not hurt, fuels progress into a bright future.  It is a world where Jesus lives.

There are 1,440 minutes in a day.  The average post in this blog can be read in just 3 minutes or less.  With just a click of a computer mouse, or the touch of a smartphone, you can push against the darkness and find some encouragement and help, not so much from me, as from thinking about Jesus.  Also, if you want to join a conversation on something important and relevant to you, it’s easy.

Thanks for being a faithful reader, but, more importantly, I’m grateful for how you desire to know Jesus better, live the Christian life with all your heart, and seek to be wise in all your daily activities at home, work, and your neighborhood.  To that end, I look forward to this New Year and all that God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit will do in us to his glory.  Amen.

Use the S.O.A.P.

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

soap

I grew up in Iowa, and now live in Wisconsin.  You might immediately think of food when you think of the Midwest.  There is nothing in the country quite like Iowa corn-fed pork, best served at the Iowa State Fair.  There is equally nothing like Wisconsin cheese, best eaten at a local county fair listening to polka music.  It can get mighty hot in August at any fair in the Midwest.  It’s likely you’ll clean up when you get home, after visiting the food tents and the animal barns.  Make sure and use the soap!

As good as Midwestern cuisine can be at its prepared best, there is something that is even better and something that I crave even more.  No matter where I live, what my means of making a living, or my season of life, what I desire above all is to know Jesus better and dwell with him.  I want to sit at his feet, listening and learning.  Being with Jesus has the dual effect of bringing great satisfaction, even better than a great meal of pork and cheese; and, feeling clean and refreshed, even better than taking a cool shower on a hot summer day (or a hot bath on a cold Midwestern winter day!).

One way of enjoying Jesus and connecting with the triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit, is simply reading the Bible every day and writing a few thoughts in a journal.  Reading Scripture (especially out loud) puts beneficial thoughts in your memory.  Writing your insights of from that reading into a journal presses the benefit even better and deeper not only into your mind, but into your soul.

I often use a simple method, S.O.A.P. as a means of learning from God.  Just today, I wrote this in the quiet of the early morning.  Come and see what the Lord taught me today….

S cripture – Luke 2:41-52, especially verse 45: “When they [Jesus’ family] did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.  After three days they found him in the temple.  He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and putting questions to them.”

O bservation – Jesus put himself in the posture of a listening learner.  Yes, Jesus is God.  Yes, Jesus is human.  He needed to discover, develop, grow, and learn just like we do.  At 12 years old, Jesus did not put himself in the position of pushing his identity on others.  This practice of listening and learning served Jesus well throughout his earthly life.

A pplication – If Jesus found the need and created the time to be a listening learner, how much more do I need such a practice in my life?  In today’s Gospel story, not everyone was happy with Jesus for doing this.  His hunger for learning was misinterpreted by his family as disobedience.  They were upset with him.  Sitting at the feet of Jesus in the posture of listening learner is going to be sometimes misinterpreted by others who think you should be doing something else, be somewhere else, or be somebody else.

P rayer – Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.  I fail too many times to sit at your feet and learn from your words and ways.  Help me to faithfully carve-out time each day to be with you.  And may this humble posture of a learner and grower translate into the whole of my life so that my faith will be strengthened, and others will be blessed; through your great and powerful Name, Jesus Christ, my Lord.  Amen.

Just minutes a day being at the feet of Jesus can change your life for the better.  Imagine if you did this every day, what your life would be like, how it would transform your relationships with others, and improve your outlook on your current situations.

Today is the day to either find that journal that is hidden away, or to go out and purchase a notebook or actual journal to start recording what the Holy Spirit is teaching you at the feet of Jesus.  Maybe even stop and get an Iowa pork-chop and some Wisconsin cheese curds while you’re out.

How Do I Read the Bible?

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

reading the Bible

With New Year’s almost here, maybe you are instinctively considering a fresh start and new beginnings.  It’s only human to think about having better health, both physically and spiritually.  Showing up and spending time with me here in this blog is just one small, simple, and helpful way of walking step by step into the wonderful and gracious world of the Christian life.

What I care about for you is that you and I keep thinking about and practicing with deliberate patience the construction of our souls.  The heart of that incredible adventure is exploring, discovering, and learning from the triune God himself – Father, Son, and Spirit.  It is as simple as spending time at the feet of Jesus, and as complicated as engrafting spiritual practices into your busy life.

If you will make the decision to read Holy Scripture every single day this next year, even if it is only for a few minutes, you can look back at the end of 2018 and see with amazing clarity that you are a different person now than you were a year ago.

But where do I begin?  The Bible isn’t exactly a novel to read from cover to cover.  Rather, Scripture is a wondrous revealing of God’s workings in history designed to connect you with the person and work of Jesus Christ.  And, I might add importantly, it is a compilation of books to be read over, and over again.

If Scripture leads us to Christ, then it only makes sense to start reading the first four books of the New Testament known as the Gospels:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Each has a similar yet unique perspective on the words and ways of Jesus, designed to help us connect significantly with God.

Now, if you choose to read a chapter a day, or even a few verses a day, you will begin to see your soul responding differently – a greater attention to others’ needs; a larger sense of peace; the realization that you are not alone in your struggles; and, a desire to love as Jesus did.

Yet, if you want to really get even more out of your time with reading the Bible, there is a way to press the benefits even deeper and larger into your soul with greater results.  Just a few minutes of journaling your experience of reading the Bible amplifies and extenuates the construction of your soul and the enlargement of your heart.  It’s like moving from driving in an alley to speeding on the freeway – there is no comparison, once you have done it for the first time.

Where do I begin journaling?  What do I write?  The most important dimension to journaling is to listen well to the Holy Spirit of God.  This simple 4-part structure will help you connect, using the acronym S.O.A.P.

S is for Scripture.  Choose the chapter(s) or verses to read, and write the passage in your journal.  Read them over more than once, even several times.  The goal is not to check off a list to a reading plan.  The goal is to connect with God.

O is for Observation.  Make just one observation from the reading.  Is there something which really stands out to you?  Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in what he wants you to see and observe in the reading.  Simply write down the observation.

A is for Application.  Continue asking the Holy Spirit to help you.  How does God want you to apply this observation to your own personal life?  Again, write down your application in your journal.

P is for Prayer.  Write in your journal a simple prayer concerning the application you have gained.

Either short and succinct, or long and verbose journal entries are up to you.  The aim is not length, but connecting with God in Christ by the Spirit.

In a subsequent post, I will give an example of this practice of reading and journaling.  But, for now, just entertain the idea that you will read your Bible.  You will not let it just sit on the coffee table, or collect dust on the bookshelf.  You will make the time for it.  You will carefully, deliberately, and divinely read it with God’s Spirit at your side helping you all the way.  Begin today, even before the New Year, and start finding all that God has for you.