Make Me Happy

Over the last few years, I've noticed many movies and TV shows with a loosely religious bent have a "God wants me to be happy" theme.

I'd shake my head and say, "No, that's not it at all. It's not about happiness."

But I've come to realize over that last couple of months that I have succumbed to the "God wants me to be happy" thinking. Maybe you have, too. Maybe not.

It wasn't a conscious thought. It was something much more subtle, almost clandestine. And it was combined with a certain entitlement mentality I had. "I am entitled to make X dollars, God, because I graduated from a certain school. I work hard. I've earned it. I deserve it. Why should weak economic times trickle down to me? It isn't fair. Do something about it." Again, this wasn't a conscious thought, but it was what I felt deep down in my heart.

The Holy Spirit has convicted me of this sin. The Christian walk isn't about making me happy. I am owed nothing by the Almighty God and Creator of this Universe. Salvation is not a negotiation. "God, give me eternal life in Heaven, and I'll serve you... oh, and keep me happy." This isn't the way it works.

I am to serve Him because He is the Almighty Creator, and so, in the words of the Moravian Missionaries, "the Lamb that was slain may receive the reward of His suffering."

Hero: John Wesley

John Wesley, known as the founder of Methodism, left a print on the church world resembling very little of the current United Methodist Church.

He experienced two strong moments where his faith was challenged, the first on a trip across the Atlantic Ocean. At one point in the voyage a storm came up and broke the mast off the ship. Moravians (German Christians) calmly sang hymns and prayed. This experience amazed Wesley and led him to seek their inner strength.

The second moment was at a Moravian meeting in London at Aldersgate Street. He listened as a speaker read Martin Luther's preface to Romans. Something spiritual happened as Wesley took it all in. He wrote about this situation later in life with the famous words, "I felt my heart strangely warmed."

Although he always considered himself a member of the Church of England, Wesley developed Bible Societies that became The Methodist Church.

Wesley died at eighty-eight. His last words were "The best of all is, God is with us."

During his life, he preached over 20,000 itinerant sermons while riding on horseback.

A Heart Loyal To God

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9a NKJV).

One of my favorite verses in the entire Bible comes out of 2 Chronicles. I find it fascinating that the Lord is moving to and fro throughout the whole earth, looking actively for a certain type of person—one whose heart is perfect toward God. And what happens when Whenever the Lord finds such a person? God shows Himself strong on the believer’s behalf.

Interesting. God is waiting (and wanting) to move openly in power and blessing. And God is pleased to show His approval of that believer’s life.

I grew up in a church background based on “hope.” I put that in quotation marks because it would really be described as “wishing,” not as biblical hope. I don’t write that as a slam on my spiritual elders. I am grateful for them. But there was a huge element of “God doesn’t work that way anymore” theology. You know, “that stuff ended when the Apostles died.”

Yet here in an Old Testament passage, I read a promise as exciting and powerful as anything in the Book of Acts.

And that promise is alive for believers today.

I follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading calendar, and at the time I’m writing this post, my Genesis passages deal with the life of Abraham.

Abraham is certainly a man who had such a loyal heart. In Genesis 17, God challenged him.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.’”
Genesis 17:1 (NKJV)

Twenty-four years earlier, God’s all came to a seventy-five year old Abraham. Now he was at the place where God was going to fulfill a glorious promise (made when Abraham was living in Ur of the Chaldees). God’s eyes were locked on this man whose heart was loyal to Him.

According to Romans 4, Abraham is the father of all who believe, so his life and faith are a pattern to all believers. And God’s requirements were clear: Walk before Me and be blameless. In Exodus, God shared the first step in perfection:

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me."
Exodus 20:1-3 (NKJV)

In this time of economic difficulty, I am challenged. Do I have a god before the perfect, real Triune God? Is money a god? Fear?

To be perfect toward God means that one has no other gods before Him.

Following Jesus

When we are asked to describe our Christian life in a few words, how do we respond? I simply say: following Jesus. Because this is the fundamental nature of Christian life.

Jesus spoke these simple words throughout the Gospels, both to the people in the crowds and to the men that became His disciples (Peter and Andrew, James and John, Matthew, Philip).

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you) fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
-- Matthew 4:18-22, NLT

Peter and Andrew, James and John were working in the family business when Jesus walked by and proclaimed, “Follow me.” They had a choice to make, one that required a choice within seconds, and one that would decide their eternal destiny. And it wasn’t an easy decision, either. Jesus approached them at the family business and had them make a public declaration of their intentions.

Matthew’s calling wasn’t much easier.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
-- Matthew 9:9, NLT

Here he was, minding his own business (literally) in his tax office, making good money (as ancient tax collectors did), when this guy proclaiming to be the Messiah walks by and speaks these two words: follow me.

And Matthew got up, walked away from everything familiar, and followed Jesus.

Philip wasn’t doing anything particularly spiritual or religious when Jesus caught up to him and offered a new life.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."
-- John 1:43, NLT

Philip immediately followed Jesus, and sought out Nathanael to let him know the long-awaited Messiah had come.

Following The Lord

If we decide to respond as His disciples did, we discover that there are two essential preconditions Jesus requires.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24, NLT).

We must deny ourselves, and we must take up our cross. Then we follow Him.

And it is rough to say “No” to many of the things in life. Look at Peter, Andrew, James and John… they were at work (i.e. doing something good and productive) when called to deny themselves, give up business, and become fishers of men. In my mind, it is easy to rationalize Jesus calling me to give up the “bad” stuff of life. It is much more challenging to heed His call to give up the “good” stuff and follow Him.

Hero: Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813 - 1843)

M'Cheyne was the minister of St Peter's Church Dundee. He was a godly pastor, preacher, evangelist and poet. He had a great love for souls and was a man of deep piety and prayer. Even though he died just short of 30, his love for God and God's children has left an impression on generations of Believers.

He is perhaps best known for his Bible Reading Calendar (which you can find here), and for his deep love for both Arabs and the Jewish people.

M'Cheyne's Bible reading plan deeply influenced me, but just as much his Songs of Zion move my heart. Take this example, his poem titled I am Debtor, which stirs in me the same spiritual feelings as Amazing Grace.

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o'er life's finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

When I hear the wicked call
On the rocks and hills to fall,
When I see them start and shrink
On the fiery deluge brink, -
Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see thee as thou art,
Love thee with unsinning heart,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

When the praise of heav'n I hear,
Loud as thunder to the ear,
Loud as many water's noise,
Sweet as harp's melodious voice,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

Even on earth, as through a glass
Darkly, let Thy glory pass,
Make forgiveness feel so sweet,
Make Thy Spirit's help so meet,
Even on earth, Lord, make me know
Something of how much I owe.

Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Saviour's side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

Oft I walk beneath the cloud,
Dark, as midnight's gloomy shroud;
But, when fear is at the height,
Jesus comes, and all is light;
Blessed Jesus! bid me show
Doubting saints how much I owe.

When in flowery paths I tread,
Oft by sin I'm captive led;
Oft I fall - but still arise -
The Spirit comes - the tempter flies;
Blessed Spirit! bid me show
Weary sinners all I owe.

Oft the nights of sorrow reign -
Weeping, sickness, sighing, pain;
But a night Thine anger burns -
Morning comes and joy returns;
God of comforts! bid me show
To Thy poor, how much I owe.

Jesus or Yeshua?

The name "Yeshua" is what Jesus would have been called by His contemporaries. Yeshua is literally a transliteration of the Messiah's Hebrew Name, pronounced "Yea-shu-ah" with the "Yea" rhyming with "bay".

His name literally means "YHWH is salvation".

YHWH, pronounced (we believe) as Yahweh, is God the Father's personal name. Shared with Moses in Exodus 3:14, it is written as "LORD" in most Bibles, in small capital letters.

In Greek, Yea-sous is a semi-transliteration of Yeshua. From the Greek, Messiah's Name went into Latin. From Latin, it went into the European languages. That's why Jesus is pronounced, 'Hay-sous' in Spanish. In Old English, the "J" of "Jesus" would be pronounced like an "I"... but modern English has a hard "J" instead.

That's probably more information on the pronunciation of Messiah's name than you wanted. But, in my opinion, it is pretty cool information.

How Can I Believe The Bible?

In this day of modern science, nanotechnology, and incredible space exploration, how can one believe the Bible? Certainly it might have some nice stories -- but is it absolute truth?

Maybe a better question is: on what page does the real truth start?

And the answer to these questions is found in one verse.

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

That simple verse says it all. Accept the truth of that verse, and nothing else in the Bible is too hard to believe.

The Desert

This is about the desert - the dry land with no water... not dessert, the yummy high-calorie stuff we eat after dinner. :)

Specifically, it is about spiritual deserts.

At some point in our lives (especially true in mine) we get stuck in the desert--the dry, hot, dusty, rocky, difficult situation(s) in our lives in which survival seems difficult, let alone able to thrive.

I've been in a real desert before, and it is much like the spiritual counterpart. It gets hot during the day. The heat is unrelenting, and there is no relief from it until the sun goes down.

But once the sun sets, the desert becomes frigid. It's an amazing contrast that takes place in just a few hours.

Much like the contrast we experience in our spiritual desert, moving from extreme pain or mood to another. Life seems to consist of one trial after another, and many times multiple trials pop up simultaneously. We look for the green land or water, but only see sand. Just desert.

I have learned that God does not see the desert the way we do. Or I do.

The desert is the place where God cut me off from dependence on this physical world. Once cut, I could develop a deeper, loving trust in Him. In fact, the desert experience is a preparation for better things.

Look at the Hebrews with Moses wandering the desert for 40 years... Jesus after His baptism, in the desert for 40 days and nights... and so on.

Still, times in my spiritual desert times can be painful. It is a time of testing. But it is also a opportunity to shed the baggage I have stored up and trust God at a deeper level. As I do this (and some periods are easier than others), I walk in a greater presence of the Lord in the midst of my difficulties.

I guess it comes down to this: He can't trust me (or any of us) with the riches of His kingdom when we are afraid or insecure about the future. He removes my insecurity and builds my faith through the tight, dry places of life. This fact doesn't always make it easier to think about or accept when we hit a desert spot. But that doesn't make it any less true.

I Can Do All Things

We are all probably familiar with the words of Philippians 4:13:

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (NLT)
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (NASB)

Derek Prince, the late and wonderful Bible teacher, had an academic background in ancient languages. He had a literal translation of a particular passage that I think is super-powerful.

I can do all things through the one who empowers me within.