Been there, done that

I'm a father of two lovely daughters and it is my privilege to guide and teach them on a daily basis. Sometimes, we undertake projects together where they don't have the skills necessary for success. In these instances, I have to take them step-by-step through the process, providing support and encouragement along the way. Many times, they become frustrated by their inability and want to give up. Occasionally I too become frustrated at their willingness to give up and it is in those moments that I have something to learn.

You see, I have a father too who guides and teaches me on a daily basis. He gives me projects that exceed my confidence and he puts me in situations that really test my abilities. He's always there though coaching, encouraging and gently pushing me along. There are times where I fell like I am unable to do what is required and I become frustrated at my own inability, sometimes I think about giving up. But unlike my weakness as a father in becoming frustrated with my children, my father does not get frustrated. He simply points to the example he has set for me and reminds me that by following that example, I can expect success.

Truthfully, with my daughters I'm talking mostly about yard work, using tools and ingenuity. But the task my father has charged me with is life itself; walking through the minefield of the world and navigating my way among many dangers, distractions and deceits. And in the same way I tell my children "well done" God longs to see me at the end of the project and to tell me "well done!"

But between here and there are a great many obstacles and opportunities. Sometimes when I'm faced with an obstacle my own weakness frustrates me and works against me. It is in those times that I take great comfort in something my father said. Here it is;

Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

And there it is, Jesus, God's Son, my brother, Lord and Savior, knows my pain and my weaknesses. He has experienced life in it's myriad forms, faced trials, tests, temptations and tribulations and successfully navigated the course of life on earth in a manner that brings glory and honor to God. All I have to do is follow his example, walk in his footsteps, repeat what he has already done and I too will finish the project in a way that honors and glorifies God.

Just follow. Just follow. Just follow.

Peace,
Carl

Was blind but now I see

So many times when I read God's Holy Word, much of myself is revealed in the light of His glory. I often wonder if it is the same with other believers in that The Bible seems to be written to each individual. I know that's the Holy Spirit's "job" to apply the truth of God's Word to each life but nevertheless, it is a great mystery to me.

This morning is no exception. I open the Word and gain new insight and understanding of myself. Today, I read...

2 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV)

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

I remember that veil. It covered my eyes and shrouded my heart. It was that veil which prevented me from understanding The Bible or God's promises for many years. Though I was no ruler of earthly kingdoms, I was like Pharoah whose heart was hardened. I could not understand and the reason I could not understand is because I had not turned to the Lord.

My pursuit was of worldly things and my back was to The Lord. Though I heard of Him I could not understand for my focus was on other things and I did not give my attention to The Lord.

Though I eschewed The Lord, He was faithful, persistent and patient. And when I at last turned to the Lord, indeed, the veil was taken away. I was blind but now I see.

If you sit in church and wonder why the sermon doesn't speak to you; if you stand with the congregation and even sing the words to the songs and your heart is yet not moved; if you look upon the world with longing and if you look upon the people of the world and feel no compassion then know that the veil covering your heart is not yet removed.

Know too that until you turn to the Lord, till you seek Him, His Kingdom and His Righteousness, that veil will continue to cover you. And in fact, if you finish this life in such a condition, that veil will be your funeral shroud.

But despite all that came before, if you turn to Him, that same veil will be removed and the great gift that it obscures will be clear to you.

In this moment, my mind is filled with a wedding scene. The bride stands at the altar, her face covered by a veil. Though she is in the middle of the ceremony, the details are obscured by that veil. Having readied herself, she turns towards the bride-groom with anticipation. The bride-groom reaches out and removes the veil. Suddenly, she sees her husband for the first time. Her beauty is fully revealed and a great mystery is realized. That's the same way it is with us.

We present ourselves at the altar of God in anticipation. We turn to Him and it is our bride-groom Jesus that removes the veil that we may see; that we may rejoice; that we may gaze upon His visage; that our beauty may be revealed and that we may become one with Christ Jesus.

"... whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."

Peace,
Carl

Delivered from Desperation

In my former life as an unrepentent sinner, I knew desperation. Not that my desperation was any different from anyone else's desperation but I was intimate with my own. So much so that I realized that I was desperate, no longer living in denial and no longer able to pretend that it was not the primary motivating factor in every decision that I made. It colored everything in my life and defined me.

Though I thought and felt that I was alone and abandoned, in fact, I was not. Long ago, longer than I can comprehend, God knew of my desperation and indeed, the desperation of the masses and moved to replace that desperation with joy.

Our text today is.... Luke 1:79 (NIV)

to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

This is why God sent His only Son; "to shine on those living in darkness." And shine He has! The light of God through His Son Jesus shined right on me like a proverbial 'kleig' light. In that light, all the demons of sin that had a grip on me were plainly revealed and I recoiled in horror, not from the light but from my sin. Truly I had been living in the shadow of death, it hung over me separating me from the light of truth, blinding me to the needs of others and obscuring my own reflection that I could live a life of deceit.

And it was the example of Christ, the Word of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit that guided my feet away from the highway to hell and onto the path of peace.

How wonderful that God should love me! How wonderful that God should send His Son to take my punishment. How wonderful, how bright and how beautiful is the light cast by Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of all who believe.

I'm no longer desperate... I'm destined.

In His Grip,
Carl

United with Righteousness

Today's reading is: John 15:4 (NIV)

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [1]
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

When Christ spoke these words, it was not to indicate that we have any power of our own with which to "remain" in him. Rather it was spoken that we might greatly desire to remain in him; that we might set our hearts and minds upon this objective and to bring all our efforts to bear upon the realization of that goal.

With our hearts and minds, with our eyes focused on the prize, we may then yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit. For it is by his Holy Spirit that Christ "remains" in us. And it is by this great mystery only that we may "remain" in Christ.

As Christ "remains" in us by the indwelling of his Spirit our bodies are sanctified to a point suitable for his habitation. It is by his presence that we are then encouraged and influenced to 'remain' or 'abide' in Him.

We know this to be true because we hear his whispers to our conscience when confronted with temptation. He constantly raises our awareness to sin and in so doing keeps our hearts and conscience tender. It is this tenderness that keeps us from the sin that separates us from our Lord and Savior.

And in those times when we, full of our own weakness, realize the trap and yet step into it willingly, he does not abandon us or condemn us. But rather, in the same whisper to our conscience, convicts us not only of our sinfulness but also of our own weakness and by that of his strength. He teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us and trains us in such manner that we may attain some measure of his righteousness and in so doing be fully equipped for the works he has set before us.

J.C. Philpot wrote that "... His secret pleadings with you in the court of conscience, by all these things He makes it manifest that He still abides in you." What a friend!

Shalom,
Carl

Be Certain

I was watching "America's Got Talent" last night when the host Jerry Springer said something important to a four-year old girl. He said "I don't know if I'll get to heaven but I hope all the angels look like you." While he was expressing a sweet sentiment regarding the little girl, the first part of his statement revealed a sad truth about Mr. Springer. Specifically, he isn't bound for heaven. Based on that truth, when he reaches his destination he will be surrounded by angels no doubt but not the ones he is hoping for. I suspect it will be more like some of the video's he's produced and along the lines of "Angels gone Bad" or "Some Water Would be Wild!"

As Christians we know that unless you have come face-to-face with our sinfulness, unless we acknowledge our sinfulness, believe in the redemptive power of the blood of Christ and confess our sins we are bound for an eternity in hell. So, a little letter to Mr. Springer is in order...

Mr. Springer,

During last night's broadcast of your wildly popular "America's Got Talent" program, you expressed to the entire nation that you didn't know if you were going to heaven. If that is indeed true, you are not. Though you don't know me, I not only know the truth about how to get to heaven but I have a serious obligation to share it with you.

Assuming you want to get to heaven and that you desire to be certain about your eternal destination, I've taken the liberty of summarizing the requirements for you. These are taken straight out of my "handbook" entitled "The Bible" (Basic Information Before Leaving Earth) which was inspired by God and useful for many things not the least of which is understanding how to get to heaven. Consider these simple steps, they're as simple as A-B-C;

1. Admit that your sin separates you from Holy God. I know this to be true because God wrote in Romans 3:23 that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
2. Believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again to pay for your sins. You're going to love this part! Romans 5:8 tells us that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
3. Confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviro, repenting (turning away) from your sin. "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." That's found in Romans 10:9.

So as you can see, by following these three simple steps you can have the assurance of salvation. That means you will KNOW you are going to heaven and you will KNOW THAT YOU KNOW. Now I know what you may be thinking, "there has to be more to it than that." Well, it is true that these three steps are all that is required to get to heaven but it is also true that there is more to it than that.

You see, once you hook up with Jesus he won't leave you the way you are. He's going to bring about some changes in your demeanor, your actions and your mind. He's going to give you peace like you won't believe and strength, let me tell you! He's going to make you into a new person and it will be that new person that will make it to heaven.

I know it's scary Jerry but you can do it. Read those three steps again and then take a few moments to talk to God about them. He's waiting to hear from you. Oh and Jerry, you're right that that little girl is cute but that's nothing compared to the beauty you'll find in heaven. I hope to see you there.

Regards,

Carl B. Schultz

The Final Authority

Before turning my life over the Lord Jesus Christ, I spent a great deal of time searching for opinions, answers and signs. I approached life as though it were a weekend project to fix my car; Accumulate knowledge, speak with experts, glean their wisdom, purchase the supplies and then do it my way. As you can imagine, there were a great many 'life' projects that were half-done. I had no problem at the 'taking apart' but stumbled greatly and turned away in despair at the 'putting back together so it works' portion.

But when at last I turned to The Bible the first thing Jesus spoke to me through scripture was found in Luke 11:29... "As the crowds increased, Jesus said, 'This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.'" As you can imagine, immediately I came to attention for I sought the sign.

Having sought signs and second opinions on all matters, both practical and spiritual, for so long, it took some time for me recognize the authority with with Christ spoke. It took some time for me to realize that concerning the matters of life and living, both present and future, practical and spiritual, Christ was and is the final authority.

in John 6:65, this was clearly articulated... "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.'"

Having heard the good news of Jesus Christ, to whom do you turn for a second opinion? In what direction do you seek yet another sign?

All the signs and all the required information has been heaped together in the person of the Christ. Seek him out, listen to him and follow not just his advice but him alone.

In His Grip,
Carl

How do you explain the Trinity?

As I was enjoying breakfast this morning, my mind came to rest on how to explain the Holy Trinity to a child. While I was pondering this great mystery, I noticed that I was staring at the kitchen light. I'd say that a lightbulb over my head came on but... it was already on, obviously.

It occurred to me that God (the Father/Creator) is like the Tennessee Valley Authority only he's more like the Universal Ultimate Authority. Christ (the Son) is like the power distribution system and The Holy Spirit is like electricity.

God creates or generates the 'electricity'. Christ hooks everything together to the power source. The Spirit flows through the 'Christ' network and is distributed to all mankind. Although this is an imperfect analogy, it should suffice to introduce a young mind to a tough theological concept.

Now here's the real deal... God is the source of all power. Christ connects us to the source of all power and The Spirit flows from the source to us or rather right up to the switch (sin in the form of an unrepentant heart). We must intentionally flip the switch so that the circuit to us is complete and the power of The Holy Spirit may flow into our lives. Flipping the switch to the 'on' position is the volitional act of free will that is necessary to receive what God intends for us.

When we 'flip the switch' the light in our life comes on. The dormant bulb was there all along, the electricity was there all along, the distribution network was there all along and the source of power was there all along. But it was not till we 'flipped the switch' that the circuit was complete.

Consider... John 14:6 (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [1]
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan

And also...
Ephesians 5:14 (NIV)
14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

“Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”[1]
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

שָׁלֹם

Carl