Acts 10:9-48; Next Level

Peter had a very strange vision for a Jew. God was telling him that one of the most important things he had believed all his life was wrong. He was saying that one of the key distinguishing features for which he and his people were known should not exist. It would be like having a vision that God did not want us to participate in communion anymore. Is it any wonder that Peter was perplexed? (I find it comical that he was so lost in thought that the Spirit had to speak to him again just to get him to go downstairs and open the door.)

Two days later Peter entered the house of a non-Jew and explained his vision. Basically he said, "Its ok for me to enter your house; God gave me a vision that permits it." Only later did he really understand the significance of the vision and confessed, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."

It seems like God has this pattern of pointing out something in our lives, letting us think we have developed it and then taking it to a new level we did not anticipate. Joseph became a good household manager, then prison manager and then prime minister. David was a good shepherd, then military leader and then king. John was dedicated to his brother, then to Jesus (even during his trial and crucifixion) and then to the church (becoming known as the apostle of love). I became aware of my prejudices, then was given a roommate of a different race and then became a missionary. I learned to be evangelistic in the dorms, then became a missionary and now train mission teams.

Here is what excites me, i.e., you never know what characteristic God is going to take to the next level. Just when it seems we have life figured out, God shows up with new opportunities. It is humbling to take a new step and realize how little I was doing before. It is faith-building to take a new step and see God show up to secure my footing. It is exciting to take a new step and realize that I can still grow. I wonder what the next step will be?

Philippians 3:12-21; Hard Work

It seems that we have a view of Christianity as sort of a spiritual club we join. We visit to see if we like it, go through a joining process and then become a member. After that we boil down its significance to avoiding the most atrocious errors, coupling the word spiritual with the word patriotic, and showing our face in a gathering of the other members. I have serious doubts that Paul would consider this behavior as living up to what we have already attained.

The call he gives here is to "press on" and "strive", words that carry a sense of hard work and struggle. Usually we use the word struggle to talk about sin; primarily it means "I keep committing the same mistake and I feel bad about it." Struggle rarely involves the effort to change relationships, schedule and habits. It is even more seldom about proactive growth.

So bluntly speaking, what will I make a pointed effort to change now? Before I quit reading, close the computer and walk away to begin a fast paced day, what will I resolve to "struggle" with today so that I treat someone differently or look more like Christ by day's end? How will I press on today?

Luke 13:1-9; Manure Occureth

If this passage happened today Jesus' response might have been, "Do you think the homeless guys under the overpass did something much worse than you? Do you think that the guys killed in that car wreck last week were morally of a different nature than you? Truth is, without turning to God, you are all pretty much equal."

What I find amazing is the next little section. It sounds quaint to keep it in farming terms but crass when you realize what is really being said. When I'm not growing spiritually, God digs around me and fertilizes me. But first century fertilizer came from the barn, not a bag. So the message is that when I'm stagnant spiritually, God lets my world get disrupted and then lets "manure happen" in my life.

Perhaps my problem is I spend too much time complaining about the manure and not enough time taking advantage of the opportunity to grow from it.

Gardening; Luke 8:1-15

Mountain laurel - dead. Spanish broom - dead. Crepe myrtle - sickly. There is this section in the yard that just refuses to grow anything. No matter what gets planted there, it dies. Its not the fault of the plant but the fault of the soil.

I think Jesus would point to my section of yard and help me remember that a lack of spiritual growth on my part is not the fault of anyone or anything except my heart. The word of God will do just fine in good soil. What his seed needs is a "noble and good heart".

So where do I put my effort for growth? So often my tendency is to blame the Bible for not being clear enough or point the finger at God for some hard times I go through. His parable doesn't leave much room for finger pointing. My job - my only job - is heart preparation. After that, growth will come in his way and his time.