Quiz Time

OK, it's been three years, so it's time for a quiz for both of you who've read through the blog.  Count yourselves as special (or really weird.)

 I've found the top 53 main points (maybe that's why you're the only 2 who've read it) and placed them in this little quiz.  They're from the little yellow highlighting.

Actually I've put them here, in one place, for me to come back to, and remind myself of what's really important since I so easily stray off.  I'll come back to this page to re-immerse, marinate, and meditate on the truths of God.

Fill in the blanks...

Quiz

1.       Help comes to us when we finally admit that we are los_____, and turn to the only win____ who can help us.

2.      When babies see their loving daddy’s face there’s a pow_____ that draws them to him, like ir___ to a mag____.

3.      We are wired from birth with needs such as accep____, par____ love, closen____, and nurt______.  While parents can fail in providing these, we can receive these from God.

4.      We will stumble and fall.  As we look to our Daddy, he absolutely will ca___ us every time.

5.      Our Daddy will always treat us with lo_____ and tende______.  He will never conde____ nor insu___ us, nor show impa____ or disgu_____ .

6.      He is always lo____, pati___, affir_____, desi____ us, etc.

7.      He’s always asking us to come to him.  He is always saying, “Fol_____ m_.”

8.      It’s crucial to know that God lo____ hanging out with us.  Always.

9.      Boiled down to one thing that God desires most of all from us is a close, living rela_______ with each one us...like the relationship a vine has with its branch.

10.  As we hang out with God, we will find ourselves doing good things, not because we’re “guilted” into them, but out of a respo___ of tha _____ to God’s love for us.

11.  The key word here is that love gives us amazing free_____.  Remember,  God came to se_ u_ fr__ from our sin, not to condemn us in it.

12.  This relationship with our heavenly daddy was made possible by J____, who decided to pay the price we could never pay by giv__ u_ h__ li__.

13.  When we are struggling at life, we must, We Must, WE MUST remember that G__ is the One Good Thing we have going for us.

14.  God says we are to be like chil_____ to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Children are depende___, helpl____, and vuln____.

15.  God declared when I accepted Jesus that I am a member of God’s fam_____.  Not a serv___ or sla____, but his true chi___ with all the rights and privileges of being his natural chi__. God takes this much more seri____ than I do. He is fully commi_____ to see me through to completion.

16.   In the S.L.O.P., we ask God to fill us with fai____...as much as we can have.

17.  Then we ask for a giant infilling of God’s H______ Sp______.

18.  Let’s look to hi__ fac_ and be drawn toward him.

19.  In any plan, if it’s legitimate, Go_ needs to receive ALL the glo___.

20.  God is completely, totally, all-in, pumped and exci____ to walk with us.

21.  As I spent time in a closer rela______ with God, I will find myself growing more and more li__ him.

22.  Every child has needs from their parents, including: lo__, merc_, kindn_____, accep____, affir______, affec_____, commit_____, nurt___, compas___, encou________, etc.  God provides all of these to us.

23.  We don’t need to be anx___ in Anything because God controls every____.

24.  God is for us whate___ we need him to be.

25.  When we enter into a relationship with God, he begins to hea_ us, give us a deep jo_ and pe___ and begins to empower us for good things he wishes us to do.

26.  Since it’s God’s pla_, God’s purpo__, and God’s pow__, he deserves ALL the cred__ and ALL the glo__.

27.  When we seek God first (Matthew 6:33), God will meet ALL of our nee__.  Once our needs are met, we will find ourselves overfl_____ like riv___.

28.  If we try to please ever____, we will end up pleasing n_ on_.  Let’s just work to please just G__ himself.  After all, people...including ourselves...are impos___ to please.   G__ is eas_ to please.

29.  When we spend our time relating to God, we can’_ hel_ but produce fruit, just like a well-tended apple tree.  So, our goal is never “fruit” but instead relat______ with God.

30.  Being joined with God through Jesus ultimately produces spiritual  and eternal li__.  Not being joined with Jesus produces spiritual and eternal dea__.

31.  Here’s the complete list of all that’s required for eternal spiritual life and grace and mercy from God:  Tru__ in Jesus and fai__ in Jesus.

32.  God is so amazing, overwhelming and awesome that in a relationship with him, you can’t help but be transfo___ by him.

33.  Christianity is not a relig____.  It’s a relatio_____.  It’s never based on works.  It’s based on your ident___ with Jesus the savi__.

34.  We cannot build a bridge to God, or a “stairway to heaven.”  It must be built fr__ God to us, not us to him.

35.  As Revelation 3:17 tells us, we come to God wret___, piti___, bli__, and nak__.  These are our contributions to the relationship.

36.  THE most important and valuable things we have on earth are relati_______.

37.  THE most valuable thing we can do with God is have a loving and caring relati_____ with him.

38.  When we decide to come to God, we must recognize we are helpl__ and hopel__.

39.  The enemy’s chief tool to rip you off is your Pri__.

40.  God says his yoke is easy and burden is light.  In fact, in our walk with him the Ho__ Spi__ will do the heavy lifting.

41.  Jesus is more concerned with Inwa__ righteousness than Outw___ righteousness.

42.  Heaven is NOT filled with people who led Go__ lives.  Heaven is filled with Sinf__ people who trusted in God to erase their sin through Jesus.

43.  Fruit in a Christian’s life is God’s indication of a health Relati_____ with him.

44.  Christians should never work for God’s acceptance because we Alre___ have it.

45.  We cannot ever fully please ourselves, but God is Ea__ to please.

46.  Our true measure of success in life is how Clo__ we have grown to God.

47.  Good works will come as a Resp___ to God’s love for us.  They should NEVER be done to Ear_ his love, because it won’t work.

48.  If we have God’s joy and peace, we won’t want or need Anyt____ El__.

49.  Though we are hard wired to put ourselves first, this only causes Gri__ and Pa__.

50.  What should I give to God?  Well, Ever______.

51.  Our flesh employs ungodly strategies to milk pleasures from this world.  Problem is, they lead me down paths which are Pointl___, Painf__, Vai_, and Depres___.

52.  This is why we need to look at God’s scoreboard instead of the Wor___ scoreboard to avoid being misled.

53.  Life is a fulfilling adventure if you’re living for something Big___ than yourself.

That's Where the Joy Comes From...

It wasn’t LeBron’s night.  Uncharacteristic missed shots and fouls had put him on the bench in the play-off game’s second quarter.  Yet at each time-out, he was the first one up to greet the team, smiling, encouraging them, and slapping backs.  As the broadcast headed to commercial, the analyst said, “When you put the team ahead of yourself, that’s where the joy comes from.”  That struck me.  “When you put the team ahead of yourself…”

 

Really, if we can have just joy and peace, we don’t need anything else…money, TV’s, cars, significant others, power, palaces, etc.   Our culture tells us that these things bring joy and fulfillment, and so off we go in search of them.  Of course, they don’t bring us joy or peace at all.

 

What brings us those is laying down our lives before Jesus and he begins to grow real joy and true peace in us.  Putting “Team Jesus” ahead of yourself…

 

But that’s the problem.  I’m not wired that way.  My default setting is placing myself at the top of the marquee.  Jesus can be my supporting actor.  It’s my movie, I’m the star, and you all are the extras.  Everyone, let’s focus on me please.

 

This produces several results:  pride, frustration, impatience, anxiety are a few.  It’s one of life’s ironies that the very thing we’re wired to do (putting ourselves first) is what causes so much grief and pain.  For ourselves and others.

 

When we agree to step down from our self-issued celebrity pedestal and embrace the role of “extra” in Jesus’ movie, we’re on our way to a happier, peaceful, more fulfilling life. 

 

It’s not easy to do.  In fact, I believe it’s impossible to do on our own.  We’ll need to be in prayer, asking God to work with us to focus on him, not ourselves. 

 

Living for myself is a vain, lonely, arid wasteland.  Living for something bigger than myself is a fulfilling adventure.  And when you put the team ahead of yourself…

Give Unto God

 

So some lawyers were trying to outwit Jesus, sort of like a four year old trying to outsmart Einstein, and they asked him if Jews should pay taxes to Rome.  Whether he said "yes" or "no" they were planning on ratting him out to the Jews or Romans whichever was more convenient.  And as usual Jesus not only sent them away in awe, but gave us a framework for successful living.

He said "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's." 

 

 

For years I took that at surface level as to mean "don't cheat on your taxes," and as usual I missed the big picture.

The thrust was never about paying taxes, but about figuring out what part of my life belongs to God and giving it to him.

Think it through.  God made everything, he knit me together.  As far as the body he put me in, mine's rather pedestrian compared to most, but it's still a spectacular, amazing recipe of incredible diverse and interrelated systems. 


My body belongs to God.  What artist would ever spend time creating something and then expect he didn't own it. 

What keeps me alive?  Air, water, food, heat, etc,.  and the extraordinarily complex systems which allow this body to adapt and use these for life.  I didn't create or invent any of these.   I did nothing to earn these.  I don't even deserve these.  Really, by what right, law, or logic do I claim these as mine?

God gave me some abilities that allow me to earn money and buy a home and a car.  While I might have practiced and refined those abilities, they were initially from God and he gave me the ability to refine them.  By what line of reasoning do I possess those as mine?

So while I claim to own this car or that home or this body, do I?

The point:  Regardless of what this culture determines I own or do not, it's all God's.  Give to God what it is God's.  What is God's?  Everything.

Every bit of this body.  Every bit of this soul.  Every second I live,   Every penny, every item.  It's God's.  Give to God what is God's.  Why do I believe even for a moment they're mine?

Watching the Wrong Scoreboard

(I wanted to expand a bit on a section of the previous post.)

 

 

Back in the 80's, basketball began using an electronic device called the  "possession arrow" to show which team would receive possession of the ball in special situations.  The possession arrow sits on the scorer's table pretty much ignored by everyone, except for occasional glances near the end of tight games.

Unlike its big brother the scoreboard...which receives thousands of times the attention.

But what if at game's end, regardless of the score, the referees awarded the victory to the team favored by...the possession arrow?  I understand that's crazy and problematic...but...what if?  What would that change?  Pretty much...everything.

If that happened, teams would recognize that their present strategies were worthless and pointless (pun not intended), and would throw them out in place of new strategies in order to win.

My relationship with God is like that possession arrow.  It sits there, but really, for every glance it gets...I give a thousand to the scoreboard...my job, my bank account, my hobbies, my problems, my issues, my problems with my issues, etc.

While I realize I won't be able to bring every thought directly into my relationship with God, what if I could?  What would that change?  Pretty much...everything.

Funny how my thoughts dictate what possesses me.  When I'm fixed on God and his ways, he possesses me with peace and joy and satisfaction. 

When my thoughts turn away from God (unfortunately, my "default condition"), the ways of man and the world possess me and I'm chasing empty goals and life becomes pointless, vain, and depressing.  
 

When God sits down to watch my life, he seldom glances at the scoreboard.  Instead he's locked on to the arrow...monitoring whether my heart is pointed toward him or away.  Because he loves me, he knows how he designed me and wants the very best for me.

 

I'm not implying that the direction of the possession arrow at my last breath determines whether I'm bound for heaven or hell...that would be incorrect.  But I am saying that my life is successful to the extent I'm looking at God's scoreboard rather than my own.

 

You Must Become...Like Kittens...

If someone someday cracks the genetic code and creates a cat which remains a kitten, never growing into an adult, that would be an outrage, a travesty and an offense against Creation.  And I'd buy one in a heartbeat.  

What's cuter than a kitten with its big eyes, big head, and little legs and body wandering around the home trying to make sense of its world?  And who doesn't absolutely adore a kitten climbing into their lap and curling up for a nap. So tiny and helpless, vulnerable and trusting.

The pleasure I feel when a kitten curls up next to me must be the same sort of pleasure that God feels when I mentally "curl up" next to him.  I love it when a kitten or puppy trusts me enough to pull up close. So why wouldn't God feel the same when I pull in close to him?

We must become like children to enter the kingdom of God. Or like kittens. 

Several years ago the local college team was stocked with several top-tier running backs.  A reporter asked the coach how he intended to keep all the backs happy, what with their shared playing time. The coach's answer was life transforming.  He said, "I believe it's their job to keep ME happy. Isn't that how it works?"

How many times have I come to God whining about how I wasn't happy.  While he did indeed minister to me, the real problem was my mindset.  It isn't his job to make me happy.  It never was.  It's mine to make him happy. Isn't that how it works?

Yet I'm so busy working the world system trying to please myself. And it doesn't work. God knows we can't find joy or peace trying to please ourselves.  We're too fickle and demanding.  But he is so easy to please.  God has hard-wired us to find our joy in him. We can fight it (and be miserable) or accept it and be transformed.

This world seems to define success as accumulating wealth or status or pleasures which don't satisfy, but God's success...real and true success... is growing closer to him.  In gauging our success, we're oftentimes guilty of watching the wrong scoreboard.  I'm going to say that again.  We are often guilty of watching the wrong scoreboard...job titles, bank statements or party invitations...rather than watching the true scoreboard...which is, "God, are you and I becoming closer?"

Here's the trick, and it's crucial to catch a fine distinction.  Say I hand a homeless guy my lunch. Good thing, right?   But if I'm doing it to coerce God into liking me...using it as a bargaining chip for benefits, then the homeless guy gets a free lunch and God rejects my gift to Him.  Wrong motivation.  It's not a gift based on faith and gratitude, but on manipulation, which he sees through and rejects.  (I'm going to expand on this thought at The Very Bottom Of This.)

But if I hand a homeless guy my ham on rye as a response to how much God has blessed me,  in effect thanking God for what he's already done, that's a gift God accepts and things like that transform our relationship.  That subtle difference is everything.

As I become closer to God, I find myself looking for ways to please him and not myself.  And that's where I find joy, peace and satisfaction.

And how can I do that?  Well, I can start off by being like that kitten...

---


The Very Bottom Of This:  Just want to sketch out the picture of God's grace.  When we accept the life of God's son Jesus into our hearts and minds, then we are completely loved and completely secure in God.  Any attempt to increase that love and security with "good works" shows a disbelief that God has already given the 100%, which he has.  He can't and won't give any more.  Just believe and accept.  Definitely do NOT try to earn it.

You might say this is a place where you should live in the past.  God's love was offered to you, and when you accept, it's 100% finalized.  There is never a need to repair, rework, or renegotiate...only just a need to remind ourselves that we can never be outside his love and protection again.

On the other hand, if someone has not accepted the life and person of Jesus into their hearts, then it would be foolish to think their good works...any amount of time, money, energy, prayer, church attendance, etc.,  would be enough to earn even a tiny fraction of God's gift of Jesus.  You can accept God's love for you.  You can reject God's love for you.  But you cannot earn God's love.  Don't even try.