Monthly Archives: July 2014

"By His great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading; kept in heaven for you." 1 Peter 1:3-4

I need some good news. As stories mount of wars, plane crashes, ebola, etc. I need something to give me a shot of hope. I long for some sustaining good news that will help me balance the relentless bad news. I find it this week in an normally overlooked place. It's called salvation.

How often do you think of your enduring identity as a son or daughter of God? In the opening verses of his first letter, Peter gave carefully consideration to the fact that he is saved. His description is vivid and even exciting.

"Born anew to a living hope." There's that word: hope. It's good news. The world does not provide much hope (more on that later), but we have hope because we have been "born anew." People sometimes treat the phrase "born again" as obsolete or intellectually deficient (the same way they view "saved"). I suggest that every Christian is, in fact, born again, or born anew as Peter put it. There simply is no better description.

We have a new life in Christ. God has placed us on a different spiritual plane and trajectory. We're headed to eternal life. Actually, eternal life has already begun from the moment you confess your faith in Christ and become His follower. You're different. Frankly, I cannot think of a better description than born anew. I thank God for my new life, the depth of which continually unfolds before me if I take the time to look.

The guarantor of my new life is Jesus Christ Himself who by His resurrection is a living Lord and constant companion. Peter was so certain of this new identity in Christ that he piled up the adjectives. The inheritance we have through faith is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and kept in heaven. It is completely secure. We need have no doubt about our eternal identity or destiny. Jesus has secured it.

Of what value is this to you today?

Salvation enables you to have an eternal optimism. I find two competing opinions about the general state of the world. One camp is relentlessly optimistic (if you have faith, life is going to go your way). The competing camp pronounces a dire and imminent apocalypse. So which is it? Is everything getting better or worse?

Frankly, I subscribe to neither. The world simply is. People are historically adept at finding and creating trouble. People are also capable of extraordinary good. The world is and it will be. Unrealistic optimism is like meth. Unrealistic pessimism is simply boring.

Faith in my new life enables me to have an entirely different outlook. I know I'm not alone. I know my life has purpose. I can look for someone to help every day, and I can look for the people God sends to help me. And most importantly, I know where I'm going.

An abstinence from current events is impossible. Bad news will find you. I would add here that you can choose what to dwell on. Worry is a form of meditation! And you certainly can't bank on changing events to suit you. That is exhausting and frustrating.

The truly good news is that you have new life. In that new life you will make steady progress and endure occasional large setbacks. Your destiny does not depend on your performance. God keeps your identity safe.

So His words to us, based on this scripture, would be "You're safe in my love. You are mine and nothing will change that. Rejoice in Me. And do not become overwrought in your imperfections. Your desire to please Me pleases Me."

That's good news.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 27, 2014

"In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:6

What's God responsible for? And what are you responsible for? The answers to these two questions pretty much define how we think about God's involvement in our lives. Some people claim to rely on God for every minute detail of life. Others believe God has little or nothing to do with the details or even the larger scheme of life.

I want to share with you where I am at this point in my life, and as you can tell I have shifted over the years. Back and forth. I have come to realize that the answer to the question: "Is God in charge of my life, or am I?" is yes.

Imagine your life is a car. You're in the driver's seat. The steering wheel is yours. It goes where you decide. Think of God as the navigator. Put Him in the seat beside you or in the backseat if you prefer. The point is, He doesn't take the steering wheel out of your hand. He simply offers direction.

The real issue I must deal with in life is how much I listen to God's direction. Frankly, I can drive my car into a ditch. I did that with my alcoholism. I felt I was in charge of my entire life, and when something went wrong I believed I had failed or blamed others for the failure. I drank to cover up the fear, anger, resentment, etc. The point is, as I took over, degree by degree, a distorted sense of responsibility and self-importance grew. I drove that car right into the ditch.

And God was still in that car with me. All He said was "Are you ready to listen now?"

With the love of my family, the help of some fine folks, and a lot of prayer (mine and others) God helped me get that car out of the ditch. We got back on the road, and while I still have the steering wheel, I'm much more careful to listen for the still, small Voice. I'm much more aware of the ways I can start talking myself into some crazy decisions.

I believe with all my heart that God is involved in my life and wants to bring me to a joyful and abundant life. I also believe with equal conviction that He has given me the awesome freedom to choose. I choose to listen Him and to steer where He directs. Life works.

"There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end is destruction" (Prov. 14:12). Been there. I much prefer acknowledging Him and trusting Him to direct all my paths (Prov. 3:6).

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 20, 2014

"If we are faithless, "He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself." 2 Timothy 2:13

A lady recently told me of a very difficult event in her life many years ago after which she experienced an excruciating disappointment with God. Her relationship with God is now restored, but of that struggle she said, "I had to learn to love God again."

That poignant phrase has stayed with me. How many of us have had "to learn to love God again?" Most of us have faced enough pain to wonder where God is. In a sense we have all had to learn to love God again. How does this happen?

We must start with God's character. God has an eternal constancy that survives the vagaries of life. We change. He does not. We weaken and fall. He reigns. I cannot imagine God, by any biblical dimension, as having been rendered impotent by even the worst events in our lives.

Paul wrote that even in our faithless periods, God remains faithful. That is good news. He is not bound to or determined by events or emotions. He transcends change, and remains the gracious constant in life. To do otherwise would be "to deny Himself," that is, to betray His very nature.

Getting your view of God straight is very hard when the sea billows roll, but trust is trust only when it is tested. Don't be surprised when life is painfully hard. It always has been. Just try to see through to God's light. To stay with the metaphor, life's darkness does not extinguish God's light. The darkness proves the existence of light. God's light does not go out when you are in pain.

What a joy it is to turn back to God after a period of struggle and find that He hasn't left, and He has no hard feelings! His constancy is grace-filled. He doesn't pout, and He's not hurt. He welcomes back every bruised soul.

I think the inevitable cycles of our hurt and anger with God are perhaps the only way we really grow to trust Him more. God obviously is not in the business of removing all pain or trying to make life as pleasant for you as possible. He is not a cruise director. Instead He has taken the pain of this broken world and miraculously transformed it into a means for us to draw closer to Him.

If it has been a while since you genuinely loved God, then you might want to take another look His way. Instead of demanding new explanations, try simply accepting the fact that while you have lost something very precious to you, God really can help you through that loss. Accept it. And let God's faith sustain you while you learn to love Him again.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 13, 2014

"To what shall I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another 'We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep!" Luke 7:31-32

This is a parable that you are likely to have overlooked all of your Bible-reading life. You may recall it vaguely," but have you have really stopped to think about why Jesus told it? By the way, I think Jesus told it with a slight smile on His face.

Here's the context. Though popular with the people because of His teaching and miracles, the Pharisees and lawyers murmured their complaints in the background. Jesus did not fit into their plans, and they would tell anyone who would listen.

Jesus knew what was going on, and He knew also that their criticisms would spread and become shouts to crucify Him. So He told an unusual parable to describe complainers. He looked around and saw children playing in the village square. And what kind of games did they play?

A wedding was the biggest social celebration in a village. It was a community event in which the entire village would participate. The wedding took place outdoors. The procession went through the streets. The newly-married bride was lifted above the crowd and paraded around. They played music and danced. Can't you imagine children in that day would want to play wedding? "Let's play wedding!"

But there were complainers in the crowd of kids. "No, we don't want to play wedding." So the other children would say "we played the pipes but you don't want to dance."

All right. If not wedding how about funeral? A funeral was another big social occasion. Children had seen funerals, and I imagine they might reenact one. Or perhaps it was like in my family. I have performed good Christian funerals for three dogs, two parakeets, a cat and some fish. Jesus had seen some children imitating the adults in all the pomp and circumstance.

But the complainers again objected, "No, we don't want to play that either." And so the others would say "we wailed and you did not weep."

Then Jesus brings home the meaning (Luke 7:33-35). God had acted in history during this time in a remarkable way. John the Baptist entered the world with a message of a rough-hewn prophet. In camel's hair and leather girdle, full of locusts and wild honey he said, "Repent or the judgment of God will fall upon you!" He was not always accepted, but he was never misunderstood. Many listened, most rejected him.

Then came Jesus. The Messiah Himself arrived, and He was different from His cousin. John the Baptist went out into the wilderness and never took a course in how to win friends and influence people. Jesus was completely opposite. He intentionally traveled through villages and towns. He liked being around people, went to their weddings, their funerals, their feasts. He would sit up late talking and loved the crowds.

What did people say about Him? A few loved Him, but many more rejected Him. What was Jesus' verdict? "John the Baptist comes with judgment and you say he has a demon. I come with grace and you say I eat and drink too much." Some people in that day could not be satisfied.

And people today have the same habit. Nothing is satisfying. We live in a culture of complaint where the reigning goal is to try to find something to satisfy us for a short period of time.

Ours is the most marketed-to generation in the history of the world. Researchers know what a 56 year-old man like me wants. When I click on CNN they know my surfing tendencies. I go to Amazon.com and it says "welcome Terry" and they have recommendations for me to purchase. I go to Wal-Mart and the entire store is designed to make me purchase as much as possible at low, low prices.

What our society has produced is self-focus on steroids. We have wonders available to satisfy our latest need, and without realizing our need has been created by advertisers and marketers. Whatever you want, you can have at a dozen stores in Baton Rouge, or delivered via on-line within a few days. We expect the self to be happy, and when the self is not happy we complain, become easily offended, fix the blame on someone else, and completely overlook God.

Surely one of the worst sins in life is failing to see what God is doing around and in you. He really is always at work, and He really does love and care for you. Thomas Merton wrote, "To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us-and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude, therefore, takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference."

Discernment leads to gratitude, and gratitude silences complaint. God has acted in history, and He has acted in your life today. Be still for a moment, draw back from the keening cries of want and dissatisfaction, and remember that God has anticipated and taken care of your every need in Christ Jesus.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 6, 2014