New Lenses - How I Met Jesus On MTV!: Archive Posts

Lullaby and Good Night...
Posted by Jared on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 5:07pm

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 (NIV) I have a friend, a dear friend who has sleep issues. This person has a list of rituals that they believe have to be done and things they need to have in order to secure a good night's sleep. Lotion for the feet, a fan blowing on those feet, ear plugs, particular sleeping attire...just to name a few. If one or more of those things is unavailable, this person's capacity for sleep is severely impaired. God forbid there are noises and movement nearby, insomnia is inevitable. Not being one to have sleep issues--I can sleep anywhere, through anything and be dead to the world, except when there's a lot on my mind--I really couldn't grasp the concept. I understood cognitively, but I was unable empathize; that is before today. As I processed the scripture above this morning, it dawned on me that although I don't have a list of physical requirements that need to be in place before I can "sleep in peace", I do have a list of intangible, situational requirements. I can sleep in peace, when I'm sure the rent and other bills are paid and I have no concerns about my health or my family. When I'm pretty confident that I will have a job for the foreseeable future and that a cheque is coming on the 1st and the 15th, sleep comes easy. When I don't have to choose between my job, my relationships and my ministry, I can sleep quite comfortably. For me the absence of worry, fear, doubt, anxiety and uncertainty are crucial requirements for a good night's sleep. But what truly is the source of my comfort? What gives me security? I had to stop and consider that this morning. What I discovered is that my comfort level depends primarily on my circumstances. When the equilibrium of my life is disturbed I am seldom able to "lie down and sleep...in peace". If the boat of my life is tossed by a "furious squall" like the disciples experienced in Mark 4, I highly doubt that I could, as Jesus was able to do, sleep in those conditions. Yet He was able to. How was He able to do that? How can I do likewise? How can I have peace of mind that allows me sleep despite my circumstances? In the Psalm 4:8 above David gives us the answer. He was able to lie down and sleep in peace because he came to terms with and accepted the fact that ONLY the Lord allows Him to dwell in safety. Although the "rod" and the "staff" in Psalm 23 comfort him in "the valley of the shadow of death", his trust isn't in them. He "fears no evil" only because God is with him. The rod and staff, (which aren't David's by the way), comfort him because they serve as reminders of God's constant presence. In fact the use of the pronoun "Your/Thy" when referencing the “rod and staff” seems to suggest that David didn't even select these items by himself. It seems to imply that they were given to him. If I were David and I had to provide myself with items of comfort for the journey through "the valley of the shadow of death", I'm likely to have chosen a sword, a shield, a helmet, 3 slings and a bag of extra stones...just in case! I would insist on having all of them near me at all times because without them, I would feel helpless, naked and maybe even hopeless. I'd trust more in the "rod and staff" type items than the God who provides them as a comfort for me. Their presence would provide me just enough peace to sleep and then as an afterthought, I'd ask God to protect me. Rituals and comfort items may help for a time, but what happens to us when they're not available? In order to have peace of mind for a good night's sleep we have to trust God. Period. It's just that simple. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." Our minds can't stay steadfast and so have peace, in the absence of trust in God. We don't trust what we don't know, and trust is developed based on knowledge and experience. Is it possible then, that our ability to "lie down and sleep in peace" in the midst of a "furious squall" is a direct indicator of the depth of our experience with, knowledge of and trust in God? It is my prayer today that those of us with "sleep issues" would consider replacing our rituals and requirements with the approach Paul recommends to the Philippians. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ...Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4, 6-7 (NIV) May we all seek deeper knowledge of and relationship with our Heavenly Father, by spending quality time in prayer and His Word. They are key ingredients to a good night's sleep! Thank You Lord For Daily Bread. newlensesbook.com
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Be My Friend!
Posted by Jared on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 3:42pm

"Servants cannot be corrected by mere words; though they understand, they will not respond." Proverbs 29:19 (NIV) "You cannot correct servants just by talking to them. They may understand you, but they will pay no attention." Proverbs 29:19 (GNT) "A servant can't be corrected only by words. Even if he understands, he won't obey." Proverbs 29:19 (NIRV) "Words alone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded." Proverbs 29:19 (NLT) Servants of God they call us; knowledgeable about the instructions of our Master. We can quote them, reciting them backwards and forwards. We understand them. We can even explain them to others. Yet, for some reason, we're stubbornly disobedient. "Stiff-necked" the Bible calls us. Maybe we inherited it from our Mom--Eve. In Genesis 3, when the serpent misrepresented God's instructions to her, she was able to correct the serpent and then relate God's actual command to it. On the other hand, Solomon could be right, our inability to respond solely to verbal correction could just be due to our nature as servants. As servants of God, we also seem to require more than words; more than just The Word. Sermons are nice, but somehow for us, they don't seem to be enough. Songs hit us, touch us to the core, but yet they prove to be insufficient. Messages sent through friends and family are easily disregarded. We can even read the Bible day and night and still somehow not receive an incentive to comply. Like children, many Christians seem to respond best to the administration of the "rod of correction". Smh... It never makes any sense to me why the unpleasant discomfort of discipline seems to be the most effective means of eliciting our compliance. It's quite unfortunate that we suffer through this, since life could be way more serene, if we would only submit. But hey, at least discipline lets us know we're loved right? In John 15:15 Jesus says, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (NIV) Jesus switches up the metaphor and elevates us from servants to friends. Why is that? I would like to believe it's because He understands that friends respond to each other out of love, relationship and mutual respect. Between friends, choices are not made out of obligation as can be the case with servants. Jesus chooses to consider us His friends, not just His servants. Could it be that He desires that we change our motivation? What has been your response to His friendship? Did you remain a servant, or have you become a friend that serves? "Even when servants are smart, it takes more than words to make them obey." Proverbs 29:19 (CEV) "If you love me, keep my commands. You are my friends if you do what I command." John 14:15, 15:14 (NIV) Thank You Lord For Daily Bread. newlensesbook.com
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Lions! And Tigers! And Bears! Oh My!
Posted by Jared on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 3:04pm

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:6-8 (NIV) I know that the book of Revelation isn't that popular these days but please hear me out. Today's post is not an apocalyptic message, neither is it one of woe, doom and destruction. Yes, the reference text above contains that dark imagery--it’s hard to miss! But there's something else in there that can easily be overlooked. I know that the last 3 times I read these verses I definitely missed it. I don't want you to as well. The first thing (right quick) is a throwback to my last post on water and the "thirsty". (If you haven't already read it you may want to check it out below for context). The Alpha and Omega gives Water for FREE to the thirsty. The verse goes on to say that the victorious inherit the spring / the source of the Water. I can't help but wonder, does that mean that the thirsty become victorious because they're "thirsty"? How much does their thirst influence their pursuit of the Water and does that lead / contribute to their victory? What's most interesting to me is that the "Alpha and the Omega" recognizes their thirst and gives them Water to satisfy it. Not milk, not honey, not wine, but Water--for free. Milk, honey and wine have their place. I'm sure they also have their uses, relevance and benefits. Life however comes from Water. Ok. With that out of the way, here's what I saw today. I saw that the COWARDLY and UNBELIEVING are listed in the same company as the murderers, sexually immoral, liars and those who practice witchcraft. Their fate is the same. I also saw that the cowardly were listed FIRST. Maybe God picked a random order. Maybe the sequence doesn't matter. But then again, maybe it does. I don't know. What I do know is that given the "esteemed" personnel on this list, those of us who struggle with FEAR and unbelief need to get it together! I looked up the Greek word used for cowardly in this text to see if the NIV translators added their own spin to it. The word used in this verse is "deilos" which means "timid, fearful". It's an adjective derived from "deido" which means "fear-driven". It's the SAME word used in Matthew 8:26 by Jesus, on the boat with His disciples, just before He calmed the storm and said “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (NIV) Hmmm.... That's a great question Jesus. So guys...why are we? Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NIV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) God COMMANDS us not to be afraid. It's NOT a request and neither is it okay! The Bible demonstrates very clearly that fear is a spirit that's NOT from God. As Keith Kirk would say, "fear is 'demonic'". Revelation 8 shows us that God views people who are fearful / cowardly, the same way He views unbelievers, murderers, the sexually immoral and people who practice witchcraft! It's THAT serious. The question is why does He feel that strongly about it? Why are all these groups of people lumped together? What do they all have in common? One simple answer is that they all refuse to believe in God enough to do what He says. It doesn't matter whether fear impairs them (the cowardly), they don't trust His Word (the unbelievers) or they willfully choose to disobey (all the others), to God, it's all the same. Additionally, IF the order is at all significant, it would appear that fear tops the list of ways to profess that we don't believe that God is in control and that He is able to keep His promises. The presence of fear suggests that we don't believe that God is God. To make matters worse, by being fearful Christians WE are taking God's name in vain. Today I want to encourage anyone stymied by or wrestling with Fear to take a page from Kirk Franklin, look it in the face and say "Hello Fear! Farewell! Goodbye! So long!" I've even included a few verses below to help get you started. When I'm afraid, I will trust in you. I trust in God. I praise his word. I trust in God. I will NOT be afraid... I praise God for what he has promised; Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?... I WILL fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." Psalm 56:3-4 (NIRV) / 56:10-13 (NLT) "The fig trees might not bud. The vines might not produce any grapes. The olive crop might fail. The fields might not produce any food. There might not be any sheep in the pens. There might not be any cattle in the barns. But I will still be glad because of what the Lord has done. God my Savior fills me with joy. The Lord and King gives me strength. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He helps me walk on the highest places." Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIRV) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!...Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4, 6-7 (NIV) If you have any verses that are a special encouragement to you please share them in a comment below so that others reading this can be further encouraged! Hello Fear! Farewell! Goodbye! So long! www.youtube.com/watch Thank You Lord for Daily Bread. newlensesbook.com
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Until It's Vegas Everywhere We Are...
Posted by Jared on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 2:56pm

"Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the LORD. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death" Proverbs 8:34-36 (NIV) I really like it when the assigned readings for a given day in my Bible reading plan line up and provide specific context, insight and illumination for each other. Today is one of those days. If you haven't done so already, when you're finished with this, please check out Proverbs 8, Revelation 14, and Nehemiah 8-9. Over the weekend I was a part of a conversation about program development for young adult ministry. Using thirst as a metaphor, we all agreed that each person has a degree of "thirst". We also agreed that "Water" was the best solution for thirst. Differences arose with regard to how distribute the water. Bottle? Glass? Bowl? Water cooler? Hose? Reservoir? There was also disagreement about what to do with those who weren't fond of just plain water, regardless of the vessel. It was suggested that in order to help quench the thirst of such persons we should add color, flavor and/or fizz to the Water. At the very least the packaging should be attractive. The rationale was that if persons won't source plain Water from us, we should make the Water more attractive / appealing to catch their attention so at least they won't die of thirst. Then we could work to wean them off the additives and get them to appreciate pure Water. Today's readings gave me pause about such an approach and caused me to consider an alternative a perspective when contemplating an approach to the task of delivering the "Living Water" to people with varying degrees of thirst. It began with Proverbs 7 & 8 where Solomon personifies Adultery and Wisdom as women offering wares and highlights a sharp contrast in their approaches. Proverbs 7 presents "Adultery" as a woman who seeks/pursues victims, imposes herself on them, dresses up/decorates herself and her environment, adding trimmings, conveniences, and attractions to seduce, lure, entice, persons to choose her venue and offerings. These efforts are meant to appeal to the senses, emotions, instincts, impulses, appetites and carnal nature of those she courts. She makes temporary disposable offers to them, lurking in dark places with crafty intent. She is wayward, unruly, defiant, always on the go, in search of something new and fresh. Wisdom on the other hand, in Proverbs 8, positions herself to be seen and heard clearly by all and calls out / cries aloud to passersby explaining the benefits of getting to know her as well as the consequences of ignorance. She appeals to reason / logic / cognitive thought, encourages acceptance and participation based on value, makes enduring offers and proves / demonstrates her credibility, authority and value. She knows her worth and desires to be invited in / chosen. She makes herself available to be found, but finding her requires an active search. Some parents often argue that to get kids to eat their vegetables it’s helpful / effective to mask it, dress it up so that it’s more appealing. While I will agree that by doing that at least they are eating their vegetables, I have to wonder, what lessons are we teaching them in the process? When they grow up, what will be their position towards undressed vegetables? They may eat them today, with the dressings provided but what about tomorrow when the dressings are absent? What habits / tastes have we helped them form? Are we in danger of inadvertently nurturing within them an unwillingness to partake in anything they perceive as bland even though it might be good for them in its raw form? I know this approach seems "wise", but is it patterned after "Adultery" or "Wisdom"? In Revelation 14:8 (the 2nd part of today's reading) the angel says that "Babylon the Great...made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” (NIV) Her adulteries? Nice. Babylon made the entire world partake in her adulterous behavior. How'd she do that? By getting them to adopt her way of thinking and allowing that thought process to guide / influence their behavior. Psalm 1:1 says "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." (NIV) When we follow the counsel, advice, logic, rationale, thinking, approach, pattern, example of anything that is not in line with the Word of God no matter how "wise" it may seem, we are pretty much drinking the wicked, ungodly, maddening wine of Babylon's adulteries. David Platt, in his book "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream", tells of an experience he had in an Asian village where 60 people, whose ages ranged from "precious little girls to seventy-year-old men" were crammed in a dark room, sitting on stools or on the floor, with Bibles in their laps. There was one light in the ceiling, no sound system, no band, no entertainment, no cushioned chairs, no heat / air-conditioning. Just people and the Word of God. That's all they needed for close to 11 hours. Living Water, in whatever container they could find. He then goes on to say "God's Word is enough for millions of believers who gather in house churches just like this one....But is his Word enough for us? ...What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs? What if the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated? What if the air conditioning is off and the comforts removed? Would his Word still be enough for his people to come together?" (Platt, 27) Nehemiah 9:3 (the last section of today's reading) answers that question. It says "They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God." (NIV) A quarter of the day STANDING and reading the Bible? That's like what...6 hours? How long on average is your devotional time? Your church service? Could you do 6 hours of nothing BUT the Word? For the people of God in Nehemiah's time it appears it was more than enough. How about for you? Folks you know? The truth is truly thirsty people don't care what the water is in. All they know is that they're thirsty and they need water. They don't need fizz, color or flavor. Just water. When that thirst becomes strong enough, all of a sudden packaging doesn't matter and they will search for it like treasure. Maybe here in America, we're just not that thirsty, or have become so used to the "wine of the adulteries of Babylon" we don't really have a taste for plain Water or the time and desire to search for it! "In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;" Nehemiah 9:15 (NIV). "Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the LORD. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death." Proverbs 8:34-36 (NIV) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:13-14 (NIV) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Thank You Lord For Daily Bread. newlensesbook.com
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Who You Calling Stupid?
Posted by Jared on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 12:41am

"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIV) I read the New International Version (NIV). That's just what I prefer. With the NIV, I don't get lost in the thee's, thou's and so forth of the King James Version (KJV) and I don't get led too far down into the "modernized" readings of translations like the Message Bible (MSG). Whenever a verse stands out to me from the daily readings, I use biblegateway.com to check other versions in order to get a fuller sense of what's being said. Today I want to share with you what I found. You just HAVE to read this yourself. "Sin and self-satisfaction bring destruction and death to stupid fools. But if you listen to me, you will be safe and secure without fear of disaster." Proverbs 1:32-33(CEV) "Childish people go down the wrong path. They will die. Foolish people are satisfied with the way they live. They will be destroyed. But those who listen to me will live in safety. They will not worry. They won't be afraid of getting hurt." Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIRV) "Fools will die because they refuse to listen; they will be destroyed because they do not care. But those who listen to me will live in safety and be at peace, without fear of injury." Proverbs 1:32-33 (NCV) "Inexperienced people die because they reject wisdom. Stupid people are destroyed by their own lack of concern. But whoever listens to me will have security. He will be safe, with no reason to be afraid." Proverbs 1:32-33 (GNT) “Gullible people kill themselves because of their turning away. Fools destroy themselves because of their indifference. But whoever listens to me will live without worry and will be free from the dread of disaster.” Proverbs 1:32-33 (GW) "For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm." Proverbs 1:32-33 (NLT) Did you just see what I saw? The Bible (through Solomon and the various translators) refers to people who are aware and understand what the Word says (or the Spirit told them) yet CHOOSE do something else, as simple/simpletons, wayward, childish, fools, stupid fools, inexperienced and gullible. That's some strong language there! A little harsh if you ask me! It goes on to add that being a wayward, childish, stupid, gullible fool will get you killed. (It's likely that death is not just physical, but spiritual and eternal.) Then all versions unanimously refer to complacency - being satisfied with the way you live, not caring, lack of concern and indifference - as destructive and equally foolish / stupid. But it doesn't end there. The Bible also promises that those who heed its instructions and don't reject wisdom (whether from the Word or Spirit) will live in safety, have security, be at ease, have peace, be without worry, not be afraid of getting hurt, have no reason to be afraid and will be untroubled by fear of harm. It would seem that the smart / wise thing to do would be to listen to what God says to us through His Word and do whatever He instructs by His Spirit even if it makes us uncomfortable or doesn't seem to make sense. But we know that already...right? We're already living at ease, in peace, without worry and fear. We're not stupid... Thank You Lord for Daily Bread. newlensesbook.com
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