Grace Church Blogs

Last week in this space, I mentioned that I would respond periodically to a number of the questions raised at our “ask anything” Sunday two weeks ago. Here are two more responses:

Question: What about inter-racial marriage? I should have responded to this question last week in my message on the stain and sting of racism! Here’s a quick response:

One element of educating ourselves is finding out what the Bible teaches and doesn’t teach. For example, some churches have taught over the years that the Bible speaks negatively about inter-racial marriage. It doesn’t. God only warns us not to marry someone who doesn’t share our faith. So here at Grace, we celebrate whenever God brings together two followers of Christ, whatever their race.

Question: How can I grow my faith more? This is timely, because of the Adult Class insert in today’s bulletin. New classes start next Sunday, so this is a great time to get involved! With comments like the ones below, maybe it’s no surprise that we have over 1,000 adults who are going to classes each week here at Grace.

“This class helped me understand the history of the Bible. It made me want to read it more.”

“I liked meeting people who were facing the same problems. It gave me spiritual guidance during a difficult time.”

“I loved the teacher’s passion for the Lord. I’ve gotten to know the Lord better through this class.”

“We are brand new at Grace and just stumbled upon this class while we were waiting for our children in youth classes, it was such a blessing!”

“The teacher does a thorough job of preparing for the class by doing extensive research.”

You can also stop by the Men’s and Women’s discipleship table in the Lobby today. These small groups provide a supportive environment in which to deepen one’s understanding and to solidify one’s walk with Christ.

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You may know that I am in Burkina Faso, West Africa, today, where I was invited to spend several days to encourage the team of missionaries from around the country. It’s been a great week, and I’m very grateful for all the prayers.

Like some of you, I find new foreign foods and unusual customs a fun adventure. Yet while traveling internationally, my thoughts are never far from home. Although people make me feel welcome in their countries, at some point there’s always a longing for home.

And that causes me to think, “Where is my true home? Is it Cleveland, Ohio?” In one sense, yes. But in a very real sense, Cleveland is not my true home. I have another Home, and I want to long for it like I do for my Ohio home when I am thousands of miles away.

God-followers have always known that this world is not their home. King David said to God, “We are aliens and strangers…our days on earth are like a shadow.” 1 Chronicles 29:15

The Apostle Paul affirms that: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” Philippians 3:19

When I look at my life on this earth, there is some evidence that I am not a stranger in the land. I have to ask myself if my heart's attachments may be more for earth than heaven.

Someone has said, “When I accumulate more treasures here on earth than for the Kingdom, it would seem I am no longer a stranger in the land.” As I think about home from across the ocean, my prayer is that we will know our true Home and live accordingly. May we be among those who follow through on the words of Jesus: “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:20-21

Maybe this is a good time to take inventory. Where is home for you? And what evidence is there that you long for your true Home most of all?

Looking forward to heading Home with you someday!

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“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” (Philippians 3:8).

What’s a quiet time?

It’s how we pursue the incredible privilege Paul lists as his #1 priority in the verse above.

Every relationship takes time to develop. You spend time with someone to take that relationship deeper. It’s no different in our relationship with the Lord. There is no other way to get to know Him besides spending time with him. Some call this a Quiet Time, some call it Devotions; I like how one friend referred to it as her “God & I time.”

This is simply time alone with Lord. Many times this daily appointment with God will be calm and unremarkable. At other times we have such a clear sense of God’s presence that we are deeply moved.

Whichever it is (and both are okay!), we set aside daily time to spend with the Lord in Bible reading and prayer in order to deepen our knowledge and love for him (see guides at the literature display in the Lobby). Over time, the result is real life change; in fact, time alone with God is an essential part of our spiritual growth.

If we do not spend time cultivating that one-on-one relationship with the Lord, we will eventually feel spiritually disconnected from Him, out of touch, restless, dissatisfied and unfulfilled. After a while we say to ourselves, “I’m the same old person I’ve always been.” “I’m not changing.” “My relationship with the Lord is stale and stagnant.”

One author says, “We often find ourselves to be 'thirsty' Christians: either because we are failing to drink or because God is stretching our capacity for himself and we need to drink more deeply.” Jesus says to us, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14).

You are invited to a daily appointment with God.

What’s your RSVP?

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"Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God. You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Several years ago, I included a note from my wife, Mary, and received such positive feedback that I am repeating it today. It is one implication of the incredible truth stated in the verse above, that our bodies belong to God. Incredible, isn't it? Your body and my body are actually the temple of His Holy Spirit. So we want to honor Him accordingly, as Mary mentions here:

Recently I was having lunch with two of my friends and conversation turned to how swimsuits (and clothes in general) seemed to be shrinking in coverage from year to year. Clothing manufacturers are enticing us to cut a little lower here and a little higher there, and put clinging, tight material on what we do cover. I told my friends how much of a surprise it was to me when-after I became a Christian in college-I began to discover the stark contrast between the world's definition of beauty and the Bible's view of beauty. I had been so bombarded by the media's portrayal of beauty that I thought the way a woman made herself beautiful was to make herself as sexy as possible.

And so it was a surprise to learn that dressing immodestly not only cheapens one's sense of womanhood, but is also an unfair stumbling block to men who are seeking purity. It was an area where I had to weigh God's definition of beauty against the world's definition of it and determine which one I would embrace.

I began to realize that in becoming a believer in the Lord Jesus, my decisions were no longer my own. Now they would be guided by my loving Heavenly Father. I was to now take seriously what Paul says in Romans 14:13, "Decide to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian's path."

Is the media portrayal of sexy as beautiful all wrong? No! It's great and very appropriate in private with one's own husband. But in the workplace, school, church, the pool-let's be beautiful, modestly dressed women, pleasing to God and sensitive to the men around us.

With love for each of you, Mary

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Last week we were talking with some friends and the subject came up of how difficult it sometimes is to believe the truth about how much God loves us. So often we are plagued by thoughts about ourselves that aren’t true…things we’ve picked up along the way and have assimilated into our thinking. When I saw the following from Pastor Rick Warren, I thought I’d adapt parts of it and pass it on to you.

Long before psychology came around, God’s Word made it clear that “your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23, GN).

You're constantly talking to yourself — all the time. Your mind is talking to you! You're talking to yourself right now. Research indicates that most people speak at a rate of 150 to 200 words per minute, but the mind can listen to about 500 to 600 words a minute. That's why you can listen to me and plan today's dinner at the same time.

The problem is that a lot of us are like Job, who says, "Everything I say seems to condemn me" (Job 9:20 GN). He's saying, in effect, "Everything I say puts me down." If you are typical to the human race, you are your own worst critic. We often put ourselves down. We walk into a room, smiling, but inside we're thinking, "I'm fat. I'm dumb. I'm ugly. And I'm always late!"

When you put yourself down, who are you really putting down? We’re really pointing to the Creator who made us. When we say, "God, I'm worthless. I'm no good. I can't do anything," we're saying, "God, you blew it with me." That's why God says it's wrong to put yourself down.

How do you eliminate negative self-talk?

The Bible teaches the principle of replacement. "Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right…Think about all you can thank God for and be glad about" (Philippians 4:8 LB).

In other words, don't think about all those weaknesses in your life. Focus on who God wants you want to be and on what God wants to do in your life.

There isn't a better thing you can do to raise your confidence level than to start believing what God says about you. As I read through the Bible, chapter by chapter, and find a verse that speaks to me, I write it down on a card, memorize it, and then I affirm it back to God: "Father, thank you that I am valuable; I am forgivable; I am capable." Let God renew your mind because "your life is shaped by your thoughts" (Proverbs 4:23 GN).

I don't know any better antidote to low self-esteem (or to facing your hurts, habits, and hang-ups) than to read God's Word every day: Study it, memorize it, meditate on it, and apply it in your life.

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