COLOSSIANS 1:1-2

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.

We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.

May God our Father give you grace and peace.

Pick Me!

Little kids want to be picked. Older people would just assume you left them alone. Paul seemingly had no choice. He was chosen by God to be an apostle. It was not Paul’s life-long goal to be an apostle; his dream was to be a Pharisee. He wanted to be a respected religious leader not rejected by the establishment.

I had different dreams for my life than God did. I think I can say with Paul, I am chosen to be a pastor. It was not my goal and frankly, I still think my plan for life would have been a lot easier than what God has called me to. However, I realize when God chooses, our choice is either obedience which leads to blessing or rebellion which leads to misery.

The good news in all this is that Paul found himself surrounded by faithful people God had also called. He addresses the people in Colossi as “faithful brothers and sisters.” Without faithful brothers and sisters I would not be able to do what God has called me to. I praise God for each person who is faithful in my life to pray for me, encourage me and come alongside me in my ministry. Some of those people are you. So thank you for your support and encouragement today.

Captain of the team, I want to thank you for choosing me even on the days when the work is hard. Thank you for surrounding me with faithful brothers and sisters who are there to encourage me. Help me know I am not alone in the work you call me to and that I can rely on my brothers and sisters as well as my captain. - Dan Jones

I'm ready to be surprised!

God has a habit of picking unlikely people to lead in his kingdom. Paul was one of those people, and he knew it. Highly educated, but highly antagonistic toward anything having to do with Jesus. Strongly motivated and self-directed, but one who imprisoned and killed Christians with that motivation. Standing there, holding the coats of men stoning the Christian deacon, Stephen, no one would ever have guessed that this man would become the moving force behind the spread of Christianity through the Roman Empire!

The only way Paul sat with his protégé, Timothy, writing to the group of Christians at Colosse, was through God’s intervention and call.

I wonder what God has up his sleeve in the 21^st century. What avid secularist working to sideline public expressions of Christianity, or scientist spreading philosophical naturalism alongside evolutionary biology, or Muslim extremist planning suicide bombings will be blindsided by God as they go about living out their agendas? Who will become another Paul?

It’s easy to watch people oppose, limit, or mute the voice of Christ in the world and wring our hands wondering if the future will have any room for Christianity. At Stephen’s stoning, Christianity hadn’t even broken out of Jerusalem! And there was Paul, whose work against Christianity unwittingly helped it, and whose work for the cause of Christ helped it even more.

The Kingdom of God has spread around the world and continues to move and grow powerfully. And there are people actively working against it. I wonder which ones of them will end up writing something like Paul, “Chosen by the will of God.”

Sovereign Lord of the Church, against which the gates of hell can not stand, you have reminded me today that you are full of surprises in your active commitment to redeem this world. May I never doubt your ability to raise up men and women, from the ranks of the most antagonistic, to further your cause. - Mike Leamon

THIS FINISHES BOOK ONE OF PSALMS. TOMORROW WE BEGIN COLOSSIANS!

PSALM 41
For the choir director: A psalm of David.

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!
The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.
The Lord protects them and keeps them alive.
He gives them prosperity in the land
and rescues them from their enemies.
The Lord nurses them when they are sick
and restores them to health.

“O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.
“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.
They visit me as if they were my friends,
but all the while they gather gossip,
and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst.
“He has some fatal disease,” they say.
“He will never get out of that bed!”
Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

Lord, have mercy on me.
Make me well again, so I can pay them back!
I know you are pleased with me,
for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
You have preserved my life because I am innocent;
you have brought me into your presence forever.

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and amen!

When Leaders Struggle
Is David paranoid!? Has the temperature of his body risen to the point of addling his brain? “I’m king, I’m deathly sick, and they’re all out to get me, even my best friend! Make me well, God, so I can get revenge! Oh, and by the way, I know you are pleased with me.” Huh?

Maybe others are making moves on his throne. Maybe they have judged him and concluded God has shown his rejection of David through terrible sickness. I don’t know. I do know this. People do those kinds of things. Even today, people conclude God has withdrawn his blessings when things go wrong in a leader’s life or leadership.

When leaders, especially spiritual leaders, experience deep pits – emotional, physical, or spiritual – people talk. Gossip really does spread, and story becomes more sordid as it goes around. Leaders really do wonder who their true friends are in difficult times and who are those who have only been friendly and supportive as long as things go well and are successful in the leader’s life.

David was such an effective king that his reign became the standard against which others’ reigns were measured. Despite his profound moral failures, and his deep spiritual questions, he even became the one who would lend his name and reputation to the Messiah, “The Son of David.” Even highly effective leaders go through seasons of despair, tragedy, even ineffectiveness.

Unlike mortals, God isn’t tied to the temporary ups and downs (however high or low) of a leader’s life. He sees the integrity of the heart and anchors his confidence in his calling rather than the seasons of life.

Lord God, grant me the integrity as a follower of leaders to stand by them in their times of tragedy and agony. Grant me the wisdom to understand the line between those things that disqualify a leader for office and those seasons of ill winds that come to each of us. – Mike Leamon

Politics and Church
The visit by Obama and McCain to Saddleback Church this past weekend has been plastered all over the news. The evangelical vote is critical to the election this fall and each candidate is trying to capture their share of this “new” voting block. I found it interesting to read the quote from our newspaper the Rochester D&C. The paper quoted a church member who thought McCain lined up better on moral issues like abortion, but then quoted Rick Warren on the church’s stance on poverty and helping the poor.

Many of the people who attend Saddleback left still undecided because they see Obama’s positions on helping the poor as more in line with Scripture than McCain, but like McCain’s stance on abortion.

For many evangelicals a candidate’s position on abortion and homosexuality is the litmus test. I found it encouraging to see an influential segment of the Church standing not just for moral values but also social justice. For too long we have ignored the plight of the poor and oppressed in favor of our own lavish lifestyles and “rights” to prosperity.

In contrast, the Psalmist recognized the Lord blesses those who care for the poor. It is not easy to freely give up your money and time for people who may likely abuse your gifts, but God instructs us to do it anyway.

God, forgive me for not doing my part to help those in need, and for thinking I have made a great sacrifice when I do help them. Replace my self absorption with love that expresses itself in the same way you expressed your love. – Dan Jones

PSALM 40:1-10

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Muddy boots

I grew up on a farm where my shoes were always dirty. In order to get from the road to the house you had to cross the grass since there was no sidewalk to the front door. Even my church shoes were dirty.

My mom was a saint. We would walk into the house with our barn boots on to use the bathroom or grab a drink on a hot day. If our shoes were real dirty, (leaving obvious tracks) we would try to put down newspaper to catch the dirt, but newspaper is not all that effective. If I left tracks anywhere other than the kitchen I would do my best to clean them up with an old towel or mop, but most of the time the evidence took a more concentrated approach.

When I come to God I come with muddy boots. I try to get the dirt off them by shaking them or pounding them on the pavement, but some dirt just will not come off. God in his mercy is wonderful. He lets me in his house with my muddy boots on just like mom did, and cleans me up. God picks me up out of the mud and sets me on the solid rock. I don’t have to be perfect, I can come just as I am and God accepts me.

I praise you Lord for accepting me muddy boots and all. Your love, mercy and grace are so amazing. Thank you for cleaning me up and giving me new shoes to wear that are no longer muddy and for guiding me in the path of clean walking. - Dan Jones

Life in and after the pit

There are always pits. Some are the deep and dark nights of soul when I cry out, “My God why have you forsaken me” (Ps 22) Some pits dole out emotional trauma and mixed up thinking that result in bitter words, “Leave me alone, God, so I can smile again” (Ps 39). Other pits, those with jerks camped at the top, assault my God-given sense of justice and I pray “Give them a taste of their own medicine” (Ps 35).

Rather than camp out in the depths with “peace that passes understanding,” or in prayer for those who treat me poorly, or with a heart full of thanksgiving and praise, or patiently waiting on God, more often than not, my raw edges show up. Most people around me only see the former responses. But God sees my jumbled up responses deep inside.

I am glad God doesn’t decide whether or not to deliver me from life’s pits based on how I handle them! Sooner or later, but always at just the right time, God lifts me out and plants me back on solid rock. He even exchanges the dirge I sang in the pit for a new song of joy.

God always delivers me from my pits. Always.

Best of all, God never delivers back to the same place I was before. He always puts my feet down in a place of new insight, new strength, and new likeness to Christ. Not only does he give me a song very different from the one in he pit, he gives me a better song than the one I sang on the other side of that pit!

Looking back over 48 years of pits and deliverances, I’ve discovered a trend; a God-thing happening to me. The songs I sing in the pit have an increasingly noticeable counter melody of praise. Why, I’m even praying for the jerks lurking at the top, and not for God to get ‘em! And, on occasion, I’m even exploring the terrain at the bottom for veins of gold!

God of muddy pits and solid ground, thanks for my slowly changing tune at pit’s bottom and the new ground to which ground you always deliver me. I confess your faithfulness and depend on your grace. – Mike Leamon

PSALM 39
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.
I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.”
But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
The more I thought about it, the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”
Interlude

We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me. I am silent before you;
I won’t say a word, for my punishment is from you.
But please stop striking me!
I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath.
Interlude

Hear my prayer, O LORD!
Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest— a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
Leave me alone so I can smile again
before I am gone and exist no more.

Just passing through
I need that reminder today. I won’t be around these part very long. Just as my first 48 years on earth flew by, even more so whatever days are left. Yet today I am wrapped up in settling into a new house, working to make it a home. Yesterday I wrestled with my clothes dryer ventilation hose. Today is about curtains, floor tiles, cleaning windows and more painting. Turning a house into a home, especially one that needs extra TLC, is tiring, stressful work for me.

David’s situation is different. Thank God. But the need is the same. Wrapped up in highly stressful experiences we both need to remind ourselves that we travel this way only on a “guest visa.” We belong to another time and place. Consequently, the most important part of our earthly sojourn must be preparation for that which is truly home.

Both sickness (David’s situation) and moving to a new place (mine) offer opportunities for spiritual self examination, reordering priorities, altering perspectives and assumptions; all of which contribute to preparation for our ultimate destination.

Still, as needful as such experiences are, I share David’s yearning – almost. I don’t blame God for my house into home circumstance. And sickness isn’t God “striking me!” (See Dan’s post yesterday.) But, I too cry, “enough already!”

Remind me Lord, that trying seasons come and go, but you remain faithful. Help me to learn the spiritual lessons I need, in preparation for eternity with you. – Mike Leamon

Stored ammunition
I was listening to a song from a new band last week about being trigger happy. The song referred to our words as bullets and decried the ease with which we pull the trigger and unload a barrage of words on others. The Psalmist tried to sit quietly and follow mom’s advice, “If you can’t say anything nice, say nothing at all.” Eventually, the Psalmist could take it no longer, however, and he burst forth in words.

I can understand the Psalmist’s position. As a pastor, people continually throw words at me about their problems, the church’s problems and my problems. I try to sit quietly and listen while patiently sorting out the real issues from the emotions surrounding the issue, but it is not easy. Normally I can hold my tongue and reply with supportive and understanding words when I am with people who need to vent. It is when I get home that I struggle to hold my tongue.
My wife gets my stored up anger and frustration. I know I should not do it, but the stress of the day too often comes out in a sharp comment to her about something totally irrelevant.

In hindsight, most of the things stressing me out are just as irrelevant as the trivial complaint I snap at my wife about. In view of eternity, stressful details about money, space, time or programs are not all that important. The Psalmist makes a request for God to give him an eternal perspective. I need an eternal perspective as well that will help me view the stress of the day in its proper light.

Lord of eternity, your reach stretches beyond the boundaries of time and your gaze encompasses eternity. I need your outlook on life today in order to avoid stress that leads me to speak words of pain to those I love. Enable me to live today in view of eternity. - Dan Jones

WE'RE BACK! THAT MEANS MIKE HAS SETTLED INTO HIS HOME IN SILVER CREEK, NY SUFFICIENTLY TO BEGIN RETURNING TO A SEMBLANCE OF ROUTINE. WE'RE GOING TO FINISH OFF BOOK ONE OF THE PSALMS IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, THEN TURN TO COLOSSI ANS.

PSALM 38 (Abridged)

A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage!
Your arrows have struck deep,
and your blows are crushing me.
Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;
my health is broken because of my sins.
My guilt overwhelms me—
it is a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and stink
because of my foolish sins.
I am bent over and racked with pain.
All day long I walk around filled with grief.
A raging fever burns within me,
and my health is broken.
I am exhausted and completely crushed.
My groans come from an anguished heart…
Do not abandon me, O Lord.
Do not stand at a distance, my God.
Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my savior.

Quarantined

When contagious diseases break out doctors are quick to isolate those who carry the disease from the rest of the population. With modern medicine, we have enjoyed the luxury of not dealing with widespread quarantines like our grandparents did.

When I am sick I become needy. I want everyone to wait on me and pay attention to me. (My wife says the bigger the man the bigger the baby when they are sick.) Most times, sickness invades our bodies because it can, not because we did something foolish. At times sickness comes as a result or consequence of our actions. (STD’s)

David would have related every sickness with some kind of sin in his life. He had no other good explanation of why he was sick. Today we hardly ever take into consideration sin as a cause of sickness. If we are sick it is a natural event not a spiritual event. I am not proposing we spiritualize everything and discount the natural world, however, it would behoove us to take sin more seriously. When we have known and unconfessed sin in our lives; when we are walking in an unrepentant spirit, we open ourselves to attack from Satan.

Sickness is one method Satan uses to wear us down, attack us, and try to destroy us. This is not to say if we possess a clean slate before God we will never be sick. But if refuse to confess and repent, we leave ourselves vulnerable to the enemy. (Like playing in the rain and wondering why we caught cold.)

God of mercy and grace, I confess before you my foolish sins and pray you forgive me. Protect me from the attacks of the enemy in every form, including sickness. - Dan Jones

Sinner and Saint

I come from, live in, and in significant ways, am shaped by a spiritual tradition that emphasizes victory over sin. I like that. It’s biblical. And I have committed my life fully to Jesus Christ and trust his Spirit to purify my to the point that I can confess, in any given moment, that I am free of disobeying any known command of God – free of any sin!

This is one of those moments. I am not sinning in any way right now. There is no command of God that I am failing to obey at this moment. To my knowledge, there is no sin of omission or commission in my life – at this moment. My heart is pure. My mind is clean. My actions are free of any wrongdoing. Of course, it’s 8AM and the whole day is ahead of me!

I thank God for moments like this. Trouble is, the more I come to know and understand Jesus, these moments seem further apart, rather than closer together. The fuller my understanding of God’s will for me grows, the opportunities to think and make choices contrary to that will proliferate! Frankly, there are moments and days, I feel far more like David in today’s psalm –overwhelming guilt−, than I do like the person who, in St. John’s language, is “cleansed from all unrighteousness!”

Ironically, the deeper my love and devotion to Jesus grows the more like David I feel. No, I’m not sick or depressed, but I ache over the ways I contribute to the brokenness of world around me through my unChristlikeness – my known deviation from God’s standard of righteousness. Perhaps this is not a bad thing. Perhaps there aught to be more of David’s experience among Christians. Perhaps then, rather than denying sin’s existence in our lives or dismissing the tragedy of its presence, we sinners would become phenomenally more saintly.

Do not stand at a distance, O God. Come quickly to help me. I press on to victory over sin, moment by moment, but the journey is long and the dangers, immediate. I rely on your deliverance again today – and your grace. Mike Leamon