Results may vary

Today I sit at my desk and am reflecting on how much of a difference the Lord has made in my life. We’re all familiar with those “before and after” pictures used in advertising. From the guys with hair loss, to the teen with complexion problems, to Jared Fogle the guy who lost all that weight eating only Subway sandwiches. We all know the lure of seeing potential great change by the way things are advertised. Most of us have probably tried a product before based solely on the potential seen in "before and after" pictures. Whether it’s ads for weight-loss products, exercise programs, or hair replacement procedures, most people’s results are less than what's advertised. Usually somewhere in the fine print is a qualifying statement that says something like, “Results may vary.”

But what about the Christian life and the "effect" the Lord seeks to have on our lives? You'd probably agree that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and always present. You'd also probably agree that God desires to make us into the image of Christ. With that agreement, why is there the fact that "results vary" from Christian to Christian? Paul writing to the church at Ephesus said "God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). So the variance in results must mean that if there is a breakdown in our Christians lives and a failure to experience the "best results", it is not God’s fault, but our own. But lest you read this and are only discouraged by any failures on your part, I want you to be encouraged by the difference that God has made and is in the process of making in your life.

There are two examples from Scripture that show what God can and wants to do in your life and mine. The 1st example is Mary Magdalene. She is probably the most prominent of the women who accompanied Jesus. She is named in all four Gospels as a witness to Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Luke tells us in Luke 8:2 that Mary had seven demons exercised from her. Many have confused her with the Mary that was a prostitute but they are two different women. Mary Magdalene was a person of means and as a companion of the wife of Herod’s steward, was a woman of high social status. She was also a woman in need of spiritual transformation.

We know that at some point Jesus came into Mary’s life, cast out the demons, and she became a devoted follower. From that point forward, she financially supported the ministry, and she was faithful to stand by Jesus during his crucifixion, burial and was the first to see him resurrected. Mary Magdalene, before and after, what a pretty picture!

The 2nd example is Simon Peter. He's pictured as a redneck fisherman; a prideful guy who knew everything about anything. His pride led him to say that no matter what the other disciples did, he would never turn his back on Jesus. Peter is an example to us of how the Lord often has to first break us before making us into what He'd have us to be. Jesus invested a lot of time and energy into Peter in preparing him to become the man He wanted him to be; about 3 years of teaxching and training. But the real transformation of Peter came after the bragging, after the denial, Peter's life was changed a few days after the resurrection.

In John 21, early one morning, on the shore of the sea of Galilee the resurrected Jesus made the disciples breakfast. No one said a word until Jesus singled him out and said, “Peter, do you love me?” Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Three times Jesus asked Peter the same question. The third time, John wrote, “Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’” (Jn. 21:17). Peter responded by saying, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” In spite of all that had happened, in spite of the fact that Peter had failed, Jesus still wanted Peter, and still wanted Peter to be a leader in the kingdom. It is as if Jesus wanted to give Peter the chance to make up for his three denials by giving three affirmations. It was Peter who preached the sermon on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. He was a faithful, though not perfect (you remember Paul had to confront him on one occasion), church leader the rest of his days. Peter, before and after, wow!

The “before and after” pictures in our lives are continually changing, and hopefully for the better. If you are like me, then you can pinpoint a number of significant moments in your spiritual journey. Maybe it was the moment of conversion, or your baptism, or some other significant spiritual marker in your life. There have likely been numerous ups and downs; times of spiritual highs and spiritual lows, of spiritual victory and spiritual defeat. I thank God for both the fact I'm not what I once was and also that I'm still not yet all that I will be. What about you? How is your “before and after” picture looking? In what areas of your life do you need to make greater spiritual progress?

Will you miss Him?

Vince Lombardi, the late Hall of fame coach of the Green Bay Packers, once watched his team suffer a humiliating defeat. They lost to a team that they were highly favored against. The next day, as practice started Lombardi stood before the team holding a football. Calmly he held it out and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” After the humiliating defeat Couch Lombardi figured that it was time to call his team back to the basics.

There are times when each one of us needs to go back to the basics. It happens at our jobs, at school, in our relationships, really in all aspects of our life at one time or another. It even happens in our personal relationship with Christ. Jesus at one point in the gospels is bringing His disciples back to the basics. After teaching His disciples for nearly three years, Jesus paused to ask them a very basic question, “Who do you say that I am?” Then He waited for them to respond. He waited for them to give an answer. Today I think Jesus looks to you and I to answer that same question. So hear Him today as He asks you, "Who do you say that I am?”

With hindsight it's a bit easier for us to formulate the correct answer to that question. but if we were alive in the 1st century would we have "missed" Him?

They were looking for a Lion, He came as a Lamb, and they missed Him.

They were looking for a Warrior, He came as a Peace maker, and they missed Him.

They were looking for a King, He came as a Servant, and they missed Him.

They were looking for Liberation from Rome, He submitted to the Roman cross, and they missed Him.

They were looking for a fit to their mold, He was the mold maker, and they missed Him.

What are you looking for? A Lion? A Warrior? A King? A Liberator? What is it exactly that you are looking for? What do you expect of Him?

They were looking for their temporal needs to be met, He came to meet their eternal need, and they missed Him.

He came as a Lamb to be sacrificed for your sin. Will you miss Him?

He came to make peace between God and man. Will you miss Him?

He came to model servant hood for all mankind. Will you miss Him?

He came that we might have true Liberty. Will you miss Him?

He came to give you eternal life. Will you miss Him?

When we submit to the lamb we will meet the Lion.
Join with the Peacemaker and we will meet the Warrior.
Work with the Servant and we will meet the King.
Walk with the Submitted and we will meet the Liberator.
Concern ourselves with the Eternal and we will have the temporal.

If Jesus is not fitting into the mold you have then maybe it's time to come to the "Mold Maker" and get a new one. Submit to His plan for your life and you will find your eternal needs met! And when those needs are met, all the other things you have need of will be taken care of as well.

Texting for 50 year olds

I’m delighted that AT&T has “unlimited texting” as part of their family plans. When I look at our monthly bill I find our family consistently adds rollover minutes to our balance. What's interesting is the fact we typically have sent substantially more texts than we have made phone calls. I have learned that there is a language that is only used in “texting”. If someone types “bff” that typically means they are calling you a “best friend forever”. Whereas if they type “lol” it means they are “laughing out loud”.

Just when I thought I’d figured out most of the texting abbreviations, I have found there’s a whole new set of texts I need to learn since I am joining the over 50 crowd. I know that some of you that read my blog are either over 50 already or soon closing in on it yourselves, so I thought I’d be kind enough to share my research data on “Senior Texting Codes for the Over 50 Crowd”. Now I realize for some of you that anything and everything in life is "serious" so I apologize in advance for offending you and hope we can stay "bff".

So, if you qualify for Senior Discounts this is the code list for you:
ATD: At The Doctor's
BTW: Bring The Wheelchair
BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM: Covered By Medicare
CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center
DMSSCC: Did My Social Security Check Come?
DWI: Driving While Incontinent
FWBB: Friend With Beta Blockers
FWIW: Forgot Where I Was
FYI: Found Your Insulin
GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low
GHA: Got Heartburn Again
GGLKI : Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In
HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement
HMPDUT: How Many Pills Do You Take?
IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out
LMGA: Lost My Glasses Again
LOL: Living On Lipitor
LWO: Lawrence Welk's On
MOH : Man On Hood
OMMR: On My Massage Recliner
OMSG: Oh My! Sorry, Gas.
ROFL... CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up
SGGP: Sorry, Gotta Go Poop
TTYL: Talk To You Louder
WWAITTA: Wait, Who Am I Talking To Again?
WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again
WTP: Where's The Prunes?
WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil