Category: Grace

Getting Our Love Back-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself- Matthew 22:37-39 NKJV

This past weekend some very close friends came in from out of town and surprised my husband and I with concert tickets. The visit was exactly what we needed.  We got some much-needed rest, shared what God is doing in our respective lives, recollected past adventures and made some fun new memories. 

The concert was great. 

The music did what good music does, it transported me back in time and reminded me of all sorts things I had more-or-less forgotten. For some reason, all the old music also made me think a lot about old me. Young Lisa was very passionate about God, life and people. Truth-be-told, young Lisa occasionally lacked wisdom about all sorts of random things, especially people.  Nonetheless, what she lacked in wisdom she made up for in passion and joy. Young Lisa truly believed people, while not always good, were always worth investing in. She believed with all her heart that loving God well means loving people well (1st Corinthians 13:4-7, Matthew 5:44). My love for God is still intact. 

However.

I have experienced enough life to have become a little cynical and even jaded when it comes to people. This is not good. I may have gained a lot of wisdom but in the process of gaining that wisdom I have also learned wisdom can bring with it more than a little pessimism and sorrow (Ecclesiastes 1:18).  I was deeply convicted that I could stand to be a lot more like Jesus in where people are concerned (1st John 1:8, John 3:16, Luke 19:40-42). The sheer number of memes posted by Christians making fun of and pointing out the worst in people tells me I am not alone in my cynicism.  As we drove home in the dark it was Revelation 2:2-4 that came to mind: 

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

No one knows exactly what was going on in the day-to-day life of the Ephesian church.  The text states they had lost their “first love”. Obviously, Jesus is the first love of every believer. However, I wondered if there was more to losing their first love than just a lack of excitement over Jesus and worshiping Jesus.  It occurred to me that perhaps the Ephesian church had just become a bit hardened to the people around them and that impacted their relationship with God as well. Perhaps in all their moral behavior, sound doctrine and do-gooding they had somehow forgotten that loving people well is just as critical as loving God well (Mark 12:29-31, John 13:34, Romans 13:10).  I do know (from experience) that the longer we know Jesus the easier it becomes to lose the passion we once had for Jesus and the people He died for. I also know that fading love for God and/or people is not something that can be tolerated in the life of a believer if we want to avoid the fate of the Ephesian Christians (Revelation 2:5). 

Even after an excess of navel-gazing, I still don’t have all the answers. It’s fair to say we lose our first love for God and people when our passion for life starts to fade, routine takes over and we stop going out of our way for God and people.  Once that happens, we begin to notice more of the bad than the good in the people around us. 

It’s all downhill from there, spiritually speaking.  

If I’m right on this one, then getting our passion for God and people back means we have to find a way to fall in love with life, do what we did at first and choose to see the good in people again. When we love the life we have, we cannot help but love and serve the God who gave us that life. Profound, whole-hearted gratitude for the life we have, gives us a better (and godlier) perspective on everything including the people God puts in our path (even the messy ones). 

In order renew our love for life and God we must choose to slow down and look for  the beauty of life. We need to notice and celebrate the good we see in the world.  Falling in love with means lingering over a sunset, noticing the flowers, marveling at the color of the summer sky, rejoicing in the innocence of a child. It means choosing to rejoice when humans behave well.  It means doing what were called to do for God (Really seeing beauty and noticing the good in the world always leads to worship. True worship (John 4:24) always leads to greater hope, joy, and a renewed love for God and the people He died for.  

The Best way to Pray for a Narcissistic Jerk-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

When he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was untrue to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense- 2nd Chronicles 26:15 NASB

Every once in a while, a concept comes along and takes popular culture by storm. The concept (whatever it may be) quickly becomes the thing everyone talks about. Inevitably, many individuals begin to believe they possess expert-level knowledge of the subject. One such concept is narcissism. An individual cannot scroll a social media feed, listen to a podcast, read a self-help book, turn on a television or read a newspaper without coming across an article or program referencing narcissists or narcissism.  

For the record: narcissists are real. 

Narcissists have an unhealthy preoccupation with themselves and a grandiose sense of their own significance. Narcissistic people believe deep down in their inmost being they are better and more important than pretty much everyone else. As a result, they see others as insignificant in comparison to themselves. As a result, narcissists treat people very badly unless they want something from the other person. The most dangerous narcissists are proficient, unrepentant, shameless liars. A narcissist will gleefully distort truth, gaslight and fabricate stories out of whole cloth to make others look bad and paint themselves in a positive light (Psalm 40:4). 

Popular culture typically presents narcissism as an unpardonable sin. Many believe narcissists are so heartless, wicked, malevolent and lacking in self-awareness they are for all intents and purposes, irredeemable. Even many Christians present narcissists as so lost they can never be found. This is simply untrue, no one is beyond God’s reach or so far gone they cannot be saved (John 3:16, 2nd Timothy 2:3-5), not even a narcissist. 

The Bible talks about narcissism at length and warns against it in the strongest possible terms. However, the Bible never uses the word narcissist or narcissism. From a biblical perspective narcissists are just people with a pride problem. A very serious pride problem but a pride problem, nonetheless.  God despises pride because it causes people to become so braggy and self-willed they forget God or write Him off as unimportant and irrelevant (Deuteronomy 8:14, 2nd Chronicles 26:16, Proverbs 16:5). People who sideline God inevitably become manipulative, mean, self-focused and sometimes even violent (Psalm 17:9-11, Psalm 56:2, Psalm 140:5). 

Narcissism is a growing problem (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). 

The further our world drifts away from God the more people become bloated with the sin of pride. Because this is where we are living right now most of us know a narcissist and many love a narcissist (or two). If we want to see narcissists come to know Jesus and be transformed into the image of Jesus it is critical we love them well and pray the following four prayers for them: 

Pray you will love them how they need to be loved-

Loving a prideful, narcissistic jerk is no easy task (Luke 6:32-33, 1st Peter 4:8, Luke 17:3-4). All people need to be loved. Narcissists need to know they have people who love them and will be there for them. However, prideful people also need firm boundaries. Narcissists need people who will love them enough to call them out on their hurtful shenanigans. Narcissists do NOT need people who will make excuses for their behavior or minimize their sin. It is not loving, kind or Christian to excuse away sin, manage others sin or make it easy for people to sin. This is especially true with narcissists. God is the only one who can give someone the strength, wisdom and discernment to love a narcissist well. If you love a narcissist pray daily for the wisdom, discernment and moral strength to love like God loves. God’s love is the personification 1st Corinthians 13:1-7. God’s love always believes the best is possible in a person’s life, but it never devolves into people-pleasing (codependency) or cheap grace (Titus 2:11-12).

Pray they will see themselves as they really are-

All narcissists have a distorted view of themselves. They tend to see themselves as unflawed and the hero of their own story. It is our job to pray that they will begin to see themselves as they really are, warts and all. Seeing our own sin as sin is the first baby step towards salvation. It is also the only thing that makes true personal growth possible. Pray for a spirit of revelation and wisdom to invade the life of the narcissist you love (Ephesians 1:17). If necessary, pray God will bring enough pain into their lives to make them open to the truth about themselves (James 1:2-3). 

Pray they see God as He really is-

One key to a healthy (not overly grandiose) sense of self is to have a clear-eyed understanding of who God is and what He’s all about. God is eternal, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing and completely free of sin and immorality (Matthew 5:48, Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 19:7). He is also the standard of what is good and bad. When we compare ourselves to other people it is easy to believe we are better than we really are (Ecclesiastes 7:20). When we understand God’s perfection, we automatically have a much clearer grasp of our own sin and moral frailty. 

And finally,

Pray your narcissist will experience godly conviction concerning their pride- 

Godly conviction is a gift (2nd Corinthians 7:10). Godly conviction is simply the voice of the Holy Spirit telling us the truth about ourselves (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:9-10). If it is responded to properly, godly conviction has the power to make the vilest, most prideful sinner as white as snow and a beautiful trophy of God’s grace and mercy (Isaiah 1:18, 2nd Corinthians 7:11, 2nd Corinthians 5:17). Without godly conviction we would all be lost. 

God’s Prescription for Dealing with Toxic People-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:10b ESV

Toxicity has become the latest buzzword in pop culture lingo. One cannot scroll social media, read a magazine or peruse a news site without finding at least one article, reel or post disparaging toxic people and lamenting the impact they have on others.  Most content focuses on traits associated with either “narcissism” or “codependency”.  Narcissism is characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, lack of empathy, a need for excessive appreciation, and the belief that one is unique and worthy of special treatment. Codependency on the other hand is characterized by extreme neediness and a desire to control and manipulate others into doing what the codependent person feels is best. Codependent people feel most significant when they are needed. As a result, they will go to great lengths to become the most essential and indispensable person in every given relationship. 

These folks wreck a lot of havoc.

Therefore, nearly all the content recommends kicking toxic people to the curb and purging one’s life of their noxious existence forever. A whole industry has built up around this issue. There are therapists who specialize in helping folks to separate from narcissistic, annoying, overly needy and controlling people. The internet is flooded with influencers who center ALL their content around identifying and avoiding toxic people. There are entire books written about removing of toxic people from one’s life. This has become a movement. 

This movement is not Christian (sorry). It is not okay for Christians to adopt an attitude of unforgiveness towards anyone (Matthew 6:15, Matthew 18:35, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 3:12-14), James 3:12-17), no matter how aggravating they happen to be (Matthew 18:20-22). I understand reality. There are truly abusive and/or evil people in this world. God does not call us to be friends with those who have abused us or done us wrong in a really big way. I am not suggesting Christians stop saying no, allow themselves to be truly abused, forgo healthy limits or become doormats. God calls His people to use common sense and discernment (1st Kings 3:9, Proverbs 10:13).  

That being said.

Like it or not, God calls His people to be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving towards all people, even really annoying and/or stupid people (Ephesians 4:23, Luke 6:27, 2nd Timothy 2:23-26, 1st Peter 3:9). There are no provisions in Jesus’ commands on forgiveness and love that grant anyone permission to exclude jerks, narcissists or needy people who thrive on control from the commands to love others and forgive from the heart (Matthew 5:46, John 13:34-35, Romans 12:10, Romans 13:8). Sometimes I wish there was, but there’s not. I’ve done the research. 

We must understand that no one is without sin (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:9-10) Everyone on earth (you and I included) have some (or many) toxic personality traits (Matthew 15:19, Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 6:16-19, Romans 1:18-29). We are all defensive, lustful, pretentious, vindictive, judgmental, rude, lazy, deceitful, competitive, lacking in self-awareness, argumentative, selfish, prideful, arrogant, passive-aggressive, domineering, manipulative and/or needy at least some of the time. It’s called being human. 

 God does not want us to run away from people who have toxic personality traits. God wants us to learn to love those who are totally unlovable and toxic (Matthew 5:44, Romans 12:20, 1st Peter 3:9, Proverbs 24:17, Proverbs 25:21). It is critical we learn to love difficult people because we too are unlovable (at least sometimes), and we reap what we sow. In His infinite wisdom God has set the world up in such a way that we always receive more than we give. (Hosea 8:7, Hosea 10:12, Matthew 25:14-30, Galatians 6:7-8). I don’t know why, but I do know it’s true. If we make a regular practice of forgiving others, loving well and giving grace we will be loved, forgiven and given grace we don’t deserve. However, if we make a practice of holding grudges, judging others, withholding forgiveness or cutting people out, we will at some point find ourselves receiving the same treatment.    

No one wants that. 

Dealing with toxicity comes down to three things. We must learn to:

Apply grace-

Some synonymous for grace are mercy, kindness and compassion. God gives human beings boundless grace (Romans 3:23-25, Ephesians 2:8-9). God is always merciful, kind and compassionate towards our failings. Our primary job in this world post-salvation is to take on as many characteristics of God as possible (Romans 8:29, 1stCorinthians 3:18, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 3:3). Becoming gracious towards the failings of others is probably the best place to start in our journey to become more like Jesus. I believe anytime a Christian refuses to give grace to others they are turning away from the Christian gospel and embracing a worldly (non-Christian) belief system (Galatians 1:6-7). 

Pray like crazy-

Prayer is critical when dealing with difficult people because there are some things humans simply cannot do without God’s help (Mark 9:14-29). No one can love a difficult or sinful person without God’s power working in them. No one can forgive certain offenses without the aid of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is where we get the power to do the impossible (James 1:5, John 15:7).  

And finally, we need to:

Seek wisdom-

None of this is simple or easy. Situations are often complex. There are few (if any) one-size-fits-all solutions for dealing with difficult people. This where wisdom comes in: sometimes God is calling us to say “yes” even when we don’t feel like it. Other times “no” is the wiser and more godly option. Sometimes we need to love more demonstrably, other times limits need to be set and adhered to.  No one will get any of this right without godly wisdom. We get wisdom by searching the Bible for it, seeking godly (not worldly) counsel and asking God to give us wisdom in abundance (Luke 21:14-15, Colossians 1:9, James 1:5). God never says “no” to that request. 

Examining the Roots of the Estrangement Epidemic-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen- 1st John 4:20 NASB

For much of human history family estrangements were fairly rare. Even the average heathen believed blood was thicker than water and that honoring one’s parents was just something decent people did (Exodus 20:12, Matthew 15:4, Mark 10:19, Ephesians 6:1-3). When estrangements did occur, there was shame in being alienated from one’s parents.

That ship has officially sailed. 

Self-reporting indicates that at least 85 million adults (one-fourth of the population) are estranged from at least one family member (usually their parents). Many are proudly estranged, some even tout estrangement as the ultimate in “self-care”.  

The number one reason given for an estrangement is nearly always “toxicity”. Toxicity is subjective. Toxicity is rarely defined as physical or sexual abuse or even cruelty. Instead, family members are commonly labeled “toxic” for far murkier issues which include (but are not limited to) voting the “wrong” way, offering unsolicited advice, or refusing to celebrate a gender transition. Adult children have also canceled family for attending the wrong church, using the wrong pronouns or having any expectations of the adult child.   

I understand not all parent-child relationships are idyllic. There are parents who were physically or sexually abusive who remain obstinately unrepentant.  There are also parents of adult children who are addicted to drugs, cruel, or abusive towards their grandchildren. In these cases, the adult child should forgive as God requires (Matthew 6:14-16, Matthew 18:21-35, Ephesians 4:32). However, it is also totally appropriate for said child to establish boundaries and honor their parents from a bit of a distance (honoring from a distance might look like text communication, photos, cards and infrequent visits). 

That said

 No one can find a single Bible verse that grants anyone permission to go “low” or “no contact” with family over anything as nebulous as “toxicity”.  Such verses simply do not exist. 

This is an issue that need to be brought into the light.

Many of the children who have gone “no contact” are professing Christians. Many of the parents who have been canceled by their children have no idea why.  Most churches are silent where this issue is concerned. This leaves all parties with no spiritual leadership or comfort when dealing with a family conflict.

The problem of estrangement is huge. It cannot be solved or even completely explored in a blogpost. However, it is possible to shed some light on how we got here. Like most cultural phenomenon the estrangement epidemic has roots. In recent decades there have been dramatic cultural changes in how children are viewed and parented; as well as some profound changes in the value placed on relationships. I suspect much of the cultural transformation was brought on by:

Therapy culture- 

Even many Christians have traded biblical counsel and common-sense advice for secular therapy. A wise and godly counselor is literally worth their weight in gold (Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 24:6). However, a bad therapist is one of the most dangerous forces on earth (Proverbs 12:5). Unfortunately, there are therapists who will gleefully diagnose parents they have never met with serious disorders such as narcissism or borderline personality disorder. Some therapists literally specialize in helping young adults estrange from their families. With this type of therapy there is no goal of reconciliation or mutual compromise. The only goal is separation and conflict. No therapist (no matter how skilled) can effectively diagnose anyone without at least one meeting. Furthermore, any therapist who does not at least attempt to get both sides of the story before recommending estrangement is guilty of malpractice (Proverbs 18:17, Psalm 1:1). Run from such people. 

A pathological refusal to forgive-

Many parents are bad parents in a way that does not constitute physical or sexual abuse. Some parents were/are emotionally distant. Others divorced and lived their own lives with little thought or regard to the needs of their offspring. Some parents yelled too much or were controlling or did not allow enough space for personal expression (Ephesians 6:4).  There are at least a million ways parents can fail and most do in one way or another. However, the commandments that mandate forgiveness and honoring parents are unconditional. God’s word simply leaves no legitimate wiggle room for any course of action except obedience.  Alas, forgiveness is no longer in fashion, even for the smallest of offenses or unintentional mistakes. Instead, many Christians and virtually all unbelievers label the person a who offended them a filthy name and move on. This attitude runs counter to Scripture, ruins those who refuse to forgive and destroys any opportunity for generational healing. 

An idolized view of children- 

An idol is anything or anyone that gets first place in our lives. For at least a generation, parents have been encouraged to idolize their children. Children have been told by parents and teachers they are really special, and their feelings are always super important. The goal has been to make kids feel good about themselves regardless of what they do or how they behave. Sacrificing for a child’s wellbeing has always been a standard of good parenting. However, today’s parents are encouraged to sacrifice so their kids can have luxuries previous generations reserved for adults who had worked hard all their lives.  If an individual is treated like an idol, no one should be surprised when they start behaving as if they are a god who has the right to determine their own destiny.  Is it any wonder that an entire generation has concluded they can determine their own gender and cut people out of their lives without an explanation? 

Christians cannot control what unbelievers do or don’t do (1st Corinthians 5:12). If unbelievers continue to choose the dangerous path of embracing idolatry, hate and division, we have to let them. Our responsibility is to pray they have a change of heart before any more heartbreak ensues. Christians, on the other hand are called to embrace the heart of God (2nd Corinthians 13:11). This means we seek healing, peace and wholeness in every relationship (Romans 12:18, Hebrews 12:15). Churches and Church leaders must ask questions when presented with an estranged family and not assume they know who is at fault. Pastors must return to encouraging healing and forgiveness in families. Refusing to do so will only lead to more brokenness, pain and evil. It will result in the removal of God’s blessing (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). No one sane wants that. 

What are the Fruits of Salvation?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much- Luke 8:15 NASB

Doctrinal controversies and theological disputes are not new to Christianity. Early Christians began hotly debating the finer points of the faith shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 15). Early believers argued endlessly over what role (if any) the Law of Moses should play in Christianity.  They also fought over the nature of Jesus, which holy days should be celebrated and whether there was secret knowledge certain Christians possessed that others did not (Colossians 2).   

Contemporary Christians still debate issues. However, we tend to argue over an entirely different set of controversies.  Contemporary Christians will throw down over things like the role of women in the church, spiritual gifts and Bible translations. But by far, the most contentious argument in the church today is over what role Christian fruit (or works) should play in the Christian life. 

The role works play in salvation is a settled issue. 

 All people are saved the same way. We are saved by God’s grace when we turn to Jesus in faith. Salvation is a gift. No one can earn salvation. No one, no matter how good they are is good enough to earn access to heaven. We are all just too dang sinful (Romans 3:23). Once we humbly accept the reality of our own unworthiness, Jesus mercifully cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and we begin our faith journey (1st John 1:8-10). 

However. 

Bearing fruit, sometimes called “works” post salvation is another issue altogether (Matthew 5:16, James 2:14-18, 1st Timothy 6:18-19). Some Christians believe that suggesting there should be any works post-salvation is nothing short of heresy and an insult to God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). These folks believe freedom in Christ (Galatians 5:1) means freedom from all rules, works and standards of behavior.  This group is well-intended, and not entirely wrong.  We cannot earn our salvation, nor do we have to “be good” to keep it.  If we had to be good to stay saved one would stay saved because we all fail daily. It’s an aspect of our human nature no one can escape. 

However. 

If expecting believers to “bear fruit” or do “works of righteousness” is heresy, then Jesus was a flaming heretic. 

Seriously. 

On numerous occasions Jesus straight-up commanded His followers to “bear fruit” (John 15:2, Mark 4:20, John 15:16) and do good works (Matthew 5:16, John 14:12). Matthew’s last recorded sermon of Jesus (Matthew 24:42-25:46) is really all about the importance of Christians bearing spiritual fruit. Matthew 24:42-25:46 also contains some rather alarming warnings concerning what happens when a follower of Jesus refuses to bear fruit.

 There are at least five kinds of fruit Christians are expected to produce. The first is: 

The fruit of repentance- 

Jesus called for repentance a lot (Matthew 4:17, Luke 5:31-32, Luke 13:1-5, Luke 15:7-10). He also chastised those who refused to repent (Matthew 7:21, Matthew 11:20, Matthew 12:41). Jesus did not forbid His forerunner (John the Baptist) from demanding repentance (Matthew 3:3-8, Luke 3:1-17). Repentance is not simply a change of behavior. Repentance is a process that begins with a change of thinking so dramatic it leads to behavioral transformation (Romans 12:1-2).  Coming to a place in our spiritual maturity where we agree with Jesus about right and wrong, is the first step in bringing our behavior into alignment with God’s will (1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Colossians 3, 1st Thessalonians 4:1-8, Ephesians 4:17-30). When we change our minds about sin we bear the fruit of repentance.

The fruit of obedience- 

Jesus is more than just our savior, He’s our Lord (Luke 14:27, John 13:13, Colossians 2:6, Psalm 86:11). Making Jesus our Lord means we put Him and His will for our lives above our own desires and even all earthly authorities (Exodus 20:3, Matthew 10:37-39, Philippians 2:9-11). When we choose devotion to Jesus above all else, we bear the fruit of obedience. 

The fruit of holiness- 

Contrary to popular doctrinal belief, holiness is not legalism. Holiness is the fruit of gratitude for our salvation. Believers in Jesus are called to be holy just as God is holy (Ephesians 1:4, 1st Peter 1:15-16). This does not mean we live a life of sinless perfection (we can’t). It does mean we choose to honor God by shunning intentional sin. When we do our best to live holy lives we bear the fruit of holiness.  

The fruit of love-

Christians are called to love all people all the time (John 13:34-35). This does not mean Christians should seek to be “nice” all the time. Biblical love is kind and compassionate, but it is also truthful about all things, even hard things. True biblical love always seeks the best for all people.  When we live and love by the standards set in 1stCorinthians 13, we bear the fruit of biblical love. 

The fruit of faith- 

Faith is the foundation of all things Christian, and bearing the fruit of faith is no easy thing. Faith is literally trusting God when it makes zero sense to do so. Faith is believing God will do what He said He would do when we aren’t seeing change. Because faith is hard, faith pleases God in ways that are almost impossible for the human mind to grasp (Hebrews 11). 

Truth-be-told seeking to bear spiritual fruit can easily drift into pride and spiritual smugness. The secret to avoiding spiritual pride is to remember that no one, no matter how good they are can do any of this in their own power. We simply do not have enough inherent goodness in us to pull it off.  The Holy Spirit is our guide and helper in every aspect of the Christian life (John 14:26, Hebrews 13:6). When we fully and completely submit our lives to God the Holy Spirit does the work in us. 

What is the Key to Receiving God’s Blessing?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble- Proverbs 28:14 NLT

God’s blessing.

Good people and not-so-great people alike all want God to bless their lives, families and the country they live in. Ne’er-do-well’s who’ve never darkened the door of church and folks who wouldn’t know a Bible verse if it bit them on the backside have been known to ask God to bless them, their country, their family and their livelihood.  Heck. In my country we want God’s blessing so badly we demand it on our currency. 

So.  

Exactly, what does it take for God to bless a person and/or their country?

There are many people who genuinely believe getting the right person elected will get the job done. Others believe the key to God’s blessing lies in the Church loving people and working to bring about justice in this world.  

Both feel like really good answers. 

Getting the right person elected sounds awesome. Electing a man or woman who loves God and knows right from wrong sounds like a good plan.  Finding someone who is willing to do the right thing even when its hard sounds like a solution that could lead this messy muddle back to a place of blessing and good things.

 It worked in the Old Testament so why not today? 

Getting the Church to healthy place where the people are loving their neighbors and doing justice also sounds like it could be the win we need to get the blessing machine working again. After all, it’s all stuff God has made clear He is definitely into blessing (Psalm 11:7, Psalm 140:12, Matthew 22:36-40, 1st Corinthians 13:4-7, James 1:27). 

However. 

God tends to give nations the leaders they deserve (Judges 3:12). This country and the people in it haven’t exactly set themselves up for an amazing, wise, godly leader who is able to rally the people into voluntarily doing good and honoring God. Seriously. We live in a nation where half the people have proven they want the right to end a pregnancy anytime, for any reason more than they want economic security. This reality has been confirmed repeatedly based on who and what the people routinely vote for. God cannot bless a people with that little regard for righteousness and stay true to who He says He is in Scripture. Period. Furthermore, the Old Testament leadership pattern was not great. Israel had a habit of devolving morally and spiritually. Then, because He’s good God would bless Israel with a godly leader. The people would straighten-up and fly right (metaphorically speaking) right up until the minute the leader died.  Then the people would all go back to doing all the outrageous, wicked stuff they were doing before the godly leader came along. As a result, the inevitable was delayed but it always became a reality.  

Loving people and laboring to usher in biblical justice IS a really good thing. Nonetheless, many have forgotten there can be no authentic biblical justice without authentic biblical righteousness (Psalm 33:5, Isaiah 1:21, Isaiah 59:14, Micah 6:8).  They work in conjunction with each other. The biblical justice crowd is often unwilling to call people out on the sin that prevents biblical justice from becoming a reality. 

Sigh. 

If an individual or nation wants the blessing of God it is critical they position themselves for blessing.  Literally, no one in the history of forever has positioned themselves for a blessing simply by asking for it, voting for the “right person” or doing one small portion of God’s will. Nor is there anyone righteous enough to get blessed by doing whatever seems right to them in the moment. 

Intentionality is the key.  

Blessing always begins and ends with the actions and attitude of God’s people.  When God’s people live life according to God’s rules they position themselves and the culture they live in for blessing. It’s important to note that Christians cannot force anyone to live righteously (1st Corinthians 5:12-13). Attempting to do so always fails, in a big way. Nor, does God cease to love His people when they fail to according to His rules. God’s love for His own never ceases (John 10:27-29). That being said, when Christians choose to lead the way and honor God with their lives and bodies God blesses. Genuine revival and tangible blessings are always the result of obedience (Acts 2:38-47). 

We could use some of that right about now.

Seriously. 

For a generation, well-intended but tragically misguided church leaders have attempted to eliminate legalism by teaching God’s “grace” is a gift that allows for Christians to live any way they wish with zero negative consequences (Titus 2:11-12). As a result, many believers have all but forgotten there really is a “right” way to live the Christian life (Romans 8:4-5). The ugly consequences of our willful amnesia are unfolding in our culture. The church is literally the body of Christ, do when the church fails at biblical living the culture has no reliable guide for how to do life God’s way. 

This means the whole world is literally feeling the pain of our folly.

 The world will be blessed when Christians from every tribe and nation return to a form of living that leads to blessing, justice and human flourishing. God has graciously shown us the way in easily understood passages such as Colossians chapter three, Romans chapter twelve and 2nd Peter 1:5-11. 

It’s up to us go to those passages and do what we are told.

The Power of Encouragement-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing-1st Thessalonians 5:11 NASB 

God loves encouraging words.  

 God considers encouragement to be so vitally important He straight-up commands Christians to encourage one another whenever and however they are able (Hebrews 3:13, 1st Thessalonians 4:18, 1st Thessalonians 5:10, 2nd Corinthians 13:11).  The simple and often undervalued act of encouragement has the power to: 

Remind us to live for Jesus and prepare spiritually for His return – 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11)

Embolden God’s people to fight battles against the worst kind of evil- Judges 2

Strengthen hearts in seasons of spiritual confusion- Acts 15

Deliver peace in the worst of storms- Acts 27

Boost spiritual endurance- Romans 15:5

Give hope in times of trouble and heartache- Romans 15:4

Promote unity in churches- 2nd Corinthians 13:11

Bring about a more complete understanding of our faith- Colossians 2:2 

Bring joy and refreshment to the weary- Philemon 1:7

Keep Christians from being trapped and hardened by sin- Hebrews 3:13 

No wonder God is a fan. 

Encouragement does far more than just cheer up those who are having a bad day.  Encouragement is actually an indispensable component of the Christian discipleship process (1st Thessalonians 5:14, Hebrews 3:13). Encouragement from the right person at the right time brings hope and clarity to the sometimes challenging and confusing life of faith.  Encouragement reminds the gloomy struggler God sees their situation. The right words of encouragement spoken at just the right moment can even lead a spiritual wanderer back to the narrow-path of faith. It is simply a fact that just right words of encouragement spoken at just the right moment have the power to literally change the trajectory of a person’s life. 

So. 

How do we encourage others in a manner that brings about all the above-mentioned benefits for the maximum number of people?

Genuine biblical encouragement is about more than simply saying nice things or even helping people. Biblical encouragers:

Do what Jesus did-

Jesus took the time to really see the people around Him (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34, Luke 13:11-13, John 1:47-50, John 6:26, John 9:1). He made a practice of being fully present in every situation. This one little habit allowed Him to see people’s pain, struggles, the longings of their heart and their deepest unspoken needs.  Because Jesus paid attention to people human needs did not go unnoticed or unmet when He was present. When we make a regular practice of noticing people our observations give us insight into the needs of the people around us. Encouragement comes much more naturally and is much more likely to hit the mark when we are fully present and tuned into the people God placed around us. 

Are willing to couple words of encouragement with action-

Words of encouragement are the biggest of deals. A positive uplifting word of encouragement spoken at just the moment is sometimes better than finding a sack of cash (Proverbs 25:11). Even more powerful is a word of encouragement combined with a generous or kind act. Taking a tired Mom, a meal, picking up groceries for a shut-in or handing out a baggie of treats and/or a gift card to homeless person reminds those on the receiving end of our kindness that they are seen and cared for in spite of their circumstances (Matthew 5:14-16). 

Listen carefully and prayerfully before speaking into an obviously tough situation-

It’s easy to encourage someone experiencing a tough day in the midst of an otherwise easy season of life. That said, tough situations necessitate more than glib, superficial sentimentality or simple pat answers. So, unless, you are a prophet with flawless track record, it is not encouraging or helpful to promise someone God will do a particular thing in that person’s situation. Humans have freewill and no one but God knows what God is going to do (Joshua 24:15, Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, it’s just good policy to avoid making promises you cannot keep. Nor is it encouraging to remind someone whose life has just blown up with unspeakable tragedy that “all things work together for the good” (Romans 8:28). It’s true, over the course of time, God does work all things out for good. However, it is better to let the hurting person reach that state of spiritual awareness on their own rather than forcing it on them before they have an opportunity to grieve their loss (Romans 12:15). The most powerful way to encourage the deeply hurting is to sit with them and just listen without judgment or even a whole lot of commentary (Job 38:2).  Encouraging those who are truly broken and disheartened demands we take the time to know exactly what kind of a situation we are speaking into before we speak. 

Back in the day.

When I was a young Christian Mom just kind of bumbling my way through life. I met a smart, gifted older woman who routinely sent me little notes encouraging me to seek the Lord and use the spiritual gifts she saw in me. To this day, anytime I need a reminder of God’s goodness I look up the Bible verse she wrote at the bottom of every single note she ever sent me: 

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing- Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

I don’t know if she remembers those notes, but I do. Thirty-plus years later, the echoes of her encouraging words still remind of God’s goodness and grace in every circumstance. 

That’s why God loves it when His kids encourage one another. 

The Lesser Understood Keys to Spiritual Growth-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ- 2nd Peter 1:10b-11 NIV

One of the fundamental spiritual misunderstandings of our time is centered around salvation. Many believe salvation is a one and done, an event where a person crosses a threshold and goes from hell-bound-heathen to saintly-and-saved to in the blink of an eye.

 Truth-be-told there is an “event” aspect to salvation (Romans 10:9-10). When a person places their faith and trust in Jesus to save them from the consequences of their sin they are very much saved from ALL the consequences of their sin, including eternal damnation (Luke 23:32:43). 

However. 

For those who do not die immediately following their confession of faith there is a process aspect to salvation. The fancy-pants-theological word for this process is “sanctification”. The Apostle Paul called it “working out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Whatever you choose to call it, it’s essentially just the act of being transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 1:1-2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). There is no shortage of biblical teaching on the “how” of sanctification. All of Romans 12, 1st Thessalonians 4:1-12, 2nd Peter 1:3-9, Colossians 3 and Ephesians chapters 4, 5 and 6 all give detailed instructions concerning what a Christian should and shouldn’t do in order to work out their salvation. 

Nonetheless. 

Sanctification can be difficult to pull off. I suspect this is because there are beliefs and behaviors a person must embrace before the sanctification process can work. These are perquisites to holiness 101, if you will. In order for the sanctification process to work we must be willing to:

Train yourself to think deeply about things that matter-

In a recent sermon our pastor pointed out that our generation is literally besieged with an endless array of information on all sorts of different topics. We listen to podcasts, watch the news, scroll through endless social media feeds and read a lot of articles on a vast array of diverse subjects. There is nothing wrong or sinful about pursuing knowledge. However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The net effect of this information overkill is that we tend to think superficially about whole bunch of different issues, but deeply about almost nothing. If we want to become holy we must train ourselves to think deeply about important issues. Profound things like the meaning of life, what it really means to be holy, our role in the universe, how we become righteous and how all that works itself out in our day-to-day lives. The only way we will ever have the bandwidth to think deeply about anything is to cull some of the information we are receiving. Once that’s done, we must set aside chunks of time to think through the information we are receiving and then seek the Lord for wisdom on how to implement what we’ve learned. Holiness requires godly wisdom. No one has ever attained wisdom apart from thinking deeply about life, God and eternity (2nd Timothy 3:15, Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 1:1-3)

Adopt a right view of God-

God is not simply a bigger, wiser, smarter version of humanity. God is as different from human beings as teapots are from tacos. How we understand God matters. A lot. Our most critical task in this life is to acquire a right view of Him. We do this by developing a healthy fear of God (Deuteronomy 6:13, Exodus 1:17-21, Proverbs 1:7, Psalm 33:8-18). Fearing God isn’t being afraid of God. When we fear God, we believe deep in our heart-of-hearts God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. In turn this gut-level conviction trickles down into every aspect of life. People who fear God understand God knows their most innermost thoughts and feelings (Hebrews 4:13). When a person fears God, they do what He says. Fearing God is THE key to closeness with God (James 2:23, Psalm 25:14, Psalm 147:11)

Embrace a proper view of the human heart-  

The world encourages people to “follow their heart”.  The Bible tells us the human heart is wicked and easily deceived (Jeremiah 17:9, Consequently, a heart not submitted to Jesus and firmly rooted in the truth of Scripture will lead a person to hell (literally and figuratively). Every. Single Time. Furthermore, unless a person is redeemed by Jesus their most authentic self is their sin nature. Even people who know and love Jesus are still capable of great foolishness and evil. Therefore, holiness requires we obey God not our hearts (Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 10:8, Ephesians 5:1). 

Align our internal motivations and intentions with God’s word- 

In his excellent book The Awe of God John Bevere says every person has three images. There is our “projected image” (the carefully crafted persona we want the world to see), our “perceived image” (how others see us) and our “actual image” (the us God sees). At the core of what God sees in us is the “why” of what we do. Do we serve out of a desire to please God or people? Do we love others so we will be loved by them or because we want to honor and please God? It is the intentions and motivations of our hearts that will be judged by God (1st Corinthians 5:10, 1st Corinthians 3:10-15, Revelation 20:11-13). This makes getting our internal motivations aligned with God’s will of critical importance. 

Sanctification (holiness) is the end-all be-all goal of the Christian faith (Romans 6:18-23, 1st Corinthians 1:3, Ephesians 1:3-5, 1st Peter 1”15-16, Hebrews 12:14). The end result of holiness is joy, peace of mind, spiritual usefulness and the knowledge that the Maker of All Things is pleased with our actions and attitudes. Those things are worth doing whatever it takes to get there.

Love or Knowledge-What Matters More?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge- Colossians 2:2-3 NLT

There has been a debate raging in the Church for two thousand years. It centers around the question: which is more important to the practice of Christianity: love or knowledge? 

Love is hands-down the popular favorite.  

Team love argues (quite persuasively, I might add) it is love, rather than knowledge at the heart of what Jesus taught were the two greatest commands (Matthew 22:37-40). Furthermore, team love contends, there are like, zero Bible verses instructing Christians to attain knowledge for the sake of knowledge. However, there are a surplus of verses commanding Christians to love others for the sake of love and to love even when it’s unsound and makes no sense whatsoever. (John 13:34-35, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-35, Romans 13:8-10, 1st Peter 1:22, 1st Peter 4:8, 1st Corinthians 13). 

Team knowledge has a much tougher time of things, but, bless their sweet hearts, they do try. Team knowledge believes knowledge has a protective element to it. Therefore, knowledge protects Christians from embracing ideas and beliefs that lead even devoted believers away from right thinking and living (Galatians 5:7-10, 1st Corinthians 9:24, Proverbs 18:15, Hosea 4:6, 1st Timothy 2:4, Titus 1:1, Colossians 3:9-10, Psalm 119:66). 

The Apostle Paul would have sent everyone on both sides of this argument a firmly worded letter. In a message to the Philippian congregation Paul says this: 


This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight’ Philippians 1:9 NIV

The Apostle Paul understood some realities both teams tend to forget, namely that love and knowledge work in conjunction with one another. Love on its own often devolves into sloppy sentimentalism. Sloppy sentimentalism looks a lot like biblical love but the end of the day sloppy sentimentalism is really all about making people feel good about themselves no matter how messy, dysfunctional or in need of transformation they may be.  Love without knowledge feels good, but it lacks wisdom, it has no discernment, so it risks people missing heaven due to a lack of understanding about how to get there (Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:21-24). Conversely, knowledge without love is accurate, precise and truthful but it inevitably lacks empathy and kindness. Jesus’ issues with the Pharisees revolved almost entirely around their insistence on a hard adherence to biblical truth with zero grace, compassion or love (John 8:1-11, Matthew 12:1-14). Knowledge gives people the information necessary to get them to heaven but it lacks the compassion and kindness that leads people to fall in love with Jesus and repent of their sins (Romans 2:4).  The Apostle Paul wanted Jesus’ people to have knowledge of the following four areas:

Knowledge of Jesus-

Jesus is the author, perfecter and foundation of everything Christians believe about everything (Hebrews 12:2, John 1:1-5). Nonetheless, there is all sorts of weird teachings and beliefs floating around about Jesus. As a result, a lot of folks think they know a lot about Jesus and what He had to say about all kinds of issues and good many of those people are dead wrong. The only way to know what Jesus had to say about anything is to dig deep into the Scriptures and discover the biblical Jesus for ourselves. Knowledge of the biblical Jesus keep us from being swept away by false teachers that present Jesus as something He’s not (Matthew 24:4-5, Jude 1:4, 2nd Peter 2:1-3, 2ndTimothy 3:1-8). 

Knowledge of what to avoid-

The Bible tells us what to do.  The Bible also it gives us all kinds of valuable knowledge about what not to do. When a person knows the Bible, they know it’s spiritually dangerous to get overly involved with those who have proven themselves to have bad character (1st Corinthians 15:33, 1st Corinthians 5:11). They also understand the dangers of adopting worldly philosophies (Colossians 2:4), legalism (Colossians 2:16-19, Galatians 3), willful sin (Hebrews 6:4-6) sexual immorality (1st Thessalonians 4:1-3, 1st Corinthians 6:18), racism and sexism (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11), just to name a few. This kind of knowledge naturally leads to discernment and wisdom. Wisdom and discernment are the two most protective characteristics a person can have (Proverbs 4:5-6, Proverbs 19:8, Proverbs 15:14, Proverbs 17:24). 

Knowledge of what to do-

Christianity is not just about knowing doctrinal truth and being right (1st Corinthians 13:2), nor is it simply about what we shouldn’t do. Christianity is mostly about doing (Matthew 25:31-45, Romans 12:4-21).  Christians are called to preach the gospel, care for the less fortunate, mourn with those who mourn and just generally act as the hands and feet of Jesus in every situation they find themselves (Romans 7:4, 1st Corinthians 12:27). Knowing what we are to do and doing it keeps us from the pitfalls of legalism and the self-righteousness that can result from spiritual learning without an equal amount of spiritual action.  

Knowledge of the grace of God-  

The grace of God is the lynchpin of Christianity. Everything about the faith rests on this one issue. Unfortunately, teaching about grace has become one dimensional, focused entirely on forgiveness and the role it plays in salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is so much more to grace than forgiveness. God’s grace allows us to do things and endure hardship and difficulty normal humans simply cannot (2nd Corinthians 2:9, James 4:6-7). Grace teaches us how live lives of self-control and godliness (Titus 2:11-13). Grace also empowers us to do the works of righteousness we were saved to do (Ephesians 2:10). Truly understanding the grace of God is gamechanger for Christians. 

When our love for Jesus and each other overflows with knowledge of God and His word we are truly unstoppable from a spiritual perspective. 

The Mind-blowing Implications of “God with us”-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

“Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”- Matthew 1:23 NASB 

God with us.

In my humble opinion those three little words are the three most mind-blowing in all of Scripture (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23). 

The very notion the God of the universe, the holy, righteous maker of all things, the God who dwells apart from sin in unapproachable light would leave His home in heaven and visit earth is in and of itself, well, kind of mind-blowing (1st Timothy 6:15-16). It would stand to reason considering the state of this sorry planet that if God were to show up He would shame His creation or punish His creation or at the very least give His creation a sternly worded lecture.  Instead God came to earth to model the right way to live, commune with and eventually die for the sins of a bunch of created beings who were all living in rebellion to Him (John 13:12-17, Romans 5:6).  

What kind of God does that? 

Seriously. 

All that being said, it has not escaped my notice that humans often miss the forest for the trees when it comes the whole idea of God being with us, especially this time of year. The cultural trappings of Christmas are delightful and joyous and I am convinced God loves joy and is delighted to see His children celebrate. Nonetheless, decorating our homes, putting up lights, attending parties, making tasty treats and buying gifts do little to help us remember the God of the universe showed up in our world just to let us know He loves us in spite of our many defects and issues (John 3:16). Truth-be-told, as fun as they are, all the cultural trappings of Christmas are a huge distraction from the mind-blowing truth of “God with us”. Even many of our Christian celebrations fail to capture the magnitude and meaning of those three little words. It’s easy to get so caught up in the songs and stories of Christmas we forget the sweet little baby in the manger grew up to do some big things for us we were totally incapable of doing for ourselves. (Romans 5:8). The first coming of Jesus had a huge impact on human life. Some of the mind-blowing implications of God choosing to be with us are as follows: 

We can be at peace with God- 

The primary reason Jesus came to earth was to broker peace between God and the human race. Our sin separated us from God, making authentic relationship with God impossible (Genesis 3:8). Jesus death and resurrection paid the price for sin (Luke 22-24). However, this does not mean every person on earth automatically has peace with God just because Jesus showed up and died for our sins. Peace with God is a choice each person has to make. We choose peace with God when we place our faith in Jesus and the work He did on the cross. We know our faith in Jesus is the real deal when it is accompanied by a desire to repent of our sin and live for the one who saved us.

We can live at peace with ourselves- 

Without question the toughest thing about being human is having to live with our own shortcomings and the fallout of our own sinful, selfish choices. Becoming a Christian does not automatically remove the consequences of our past choices but it does remove the guilt. Knowing the God of the universe has forgiven us makes it much easier to forgive ourselves (Ephesians 2:1-6, 1st John 1:9, 1st John 2:1) It also makes it possible for us to move on to bigger and better things that bring God glory and personal peace to our hearts (Romans 5:1-2, Galatians 6:8-10).

We can be transformed– 

Perhaps the greatest practical implication of God being with us is that His presence in our lives empowers personal transformation (2nd Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15).  Meaning we can actually change. This is the biggest of deals, because prior to the coming of Jesus people could change their actions but not their hearts. Evil and unbelieving people were stuck in their sin forever with NO hope of real transformation. Jesus’ coming changed all that forever. Now, because, Jesus’ presence indwells the people who believe in Him, His presence gives everyone who wants it the power needed to change not just our actions but also our hearts. Because of Jesus every day is a new beginning and we can be better people tomorrow than we are today. 

And finally:

God’s people are honored with the best job ever. In a very real sense Jesus left a great deal of work undone before He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). This was not an oversight or an error. Jesus left the honor of finishing up all that needed to be done up to ordinary Christians (2nd Corinthians 4:7-11). The apostle Paul went so far as to say Christians are “ambassadors” of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:20) and that God literally makes His appeals for salvation to the unsaved through us. God trusts normal, everyday people to do an eternity-impacting job simply because He loves us enough to save us and work through us. 

Now, that’s something to celebrate.