Category: Living it out

The Apostle Peter’s Naughty List-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you-1st Timothy 4:15-16 ESV

Out of all the apostles, the Apostle Peter is probably my favorite. And not just because his blunders and character flaws give me hope for my sometimes-stupid, clueless, big-mouthed self. It’s just one of the reasons.

I also admire the way his brain appears to have worked. It seems to me that he was adept at grasping the bigger picture of life and faith. His writings indicate that he understood how apparently unconnected things are often very much connected to each other. Peter’s writings vacillate between big, beautiful pictures of our future with Jesus and simple lists of instructions that give us a roadmap detailing how we get to that big, beautiful place in the future.

Truth-be-told. I am very fond of lists. One of my favorite lists in the Bible is found in Second Peter 1:3-11.  These verses are basically just a log of traits and behaviors that if followed lead believers in Jesus to do exactly what needs to be done to live a life that takes us to the finish line of faith and a joyful welcome into the Kingdom of God (1st Samuel 26:23, Matthew 25:21, Luke 19:17, Hebrews 11:6).

It’s not the only list in Peter’s writings. 1st Peter 2:1-3 is another lesser-known list.  Unlike 2nd Peter 1:3-11 it gives us a list of negative traits that must be dealt with in order to “grow into our salvation” and become the people Jesus calls us to be.  The passage begins with a “therefore”, so it is critical we understand what the therefore is there for. 1st Peter 1:24-25 basically just tells us life is short (James 4:14). Peter likens human beings to the grass and wildflowers that spring up and are gone in a season. His assessment isn’t intended to be dark or gloomy: just real. Peter is saying that life is short, we neglect our character and spiritual growth to our own detriment.

One key to growth is freeing ourselves from attitudes and behaviors every fallen human is prone to. Interestingly, all the attitudes and behaviors Peter mentions are secret attitudes or heart issues we can easily keep on the down-low from others. Yet these attitudes impact everything we do, especially how we treat others.  The first on the Apostle’s naughty list is malice. In Greek the word malice isn’t just disliking someone. Malice is a secret desire to be sneakily malevolent towards someone or to see evil done to an individual. Malice is often manifested in a desire to harm the reputation of others or to see someone get what “they deserve” (Leviticus 19:18, Romans 12:19). When malice is running the show, an individual will deliberately hurt the reputation of others and go out of their way to cause dissension (Proverbs 10:12, Romans 13:13).

Guile is malice’s scheming partner in crime. Guile is sneakiness, craftiness and deceit that intends to cause others harm. Guile loves to manipulate and mastermind the downfall of others all the while pretending to be friends with the person they hurt with their words (Proverbs 16:28). Malicious people love to twist truth in order to create conflict where none exists.

The next on attitude of the heart on Pastor Peter’s naughty list is hypocrisy. Hypocrites pretend to be better than they really are, they are experts in phoniness and professional fakes. Ananias and his wife Sapphira are perfect examples of hypocrisy (Acts 5). They didn’t do anything evil to anyone. They simply faked being more generous and devout than they really were.  God was not a fan.

Envy and slander finish out the list. Envy, jealousy or covetousness are three words that all mean the same thing (basically). Jealous people want something someone else has (Exodus 20:17, James 4:2). An individual can be jealous of and covet someone else’s looks, bank account, home, spouse, job, accomplishments, children and life.  The principal problem with envy is that if it is not dealt with it twists a person into an ugly version of themselves. Jealousy, envy and coveting are gateway sins that always leads to other bigger sins (Genesis 4:1-10, James 3:16). Slander can be an out-and-out lie but oftentimes it is simply a subtle dig at another person’s character.  Slander implies unkind things about people and lets the hearer fill in the blanks.

The problem with giving definitions of the words on Peter’s list is that it becomes easy for a nice Christian person (such as myself) to dismiss the whole list out of hand. I am not the worst version of any of those words and my guess is you aren’t either. However, Peter isn’t cautioning Christians against becoming the worst version of these words. He is commanding us to completely rid ourselves of all of those attitudes and behaviors. Even a smidge of these attitudes and behaviors will be the eventual ruin of even the nicest Christian. All these sins corrupt our hearts, dampen our enthusiasm for spiritual growth and inevitably lead to more sin (Proverbs 4:23).

Thankfully, Peter doesn’t just tell us the problem.

He also gives some solutions. Getting free of these sins becomes easier when we train ourselves to crave biblical knowledge and are intentional about creating Christian community and accepting accountability. Choosing the path of growth dampens the desire we have for sinful attitudes and gives us a deeper love for Jesus (1st Peter 2:2).

How Personal Peace Changes Everything and the Steps to Getting it-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus- Philippians 4:6b-7 NIV

Wholeness. Peace. Harmony. 

All the above words have three things in common: 

The words all kind of mean the same thing.

They are concepts our culture is obsessed with. 

They all represent a biblical ideal even people who have zero interest in the Bible long for.  

There are at least three really great reasons Christians should aim to live a life of wholeness, peace and harmony. First, feeling a sense of wholeness and peace is a sign we are living our lives in alignment with Jesus. Second, it just feels good to live at peace with God, oneself and other people and feeling good is good. And finally, (and most significantly) when a Christian possesses personal peace, it is a powerful demonstration of the power of God in our personal lives. This makes having peace, wholeness and harmony a real gamechanger from an evangelistic standpoint.

The equivalent biblical word for peace, wholeness and/or harmony is the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom is defined as:  

Completeness, wholeness, well-being, and harmony. Shalom is not simply an absence of war or conflict. It is a holistic state of flourishing that impacts all of life: relational, physical, familial, and spiritual. In the original Hebrew, “shalom” is derived from a root that conveys the idea of being whole, finished, or made complete.

Shalom is more than an Old Testament ideal. Shalom (peace) is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Shalom is a result of knowing God every Christian can experience. It kind of goes without saying in this blog (but I’m saying it anyway) that genuine peace always begins with a relationship with Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7, Acts 10:36). That said, it is possible to know Jesus without ever really experiencing the peace (shalom) He came to bring us (Romans 5:1). We acquire peace when we: 

Come to terms with our past- 

Everyone has a past. Few humans make it through this life without undergoing some sort of loss, trauma, disillusionment and/or hurt. It’s just how the cookie crumbles in a broken, sin-sick world (Genesis 3, Romans 8:20-23, Psalm 107:37). One way we find true peace is by taking a hard look at our past experiences and grieving the things that need to be grieved. We have all done things or had things done do us that are worthy of grief. We find closure from our pain when we ask God for the help we need to heal from those experiences. Refusing to examine our pain and heal from it ensures we will continue to hurt ourselves and others (Romans 7:21-25). This steals our personal peace and keeps us from experiencing the wholeness that leads to harmony with others. 

Let go of the notion of perfect external peace- 

Nowhere in the Bible is anyone promised a life without trouble from external sources (Matthew 6:34, John 16:33, 2nd Corinthians 1:3-5). It is possible in Christ to live a life free of INTERNAL conflict. However, the notion of a life without trouble or pain is a myth (John 14:27). This world is broken and bursting with sinners.  Regrettably, the secular world does not acknowledge this immutable reality.  The secular world tells us the secret to perfect peace is to shrink our world down by eliminating anyone or anything that jeopardizes our external peace. This lie is at the root of the estrangement movement. People think they can achieve perfect peace simply by eliminating the people and things they don’t like or feel are problematic (John 15:12, 1st John 4:20, James 2:13). That’s not how it works. God calls us to “live at peace with all people as much as it depends on us” (Romans 12:10, Romans 14:19, Hebrews 12:14). We are not told to ditch the people who threaten our peace but to LIVE with them in the healthiest way that can be managed. This means we work out our junk with people (Proverbs 10:12). It means we forgive and choose not to sweat the small stuff (Colossians 3:13). It means we ask God for the ability to love the unlovable (Luke 6:32-33). Encountering the tough stuff of life or difficult people is not an indication we’ve done anything wrong. Learning to love difficult people is how we become like Jesus (Matthew 11:19, Ephesians 4:32, 1st John 4:19).

Understand that Shalom does not come from violating biblical principles- 

Shalom is a beautiful byproduct of living our life in alignment with Jesus. This means a Christian cannot willfully violate God’s instruction in any area and experience the peace and wholeness that comes from living life God’s way (Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 16:24, Romans 12:1). God knows perfection is beyond our grasp and therefore He is gracious and merciful (Psalm 103:8, 2nd Chronicles 30:9b, Isaiah 30:18, Hebrews 4:16). He does not demand we get it right all the time.  Nonetheless, when we do our best to live like Jesus lived and obey like Jesus obeyed, we do get to experience a sense of peace and wholeness that surpasses all human understanding (Philippians 4:6-8). This reality makes obedience worth the cost. 

And finally, 

Forgive as you have been forgiven- 

We have been forgiven by God so that we can be transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 12:2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). It’s what the whole Christian thing is all about.  Jesus forgave everyone, all the time (Luke 23:34). When we take our cues from Jesus and choose to forgive those who have done us wrong, we lose all the resentment, hostility, indignation and depression that comes from holding onto unforgiveness. In return we get wholeness, peace and harmony. t’s a beautiful trade. 

t’s the sweetest of deals. 

What Does the Bible say About Following our Heart?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered- Proverbs 28:26 ESV

Views on feelings and the role they should play in our lives have changed dramatically in the course of my lifetime. When I was a child and young adult feelings were seen (for the most part) as irrelevant and inconsequential by the vast majority of individuals. Allowing one’s feelings to rule the day (or even a single decision) was seen as a luxury few could afford to indulge.   Parents rarely (if ever) took their children’s feelings into consideration when making an adult decision. Nor would any adult in their right mind have encouraged a child to follow their heart or just do what “felt right”. That sort of nonsense was for fools. Facts were king. 

For better or worse that ship has sailed.

 These days feelings are king. Feelings rule the day and are firmly in control of most situations. “Just follow your heart” is the gold standard for decision making. Facts are viewed with wariness and as a hindrance to personal happiness and even social justice.  In the realms of public policy and law how individuals feel about a given policy, law  or court case is seen as much more important than the facts surrounding the case, law or policy decision. Those who call for jail time or the death penalty in cases of murder are often accused of being cruel and insensitive towards the criminal. Dead victims are irrelevant compared to living perpetrators.  Parents worry endlessly about their children’s feelings and will go to great lengths to keep them from being hurt in any way. 

Feelings are not presented as evil or sinful in the Bible. David and other psalmists routinely shared the rawest, darkest, feelings imaginable. Sometimes even wishing harm and/or death would come to their enemies (Psalm 35, Psalm 55:15, Psalm 69:22-28, Psalm 109:6-15, Psalm 137:7-9). A good chunk of the book of Job is just Job venting his very angry feelings concerning the unfairness of his situation (Job 27:1-6, Job 30:1-31). Nowhere is any of this emotional venting condemned by God. However, it’s important to note that David always came around to the facts he knew about God (Psalm 35:28, Psalm 55:16-19) and the last part of Job is just God setting everyone straight on the facts of the situation (Job 38-41). The book ends with Job coming into agreement with God (Job 42:1-6) not his feelings. 

The biggest problem with feelings from a biblical perspective is that feelings come from our heart rather than the logic or moral center of our brains.   Modern people view “the heart” as the earnest, mooshy, noble part of humanity that always knows what’s best for everyone.

This is not how the Bible sees the human heart. The Bible teaches that while the human heart is not ALWAYS corrupt or wrong (Matthew 5:8, Matthew 22:37, Luke 8:15, 1st Timothy 1:5). It is just not to be trusted. Sometimes the heart wants what it wants. It can be very deceptive when it comes to getting what it wants or thinks it needs (Psalm 14:1, Matthew 9:4, Matthew 15:19, Jeremiah 5:23, Jeremiah 17:9). What the Bible calls “the heart” is probably what we know as the limbic part of our brain. The limbic is the section of our brain responsible for safety, comfort, sex and food. The limbic part of our brain is the most primitive part of us. It doesn’t care about morality, truth, God or even the long-term consequences of acting on our feelings. The limbic system just wants to protect us from undesirable feelings (like remorse) or from experiencing any discomfort, pain or negativity. This reality makes feelings a poor barometer of what’s right and wrong (Isaiah 5:20). We need a moral truth north for that and that’s where the Bible comes in. Following are three biblical principles to keep in mind where feelings are concerned:

We can be empathic and compassionate and still hold others accountable for their actions- 

It is possible to feel compassion for a person due to the circumstances of their life and still know that person must be held accountable for something they have done. The Ten Commandments do not take a person’s backstory into account when they forbid idolatry, murder or lusting after someone else’s spouse (Exodus 20:1-17). No one gets to commit idolatry just because their neighbor does it. Nor do adult children get to discard their parents because they are of no use to them anymore.  Committing adultery does not become acceptable because the neighbor’s spouse is hotter and nicer than their own. It doesn’t work that way because once we start making exceptions to the rules the rules become meaningless, society devolves into moral chaos and justice is lost to real victims (Proverbs 21:15, Isaiah 59:14). 

Christians must learn to run the consequences of acting on a feeling through the logic center of the brain (and God) before we act on anything- 

Anytime we choose to act on a strong feeling (lust, empathy, hate, compassion, disgust, anger, etc.) there will be a cost. Sometimes that cost is clearly worth it sometimes it’s not. Jesus taught that wise people count the cost of all things before they act (Luke 14:28). If train ourselves to use a combination of logic, biblical truth to discern right and wrong rather than our feelings we will rarely go wrong. 

And finally, 

Christians should never allow a godless society to lead us with their feelings- 

There are a lot of strong feelings “out there” in the world right now. Very few of those feelings are based on any kind of fixed moral truth or even common sense. It’s all about feelings and how one chooses to interpret a given situation. All these unfettered, unexamined feelings are literally and figuratively leading our world to hell. Christians should know better and must do better.

What Resisting the Holy Spirit Looks Like in Everyday Life-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law- Galatians 5:18 NKJV

In Acts chapter six the newborn church was flourishing, people were being redeemed, lives were changed and Jews from all over were living together in unity. Jesus was being glorified and it was awesome (Acts 2:44-47, Acts 4:32-36). 

At the same time the church was suffering some intense growing pains. The Greek widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution.  Because this situation smacked of partiality and even racism (Galatians 3:28) it had the potential to derail the unity of the early church and undo all the evangelistic good being done.  Six men were chosen to right these wrongs and oversee the needs of the growing community. Stephen was one of those six.  He quickly proved he had more than just a gift for solving problems. Stephen was a skillful preacher, fearless truth-teller and a prophetic voice. His giftedness landed him in hot water with Jewish leaders. When brought before the council and questioned about his message, he did not defend himself. Instead, he recounted the entirety of Jewish history beginning with Abraham and ending with the Jewish leaders master-minding the crucifixion of Jesus. Very little of what he had to say was flattering. He definitely focused in on the negative and ugly. Then at the very end (just before they stoned him) he delivers this zinger:

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.”

Okay, so, I won’t lie. 

I found Stephen’s words deeply convicting. Because I (like most Christians) resist the Holy Spirit from time-to-time. Resisting the Holy Spirit never ends well for anyone.  At best it results in a loss of blessing. At worst it leads to a hardening of the heart, that leads to sin. After, dealing with my own junk I asked God to show me what “resisting the Holy Spirit” looks like in everyday life. The following is what God gave me: 

We ignore known facts about living the Christian life- 

This truth is fairly obvious: if we know to do something and refuse to do it, that’s sin (James 4:17). The thing that’s less obvious is the end result of this behavior. Here’s how it works: Joe Christian decides to willfully ignore a known truth about God or sin.  It does not take long guilt for guilt to set in.  In an effort to avoid more guilt Joe (or Jane) looks for a Christian teacher who will tell them their sin is okay or at least not that big a deal (2nd Timothy 4:3). Because we live in stupid times it is never hard to find a “Christian” teacher looking for a following who will tell people something they want to hear, regardless of whether or not it’s biblical.  Once Joe Christian is under the instruction of a false teacher, he begins to adopt more and more beliefs that are false.  One way or another choosing to ignore or willfully disregard one truth easily leads individuals down a rat hole of wrong thinking. It just makes more sense to obey the Holy Spirit in the first place. 

We refuse to honor those we are told to honor- 

There are still places on this planet where giving “honor to whom honor is due” (Romans 13:7, Romans 12:10) is still a thing. This is becoming less common all the time. Most people are incredibly judgmental towards those in authority and deeply individualistic. Many believe leaders (parents, teachers, pastors, politicians) should only be honored for perfection, not simply for the position they hold. God thinks otherwise (Romans 13:1, Ephesians 6:2, 1st Peter 2:17, Titus 3:1, Hebrews 13:17). When a person refuses to honor those to whom honor is due, they walk in disobedience to God and resist the Holy Spirit’s will for their lives. This does not mean an adult child has to obey their parents. Adults are responsible before God for their choices. As adults we don’t have to like every authority in our lives, nor do we have to obey an authority who is asking us to sin (Exodus 1:15-20). That said, all human authority should be respected, if we refuse, we are resisting the Holy Spirit. 

We ignore the still small voice calling us to hard things- 

It’s never easy to do the hard things God calls us to do, even Jesus struggled sometimes (Mark 14:32-37, John 11:35, Hebrews 2:10, Hebrews 5:8). Therefore, it makes sense that fallible, sinful humans would be tempted to take short cuts when it comes to obeying the hard stuff.  However, anytime we choose the easy route over the biblical route we are resisting the Holy Spirit (1st Samual 15:22). 

 And finally, we refuse the Holy Spirit when we:

Refuse to examine and reject the wisdom of the world- 

There’s a lot of worldly wisdom floating around Christian circles. Most of it sounds amazing. Worldly wisdom sounds great because it’s easy and it appeals to our flesh. Worldly wisdom says we can do anything we want with our bodies. It tells us we never have to forgive anyone we don’t want to or tolerate the presence of someone who doesn’t “meet our emotional needs” or “fill our tank”. Sadly, the end result of worldly wisdom is jealousy, selfishness, division and every evil thing (Jude 19, James 3:16). Following worldly wisdom always results in a loss of spiritual power and godly wisdom because we lose the spiritual truth we refuse to use (Hebrews 5:11-13). The only way to get free from worldly wisdom is to make a practice of comparing our attitudes and ideas to the Bible. Initially, this practice results in conviction (which is unpleasant) but, if we lean into the conviction ultimately it leads to life, joy, peace and deeper connection to the Holy Spirit (James 3:17-18). 

Four Things Christians Should Stop Saying Immediately-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned- Matthew 12:26-37 ESV

I feel like this post needs a bit of a disclaimer, so here goes:

I am not, nor have I ever been much of a rule maker.  I truly believe laws are for lawbreakers (1st Timothy 1:9-11). Therefore, if people would just obey God and do what He tells us to do laws would be totally unnecessary and the world would be a better place. Because I believe that to be true, I try to mind my own business and let everyone else mind theirs. This is especially true when it comes to words. I do my level best not to police other people’s words.  There are things I try really hard not to say (Exodus 20:7, Romans 1:29, Ephesians 4:29). However, I don’t force others to be like me. 

Controlling other people’s words is for nincompoops and control freaks. 

All that being said. I guess I could officially be labelled as a control freak nincompoop, because there are some phrases I am sick of hearing Christians say. I don’t love it when non-Christians use the same phrases. However, I do understand that Christians are not to force non-believers to live, think or talk like believers (1st Corinthians 5:12-13). Christians are commanded to teach truth, model love and live righteously so that non-believers become curious about our faith (1st Peter 3:15) and want to become believers. The words we use to matter and what we say ought to be in alignment with Scripture. The following four phrases are best-case-scenario, worldly and silly (1stJohn 2:15).  Worst-case-scenario they are spiritually harmful to both hearer and sayer because they lead folks to believe things that have the potential to lead people to both a literal and a metaphorical hell. Those phrases are:

“Perception is reality”- 

Perception is rarely reality. Perception is a weird mix of what we witness, what we feel and what we believe (Ephesians 5:6). An individual’s perception might be spot-on; it might be someplace in crazy town. Reality, on the hand is whatever actually took place.  It’s the facts. No one gets their own unique little reality based entirely on their perceptions.  It’s true that our life experiences and insights impact the way we see reality. However, healthy, sane, people should not be content to see the world through their fallible, unstable perception of events. It feels like kindness to allow someone’s faulty perceptions to be their reality (Proverbs 23:23), but it’s actually a form of cruelty. We must always strive to be kind, but we must also remember it is truth that sets people free and lies that hold people in bondage (John 8:32, Ephesians 4:15).

“Protecting my peace”- 

People who say this one are almost always cutting someone out of their life and using peace as the reason to do so, usually without so much as a single attempt at real reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24).  Peace is a blessing.  No healthy human chooses to forgo peace for conflict or disunity (Psalm 133:1).  However, truth-be-told there are precious few human relationships that don’t include at least an element of conflict. Furthermore, nowhere in Scripture are we promised peace through any relationship except our relationship with Jesus Christ (John 16:33, Colossians 3:15, 2nd Peter 3:15). Nowhere in Scripture are Christians told to break off relationships simply for the sake of maintaining personal peace. On the contrary, Christians are called to make peace with one another (Romans 14:19).  Peacemaking is as different from peacekeeping as apples are from orangutangs. Peacemaking is hard work because it almost always means wrestling through messy conflict and hurt feelings to get to a place where both parties are at peace (Matthew 5:9). Peacemaking is all about grace, forgiveness and loving people in spite of their imperfections, the same way Jesus loves us (Matthew 18:21-22, Romans 5:8, Hebrews 12:14). 

“My truth”-

There is simply no such thing as “my truth” and “your truth”. No one gets a unique little truth to call their own because they are fond of the truth they invented. Truth is truth. Anything else is either a pack of filthy lies or an example of a human being trying to make God or His truth into a more palatable image.  Christians must contend for the truth as given in Scripture (Psalm 25:5). We must also avoid the cultural tendency to believe we all get to construct our own truths about God and life based on how we wish things were (Isaiah 59:14-15).  

And finally:

“My Jesus”- 

When people use this phrase, they are almost always attempting to demonstrate kindness and grace to someone who is sinning their face off.  They say my “my Jesus would be okay with that”. These folks have noble intentions and good hearts but a faulty understanding of grace, truth and what the Bible has to say about most issues (John 1:14-17, Titus 2:11-12). There’s one Jesus, the one presented in the New Testament. Jesus isn’t a chameleon who changes His decrees concerning right and wrong depending on who He’s hanging out with and how sorry He feels for them. Genuine love helps people caught in sin to get to know the biblical Jesus. Real love teaches the truth that leads people to a place of repentance rather than a place of feeling okay with sinful choices. That’s real kindness, real grace and authentic love and it’s what we are all called to. 

Getting Our Love Back-

Lisa M. Price1 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.  

Four Choices that Keep us Moving Forward Spiritually-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation- 2nd Peter 3:14b-15a NIV

One morning this last week I woke up late and a lot less than rested. Nonetheless, I was determined to do my regular devotional reading. It just so happened that the only Bible in the room was a chronological Bible. Chronological Bibles aren’t bad, but every book and even some events are in historical order rather than the traditional format. Because everything is in a weird order, I knew it would take me literally forever to find the books I’ve been reading (Luke and Colossians). I simply did not have time for that nonsense. So, in the interest of getting to work on time I chose to employ a devotional technique I don’t actually recommend. I did this thing where I flip open my Bible and whatever I open to is my spiritual food for the day. In the interest of honesty I will admit I totally aimed for the New Testament. Once I attempted this technique without aiming for the New Testament and ended up in Jeremiah fifteen. Not good. Nothing but death and bad news in that chapter. I spent the better part of a day wondering if God was trying to tell me something.  

So anyway. 

My Bible flipped open to book of Hebrews. I was pretty happy because I really like the book of Hebrews. Then I realized I was in the middle of Hebrews five. I ended up reading 5:11-6:12. Truth-be-told, so far as encouragement goes it wasn’t much better than Jeremiah fifteen (this is why I don’t recommend this method). However, there was a lot to chew on (metaphorically speaking) once I leaned into it.  

I have always assumed Hebrews five and six is mostly about the dangers of backsliding. However, after spending a good part of my day meditating on the passage, I really think the author is getting at something a bit deeper. The passage is less about going backwards spiritually and more about what happens when we stop making the effort necessary to go forward spiritually. The consequences of spiritual inertia are never good. We stop producing good fruit, we lose spiritual knowledge and we stop caring about we are called to live in this world (Ephesians 4:1, Philippians 2:14-16, Colossians 1:10, 2nd Thessalonians 2:12, 2nd Peter 1:3-11). If the whole messy mess goes on long enough, we can fall into serious sin, become a disgrace to God’s reputation and even become spiritually useless (Hebrews 6:1-8.) 

Yikes. 

Nobody wants that. In the interest of avoiding all of the above negativity I want to share four choices that will keep us moving forward spiritually: 

Choose discernment and wisdom where relational “experts” are concerned-  

Our culture has reached a weird new low. “Experts” actually teach that animosity, ongoing resentment and unforgiveness is the healthiest emotional option for most people most of the time. This is played out in our cultural obsession with boundaries, estrangement and cutting friends and family off for the filmiest of reasons (rudeness, thoughtlessness, toxicity). Counselors and even some pastors no longer instruct individuals on how to work out their issues or forgive. Because we are ultimately all sinners this teaching feels right and sensible, but it is worldly to the core and horribly ill-advised (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12). Hanging on to resentment is always a bad idea, because holding on to resentment is a fast track to bitterness. Bitterness is a destructive and defiling (polluting, corrupting, ruining) force in our lives (Matthew 6:12-15, Ephesians 4:29-32, Hebrews 12:15).  

Never forget that faith is a muscle- 

Contrary to popular belief, faith is not something Christians receive fully formed and ready to put into action (Luke 13:19). Faith is more like a muscle that must be used and worked regularly for it to reach its full potential. Practically speaking, this means every situation we come up against in life is an opportunity either for our faith to grow stronger or weaker (1st Corinthians 10:15, 2nd Thessalonians 1:3). Faith grows and becomes more robust anytime we choose to do what God tells us to do (James 2:17-26, Hebrews 11). Conversely, lack of obedience guarantees our faith will be feeble and inadequate when we need it most. 

Lean into the hard things- 

There are some obvious blessings to living in this age. There are there also realities to this living in this age that make life challenging from a spiritual perspective (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). That said, God’s people are called to lean into the tough stuff of life (John 16:33, James 1:1-4, 1st Peter 1:6-7, Revelation 7:14). This is true even though our every instinct we have tells us to retreat when life becomes challenging. Leaning into the tough stuff is how we make a difference in the lives of others. It’s also how we become wise and discerning. Consciencely choosing to seek Jesus and grow through the difficulties we experience is the key to leaning into the tough stuff. Leaning in with a mindset of faith prevents spiritually passivity and keeps us moving forward.

And finally: 

Keep our eyes on the prize-

The prize is more than just eternal life in heaven. Eternal life will be amazing but it’s not the real prize. The real prize will be hearing Jesus say upon our arrival, “well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:20-28).   The real prize comes to those who choose to do the hard work of living a life faithfulness, spiritual forward motion and leaning into every lesson God wants to teach us. 

What if the “Thorn” in our Side is Another Christian?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than arrogance of spirit. Do not be eager in your spirit to be angry, for anger resides in the heart of fools- Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 NASB

One of the most hotly debated passages of Scripture is 2nd Corinthians 12:7-8. In this passage Paul clearly states that God gave him a “thorn” in his flesh.  Scripture states this “thorn” was a messenger from Satan, something demonic in nature sent to Paul to keep him from becoming excessively prideful. 

Weird. 

No one really knows what Paul’s “thorn” was. I certainly don’t. Nonetheless, a lack of clear understanding has not stopped people from trying to figure it out.  Some believe the “thorn” may have been a particularly alluring temptation the apostle struggled to completely overcome. Others think it may have been poor eyesight; still others believe it was some sort of a physical malady that caused the apostle a great deal of pain. It has been speculated it may have been an embarrassing speech impediment. Some believe it may have been a person who did him wrong (2nd Timothy 4:14). Whatever “it” was made Paul’s life and ministry much more difficult.

We all have thorns. 

We all have issues in our lives that challenge our faith, cause us a great deal of difficulty and make living the Christian life much more challenging. I’m not necessarily sold on the notion that EVERYTHING that falls into this category is from Satan. It is highly likely at least some of the issues that cause us the most trouble are just the unfortunate consequences of living in a fallen world (Genesis 3:17-19, Isaiah 24:5-6, John 16:33). Disease, mean people, kids that go wrong, spouses that wander or financial hardships sometimes are the result of satanic attacks but not always. 

But, what if our thorn in the flesh is another Christian? 

What if the thing generating the most angst, difficulty and chaos in our life is a brother or sister in Christ? What if the person who makes us want to scream and cry and swear is someone, we do ministry with? What if the person we least want to be around is someone we will spend eternity with? 

Yikes. 

It certainly makes things a bit trickier. Interpersonal conflict between Christians happens all the time and is nothing new (Acts 15:36-40, Romans 14:1-23, Philippians 4:2-3, Galatians 2:11).  Truth-be-told, in situations where Christians struggle to find I do believe most of the time Satan is directly involved. I am not saying the person we have a conflict with is some sort of a demonic manifestation sent from Satan to torment us (it might feel that way but it’s not true). However, the friction involved is nearly always a satanic scheme (2nd Corinthians 2:11, Ephesians 6:11). How we handle these situations matters.  Our response to conflict with another Christian can make the difference between ministry moving forward and God being glorified and Christians making Jesus look bad with our interpersonal shenanigans and inability to get along with each other (Psalm 133:1, Ephesians 4:1-3). Some things to remember anytime we find ourselves in conflict with another Christian:

God wants to sharpen you-

There was a time when I thought iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17) meant me hanging out with someone I really liked discussing the ins and outs of our favorite passages of Scripture. I know now that’s just not how it works.  In order for iron to become sharp (and useful) sometimes some sparks need to fly, not for the sake of conflict but so flaws can be revealed (James 4:1-2) and the people involved can become sharper, better and more like Jesus.  Conflict shines light on our issues and the areas we need to grow (2nd Peter 1:3-11). This means that that our first go-to in a conflict (especially with another Christian) should be self-examination (2nd Corinthians 13:5) and prayer for the wisdom to see our own junk. 

Maturity is not automatic-

Becoming a Christian does not automatically make a person spiritually or emotionally mature (Hebrews 5:11-6:3).  This means believers in Jesus can be wrong, codependent, prideful, silly, inflexible, cantankerous, ill-informed and led by worldly passions and attitudes.  We do not give up on these people because we have all been these people at some point in our walk. Instead, we patiently present the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and lovingly model Christian maturity for as long as it takes for God to do His thing in them (Ephesians 4:14-16). 

Not everyone who says they are believer is one- 

Jesus was clear that not everyone in Church or all who profess Christ are the real deal (Matthew 7:16-23, Matthew 13:24-29 and 36-43, Matthew 15:8, Luke 6:42, Luke 12:1). This means that we will bump up against people who say they are Christians but are not. When we suspect we are in one of those situations our role is not to condemn or judge harshly. Instead, we should understand we have a holy obligation before God to pray they will see what they need to see to get right with God. 

And finally,

The bigger picture- 

Eternity is the always the bigger picture for believers in Jesus. This brief little vapor of a life is all about who we become for eternity, who we reach for eternity and how we glorify God for eternity (James 4:14). A little bit of relational effort and willingness to give grace to our brothers and sisters in Christ now goes a long way towards bringing God glory for all eternity.

\

Spiritual Survival in a 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 World-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven- Matthew 5:44-45a NASB

Scripture predicts there will come a “day” when the world will be filled with gossipy jerks who slander the innocent without so much as a twinge of regret (1st Corinthians 6:10).   People will be self-obsessed and intent on amassing a large number of followers (Philippians 2:3-4).   Men and women will cut friends and family off without so much as a conversation. No one will be interested in any discussion of forgiveness, reconciliation or interpersonal healing (Matthew 5:23-24, Exodus 20:12, Mark 7:10, Ephesians 6:20). Individuals will be materialistic and thoroughly ungrateful for what they do have, always coveting more (Hebrews 12:28). A large majority will be duplicitous, prideful and unconcerned to the welfare of others (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). 

Sadly, not all of these folks will be unbelieving heathens. Many will be church goers who self-identify as Christ followers (2nd Timothy 3:5). Some will be Church leaders and Christian influencers (Matthew 13:24-30 and Matthew 13:36-43) Many will avoid teachers and doctrine that does not make them feel good about their choices.  Many “Christians” will possess a surfacy goodness but will be lacking the fear of God that makes someone truly godly (Malichi 3:16, Proverbs 8:13, Job 28:28, John 15:14). Many will be led astray, and life will become difficult for the sincerely Christian (2nd Timothy 4:3, Matthew 24:11-12). 

I am convinced the day the apostle Paul predicted would come is here (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). We are living in it.  Things will undoubtedly get worse before the return of Christ, nevertheless we are seeing the first fruits of the fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy in real time. Don’t get me wrong, there have always been evil people, some have even claimed to be Christians.  That being said not since prior to the dawn of the Christian age has evil existed in such a widespread, bold and understated kind of a way. We live in a time when even some “Christians” openly call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).  

We are called to be salt and light to all people all the time, even in a 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 kind of a world (Matthew 5:13). Living as salt and light in a world like ours requires wisdom and a whole lot of help from the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, Acts 1:8).  Prayer is the starting place of both wisdom and the presence of the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:9, Acts 8:15). Following are some prayers we should pray daily if we want to survive  life in a 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 world:

Pray for wisdom to interact wisely-  

 Paul warns his readers against building close relationships with 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 people (2nd Timothy 3:5). This is unusual, because Paul does not normally shy away from encouraging evangelism (Romans 1:16, Romans 10:14, Philippians 2:15) or Christian fellowship, even with the messy and spiritually immature.  He commands caution because these folks (for the most part) claim to be Christian and yet their behavior does not line up with biblical teaching concerning some critical issues. Consequently, the inherent danger is that their sin and hypocrisy will become contagious and negatively impact our growth.  Therefore, it is critical we understand the indicators of a 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 kind of a person (excessive pride, covetousness, treating sin lightly, calling evil good, unforgiveness, lack of gratitude, an unwillingness to reconcile) and do everything we can to avoid being changed by their behavior (1st Corinthians 15:33). Our call as believers is to love people deeply but develop such an aversion to sin and sinful attitudes that our presence changes the spiritual tone of every situation, we find ourselves in, no matter what’s going on in the room (Jude 22-23). 

Pray we will all feel appropriate conviction- 

One of the worst things that can happen to a human is to lose the ability to feel gut-level conviction over their sin. Once conviction is gone it’s a hop, skip, and a jump to a seared conscience (1st Timothy 4:2). Once a conscience is seared it is almost impossible for a person to care enough about spiritual things to be saved or return fully to the truth they once embraced (Hebrews 6:4-8, Mark 10:27). Therefore, it is imperative we pray everyone (including us) will feel the appropriate level of conviction for sin. 

Pray the wrong influences will be limited- 

Influence is a big deal these days, to such an extent there are people who actually make a living influencing others (how weird is that?) Sadly, the most powerful influencers in our world are seldom godly or wise (Proverbs 13:20). Christians ought to pray routinely that the right kind of influences will have the loudest voices and the worst will be drowned out by truth and wisdom.  

And finally, 

Pray for discernment-

We really do live in the strangest of times. Behaviors and attitudes once considered sinful (unforgiveness, pride, immodesty) are now thought to be a sign of good mental health. Conversely, behaviors society once saw as universally desirable (humility, modesty, meekness, forgiveness, turning the other cheek) are now thought to be a sign of weakness and foolishness. Times such as ours require discernment and a gut-level commitment to doing life God’s way (Romans 12:2). There are no shortcuts to getting discernment. We can only acquire it through prayer, fellowship with other Christians and a commitment to knowing and obeying God’s word (1st Thessalonians 5:16-18, Proverbs 27:17, 2nd Peter 1:3-11)

Biblical Counsel for Surviving “One of Those Days”-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. – Psalm 90:14 ESV

A couple of weeks back, I came across a verse that spoke so perfectly to my situation that day I literally laughed out loud, it said: 

Now on one of those days- Luke 8:22a NASB 

 Every human on earth has days when in spite of their best efforts and most fervent prayers nothing goes the way it’s supposed to go.  Other times one of those days is a day when everything is going along okay, then out of nowhere all hell breaks loose and nothing feels good or secure anymore. The details are different in different situations. However, the bottom line is always the same. One of those days is a day (or series of days) where everything goes bad and we find ourselves stuck in a trial and it feels like there is no way it could possibly end in anything but more pain and trouble (John 16:33).

For the disciples their “one of those days” involved a nasty storm that appeared without warning and a Jesus who seemed to be unaware and even indifferent to their panic. For the rest of us, one of those days can comprise almost any set of icky circumstances: a sick spouse, a wayward child, a difficult coworker, a financial disaster, a painful marriage or a loss that has left a hole in our heart. Those days almost always involve the sense that Jesus is oblivious and/or unfeeling towards our situation. In a world as fallen as this one, those days are an unfortunate and inevitable part of life. That said, how we choose to handle those days will define our life and impact how we live out our Christianity.  Following are five things we should do when we find ourselves in “one of those days”. The first is:

Go to Jesus-

To the disciples’ credit this appears to be the very first thing they did (Luke 8:24). It was also without a doubt the smartest thing they could have done. When our first response in a crisis or a trial is to go to our Savior and ask for His help, comfort and direction it helps prevent panic from setting in and enables us to think more clearly. Going to Jesus first reminds our frail, doubting hearts we have not been abandoned in the trial (Psalm 23:4, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5). Going to Jesus reminds us God is with us. That knowledge gives us the strength we need to make it to the other side of the storm.  

Embrace the reality that the day is no accident-

In 1st Thessalonians 3:3 the Apostle Paul reminds his readers not to become unsettled by trials because “we were destined for them”. No one really likes a trial. However, understanding the purpose of trials does help make them less painful to process.  God allows us to experience trials so that we can learn to lean on God and become more like Jesus in everything we do (Hebrews 2:9-10, Hebrews 2:18). Trials serve another purpose; trials give us the experience we need to help others suffering through similar circumstances (2nd Corinthians 1:1-6). When Christians choose to help the hurting and marginalized our love for one another shows the world just how real our God is (1st Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 4:12-13). 

Lean on those around you-

Human beings were never meant to do life solo (Genesis 2:18). We were literally made for relationship with God and with one another. In the earliest days of the Church, we see Christians embracing community and caring for one another (Acts 2:42-47, Hebrews 10:24). Meaningful relationships make the Christian life both easier and more joyful. The best way to manage a difficult day or survive a tough season is with our brothers and sisters in Christ cheering us on (1st Peter 4:8). However, the time to cultivate Christian community is not on “one of those days”. The time to cultivate community is in the easy seasons when life is relatively calm. It’s never too early or too late to begin the process of building healthy relationships in the body of Christ. 

Be open to learning whatever needs to be learned- 

God is good even on one of those days. God demonstrates His goodness by working ALL things out for our eternal good and His eternal glory (Romans 8:28). One way He works things out for our good is by using the difficult circumstances of our lives to help us grow into the people He wants us to become for eternity (2nd Corinthians 4:18). This means trials have a purpose greater than just making us miserable or teaching us things we need to learn about ourselves. Trials refine us and make us better. They also make us better suited for life in heaven. However, in order for trials to work out for our good (James 1:2-4) we must be willing to cooperate with God through the trial. This means being open to learning whatever it is we need to learn. 

And finally, 

Look for someone else to bless- 

Those days are called “those days” because they aren’t easy. One counter-intuitive way to make a hard day better is to look for someone else in worse circumstances to help or bless. Blessing others is not magic. It will not make trial go away.  It will take our minds of ourselves and enable another hurting person to feel the love of Jesus.