Thursday May 8, 2014

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Scripture at the end.

Our son Andrew is a wonderful actor and director.  He’s also a very busy businessman.  Some years ago he played the role of Satan in The Thorn, a marvelous Easter production in Colorado similar to the Passion of the Christ.  In costume, makeup and mask, he was hideous.  The mask had been made by professional artists and made him appear so very real!

Given his athleticism and gymnastics background, his movements made your skin crawl.  He was able to give the appearance of evil incarnate.  Satan’s greatest moments were those from Jesus’ arrest to his death on the cross.  As Jesus and the cross made their way through the audience to the crucifixion site, Satan was behind him slinking, gloating and celebrating.

Andrew had prayed that the Lord would use him in this vile role of Satan however He would.  Later Andrew discovered just how profoundly the Lord did use him in one young man’s life.  There was a high school student, who was sitting in the front row of an aisle that the procession went through.

This young man had a teacher who happened to be a Christian.  A few days earlier she became aware that he was getting involved in drugs and warned him of the evil he was getting involved with – and he dismissed it.  She then told him that he needed to come “face to face with Satan” in order to recognize the reality of what he was messing with.

It was this same young man, sitting in the front row, watching as Jesus, the soldiers and the cross went by.  Then as Satan and the demons started to go by him, the Lord moved on Andrew to go nose-to-nose with this particular young man!  So Andrew – as Satan – immediately spun, faced him nose-to-nose; and inches apart, let loose a hideous, blood-curdling scream – and then moved on. It was over in an instant, but the young man had come “face to face with Satan”.  This directly resulted in his repentance and salvation!!!

Many of us share a similar type of problem with that young man.  We are dabbling in things we shouldn’t – and we don’t recognize who or what we are messing with, or the consequences of our behavior.  We think we love Jesus – but we live lives that are entwined with the world and its ways.  We too, need to recognize the true reality of our lives.  The Apostle John puts it this way,

Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. 

(1 John 2:15-17 The Message)

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Wednesday May 7, 2014

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

Where are we?  Where are we going?  And, how do we get there?  Isn’t God good to use testing to show us!  Has the thought crossed your mind that testing is vital to our destiny and is a priceless blessing?  It’s a good thing that it is, because there’s a limitless supply of testing for each of us!

No matter what situations we find ourselves in, God is in the midst of them working in our lives; revealing who we are and where we are in our walk with Him.  Testing highlights are strengths and weaknesses; it shows how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.  It is like a spiritual GPS – it lets us know where we are.  Fortunately, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, are the components that give understanding to the ‘where we are’ piece, but more importantly they are also the components that let us know where we are supposed to be going and how to get there.

Think about that.  This process applies to every area and aspect of our lives: our thoughts, habits, idiosyncrasies, mannerisms, attitudes, interactions, etc…  God wants to transform every area of our lives to be like Jesus.  This applies to absolutely everything about us – without any exemptions.  And God uses all circumstances for testing, not just the difficult times.

How do we respond when things are going well?  How do we respond to praise and success?  Do we have a tendency to become less dependent upon the Lord in such times?  Do we walk in humility and grace; or do we become proud of what ‘we’ have accomplished?

When things become difficult, do we blame or question God?  Do we become anxious and stressed out?  Do our lives demonstrate that we are genuinely trusting God?  Are we kind and considerate no matter what happens?

Fortunately, God works with us in everything.  No matter where we find ourselves with regard to any aspect of our lives, He has a redemptive path for us.  Do we need to repent – or are we affirmed because we responded righteously to the situation?  If we responded well, could we have done better?  Do we then glorify Him by properly responding to what the ‘testing’ has shown us about ourselves?

It’s so important that we remember that we are not our own.  We belong to Him and He wants us to be demonstrations of His love and grace.  Just as the crucible and furnace are used to purify silver and gold, God uses the testing to purity us – so that we might glorify Him.

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Tuesday May 6, 2014

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Don Schmidt

What is this blog really about?

Suppose we had eyes to see that some important things in our lives weren’t what they seemed to be.  Things that we thought were fine and good turn out to be not so good – incompatible with whom we want to be.  Some areas of life are much more obvious when it comes to telling the difference – while others much more difficult.

Think about the word “requirement”.  It’s a word that appropriately applies to many aspects of our lives.  What is required to be a student; an employee; a husband; a wife; an employer?  Different things have different requirements – that’s a normal part of life.

But what happens if we misperceive what the requirements truly are of something important in our lives?  We form an understanding of what “normal” is; but that understanding in reality is really sub-normal or contrary to what it should be.

In such situations, what does it take to make us aware that something is amiss in our understanding?  Often it is through encountering information involving that subject that provokes a re-evaluation of our understanding and behavior.  Insights are persuasively presented that often highlight the differences between what our understanding is and what it should be.

Getting back to that word “requirement”, we often don’t associate it with our Christian faith.  We tend to focus more on grace and mercy – particularly with the passing of time.  We often fail to recognize that our salvation experience was just the beginning of God’s work in us, not the “we have arrived” moment.

We’re not talking about earning salvation; nor are we talking about legalism.  We are talking about loving God and all that implies – and the implications are enormously wonderful.  The net results are not culturally acceptable living patterns.

My goal isn’t to hit readers in the side of the head with a 2 x 4 to get them to change.   My goal is to present the glorious truth of the Gospel in such a way that readers hear the Holy Spirit speaking to them and encouraging them to respond to Him.  Consider Paul’s powerful instructions in Romans 12:1-2 (MSG),

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

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Monday May 5, 2014

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Ephesians 5:10  and find out what pleases the Lord.

There are 7 words in this verse and they present a thought and a command that is important beyond measure.  I’m embarrassed by the number of times I’ve read the book of Ephesians without noticing this verse.  I think it tends to get overlooked because the verses surrounding it are so significant.

The verses immediately preceding it deal with being children of light and what that entails.  The verses following it instruct us to have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness.  These are major ideas of instruction (commands) for us.  But between them lies this life-giving gem for anyone with eyes to see or ears to hear.

Who is the focus of our lives as Christians?  Why do we do the things that we do?  What is the nature of our motivation?  What are we trying to accomplish?  Who is the love of our life?  What is important to Him?  What opportunities does He give us that are beyond counting?  This verse supplies the key.

We have the incredible opportunity to please Him by what we do – to bring pleasure to our God.  This opportunity doesn’t occur just once, or once in awhile – but innumerable times every day.  His Word and His Spirit will guide us to discover those things that please Him.  It’s not about earning salvation or earning anything.  It’s not about us – but about Him, the one we love and belong to.  It’s not about avoiding punishment or judgment but about blessing Him.  It’s living for Him.

Think of the pleasure you experience when someone does something important to bless you just because of his or her love for you and not wanting anything in return.  By finding out what pleases the Lord – and doing it – we can bring pleasure to our God each and every day of our lives

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Sunday May 4, 2014

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Don Schmidt

2 Kings 13:18-19  Then he said, “Take the arrows,”  and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

Yesterday I was struck by a new insight into this story of Elisha, the king and the arrows.   It involves another layer of application.  This story has been a helpful illustration of the importance of doing things whole-heartedly, and not holding back.  The king had no idea that his response had prophetic implications – not only for him but for the whole nation.

God’s provision was predicated on how he responded to Elisha’s command – and Elisha didn’t tell him that it did.  “Oh by the way King; be sure to keep hitting the ground until I tell you to stop or you’re in trouble.”  When the king responded half-heartedly, Elisha angrily rebuked him and informed him of the negative consequences of his actions.  What a missed opportunity!

This is a specific illustration but the principle behind it is a treasure in itself.  What I saw yesterday is that the principle of whole-hearted response to given situations is only part of it.  Another application is having a whole-hearted attitude in ‘seeing’ and finding the opportunities that are available to us.

There are many opportunities that come our way – opportunities that allow us to be God’s hands extended – but how many do we see and take advantage of?  Remember the springtime illustration of me asking our sons when they were little what colors they saw when we went for walks in the woods?   They had to experience a change of what they were looking for to notice the many spring colors that surrounded them.

The colors were ‘lost’ in the black, brown and gray of the woods after winter.  Are we so busy that we avoid seeing opportunities?  Do we experience an “Oh no.” kind of mentality when we think we might be asked to serve – again!

I have to repent, because just as I typed the word ‘again’ in that last sentence, I thought of a very specific situation that I experience regularly where that is precisely my attitude.  Understand, we’re not talking about saying “Yes” to every opportunity that presents itself.  The issue is our attitude.  The Lord will guide us when we look to Him for wisdom in responding to the opportunities we find.

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Saturday May 3, 2014

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Genesis 1:1   1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

If a person is an atheist, they definitely have a problem with the concept of God creating the world.  Likewise those who might believe in some kind of divine ‘entity’ but hold the view that that ‘entity’ is and has always been uninvolved in this world.  Maybe once upon a time it (the entity) initiated a spark that set a process in motion but that was it.

The Theory of Evolution is just about the only thing you are left with if God cannot be a part of the process.  Over the past few decades its proponents have accomplished moving it from theory to accepted fact – at least in their minds and in academia.  This is their faith venture.

Consider some Evolution terms:  (But note how positive they all are)

Evolve = change, grow, progress, advance, go forward, develop

Evolution = development, growth, progression, advancement

Mutation = change, alteration, transformation, modification

Enter my college Genetics class that I took my senior year – big class with over 500 students in it.  [FYI – The professor happened to be an atheist. I learned that, months later through discussions with him.] I had been a Christian a little over a year and hadn’t given a lot of thought to the evolution / creation issue.  But from earlier college courses, I knew that mutations were the foundation of the Theory of Evolution.  It couldn’t exist without them.

In Genetics class we dealt with the subject of mutations and that provided a stunning eye-opener.  Most mutations are harmful or negative – or at best neutral.  Let’s say that again but in a different way – Most mutations are NOT beneficial or positive!!!  In addition there is the whole issue of dominant and recessive mutations.  The rarest ‘critter’ out there in the world of mutations is the ‘dominant and beneficial mutation’.

Yet, that very ‘critter’ is what the whole evolution house of cards is built upon.  We read and hear how Evolution is predicated upon mutations – zillions and zillions of them – and unlimited time for them to occur.  But the theory is based upon the ‘given’ (read fiction) that the mutations are all overwhelmingly positive, beneficial and dominant.  This is the very opposite the reality.

While this whole experience was helpful, I don’t believe in Scriptural creation because of it.  My belief is settled firmly on the Rock that is Christ:

John 1:1-3  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with  God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The good news was that the more I experienced the power and wonder of God, it became a no-brainer that God could do anything! – except lie, sin, be unfaithful, be caught off guard, and a few other things.  Experiencing His supernatural power can have a profound impact on a person.

Come to think of it, creation pales in comparison to what was accomplished through Jesus: His life, death, resurrection, freeing us from a life of sin and making us new creatures in Him.   Creating the world and everything in it was not a big deal – maybe the equivalent of God snapping his fingers.

Note:  My atheist Genetics prof felt he was comfortable with his own explanations for describing my experiences with Jesus.  But the miracles I had seen and experienced were something else.  I remember him looking at me and saying with a serious thoughtfulness, “I don’t know what to do with the miracles.”

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Friday May 2, 2014

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Don Schmidt

1 Peter 3:15  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Imagine sitting in any kind of class or gathering where the speaker/instructor belittles a particular belief.  If there is an individual in the group with that particular belief and he makes it known, the focus likely shifts to him.  Typically it probably isn’t mean spirited, but more in the category of “Oh my!  How can anyone still believe that??!!”  Laughter, polite ridicule and condescension are a powerful combination.

Unfortunately if the person proves to be resistant to the ‘accepted wisdom’ or political correctness, the speaker/instructor can manipulate the nature of the atmosphere to become more aggressive, ‘seasoned’ with anger, intimidation and biting ridicule.  In a classroom setting, a subtle intimation can be communicated that good grades are not obtained by those with such beliefs.

This phenomenon can occur over a vast range of subjects depending upon the views of the speaker and the group.  Consider some topics: abortion; homosexuality, voter IDs, government healthcare; God; Jesus; evolution; the Bible; the list is long.  If we are that person and the recipient of such treatment, how we respond is critical.

Our faith identifies such situations as opportunities not victimhood.  Christ is our rock and it’s upon Him that we stand.  Sometimes we might hesitate to speak up because we don’t want to be a recipient of the verbal attack.  That might be wisdom or it might be fear of what people might think of us; or fear of persecution.  Maybe we’re just too casual with our faith and feel too inadequate to speak up, or to stand with another believer.

We have a hope that is grounded in eternal reality.  We must be prepared to express our faith in ways pleasing to God – not attacking those who oppose but sincerely allowing our light (His light within us) to shine.  We must be spiritually and prayerfully prepared to glorify our Lord when such opportunities arise.

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Wednesday April 30, 2014

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Romans 1:20  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

As I’ve noted before, I had a thunderous conversion the fall of my junior year in college.  The next 22 months saw me at retreats, conferences, prayer meetings, mission trips, Bible studies, witnessing and being discipled.  On a side note, I nearly flunked out until I realized that God wasn’t glorified if I did – and that He wanted me to graduate.  That “revelation” – along with meeting and becoming engaged to Donna – enabled me to focus on my studies my last 4 quarters and graduate.

My last quarter at Michigan State in the summer of 1970 brought another experience that continues to move me to this day.  I had opportunities to visit with one of my best professors and talk to him about my becoming a Christian and the many experiences I was having.  He was Jewish and an atheist.

In our discussions he expressed a major concern that he had.  He believed the most important issue in life was to answer the question, “Is there a God.”  Then, if you concluded there was a God, you must discover if that God has any requirements of you.  He had seriously pursued this and concluded, “There was no God.”  But he was very distressed with my peers and so many others that he knew in that they didn’t take this issue seriously.

As we talked about my conversion, my experiences and the miracles I’d seen, he felt he could explain away most of my testimony.  He seemed settled in his conviction that there was no God, except one thing troubled him.  I can remember him looking at me and saying with a serious thoughtfulness, “I don’t know what to do with the miracles.”  I was so blessed that he believed that I was truthful and had truly experienced the miraculous.  Hopefully, the miracles caused him to reconsider the issue and discover Jesus, his messiah.

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Tuesday April 29, 2014

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Don Schmidt

John 12:42-43  Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

We have this problem today that we encounter everywhere –  and it is a major problem.  In Scripture it is reflected by Nathanael’s blunt comment to hearing Philip excitedly telling him about Jesus of Nazareth, the one written about by Moses and the prophets, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46)

Substitute the word Christianity into Nathanael’s sentence for Nazareth and couple it with an attitude of condescension and we have the problem we are facing nearly everywhere in Western Civilization. It’s in academia, business, media, government, courts – basically everywhere.  It’s similar to evolution in that it’s poor theory that’s accepted as true.  Of course Christianity is viewed as a waste if your ‘given’ is there is no God.

But this perception and accompanying attitudes don’t exist in a vacuum.  They are rooted in forces that have no doubt as to the deadly threat posed to them by scriptural Christianity that is truly lived out. Most of the world has no idea they are pawns in the hands of evil powers. Paul addresses them in Ephesians 6:12,

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Their goal is to stamp Christianity out!  Do anything to keep Christians from tapping into the power they truly have in Christ.  In the face of this politically correct societal dismissal, the issue becomes how are Jesus followers going to respond?

Unfortunately, when our walk is weak, we have a tendency to follow the path painfully described by today’s verse – we respond out of fear because we love the praise of men more than the praise of God – OUCH!  That’s why we have been provided with the armor of God and the command to put it on. (Ephesian 6:10-18)  This armor is vital to being strong in the Lord and able to stand.

When we stand, we don’t respond with anger, shaking our fists at those who oppose us.  But we stand strong and secure in our Lord with our response reflecting our faith, rooted in righteousness and glorifying Jesus.  At times we’ll suffer negative consequences, but even then we must do so with fruit of the Spirit attitudes.

After all, our joy and our lives are centered in pleasing God – not men.

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Monday April 28, 2014

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Don Schmidt

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Have you thought about the power inherent in humility? It enables us to see and respond to truth and wisdom.  Humility prevents the bulwark of pride from being built into a wall of unteachableness that prevents us from recognizing truth when we see it.

A frightening thing about the blindness of pride is that we can be completely unaware at how faulty our judgment is when it comes to recognizing wisdom and truth.  There’s an example in Scripture of a type of blindness that is useful.

In 2 Kings 6:8-23 we have the story of the king of Aram becoming enraged because whenever he planned an attack on Israel, the prophet Elisha warned the king of Israel exactly where the attack would take place.  Time and again the planned attacks failed.  So the king Aram sent his army to Dothan to capture Elisha.

Elisha prayed that the Lord would strike them with blindness and He did.  But when we read the account it’s apparent that this blindness is really unique.  The army can all still see but they are unable to recognize the reality of what they are seeing.

Elisha goes out and tells them that “this is not the road and this is not the city.  Follow me and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.”  He then leads them to Samaria and when they enter city the Lord opens their eyes.  Fortunately for them, Elisha tells the king of Israel to have mercy on them.

I’ve found this story to be a very helpful one because it describes a blindness that simply prevents them from recognizing reality.  Although this one was supernaturally induced, a similar type of blindness is apparent repeatedly in Scripture.  Just think of the inability of the religious leaders to recognize the reality of Jesus!

An attribute of those who are perishing is that wisdom is deemed to be foolishness.  This is blindness that fails to recognize reality.  The message of the cross is the power of God.  Hopefully our lives will always be a wonderful demonstration of the wonder of His salvation – and help the ‘blind’ to see.

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