Lord, save me!

I think we're too hard on the apostle Peter when the truth is that most of us can relate to Peter far better than we care to admit. It is undeniable that Peter made his fair share of mistakes. Big mistakes. Well-documented mistakes. But, sometimes I get the feeling that we think that, had we been in Peter's shoes, we would not have made the same mistakes. Our own record says otherwise.

Things have been tough for the Hall family the last several months. Like Peter, I find myself saying, "Lord, save me!" You remember the story. Jesus had sent his disciples by boat while He had gone up a mountain to pray. While the disciples were at sea, a storm came up and they were afraid. A few hours later, the disciples see Jesus walking on the water. Jesus bids Peter to come to Him on the water. Peter steps out of the boat and makes his way toward Jesus. But, he sees the storm all around him, becomes afraid, and begins to sink. "Lord, save me!" Jesus reached out to him, pulled him up, and said, "You of little faith. Why did you doubt?"

Can I be real honest, here? I admire Peter for having the guts to get out of the boat in the first place! Yes, Peter's faith was little, but it was a little bit stronger than anybody else in the boat. Yes, Peter doubted, but he doubted less than anybody else in the boat. I would have been one of those who stayed in the boat. "Safe." "Content." When, in fact, the safest place was with Jesus. When, in fact, the only source of contentment was in Jesus.

I've been feeling overwhelmed lately. I feel like the walls are falling down all around me. I feel like I can't catch a break. I'm sinking. I'm in danger of drowning. "Lord, save me!"

Think about it...
BDH

Give Thanks!

Give thanks, with a grateful heart
Give thanks, to the Holy One
Give thanks, for He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

Give thanks, with a grateful heart
Give thanks, to the Holy One
Give thanks, for He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

And now, let the weak say, "I am strong!"
Let the poor say, "I am rich!"
"Because of what the Lord has done for us!"

And now, let the weak say, "I am strong!"
Let the poor say, "I am rich!"
"Because of what the Lord has done for us!"

Give thanks! Give thanks! Give thanks!

Labels

Conservative? Liberal? Open? Closed? Calvinist? Arminian? Ecumenical? Contemporary? Mainstream? Pluralist? Reformationist? Restorationist? Evangelicalist? And so on and so forth…

So, what is your label? Can I be real open [pun intended] with you right now? I don’t like labels. I never have liked labels. I don’t like being labeled, either. I don’t like being told what I believe. I don’t like being told what “camp” I belong to. I’ve been in several discussions over the years where I said, “I don’t believe in ‘such and such’” and the reply was, “Oh, then, you’re a ‘such and such.’” Huh? Half the time I wasn’t even aware of the label, much less the basic tenets of the ‘such and such’ I allegedly believed in!

I understand why people use labels, though. They’re neat. They’re clean. They’re tidy. The problem with labels, though, is that people don’t fit those labels as cleanly as we would like to believe. Think about it. Are you conservative or liberal? Doesn’t that depend, largely, about what we’re talking about? Isn’t the use of labels, largely, relative? “I’m conservative!” Compared to whom? Relative to what? I’m a restorationist!” Does that mean that you hold to everything that the leaders of America’s restoration movement held to? Honestly, do you even know everything that the leaders of America’s restoration movement held to? I don’t. I doubt that you do, either.

If you want to label me, that’s fine. May I ask a favor, though? Label me a Christian. Label me a disciple of Jesus Christ. Label me a believer in God. I’m absolutely cool with those labels.

Think about it…
BHall

Facing Temptation

Have you ever heard the song, Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen? It's a spiritual that was made famous by Louis Armstrong. The chorus goes like this... "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody but Jesus. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, Glory hallelujah!"

There are times when I feel like I am facing trials and temptations that nobody else has ever faced. There are times when I feel like nobody understands what I'm going through. And, yet, the Hebrew writer says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus understands!

Because Jesus understands, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Don't get down on yourself because you're tempted. Temptation to sin is not a sin. If temptation to sin were a sin, then Jesus was a sinner. Jesus felt what you feel. He knows. He's there to help you. Turn to him today!

Think about it...
BHall

Someone Who Cares

These are the lyrics to Someone Who Cares, recorded by David Phelps. As I was listening to this song on my drive to work this morning, I was reminded of Psalms 103:11-13.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.


There is someone who cares
Oh there's someone who dares
To love you and His arms are open wide
Waiting there for you to run inside

There is someone who cares
And when you reach for Him He's there
I pray you'll learn somehow, somewhere
Jesus is that someone who cares

One mistake made in your past holds to you
Hard and fast and mocks what might have been
There's no place for you to hide
You know 'cause you have tried
Time and time again

I'm not gonna stand here and tell you
Everything's gonna be alright
There is no way that I could know
Just what you're going through tonight

Oh but there's someone who cares
There is someone who dares
To love you and His arms are open wide
Waiting there for you to run inside
There is someone who cares
And when you reach for Him He's there
I pray you'll learn somehow somewhere
That Jesus is that someone who cares

I can see it hurts you bad
I don't want to see you sad
Just open up your heart to find the Love like you've never ever had

There is someone who cares
Yeah, there's someone who dares
To love you and his arms are open wide
Waiting there for you to run inside
There is someone who cares
Oh, and when you reach for Him He's there
I pray you'll learn somehow, somewhere
That Jesus is that someone who cares

I pray that somehow, and somewhere
You'll learn that Jesus is that someone who cares

I know Jesus really really cares

Think about it...
BHall

The Measure You Use

Do you ever find yourself being overly critical, judgmental, or harsh in your assessment of others? I see that flaw in myself from time to time. Jesus had something to say about this matter in Luke 6:37-38.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

This passage teaches that the standard we use in our judgment of others is the standard that will be used of us. “For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Notice, too, verse 36. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

How merciful are you, really? Do you hold others to a standard that you don’t hold yourself to? Or, are you ready to give others the benefit of the doubt? I hope it’s the latter. God wants to pour forgiveness into your lap, but He expects that you do the same for others.

Think about it...

BHall

Can we all get along?

Do you remember what happened in LA in 1992? Do you remember the footage of Rodney King being beaten by police officers? Do you remember the rioting and violence that followed the acquittal of the officers who beat Mr. King? Do you remember when Mr. King appeared before television cameras and asked, “…can we all get along? Can we get along?”

My spiritual heritage is of those who couldn’t get along. (For what it’s worth, so is yours.) We fuss and fight over everything. We insist on our way, on our understanding of scripture, on our church practices, and so on and so forth. We think we’re ‘right’ because we do the ‘right’ things the ‘right’ way. Worse yet, we think we’re ‘right’ because everyone else is ‘wrong.’

The apostle Paul said, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:5-7).

Paul said we are to accept one another “just as Christ accepted you.” That’s a powerful qualifier!!! Especially considering that when He accepted me I was “powerless” (Rom. 5:6), “a sinner” (Rom. 5:8), and “dead in my transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

And, so I ask you. “Can we all get along? Can we get along?”

Think about it…
BHall