Hi everyone, I am back in Nicaragua for two weeks. This place keeps calling to me and I know that God is working here in a great way. Please keep me in your prayers that I follow His leading. Rip

Glorify

John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.”

WOW! This passage hit me like a rock today. The part that got me was this; in what I do, do I glorify God? Interesting question, most of the time I am pretty good about bringing glory to myself. I usually take care of my needs, I am a good father and husband, I am a friend, a hard worker, a good listener, a faithful follower of Christ, and have many other very worthwhile attributes, which attest to my value. But what good is all this about me if I only bring glory to myself? Who am I serving and whom am I calling attention to?

I am convinced that in God's wisdom He did not say, hummmmm, “I wonder how great I can make Rip today,” or “I think I will make Rip just a little special.” No, in actuality, I was created and you were created to bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. It seems somewhat strange to me how we seem to get that backward in most of our lives. I don't think it is wrong to use our ability of talents to inspire or serve others; in fact, that is what we are created to do. What is wrong is when we don't put proper acknowledgment in what was accomplished. Here is some real truth: apart from God, I am nothing.

Apart from God I am alone, fragile, foolish, sinful, broken, prideful--the list could go on. Just fill in your particular weakness and it work. Apart from God we are incapable of anything that has lasting value and worth. I love this passage from Acts 17: 28, 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of our own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' The reality of our lives is that we can only find real value in Him and that our living should be a reflection of His glory so that we might share with Him in His eternal glory.

I hear some people say, “I don't know what I am called or created to do?” The answer actually is simple--to bring glory to God is a good first place to start. When you can't figure any of this world's issues out or places where you can plug in, then the best place to start is with a simple understanding that anything I do must bring glory to God. The next question is then: How? How do I bring glory to God?

Bringing glory to God is choosing to live in light of Christ's teaching and love. To have only teaching is not enough and to have love is not enough. It is the combination of both that brings about the proper glory. Jesus reminds us in the teaching from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

So let's get busy. The call is to bring glory to God through all we say and do.

Blessings, Rip

Troubled Hearts

John 14:1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

I suspect that this is one of my most favorite passages of scripture. I know that the background for this statement stems from the preceding encounter with His disciples; Jesus had just revealed to them the future events leading to His death and resurrection. Troubling times always need words of comfort. That was true then, and these verses of scripture ring just as loud and clear today.

We live in a world of “troubled hearts.” Read the newspaper or listen to the news, and you will see troubled hearts,. Listen to the words of popular songs, and you will hear troubled hearts. Look around at the problems of our economy and political unrest, and you will see troubled hearts. Look at the unemployment figures, and you will see troubled hearts. Take a look within your own soul, and you might see a troubled heart.

Jesus’ ministry was about healing troubled hearts. His words of compassion and hope brought people from far and near to hear His words and to believe again that with God all things are possible. But trust me, it is difficult to have joy in the midst of so much brokenness in our world and even in our own soul. Trouble eats away at us like a cancer invading every part of our body until it seems like there is nowhere to turn. Despair reaches the pinnacle, and we wonder within our troubled hearts is there an answer?

The reality of this answer is that for some there is no hope, for you see, the answer lies in the opportunity to believe in Jesus. This is not some simple statement that is used to placate the sorrow, but a statement filled with power, which will transform life. The reason some will not “get it” is because they will not choose to let go and let God, to coin a phrase. Letting go is difficult because it cost us the ability to be in charge. But that is exactly what Jesus is inviting us into. The invitation is to live a life that is impossible without His divine intervention.

I think the sorrow for me is that I don’t follow Jesus’ plan for living in His hope in my own life most of the time. I try to do it on my own and end up with little to show in return. You see that really the answer to troubled hearts is to believe in God and believe also in Jesus. This is heart knowledge not just head wisdom; this is an experience encounter with God through the power of His Spirit to guide us and to transform us into what we will become in Him.

The disciples will experience the truth of Jesus’ words in the passages which follow, and we can learn from them the path to belief. The journey to hope is belief.

Blessings, Rip

Life

John 11:25-27 I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."

I got it! It just came in an-email from Kohl’s this morning--the best ever, last chance, ultimate savings coupon of all time. Worth, now get this…an extra 25% off. WOW, you say, that is amazing. Kohl’s coupon worth 25% off, that’s unheard of, why, that’s the best news ever. Well, not really…I actually have better news to tell you today!

The news I have to tell you about today concerns not shopping, but LIFE. Your life, the life you live, day in and day out. It’s the only life you have, and it’s the only life you can do something about. And now that life you live can be different. You don’t need to be stuck in the mundane, or forgottenness, or brokenness, sinfulness, selfishness or lust. You can have amazing free life, which will never die.

The other good news I have for you is that this life is not based upon a once in a while coupon which you receive through the mail. This eternal life is given to you through Jesus Christ when you do one very significant act. This simple act of faith is found in the word believe. That’s it. No formula, no secret hand shake, no broken promises, just a wonderful belief in the One that gives to us freely everything we need.

His name is Jesus, and He says of Himself, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” It’s His unbroken promise to you and me, that if we believe in Him…I mean, really believe, not just with our head but our hearts as well, if we believe that He died for our sin, that He rose from the dead, that He is coming again, we can have LIFE. It’s His promise, and He does not lie.

There is no shortage of product, and you won’t get a rainy-day-check. No other coupon offered or needed. It is completely free, top-of-the-line, abundant, lively, joyfully exorbitant, everlasting life. And it’s yours, available everywhere.

There is one catch, however, and here it comes. You knew it was too good to be true; there had to be a catch; nothing is free in this world today. Well, the catch is this. Our world is broken, and it’s going to end one day and Christ will return in His glory to bring about the end. Then it’s finished; this free offer of life will no longer be available. The amazing thing is that you don’t need to wait to the end to know how you are going to turn out. You can know today. Just believe. That’s it, and life can be yours. Jesus said so!

Blessings, Rip

Freedom

John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

It’s all about freedom--always has been, always will be. It’s about what Jesus Christ will do in your life to break the bonds of sin—the disbelief, disobedience and doubt, just to name a few. It’s what Jesus does, and He does it very well. In fact, He did it perfectly.

I had the amazing blessing yesterday to watch as a friend of mine made this life-changing journey from not being certain to becoming very certain of her salvation. She laid hold of all that Christ wanted to offer her and in so doing reminded me and others that freedom is what Jesus came to do. He came to set the prisoners free so that we might have the blessing of being called children of God.

Freedom is not something to be taken lightly. I marvel at times when I hear stories of military personal that declare that what they are doing is worth the effort. No sacrifice too great is their common story. The same can be said for the sake of the cross. No sacrifice too great was the story of the life of Jesus; He gave everything in order that we might be set free. Remember He even said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Freedom is only found in Him and Him alone.

I have realized in my life that everything else except this amazing love of Jesus usually ends in bondage. Church work can be bondage, tithing can be bondage, scripture reading can be bondage, and if these things which are good cause bondage, then think what the acts of our sinful nature cause--the answer, more bondage.

Lies, deceit, deception, lust, anger, strife, addictions to things and a host of other stuff have bound me, and these things have always landed me in more bondage. How true it is that the one thing we want to escape from is the very thing that will control us, except for this amazing grace of Christ.

Being a Christ follower is a journey to freedom. Sometimes it happens in an instant, sometimes over the course of learning and struggle, but the end game is our freedom. Christ is on our side, and He is calling us to be free--free from this world to experience the beauty of living a life filled with His love and the Love of our Heavenly Father.

The choice is simple; choose freedom. In so doing, release the things which bind you and turn them over to Jesus, All those things died on the cross with Him at Calvary. Then surrender your will in a different way, in submission to a greater authority--the power of God to experience anew freedom from above.

That’s what I’m looking for today. How about you?

Blessings, Rip