Real Forgiveness

We survived the "crazy busy" weekend, but I'm really missing that "lost" hour of sleep this morning. I rested a lot yesterday, but it didn't translate over to this morning very well. I almost always wake up about 30 minutes before my alarm clock goes off, regardless of what time I set it for. Today, the beeping of the alarm clock almost made me "jump" out of the bed!

I want to attempt to finish going through the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6 this week.
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

We made it down to "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors". If you are like me, you've quoted the Lord's Prayer on numerous occasions in your life. I've often said it at a graveside funeral service or with a family in crisis. When we work our way down to this part of he prayer, to me it's like a call do a whole new level of commitment. Up to this point, we have been dealing a lot with "vertical reconciliation", surrendering our "will" and our "rights" to our loving father. Now we begin seeing a call to "horizontal reconciliation".

We are confronted with the question "how do you want to be forgiven when you fail in your walk with God?" We have a fast answer..... we want complete forgiveness, the kind where Jesus "cast our sins as far as the east is from the west". We want Him to remember our sins no more. We want reconciliation with God, with no remembrance of our sin on his part. We don't want God hanging it over our heads, ready to drop it on us again when we fail the next time. That's what we want, but that may not be what we get.

Now we have to deal with "horizontal reconciliation". The principle here is unmistakable..... we will be forgiven based on the distance we are willing to go in forgiving others. Now before anyone gets amped up about this, let me give an illustration I read while studying this.....

T. Diggs from Community Bible Church in MA, wrote in his blog "we tend to hang ‘guillotines of forgiveness’ over the heads of those in our lives. We remember. We withhold. We don’t reconcile. We don’t fully extend the hand and embrace the forgiven. Forgiveness – okay. Forget – probably not, but we’ll see. Friends – never. This small phrase should give us tremendous pause. If I pray this, then I am asking Him to forgive me in the exact same way I forgive others. Am I sure I want to pray this? Because I better get it right. Eternity hangs in the balance. My eternity depends on His forgiveness of my sins, His willingness to forget them, and His love for me that is so deep that He now calls me ‘friend.’ (John 15:14, 15). That’s crucial – because to be called His friend means that His forgiveness has reached its natural end."

T. Diggs nailed it! When I read his description of the "guillotines of forgiveness" that we hang over those we have supposedly forgiven, I was deeply convicted. It's easier for me to forgive the "sin" someone commits against me, but I tend to struggle more in forgiving the "sinner". In other words, I have the guillotine ready and a "trigger happy" finger just waiting for them to wrong me again so I can drop it on them. What a miserable picture and representation of biblical forgiveness!

Since we know God's Word is true, we must consider this "next level" kind of living. It scares me to think about God "tolerating" me instead of totally and completely forgiving me and even calling me His friend. There are so many people that I have "spoken" forgiveness to over the years, but in light of what I've learned, I may not have done it biblically.

In order to forgive like Christ forgives, I recognize that I can only do it with His power at work in me. It goes right back to the first part of the Lord's Prayer.... we have to see Him as "our father", whose perspective from heaven is different than ours, whose holiness is the benchmark by which we are to measure our walk, and whose will requires requires our daily surrender. It's only then that we can begin to experience and demonstrate true forgiveness.

Have a BLESSED day and Live For Jesus!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip

"Crazy Busy" Weekend At Skipstone

This weekend at Skipstone just may be the craziest weekend we've had so far. We have a team of 30 people from Clemson Presbyterian Church in South Carolina coming in that will be doing ministry at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. They had a couple of guys come in late last night and the others will be here later today.

We have a second team of people from Sports Fan Outreach coming in that are also doing ministry at the speedway. They also had a couple of guys come in last night and have 18 others coming in today.

The bus will be leaving in a few minutes for our High School field trip to the Breman Museum and lunch at Mary Mac's. They will be back at around 2:00pm today.

We have some friends who were instrumental in helping us get started at Skipstone that are coming at 10:00am in their motorhome to stay for the weekend and go to the races. We have a young couple that grew up in our student ministry coming to spend the weekend with us as well.

Later today, we have about 50 middle school boys and their dads coming for a promotional event for a BATTLEZONE weekend we are doing in April. We'll be taking them to the speedway for qualifying tonight and then back here for nighttime ziplines and a bonfire. We'll also be feeding the Clemson group supper and they will be having a worship service in the dining hall.

Saturday, we are feeding the Clemson group breakfast and having a coffee and prayer time for the Sports Fan Outreach group. As soon as they leave for the speedway, we are cleaning everything up for our Summer Camp Open House event for ministers of youth and children. We will be feeding them lunch, giving some tours, and facilitating ziplines and recreation for them. Mark Hall from Casting Crowns will be our special guest speaker...pretty cool - Thanks Mark!

I'm cutting out after lunch to take a my boys and some friends to the truck race at the speedway. As soon as we get back, we are heading for my daughter's 16th birthday party. While we are at the birthday party, our awesome staff will be feeding the Clemson group. They will be having an evening worship service after dinner.

Sunday morning we'll do it again, breakfast for the Clemson group and coffee and prayer time for the Sports Fan Outreach group. After ministry at the speedway in the morning, we'll feed the Clemson group lunch and both groups will be leaving.

As I was whining to God about how insane this weekend schedule was, I was drawn to a thought..... how amazing and awesome God really is to have the power and wisdom to know and manage every detail of my life, and the lives of every other person on the face of the earth. There isn't a day planner or PDA or iphone that could handle that kind of schedule, only the sovereign creator of the universe, who power and wisdom knows no limits!

Matthew 10:29-31
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

It sure gives me comfort to know how BIG my God is.... every day, I have the opportunity to trust Him with every detail of my life, and He doesn't sweat the big stuff, much less the small!

Have a BLESSED weekend.... Live Out Loud For Jesus!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip

A "Wow" Moment With God & Students

I've been to a lot of church and youth group worship services in my lifetime. I've been in some that were hilarious, some that were interesting, and some that were, quick frankly, boring! I've been in a handful of worship services that could only be described as "WOW". Last night was added to my list of "WOW" moments.

For the last several weeks, our youth pastors have been talking about dating. They started with the history and purpose for dating, and walked through what modern day dating looks like when we line it up alongside God's word. It's been a very intriguing study.

Last night was the final night of the series. We had a very pointed lesson on purity, specifically sexual purity. Reagan (one of our youth pastors) did an absolutely amazing job teaching about a very uncomfortable subject. You could just sense a spirit of conviction falling over the room as he taught from God's word about purity. The key verse was Ephesians 5:3 "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."

When he was finished, an invitation was given for students to make a purity pledge to God, their parents, their friends, their family of faith, and their future mates to keep themselves pure in heart, mind, and body. I was absolutely blown away when I saw the response.... in a room of about 400 teenagers and a lot of parents, I'd say at least 80% of the students went forward.

Many had already planned to have their parents go forward with them and their parent's presented them with a purity ring as a symbol of the commitment they were making. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen....moms and dads looking their teenagers in the eyes, praying over them, and embracing each other with tears flowing. Students who didn't have their parents present flocked to the altar to pray and publicly take a stand by signing their purity pledge cards in front of their peers.

The cards also had a blank line on them with the words "presented to" preceding the blank. It was explained that each year that goes by that students continue to faithfully keep that commitment to purity will make that little card even more valuable and precious to them. Ultimately, on their wedding day, they can write in the name of the person they are marrying in the "presented to" line as the ultimate gift of themselves to their spouse. They were each given an acrylic frame so that they could keep their commitment card in a conspicuous place as a reminder of the pledge they made to God.

Now I recognize that not every single one of those students is likely to follow through on such a pledge. I've been a part of some "True Love Waits" events in the past, so I realize some students are just going with the flow. What was so special about last night was the overwhelming sense of conviction and a spirit of sincerity that I have not experienced often. I was encouraged by such a powerful response from this generation to TRUTH.

One of my favorite worships songs is "Hosanna" by Hillsong United. As I study each morning in my office, I can hear our students in chapel singing it from time to time. Here are the verses and bridge:

"I see the king of glory Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, The whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy, Washing over all our sin
The people sing, The people sing

I see a generation, Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, With selfless faith

I see a near revival, Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, We're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean, Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours, Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to Eternity"

How much time are you investing in this generation of students? Does it cross your mind to pray for them, encourage them, and love them like Jesus? Or have you become cynical, a doubter who thinks that are destined to be "just teenagers"? Are you intentionally pouring in to the life of a student, or have you believed the lie that they don't want anything to do with adults? Have you missed the significance of our opportunity to impact that next generation of leaders, who God could greatly use to help turn the heart of this nation back to Him?

Sure.... a lot of them need a "rod of correction", but a lot of them just need someone who loves them enough to tell them the truth, in love, and help them navigate the treacherous roads of adolescence. How about you?

Whatver It Takes,
Chip

It's Ok To Love Bread!

It was an earlier than normal morning for me today. Our staff unusually meets from 9-11am on Wednesdays, but we are having a "rolling staff meeting" today. We are heading to LaGrange at 7:30am to tour a state of the art gymnasium that includes a high ropes course in the ceiling. I heard about it several weeks ago and thought it would be good inspiration for us as we continue planning here at Skipstone.

I want to jump back into The Lord's Prayer that we have been looking at from Matthew 6...This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

Today we get to a petition that we've all probably prayed many times..."give us today our daily bread". I know that around here, we are continuously talking about God providing "our daily bread". For me, I've always thought of this petition mostly as a request for God to provide the resources I need to get me through the day. I think that is a fair interpretation, but the more I have started asking questions, I think there may be a lot more being said in these six words.

First, what kind of bread is He talking about? Does it seem strange to you that we should be begging for bread, as though we are facing starvation? Just a few verses later here in Chapter 6, Jesus tells us "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." So is this a contradiction? Are we to beg God for provision for the physical? He says that He already knows we need these things.

I think what has happened for me goes right back to my ongoing battle with my flesh. I tend to bend this prayer in the direction of provision, because my flesh is always crying out for my comfort. I think the bread that Jesus is speaking of is the presence of God. In John 6:33, Jesus is referred to as "the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Throughout John 6, the reference to Jesus being the "bread of life" is repeated several times.

So what exactly are we praying? We are asking for the presence of God to invade our life in a way that we are completely full, satisfied by His presence alone.

I think the word "give" is also a hint that Jesus was was talking about a different kind of bread. The reality is that we can go out and work and earn the money we need for physical bread (of course that ability comes from Him too), but we can't do anything to earn the bread of life, the presence of God. God knows our tendencies, so He put this word "give" here to remind us that His involvement in our daily lives is a gift that He wants to give us, just for the asking.

Lastly, I wonder why we need to ask for the gift of his presence "daily"? Listen to how Bob Hansel of Calvary Church in Memphis explained it "The Bread of Life, without which none of us can continue on—and of which God is the only source—is measured out one day at a time, ours to use or misuse in any way that we decide. We can try to keep and hoard it in a miserly narrow existence, or we can let it flow into and through us to touch and enrich the lives of others. It is a gift that intended for us to unwrap and discover with joy and wonder each and every morning, something to excite us with the ever-changing potential it brings for living generously and victoriously. That's the opportunity we're asking God to give us each time we offer this prayer that Jesus taught us."

That's good stuff... have you discovered the presence of God with "joy and wonder" lately?

Have a Blessed Day and Live For Jesus!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip

"What Does Salt Taste Like"

It's CRAZY cold this morning! After making some moves (that would make Scott Hamilton jealous) on the ice outside the dining hall this morning, I had to put my blog post on hold and go to Walmart to buy some salt!

Although we've been working through the Lord's Prayer for the last several days, I couldn't help but think about salt this morning and the passage from Matthew 5:13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

That's an amazing illustration to me. We, as believers, are the "salt" of the earth? What does that mean?

Most commentaries that I have ever read liken this reference to believers "making a difference", "adding flavor", "penetrating" or "preserving", all characteristics or uses of salt. I think there are some great applications along those ideas, but I'm learning to not read God's word like I've always read it. I think familiarity can be one of our biggest obstacles to really understanding God's word.

For example, if I were to ask you the question "How does salt taste?", I bet you answer would be "salty". So although salt has many characteristics, such as those listed above, would it be fair to say that "saltiness" is the most prevalent characteristic of salt? It would be hard to imagine "salt" that isn't "salty"!

If that's is true, how does the verse apply? What does it mean for us to be "the salt of the earth"? Just as salt must be salty, there must be something about us that defines our walk with Jesus, something that "marks" us as a child of God. The way we live our life, our values, our morality, and our faithfulness are all signs of our walk with God.

This verse from Matthew 5:13 is part of the Sermon On The Mount. In the verses preceding our verse on being "the salt of the earth", Jesus gives us the characteristics of Christianity, the "stuff" that defines us:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."

So how salty am I? Just as salt is salty, as a believer I must be meek. Just as salt is salty, as a believer I must be pure in heart. If I'm not living out my faith in a way that the world can see, I'm like salt that's not salty!

Have a great day and BE SALTY-LIVE OUT LOUD!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip

I Want It All!

It's been a very interesting couple of days here at Skipstone. Our lake was overflowing it's banks on Saturday from all of the rain, and then we experienced a snow storm yesterday unlike one I can remember here in recent history. I'm looking out my window now at a mixture of frozen mud, beautiful snow, and clear blue skies.

We had to cancel school today, so I spent a little extra time in "the word" at home this morning. For those of you who don't know me well, I named my bed "the word" back in my youth ministry days, so that when I was late to work, I could tell the Pastor "I'm sorry... I just got carried away and spent too much time in the word this morning!". I know..... it's terrible, almost as bad as the fishing boat I named "visitation".... "sorry I can't be at the work day this Saturday, I'm taking some friends out on visitation". I wish I could tell you I was kidding, but we all start somewhere in our walk, and mine wasn't too pretty in the early days!

As we come to the phrase "on earth as it is in heaven", I will readily admit that I had to do a lot of homework to even begin understanding this. I read numerous commentaries, and honestly didn't find a lot that was agreeing with what I felt God was saying to me. I think it's important to emphasize that what I share on here each morning is just a journal my personal thoughts and the things that I feel God is showing me and "working out" in my own heart. I probably miss it from time to time when it comes to defining the "theology" of some of this!

Nevertheless, here we go... what does it mean to pray "on earth as it is in heaven"? It's not easy for me to explain my thoughts here, but I'll use an example that I've used many times over the years, both with my own four kids and with the students I have served. When I was a young man (long, long ago!), one of my jobs in the house was to carry out the garbage. I didn't want to take it out, I didn't enjoy taking it out, and I can't count the number of times that I was chastised and disciplined for my failure to take it out! I really don't know why it was such a big deal for me. After all, there are worse jobs to have in the house...laundry, dishes,and vacuuming (which were all designed by the devil himself)come to mind.

It was my parent's WILL for me to take out the garbage. I was disobedient many times because I didn't take it out. I was also punished, forgiven, and then given another chance to take out the trash (I had such forgiving parents...thanks for a another chance to take out the garbage!) After many times through this cycle, my parents took things to a whole new level. I had finally learned to take out the garbage, just to keep them off my butt (this is not a metaphor, my parent's favorite verse was "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the ROD of correction will drive it FAR from him"). That was one the first verses I ever memorized!

The next step was to learn that obedience meant doing WHAT I told to do, WHEN I was told to do it, with the right ATTITUDE. Now I'm sure that none of you have ever been sarcastic or made a big scene with your parents, but I can remember taking out the garbage while mumbling under my breath, making snide comments, stomping out the door, slamming the door, and acting is if the bag weighed 300lbs and that they were abusing me by making such a small child (I was never really small) do such a big chore. I did everything in my power to create as much drama as possible, while making sure that I followed their "WILL" for me to take out the garbage so I could avoid the unpleasant punishment that was certain to come if I didn't.

As I pondered the words "on earth as it is in heaven", in light of what we have already studied about "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done", I believe that this could be referring to the posture or attitude of our hearts as it relates to God's will. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we can do God's will, but still miss the blessing of doing it with the right spirit. It may be that it's not so much what we do concerning God's will, but how and with what attitude we do it.

Philippians 2:10-11 says "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." I know that is true, but I think our reverence for the name of Jesus should look more like that of the angels in heaven than of those "on earth and under the earth"! Throughout scripture, God is painted as a ruler, and we must submit to Him as His people, as servants. Wouldn't we look more like Jesus though if we willingly submitted our lives to Him, as one with no rights, personal agenda, or will of our own?

In the Greek, there are two words used to distinguish the will of God. One is used to describe doing God's will with little, if any regard to how we do it. The other is used to describe doing His will as He requires, with the result being "His good pleasure". For example, God's will was done when the people sacrificed an animal in the Old Testament, but if they chose the most fit, best sacrifice, it was more acceptable to God.

To me, this sounds like the difference between the perfect will of God, and the permissive will of God. As we pray, we are to ask "Our Father" for His will to be done "on earth as it is in Heaven". In other words, "I want to be in your perfect will, willingly surrendering my life to you as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in your sight".

Have a great day and live for Jesus!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip

Snow Day Tomorrow!

School is officially cancelled for Monday, March 2nd. Have fun and be safe. We will see you Tuesday morning!