Archive for the ‘Spread the Word’ Category

Right-side up

Posted by Tim

Yep, you’ve been doing it all wrong.  You know you gamble every time you grab the stem (the bottom of a banana) and try to open it.  It’s like 50/50 that part of the good stuff will break off and you’ll have a dangling mess on your hands. Why not eat a banana like a monkey? God made them banana-peeling experts!  If you watch them, they hold the banana by the stem, pinch the top and then perfectly peel it back.  It’s a beautiful thing and a testimony to us to try the top-down approach next time!

The world is doing it all wrong as well.  Living and seeing life upside down, there are many who distort and capsize the truth.  Calling “evil good, and good evil,” they “substitute darkness for light and light for darkness,” and “substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isa 5:20 NASB).  Creation, marriage, sexuality, gender, morality, faith, law, and even the miracle of life itself have all been flipped.  Deceived in their thinking, it seems to make sense, but it’s inverted and perverted. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12 NIV). Wise in their own eyes, they have become fools (Isaiah 5:21).

Jesus came to open our eyes and heart to experience life from a whole new perspective – His.  He said provocative things like love your enemies, bless those who persecute you, go the second mile, forgive those who hurt you, the humble will be exalted, you must be born again, the first will be last and the last will be first, you live by dying, you gain by losing, there’s power in weakness, you receive by giving, there’s freedom in serving, and you find your life by actually giving it away.  What?!  That’s crazy talk…or is it?

We were doing it all wrong.  Sin had flipped us upside down, but Jesus came to save us and set us back on our feet with a new heart, new eyes, and a new song.  In Acts 17, Paul and Silas were preaching the good news about Jesus in Thessalonica and people were being saved.  When an angry, jealous mob attacked the home where Paul and Silas were staying (but couldn’t find them), “they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also!’” (Acts 17:6 ESV).

May the same be said about us! Like Paul, Silas, Jason and the other believers, we should be on a mission to upright the world.  The world thinks we are turning everything upside down, but in reality, we are turning it right-side up.  We might be seen as threats, but being countercultural is not the goal.  We need to engage culture and captivate it one life at a time.  True, some will dig in and defend their inverted ways, but others will be converted.  As Christ-followers, we need to be living life in remarkable and unexpected ways so people are moved toward the Light and begin to see the Way.

Now, go turn the world “upside down” – Jesus style.

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Jesus in Luke 6:40 NASB).

© 2015 Tim McKenzie
On Every Word Ministries
www.OnEveryWord.com

Trend Line

Posted by Tim

If you’ve ever taken a step back to look at a company’s stock chart over a 10 or 20-year time period, you’ve probably seen a graph with a bunch of peaks and valleys that look a lot like a mountain range. These digital highs and lows capture moments in a company’s history – market forces, economic conditions, world events, earnings, innovation, competition, negative and positive news, etc. – all working together to drive its stock price up or down as investors react to short-term events and make judgments about how those events might impact future performance. But through it all, solid, resilient companies weather the volatility and display an upward trend line over time that points toward steady, upward growth and profitability.

So what if you graphed a life like a stock? What would that chart reveal?

If you’re like me, it contains many ups and downs over the years. Such great joys, successes, and blessings from God woven together with difficult defeat, pain, heartache and loss as a result of either my sinful choices or simply by the circumstances of life thrust upon me. Both mountaintops and valleys of the shadow of death. Cries and songs. So what happens when you and I hit a new low? What stops the downward plunge into an even deeper valley?

For me, it’s all about remembering four things:

1) God’s Sovereignty – there is a throne in heaven and our God is on it; life is not out of control; He knew our chart would look like this and His plan for our lives is a good one; He can be trusted; He’s yet to make His first mistake.

2) God’s Word – His promises are faithful and true; they bring hope, healing, and light; they are set in eternal, unchangeable, stone right before our eyes when our hearts are failing and our feelings cannot be trusted; they are life itself for they contain His very breath.

3) God’s Presence – oh how good it is to be near to God; He has adopted us into His family and we belong; He loves us with an everlasting, incomprehensible love; He will never leave us nor forsake us; His Spirit is our assurance, our Comforter, our Encourager; His Presence alone transforms our present into something beautiful.

4) God’s Purpose – He has called us to great purpose in His kingdom and for His glory; loss of a sense of purpose completely shifts the focus on to our pain or sacrifice, but embracing God’s purpose calls us back again and again to look up with line-of-sight to eternity and rejoice. God is with us in our deepest, darkest valleys and His purposes for good are continually at work even in our pain.

While we should not minimize the pain of our lows as we cling to our Rock, neither should we maximize them nor give them the power over us to hinder God’s purposes. We must remain humble in the highs, and hopeful in the lows. Remember that fidelity to His purpose is an anchor of the soul. And by the grace of God and the enabling power of His Spirit, our lives are designed to display an upward and resilient trend line over time ever pointing toward our heavenly calling.

“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NASB).

Spread the Word!

© 2015 Tim McKenzie
On Every Word Ministries
www.OnEveryWord.com

Like night and day

Posted by Tim

Without light, there is no color. The spectrum is reduced to hazy shades of gray descending into deep caverns of black. Our vision is limited, clarity compromised, and detail fades into the anonymity of shadow.

While nighttime is endowed with a unique beauty, it’s only found by lifting up your eyes from the obscurity around you to the radiance of the heavenly lights above. On a cloudy, moonless night, the world is plunged into deep darkness hoping the sun also rises. For when light is present, darkness flees.

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16 NIV).

Just as God spoke light into a darkened world in creation, so He shines the Light of His Presence into the darkness of our souls in re-creation. This is the same Light that burst forth from the tomb as the stone was rolled away – The Light of Life – Resurrection Light. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV). “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves” (Colossians 1:13 NIV).

Think about when you trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. As God opened the eyes of your heart to truly see the beauty of His Son, did not the Son rise on the darkness of your sin and bathe it in the glorious, cleansing light of forgiveness? Did not the world itself seemingly transform from shades of gray to brilliant color? Jesus, the Light of the World, offers us life in living color!

“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of Life” (John 8:12 NASB).

As rays of the sun pierce the darkness of a passing storm and God paints a rainbow across the canvas of the sky, we see the covenant sign that He is a faithful God who keeps His promises. Not only does He “dwell in unapproachable light,” (1 Timothy 6:16 ESV), but those very same colors of the rainbow emanate from His throne:

“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face down…” (Ezekiel 1:28 NIV).

Seems like we would never willingly walk away from the beauty of His Light, but sadly, we do. We wander into the gray tones of cloudy vision and sink back into the blackness of sin. But because of our Risen Savior, the darkness cannot overcome the Light of Life (John 1:5), and His loving grace shines like a beacon ever calling us home.

“This is the message we have heard from Jesus and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7 NIV).

Spread the Word!

© 2015 Tim McKenzie
On Every Word Ministries
www.OnEveryWord.com

Help! I’m Surrounded!

Posted by Tim

Say you are browsing a website and leave without making a purchase (I know for some of us that rarely happens, but just say it does). Later on, you move on to a completely different site and notice a remarkable coincidence: a banner ad appears from that first website for the exact same product(s) you were looking at! What the heck is going on?!

Welcome to “behavioral retargeting.” A technique perfected over the last few years that tracks your behavior and then follows you around on the internet with an “on-the-fly” ad to encourage you to return and make that purchase.

When this “retargeting” first happened to me, I thought it was kind of cool because it reminded me I needed to buy this or that. But when I noticed multiple banner ads all populated with stuff I had looked at on various sites, it hit me: I’m surrounded by myself! All I see mirrored are my desires and my preferences. Everything else has been eliminated from view. It’s a closed system designed to cater to self (and self likes it).

And what concerns me about this on the web, is also true in life.

Self is strong and vocal. It really doesn’t need to be fed. Using a scriptural metaphor, it’s a “noisy gong and a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NASB). “Look at me!” “Listen to me!” “Please me!” “Gimme!” Most of us call that being self-centered and retargeting gives us a glimpse in visual form.

Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23 NASB). Not self-neglect, but self-denial. It’s essential and it’s daily. It’s as though self must be crucified so that the Spirit of Christ may fully live in us. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20 NASB).

To accomplish this, God tells us to “clothe ourselves with humility” and lay down our lives daily at the foot of the cross as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). The Lord “opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1Peter 5:5 NASB). Pride feeds the flesh and self grows dangerously strong, but humility nourishes the Spirit and bears much fruit.

We do not deny ourselves with willpower alone; we deny ourselves by submitting to, being filled with, and walking in the Spirit. It’s simply impossible to be full of yourself and be filled with the Spirit at the same time – there’s just not enough room in there! No wonder “SELF control” is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

So don’t surround yourself with yourself. Surround yourself with godly friends who manifest the life and love of Christ. And as for you personally, “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NLT).

Jesus around you; Jesus within you. Surround yourself with Jesus.

Spread the Word!

© 2015 Tim McKenzie
On Every Word Ministries
www.OnEveryWord.com

“Follow Me”

Posted by Tim

Consider the power and implication those words possessed as Jesus spoke them. So compelling was His call that men and women left everything to follow Him.  Looking intently into their eyes – His hand outstretched – a smile on His face, “Follow Me.” Like lost sheep, they rejoiced to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd inviting them into His flock to something greater – to green pastures, quiet waters, and paths of righteousness – behind His loving leadership.

(more…)

Presence

Posted by Tim

There are many gifts you can give someone, but your presence may be the greatest gift. To enjoy the company of another person – conversation, connection, relationship, face-to-face, eye-to-eye – the mutual sharing of a unique moment in time. While there have always been things that compete for these moments, the competition seems to have intensified. (more…)

Hope

Posted by Tim

Hope is truly amazing.  With it, anything is possible.  It encourages us to look beyond the horizon to another day – a better day, and then empowers us to live in light of that expectation.  While hope points to something in the future seen only by faith, it also swings the needle on the compass of our heart to guide our present steps.  Certain in our uncertainty, it is both an anchor and a promise.

(more…)

Piece

Posted by Tim

You and I care about people, and we are certainly grateful for those who care about us. But all of us care only to a certain extent. No matter how much compassion we possess, we are limited by time, ability and attention. We can’t care deeply about everyone and everything. We can’t always be there. We can’t always fix things. We just can’t bear it all or we’d be crushed under its weight.

(more…)

Stretch yourself

Posted by Tim

Stretching is practically a reflex when you wake up. After a good night’s sleep, you just can’t help yourself…it feels so good to stretch. Then the rest of the day, the challenge for most of us is to live a stretched out life. Far too often, we tend to shrink back and turn inward to our own concerns. Self prefers to drive and let service ride in the back seat.

(more…)

“Doctor, my eyes!”

Posted by Tim

 

Years ago, Jackson Browne wrote a song called Doctor, My Eyes to ask some very penetrating questions:

Doctor, my eyes have seen the years and the slow parade of fears without crying…now I want to understand.  I have done all that I could to see the evil and the good without hiding…you must help me if you can.

Doctor, my eyes…tell me what is wrong!  Was I unwise to leave them open for so long? (more…)

Big God, Big Things

Posted by Tim

Most of us don’t have any problem imagining a big God who does big things. In fact, we prefer it that way. Our problem seems to be believing in a big God who does big things for us.

The Scriptures reveal much about God…a BIG God. (more…)

Welcome the Word

Posted by Tim

This is exactly the way we should respond to the Word of God.

(more…)

Speak it!

Posted by Tim

 

Looking at this sunset over Camp Life, Zambia brings to remembrance all the amazing ways God is moving there. But one truth Greer Kendall, President and CEO of Family Legacy (https://familylegacy.com/), taught us at camp rises to the top:

It’s not enough to hear.
It’s not enough to understand.
It’s not even enough to believe.
You must speak it.

(more…)

The Real Thing

Posted by Tim

God provided a way for our family to go on a mission trip to Africa this week with a ministry called Family Legacy. Their “Camp LIFE” is an amazing camp for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zambia. We will join with over 600 Americans who will come to spend a week this summer leading and sharing the love of Christ with a group of 10 Zambian children. We are expectant about all God is going to do during our time there and would love for you to partner with us in prayer.

(more…)

Above all else

Posted by Tim

We place great significance on someone’s last words.  We lean in and hang on every syllable.  Given the opportunity, what would yours be?

It’s only been a week since we celebrated the glory of the empty tomb, but stand with me again at the foot of the cross.  In those final agonizing hours as He bore the sins of the world – our sins, Jesus’ seven last words from the cross are worth drawing close to.

(more…)

Fear not

Posted by Tim

What is your greatest fear?  Now I know we’re afraid of stuff like public speaking, spiders, snakes, needles, and heights.  But on a more destructive note, fear of rejection, shame, loneliness, the unknown, pain, loss of freedom, failure, and death (#1) top most lists.

(more…)

What will your verse be?

Posted by Tim

The Winter Olympics gave us another opportunity to vicariously join in the quest for a place in history – years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice for both personal and national glory – fidelity to a lifelong goal that defines success in hundredths of a second or tenths of a point.  Stories are told that draw us into journeys often overcoming great adversity from across the globe, but all which intersect in one place: Going for the Gold.

(more…)

Back in the box?

Posted by Tim

How was your Christmas?  I bet you had to think about your answer! Even though it’s only been thirty days, it may seem like such a long time ago!

Most of us decked the halls for the big celebration.  In keeping with the spirit, we strung lights and decorated the chosen tree.  We decked the halls of our homes with festive colors, stockings were hung by the chimney with care, and, of course, a manger scene took its place in prominent display.

(more…)

No Room in the Inn?

Posted by Tim

Santa’s advent is a done deal, but Jesus’ arrival this year may be as challenging as it was during the Roman census.  Political and cultural correctness are putting up so many barriers that, once again, there’s no room in the inn. With all the hatred of Herod, the spirit of the age seeks to destroy this would-be King.  Corporate America has decorated accordingly in the name of tolerance, but increasingly capitalizes on and commercializes the day.  The hollow ring of “Happy Holidays” has euthanized the decrepit and distasteful “Merry Christmas.” It appears the Grinch stole Christmas again.

What now?  Get angry and revolt?  Give up and withdraw?  Give in and go with the flow?

(more…)

The Wonders of God’s Grace

Posted by Tim

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1 NIV).

Every day we are spared from death. While the sun is absolutely essential for life, without certain protective layers surrounding our planet, its radiation would destroy us. Violent storms and eruptions on its surface hurl massive gusts of charged particles at the earth. In silent submission to the voice of God, invisible magnetic fields, called the Van Allen Belts, encircle the earth to absorb and dissipate these potentially deadly cosmic forces.

(more…)

Who’s the greatest?

Posted by Tim

Who’s the greatest? Spirited debate usually follows asking this question in regard to just about anything. You fill in the blank. Who’s the greatest athlete, team, company, actor, author, artist, or innovator? Halls and awards and statues and polls commemorate such elite status.

(more…)

Stay Sharp

Posted by Tim

Have you ever tried using a dull knife?  You may have been chopping up celery or trying to cut through some rope, but either way, it was difficult. One of my sons owns a custom knife-making company called Gulf Coast Native so I asked what he could tell me about knives. Hoping to hear something profound from someone with insider knowledge, here’s what he said:

1)    A dull knife is practically useless as well as dangerous.
2)    A sharp knife needs attention to remain sharp.

(more…)

# your days

Posted by Tim

Yesterday, I was praying and God put these words on my heart, “Number your days.”  I always keep a notepad next to me on my commute into the office so I scribbled them down.  It wasn’t an ominous, foreboding word, but more of an affirmation of making the most of each day…and so I let that Word begin to marinate.

But later that same day as a close friend and I were having lunch, my wife called to say that one of our good friends had died.  He was a great man.  A generous man.  A godly man.  A warrior.  Intense and intentional.  He loved life, his family, his Lord and was perpetually on a mission to live life with such passion and purpose.  Heaven’s gain is certainly our loss.

The apostle Paul declared (but I’m sure these same words are also written in Stacy’s journal somewhere), “according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20 NASB).

I completely understand how Jesus can be glorified in our lives, but by our death?   We rejoice that Jesus will be exalted when we see Him face to face as He fully redeems in glory those He purchased by His precious blood.  But I believe the Word here is as much earthly as it is heavenly.

Why does it take the death of someone…especially someone greatly loved and highly respected for His love of Jesus to make us say, “Now what were we arguing about?”  “What was I worried about?”  “What am I doing with my life?”  Exactly.  Oh what forgetful creatures we are!  But as in life, so in death, Stacy is exalting Christ.  The ripple of a life well-lived impacts us, doesn’t it?  Those closest to it feel a greater wave rush over them, but even those standing at a distance are touched.

Moses prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NASB).  Paul declared, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NASB).

“Making the most of your time” in the Greek literally means to “redeem or buy up” the time.  We purchase time with our priorities, our choices, and our actions.  Each day is a gift from God of amazing opportunities.  All this is crying out, “If God has so graciously numbered my days, how am I spending my time?”

Stacy’s death is really a call to life.  To wake up and walk wisely.  To reevaluate and make course corrections.  To set aside what is holding you down and push forward to what lies ahead.  To find purpose and passion.  To breathe deeply and smile.  To love life, love Jesus, and love others.  To live for the glory of God and to die with a sword in your hand.

© 2013 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com 

Smiling at the future

Posted by Tim

Wouldn’t you love to be able to predict the future?  The fact is we pretty much already do just by our attitude.

What comes into your mind when you hear those words “the future”?  Hope?  Fear?  Optimism?  Excitement?  Concern?  Regret?  Yes, regret.  Even though the future has not yet occurred, many of us experience regret because we don’t like where we are, conclude that nothing will ever change, and then project that into the future as an inevitable certainty.

(more…)

The Good Shepherd

Posted by Tim

I’ve always been amazed when the Scriptures tell us how Jesus looked at someone and said, “Follow Me.”  Regardless of prior contact or what they’d heard about Him, I believe there was something powerfully attractive in His eyes.  Take the call of Matthew.  One minute Matthew was sitting in his booth collecting taxes for Rome, and the next he “left everything behind” (Luke 5:28) to follow Jesus.

To fully appreciate Matthew’s calling, you have to understand his profession.  The Jews of that day considered tax collectors to be legalized thieves, traitors, the worst of sinners, and moral lepers.  They were excluded from any religious fellowship and were considered to be justifiably condemned by God.  We have no modern-day equivalent that even comes close.  So despised, they were not even lumped in with all the “normal” sinners like prostitutes, drunkards, murderers and thieves.  No, they had a special category all their own as the Bible often records the expression: “tax collectors and sinners” (Matt 9:11; Matt 11:19; Luke 5:30).

But Matthew found favor in the eyes of Jesus and walked away from his old life to pursue a new one.  His first impulse: throw a big party at his house and invite all his friends to meet Jesus!  Matthew, as he remembers that day, writes, “…and behold, many tax collectors and sinners came” (Matt 9:10).

When you read the word “behold” in Scripture, you are meant to inhale rapidly and make a gasping sound like something took your breath away.  Try it now to make sure you get it – “and GASP, many tax collectors and sinners came.”  Now, look around the room and picture the crowd at the party – the sinner, the outcast, the hurting, the rejected, the abused, the scorned, the damaged, the needy, the sick.  Keep looking until you find Jesus.  What do you see?  Is Jesus standing in the corner hoping no one comes near Him?  No, Jesus is hanging out and “dining” with them.  He’s having a good time – laughing – listening – building bridges.  Hmmm.

Why am I telling you this story?  Because unlike the Pharisees that came there only to lecture Him (Matt 9:11), Jesus was comfortable being at this party with these people.  More than that, Matthew’s friends felt welcome around Jesus!  I’m not suggesting Jesus shrugged His shoulders at their sins.  Hardly!  He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  Rather, I’m saying the only ones who felt uncomfortable in Jesus’ presence were the self-righteous Pharisees.  Ask yourself, “do I make others feel welcome in my presence?  What do others see when they look in my eyes?”

Jesus answered their grumblings with, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt 9:12-13 NASB).  In other words, “Think about what you’re saying.  Would you go to a doctor’s office and complain about all the sick people sitting in his waiting room?”

If we are going to learn what it means to follow Jesus…if we are going learn to look through the eyes of the Savior, we must learn mercy.   Just a few verses later Jesus says, “Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36 NASB).  Other versions say “harassed and helpless.”  Literally, Jesus saw them as “downcast.”  If sheep lie down in the grass and accidentally roll over on their backs, a shepherd calls them “cast” sheep.  Like a turtle on its back, they become totally helpless, fully exposed to the scorching sun, and even more vulnerable to predators.  They are doomed to die without the intervention of a shepherd.

Do you get it?  When Jesus looked out at people, He saw them for what they truly were: cast sheep lying helplessly on their backs unable to save themselves – and He was moved to act with deep compassion.  Such is the heart of the Good Shepherd.

Jesus is still calling, “Follow Me.”  But He’s training shepherds, not Pharisees.

© 2013 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com 

Do not worry

Posted by Tim

It’s kind of amazing when you do what Jesus says to do.  Imagine that.

A few weeks ago, I was really stressed out about some major financial decisions my wife and I had to make. Coincidentally, I was also in the middle of preparing to teach on Matthew 6:19-34. After breezing through where’s your treasure (6:19-21), how’s your vision (6:22-23), and whom do you serve (6:24), I had a head-on collision with Jesus’ words, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life…” (6:25).

But I was worried about my life. Reading on, Jesus said to, “Look at the birds of the air…” (6:26) and “Observe how the lilies of the field grow…” (6:28). Since my computer speaks Greek, in just a few clicks I discovered that “look” means “to consider fixedly; to look at with the mind; to discern clearly” and “observe” means to “to learn thoroughly; to examine carefully, to consider well.” Neither of these words had anything to do with a casual glance. And though I had read and even took comfort in these verses many times before, I had NEVER done what Jesus actually said to do.

The Spirit prompted me to get up and go outside to look and observe.

As it would happen, it was one of those rare spring mornings in Houston. Clear. Crisp. Gorgeous. And with paper and pen in hand, I spent well over an hour just looking at birds and observing flowers. Two very accessible things yet so common that I pretty much ignore them every day. Here’s what I wrote:

Birds – I had to look at them from a distance. They flew with great skill and ease. They were busy and worked hard as they gathered food and building materials. Sometimes they flew just because they could – soaring and free. They were joyful. They sang. They were full of life.

Flowers – I got to observe them up close. They were incredibly beautiful and diverse in both color and design. Amazingly intricate. Delicate. Textured. Seemingly woven. They flourished as they painted the landscape. Fully opened, they were joyfully pointing toward the sun…basking in its life-giving light.

Jesus seemed to say, “So what did you learn? Do they worry? Does not your heavenly Father care for them in amazing ways? Wouldn’t you like to be joyful again just like them? How much more does God love you? Do you trust Him?”

Jesus is showing all of us that worry is a symptom of a greater problem. It’s like a warning light that our eyes and our hearts are preoccupied with the wrong things. Our faith shrinks. Our fear grows. Worry is all about the future, but it chokes out the present.

There’s no denying that “each day has enough trouble of its own” (6:34). Indeed, flowers fade and birds fall, but “not apart from the will of your Father” (10:29-31). He is faithful! “Cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you” (1Peter 5:7)!

A cure for worry? Jesus gives us the prescription: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (6:33).

Stop looking down and in. Start looking up and out.

Make the priority and focus of your life seeing God crowned with the glory and honor of which He alone is worthy. Our King has great treasure and He is more than willing to share it.

Note: the painting of the “Two Sparrows” was a gift from a dear friend, Jamie Vance, and its image is used with her blessing. Thank you Jamie for encouraging me to “look.”

© 2013 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com 

Cotton Candy Faith

Posted by Tim

I’m not really sure what it is, but it’s pretty interesting stuff.  I think it’s mostly air and sugar.  It’s always a cool color, fun to eat, and tastes really sweet.  However, you soon discover it’s much smaller than it appears as it suddenly dissolves to nothingness in your mouth.

Let’s review: Looks good and tastes good, but quickly vanishes.

Do we have a cotton candy faith?  One that looks pretty when times are good, but rapidly fades when the wind and the waves kick up.  A faith that is dependent upon sight rather than firmly rooted in an unwavering trust in Jesus.  A faith that appears big and sweet when God acts the way we expect, but rapidly dissipates when times are tough or heaven is silent.

Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe” (John 4:48 NASB).

There’s certainly nothing wrong with “signs and wonders.”  Our God is a miraculous God so ask Him to work wonders!  But right in the middle of a carnival-like atmosphere where folks were coming from miles around to see this miracle-worker do His thing, Jesus’ statement goes to the heart of true belief.  To look at it another way, Jesus is asking, “What if I didn’t work these signs and wonders, would you believe in Me then?”  “Come one, come all – miracles galore!” and who wouldn’t believe?  Wind and waves…not so much.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples saying, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed?  Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29 NASB).

Seeing Jesus clearly and true belief have much more to do with the eyes of your heart – a 20/20 vision that rests and abides in Jesus and His Word no matter what.  An enduring faith that clings to a God who has revealed so much of Himself yet whose ways are not our ways and thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Finite creatures.  Infinite God.  Don’t try to do the math.  Put down the pencil and believe.

Sweet fellowship with Jesus doesn’t have to dissolve like cotton candy.  He offers a fullness of joy that is firmly tied to His very Presence. Feelings cannot always be trusted and appearances can be deceptive.  So don’t lose faith.  Jesus will never leave you or forsake you.  Trust in who He is.

“…and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory…” (1Peter 1:8 NASB).

© 2013 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Mistakes

Posted by Tim

We all make mistakes.  It’s easy to backspace or hit delete when typing.  Sometimes, we even have to go old school and break out the correction tape/fluid to white it out.  If only life was that way.  I can think of too many things I’ve said or done that I’d like to erase!

But with each sin we commit over our lifetime, our “mistakes” add up and we become more and more indebted to God.  Such spiritual debt cannot be corrected by earthly means though many try.  Before a Holy God, we “become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NIV).

We cannot repay God with good behavior or by good deeds. “The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough” (Psalm 49:8 NIV).  Without divine intervention, we would die in unimaginable debt.  Then what?

“I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds…” (Revelation 20:11-12 NASB).

Can you imagine standing before this throne and having the book of your life opened, read aloud, and judgment rendered based on your “deeds”?  It makes me tremble in shame to even consider my book.

But there is hope.  There is a way out here and now.

“When you were dead in your transgressions…He [God] made you alive together with Him [Jesus], having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt [literally “a promissory note written in your own handwriting”] consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way having nailed it to the cross” Colossians 2:13-14.

Visualize the ledger of your life consisting of your every thought and deed in the flesh.  As you look down the countless entries of all you owe God yet cannot repay, you suddenly notice that each line is written in your own handwriting.  This book is your unedited, all-inclusive autobiography.

But then you notice that by His grace for all who have trusted Christ as Savior, God has “canceled out” (literally “blotted out or washed away”) every single debt with the precious blood of Jesus!  Not only did Jesus hang on the cross, but so did your “certificate of debt.”

Forgiveness is only a word away from your lips: “Jesus.”  He did what you could never do.  Just tell Him so and believe!  Forgiveness is truly amazing, but there’s even more: although you were once dead in your sins, God “made you alive together with Him!”  Easter!  Resurrection!  New life!  Eternal life!  That’s why we rejoice!  That’s why we exclaim, “He is risen!”

Mistakes?  Bring them to the cross of Christ.  Only His blood can “white out” your sins.

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18 NASB).

© 2013 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Dine with Me

Posted by Tim

We all hunger.  Our bodies require nourishment to function properly, stay healthy, and thrive.  Most of us don’t worry about from where our next meal is coming.  The only question is, “With what do we fill ourselves?”

One of the things Jesus taught us to pray is, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 NASB).  Now, was He talking about physical bread (food) or spiritual bread or both?  Before you answer, consider this statement Jesus made, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NASB).  Clearly, Jesus is aware of the body’s need for physical nourishment, but His overwhelming emphasis is on the nourishment of our very souls by the Word of God – the Bread of Life.

Physical malnutrition is fairly easy to see.  In fact, images of the hundreds of millions people worldwide who are either starving or malnourished prompt us to change the channel rather than see the walking skeletons, severe bloating, rampant disease, and debilitating lethargy – all stemming from a profound emptiness in their digestive systems.

But what about the symptoms of spiritual malnutrition?  Perhaps busyness, despair, discontentment, self-centeredness, bitterness, fear, worry, strife, greed, lust, pride, or worldliness should make the diagnostic list…just to name a few.

Consider the amount of “Bread” Americans are surrounded by.  It’s not like we don’t have access to true nourishment for our souls?  The irony is akin to a starving man trapped in a grocery store – encircled by an abundance of food, he slowly perishes.  Oh, there is a difference between proximity and nourishment.  It’s like a famine in the land of plenty.

We must realize our soul’s need to be fed – not with junk food and the empty calories of this world, but with the Bread of Life – Jesus – The Word.  It is possible to be full of something and yet still hungry for true nourishment.  No wonder Job says, “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12 NIV).

Here’s my closing challenge to you: approach God’s Word just like you would an exquisite meal.  Set your expectations high.  Look forward to the joyful fellowship and incredible conversation you’ll have with Jesus.  He is the Word so when you read His Word you should hear His voice.  Engage all your senses.  Experience it.  Taste it.  Feast on it.  Digest it.  Be nourished by it.  Allow its inherent, supernatural power to bring energy, fullness, and life to your entire being.  Let it be on your heart as you walk in it and on your lips as you share the Bread of Life with a starving world.

Are you hungry?  Jesus is calling, “Come dine with Me!”  “O taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8 NASB)

© 2013 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

The value of thorns

Posted by Tim

(1Peter 5:6 NASB) is a statement completely foreign to our earthly nature.

We are immersed in a performance culture that caters to the praise of the world. Weakness is neither rewarded nor honored. Quite the contrary, it is ridiculed and exploited whether on the playground or at the office. We’ve been raised to excel in our strengths and compensate for our weakness. So we learned to boast in our strengths and hide our weakness. We display our trophies and bury our shame. At the very least, we’ve all spoken in our hearts like a Pharisee, “Thank God I’m not like those guys” (Matthew 18:10-14 NASB). We have much to be proud of.

So what do you boast in? Tim Keller, Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church NYC, said that when counseling, he doesn’t start with someone’s big failure or problem, but by determining what they boast in. Why? Because sins spring forth from the root of pride.

“Pride is a telescope turned the wrong way. It magnifies self and makes the heavens small.” – C.S. Lewis 

The apostle Paul was no exception. Paul explains, “To keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me…” (2Corinthians 12:7 NASB). Interestingly, we are never told exactly what this thorn was, I believe, so we could all better identify with whatever “it” is in our own lives. But we are told its purpose: “to keep me from exalting myself.” And while Paul identifies this thorn as “a messenger of Satan” that was painfully effective, its purpose was wholly used by God for good.

The Greek word for “thorn” is used only here in Scripture and its meaning spans the gamut from “a thorn or splinter” to “a stake.” And since “torment” literally means “to beat or strike with the fist,” Paul’s emphasis here is probably closer to a stake than a thorn.

“I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me” (2Cor 12:8 NASB). He asks, but in view of something better, God answered his prayer unexpectedly. Oftentimes, His ways are not our ways. Instead, “He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness’” (2Cor 12:9 NASB).

And Paul’s closing testimony to us is this: “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2Cor 12:9-10 NASB).

Did you see it? After previously begging the Lord for deliverance from this “thorn” and hearing the Lord say “no,” he is now strangely “well content.” Why? Instead of removing his weakness, God transformed it to work for him, not against him. Perspective. Paul is literally “staked” – pinned close to Jesus in surrender and dependency and emptied of self. Not a bad place to be.

All of which is possible because, Jesus, the strongest One in the universe “emptied Himself” to become humble, submissive, weak according to the flesh, and wholly dependent on God – even to the point of death (Philippians 2:5-8). For our sakes, the Lion became a Lamb. Such is the foolishness of God – the heart of the gospel – the valley of vision. Do you want to see more clearly? Do you want to be set free from the tyranny of pride?

Then learn the value of your thorn by experiencing the sufficiency of His grace.

Jesus is still saying, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29 NASB).

© 2013 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Spread the Word

Posted by Tim

God’s Word is alive. Read it as if the ink was still wet. When you read something from someone you know well, you hear his or her voice, don’t you? When you read God’s Word, you should hear His voice.

Rejoice in it.
Meditate on it.
Hide it in your heart.
Believe it.
Pray it.
Live it.
Speak it.

And remember this: when we speak, we control our words and determine if they will encourage or wound, heal or tear down. But when we speak God’s Word, we lose control. It’s bigger than we are. It’s different than our words. It’s not our breath; it’s His. It’s supernaturally powerful and always accomplishes His purposes. It’s unpredictably amazing as it blows where He wills! It transforms darkness into light. It penetrates deeply and can soften even the hardest heart. It never returns void.

As in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe and now in Prince Caspian, Lucy sees what the others cannot. It is her sight that opens the eyes of those she loves. For Lucy, Aslan (the Lion who represents Christ) has changed from what she remembers…

“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”
“That is because you are older, little one,” He answered.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find Me bigger.”

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds. They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.” Psalm 147:3-7 NIV84

Great is our Lord. Spread the Word!

→ To read our year-end update, click here.

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

A Grateful Heart

Posted by Tim

In every sense of the word they were unclean – physically, socially, religiously.  Contagious and quarantined. Cut off from family, friends, work, and society. Outcasts. Walking pictures of sin and alienation from God. Utterly hopeless.

Yet these men had heard of Jesus. They knew the law and respected social protocol so they kept their distance. To compensate for their faint voices, they cried in unison hoping to increase their chances of being heard. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13 NASB). They called him “Master,” “Epistates” in the Greek, “one of notable power or authority” and that He was indeed.

Jesus heard their cry and commanded, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” At this time, the law required that someone who had been healed from leprosy be examined by the priests and pronounced clean (Leviticus 14), but these guys had not yet been healed. Jesus was testing their faith! They heard, obeyed, and Dr. Luke notes, “as they were going, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14 NASB). A step of faith led to healing.

However, their healing just set the stage for Jesus’ main point of this encounter: “Now one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back…” (Luke 17:15 NASB). Think about it. He was healed! He could finally return to his family…perhaps his wife and children, to work, to worship, to love and be loved, to life itself! But in light of all that was soon to be restored, he first returned to Jesus! No longer speaking with a frail, damaged voice, he was “glorifying God with a loud voice.” His new life was evidenced by a new song full of glory, humility, worship, and thanksgiving as he fell on his face at the feet of Jesus “giving thanks to Him” (Luke 17:16 NASB).

But before Jesus granted him a final blessing, He asked three emphatic questions: “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17-18 NASB).

The nine got what they wanted and were gone. Jesus noticed. He memorialized the ingratitude of the nine, but drew near to the one.

So in this unnamed village, this nameless Samaritan was used by Jesus to exemplify the kind of heart that pleases God – a grateful one. In His final blessing Jesus said, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well” (“sozo” = “whole, saved”)(Luke 17:19 NASB).

We are forgetful creatures. Far too often like the nine: more likely to pray than praise; to ask than remember to say thanks; to complain than worship; to feel entitled than show humility; to walk away than fall on our face.

Take nothing for granted.
Leave nothing unsaid.
In everything give thanks.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so… (Psalm 107:1-2 NASB).

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

 

Here am I, send me!

Posted by Tim

It was in the year King Uzziah died. A time of national mourning and fear. He had been a good king for most of his reign and Judah enjoyed peace and prosperity. But in his latter years, pride led him into sin and God judged him. To the east, Assyria was growing strong and rumblings there were a source of great concern. Now, a leadership transition was inevitable.

That’s the moment God revealed Himself. Isaiah saw the living Lord “sitting on a throne high and exalted” (Isaiah 6:1 NASB). The king was dead. The earthly turnover rate is 100%.  Everyone dies. Kingdoms rise and fall, but the King reigns from everlasting to everlasting. In transcendent majesty and beauty, He sits in complete sovereignty over all. Seraphim (“burning ones”) around the throne declare, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3 ESV). Incomparable perfection beyond words. Glorious. Awesome. Overwhelming.

Isaiah saw the Lord and then himself: a sinful man in the presence of the Holy One.  “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5 NASB). Isaiah heard the thunderous voice of angels, but God heard the faint cry of a humble sinner. In great mercy, God moved quickly to forgive and cleanse as He withdrew from the altar of sacrifice (Isaiah 6:6-7).

Then God asked a very unique question before the heavenly host: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8 NASB). The angels were created to execute the Lord’s every command, but God was seeking a willing heart from among the redeemed. Have no doubt, God will sovereignly send, but first He wanted to know who was willing.

Having been made clean, Isaiah was transformed into an honorable vessel prepared for the Master’s use. No longer “ruined,” he expressed his burning desire to be used by God, “Here am I. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8 NASB).

Today’s news reports aren’t much different than in the year King Uzziah died.  Fear, rumblings in the east, a leadership transition. Bad news seems to dominate the headlines, but we have good news! However, many of us are so busy pursuing the American Dream, we have lost sight of God’s Dream: “that My house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). We need to walk in Isaiah’s sandals and…

See a fresh vision of God as the holy, eternal, sovereign, majestic, glorious Lord Almighty. Worship through verses like these: Psalm 90:2, 103:19: 93:1-2; 47:8, Isaiah 46:10, 40:25, Habakkuk 2:20.

Humble yourself before His throne of grace. Experience the cleansing made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus. Ask Him to make you “a vessel of honor” (2Timothy 2:21).

Hear His call. Specific, personal, purposeful.

Present yourself as a “living and holy sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). Ready, willing, available. “Here am I, send me!”

“Go!”  Your mission field is all around you. Go into the streets. Go into the main highways. Go into the city. Go into all the world! “And as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast” (Matthew 22:9)!

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20 NASB).

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Childlike faith

Posted by Tim

 

Abraham is 100, Sarah 90. Years into their journey to the Promised Land, they are still living in a tent, still have no son, and are still chasing the seemingly far-fetched promises of God. Sarah has become disillusioned so God pays them a personal visit in Genesis 18 to announce that she would soon bear a son.  Sarah “laughs” in her heart and thinks, “after I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” And yep, that means exactly what you’re thinking.

In response to her laughter, God Himself poses this question, “Is there anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14 NASB). Literally in the Hebrew, “Is there anything too pala for Yahweh?” (‘marvelous, amazing, wonderful’ – to get a true sense of the word, see how “pala” is used in verses like Psalm 107:8, Psalm 119:18, Isaiah 29:14, Job 5:9, Psalm 86:10, and Psalm 139:14). But God had them right where He wanted them – “no way” – “that’s impossible!” Now, He will give birth to an entire nation from a dead womb.

What about you? Ever laugh in unbelief at the promise or ability of God? Sure we have…maybe not out loud, but we’ve doubted, we’ve scoffed, and we’ve done it our way. Some of us are fearful of boxing God in so as to demand a miracle, but many more turn away in doubt without even asking.

Most of us are so capable, so blessed, and/or so self-sufficient we do not depend on the pala’s of God. We live in the realm of reasonable possibilities. Our faith is constricted by our vision of and dependence on God and we have prayers to match. But it was not always so.

As a one or two year-old, we were never concerned if dad was able, we just believed he could and asked. We thought he could do anything and he did: protection, power, authority, ability, knowledge…he had it all. Too heavy for me, but not for him. Too high for me to reach, but not for him. We asked because we weren’t able. Little did we know that we were asking these “miracles” from a limited, imperfect father…even so, we did it with all our hearts.

The other day I was with my 1½ year-old grandson, Noah, when a dog started to jump up on him and I firmly said, “Sit!” With just one word, this wild beast obeyed my command. Seriously, what do you think that taught Noah about my power and authority?

So what about our Heavenly Father? A Father who said, “Let there be,” “Be still,” “Be healed,” “Be forgiven,” “Be cleansed.” The same One who conquered death, has the power to save, and sovereignly reigns over all.

Now, we know a perfect Father who has no limitations. We’re all grown up and far more capable, but with far less faith. Maybe a part of us should never grow up? Maybe that’s why Jesus often hung out with children? Maybe they have as much to teach us as we do them?

Is your Father calling you to believe again in the pala’s of God just like He did Abraham and Sarah? As it was for them (see Hebrews 11:11 and Romans 4:19-21), could this be a turning point in your faith?

What do you need the Lord to do for you? While I’m not promising God will always give you what you want (we knew what was best for our kids), maybe we “have not because we ask not” (James 4:3 NASB). Is He calling you to remember what it was like to simply reach up in childlike faith and ask of your father?

“Is there anything too marvelous, too amazing, too wonderful, too pala for the Lord?”

Ask.

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Jars of clay

Posted by Tim

However, Moses “used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away” (2Cor 3:13 NASB). Though truly marvelous, his was an old covenant, reflected glory. On this side of the empty tomb, the Lord has deposited His glory within us so that ours is a radiated, ever-increasing glory –  “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27 NASB).

Contrary to that solemn, graveside pronouncement, “ashes to ashes and dust to dust,” “we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2Cor 3:18 NASB). There is a huge difference between “I will be with you” and “I will be in you.”

Miraculously, the trajectory of a believer’s life spans from “glory to glory” as we are being progressively “transformed” (Greek “metamorphoo” from which we get our English word “metamorphosis”) into the image of Christ. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2Cor 4:16-17 NASB).

I’m pretty sure most of us would not put anything of great value in a piece of pottery that is easily broken. And yet God says “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2Cor 4:7 ESV). What treasure?  It’s the transforming glory of the gospel – “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2Cor 4:6 NASB).

But it’s kind of hard being a jar of clay in a world that tosses you around! “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2Cor 4:8-10 NASB).

These are words of personal experience that testify not only to our weaknesses, but also to God’s surpassing power! Herein lies the paradox of living as a believer in this fallen world. Though our jars crack, this only allows whatever our jar contains to be readily seen. For those who walk with Christ, the light of the glory of Jesus shines out through our brokenness.

Praise God for our fragile jars. And praise Him that though they crack and wear out from the Master’s use, these are but greater opportunities for His light to shine. Are the stresses of this world pressing down hard? Got any cracks or breaks in your jar?

Then shine!

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Cut it straight

Posted by Tim

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2Timothy 2:15 NASB).

I used to think this verse was only a call to be very careful to immerse ourselves in the Word, study hard, ask the Spirit to teach us, understand what it is saying, and not present it out of context to others. We must absolutely hold firm to all these things – seek God through His Word, hide it in your heart, and live it out to His glory.

But look down the tracks. Someone had to work hard to cut a straight path through lots of trees to build this railroad track so that people and cargo could travel to a certain destination. God calls us as fellow laborers in the family business “to accurately handle” (“orthotomeo”) the word of truth. That Greek word literally commands us “to cut it straight.” We must work hard to “make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23 NASB) directly through the vast forests of confusion so that people can easily get on the right track and follow Jesus.

Most people simply do not know what the Bible says. They are groping in darkness and God is calling us to be truth-bearers. So “prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Phil 2:15-16 NASB).

Cut a straight path. Speak the truth in love. Light the way!

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Editing

Posted by Tim

I once heard a wise preacher say to an eager couple standing at the altar, “There are three rings in marriage: the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering.” Considering the amount of laughter that followed, there must be some truth to those words! The greatest joys as well as the greatest hardships we experience often are wrapped up in this one-of-a-kind, God-given relationship called marriage.

So what do you do with these extremes? The Bible talks a lot about forgetting. It also talks a lot about remembering.  So which is it?

Whether or not you’re married, I’ve concluded that these extremes of life are a lot about editing. Some things just aren’t worth remembering. What’s the point in dwelling on things in the past that can never be changed, seek to enslave, or drag you down?

Then again, many things are worth remembering – things that inform, inspire or influence our present actions – from lessons learned to priceless moments. It’s pretty simple to me: choose to remember the good – “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8 NASB). Editing.

A lot of water has passed under the proverbial bridge in our thirty-one years together. And like you, maybe we’ve thought about jumping off a time or two as the pendulum swung towards “worse.” But in Christ, “better” days are always ahead and the good news is the stream is still flowing. We rejoice that His healing waters have such tremendous redeeming power to erase regret, blot out sin, refresh the soul, and move us continually downstream toward His purposes.

I frequently tell my wife that she becomes more beautiful with each passing year. Of course, she always says I’m biased or my eyesight is failing. Perhaps. But I think it’s because God has given me a greater appreciation of just how resilient she is, how more deeply in love she is with Jesus, and how much she wants the best for the days that lie ahead.

A well-trained memory is one that knows what to forget. Call it forgiveness. Call it love. Call it sanity. It’s still about editing as God continues to unfold His amazing story in our lives.

“…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14 NASB)

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Through the eyes of a child

Posted by Tim

My wife and I are really enjoying the blessing of our one-year-old grandson, Noah. To look at the world through the eyes of a child is to restore the wonder of it all. Everything is new and fresh, wondrous and amazing. Even the simplest things – a twig, a leaf, a bird, a squirrel – compel a wonder all their own.

I’ll say, “What’s that?” or “Look!” and though he cannot fully express himself in words, there’s no doubt he’s in awe. You can see it and hear it. His eyes grow wide and bright and he begins to chirp, “Oooh, Oooh, Oooh!”

The Word of God frequently uses the word “behold” as if to say, “What’s that! Look! Prepare to be amazed!” From “Behold, it was very good” to “Behold, a virgin will be with child,” there is a certain sense of exclamation and swiftness in the original Hebrew word – almost like something meant to leave you wide-eyed and singing a chorus of “oooh’s.”

What about “beholding” the wonder of the Lord?  “Michael” the archangel’s name literally poses the rhetorical question, “Who is like God?” The psalmist unwaveringly answers, “There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours” Psalm 86:8 NASB.

Be in awe of the majesty and glory of God and proclaim, “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders.” Exodus 15:11 NASB

Stand amazed at the Lord “who does great things, unfathomable, and wondrous works without number.” Job 9:10 NASB

Draw near to the Light of His Word and pray, “open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.” Psalm 119:18 ESV

Be captivated by the beauty of Jesus, our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NASB

Expectantly pursue the Word of the Lord to, “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days you would not believe if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5 NASB

So with childlike faith, let us welcome this day with a renewed sense of awe and wonder at the Lord our God. Why? Because worship follows wonder.

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

What are you waiting for?

Posted by Tim

 

We hate to wait.  Whether sitting in traffic, holding for a customer service representative, sitting in a crowded waiting room, or standing in a long line, we hate to wait.  What a waste of time!  We much prefer now to later.  Most of us would agree that waiting is both passive and negative.  Its byproduct is often impatience, frustration, and even anger.  We end up muttering things like, “Who hired this idiot?” or “Don’t they know my time is valuable too!”

What about waiting on God?  Do we experience the same range of emotions?  If so, these verses might just help transform your next trip to God’s waiting room.

Even youths shall faint and be weary,
 and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
 they shall mount up with wings like eagles; 
they shall run and not be weary.  Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV

Did you see our favorite word sandwiched in there?  It’s important since it’s the very “action” that leads us to where we want to go.  That word “wait” is translated from the Hebrew word qavah that literally means to “to collect or bind together; to twist or weave.”

So how do the weak grow strong?  How do the fallen begin to soar?  How do the prayerful endure?  By “waiting” on the Lord.  By twisting and weaving your life around the Lord like the braiding of a rope – like the uniting of multiple strands of fiber to create strength.

Unlike our customary earthly experience, biblical waiting is highly active and positively charged.  It flourishes in expectancy, hope, faith, and dependence.  It perseveres in prayer, remembers God’s faithfulness, and clings to His unwavering promises.  It rests in the very sovereignty of God and rejoices in what He is doing during the time of waiting as much as in the anticipated outcome.  It knows that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  It senses the abiding Presence of God and hears the reassuring voice of the Good Shepherd.

Easy?  Hardly.  We don’t like to wait, remember?  But if you will keep putting the fragile strands of your life into the hands of the One who wove you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), you will discover the miracle that awaits in God’s waiting room.

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Leave room for God

Posted by Tim

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” Romans 12:17-18 NASB.

It’s hard to fake this.  We have to be talking supernatural stuff since I prefer the natural.  I like getting even or seeing my “enemy” get what’s coming to them.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cursed someone in my heart if not with my lips or tried to disprove grandma’s saying “two wrongs don’t make a right.”

The end result of this natural tendency is escalation of warfare, bitterness, giving justification to your adversary’s actions against you, and discrediting your testimony.  In short, we get in God’s way.

“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” Roman 12:19 NASB.

Topos is the Greek word translated “room” and means “a marked off place as a city, village, or location; a parcel of ground – real estate” (it’s the root of our English word “topography”).

It’s as though God has given us a clearly defined area for the real estate of our life.  If we move off our topos in judgment and unforgiveness, we overstep our authority and trespass on His land.  We need to let God be God.  When we take revenge, people hate us; when God judges, people often repent.  So leave room for God.

Similarly, the Bible says, “Be angry and yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity” Ephesians 4:26-27 NASB.  Would it surprise you that “opportunity” is also the Greek word topos?  The warning is to not let anger marinate and degrade into a root of bitterness, resentment or hatred thus allowing the devil to move onto your property!

Since your “enemy” is most often being driven by the Enemy, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 KJV) works well to restore God’s perspective.  So say it.  Be diligent to guard your God-given topos by renewing your heart and mind according to the Word of God and being transformed into those who supernaturally live according to Spirit.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir once said, “Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.”  Could it be that peace in our lives will come when we love the Lord more than we hate our enemy?

Where are you currently in God’s way?  Forgive and step aside.  Where have you given the devil an opportunity to camp out on your property?  Forgive and tear down that stronghold.

© 2012 Tim McKenzie – www.OnEveryWord.com

Feedback