I'm Not Religious

"I'm not religious, I just love the Lord. (Scott Wesley Brown)

That line from Scott Wesley Brown's song captures what I want to say in today's devotion. As we live our lives out for the Lord, we find ourselves conflicted with a faith that is based on the grace of God and a religion based on works. The latter is so subtle yet so ingrained in us that sometimes the very acts of grace are viewed through religious, works based eyes.

This year the Lord called me into a 21 day fast so I obeyed. Usually when I am asked to fast for this or that I cringe at the thought or just go through it because "it is required". There were very few times that I felt good afterwards. However when God called me into this fast there was a sense of purpose. I felt that I was truly drawing close to Him. Everything from my prayer life, to my Bible study down to my pleasures such as listening to jazz took on a new life. What was even more significant was the overwhelming joy I felt constantly. When we do something as solemn as a fast, we can have the tendancy to switch to a religious mode and do soul searching for things that may not even be there. Perhaps the heart of a fast is to return us to the very one who is our nourishment. Perhaps its a surrender to reclaim the joy lost in religion. Please bear in mind that this does not diminish the pattern given to us by the Lord in Isaiah 58, especially verses 5-6. However we find that true joy comes from yielding ourselves to God. Humbling ourselves before Him and chastizing ourselves by subdueing our passions brings us true God given joy because we are fasting not only our passions but our earthly intellect that tells us that pleasure and joy are found in indulgence.

"Open my eyes Lord to see the beauty that comes comes in seeking You with all my heart"
Psalms 34: 9-10

The World Through Your Eyes

"For God did not not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him" John 3:17

In a highly religious environment, it is sometimes difficult for us to fully comprehend this verse. However, Scripture is filled with stories that show us that Jesus saved sinners not only for eternity but where they were at in the here and now. He did not judge the sinner or treat him or her as an outcast. He had compassion on them, associated with them (yet being an influence on them), touched and healed them. He did not feel defiled or compromised in their presence. How often do we stay away from the world because we fear being defiled by it? Isn't He who is in us greater than he that is in the world? Is not Christ in us the hope of Glory? Are not the weapons of our warfare mighty in God to the pulling down of arguments and imaginations?
Jesus proved that even on earth He came not to condemn but save sinners. The challenge for us is to look as Jesus did, with compassion, on the foul mouthed, habitual and blatant sinner who time and time again taunts us with his/her liberal lifestyle and love them. What did Jesus have that kept Him stayed on holiness and yet desirable to the sinner?


"Let me see this world dear Lord, as though I were looking through your eyes.......for if once I could see this world the way You see, I just know I'd serve you more faithfully" (taken from a song sung by Paul Sandberg)

What's an OpenHorn?

I decided to write this because my wife Jennifer stopped and asked me why I named the blog OpenHorn. The term OpenHorn is used by brass players whenever one plays a trumpet, trombone or flugelhorn without the use of a mute. In my case, the trumpet has been my horn of choice and I love playing it both open and muted. When one knows how to use both styles well it really improves the music. However muting is mostly for colour and therefore the tone produced on an open horn really defines the quality of the trumpet player. Some of my favourite trumpet players that give great open horn tones would be Wynton Marsalis( who is also great with mutes by the way), Nicholas Payton, Bobby Shew, James Morrison, Claudio Roditti and the all time great Dizzy Gillespie. Miles Davis had a really steady big tone on his open horn playing but I think he was later defined by his sound on the Harmon mute.

Here are some links to the people I have mentioned in this entry for all you jazz lovers out there.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ayD4yjUQk - Bobby Shew playing his famous Shew horn ( both open and muted at the same time)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pIvCJC8oAIE&feature=related - Dizzy Gillespie on the Muppett Show ( really fun)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fyxGhddbtr8 - Claudio Roditti

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3ixRJezyGoA&feature=related - Nicholas Payton

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eOyE_3uODFE&feature=related - Arturo Sandoval using the plunger mute.

A Hope That Does Not Disappoint

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference"



That famous old prayer echoes what some of us crave for each day. In the movie "Luther", the great reformer is pictured in a scene crying out to God. When his priest and mentor asks him what he wants, he replies, "I want a God of mercy". The priest gives him a crucifix and says, "look to Christ". God is a God of mercy but sometimes life itself and religiosity crowd out that concept from our minds.



Sometimes things don't turn out the way we would hope they will. Sometimes circumstances leave us frustrated. Sometimes people go exactly in the opposite direction of our advice and end up in disaster. However, we must trust God that His eyes never miss anything (2 Chronicles 16:9) and His purposes will always be fulfilled, His way and for His Glory. We are stewards of Christ's will and purpose. In the end, His will is to bless His people (Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end) and if we allow the Lord to work His will in us, we will experience the blessing like Joseph. (Genesis 37-41) He is the Hope that will not disappoint.

"Lord teach me to see your purpose in all things that my heart grow not weary in serving You. Grant me the grace to go on even when I don't see. Help me understand what you are bringing me through and why that I may not hinder Your work of cleansing in my life"

Pictures

Jen in Portland at a garden wedding

The two of us at Uncle Lim's restaurant in Pangkor Laut

Perhaps His Grace IS Sufficent

The older I get and the longer I live my life as a Christian I realize more and more how frail and hopeless I am in myself. All the achievements that I have had and all the service that I have done fall completely short when it is matched up with the inner voice inside my heart that tells me "You know who you are deep down here". Being raised in a good Catholic family, I was taught the importance of works in my daily life. These works were meant to help me achieve my salvation, atone for my sins and get me to heaven eventually. In my twenties I had the "born again" experience which emphasized the doctrine of grace through faith. I realised that I was saved purely by the grace of God. What a shift? Or so I thought. The truth was that the doctrine was right, but practically I realized that works occupied a lot of my Christian life. Without stepping on any toes (which would be difficult) I have to say that evangelical Christianity while preaching a doctrine of Grace enforces on daily life a doctrine of works more evidently. Let me give some examples, "you must have a quiet time with God, you must attend the services, you must serve etc. etc." Please don't misunderstand what I am saying here. Ministry is important but is our service to the Lord done because of requirement or from a grateful heart as an act of love to the One who loved us and gave Himself for us?

When Paul spoke to the Corinthians about giving he said, "2 Cor 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."(KJV) Sometimes this kind of statement blows our religious mindset but it is clear that God loves the gift that is given freely from a heart that would give it out of love and gratitude. We "purpose in our hearts". No requirement compels us to do it and if we did it under compulsion of any kind it would not be an acceptable gift. The gift that is given in gratitude from a cheeful heart purposed by the giver is one that states, "this adds nothing to my salvation or status as a Christian, I just want to give it to You because I love You and I love doing it" That almost sounds like so much fun! Chuck Swindoll, in his book The Grace Awakening puts it appropriately when he said that "the most dangerous heresy on earth is the emphasis on what we do for God, instead of what God does for us."

I guess what I am trying to bring our minds to is the lack of emphasis we have placed on Grace. When we continually plow the fields of our ministry and walk with the Lord, we will because of our human frailty and inconsistency fall short of the standards that we have placed on ourselves. This in turn brings heavy condemnation. We eventually ask ourselves, "how is it possible to serve God and how is it possible to remain holy?" Remember the small voice? " You know who you are deep down here." However if we realise that Christ died for us while we were in that state, we can be assured that His grace sees us through this life even though those frailties remain. "Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."(KJV)

Some of us may never have had the problem in believing this way but, it would be wise to check and see how many deeds we do as Christians are done with atonement in mind. Dr Ron Chung who preached recently in our church made a brilliant exposition of the contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant (Mosaic) was conditional in that it was dependant upon the people to fulfil the words of the Covenant. The New Covenant is unconditional and is dependant on a gracious God who fulfils His promise to His people.

This is why the writer of Hebrews says, "Heb 8:6 But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises."(KJV) This promise is one of grace and mercy and unconditional love not based on what we do but solely upon what God has desired for us.

Consider one last verse from Hebrews. "Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."(KJV)

Well I hope this has helped some of you. As we grow I hope we will learn and never stop seaching out our unsearchable God. For just when we think we know Him, He surprises us again with mind blowing revelations of Himself.

The Grace of our Lord be with you........and I pray that we all understand with each passing day what that Grace really is.