Holy Habits

Hebrews 10:24–25

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Do you know what this is? Yes it’s a toothbrush.  I am about to brush my teeth. But it’s more than that. It’s a habit.  Brushing my teeth is something I do over and over again, at the same time every day.  Habits are an important part of life.  There are good habits and habits.  I am in the habit of leaving rooms and not turning off lights.  That’s a habit that drives Linda crazy.  I am also in the habit of getting up early and going for a walk with Molly, our dog, pretty much every morning.  That’s a good habit.  

Now I know that “developing good habits” is something our mom’s harped on every day.  We probably got sick of hearing them say it.  I know I just hated it when my mom would tell me again and again, “Quit chewing with your mouth open.”  “Mom, I know!” would be my reply.  “If you know it, why don’t you do it?” was always her next question.  But you know as I grew older, I discovered something.  My mom did know some things… well many things.  She was right in wanting me to develop good habits – picking up my room, brushing my teeth, chewing with my mouth shut…  Getting in good habits helps me to make sure I am doing all the things that I need to do to take care of myself, to respect those around me and to live life in a good, healthy way.

All that brings me to this question, “What are your spiritual habits?  Your holy habits?”  Once again, when it comes to spiritual habits there are good habits and bad habits.  In Hebrews 10 we read about people who were in the bad habit “neglecting to meet together…”  They had gotten in the habit of not going to worship.  People who haven’t been to a church service in a while will often say to me, “I have just gotten out of the habit.”  The list of good and bad spiritual habits  is long - having daily devotions or not having them, praying daily or neglecting to pray, participating in a Bible study or not participating in Bible Study, attending worship or skipping worship, encouraging others in their faith or tearing them down.

The thing about habits is that they are developed.  They don’t just happen.  I haven’t always been good about brushing and flossing my teeth.  Like all bad habits, I paid a price for that every time I went to the Dentist.  What changed?  I started brushing my teeth.  It became a habit.  Then Linda got me this electric tooth brush that helps me track how much time I spend on every part of my mouth. My habit got stronger.   I haven’t always exercised.  What happened?  I started walking on a tread mill.  Then I got a dog who gives me a reason to go for a good walk every day.  Now my daughter in law has put together a series of exercises.  Exercise has become a habit.  Linda and I haven’t always had daily devotions together.  But we do now.  How did that happen?  We started having devotions.  Now just sitting down to breakfast together reminds us.  Reading God’s word and praying together has become a habit.

Understand, holy habits are not things we do because we want God to love us more.  He already loves you and me with an everlasting love… with more love than we could ever deserve.  No these are habits God invites us to because He wants to bless us… to strengthen our faith and draw us closer to him.  People ask, “Why should I give time to these habits?” Bonhoeffer and Luther would say, “That’s simple – because God commanded you to.”  But to that I would also add this.  If you were invited to eat a gourmet meal of your favorite foods would you ask, ”Why would I want to do that?”  No, you’d just dig in and enjoy.  That’s what holy habits are all about – an opportunity to dig into and enjoy God’s many gifts.

What are your holy habits?  Pause for a moment today and make a list of them – good and bad.  Then ask yourself, “What do I want to change?  What new habits do I want to develop?  Pick one, pray and start… start today.  Make it one of your holy habits. 

The Day the Masks Come Off

“For when I kept silent my bones wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My strength was dried up as in the heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to you,

And I did not cover up my iniquity;

I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD

And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.’”

Psalm 32:3-5

On Monday, as I rode the U-Bahn, there were a lot of people on that train dressed “oddly.’  One person wore a bunny costume.  Another had her face painted a kitty.  A third was dressed like a clown.   All these people were on their way to work or school.   I wondered, “What is going on?  It’s not Halloween.”  Then it hit me – Its Carnival or Mardi Gras.  In Germany they call it “fasching.”    They have parades and parties.  People wear costumes.  I understand that the City of Mainz really celebrate big.    “Fasching” is the last big party before Lent, before Ash Wednesday. 

Ash Wednesday is the day when all the masks come off.    What a great spiritual lesson there is for us in this.  After all, we all wear masks.  We all hide things about ourselves.  We try to control what others think of us.  We especially seek to cover up or hide the bad things.  King David comes to mind.  In an attempt to cover up his sin, David wore some pretty grotesque masks.    To cover up adultery he first put on a mask of deception.  Next he chose an even more grotesque mask - murder.    After that he used something good… He used marriage as a mask to hide the truth about Bathsheba’s pregnancy. 

The problem with our masks is that we can fool others. We may even be able to deceive ourselves.  But we can’t fool God.   God saw right through David’s masks.  Listen to David describe what it was like trying to hide from the LORD. “When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My strength was dried up as in the heat of summer.”  (Psalm 32:3-4)  God had a better answer.     He sent the prophet Nathan to bring David’s guilt out into the light.  To us God sends days like Ash Wednesday.  He invites us to take off our masks.  He invites us to confess our sin.  Then He marks us with Ashes to remind us of what sin does to us.  “Dust you are,” He says, “and to dust you shall return.”  The words we speak at the grave side come to life, “Dust to dust and Ashes to ashes.”   

Why can’t He leave our masks alone?    God knows that masking our guilt doesn't make it go away.  He loves us too much to let us go on hiding behind our masks.  After all, He is a God who does not desire the death of a sinner but that he turn from his ways and live.    He is a God who desires to forgive us our sin.  He desires this so much that He gave His one and only Son Jesus.   Jesus gave His life to pay for our sin.  He rose again that we might never have to wear masks again.    What happened to David?  “I acknowledged my sin to you, And I did not cover up my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.’”  So today is the day to take off the masks… to be marked with ashes…to acknowledge the truth about our sins… to celebrate the even greater truth of God’s love in Jesus Christ – that he forgives all Your sins… and He forgives all my sins!

A Mighty Masada is Our God

"The God  of Jacob is our Fortress"

Psalm 46

This post has no printed text to go with it.  We were on top of Masada by the Dead Sea in Israel and this thought came to me which I wanted to share with you.  So you will need to listen to the two videos posted here...one a brief devotional thought and the other is our tour group singing "A Mighty Fortress".... We just wanted to share with you one more thought from Israel... God Bless.

And the hymn

Walking Where Jesus Walked

"Lord, if It's You, tell me to come."

Matthew 14:28

"Lord, if it's You Tell Me to Come"

This post is coming to you from Israel, the land of our Lord Jesus.  Behind me is the Sea of Galilee.  I was sitting here thinking about that one of things people get excited about when they come here is the thought -"I've walked where Jesus walked."  Well I can't say that about the Sea of Galilee.   He walked on to that Sea.  I haven't.  But Peter did.

Have you ever thought about Why Peter wanted to walk on the water.  It's a great illustration of what discipleship means.  A disciple was to follow his Rabbi so closely that he would be covered in the "dust of his Rabbi."  He was to listen and commit to memory all that his Rabbi said.  He was to imitate and do what he saw his Rabbi do.  The Rabbi was to shape the whole person of the disciple.  The disciple was to trust and become like his disciple.  Therefore when Peter saw Jesus walk on the water he wanted to do it too.  And he did.

Of course you know what happened.  No sooner was Peter out of the boat, walking on the water than he was distracted and frightened by the wind and the waves.  Taking his eyes off of Jesus, Peter started to sink.  Now I don't want to be too hard on Peter - I don't think I would have even got out of the boat.  What about you?

This story though provides me with great comfort.  For one thing, I do want to follow Jesus that closely but like Peter I fail.  I sink.  I get afraid.  Notice though that Jesus is right there.  He saves Peter.... Brings him safely back in the boat.  Jesus never takes his eyes off of Peter.  He doesn't turn Peter away.  He brings him back in the boat.  He forgives him.  He still invites Peter to follow.

Think about that.  We are free to try and try again to follow him... When we fail, he never takes his eyes off of us.  He is there to save us... To forgive us... To put us back in the boat... In His grace and mercy doesn't turn back... He doesn't reject.  He loves us . Forgives us... Helps us to grow so that We can keep following... Keep Walking where He walks.

Home is...

"Our citizenship is in heaven."

Phil. 3:20a

"We have here no lasting city, but 

We wait for the city that is to come."

Hebrews 13:11

You know since moving to Germany I have found myself using the word "home" in all sorts of different ways.  Thinking about vacation sometime this year I have said things like, "well when we go home this summer..."  By that I mean when we head home to the USA.  When leaving my office at Trinity at the end of the day I have told my colleagues, "I am heading home."  By that I meant our apartment in Frankfurt...  Today Linda and I are in Tel Aviv and in one sense even here I am home .... Not because I live here but because Linda is here. Home is where she and I are together.

So where is home?   Well I guess it's all those places and yet none of those places.  It's the USA because that's our country.  We grew up there.  We are Americans.  and we love it.  Yet we have no house there anymore.  Our US address is Bethany and Jason's address.  Well then home is the USA because that's where our kids and grandkids are...  We can not put into words how much our kids and grandkids are on our hearts.  We love them.  But not all of them live in the US.... Jon and Dora are in Indonesia and moving to Hungary.  Is Frankfurt home? Yes and no.  We live there. We love Trinity.  Yet everything is still so new and someday, God will move us again.  To the Us?  I imagine but who knows?  

So where is home?  Home is all the places I have listed and none of them.  I guess this move... Having to sell or give away most of what we "owned" has driven home to us that we have no "permanent home" in this world.  All our homes here are wonderful but temporary.  Our real home is with our Lord....   "For we have here no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come". Hebrew 13:11. "Our citizenship is in heaven.   And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."  Phil. 3:20-21.  That is so important to understand.  Without that knowledge of home - we would be wanderers in this life, with no place to go.  Because of Jesus... Because he has purchased a home for us in His Father's House, we are pilgrims on our way home... Inviting other to go home with us.  I guess home is where Our Father is.

The Oldest Profession

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden

To work it and take care of it.”

Genesis 2:15

If I were to ask you – what’s the oldest profession there is, how would you answer?  If you said farming, that would be correct.  That was Adam’s occupation.  It was the natural outgrowth of their need for food.  It was also the first responsibility God gave them.  In the garden God made them stewards of His creation.  Genesis 2:15 – “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it.”   That’s the responsibility that goes with being made in the image of God. We are His representatives, responsible for the care of His creation.  That’s really what God was saying in Genesis 1 when He said to our first parents, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  Making us rulers was not God saying, “You can do whatever you want with my creation…”  Being a ruler is not about having your way. When you rule over anything that makes you responsible for the care of that thing… in this case God’s creation.   We are stewards of God’s creation.  That means it belongs to Him not us. We are responsible to him for how we work it and take care of it.

This has really been driven home to Linda and to me since coming to Germany.  Back in Texas we had two garbage cans – one for recycling and one for garbage.  Here we have four kinds of garbage cans – one for paper products, one for biodegradable items, one is for both plastics and aluminum products and then one is for just plain garbage.  That is kept in another place.  They are very serious about this… we were putting the wrong things in the wrong containers when we first came and the sanitation services were refusing to take the can until we sorted things out properly. Some of the plastic and glass bottles we take back to the grocery store and recycle there to get a deposit returned.  All the rest of our glass products we take down the street to a bin where we have one compartment for brown glass, another for green glass and a third for clear glass.  I think I posted a picture on the blog.

My first reaction was, "wow" that's a lot of work.  The truth it that it hasn't been hard at all.  some of you from America might think we have become members of the Green Party or have become too
serious about global warming.  To all that I would say "No."  Whether you believe that global warming is real or not - that is not the issue.  The issue is that as believers in Jesus God calls us to take care of His creation.  The issue is being one of God's stewards of this beautiful world.  God is very serious about creation.  In Romans 8 He tells us that the liberation of creation is part of His plan for our redemption.  “The creation waits in eager expectation for the Sons of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”  Romans 8:19-21

My point is this – when we enjoy the natural world around us with a walk outside or a swim in the ocean… when we produce and use food as well as other products made from this earth, as well as when we recycle, or don’t waste things – we are part of God’s creative and redeeming work – working and caring for His beautiful creation.  We are part of the oldest profession… carrying out the first job God gave us. 

God is Patient

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,

As some understand slowness.

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,

But everyone to come to repentance”

2 Peter 3:9

I apologize from the beginning that the video may not be the most professional.  However, I wanted to bring you outside today.  Do you remember the picture I put up on one of my first blogs – the picture of a building being torn down?  Well here it is two months later.  You can see that they are still tearing it down.   They have made progress but it’s slow.  I asked someone why this is taking so long.  They explained that the reason the building is being torn down is that it was full of asbestos.  So they are taking their time, trying to be very careful in order to protect their own health, and the health of all of us who walk by or live near this building. 

As I reflected on that, I thought, “I wish I was that patient.”  When I want something to get done or something to change in me or my situation I want that thing or that change to happen right now.  I am a pretty impatient person.   Right now, Linda and I are going through a major transition, getting used to living not only in a new place but in a new country and culture.  At times, I have found myself apologizing for not adjusting quickly enough to our new life.  Yet everyone here, especially my colleagues at Trinity keep telling me, “Pastor, take it easy on myself.  This kind of adjustment takes time - a long time.”  Some have mentioned 18 months.  “You need to be patient with yourself.”  There is that word again. 

However, like it or not, most change that God is working in our lives, takes time.  I read this past week about a woman who was in such a hurry to make her home look better that she skipped doing any prep work.  She just started painting, right over 8 layers of wall paper.  Two days after she was done the wall paper and the new paint was peeling off the wall in chunks. Her impatience made matters worse.  Before she could start painting, she had to do the time-consuming work of peeling off the old wall paper.  Only then could she apply the new paint and make good changes to her home that would last.

That’s the way it is with the changes God is working in our lives.  The process of making us new takes time.  That process involves first peeling away the old layers of sin… cleaning up the hidden rooms in our lives.  That takes time… a life time in fact.  But when He is done… then He will take us to our new homes, our eternal homes.  In the meantime, because He loves us… because He does not want any of us to perish; He does his work in His time, at His pace.  He is not slow.  He’s just patient.

That’s why I like walking by this building… watching it progress slowly day by day.  It’s a visual reminder to me and I hope to you to give ourselves a break… to trust God’s timing and work in our lives.  Because He goes about His work patiently day by day.  Perhaps we can learn from Him, who is so very patient with us, to be patient too.