Upper Loft Meditation - Genesis 3

This past Easter week got me focused on how great God’s plan is for his creation. He knew before it all began that He would be suffering and dying on the cross for our sins, then rising again. It got me thinking about how it could be possible to divide the entire Bible into two parts. Genesis 1-2 and then Genesis 3 to the end of Revelation. Think about it. The first two chapters of Genesis speak of God’s amazing creation. Then Chapter 3 talks about the rebellion of man against God. And for the remainder of the Bible, God’s intricate and loving plan to redeem, restore and reconcile creation back to himself is described.

So what does this mean to those of us reading Chapter 3 of Genesis?

I guess there is no better way to begin to understand God’s message than to wrestle with and fully understand our separation from him because of sin and our desperate need for him to reconcile our relationship. We need to always be remembering this point in Scripture. The point that divides God’s creation from God… the point at which sin enters the picture.

And even though God knows everything, he still calls out to Adam asking “Where are you?” Why does he do this? Maybe it has to do with the concept of confession. Maybe God was wanting Adam to confess his sin, to come to God and desire reconciliation, to desire to remove his sin.

Yes, Adam responds out of fear and shame when he says that he hid and was afraid. We are all most tempted to hide from a situation when we will have to face punishment of a feeling of shame. We all desire to please others, and Adam felt like he let God down by his action and his inaction.

So each day, we all need to desire to pursue reconciliation… not waiting to be confronted with our sin… but to be proactive in seeking reconciliation.

Upper Loft Meditation - 1 Corinthians 15

“then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus.” - 1 Corinthians 15:54(b)-57

The triumph of Easter follows the crucifixion of Jesus. An innocent man, Jesus, has paid the penalty for all my sins. He has paid the price to set me free from the law of sin and death.

What is freedom?

• Death has no claim upon my life. Death is not an end point, a period. It is not an event to be feared. Death is a comma, as my story will continue into eternity.
• I am no longer separated from my Creator, but am called to live in intimacy with Him. I am to know God and enjoy Him forever. His promise is this: (Romans 8:37-38)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• This victory has set me free, not because of what I have done. It is what Jesus has done on my behalf. He gives me the victory. It is a gift that God gives to all those who receive it by faith.

This good news is fantastic. It is the answer for what everyone is looking for, whether they know they are looking or not. It is cause to celebrate every day.

Therefore, Hallelujah, thanks be to God forever and ever.

Upper Loft Meditation - Psalm 100

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he, who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” - Psalm 100:3-5

 

This is a Psalm of exhortation to those who believe in God.  It is a call to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving.  We do not sneak into God’s presence through a back door, nor do we timidly saunter into his presence chit-chatting about our own trivial sound bites.  We belong in His presence.  As Doug Goins points out, we are to be “noisy sheep!”  Our noise is not to be about us, but about Him.

 

Why should we be shouting His praises?

1. The Lord is God.  There is no other.  He is the maker of heaven and earth.  All things are under His power and authority.  All things were created for the praise of His glory.
2. He has made us and we are His family!
3. He has rescued us from sin and death and clothed us in the righteousness of His son Jesus so that we may enter and live in His presence for eternity.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to the praise and hallelujahs of the crowd.  For us it is the beginning of Holy Week, the week we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  How will you celebrate this world changing event?  Like a lamb being led to the slaughter house or a lamb carried in the Shepherd’s arms back to His family?  (Matthew 18:13)

 

Hallelujah, the Lord has come!  Be noisy sheep for His praise.

Upper Loft Meditation - Philippines 4

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippines 4:6-7

There is a great formula for reducing stress in this passage.

THANKSGIVING (PRAYER + PETITION) - ANXIETY = PEACE (HEART + MIND)

Anxiety is all about worry, both of the expected and the unexpected. You think what is coming is not good and there are external factors that would co serious damage to you or the ones you love. This thought can become a controlling menace that will enslave your hope and peace. This storm will last forever and sunshine is only a fading memory, but this need not be the case.

Just say no to any thought of worry. This is not easy. Replace that thought with prayer and petition. This petition is not a long list of your requirements for an easy life. Here, petition means a request you make to someone in authority.

You under gird this prayer and petition with thanksgiving. For what?

You were created to know God and to enjoy Him forever.

God sustains you by the power of His spirit. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” - Psalm 23:4

God pours out His blessing upon you because He loves you.

God has adopted you into His family forever.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) God is with you.

Without thanksgiving, you walk in the storm alone.

Read the Spanish version of this meditation.

Upper Loft Meditation - Ephesians 5

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Ephesians 5:4,20

As dearly loved children of God (v.1), how are we to live?

This chapter sets forth four areas that will negatively impact our fellowship with God: (1) “even a hint of sexual immorality”, (2) “any kind of impurity”, (3) “any out of place talk”, and (4) greed. As you prepare your hearts during Lent to worship and celebrate the Lord at Easter, all four of these areas must be addressed in your life. This is serious!

Jesus tells the story of cleaning out a house and the great danger of leaving the house empty;

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left’. When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” - Matthew 12:43-45

If you clean up your life and remove the evil from the four areas, what will you put in its place? If you do nothing, you risk replacing the evil with even greater evil - sevenfold!

Paul points out clearly that what should replace the evil is a spirit of thanksgiving, activities of thanksgiving, and prayers of thanksgiving.

It is said that one failure, accident, mistake is remembered with the equivalency of fifty blessings, victories, or joyous events. Do you dwell on the dark clouds?

Upper Loft Meditation - 2 Corinthians 2

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” - 2 Corinthians 2:14

He leads, and you follow. It sounds so simple. So, why do you run into problems?

1. You can be captivated by the momentum. You know you are making progress, but you have taken your eyes off Jesus. In practical terms you have become so busy, even doing religious activities that you fail to feed upon God’s Word. It won’t be long before the momentum wanes.
2. You wander off. You get caught up in other things, that though they may be very important, they are not what God has called you to do or where He is leading you.
3. You don’t trust God. Life’s challenges are waring you down. There is no response to your cries for help.
4. You don’t understand God’s purposes or His methodology. You let the ways of the world define what you should do in your situation.
5. In your exuberance, you have run ahead of Jesus. You are no longer following.

What can be done to stay the course?

Giving thanks is an antidote for the many distractions that would cause you to wander. As you follow Jesus with a grateful heart and a thankful spirit, you will discover that the Lord uses those who follow him and are straggling behind, to display His grace and mercy.

The fragrance of the Lord in your life will be used to bring blessings to others. Thanks be to God.

Upper Loft Meditation - Matthew 9

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a sheperd.” - Matthew 9:35-36

As one of his followers, what does it mean to be more like Jesus? Here Jesus is going everywhere teaching, preaching, and healing. He is doing what he was called to do. Matthew highlights here, not a great sermon or a miracle, but Jesus reaction to the people around him.

In the midst of his calling, Jesus becomes keenly aware of the needs and suffering of those around him. This is not just a mental exercise; Jesus is physically and emotionally moved with compassion. He is gripped by the condition of the masses.

There are three descriptives of what Jesus saw:

1. “harassed” - Literally exhausted, weak, and tired. As one may say, “I have tried everything, and I have nothing.” Jesus sees through the facade.
2. “helpless” - Literally to fall to the groud in fatigue and hungar.
3. “sheperdless sheep” - This is both a reference to their vulnerability as sheep and to the Old Testament use of the term (i.e. Jeremiah 23) referring to the need for leadership and care of God’s people.

In the midst of your calling, what do you see as you observe the people around you? Are you moved with compassion or are you just moving on through?

Read the Spanish version of this meditation.

Upper Loft Meditation - Psalm 107

Lent is a period of forty days of spiritual reflection as one prepares the heart for the celebration of Easter. This Psalm provides guidance for such personal reflection.

The refrain is repeated four times (8,15,21,31), “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.”

How has God loved you? Count the ways. What is amazing is that God loves us in spite of our rebellion and selfishness. We think more highly of ourselves than of others. Thoughts of Almighty God are often out of our minds. Even when we remember God’s unfailing love and the deeds that flow from his loving compassion, we remain mute.

Hear the exhortation (v.22), “Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.” Who will you tell today about God’s unfailing love for you? What examples will you give?

Four times (6,13,19,28) the Psalm highlights a turning point and tells of God’s response.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress.” God hears your cries of desperation, because you are loved. God does and will lead you out of your crisis.

Hear the exhortation (v.32) “Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and prise him the council of the elders.” What Christian leaders will you tell (phone call, email, letter, face to face) today about God’s unfailing love for you?

“Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.” (v.43)

Upper Loft Meditation - 2 Corinthians

“I’m writing this to you now so that when I come I won’t have to say another word on the subject. The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart. I want to get on with it, and not spend time on reprimands.” (MSG) - 2 Corinthians 13:10 This past weekend I began reading a book on the history of the English settlement of Jamestown in Virginia back in the 1600s. The leadership style of Captain John Smith, hard driving and desirous of personal achievement, was a stark contrast to the leadership style I was reading about in another book. I also have been reading through 2 Corinthians, examining the leadership examples that come from Paul.

If you exercise leadership among other believers, your family, or co-workers, I encourage you to carefully study Paul’s view of his own authority. Like Captain John Smith and many of us, Paul liked to be in charge, and he felt frustrated when people failed to follow his lead, as the Corinthians had. As an apostle, he had spiritual authority over them, which at times led him to deal severely with them.

But it is important to notice how Paul exercised his authority, especially as he grew older in the faith. Unlike Captain John Smith, Paul didn’t lord it over others or try to use his authority for personal advantage. Nor did he abuse his power by using it to work out his own anger. Instead, he recognized that spiritual authority is given “for edification and not for destruction”, for building others up, not for tearing them down.

Is that how we use our position and authority? Are we more like Captain John Smith, just trying to survive a difficult situation? Do we exercise leadership in order to accomplish the best interests of those who follow us? As they carry out our directives, are they built up in Christ, or torn down?

Upper Loft Meditation - Luke 7

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’.” - Luke 7:34 For many people in the United States, today marks a day of protest and conflict. Today marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision enabling the legality of abortion. This is also a day of challenges. One challenge is… Are you a friend to sinners?

How many times when we talk with co-workers, people visiting our church or our home, or sinners does the discussion tone change from a mutual discussion to the “christian” talking TO or AT the sinner, trying to fix that sinner’s attitude about some type of sin. Christians around the world talk about loving the sinner, while hating the sin. The question today becomes… is the love actually coming through? Are you a “friend to sinners”?

Many people see believers as judgmental, prideful, and quick to fault others. Biblical Christians today have an image problem. Jesus had an image problem also. The early believers were upset because they thought he was too easy on sinners. They thought Jesus was too friendly with sinners. Jesus was repeatedly called a “friend to sinners”. How ironic, that in the current era of Christianity believers are seen in the opposite light. Are you a “friend to sinners”?

How can we become more of a friend to sinners?

1. Look within - Many times the things we ‘can’t stand’ in others are buried deep within us.
2. Look to Christ - Read how Luke portrays the relationship between Christ and sinners.
3. Stop avoiding the sinful people - Ask God to help you with hospitality towards sinners.

Do we care enough to reach out to others, without an agenda? Are you a “friend to sinners”?

Read the Spanish Version. [Read more]

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