Insight for the Journey

Romans 8 is arguably the grandest chapter in the Bible. It begins by reminding us that there is no more condemnation for those in Christ and it ends by assuring us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. It’s kind of hard to improve on that. But Romans 8 doesn’t just begin and end with a bang. It has fireworks throughout. Virtually every verse is a goldmine of spiritual truth.

There are two times in Romans 8 when Paul uses the phrase “we know.” That phrase is used about 13 times in the whole book, and two of those are in the 8th chapter. That phrase translated “we know”, which is used 13 times in the book of Romans does not mean “we hope” or “we wish” or “we want” or “we guess” or “we desire” or “most likely”. No. It means “we know”. It’s a settled assurance. It’s a solid confidence. Paul speaks with conviction and unshakeable certainty.

But what are the two things that Paul is absolutely sure about? Consider these two verses:

Romans 8:22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It seems to me that Paul asserts two things in this chapter that he has a settled confidence about: Life is hard and God is good.

Numerous people have asked me, “Pastor, what do you think the New Year will hold for us? Are times going to get a lot tougher for believers? Are we in the last of the last of the last days? Is the cosmic battle going to heat up big time in 2010?

Listen, I don’t know much about what’s coming, but I’m very confident of this: the people who will represent Jesus the best in 2010 are the people who have a solid, settled conviction about two things: Life is hard and God is good.

Do you know that? Do you have that solid conviction?

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Christmas Eve… I love this time of year. The nostalgia of Christmas is a precious feeling, as memories of Christmases long ago flood through my mind and stir the emotions. The fun of being with my own family reminds me of how incredibly blessed I am.

Being a preacher, however, my mind seems to always go quickly to the real meaning of this season. It is, after all, the traditional time for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. All Christians cherish that. It is, like Easter, a holiday that is uniquely ours as Christ-followers.

One of my favorite Christmas stories appeared in Time magazine in 2008. During the presidential election, John McCain was asked by Time Magazine to share his “personal journey of faith.” McCain said: “When I was a prisoner of war in Vietnam…my captors would tie my arms behind my back and then loop the rope around my neck and ankles so that my head was pulled down between my knees. I was often left like that throughout the night. One night a guard came into my cell. He put his finger to his lips signaling for me to be quiet and then loosened my ropes to relieve my pain. The next morning, when his shift (was about to end), the guard returned and retightened the ropes, never saying a word to me.”

“A month or so later, on Christmas Day, I was standing in the dirt courtyard when, I saw that same guard approach me. He walked up and stood silently next to me, not looking or smiling at me. Then he used his sandaled foot to draw a cross in the dirt. We stood wordlessly looking at the cross, remembering the true light of Christmas, even in the darkness of a Vietnamese prison camp” (Time Magazine 8/18/08; “A Light Amid the Darkness”).

Only Christ could turn enemies into friends and fear into peace. He is the light in the darkness. He is the reason we celebrate.

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Are you a leaner or a lifter?

Has God given you the chance to touch somebody’s life this season? Can you spend some time with them mentoring and helping coach them through challenging situations? Can you use your talents to help encourage and lift someone today? It may be your family. It may be a friend or even a stranger. But our attitude must be: such as I have …I give to you. That kind of person is a “lifter.”

“Leaners” on the other hand are always taking. They tend to ask, “What’s in this for me?” If there is nothing for them, they don’t get involved.

But lifters are always looking for a way to make to make a difference. They will find some way to care, some way to share: write a note, call you on the phone, encourage you, say a kind word. This kind of person will always find a way to boost the people who are around.

Ella Wilcox said it better than I ever could. She said,
“There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the good and the bad, for ‘tis well understood
That the good are half-bad and the bad half-good.
No! The two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.”

Christmas is about a God who is a “lifter.” He entered this world to lift us out of our pit of sin and plant our feet on a rock. He came to give something you could never buy with a Macy’s charge card. In fact, His Salvation can’t be bought. But it can be received. And when you receive Christ He begins to change you from the inside out. And that’s when you know you’re truly changing!

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I’m part of a pastors’ group of six that meets monthly. Recently a dear friend and fellow pastor who has been in our group for eleven years shared that he has accepted another pastoral assignment in Connecticut. Chad’s new responsibilities begin with the New Year. Each of us wished him well, prayed for him and his family, and shared a few words about what his friendship has meant to us through the years. It was a moving moment.

As Chad goes, he is leaving a legacy at Mountainview Evangelical Free Church. He is also leaving a legacy with us.

The whole thing caused me to think: what legacy am I leaving? Unlike Chad, I’m not going to another church or moving out of state. I hope to spend a life-time at Grace Fellowship. But whenever and however my “leaving” occurs, what impact or legacy will be left behind?

Frankly, that question has pursued, indeed hounded, me for years. If a life leaves no footprint… was it really worth living? If the world has not been made a better place for someone… was my presence really needed? Why did I bother to take up space for those years and breathe the air?

The problem with an inordinate fixation on legacy is that I don’t have control of it. Frankly, I’ve come to believe that I’m not responsible for the legacy I leave behind. Really. What I am responsible for is my faithfulness to my calling.

If, as I faithfully steward my life, a deep and profound legacy is created, wonderful!

If, as I faithfully steward my life, a paltry and almost imperceptible legacy is created, that’s okay, too.

I can only be responsible for my part of the equation, faithfulness. The sum product (ie. legacy) lies in God’s hands.

Bottom line: I’ve stopped worrying so much about legacy. It doesn’t dominate my thoughts as it once did. Now, I simply seek to be as faithful to God’s will and calling each day as I can possibly be. The results I leave with God.

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