Sin Is The Caged Tiger

It was Sin, of course. 

The name of Christian's tiger from yesterday's blog. The pet he hated to love and loved to hate. That thing within him, the longing and desire he knew he should not have, but yet there it remained.

Sin.

Such a simple word. So easy to say, but oh-so-hard to name in our own lives. We point out the obvious ones, sometimes in ourselves and more often in others, but deep inside many, if not most, and indeed if not all of us have our own tiger we desperately fear for the world to see.

For we are, of course, Christian. Or at least I am.

Little did Christian know . . . 

And by that I mean, little do we know, how dangerous our tigers are. We are not zookeepers. We are not equipped to handle dangerous game in close quarters. We do not have the facilities to keep such wild beasts restrained. We are not lion tamers--but even if we were, there is no such thing as a tame tiger. One little slip, one mistake, and they will turn.

Little does Christian know how likely, indeed how unavoidable it is that his tiger will one day turn on him. Those sins, those deep, dark desires we know we shouldn't have, will devour us. They will take our lives, be it our marriage, our job, our friendships, or even our relationship with God.

All it takes is one little slip, and we are not experts. We are not, and cannot be, competent to deal with such danger.

There is only one Master over sin.

That, of course, is Jesus Christ. Only He has ever walked side by side with sin, and survived unscathed. Only He has been perfect. Only He can truly master sin.

We are slaves. As even Paul says in Romans 6, we can be slaves to sin or slaves to God, but not both. You can only have one master; it will either be this world and sin, or it will be God. You either try (and fail) to deal with your own tigers, or you give them over to the One who knows what He's doing.

The only question is, are you willing to get eaten?

Christian's Tiger

Christian had a secret. Deep within his soul burned a fire, an ever-present desire. Like a caged tiger it paced restlessly within him, first pressing against the cage of his mind, then slinking back into the shadows, only to return once more. Searching. Stalking. Wanting.

Day after day, night after night it paced. On good days, a constant, echoing growl rumbled through Christian's head, reminding him of his want. On bad days, the growl rose to a thundering roar so fierce and loud Christian feared all around him would hear it. On those days he hid himself away, tucked safely behind the walls he had built between his tiger and the world until the beast within him relented once more, not to disappear, nor to cease his constant prowling, but at least to quiet enough that Christian could emerge once more behind the facade of normalcy.

Christian lived in fear every day of his life. Fear of the tiger. Fear of the world. Fear of the two meeting, realizing the other existed, and thereby learning his secret. Christian feared what the tiger would do if loosed upon the world, but even more than that he feared what the world would do to his tiger if ever they found it. For as much as Christian feared the beast, he loved it, cherished it, cared for it so deeply that he could not bear the thought of losing it. And in his world, tigers were not allowed.

So it went, this war within simple Christian, as he fought to restrain his dangerous pet, fearing and hating it all the time he loved and cared for it. Wishing it were gone all the while hiding it from the world so that it would not be taken away. Desperately wanting to be free, knowing he was as much captive as captor, more prisoner than guard. His tiger was caged, but it was a cage for two.

As all things he loved, feared, desired, and despised, Christian gave his tiger a name, although he knew it was named before it ever became his. It was a simple name, but powerful. A single syllable, so easily uttered, yet Christian rarely allowed it to cross his mind, let alone roll off his tongue for fear that doing so would unfetter the great beast and all would be lost.

To call it by name would be to admit its identity. Doing so, he knew, could only lead to admitting that he had no business keeping such a dangerous beast hidden away. He'd have to let it go, release it to the only One who could truly master it. His tiger of the shadows, his enemy-friend of darkness, would then be gone. Though Christian understood, knew deep in his soul that this must come to be, that he must rid himself of the danger or else become his tiger's next meal, he wasn't ready. Not yet.

Little did he know . . . 


To be continued . . .

Blessings From 11 Year Old Eyes

This is a guest blog by my 11 year old daughter. Unplanned, unsolicited, unedited--here it is . . . and maybe just a little bit of a proud daddy!

Blessings

    There are many blessings around us, ones that we know and are humble about and ones that we take for granted and don't even know about.

    The Lord can be in both of those categories, admit it we take him for granted but other times we are wise and careful.

    There is a story that I have heard lately about this topic. The Israelites were given the promise land that the Lord said that he would give them. They had all that they needed and they thanked the Lord. But then they started to take Him for granted and they sinned and kept falling short which is likely but they were doing it all the time and they were leaning away from him and kept sinning. Well for a while the Lord let them sin and receive the consequences that they deserved until the Israelites were on there feet praying and begging to the Lord. They had taken the Lord for granted and then he stepped out and they suffered and disobeyed the Lord.

    But there are many more stories where the people are wise and careful like in the story of David and Goliath where the Israelites and the Philistine were having a battle and the philistines were tall and strong and they had a giant on there team named Goliath. He was always shouting to the Israelites who would want to fight him and no one ever did because they were to scared. But then one day a young boy named David stepped up and said that he would fight him. So David prayed wisely to the Lord and got ready to fight. David beat Goliath because he was faithful to the Lord.

    This spring break for me was a blessing. To start it off I shot archery in Springfield for state and got first place for girls. I was praising God and feeling so blessed. The next morning I went to Minnesota with some of my good friends to see some good friends. we had a good time and got to see all the things that they were blessed with when they moved there and got to have a of fun.

So to rap things up there are blessings all around us from God himself. The biggest blessing was that he sent his only son to forgive our sins by dying on the cross.

So to cover everything there are many blessings around us in the world some are hidden and others we see clearly.

Have a good week and may you be blessed!

Missed Blessings

What is a blessing?

Hearing the laughter of children too long shut indoors finally set free to enjoy God's Creation. Seeing the faces of friends after having been too long shaded by time, distance, and circumstances. Feeling the Spring sun warm your bones after being perpetually chilled by the cold bite of winter.


According to a dictionary, a blessing is something which is conducive to happiness or welfare.

I think most of us would say that blessings are easy to recognize--good things in life, often unexpected, resulting in joy. Like the ones mentioned above. Those are blessings, certainly.

That is not, however, where the story ends.

I am certain we often fail to recognize the blessings in our lives, and I can think of three reasons why.

We're too caught up in what we want.

Too often, we're so caught up in what we want that we can't believe anything else could possibly make us happy. Blessings are missed because they are not what we ordered. God, I asked for sunny and 70, not cold and windy with sleet and rain. Never mind that God has blessed me with a warm house; that's not the blessing I'm looking for.

Jobs, relationships, opportunities--we want what we want. Anything other than that just isn't good enough. With a mindset like that, we're liable to miss something so much better.

We think blessings have to feel good.

From the definition above, a blessing is something which is conducive to happiness or welfare. All of  us are more than willing to experience and acknowledge those blessings which bring us happiness. What about welfare? The two do not always go hand in hand, do they?

Take going to the dentist. Is such a thing conducive to our welfare? Certainly. But happiness? Not for most.

Not all blessings feel good. Just because it's uncomfortable, however, does not make it any less a blessing.

We forget that God knows more than we do. 

What we think will make us happy, or what we believe is good for us is not always the case. God knows the truth. He knows us better than we know ourselves. That 40 foot sailboat may seem like a real blessing, but not if we're going to sail into a hurricane the first time we take it out.

God knows what's going to work, and what isn't. Some of the greatest blessings God gives is to withhold what we want. 

Don't overlook the blessings in your life.

As with most things, we get the get the easy stuff. Those blessings that make us feel good--thank God for them. Never forget from whom all blessings flow.

Don't shortchange yourself, however, by missing out on those other blessings, when God gives you something other than what you desire, when your welfare is more important than your happiness, or when He takes away to keep you from harm.

Those are often the greatest blessings of all.

Living In The Past

It's fun to revisit the past.

My family and I are getting ready to take a road trip next week to go visit some old friends (even though I'm surely not old enough to have "old friends!"). I'm sure a good portion of our visit will involve revisiting memories, reliving good times, and even paying respect to past mountains we have climbed together.

Our past is the foundation upon which our present and our future are built. Going back and looking at where we've been can be entertaining, sometimes humbling, often frightening, and healthy. It's important, though, that we don't get stuck there.

We have to remember the past is past.

I can't wait to see our friends. They are still a vital and vibrant part of our lives, important to our present and future as well where we've been. I want to go back and remember the good ol' days when we were together all the time, solving all the world's problems at 2:00 in the morning around a kitchen table munching on monster cookies. I want to go back there, and I'm sure we will.

It's important, though, that we don't stay there.

As much as I'd like things to be as they once were, they are not. Distance and circumstances ordained by God have caused the river of life to flow onward. An old proverb says that you can never step in the same river twice.

That's a truism of life.

Some people get stuck in the past.

That's not healthy. Some parts of our past are poison, whether it be old girlfriends wrecking marriages, old wounds reopened, or old habits re-awakened.  Get caught up in those traps, and your future can be just as dead as your past.

Other times we get stuck in remembering the glories of days gone by, thinking no future could possibly be as fulfilling as what we have already lived. That, too, is a pit with a soft bottom. If you believe the future can never be as good as the past was, it won't be.

There's a balance somewhere in the middle.

It's good to remember our past. There are lessons there, fond memories, encouragements, accomplishments, and laughter. Revisit those often. In every past you will also find pitfalls and dangers. Avoid getting caught in their grasp.

Visit your past, but never try to live there. It is who you were, not who you are. Those two people may be very different, or indeed very similar, but they are certainly not the same.

As Christians, our hope is in the glorious future provided and promised by God through His Son. We learn from the past, gain encouragement and wisdom from where we've been, but always our hope is before us.

If you spend too much time looking in the rear-view mirror, you just might miss a glimpse of how great the future will be.

A Storm Is Coming

No one can avoid it.

I don't know when, but a storm is coming. What it will look like remains to be seen, but without a doubt, it approaches. Dark. Foreboding. Dangerous.

Something is going to happen. To me. To you. To everyone.

How do I know?

Because life is what it is.

Storms come. That is the inevitable, unavoidable truth. As long as you live, you will face storms. Some you see coming in the distance, others spring upon you unexpectedly. They may rumble and roar, they may shriek and howl, or they may engulf you silently like a flood.

Whatever their nature, you will have to deal with them. The storms of life show no favoritism. The rich and the poor, the old and the young, the faithful and the non-believing--everybody has storms.

Your storm may be health issues, or marital problems. Finances or relationships. Stress, worry, fear, insecurity, persecution--storms have many names, and life is full of them.

Yours is coming.

Perhaps you've had calm weather for a long time. Prepare. Be ready. Your turn is coming. It's a fact of life.

Whether it be God sending a trial your way to strengthen you, or Satan testing you to tear you down, it's going to happen. If you're in the middle of a storm now, you know what I mean. It can be frightening, even terrifying. You may feel small and helpless. Storms always seem bigger than us, and they usually are.

You don't beat a storm. You can weather it. You can ride it out. You can survive, and even thrive, but you can't beat it. How can you defeat the wind? How do you stop the rain? What power do you have against onslaught?

None. At least not of yourself.

What will you do?

What should you do? I can't answer that, because I don't know what your storm is, or what it will be. I don't even know my own to come. I only know that come they will.

Personally, I depend on God to get me through the storms. He is my shelter, my rock, my strong fortress. I really don't know how people face the storms of life without Him. Sometimes they don't. I've seen many crushed and destroyed. Strong men and women, swept away by a flood of desire, or greed, or fear. So much pain. So much suffering.

I don't want to see you go through that. I don't want to lose you.

I want you to know God is there.

He's my fortress. He's willing to be yours as well.

No matter the storm, no matter who you are or where you are, He is there.

Remember that, when the winds start to rise.

A storm is coming.

Be ready.

Easter's Over . . . Now What?

It's a long time before Christmas rolls around again.

What are we Christians supposed to do? We celebrated Christ's birth, three months later we celebrated His death and resurrection. That's it, right? That's the whole story. I mean, some denominations recognize this or that special day in our faith, but those are the big two. Christmas and Easter (or Resurrection Day, if you prefer). It's nine months before the cycle rolls around again.

What are we supposed to do until then?

As the picture above seems to indicate, does Christ fade away into the background, disappearing in the wilderness until the calendar rolls to December? Did He give us the booster shot we needed for another year? Is His hand raised in blessing, bidding us farewell 'til we think of Him again just in time to pay off last year's Black Friday credit card binge?

I hope not. Oh dear Lord and Savior, I pray let that not be the case. All too often, though, it is.

Are we Christmas and Easter Christians?

You know, the people who make time to go to church on those two occasions, enjoy the awesome messages of Christ's birth and our salvation, and spend every other Sunday in reverent worship of NFL, MLB, NASCAR, HBO, or simply themselves.

I'm not saying going to church makes anybody a Christian, or even a better Christian than someone who doesn't, but lets face facts: We give of ourselves to what we believe in. Our money. Our attention. Our time.

How much time did you spend shopping and decorating for last Christmas compared to time spent praying, reading the Bible, serving, or even thinking about God the rest of the year? How much time this past weekend was spent coloring Easter eggs, preparing food, and keeping up with March Madness? And how much of your precious time have you given God since Christmas?

Oh, and let's face some more reality--Summer isn't any better. What with kids home from school, ball games, vacations, yard work, projects, hobbies, recreation . . . It's a good thing Christmas really isn't in July! I don't think we'd have time for it.

Christ doesn't want us two days, two weeks, or even two months out of the year. Christ wants us every day, every hour, every second. Each breath we breathe in comes from Him. How many do we use for Him?

Christ didn't quit after His resurrection.

Believe it or not, even though He said, "It is finished" when He was on the cross, He wasn't done with us. He came back to the disciples, met with them for another forty days before ascending to heaven to wait for the time of Judgment. What did He do those forty days? He told us what we should be doing.

Maybe the most obvious of these lessons is at the end of the Book of Matthew, what we call the Great Commission. Go make disciples. Not in nine months. Not in a year. Now.

At the end of his recording of the Gospel, Luke tells us that Jesus instructed the disciples to stay in the city (Jerusalem) until He delivered them the gift His Father had promised and clothed them with power. What gift? What power? The Holy Spirit! Why? So they could go make disciples! When? As soon as they got it.

For me, the post-resurrection message of Jesus that most speaks of His desire for us to continue what He started is found at the end of the Book of John. It is a conversation between Jesus and Simon-Peter. Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?"  Of course Peter answers that he does. Jesus then says, "Feed my lambs." But to be sure Peter got the message, Jesus asked again, "Do you truly love me?" Peter reaffirms his love for Christ, who answers, "Take care of my sheep." 

That would seem to be enough, but it wasn't. A third time Jesus asks if Peter loves Him, and a third time tells him to keep working by caring for the sheep (people). Then Jesus tells Him, "Follow Me!"

That speaks to me because Jesus didn't quit teaching and working after the resurrection, and He made sure His disciples knew their work wasn't done either. It had just begun.

Now what?

That's the question I asked in the title of this blog. What do we do now that Easter is over?

We do what Christ did after the resurrection, and what He told His disciples to do. We continue His work. We take care of His sheep. We make more disciples. Endlessly. Tirelessly. Selflessly.

Every. Single. Day.

Through Him and for Him.

That's what.