Author: Ron Miller

Beautifully Broken – Forever

This morning as I was worshipping God, I had a heavenly vision of people dancing before the throne of God. Interesting observation that while there were many that were lost in their joyful dance celebrating their connection to God and His forgiveness, there were many others who were standing around just watching and I could hear their thoughts. They were thinking things like “Who are they to dance before God, I know what kind of life they had”, or “I’ve lived a righteous life, why don’t I feel like dancing?”.

The truth is, you will never come even close to knowing Gods love until you fully realize your own brokenness.

We may try to hold our broken lives together on our own strength by our own means in order to “Save Face”, but only the blood of Christ can truly hold all those broken pieces together to make something whole and beautiful again. There is no pleasure on this earth that can compare to the pleasure of knowing God and His love for us.

I have been broken all my life. Only recently have I found the courage to embrace and own my own brokenness. In my weakness Christ is glorified. I don’t care about worldly things.

Read the bible and pray. If you don’t know where to start, the Gospel According to John is a great place for beginners. If you don’t know what to pray, you can start with “God I hurt, I feel broken. Show yourself to me that I may feel whole again.” If you feel like you don’t love God enough, just pray “God help me to love You more”

When I prayed to God to help me love Him more, His answer was to show me just how broken and needy I was. The person who is forgiven a great debt loves more deeply that the person who is forgiven little.

Beautifully Broken the Early Years

I was quite a lonely child growing up. In fact I feel that loneliness has produced the greatest ongoing pain in my whole life. I was the youngest and my next older sibling was my brother who was 6 years older than I. I was definitely not in his circle of friends to hang out with. My parents were older than most kids parents my age. They didn’t do much with me either. Most of my school classmates lived far away and none really close enough hang out with. I believe that I pretty much left alone to navigate the complexities of life on my own.

I can remember at times really hurting for some or any connection from anybody. Walking around the house just sobbing. My dad’s quick answer was “Stop your crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” You see he espoused the firm belief that “Children should be seen and NOT heard”. The only comfort I received from my mother was “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” Yes that’s right. Not very comforting at all.

What they seemed to be teaching me was that its was never OK to let people know that I was hurting and even if I did, they don’t really care anyway. Years of going to church didn’t help me much either. Mostly when I would meet somebody on Sunday morning and they greet me with “How’s it going?” Instead of answering the question deeply and honestly like I would want to, I would just say “Fine” and move on. To say more is not only socially unacceptable, but has the potential to create even more damage when their reaction shows how much they just don’t really care. It’s the same way in most of our modern culture. Suppress your true feelings. Don’t admit to feeling any pain. Just smile and be nice. Meanwhile that inner pain just becomes like background noise in your life. Perhaps like a toothache that is never treated, always there and never acknowledged or dealt with and maybe growing more severe over time.

I believe that over the 60 plus years of my life, the people that I have shared this pain with have for the most part wanted to be ‘fixers’. What I mean is that their answer mostly external “Try Harder” exercises. They say things like “You are thinking wrong”, “I had worse parents than yours, and I got ‘over’ my hurts”. In the past several weeks. I believe that I just hear Jesus saying “I know you are broken, I love you anyway. I came an shed my blood out of my ultimate love for you.”  I see myself now still broken and I believe I have to accept that. My broken pieces are being knitted back to wholeness by the blood of Jesus which is the only thing that can keep my broken pieces together.

Remember what is important.

I wanted to reflect on the dream I had last night. I was at home with my 2 young daughters. It was stormy outside but nice and warm inside. My younger daughter was playing with 2 balloons she had received the previous day. She was happy and contented. The balloons had lost much of their content but she was happy anyway because they were her  balloons. Then she realized that she was missing a third balloon. She came to me and showed me the 2 balloons she had and asked me to help her find her lost balloon. I looked at her and smiled. Of coarse I would help her! Then I looked at her and said “but first, let me hug you”. I picked her up in my arms, held her tight and whispered in her ear “Remember that you are always hubbagle.” (We always said “huggable” that way. It was a family thing.)

Yes there are always storms outside. Inside I pray that you have built on a firm foundation of love and security that comes from knowing that you are a child of God. We play with our deflated balloons of previous joys and are sometimes content with the past experiences. Our heavenly father just wants to pick us up and remind us of the joy we bring to Him. Not because of any particulate good thing we have done to deserve it, but just because we are His.

Take a moment right now to thank Him for His love for you. Do your part to spread His love to others. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.

Where we go ONE we go ALL

This phrase reminds me of the “Band of Brothers” who are united in love of their cause and their love for each other. Similar phrases are like “One for all and all for one”.

We have a choice. Follow the ONE who sinned, or follow the ONE who paid the price of sin in this world. How? Show love in your own circle of influence. Don’t let hate depression and despair become your companion. Perform acts of kindness. Don’t do kindness out of a feeling of obligation, but from a true heart of Love knowing that God has loved you even when you were not so lovely yourself. Don’t act religious, pious, uppity or better in any way to others. Serve them!

Consider this passage from Romans 5

Death in Adam, Life in Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our Healing Through Christ

Being raised by a Christian Minister, and attending church my whole life, I have heard the Christian message of Salvation many times. Many people have heard that “Jesus Saves”, but just what does that really mean?
The basic problem is that we live in a sinful world. But just what is sin? Is it stealing, killing, coveting, and adultery? Yes, and more. We live in a world that is racked by sin. Sin is more than just the things we do, but it is the state of things in the world we live.
You can live a “good” life, but sin does not stop at the door just because you are following all of the rules. The Bible says that “The rain falls on the just and the unjust”. Really bad things do happen to good people.
The law of Moses does not much more than show us the situation we live in. There has been no person except Jesus who could live their life and keep the law. We still commit sin, and we are still the victims of sin.
So what is the solution? Is there any way we can undo our situation by doing good? Can we somehow stem the tide of badness that exists in our world? Many have been called to help where they can. Mother Theresa has done much good to help some of the most unfortunate people in the world. Does this give her a special place with God? God loves us all the same, and there is nothing we can do to negotiate any special treatment from God. God’s salvation through Christ is a free gift for all.
The fact is all we can do is accept God’s gift. Stop thinking that somehow we have some kind of power of our own and admit that we are powerless over the effects of sin in our lives. This means that we are powerless over the addictions and habits that drive us to bad behavior, and we are also powerless over the results of living in a sinful world. There will always be fatal accidents, cancers, and other bad experiences along the way.
Once we have received God’s grace by accepting the free gift of Christ’s redemption, we are compelled by love and gratitude to change our lives. We can finally break free from the chains of addictions and habits that seem to rule our lives. We give back to the world not to gain anything more for ourselves, but to share the gift of new life given to us by God.

I hurt! Who do I blame?

We all like to play the blame game. We routinely like to find something or somebody to blame for our troubles. I suppose that we may find some comfort in this, and it may shift the focus of others away from whatever responsibility we take upon ourselves.

Recently New Orleans has been hit by a category 5 tragedy. A storm has caused enough destruction there to literally remove the city from the map. There are great life lessons to be learned there that we can apply to our own lives.

Storms happen. Our lives are routinely impacted by storms of every size. Children are impacted by gross abuse from caretakers and others that are no less devastating to them than Hurricane Katrina was to New Orleans. What is left of these children as they grow into broken adults is very tragic. As children they know no coping stragedy other than to hide this ugly shame and indignity under layers of self-denial and perhaps abuse of others.

We run across many such people in our ministry. People who as adults are discovering the reason for their inability to deal with life’s issues goes back to how in their childhood they had to deal with what were Category 5 storms to them. There are parts of these people that are afraid to come out of the shelter they have built to protect them from further abuse. The most tragic of these cases are where the abusers were those in whom they relied upon the most.

The solution is safe relationships. The healing process can be long and hard. God has designed us to love and feel loved by others. When this love is betrayed by abuse, is when the hiding begins. The hiding can only end when we find unconditional acceptance where we can bring our hurts and hang-ups into the light of relationship.

HELP BEAR UP THE WEAK

Romans 15
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6. so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9. so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” 10. Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11. And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.” 12. And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.”
13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s plan is to treat others as God has treated us. God in his infinite power, does not bully us into doing his bidding, but instead acts more like a gentle coach speaking to our hearts each day as we go about our business. It becomes our choice to either listen or not.

God accepts us in our weakness just as we are. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves “good enough” for his acceptance. This is how we should accept others.

God loves us even when we hurt him. His gift of grace through Christ is never taken away from us. It is always there, and free just for the taking.

The best praise we can give to God is to treat others just as we wish God to treat us. In this, we bring honor to His name.

How have you treated another person this week in a way that reflected God’s grace?

Do you feel fully accepted by God?

Is there another person that makes you feel accepted always?

What can you do this week to show acceptance to another person?

The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14
1. Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ 12. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. 14. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18. because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

In my many years as a Christian, I have met a great many religious people. These are the people who want to impress their standards on others, or ridicule the convictions of others. I have always striven to respect others who worship and respect God is different ways. I was raised to wear my “Sunday Best” clothes to church, and show great respect for the “House of God”. Now the place we meet is more like a barn, and it really doesn’t matter at all what you wear when you go to worship God together with others on Sunday. I suppose all that matters is that we worship God “In spirit and in truth”.

Having respect for other’s points of view is a very peaceful way to live. If others think it is wrong for you to do a certain thing, don’t show off how you different you may feel by doing that thing in front of them.

How do you feel when visiting a church where the customs may differ from your own?

How do others feel around you when you are living life?

Are there things you do that don’t reflect God’s grace to others?

LIVE IN THE LIGHT

Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Love, for the Day is Near.
8. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” [a] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [b] 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Many times we choose to live our lives in the darkness of a sole centered existence. There are many reasons for this. We are usually under the impression that it is a safer way of life. We hide because we don’t want others to really see us as we are. The problem is that our souls need the acceptance and approval from God and others to really feel fulfilled in our lives. This fulfillment is then impossible to obtain as long as we remain in the darkness. Guilt and shame are powerful enemies. If we are guilty, God already knows about it before we confess it, and He accepts us anyway. He only asks that we confess it to him. If we feel shame, God looks past it, and accepts as we are. If God has forgiven you of your guilt and shame, who am I to condemn you for them? I can have the same acceptance for you as God has. This is what grace is all about.

Find a grace filled place where you can feel safe to “live in the light”.

Do you see authority as from God?

Why do we owe a continuing debt to love one another?

How do you feel when the light is shed on your deeds?

Do you feel like you are in a slumber?

How can you clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ?