Heart Surgery

“He has taught you to let go of the lifestyle of the ancient man, the old self - life, which was corrupted by sinful and deceitful desires that spring from delusions. Now it’s time to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to you. And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 TPT)

Those who have cosmetic surgery may tell the surgeon what they want during a pre-op visit--a certain shape of nose, fat taken out from areas, implants added to other places, etc. However, those who need heart surgery do not direct their surgeon. They don’t go in before the operation and ask for a little adjustment in the valves or a bit of clearing in the arteries. They trust that the surgeon knows what they need better than they do. 

Your old lifestyle was based on delusions. You imagined that life was manageable. You thought you knew what was best and just needed God’s assistance to make some minor cosmetic adjustments here and there. Then, suddenly, you realize your need for deeper transformation. It’s time to be renewed by every revelation that’s been given to you. You submit to a heart-level surgery. You trust God to do what is needed. You do not give Him directions or opinions on how He can make your life better. You simply surrender. And God re-creates you all over again in his perfect righteousness, in true holiness. As you embrace the glorious Christ-within and live in union with Him, you are healed and made whole. 

Caring and Praying

“The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. (1 Corinthians 6:17 NLT)

When we pray, we participate with God in His work. We enter into a private space with Jesus and shut the door behind us. This is the time to share our concerns, fears, hopes, questions, gratefulness, and supplications. When we are praying for others, we bring them with us into the Lord’s presence. We submit them to God. Like an assistant who works with a healthcare provider, we become part of the care team. 

Prayer is a form of spiritual care. When we pray, our eyes and ears are opened, our hearts are softened, and we are able to perceive what we couldn’t before. Prayer brings clarity, patience, empathy, love, forgiveness, and wisdom. The more we pray, the more we become invested. It is impossible to continually pray for someone and not care about them. As we submit our concerns to God and wait with expectation, we learn to depend on Him rather than on our own resources. We grow in intimacy and trust, joined in one spirit with the Lord.

Micro-Choices

“They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42 MSG)

During a wedding, the bride and groom make a life-time commitment to each other. They promise to love and cherish each other, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health. These vows are validated or undermined by the thousands of micro-choices they make for the rest of their time together. Every day, they get to decide whether to treat each other with respect, kindness, honesty, and appreciation. Thoughts, tones, words, body language, behavior--all convey devotion or the lack of it.  When a couple gets divorced, most everyone points to the macro-flaws--infidelity, ideological differences, addiction, etc. Yet, it’s the commonplace cracks, which multiply over time, that truly cause the breach.  

Many of us, at some point in our lives, make a commitment to God. Depending on our religious background, we may have different terms and ceremonies that mark this moment. Our devotion is proved or disproved by the thousands of micro-choices we make in our day-to-day living--our attitudes, our thoughts, our responses, our actions. It’s the commonplace details, the consistent dedication, and the attentive discipline that sustains our commitment to the Lord.

 “Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times.” (2 Corinthians 6:4 MSG)

Worthiness and Validation

The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. (Proverbs 10:11 NLT)

The older I get, the more selective I have become about investments of time and energy. I know what is important to me: authenticity, vulnerability, honesty, consistency, self-awareness, kindness, and faith. AND, I know what I cannot tolerate: hypocrisy, arrogance, manipulation, dishonesty, ostentation, and exploitation. No matter how attentive or flattering someone is to me, I cannot overlook these deficiencies. Having clear priorities helps me winnow the wheat from the chaff. 

Scripture teaches us that the words of the godly are life-giving, while the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. Religiosity is not equivalent to  godliness. How can we differentiate between those who have sincere motives and those who are disingenuous?

Seek out people with values, not merely those who validate you. Invest in those who are inherently good over those who make you feel good. These people are rare, so it will take some searching. Once you find them, stay close and learn from their example. Be the kind of person who is life-giving and encouraging. Reach out and extend a hand to those who are on the same journey. Lead others to growth and strength without expectations of personal gain. 

Be Brave

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 31:24 ESV)

Strength training uses resistance to build muscle and anaerobic endurance. You can start by using your own body weight to do exercises.  Adding external weights or resistance bands can improve your training. Gradually increase the amount of weights and number of repetitions to grow in strength.

Courage, like strength, is developed through deliberate action. It is not a feeling that appears first before we make a move. Braving the unknown is exertional work. Every step we take out of our comfort zones, through the quagmire of fear, leads to growth. It’s pushing through the resistance that develops courage. 

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. (2 Timothy 1:7 AMP)

Timidity keeps us stuck in weakness. We take an inventory of our insufficiencies and remain paralyzed by fear. Faith can give us the impetus to take the first step forward. We can count on God to provide us with power, encouragement, and personal discipline.

Be Brave

Be Strong

Don’t Give up

Expect God

Absorbing Christ

“May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God...” (1 Thessalonians 3:13 MSG) 

Jasmine tea is made by placing dried tea leaves in layers next to fresh jasmine blossoms. Once the scent of the flowers has been imparted to the tea leaves, the flowers are separated. The longer the tea leaves remain in proximity to the flowers, the more aromatic they become. The fragrance becomes part of the inherent flavor of the tea. In the best jasmine teas, any trace of bitterness and astringency is replaced by the refreshing sweetness of the flowers. 

Like tea leaves near jasmine, we are called to be in God’s presence. This requires intentionality and time. First of all, we must remain adjacent to Christ. This means we may have to forgo other company. Next, we have to patiently wait, allowing the Spirit of God to transform us. The closer we are, the longer we absorb His essence, the more Christ-like we become. Eventually, strength and purity replace all traces of bitterness and astringency that we may harbor. We are now ready to be poured out for others, so they may taste the goodness of God. 

Holiday Traditions

“They pretend to worship me, but their worship is nothing more than the empty traditions of men.” (Matthew 15:9 TPT)

I’m already seeing Christmas stuff in some stores. This reminds me of how warped our society can be about holiday traditions. There are some Christians who insist that there is a ‘war on Christmas’ because some businesses have chosen inclusive phrases that acknowledge that there are other holidays in December. I am not sure how a picture of Santa Claus with the words ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ is any more acceptable than the phrase ‘Happy Holidays’ imprinted on a card or a cup. 

Holiday traditions such as decorations, cards, gifts, and food may bring joy and feelings of camaraderie, but they bring us no closer to God. Pretending to worship the Lord while worshiping empty human traditions is hypocrisy. Neither religiosity nor ritual behavior equals holiness. As Christians, we need to focus more on putting Christ first in every day. If intimacy with Christ is our goal, then we must pursue a life aligned with His purpose, suffused with  trust, and devoted to truth.