Living Sacrifice… (by Mel McGuire)

When I think of a sacrifice, the image in my mind is usually an animal, but in some instances, a young woman, brought to an altar, secured, and then sacrificed to some deity.

In my mind, the actual sacrifice is consumed, either by death, fire, or both. The idea of bringing say, a lamb to be sacrificed and then leaving with the same lamb…doesn’t ring as a true sacrifice to me.

The concept of sacrifice is aptly described in its definition: the act of giving something up that you want to keep…biblical sacrifices were to be of pure or unblemished animals for example. Those that would hold the most value are the ones suitable for sacrifice.

When the bible implores us to present ourselves as a “living sacrifice”, the image that came to mind was a person…willingly putting themselves on the altar and staying there until they are consumed!

If you can imagine someone presenting themselves to the Lord, by choice…willingly climbing onto the altar and submitting themselves to whatever process God desires and remaining on the altar, again by choice, until He is satisfied.

The pictures I see of lambs being sacrificed usually include the feet being bound, the mouth muzzled, and the body secured to the altar. This ensures the lamb remains in place during the process of sacrifice is complete.

I think of Jesus, the lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world. On the cross…nailed in place. Armed with the knowledge that He was there willingly, and He remained there until the process was complete.

When I think of a living sacrifice, I think of a person, submitted to God, choosing to lay down their life in exchange for His. They willingly get on the altar, they are bound and secured by choice, by obedience, by faith, and by love. And they remain there, while the process of sacrifice consumes them…their agenda, their ways and means, their strength, their identity, their very life is consumed and replaced by His nature.

Whether that consumption is a crucifixion of the flesh, or being consumed by Holy Ghost fire…exchanging death for new life is not quick, nor easy.

I literally see bands around my wrists that say “choice”, “love”, “obedience”, or “faith”. And while they encompass me, they are not tethered to the altar in any way. Therefore, us living sacrifices get up and leave the altar in much the same way we came.

We allow pain, discomfort, inconvenience, fear, and all their flesh feeding companions call us from the altar of sacrifice. Our desire to end up different is overwhelmed by our disdain for being made different. We want change without being changed.

At the end of every service, we have an “altar call”. God is now calling us to be true living sacrifices. Choosing to come, stay, and be consumed on the altar. Exchanging our life for His, a “win-win” if ever there was one. Be a living sacrifice, choose to be changed, to allow God’s process to work until He is satisfied!

Foot Wedge…(by Mel McGuire)

There is a concept in golf that mirrors real life, not that golf isn’t real life, it is. For some people golf is life, but that is another subject entirely. I am talking about the concept of “improving your lie”. By lie, I do not mean an untruth, but your situation. In golf this often calls for the “foot wedge”.

One of the fundamental rules of golf is that you must, in most cases, play your ball as it lies. One of the challenges of golf is to matriculate your ball around the course from a variety of lies. On a typical golf course, in a typical round of golf, you will need to hit your ball from thin grass (fairways and greens), thick grass (the rough), no grass (hard pan), sand (bunkers), and negotiate obstacles (usually trees).

Often amateur golfers playing a casual round, will ignore the rules about improving their lie and will incorporate the “foot wedge”. The foot wedge is not an actual golf club, but as the name implies, a technique whereby you move your ball to a better spot by using your foot.

Why a foot? Because it is easier to disguise what you are doing with your ball if you do not have to bend over to pick it up with your hand, or use a real golf club and take a real stroke. Thus, the foot wedge. Golfers justify it all the time, I know I do when I hit a perfect drive in the middle of the fairway and my ball comes to rest…in a divot. Foot wedge it an inch or so and presto! A perfect lie.

Many Christians incorporate this same concept in their walk with God. They are always trying, legally and otherwise to “improve their lie” and will use a spiritual equivalent of a foot wedge if they can.

There are times in life that are difficult, when things may not seem fair (like divots in the fairway), when your approach is blocked, and you are tempted to foot wedge yourself to a better spot. Do not do it! Like in golf, a foot wedge is not playing by the rules.

Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer I have ever seen, would play practice rounds and many times he would intentionally step on his ball to make his lie worse. He did this, so he could practice more difficult shots, knowing that in a tournament, not every lie would be perfect.

Believers need to take heed to that mindset. He was not afraid of tough lies, difficult situations, or uncomfortable circumstances. We cannot fear them either. They are promised to us and with those promises come opportunities for victory!

Persecution will come. Offenses will come. Your faith, and patience, and love, and kindness will be challenged. Play it as it lies. It will make you better. As they say in the military, “embrace the suck”. Yeah, it might hurt. Your score may not be as great as someone else, but you will be better for staying within the rules, and keeping your integrity.

Lose the foot wedge, play it as it lies. Spiritual strength comes from overcoming tough times. Don’t be like the golfer who relies on the foot wedge and deceives themselves into believing they are better than they truly are. God loves you will give you victory without you having to ignore, bend, or break His rules. When He is your waymaker, you don’t need a foot wedge.

“Broadsided…” (by Mel McGuire)

I witnessed an accident once where a driver was waiting at a stop sign. She was on a side street waiting to merge onto a much larger, much busier highway. The traffic on the street she was wanting to join was non-stop, and she eventually just pulled out into traffic…and got broadsided.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but it could have been a true tragedy. As I began my investigation, I asked her, “Why did you go? You had a stop sign. They had the right of way.”

Her answer was, at the time, incredulous to me. She said, “I wanted to go, and I had waited long enough, so I went.” True story, THAT is what she said. I didn’t see the need to explain to her, or remind her, that merging is legal only when it is safe to do so.

I must admit, her answer and attitude broadsided me. I quickly let go of my indignation and judgment once I realized that I too, at intersections of life, had waited long enough and just decided to go. You ever create havoc because you moved before it was safe to do so?

A stop sign, or red light, means just that…STOP. Implied in the stopping is that you will eventually get to go…but only when it is safe to do so. How many times have we wanted to move onto our “next”, demonstrate an area of growth, take something we either want or have been promised, and come to a stop sign?

How long do we wait? You might be single and you are tired of being single. But you have a red light, or a stop sign. You see couple after couple whizzing by on the highway of life, and you are ready to merge. How long must you wait? You could very well be a broadside waiting to happen!

Determining when it is “safe to do so” is not up to you! It is not based on your impatience or tolerance for staying in place. God has a plan for you and it involves multiple factors, one of which is timing. Wait on the Lord. Don’t get broadsided.

When this lady decided to go, she not only caused an accident for her and the person she hit, she also created a significant delay for all those around her. Many teams and organizations (read churches) have been slowed or diverted because somebody didn’t wait. The ensuing crash slowed all the traffic on the “highway to heaven”.

The body of Christ is one. He has one body. Just one. When all the members are operating as they should, there is a natural flow and like a well-planned intersection, things move in an orderly fashion.

Don’t be the source of a broadside. Wait until the time is right. His time, not yours. Stop signs and red lights are not always only about you. Others need to get to their “next” as well. Wait on the Lord and only move when He says it is safe to do so.

“Forecast…” (by Mel McGuire)

A dad tells a story of encouraging (read making) his kids to dress for rainy weather. He had seen the forecast. They protested, as kids do, especially teenager types, but they complied. Umbrellas, jackets, and whatnot in tow, they rode to school.

As soon as they arrived, the skies opened…the rain clouds parted, giving way to bright sunshine and a gentle breeze.

The dad was left to question God as to why He (God) had worked it out so that he (the dad) was more than likely the subject of a couple of pretty good “side-eyes”. (Again, teenager types!)

I found it humorous and convicting at the same time. Most parents, if we are honest, have been guilty of erring on the side of caution when it comes to the safety and well-being of our kids.

We LIKE being right! Our life experience must count for something when technology and fashion blows past us like Usain Bolt!

From the kid’s perspective, there are times when parents tell us things that we do not see, understand, or agree with. That is okay, parents pay attention to the forecast. It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

You can fold an umbrella, you can carry a jacket if you don’t need them. It may cramp your style, but better that than getting ill because you insisted on being cool and fashionable, and get caught in a downpour you were not prepared for.

God will often tell you to take things you will not use, and prepare for things that eventually do not come. But the things He gives us are NOT a heavy burden. He said his burden was light, and his yoke is easy. This is one way to learn obedience.

From the parent’s perspective, God is sovereign. The forecast is the forecast and should not be ignored. But He is still in control and He can do whatever He wants. He does not have to obtain our favor nor our approval.

When there is a chance of rain, or any form of inclement weather, we are wise to be prepared. So, in life, if there is conflict, confusion, competition in the forecast, we should take His peace, His mind, and His humility with us.

Sometimes just knowing that you have His character is enough to avoid unpleasant situations. There is a confidence in knowing you will not be moved by pettiness or foolishness. When we KNOW we are ready to pass a test, it really is okay if the test does not come.

What is in your forecast? Are you prepared for what is coming? I live in Southern California. It does me no good to prepare for east coast weather. Pay less attention to your neighbor’s forecast and more to your own!

Do what God is telling YOU to do, and don’t worry about what He may or may not be telling someone else.

I am sure my friend’s kids got grief from friends for being over prepared…kind of like Noah. Look up, check the forecast; those clouds that parted, can also return.

J.A.R.V.I.S. (by Mel McGuire)

One of my pastors preached a message in which he used “Iron Man” to talk about what it means to be “in Christ”, using the Iron Man suit as in a symbolic way to illustrate how we are better “in him”. And he had to mention the “voice inside the suit”, aka JARVIS.

In his illustration, he reminded me of how Tony Stark, (Iron Man) would be in constant communication and corroboration with Jarvis. In the Marvel comics, Jarvis was Stark’s loyal butler but in the movie, Jarvis is the artificial intelligence that serves as Stark’s assistant.

Jarvis is the one who manages the suit, who monitors its functions and knows it’s capabilities and limitations. Iron Man relies on his wisdom, his counsel, and his honesty to perform his superhero activities.

In the film, you can see how Jarvis can show Tony things he otherwise does not see outside of his alter ego, Iron Man. He can call up information upon demand, and allows Iron Man to function at his maximum capacity and ability.

Of course, this led to me to consider the ministry of the Holy Spirit and His role in my life. If I am honest, my walk with Christ, my walk in Christ, is always easier and better when I access that “voice in my head”, the Holy Spirit. Like Jarvis, He is here to serve and make me better.

He acts as a counselor, a comforter or companion, and His wisdom and insight is irreplaceable. His presence, and my reliance upon it, allows me to operate not only most efficiently, but with full power.

He allows me to see things I otherwise could not, for He is tuned to the real world, the spiritual one. If I allow Him, He will monitor and manage my functions and keep me in the best possible position to perform at peak capacity.

Like Jarvis, He serves as an early warning system, advising when I am approaching dangerous limits. And like Jarvis, I can choose to ignore or refuse His counsel. In that case, He simply recalculates and is always ready to step in and do work at whatever point of crisis I may find myself.

If you can imagine Iron Man without Jarvis, (I cannot, the relationship is such a HUGE part of who Iron Man is to me), that would be most believers absent the presence and influence of the Holy Spirit.

But just like Tony Stark steps out of his Iron Man suit, there are times I simply disregard the impact of the Holy Spirit in my life. It happens.

We would all like to think that if we had the power and ability of Iron Man, we would never take the suit off! We would just become Iron Man and do hero stuff all day every day.

But if we still ignore our God-given “JARVIS”, then we are not ready to be super(natural) all day every day. Just like Iron Man is better with Jarvis, so too are we better when we walk in agreement with the Holy Spirit.

Open your eyes, open your ears, open your heart to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is here to help, to make us all not just better, but our best.

“Pound Cake…” (by Mel McGuire)

 

I recently took on the challenge of making a pound cake from scratch. I am an avid baker, but I stick to what I know. I enjoy eating pound cake, but had never made one. I decided to do my research and found no shortage of recipes. Everyone loves pound cake.

I finally decided on a recipe, but I will admit up front, I saw some things in other recipes I also wanted to try so…I ended up creating my own recipe. As you might suspect, the cake did not turn out right.

The problem was I didn’t cook it long enough. It looked great, it smelled even better, but when I cut into it… (yes, the toothpick came out clean!) it was not cooked all the way through. It never occurred to me that the changes I had made to the recipe added to the cooking time.

I messed up two cakes (and wasted quite a bit of butter, sugar, flour and eggs) trying to get this “recipe” to work. It did not. I finally decided to consult with a pound cake guru and after taking their advice, and following their recipe to the “T”, I finally found success.

How many “extra” things have we decided to add to the process God gives us? We start messing with His recipe trying to make it better, or put our own individual spin on it? We think we can give it more flavor, more whatever, and all we do is change the ingredients to the point they will not mix properly, as He intended.

How much longer do we need to stay in process, like a cake in the oven, because we are doing extra? How many lives are not being impacted for His purpose because we need more cooking time?

In the case of my pound cake, I added more liquid ingredients in search of a better tasting cake. Mind you, I had never eaten or tasted the recipe I was using as a foundation. Why do we think we can make God’s process turn out better?

I added a couple of tablespoons of stuff, in my mind, not enough to make a difference…but it did. It had too, because when I used the same pan, same oven, set at the same temperature, and cooked the cake as directed…it came out perfectly.

God said He knows the plans He has for us. It is His recipe for our success. He defines success as obedience to His will. We must avoid the temptation to make His plan work better, faster, or more conveniently. He is the master baker, follow His recipe and then taste and see that the Lord, He is good.

Be aware, like a good pound cake, the ingredients are basic and not very numerous. Mixed together in the right amount and the right manner, they produce a great product.

God’s instructions are the same…basic and not overwhelming in number. But timing and attention to detail, like any good recipe, will yield predictable results.

Follow the recipe. Whether pound cake or God’s purpose. Trust the process and enjoy!

“Deposition…” (by Mel McGuire)

Heard a great sermon entitled, “Can I Get a Witness” by Senior Pastor Charles Humphrey Jr. of Hope’s House Christian Ministries. The subject was evangelism and he used courtroom vernacular to drive home his points about our testimony.

One of the things he discussed is pre-trial testimony, which is referred to as a “deposition” or “being deposed”. This is normally done in private, outside of a courtroom with no judge or jury. Attorneys ask questions and a court reporter records and transcribes the testimony.

To question a witness in a court proceeding is referred to as an “examination” of the witness and their testimony. There is direct examination where your attorney asks questions to elicit your testimony, and cross examination where the opposing attorney tries to impeach or discredit you and/or your testimony.

In a deposition, even though there is no judge or jury, you still must tell the truth. Remember it is pre-trial testimony.

You will be asked the same questions or similar questions in the actual trial, so before the trial it is best to prepare by reviewing your testimony. Selah.

I equate a deposition to a good church service, a good sermon, an effective personal devotion or bible study, and even a healthy, uplifting interaction with a fellow believer. In those times, we are saying what we believe, what we have seen, witnessed, experienced, and know to be true.

There is a spiritual “court reporter” who is transcribing and recording all we say. The cross examination should give us a clue as to what will happen when the real trial begins.

During our deposition, we say things like we trust God, we love Him and He is the head of my life. We promise to serve Him, to love like Him, and to walk in mercy and extend grace and forgiveness, like it has been extended to us.

We promise to pray, to study the word, to share the gospel, to be a guiding light in a lost and dying world. We say that God is good all the time…and all the time, God is good. This is our pre-trial testimony.

Then when the real trial starts, we tend to forget what we said in our deposition! We panic, try to operate from memory, and say something that contradicts our prior testimony.

Since we do not want our advocate treating us like a hostile witness, we should know we can always ask to have our deposition transcript read back to us!

You can refresh your memory by reading your own testimony! When the opposition tries to discredit or impeach you by bringing up “prior bad acts”, we can plead the blood and our advocate will remind the judge our past is irrelevant!

The image of the witness stand includes a microphone. This aids in the recording of your testimony and allows for amplification so all who are present can hear your testimony.

We are living epistles, known and read of all men. Be a great witness. Give unimpeachable testimony about what God has done for you!

You have been deposed. Now prepare for the trial to come. Speak boldly and proclaim the Good News and the good things God has done for you! Your testimony can provide the evidence to set someone else free!

“Dipstick…” (by Mel McGuire)

I had the oil in my car changed recently and when the technician (whatever happened to mechanics?) was finished, he told me I had been about one half a quart low. I had to take his word for it because I cannot remember the last time I have looked at a dipstick.

Back in the day, before I was gainfully employed with benefits and a pension plan, I used to change my own oil. Now, a technician does it for me, but I digress. When you check the oil in an engine, you need to know how to read the dipstick.

First you remove it and wipe it off. Then once it is clean you re-insert it, pull it out and then read it to see how much oil is in the engine. There is usually two marks on the stick, one for “add” and one for “full”. You want the dipstick to read close to “full”.

If you do not wipe the oil off first, you will get a reading that is too high, because the engine is normally hot and the oil level appears above the “full” line. This is where the Lord got me. He told me I was reading my spiritual dipstick only when I was running hot.

During worship service, or at the end (or middle) of a great sermon, is NOT the optimal time to check your dipstick and measure your relationship with the Lord. Of course, this is when most of us “check ourselves”, when we are at our high point.

At those times our “oil level” reads high, usually well above “full”, and we think we are alright. And we probably are, for the moment. But when we check in on Tuesday or Thursday…that is like wiping the dipstick clean, and then putting it back in, to see the true oil level.

Reading a dipstick is more than just looking at level of the oil. It also requires an assessment of the quality of the oil. Fresh oil has a caramel transparent color to it, and is thick and weighty. When you rub it between your fingers, it is smooth for it has viscosity. That viscosity is what allows it to lubricate the moving parts of the motor.

Used oil is dark, almost black in color. It is thin and when you rub it between your fingers, you can feel the grit and dirt, it is not smooth at all. If you do not check your oil, much less change it, it will lose its viscosity and create undue friction inside your engine.

Dirty oil is only slightly better than oil that gets mixed with other engine fluids, like water. Too often we mix the oil of the spirit with the water of the world. Have you not heard? Oil and water don’t mix! When we are tired, drained, weary or fatigued…we should seek fresh oil, not cheap tap water.

If you check your dipstick and you see oil AND water on it, you have a major problem! The world, its comforts and pleasures, is no substitute for the oil of the presence of God. Check your dipstick, read it properly…add oil as needed.

If your daily life feels like a grind, you could be running dirty oil. If you are lacking power, things are breaking down and there is constant friction, you may have water mixed in with your oil. Check your dipstick, you may need an oil change: drain the old, replace the filter and add new fresh oil.

Check your dipstick. It can give you confidence and it can give you a spiritual “heads up”.

“Stingy…” (by Mel McGuire)

One of the challenges of being a parent is teaching your children not to be stingy. We want them to learn how to share, even from a young age, and to know when to be generous. Some of us know full grown adults who struggle with this concept.

As believers, we serve a generous God. Too often however, we equate generosity only in monetary terms, and use our lack of surplus as an excuse to be stingy. If we are honest with ourselves, we can always think of something “important” we can use that money for. We justify being stingy.

My pastor shares a story of buying his toddler a bag of chips. As they were driving, he in the front, her in her child safety seat secure in the back, she was enjoying her chips. He calmly, rather nonchalantly asked her for a chip. “NO” was her immediate reply!

Again, he asked, this time more insistently, and again was rebuffed. The child safety seat, designed to protect our precious cargo in the unforeseen event of a crash, may have saved that young girl from a hostile takeover of her chips!

He shared the frustration of providing her the chips (generosity) only to be denied access to even ONE of the chips he had bought and paid for! Parents can relate to this scenario, played out over a wide variety of locations, times, and food items.

But it made me realize that we do our Heavenly Father the exact same way. How many things has He given to us, that we are then unwilling to share with Him? We gladly receive His generosity and then reject any attempt to share it with Him or others.

He gives us time, and we use it all on ourselves. We ignore His promptings to pray, or study the word, or just sit quietly in His presence. “I don’t have time!” we think, or “I don’t have enough time!” we say…but all the time we have, He gave it to us. We are stingy.

When God blesses us financially, we can get tight fisted. “I ain’t giving MY money to no preacher, or no church, or no charity!” “I already pay taxes, bills, and I need to put gas in my car and food in my fridge…I don’t have enough to pay tithes too!”

But if we remember, that every good thing comes from the Father, our Father, and He gives it to us generously, we do not have to be stingy…even with His money…especially with His money. As if the same one who gave it, could not give it.

Don’t be stingy. There are blessings for being generous. There is the blessing of obedience. There is the law of sowing and reaping. There is the promise of God that if you provide for His house, He will provide for yours. Don’t be stingy.

Just like a parent expects a child to share what the parent has provided, so God expects us to share (with Him and others) what He has provided. Most gifts are best enjoyed when shared with others. Stop being stingy. Be generous and be blessed!

 

“Redacted…” (by Mel McGuire)

Have you ever noticed whenever government agencies release documents that they don’t allow everyone to see everything in the document? They put the documents through a process that eliminates “sensitive” information. It has been redacted.

Redaction is a term used when things are covered or hidden for legal or security reasons. Confidential information that may include names, addresses or certain behaviors get redacted.

When a document is redacted, they don’t just re-write it without the sensitive information, they block out the stuff they don’t want you to see. The point is they are showing you what you are missing, so you know certain things have been redacted.

I believe that is how our lives are in Christ. Certain things have been redacted. The bible teaches us that when we call our sin what it is: SIN, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. Our sins are redacted.

As we live out our lives, others may know we said or did certain things…but they cannot see the consequences because of the redacting power of the blood. IF we confess our sins, they will be redacted.

This is genuine Christianity, lived out as true witnesses of the grace and mercy of our Lord. We are not perfect. We make mistakes. We do stupid stuff. But we have an advocate who goes before the Highest Authority and intercedes on our behalf. When He says, “they have confessed that, it is under the blood”, it gets redacted!

My problem, and maybe yours, is that I too often continue to live as if my sins are exposed for all to see. I know what is under the blood, even if you don’t. But God only “releases” the redacted version, which is known as the “official version”.

Everyone does not need to know all your information. As T.D. Jakes so famously said, “Nobody has seen your WHOLE testimony!” I thank God He has redacted my sins! For legal (we have a covenant with God) and security (some folks are agents of your enemy) reasons, God limits what others can see or know about us.

Do you confess your sins? Have they been redacted? If yes, then YES!! When the bible says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”, it is talking about living a redacted life! A new life, a holy, righteous, sanctified life.

Living a redacted life is like having evidence of sin, without the conviction of sin. We can see something has been removed, or covered, and all that is left glorifies God! We can be free from the guilt of sin when we confess it as instructed.

Call it what it is, don’t sugarcoat it, downplay it, or ignore it. Confess it, receive forgiveness, and repent! THAT is how you live in the redacted. Do what you know is right. Stop doing what you know is not right. Let God redact it.

Our life story should look like a government document…it has been redacted by the blood of the Lamb!