Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Alongside many happy (wannabe) Irish men and women, today I will celebrate my Scottish lineage by toasting Saint Patrick, a Scottish boy kidnapped and stolen away to Ireland, who escaped only to return years later armed with a heart full of the gospel of God’s grace to us in Christ. To the Irish and to all, “Sláinte mhaith!”

Small Bladder Syndrome

If my wife and I had gone to Rome early this week to see who the new Pope would be, this would have happened. We didn't go.

The Benefits of Being A Mess With God

Have you ever gotten mad at God? You know, really given Him a chewing-out, went lunatic on Him because, well, He deserved it? I have.

Those who have gotten angry at God and expressed it—however sloppily, because it’s never neat and tidy when you’re telling God how He’s messed up your life, right?—well, you discovered something afterward, something odd and unexpected: you felt better. Not immediately. There was a cooling down and a coming to your senses first, and maybe some embarrassment. After all, “I just chewed-out God!” But you began to feel better, at peace, even loved by God all over again, with nothing wrong between the two of you. Strange, wasn’t it?

Why did you feel better? It’s not because, phew! You finally got that off your chest and emptied out your bag of fury. That’s not why. You felt better because you gave your attention to God, you directed yourself and what you were experiencing—as ugly and unrefined as it was—to God who lives in you. And God produced in you what He is like with you. Even if you didn’t think, “Hmm. Christ is in me. I ought to have a talk with Him,” He knows where He is, and He behaves Himself from there.

You accidentally approached God like a crazy, out-of-control lunatic. And God did what He always does with crazy people who come to Him—He cared for you, He calmed and loved you, without even a hint that He was bothered with you, or that He expected more of His little lunatic. Did you notice? Jesus shepherded you from the inside. See? He really thinks that when you received Him, you received Him. He moved in! Had a heavenly party and everything. He’s home in you, and He’s making it obvious. Right?

This describes what the New Testament calls, “offering yourself to God,” or “sowing to the Spirit,” with the foundation that God now lives in you. The offering or the sowing to God is not to “God out there,” or to “God who will meet me over there”, when I finally make it, or when I finally arrive. No. Your offering is to “God in here” now, to “God who has arrived in you.” This is the gospel. Even if you don’t know that God was actually serious about making new dwellings for Himself, a whole new way of housing, He’s carrying on from where He is right now. And you noticed. You felt Him, you felt better because He got to work—He got to work you.

The old way of offering yourself to God, the old covenant way, was to think of yourself as separate from God, who would lead you because He was “ahead of you” or “over there,” and calling you to come with Him. The pressure was on you to follow, and to keep following. The new covenant way of offering your self to God, is to believe what God knows to be true for all who have received Him: “Jesus, you and I are together now; you’re in me. I don’t have to look for you over there, or just up ahead, because now you’re in here all the time. . .being yourself with me. You and I are at home together. What an amazing place to have and to find you.”

Do you see the difference? God is not “over there,” watching, evaluating, and hoping you do well. He is in you, happy and content with His new surroundings, able to do anything and everything that confronts Him in and the arena the two of you share.

This all means that you’re free to explore the goodness and ability of Jesus for you in the same way as when He walked among us—however you look, whatever you do, whatever you feel, however it comes out—like when you’re a crazy, mad man. . .like the ones He loved and set free at Gadarenes; or like when you’re plagued by powerful longings and lust and fall to it, perhaps again and again. . .and are loved and forgiven by Jesus, just like the woman at the Mount of Olives; or like when you deny Jesus over and over because it seems, well, useful in the moment. . .like it did to Peter long ago, whom Jesus sought out and loved, like he (and you) hadn’t done anything offensive.

That’s our Jesus. And He is in you, perfect with you, no matter what.

Christ in you is your hope. Finding Him at home with you is the best of life. I’ll bet you’ve found or felt Him there already. So don’t be afraid to look for Him at even the worst moments, the ugliest and most “un-Christianly.” He’s pretty good with lunatics. Right?

(This is a transcript of yesterday’s video, “The Benefits of Being A Mess With God,” and is for those who would rather read than watch.

The Benefits of Being A Mess With God

Does your “Inner Crazy Person” drive you, well, crazy?  What do you suppose God thinks and would like to do about it?  Here’s an important video that deals specifically with that.  I think you’ll get a lot out of it.

What's The Difference Between Diagnosis & Remedy, Law & Jesus?

What’s the difference between diagnosis and remedy?  You have some experience with that, right?

For a long time, the Law of God proved the diagnosis that man was heart-sick and could not heal himself.  It was Diagnosis, not Remedy.  The Law was perfect in proving man’s need for life—Jesus—on the inside.  He is The Remedy. 

Those who have Remedy (and are forever free of Diagnosis) may, nevertheless, become entranced and entangled by Diagnosis.  You know how that goes—they get beat up—because the only true way to life—God’s life—is through Remedy and what He gives by grace and for free.  Diagnosis is merciless.  Have you ever been examined and beaten up by it?  I bet you have.  In the same way that you cannot live just by knowing what’s wrong with you, Diagnosis is worthless, except it points to Remedy.  The only thing Diagnosis has ever done well is to be the set-up for Remedy.  Remedy ends Diagnosis.

If Diagnosis has been busily proving failure and sickness to you, be done with it.  It’s not for you, and it won’t help.  You know who The Remedy is—it’s Him you want.  Tell Him.  Talk with Remedy.  He is the life for you and your heart.  He has everything you need for free—and He makes fantastic house calls. 

(Romans 7:4-25; 8:1-4; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 15:56; 2 Corinthians 3:6-8; Galatians 3:23-25; 5:1-25)

(This is based upon yesterday’s video, “What’s The Difference Between Diagnosis & Remedy, Law & Jesus?” and is for those who would rather read than watch.)

What's The Difference Between Diagnosis & Remedy, Law & Jesus?

Have you ever tried to live just by knowing what’s wrong with you? You can’t live by Diagnosis—it’s merciless—but you can with Remedy. Take 2 minutes and see what you think.

Knowing God’s Voice & Thoughts

Do you wonder if you’re hearing right?  Is there anything that will truly help you to hear and know God’s voice and thoughts?  Take 3 minutes and see what you think.

Topping God

The good news, the great stuff about you and God is this: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

If you believe that by bringing your sins before God you’ll get Him to pay great attention to them, think again. He already did. And He’s pretty satisfied and rather happy with what He has done about sin. You can’t top it.

If you believe that behaving perfectly—with really great commitment—will earn favor with God that would otherwise be threatened, think again. He has given full favor already in Christ. Attaining to some measure of “sold out-ishness for God” won’t add anything to the everything He’s already given. Jesus did it all, and He’s all you need. You can’t top it.

You’ve got Him? You’ve got everything. You don’t need to look anywhere else.

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

(This is a transcript of today’s video, “Topping God,” and is for those who would rather read than watch.)

Topping God

Do you need to motivate God or does He have enough already?  Do you need to be “sold out” and “radically committed” so God will bless you?  Take 1:47 and see what you think.  (Romans 4:25)

God Is Lousy At Math

If my daughter’s school requirements are any indication, then it has to be said that God is lousy at mathematics.  He’s simply terrible at counting anybody’s sins, even if they’re particularly good at sin counting for themselves.  And if anybody could do it, He should be able, don’t you think?  With the knowledge and historical records that He has, He could easily be a math genius and blow us all away. 

Nevertheless, whenever anyone recounts their sin while speaking with God, not only does He pay no attention to the records (at least not to yours or mine), He seems convinced that we didn’t do it.  While looking at us, He appears always to have Jesus’ record in mind, and He keeps assigning to us the same sin number:  Zero.  I think it’s His favorite number.

My point?  Don’t bother asking Jesus for help with your math homework. 

(2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Hebrews 10:17-18; John 3:17)

(This is a transcript of yesterday's video, “God Is Lousy At Math.” It's for those who might rather read than watch.)

God Is Lousy At Math

Have you ever wondered how God would do in math class?  In less than two minutes, I think this will help you figure out the answer.



(2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Hebrews 10:17-18; John 3:17)

Throwing Out Pharisees

How much do you like failure? I can almost hear your answer: “Gosh, Ralph, I’ve been waiting for you to ask! I love failure!” Okay, but where do you experience it most?

When we tell Christians (or anyone, for that matter) how they should behave according to a standard, even a good one, we’ve set them up for failure. We might as well tell them to obey the Law as a means of enjoying the Christian life. Won’t that be fun? No, that’s crazy! They don’t go together.

Life by standards or rules, especially relationships and particularly married life, makes vigilant Pharisees out of us. It can’t help it. Not only must I scrutinize my every move, but I will also become hawkish about my wife. . .and everyone else. That does not make for a trusting and loving relationship. Where there should be a natural flow for us, a moving together, there’s examination, evaluation and distance.

Worse, we will miss the awe and thrill that comes from discovering that Jesus is actually in us, and that He is perfect for us and for our wife or husband, and for every relationship. Usually, we won’t be particularly thrilled with God—not God in us, not really—and He loves to do in us what He is like, making us aware of how fit and compatible we are with Him.

If we are going to live by the Holy Spirit (and, it seems to me, that is the way for a new creation), then we’ll need to think of love more as a person—Jesus—and less as a behavior. Otherwise, love easily becomes an imitation, a copycat, rather than the genuine article—the real deal—alive in us.

You don’t want the look of love for people, the skinny façade of the Pharisee. It’s a fake, and you’re not set up for that. It won’t work for you. It’s Jesus you want, and the way that He is with you and the way that He is with others. For all who receive Jesus, you’ve done exactly that—He is the gift, the inside gift. Think of the hope you have—He is Jesus.

(This is a transcript of yesterday's video, “Throwing Out Pharisees.” It's for those who might rather read than watch.)

Ralph's Videos

To quickly access and watch the short videos I began posting a few weeks ago, you may go to my YouTube channel and subscribe (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0vzTvP_wD3Q59QDl9hx7w), or you may “Like” my ministry Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/LifeCourseMinistries), which will alert you to every new post and is a concentrated version of what you find here (no comics, no jokes, etc.).

Throwing Out Pharisees

Did Jesus get along well with the Pharisees?  How does He treat the Pharisee sometimes found in us?  While merciful, He likes helping us throw out the Pharisee--especially in relationships. He is determined that we should have the joy of His life for ourselves and for others.

Here’s a quick, 3 minute, Monday afternoon flick that will help you have and enjoy genuine love—the real deal—rather than the fake, put-on love of a Pharisee.

Quiet God?

Do you wonder how to get God to be quiet? Try re-hashing your sins with Him, who remembers them no more. (Hebrews 10:16-18)