God Is Love

God’s love toward you will never be “if” and “then.” In other words, “If you do right, Ralph Harris, then I will love you.” It won’t ever be like that.  God’s love is always “because” and “therefore.” It’s like this:  “Because I love, therefore I sent my Son, therefore I gave, and therefore I keep giving.”  God keeps you in love and offers perfect grace to you everyday, at all times, like it or not, embrace it or turn away, fail or succeed.  It will not deter Him, and it will not change Him.  Love is how God is, and it’s how He is with you.

The End Of A Wicked Heart

Some years ago when I was palling around with my single, male ministry friends, we were discussing one of our favorite topics:  women.  We were talking about our true desire to not get into trouble with females.  Some of us had a history of struggle and of doing things we knew were not in keeping with our life in Christ.  We knew it.  We felt it.  Certain physical things outside of marriage were not appropriate, so we were talking about how best to prefer God and the women we dated.  One of the guys threw up his hands and proclaimed, “I’m not dating anymore, I’m not giving myself a chance to do wrong,” and he paused to take a deep, attention-gathering breath before concluding, “because God says that the heart is wicked, so I cannot trust myself.”  We all thought, “Wow.  That’s not good news at all!  We’re dead!”

So, to better prosecute ourselves(!), we looked up the verse he was referencing, Jeremiah 17:9, and there it was, the we-are-rotten-to-the-core proof:  “The heart is more deceitful than all else
 And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (NASB)  We said, “Gosh, that’s just great.  It’s more deceitful than anything?  We can think of a lot of ‘anything’ that we thought was more deceitful than our hearts.”

Another version translates the Hebrew this way:  “The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is!” (TLB)  And another one really put the nail in the coffin:  “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?” (NIV)  “Oh, great!” we said, “So there’s no cure for it, either!  Don’t we feel much better?!” 

No, we didn’t.  And it sure made some common sayings seem odd:  “Love each other from the heart.”  That’s gotta be difficult with a desperately wicked heart.  And how about this complimentary phrase:  “She has such a warm heart.”  We said, “She can’t have a warm heart!  Not if it’s this one!”  And how about this descriptive sentiment:  “He has a broken heart.”  And we said, “Heck if he does!  He has a horrible heart!  It’s worse than being broken, it’s fully-functioning awful!”

This gave birth in some of us to the desire and creation of new forms of accountability groups—a way of policing our terribly untrustworthy selves.  Imagine it:  none of us could trust ourselves, so we put ourselves in charge of policing ourselves together.  Brilliant!  But maybe the odds of success would improve; you know, a safety in numbers kind of thing.

Well, I had a problem:  I didn’t have time for the groups or gatherings that some of the guys designed.  I was too busy.  Besides that, I didn’t really get it.  Something seemed wrong about it all.  It didn’t make sense with what I knew about God in me.  What I had been finding in my early life with Christ in me was that our being together made all the difference with me.  I no longer was vigilant with myself, paying great attention to my presumably wicked and deceitful heart, because my attention had been re-directed, captured, by God in me.

So hearing the Jeremiah 17:9 verse kind of threw me out of whack for a bit.  It didn’t make sense.  After pondering it for few days I did what I often do with things that don’t work in my life with God:  I forgot about it.  I carried on in life with God in me, enjoying the little understood fact that how God is with people (even the opposite sex) was now how I was with them, too.  As a result of our union, our getting together, His life and desires and influence were given to me and were expressed through me.  I thought, “Wow.  This is way better than the groups those guys are torturing themselves with.” 

Through the new birth, the second birth in Christ, my old heart, the wicked and deceitful one left to itself, had been removed and a new one put in its place.  As Old Covenant believers at one time traveled to the perfect dwelling place of God, so now New Covenant believers have become the perfect dwelling place of God.  That is the new heart you have.  The new heart is the dwelling place of God with you—on your inside.

Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, there was no way of curing the heart.  Before the New Covenant in Christ, Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.”  (Mark 7:20-22)

But God always intended to do something perfectly curative about the heart.  By the Holy Spirit, the prophet Ezekiel wrote about God’s plan:  “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”  (Ezekiel 36:26-27)  That’s the gospel!  That’s the BIG DEAL—God is in us!  He has given us a heart to contain Him!  We had a heart problem—God wasn’t in it—but we no longer do because it has been made perfect for God with us and in us.

The new heart is where God lives in union with me.  I make decisions in my heart—the Holy Spirit and I together—so it’s a decision from the heart, from that place.  To be clear, it’s not so much a decision OF the heart, like the heart is all-by-itself a decision maker.  It’s a place where choices and influence happens most powerfully with God and me, and with God and you.

In this way, you and I, the new creation sons of God, meet with Him and are under His influence and subsequent leading, which produces the fruit of the Spirit through you and me.  Tahdah!  The Christian life.  That’s it!  We’re set up for God on the inside.

Have a look at the following verses.

2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  And where is God?  Inside of you.  Do you think He might have something to do with making you cheerful in the giving?  I think so.

1 Peter 1:22 “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.”  That’s where you and God are together, in the heart.  Do you suppose that there’s a whole lotta love goin’ on in your heart?  Yes! 

Ephesians 6:6 “Obey them (your masters) not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” (Italics mine.)  That’s the key.  It’s from the two of you together on the inside—from your heart.  The will of God naturally flows from there.  How cool is that?

The apostle Paul wrote about what had happened to the new-hearted Corinthians: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 4:6)  Before the New Covenant in Christ, “darkness” was the condition of our hearts.  But God Himself turned on the light because He came into our hearts, having made them a perfect place to dwell with us.  With you.  With me. 

That’s the new heart.  That’s what we received in Christ.  That’s pretty good, right?

(This is a transcript of yesterday’s video, “The End Of A Wicked Heart,” and is for those who might rather read than watch.  To see the video, click http://youtu.be/_nP43Z6C3Fo.)

The End Of A Wicked Heart

Lots of us believe that we carry around a wicked heart, which is why we cannot trust ourselves.  That’s pretty bad, but is it true?  Take a few minutes to see what God did about your heart and why you can confidently enjoy Him from there.

Surrendered Image

Here's something from the good guys at Surrendered Image. It's a great site, full of terrific, gospel-based resources:

"Subscribe for YOUR chance to win Books from our authors, Ralph Harris, Jeremy White, and Andrew Nelson. Bonus Prize: two MP3's from our friend, Melody Joy!"

Click the link for more information.

https://surrenderedimage.com/Subscribe

The Jesus Shuffle

(From Laurie Troublefield, a longtime close friend and ministry mate. I think you'll enjoy this—I sure did.)

"The Jesus Shuffle"...have you experienced it? I hadn't, until this morning, at the gym. I awoke this morning feeling NOT myself...had gone to sleep feeling the same way. "Stuff" bugging me, emotions all over the place, and just this insecurity I could not get rid of, no matter how hard I tried. So, I knew for me, a good workout would help...hit things, sweat, you know...get it all out. So, off to the gym I went, phone in hand to play something while I would sweat out the crap. Then, I couldn't get the download of a podcast I wanted so I decided to just play some music. Now I have lots of styles of music on my phone, lots of genres, lots of SONGS. But, as I began to work out, and the music played in my ears, something really amazing began to happen...Jesus showed up in my "shuffle!" Each song that came through, totally at "random", spoke to me of my true reality, my true self, and His amazing presence in my life as EVERYTHING. At one point, while on the bike, I found myself singing out loud (thankfully they gym here plays very loud radio) and my arms lifted in worship...and I didn't care...LIFE was happening to me and I had no other response than to be FREE!

Sometimes, I ask myself, is this Jesus really REAL? Have I concocted some crazy way of believing that makes me feel I have purpose and meaning, but in reality, it's all just a placebo for the pain this world is and shares freely without warning with all who inhabit it? I don't often stay there long, thankfully. But, today, once again, without me even asking, praying, trying in anyway, Jesus "shuffled" His way into my insanity and turned me again to hope...not hope for something, but hope in LIFE, hope in Truth, hope in HIM! It was amazing!

Now, here's the best part (not in terms of my experience, but in how TRUE He really is, despite me!)...it didn't last. I came home and went into my day, meeting, teaching preparation, and various other "duties." And "it" faded! What is "it"? The feeling, the being overwhelmed with gratefulness for such a kind and generous experience with my Jesus..."it" left me...but HE didn't! He was there before, during and He'll be there forever after. And it doesn't matter whether I feel "it" for a minute, an hour, a day, or even never. He is my reality...and I don't have any deeper desire than Him. So, my day wasn't all fun and ooey gooey...but it was real. And tonight, as I am about to go to sleep, I am rather amazed once again at how loved, how cared for, how desirable, how completely accepted and acceptable, I am.

If you haven't known or experienced the Jesus "shuffle" before...well, I can't tell you how to do so, but I can tell you, He's got a way of "shuffling" into our reality without invitation or notice...and you will never be sorry He did!

A Possible Trip

I often travel the country and meet with people and groups in an effort to encourage and to build them up in Christ. Most often, I do it for free. Once in a while I get a request from a faraway group, and I cannot bear the cost alone. A small church near Bridgeport, Barbados, has asked me to spend about a week with them, meeting with individuals, small groups and their collective church in December. I have told them that I would offer this opportunity to people who might support them by sending me, and to see what happens. Because my Barbados friends need to plan and because airfare costs will soon jump dramatically, I’ll give it one week’s time.

If you’d like to make a donation of any amount toward this, please email me. If enough is pledged, then I will say so, and then you may make tax-deductible donations at: http://lifecourse.org/Giving.html.

Thanks for considering this with me.

Growth In Christ

To grow in Christ means we ‘re increasingly convinced that He is perfect for us and with us and in us.  It means we’re increasingly attracted to Him—during any moment, ugly or pretty.  And that attraction takes advantage of the secure connection He made with us in such a way that He becomes obvious to us—to ourselves and to others.  That’s the plan:  we have The Way, The Truth and The Life, and others get us as a picture—an everyday video playing out right in front of them of what that looks like.  There's nothing like it, don't you agree?

The Blessing Train

Religion at its worst induces you to keep striving in faithfulness because there’s a blessing He will give you that He hasn’t yet—a blessing that depends upon your faithfulness rather than upon His faithfulness.  So you’d better keep tithing, keep praying, keep witnessing, and keep being nice because the blessing train is coming (“It’s right around the bend!”), even though He thinks that He has already arrived in you.  If He is the train, then you’re the station.

Audio Message Link

Some have been asking if there is a link to the audio of my message, "Witness Protection & You," that I gave at Andrew Farley's church, "Ecclesia, Church Without Religion," on Sunday, September 21. Click on the link below, and you can download it for free.  Cool.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ralph-harris-witness-protectio/id325724962?i=319242455&mt=2

Link To Video Sermon From Sunday, Sept. 21

I was thoroughly drenched by a west Texas thunderstorm Sunday morning, just minutes before speaking at Ecclesia, Church Without Religion (pastored by Andrew Farley). My shirt wrinkled up like an accordion, possibly terrifying the audience into believing that I was there to lead them in classic polka songs. It was quite a day. Here’s the link to the message, “Witness Protection & You.”

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/52944502

Speaking This Sunday - Watch Live

I will be speaking this Sunday at Ecclesia, Church Without Religion, pastored by Andrew Farley. If you would like to watch live, you can do it at 10:30am CST (for music) and 11:00am CST (for sermon) by clicking on the Ustream window at: http://www.churchwithoutreligion.com/home.

To watch my sermon from the last time I spoke there, click:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17920119

Andrew introduces me at the 11:00 minute point in the service, after which there is a bit of an audio glitch—I didn’t turn on the mic! But it doesn’t last long.

The Foolishness of Freedom

Now and then I post something from another author because I think it's excellent and will be helpful to you.  Andrew Nelson has a lot of great things to say (as well as a good book, "Fight For Grace"), and his article posted at Surrendered Image is a good example.  Have a look by clicking on the link below.

http://surrenderedimage.com/Blog/the-foolishness-of-freedom-32806

(For information about his book, go to http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Grace-Time-Roll-Sleeves-ebook/dp/B00A9XERXO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410625125&sr=8-1&keywords=fight+for+grace.)

Day 1 of My Annual Twin Sabbatical

With Brent, just before putting on our fly fishing uniforms and getting after it on Day 1.

Annual Twin Sabbatical

As I head for bed after a long and rigorous day at the beginning of my annual Twin Sabbatical, I have only one thing to say. (More pics coming.)

The Giver

What are my thoughts about the movie, “The Giver”?  My daughter and I enjoyed it very much. (It's an excellent part of a daddy/daughter date.)  She has read the book (loved it), and had some trepidation about how the story would come to film.  While it was different, she said it was true to the point of the book and that many of the changes/additions added to the strength of the story.  I think the story depicted very well the dangers of social engineering, the attempt at creating a better society by taking away personal freedoms and experience.  If everyone is brought to the same level of experience and expectation (financially, emotionally, responsibility, etc.), then everyone will be better off, since sorrow, suffering, competition, success and failure will be minimized—or so the theory goes.  In that setting, however, true love found through trial is the casualty, as is personal character. 

Through my eyes, also, the story depicted the futility of human effort while ignoring God.  We suffer terribly when we are deluded into terrific efforts at making ourselves and life work while abstaining from Him who is Life.  This story illuminates and expands upon that theme.