Nick’s Walk

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 1 John 4: 1 There is nothing new about fake  news. It’s been around for thousands of years. The news stories have changed but the basis and motivations are the same.    Fake news takes advantage of our desire for certain things to be true. In politics, for example, we want the worst to be true of those with whom we disagree. We light up at stories that confirm that belief.    Fake news also takes advantage of our fears. We are afraid that those we respect and follow will not be all we believe they are. We reluctantly accept as true stories that confirm these fears.    In spiritual matters fake news include teachings that promote cheap grace that say we can have salvation without repentance, joy without sacrifice, that believing is enough without following. We want things to be easy and there will always be those who will tell us they are.    We also are subject to fears that the […]

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8: 31-32 Most Christians will tell you that the “truth will set you free.” A lot fewer will recall the importance of faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus. Freedom doesn’t come in wisdom alone, but in faithfulness to what is true. It’s a matter of action.  At the Day of Judgment, we will be not be questioned as to what we have read, but what we have done; not how well we have spoken, but how holy we have lived. Watkins, James (2016-01-12). The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today’s Language (Kindle Locations 653-654). Worthy Publishing. Kindle Edition. Yet it seems that Christians are wedded to the idea of learning and not to doing. The most “significant” part of Sunday service for most is the “teaching” or “sermon.” That teaching sometimes, but not always, contains a motivating call to action. What good is it to sit through a teaching without building up motivation to go out and do something. By Mondays, not only are […]

“The very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6: 63). They are not judged by human understanding. They are not spoken to impress others, but to be heard in silence and received with all humility and deep love. Watkins, James (2016-01-12). The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today’s Language (Kindle Locations 605-607). Worthy Publishing. Kindle Edition. We make hearing the voice of God a tremendously difficult spiritual exercise requiring years of monastery life to master. Certainly being completely comfortable in hearing God is a lifetime experience. The first step is pretty easy: Just shut up. I guess that’s a lot easier in a monastery.  Our failure to hear most things, including the voice of God, is founded in our failure to stop talking. I remember some years ago I was at an organizational meeting of a Kairos weekend. One of the newbies was going on and on about how he didn’t know if he would be able to talk to the inmates. I advised him to “Just shut up.” He kept on talking. I advised him again. He kept on talking. My comrades who had also done the ministry for years knew what […]

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25: 37-40 The “righteous” ones were pleasing their Lord and didn’t even know it. You would think it shouldn’t be necessary to force folks to feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked or visit the sick or those in prison. Nevertheless, we don’t do those things. I am not sure why. There is so much need out there that we tend to block it out. Since we can not address every problem; we decide not to address any. Charitable acts are, by their nature, selective. We sometimes say we are “called” to particular acts, and not to others.  Successful charitable acts require discretion. We need to learn to hear and respond […]

But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless— like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. Ecclesiastes 2: 11 By every sign we are great lovers of self. Our checkbooks show on whom we like to spend. Look in our bath rooms at all the “personal” products. We love to talk about ourselves (Facebook) and we get a charge out of being liked (Facebook again). For most of us, we are number 1. I am not sure that it’s really self-love. Look at how much time, effort and money we spend on improving ourselves or in making us seem better than we are. Perhaps we realize that we are not as great as we make out. In many cases, in fact, we are our own worst enemies. Look at what we eat, how little we exercise or take care of ourselves. Consider how we fail to plan for our futures or act in our own best interests.  Our attempts at self-love pale at the efforts of others to love us. Nothing warms us like the smile of a loving grandchild or the touch of a life-long partner. […]

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30: 21 A few years ago I was headed home from work when I thought I heard God telling me to take a route home that I never take. I followed the instruction. Along the route I came across a lady having car trouble. I was able to get assistance and during the conversation learned she was a Christian who had been asking the Lord to send some help. I’m not one of those who claims to hear God frequently. In fact, I am having to go back several years to come up with an example of me following the voice of God. My point is that God does speak to us. It’s question of learning to hear his voice. How often have you had a “feeling” that you should do something and later discover that you missed an opportunity by failing to listen? It happens to me frequently. I don’t think that God speaks more often to other people. I believe that other folks do a better job of […]

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. … He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. John 16: 13-14 The world is really loud and full of distractions. Look around at any public gathering and see all the folks noses buried in their phones. We have television, radio, and smart phones all shouting at us 24/7. The voice inside sounds like a myth. Truly blessed are the ears that listen— not to the sounds surrounding them— but to the voice of Truth inside. Watkins, James (2016-01-12). The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today’s Language (Kindle Locations 570-571). Worthy Publishing. Kindle Edition. The sad truth is that all the noise contains very little truth. The Resurrection we celebrate today made possible the installation of a voice of TRUTH inside, to guide, direct and encourage us. It’s not so loud and demanding as to rob us of free will. We have to decide to listen and decide to follow. But if we do take that path less travelled we will be led into truth, […]

O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6: 8 It surprises me how unappreciated the old testament is. I know we worship newness and don’t respect “old.” It’s just not right. The old testament is full of wisdom. Justice, Mercy and Humility. If we could just grasp and apply these principles in life. Justice.  It is so easy to let injustice to prevail. Why should we attach more value to sports figures than teachers? Why do we ignore the rich are much more likely to receive justice in our courts than the poor? We don’t value life in those least able to protect themselves, the unborn and the elderly. Those are universal problems, but we don’t do any better at doing “right” at a personal level.  We often don’t really know what is just.  Mercy. Mercy is something we expect but are reluctant to give. It was the subject of Jesus’ parables. We want justice for others and mercy for ourselves. Offenses pain us and we are reluctant to forgive that offense. What […]