Houston, we have a problem.

[HKHaugan]

“Houston, we have a problem.”

 You may remember those words when a space mission was in jeopardy a few years back.  If you use those words and apply them to our personal and relational lives, we could easily shout out to the world around us, “World, we have a problem.  We’re out here in spiritual space and up a creek without a paddle.  We’re all alone.  What do we do?  We’ve got to do something.  Could you send another vehicle to bring us home.  We’re running out of oxygen and food.”  The world responds, “Good luck with that.  Learn to live with it as long as you can.  Here are some ways to distract yourself as you lose air.  It’s the best we can offer right now.”  It’s hopeless without the Lord God.

 Blessedly, notice I don’t say fortunately, we have been given a Savior to rescue us from the world and its counsel.  He brings the Holy Spirit to provide the oxygen of grace to sustain us and prepare us for our trip home to our Creator and Lord.  Not only that but while we are on the way He gives us the equipment to gather others lost in spiritual space home with us. 

 The trip home is not without problems.  Something called temptation crops up unexpectedly from time to time.  The real problem is the devil, the evil one who is always working to lure us away from God.  The devil used and uses three temptations to do that: food, security and control. Our bodies yearn for these three things: food. security and the power of self in control.  Have food when you want it, total physical security and power over others.  We inherited Adam and Eve’s fallen nature to live relationally without God.  Spiritually, we pray for food that tastes good, looks good and gives us wisdom.  

 Without God, self-centeredness, the nature of sin, takes over.  We choose what the society around us considers real life.  What kind of food emotionally, physically, economically, socially, intellectually, feeds my needs.  We look for those who have success and play up to them for their approval.  We feed at their trough of guidance and behavior.  We look for the food that gives the appearance of marketability.  We look for the food that feeds our need for the best way to being control.  It’s a world of competition, manipulation and performance laced with constant lonely anxiety.  It’s always living on the edge between success and failure.   Underneath all that, fear is the driving spirit.

 Living in the world without God is like walking barefoot through a field full of sandspurs, alone.  It’s a world of another kind offering nothing but the descending feeling of aloneness.  One made where the sandspurs are attitudes developed apart from God.  Self-justification, self-rationalization, self-protection, blame, pessimism, optimism, worry, avoidance, denial to name a few and they all are laced with fear, guilt and aloneness.  One where time is the enemy and death appears in its early stages as disappointment, disillusionment and despair.   Physical death is recognized with the social coup de grace of a funeral and a tombstone etched with these words, “He tried.”

 But there is really astoundingly good news.  Jesus teaches the way to pray (Mt.6:9) and then shows us what to pray as He prays for Himself and us (Jn.17).  We need help to keep our focus when temptation comes by the things that are always there to tempt us.  Everything changes when you think, trust and act spiritually.  In a relationship with Jesus the world is turned on its head and we see it for what it is, a dead end, literally.  Opposite of the choices Adam and Eve made to live for themselves without God, how different a spiritual life in Christ where His Word tastes good, pleases the eyes and is desirable for gaining personal and relational wisdom, eternally.  When He says, “I am the bread of life (Jn.6:35) and “The eye is the lamp the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light (Mt.6:23) and “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Mt.5:6),” Jesus is our food, our security and our control.  He restores in us what Adam and Eve lost.

 The basic commandment (Lk.10:27) to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind is the foundation for living.  Jesus makes it clear, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.”  This means not just obedience, which the secular mind relinquishes to reluctantly thus negatively. It means to literally embed them in our minds and hearts so that we react spiritually to what we experience.

 The visual symbol among orthodox male Jews is wearing phylacteries (Gk.root, phulasein-to guard) on the forehead.  It reminds them to think and trust God’s Word.  It guards their minds and ours as well. It preserves, reserves and conserves God’s counsel as we process life from one choice to the next giving Him the praise and thanks He deserves.  Truth preservation, trust reservation and faith conservation for praise deservation to be my motivation (deservation is my word that keeps me conscious of His being sole owner of my life).  My mind reasoning by His truth. My heart trusting His presence.  My spirit letting His Spirit motivate me to act by faith in Him. 

 Hey world and Houston---The Lord Jesus on board.  Problem solved!