God Ain't Gunna Ditch You

Well, I made it. 100 posts. I spent some time pondering,

"What should I put for my 100th post? What would be different enough to make this post stand out?"

Then it hit me: video post.

So I practiced with the webcam on my computer for a minute to see how this would look. The verdict: not good. So I scrapped the vlog idea.

In the end, I decided that the best thing to do would be to write whatever is on my heart. A friend of mine just called me, telling me that her grandmother was very ill and may be headed to see Him soon. I looked up some verses to comfort her, and it just clicked: a lot of people need these. I need these.

Joshua is one my favorite characters in the Bible, and his book is one of my favorite books, as well. The way he leads Israel with extreme, bold faith encourages me to do the same, and he is the kind of leader I want to be someday. Joshua is the model of a strong, God-fearing leader that conquered army after army, all the time boasting in God's strength and power. Yet, he wasn't always such a confident leader.

At the beginning of Joshua 1, we see a much different Joshua. Moses, the great leader that brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and up to the edge of the Promised Land, was dead. And now, after all this time, Israel has a new leader. Can you imagine the pressure Joshua was under?! I mean, come on. Who on earth wants to be the guy that leads after MOSES? Talk about being hard to follow up on!

Yet, just as Joshua was as nervous as a cat above Niagara Falls, God steps in and smacks Josh upside the head with this,

"2 'Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.
6 'Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.'" -Joshua 1:2-9, HCSB

WOW! Talk about a confidence booster! Just when Joshua was questioning his abilities and getting all scared, God tells him to be strong and be comforted, because God will not forsake him nor leave him. God was always with Joshua, and would never bail. And guess what?

He says the same to you.

We have the God of the universe, the sovereign Lord of all, the Creator of all, Judge of all, King of all... comforting us. Right now. His arms are wide open for us to run to and seek shelter from the world. He empowers us through His Spirit to overcome the obstacles in our lives. In fact, He commands us to be strong courageous, and not be afraid and discouraged. I mean, He's with us; what could stand against? (Romans 8:31)

Bullies at school? Nope.

Cancer? Nope.

Heartbreak? Nope.

Your past? Nope.

Death? Nope.

Nothing can hurt you. For as the apostle Paul says, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21)." If we are alive, we have Him constantly guiding and protecting us, as our Shepherd. If we die, we are in His presence... forever.

For more on comfort, go to:

Psalm 23
Psalm 71:5
Micah 7:7
John 14:27
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

JESUS Film Series, Part Four: So, Who is He?

This is the final JESUS Film post in the series, and as such, I wanted to focus not on who He isn't, but on who He is. I could ramble, but I think Scripture says it best. So, here's Vintage 21 Church's last video, and then take the time to read each passage and allow it to soak in who He is.



"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." -Revelation 22:13

“I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” -Joshua 5:14

"Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church." -Ephesians 5:23

"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." -1 John 5:20

"And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." -Isaiah 9:6

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity." -Zechariah 13:1

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." -Colossians 1:27

"For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens." -Hebrews 7:26

"See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated 'God is with us.'" -Matthew 1:23

"Jesus said to them, 'I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am.'" -John 8:58

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." -1 Timothy 1:17

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." -Hebrews 4:14

"You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this." -Acts 3:15

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" -John 14:6

This is our God. This is our King. This is our Savior. This is our Jesus. Come before Him today. Worship Him, as He is worthy of all of our praise. He is our friend. He loves you. He didn't come to condemn, but to save. Praise Him.

"O praise Him, o praise Him. He is holy, He is holy." -David Crowder Band

How to Be Made Right (And Others, Too)

This week, we're taking a break from Matthew to look briefly at a passage that has just been great to read this week as I woke up: Romans 10. Romans 10 is a beautiful chapter, and among my favorites that I have read and studied. Let's read it:

"1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." -Romans 10:1-17, ESV

I know, that was a lot of Scripture for one blog post. I probably should have broken this down and gone over each part in my next series. Maybe I will, I don't know. But just look at these passages with me! Verses 1-3 talks about how Israel didn't put their faith in God, but instead in their good works. That's not good! Paul says he is concerned for their salvation! That means that your good deeds, your religious acts, none of that will save you. Not a bit of it.

Then Paul, in verses 4-5, says that Christ is the end of righteous from rules. What does that mean? Check out verse 6-8: no matter how dramatic we are and how hard we work, there is nothing we do. Instead, we hold the true message, the message of righteousness found by faith, which is in verses 9-13.

AHH! YES! The key to salvation is CHRIST! Putting your faith in Him is the only way! Confess that He is your Lord, and you won't be put to shame! How beautiful and easy is that?! There's no distinction between Jew and Greek, meaning that every single person, no matter their ethnicity or past, can be turned down for salvation. Everyone who calls on His name will be saved! I beg you call on His name, right now if you don't know Him! Yell out "Jesus is Lord!"

But that isn't all. Verses 14-17 asks how people will hear of this if we don't tell them. Guess what: they won't. You see, if you have this amazing truth and you can tell the world of the way to salvation, you MUST share it! I know this is hard at times. It's hard for me, too. But we are their way! It's on US to spread the good news!

So, my question is: will you spread this news? Will you tell people about your Lord? Or will you let their ears remain silent?

JESUS Film Series, Part Three: Jesus Loves Scumbags

We have all gotten down on ourselves. We tried to do the right thing, and we messed it up. We tried to help someone, and we ended up hurting them instead. We're consistently screwing everything up, and we spend more time trying to get back to doing good after we messed up than actually doing the right thing. Let's look at another Vintage 21 Church video, and look at how we think Jesus is viewing our constant problems.



Last week, we looked at how Jesus doesn't want us to tend to a long rule book, and that salvation comes from God an God alone, not our works. Yet, we tend to think that Jesus, because He is the holy, perfect God, is too holy for us. We are dirty and broken; He is cleaner than Scrubbing Bubbles. Yes, you have a point. We are dirty, and He is clean. But it doesn't end there.

"15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” -Mark 2:15-17, NLT

I absolutely love how the New Living Translation puts this, which is one of my favorite passages in the Gospels. You see, Jesus had a thing for scumbags: the poor, the smokers, the sluts, the white trash and the money launderers. These were the very people that, according to Mark, that followed Jesus around.

Yes, just as the video portrays, Jesus knows our problems. You may not be to the point that you're worthy of prison, but you do some low-down and dirty stuff. It's true. And odds on, you think that Jesus is "too good" for you. You think you have to get your life together before Jesus can love you or before you can come to church. Guess what? You couldn't be more wrong.

Jesus wants more than anything for the "scum" to run to Him and embrace Him. As v.17 says, "Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." It is only through the amazing, crazy grace of God that we are made right before God, and that starts when we are at our lowest.

When you realize that you are a screw-up, that is the very moment Jesus can step in and do His work. People who think they are healthy don't go to the doctor; sick people do. Admit your sickness and run to the heavenly Doctor that can make you well. You're never too bad to come to Jesus. There is hope in Him.

For more on the topic of Jesus's love for the hoodlums and scumbags, read Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel. It is a fantastic look at the love of Christ for people who don't have it all together (I highly recommend the Visual Edition, by the way).

Faith: A Closer Look

Faith. It's a word that we hear a lot. You can have faith, be faithful, and even have the name Faith. The word "faith" is present in almost all aspects of our lives.
The dictionary describes faith as "confidence or trust in a person or thing." So, what does the Bible say about faith?

The Bible is chock full of people that have faith, but Matthew 8-9 and Hebrews 11 have several options. Hebrews 11 is famous for the "Hall of Faith" passage, which is a list of people from the Old Testament that had impressive faith in God.

Matthew 8 and 9 have an impressive list of people with faith, as well. In these two chapters alone, Jesus notices and is impressed by the faith of five totally different people. The statement that should drive us the most towards pursuing greater faith is found in verse 10 of chapter 8:

"10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.'" -Matthew 8:10

What a statement! Who wouldn't be PUMPED to have the God of the universe tell you that you are known by Him for your exemplary faith?!

You may be wondering, "what is this faith?" Hebrews 11:1-3 says,

"1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." -Hebrews 11:1-3, NIV

Faith, according to the author of Hebrews, is having confidence and assurance in God. We lean on him, completely sure that He not only exists, but will come through when He says He will. Hebrews goes on to say that it's through faith that we see that God made the universe, and ultimately is in charge.

2 Corinthians also says that we are to live by faith, not by sight. We cannot see God Himself, and so we must live in confidence that He is there, regardless of His invisibility.

So, why should we care to have this faith? Matthew 17:20 says that by faith, we can do amazing things and change the world, but it is Hebrews 11:6 that gives the best reason to have faith:

"6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." -Hebrews 11:6

Wow. This, my friends, is huge. Without having faith and without believing that He exists and seeking Him, you cannot please God. The Bible doesn't just say that it would be hard to please Him; it is impossible. This should be all the reason to be like the centurion in Matthew 8 that Jesus congratulated for his faith. It isn't complicated: just trust God.

Yes, this is hard to do. Times will get tough, and we will feel like God is not around. Our faith will waver, and we will be unsure if He is what we should put our faith in. I beg you, though: please seek God and put your faith in Him. The rewards for such faith are beyond worth it.

JESUS Film Series, Part Two: Jesus Ain't Yo Principal

A few months back, I started my JESUS Film series by looking at Vintage 21 Church's first video about Jesus. We discussed how Jesus is not too busy or uninterested in us, and that instead He is our friend. Now, let's look at the second video and then we'll look into another false view of Jesus.



This video highlights a view of Jesus that is overwhelmingly popular, and has run rampant in our churches and culture. It's this idea that, in order to be a Christian or come to Jesus, one must follow a bunch of rules and look like part of Jesus's clone army of brainwashed, law-abiding monkeys. You must be at church every time the door opens and listen only to Christian music. If you even think about watching a movie with Santa in it, well, just go ahead and consider yourself a pagan. If you're still a sinner, just go ahead and give up being a Christian.

We all think Jesus is our principal, following us around like children and making sure we don't break any rules. I mean, it's only natural that we would assume this mindset. Every other religion in the world runs on a system of rules that one must follow to get to their god or whatever. Even the Judaic system of the Old Testament followed the Law, which is the set of rules that God put forth in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Jewish individual had all kinds of sacrifices and practices and such that were required to make themselves right with God.

You see, we have a holy God, and man is sinful. So, for a long time, had to do different things, holy, God-given things, to be right with God. But then the New Testament happens.

Jesus Christ, God Himself, comes to earth and pays the penalty for our sin. He was and is the ultimate sacrifice. With His death and resurrection, the Law of the Old Testament was ruled unnecessary. No longer must we sacrifice animals for our salvation; Jesus has already been our sacrifice!

So, it is not longer "what must I do for salvation?". No, now it is "look at what Christ has done for our salvation!"

Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states "8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast."

Your works can't do a THING to save you! So stop living in an Old Testament world, living as if the Law keeps you in a world of condemnation, guilt and shame for "crossing the line." Instead, gladly receive the grace of God and have faith in Jesus Christ! He has set us free! Yes, you'll still sin and screw up. But instead of focusing on the rules, just love your Savior. The more we push towards following and knowing Him, the less we will have time to focus on ourselves and the more we will focus on the One worthy of all of our praise and all of our worship.

God Doesn't Want Your Cow

"9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” " -Matthew 9:9-13, NIV

Ever sit and wonder "God, what makes you happy? What are you looking for?" My guess is that most of us have, at least a time or two. Most of us want to please God, and to do that:

-We go to church
-We read our Bibles a few minutes every other day
-We try not to cuss or get too drunk
-We try to put limits on how much physical contact we have with a significant other (don't wanna cross the line!)

God wants us to be morally good, right? Yes, and no. Absolutely yes, in the sense that doing the opposite of good is bad, and bad is called sin, and that is rebellion to God. So, yes, God wants us to be morally upright. However, the issue lies in what your focus for being upright is.

The Pharisees were some high-up religious pros in the Jewish system back in Jesus's Earth-walking days. They were some of the most religious and moral people that have ever walked the earth. Yet, Jesus instead chose to hang out and party it up (yes, Jesus was known to have some rowdy parties! He was not a boring house guest!) with traitors, hookers and lawbreakers, homeless and dirty. These people were not your moral folks! So, what was Jesus looking for?

He tells the Pharisees in v.13, and again in Matthew 12:7, to go learn what "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" meant. In this, He was quoting Hosea 6:6, and alluding to Micah 6:6-8, which says:

"6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God." -Micah 6:6-8, NIV

God is not looking for your sacrifices and religious practices! Sure, they are good and necessary, but what does this say is REQUIRED by God? To be just, love mercy, and walk humbly. Treat people right, love on them and give forgiveness easily, and be humble. That, my friends, is what God wants most from you. It all comes back to Matthew 22:29, which says to love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus came to love on the world, especially the broken, beaten and unloved. Will you do the same, or keep trying to burn your sacrifices, by trying to earn God's happiness with your religious practices?