Leave Your Life Behind

"If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world?" -Colossians 2:20, HCSB

Solid question, right? Why do we act as though we aren't in Christ?

I'm not even talking about living a "sinner's lifestyle;" many of us jump immediately to that. We think,

"Well, I'm not living as if I belong to the world! I don't cuss, I attend church most weeks, I lead a bible study, and I don't smoke. I'm doing what I am supposed to do."

But, are you really living a life of Christ? Are you really doing what your salvation saved you to do? I mean, what did Jesus say upon His ascension?

"Go, therefore, and do not smoke weed. Attend church regularly, read Max Lucado books and stay away from alcohol in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

What?! That isn't what He said?! Oh my. Well, what did Jesus command?

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you." -Matthew 28:19-20, HCSB

Are we making disciples, teaching and baptizing, or are we living the same kind of "personal religion" that the rest of the world prescribes to? Most of the United States, whether they admit it, have a self-centered religion.

The reason people go to church/mosque or not is based on their spirituality. What makes your spiritual life complete is what you should go for, says the world. Pray to whomever you please. If you're into burning sage, go for it. If you're into worshipping a cactus blossom, great. Whatever pleases you. Just make sure not to try to get anyone else to do it. I mean, we don't want to be pushy and force our religion on others!

I'm not insinuating that Christians should be annoying, leaving a tract instead of a tip at restaurants or anything like that. I'm asking seriously: are you following Christ in a worldly, self-glorifying way that is built around you and your feelings of "religiousness," or are you striving for a walk with Christ that is founded on Him and His greatness?

We are to stay pure, yes. It is a good thing if you don't cuss or smoke pot. However, if you are doing nothing with your salvation beyond yourself, if you aren't sharing the life-changing truth that has been revealed to you, what good is it? We aren't saved for ourselves; we're saved for the glory of God!

We are to live lives that reject the philosophies and such of this world, and follow only after Christ. This means that we will have to go against the grain of culture and step out of our religious box. We must leave the temple behind and be the church, living lives for the advancement of the Kingdom. That's what it means to be dead to the world. We leave behind all trace of life from the old way of doing it and follow after Him.

Are we willing to pick up our cross and die to a life of personal religion? Are we willing to go against the grain and spread the gospel to those around us? Are we truly dead to the ways of this world and culture, willing to go wherever God sends us? These are questions we all must ask.

Waiting for Our Groom: Are We Willing to Fast?

I want to start by promoting my friend Dylan Watts' new blog, The Gospel Displayed in Sanctification. He is just starting out his journey into the bloggersphere, so please show him a little love and check out his stuff! :) Now, to my post...

We're currently in Lent, which is the time of year when my Catholic brethren give up something to focus on God. The idea of giving up something to focus on God is considered fasting.

Fasting is something that rarely gets discussed. What's the point? Should we fast? Is fasting a Catholic thing? Am I allowed to eat during a fast? What does Jesus say about fasting?

All of these questions are good questions to ask. I am a Southern Baptist by label, and fasting is something my denomination rarely discusses or practices. So, what does the bible say about fasting? Let's take a look.

One of the passages that is central to understanding fasting is found in Matthew 7. I wrote a post on this passage last year, entitled To Fast or Not to Fast, That Is the Question. I would ask for you to read that post after reading this one, as they are really companions for each other. It discusses the heart behind fasting, which is one of humility and God-focusedness. That's not my goal today.

Today, my goal is to simply show that fasting is not a bad thing for Christians to do, and, in fact, is very helpful. Check out Mark 2:18-20 with me.

"Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, 'How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?'
Jesus answered, 'How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.'" -Mark 2:18-20, NIV

This passage alone shows that we, as the Church today, are not wrong to fast in a biblical manner (which is outlined in my other post). In v. 18, we see that Jesus' disciples were not fasting, while other "religious types" were. So they asked Jesus what was up with this apparent lack of striving for God.

At first glance, it appears that Jesus is supporting the abolition of fasting. Yet, keep reading on down to verse 20...

Here, Jesus discusses that "the bridegroom will be taken away, and on that day they will fast." Guess what: Jesus is not physically on this earth right now. Jesus, our Bridegroom, has ascended to the throne of God. The day has come for our fast.

Allow me to clarify something, though: God is not gone from this earth. His presence is all around us, and in the believer. I do not want you to walk away thinking that we are without our God; that is untrue. In Mark 2, Jesus' disciples literally had Him in the flesh, there beside them. They had no need to fast at all, and because of that, they didn't. We don't HAVE to fast, either; if you never fast, you are not doomed to Hell. We have the Spirit of God within us; thus, we do not have to fast. We are saved by grace, not works, and our salvation rests only in the work of Christ.

However, we are in a waiting period. We are in between the human life of Christ and His return. We cannot speak with Him in the same way that the disciples did then, and we will not have that level of closeness with Him until He returns. So, allow me give a scenario that I hope will show the benefit of fasting while we wait for His return.

Let's say a couple is dating. The man gets down on one knee and proposes. Do you think they are abstaining from enjoying life at that moment? No! They'd by excited! He is physically with her, and she will enjoy every moment with him!

But let's say that this man is deployed to Iraq before they are married. What do you think the future bride will do? Is she going to continue her life as if he were here? Of course not. She will call him, Skype him, email him... You get what I am saying. She will abstain from chasing after other guys, because she already has her man. She will even be willing to wake/remain up at crazy hours of the day to talk with him. She will sacrifice sleep, food or other relationships in order to grow closer with him, even in his time away.

We, Church, are currently that future bride. Our Groom has gone for a time, and we are now waiting for His return. We should desire to grow closer with Him at all costs, no matter what. There may come times when separation from food or sleep or other things will allow us to communicate with and draw nearer to our Groom, and we shouldn't be afraid to embrace that. This fasting with the desire of growing closer to God is a good thing.

Our Groom is on His way back to us; are we willing to do whatever it takes to be as close as possible with Him while we wait?

Thanks to Mr. Scott Fertig, who challenged me to go deeper with this post and better communicate my thoughts. If you, reader, ever find what I say to be erroneous or confusing, please let me know. I will be happy to clarify or study further.

The Prize, Part Three: Glory Forever

Happy Valentine's Day! Today, on the day of love, let's finish looking into the ultimate box of choclates, our prize in Christ:

"...But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly [or upward] call in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13b-14, HCSB

We looked last Thursday at leaving the past behind us, and then started reaching forward to what was ahead on Tuesday. But what, what are we reaching for? What is the prize that this passage is alluding to? The answer is both beautiful and simple. Our prize is God.

We are looking forward to a prize that is beyond this earthly life. Our prize lies in the glorious future we have awaiting us with our Father, our Savior and His Spirit, all around us. We will glorified alongside Christ, heirs to the kingdom of God.

This is huge.

Our past ain't good, y'all. We are sinful humans, guilty before the holy One above all. We have lied and cheated and sleazed around and lusted over and murdered and hated and coveted our whole lives, directly rebelling against God. We are peasants whoe have spit in the face of the King.

Yet, despite that, His love never fails. He still sent Jesus, His only Son, to die on a cross and whoever believes in Him, calling Him Lord, shall be saved.

But that salvation is only the beginning. We are saved, yes, but we will one day be glorified. We will be lifted high and be princes and princesses of light. That, my friends, is the prize. That future of awe and wonder and glory, our glorification alongside the even greater glorification of Christ, forever and ever, is beyond words. I don't even have a vocabulary to express the greatness of this, and I'd bet you don't, either. We have God and all of His glory, forever. All the while, we will be glorified, as well. Amazing.

Let us run toward the prize, let us make this our aim. May we leave our sinful, rebellious, troubled past behind and pursue our future, straining to reach it. Let's do that, as there is nothing more beautiful than that.

The Prize, Part Two: Reaching Ahead

Last Thursday, I started looking into a passage that has blown my mind: Philippians 3:13-14. We looked at forgetting what is behind us, leaving behind our past lives of sin-loving and troubles. But, for what? Continuing what I said last week, we have storms in our rearview mirrors, but what is in the windshield? What are we driving toward? And how are we driving? Are we speeding toward a destination, or are we on a joy ride? Well, let's look into the passage, and take a look.

"...But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly [or upward] call in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13b-14, HCSB

2. We are reaching forward for what is ahead

When I think of reaching forward, I think of straining for a remote. You know those times when the remote is on the ottoman or on the floor, just beyond your reach? You strain, reach, stretch and do everything you can to reach the remote. Your entire being is consumed with grabbing that remote, all while not actually leaving your seat.

You strategize. You use any tool at your disposal. You critically think, and you may even enlist assistance. All of you is focused in on the goal, and nothing will stop you until you achieve your desire.

Does this look like your pursuit of God and your future with Him? Are you straining for the glorious eternity before you with our great Lord? Do you reach forward, wanting nothing more than Him?

We often need a focus shift. We have a glory with God ahead of us, and we often get distracted. We pay attention to the color and patterns of the ottoman or floor without zeroing in on the real goal: getting to the remote, a future with Him. We must become consumed with what is ahead, using whatever means necessary to get there.

We will stretch to draw nearer. We will use tools, such as God's Word and prayer, to get closer. We will involve others who are also focused on our goal, leaning on their assistance as we all strive for the end.

The question is: are you reaching forward for the goal, or are you sitting back and hoping that the remote will come to you?

On Thursday, we will look into what exactly we are reaching forward

The Prize, Part One: What's In Your Rearview?

I have a few books in God's Word that really impact me regularly, and I'm bringing a passage of one of them today. Check out this passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians:

"...But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly [or upward] call in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13b-14, HCSB

What a great passage, right?! I mean, what an approach to life! Let's break this down and see how we can live this out:

1. Forget what is behind
-Your past doesn't mean a thing. I'm not saying to totally forget your past; I'm not one those types. What I am saying is this: no matter what is in your rearview, it is in your rearview. No matter what I see behind me when I am driving my truck, it is still behind me. Good or bad, I have driven past it and it is relatively unimportant to my further travel.

Yes, our past shapes the present and future. If I just drove through a rainstorm, my truck is now covered in water. If I just left the gas station, my tank is full. The events of our past often direct and effect the manner and appearance of our travels. Yet, we must also move on.

The bad things, the rain storms in your life, can be seen in a new light in Christ. I am not saying they will go away; if anything, I've found that the radar gets more shades of red and orange the further towards Jesus we go. However, our approach to these hard times can be altered by His guidance. If you are in a storm, trying to navigate on your own, it can be easy to get lost. Discouraged. Hurt. You may even veer off the road in the torrential downpours of life if you have no guidance.

With guidance from the Lord above, however, you are able to approach these storms with confidence. You can know that He will guide you through the heart of the difficulty. He will never abandon you, nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

In the end, we must forget the past. Our life before Christ is filled with not only storms, but rebellions, lusts, mistakes, lies, troubles... the list goes on. We cannot proceed toward the glory of God if we continue to carry all of this baggage with us.

In the book Pilgrim's Progress, our hero is loaded down with a massive load on his back. Before we come to Christ, we all have a similar load. Like the hero in Pilgrim's Progress, we must have that load removed before we proceed toward God and His purpose for our life. That load, that burdensome past of sin and troubled heart can only be removed by one Being: Jesus Christ.

He died and rose again to remove those burdens from our backs! Our past, no matter what has happened, can be and will be removed by your Savior the moment that you place your faith in His great gift of grace and salvation, calling on Him as your Lord and Savior. Put your past in the rearview! He can put it behind you; allow Him to do so!

Check back next week for the continuation of this passage. We've got the past behind us, so the question is: what's on the road ahead?

Remember and Boast

"But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world." -Galatians 6:14, HCSB

Christian, we are dead to the world. We have lost our lives, and there is no turning back from here on out. We must remember that!

And doesn't it seem odd that we forget our new birth? We do not forget the fact that we have been physically born. I am well aware right now that I was physically born at some point. I am breathing, have a beating heart and just yawned. Clearly, I was physically born.

Yet, I often forget my spiritual re-birth. I forget that I am dead to sinful desires. I forget that I am saved by the grace of God and the death and resurrection of my Savior. I forget that my heart of stone has been surgically removed and replaced with a new heart-- a new heart that beats for the Lord of all.

Church, may we remember this glorious salvation that we have in Christ! May we boast in His name, praising Him and His good works! May we lift Him high, oh may we lift Him high in all of His glory!

Now, enjoy Lecrae and Anthony Evans' song "Boasting." Soak it in. Apply it. Live it. Let's boast in Him.

END IT: Shine a Light on Slavery

Today begins the End It Movement. This movement has been started by Louie Giglio and the Passion Conferences, and will only continue for a few months. The whole deal with the movement is the goal of ending slavery.

No, I don't believe that all slavery will be eradicated over the next few months. However, this is a start. There are 27 million slaves all across the world that need the help of those of us that can help. There are 27 million slaves that need a voice, a voice that we can give them.

So I encourage you to check out www.enditmovement.com and get involved. I will be tweeting and blogging about this some over the next few months, and I hope you are willing to get involved with this cause. If you are a Christian, you were once enslaved to sin and are now free. Help someone else to freedom, both physically and spiritually.

"Give me strength to tear down injustice and fight for freedom in Your name." -Judges 16:28

"Set the enslaved free." -Psalm 35

"Release those in chains." -Isaiah 6:1