He's Never Letting Go

Good morning! Today's passage of focus is Psalm 73:23-26:

Yet I am always with you;

you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me up in glory. 

Who do I have in heaven but you?

And I desire nothing on earth but you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart,

my portion forever.

Let's be real: I'm a moron. I do some really stupid stuff. Sometimes I forget to turn the burner off of the stove. Sometimes I fall asleep in my contacts. Sometimes I forget an assignment for school. Sometimes I forget to feed my cat in the morning. Sometimes I just do stupid things. Maybe you're a moron that does stupid things too. Maybe I'm the only one. I'll let the reader decide that on their own. 

Even more, I'm a sinner: a rebel against a holy God. Nothing is stupider than that. Asaph, the original poet behind this psalm, goes so far as to call himself a "brute" in reference to his own sinful nature, and I can't disagree from my own angle. I'm an oft-wayward son to my always-faithful Father God. 

And yet... I remain with God. He never lets me go, no matter what.

Does He remain, no matter how stupid I am? Yes, no matter what!

Does He always hold my right hand, guiding me like a dad helping a small child across the street? Yes, no matter what!

Does He always counsel and guide me, no matter how many times I have failed to listen before? Yes, no matter what!

And after it's all said and done, at the end of my life, will He bring me into glory with Him as my strength and portion forever? Oh yes, He will. No matter what. 

This is a truth I need daily reminders of. This is why we must dive into His Word and read the Bible: it rejuvenates our very life. I need to hear it, read it, study it, learn it, pursue it--all to remind myself anew amidst the chaos and temptations and hardships and struggles of each new day that the good news of Jesus and His faithfulness will see me through. 

We remain with God. He will never let us go.

Yes, no matter what.

The Path to Righteousness

Today's passage is Romans 4:23-25, which says:

Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Abraham's faith was "credited for righteousness." If we are to know what this means, a couple words have to be defined. The first is faith, which means trusting in God, putting His ways and, well, Him before everything else. Faith is not just blindly leaping off a cliff into the unknown, but is instead trusting a God who you believe is really able to hold you. That's what Abraham did when he first followed the Lord: he believed that God could really provide for him and lead him, so he followed. Faith is trust based on past experience, current belief, and future hope; the longer we believe in the Lord in our current situation, the more we will draw on past faithfulness He has shown us and the more we will be confident hoping in His future faithfulness. 

Another term is important to know here: righteousness. We are all sinners (wrongdoers, rebels against God's commands). Therefore, we are all unrighteousness before God, and He will judge us at the end of days on our righteousness (or lack thereof). That's the truth the Bible makes clear. The only way to avoid that judgment is to be seen as righteous before God when that day comes, and that is exactly what this passage details out. 

Abraham was no more righteous than you or me. He was a rebel against the Almighty, and therefore needed to be made righteous before God. These verses show that Abraham was made righteous not because of anything he did, but because of Who he trusted. He trusted, or put his faith in, God, and that trust in God throughout the rest of his life made him a righteous man in the eyes of God. And that is available to us, too. 

 If we believe in Jesus, our Lord and King, as raised from the dead to pay for our sins (delivered for trespasses) and defeat death once and for all (raised), we too can be righteous before God (for our justification). Again, it's trusting, it's putting faith in Jesus. Have you done that? Are you actively doing that with your life daily? Trusting in Jesus is the only path to true righteousness.

This is the entire message of every evangelist that ever was, from the apostle Paul to Billy Graham. This is the message that fulfills the Great Commission to go and make disciples, or followers of Jesus, of all nations. This is the message of trusting in the resurrection of Christ in order to be made righteous! This is the epitome of the power of God on display in the good news of Jesus: you can be saved! Trust it today.

The Contrast of Sinfulness and Holiness

Today's passage is Romans 3:5-6. which says:

But if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness, what are we to say? I am using a human argument: Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath? Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?

I have a cat named Casey, and she is adorable. I love this kitty dearly; I play with her, I start my day with feeding her and petting her, yada yada yada. But there is one time when I avoid her with all of my being: when I am dressed in a pair of black dress pants, headed to somewhere important. 

Without fail, every time I put a pair of black pants on, Casey will find me and start rubbing against the legs of the pants. She may have wanted nothing to do with me just moments before, but now, there are black pants to rub on. If you have a cat, you know where this is headed. If you don't, I have one word for you: fur. 

Cat hair stands out on a pair of black pants brighter than a full moon on a clear night. You can't miss it. Thus, I so try to stay away from my cat when I am dressed up because I don't want to end up with hair all over my pants, which is embarrassing if it goes unnoticed (so I hear).

Here's the deal: like cat hair on a pair of black slacks, our unrighteousness (our sinful hearts, our rebellion against God, etc.) actively highlights our God's righteousness. Our sinful actions show just how holy He is in comparison. Truly, we all deserve wrath and judgment, and there is no hiding it. It can't be missed when put in contrast with the Lord's holiness. 

This is why we daily need to preach the gospel to ourselves. It's not because as a believer we are likely to fall into judgment--we cannot. Christ already paid for that on the cross, securing life eternal for all who trust in Him as Lord and Savior.

However, there are others all around us that are in danger of the coming judgment. They have not put their faith in Jesus, and are sitting in their sinfulness, ready to accept God's righteous wrath if they do not repent. And that's something that should burden believers.

We are called, as the people of God and followers of Jesus, to love our neighbor as ourselves. Just as we love ourselves enough to repent of the sinfulness in our lives (I hope), we must love others well enough to want them to do the same. We must warn a sinful world that a holy God is bringing righteous and deserved wrath upon them, judging them for their blatant sinfulness. 

Lord, work the beauty of the gospel into us today. Show us our need to preach, proclaim, exclaim, and shout the good news of salvation in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Give us a bigger heart for the lost, and a greater love for others--like your love for them. 

The Horrible Result of Christian Hypocrisy

This morning I was stricken by Romans 2:24, which reads: 

For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. 

This passage is at the conclusion of a long rant from Paul about a lack of godliness in the Jewish people. The Jewish people were calling for the Gentiles (those outside the people of God) to live up to the values of the Old Testament Scriptures, yet they themselves were not living up to them, either. It's hypocrisy, plain and simple.

The Lord makes it clear in this verse that the hypocrisy of His people is not just reflecting poorly upon their own holiness, but it is ultimately a reason that the world is blaspheming and rejecting the Lord as their God! Can you imagine--the behavior of God's people, and lack of godliness in it, is turning people away from the Lord!

This has always been a struggle for God's people. In the Old Testament, this verse is actually stated in its original context in the prophetic books of Isaiah (who tried to get the Jews to repent of their hypocrisy before judgment came through the Babylonians) and Ezekiel (who tried to get the Jews to repent of their hypocrisy amidst their trials with the Babylonians). Then, in the New Testament, we have Peter clearly applying this principle to the church (and specifically the false converts and teachers that we fail to root out of the church), saying that our hypocrisy will lead the lost to follow our shameful ways and bring The Way, the path of Jesus Christ, into disrepute. We must not allow for this. 

To put it simply, our hypocrisy as believers leads to the world's rejection of Jesus as Lord and Savior.

There are almost an infinite number of ways that I fail to live up to what I preach and claim to believe as a follower of Jesus, but a lack of love for the Lord is the root of all of it. Because I do not love the Lord my God with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind, and all of my strength as I ought, I end up failing to live according to the commands He said I would follow if I love Him. I allow other gods before Him. I make little idols out of any number of possessions, hobbies, or worldly ideals. I use His name in vain every time I refer to Him in a flippant or irreverent way (which includes half-hearted worship through singing or prayer). I fail to keep the Sabbath whenever I choose not to rest in His works and truly worship with His bride on a Sunday morning, allowing worries and distractions keep me from Him. I fail to love my neighbor or even myself as I should, all because my love for God is imperfect. 

The good news, however, is that these shortcomings in my own walk with Jesus upon The Way are what the gospel is all about! As I reflect daily on the salvation I have through Christ, which began when He knew me before I was born and will be completed throughout eternity as I walk with Him in the new earth, I become more ensnared by the beauty of His grace. As I reflect on the work of Jesus in my heart, on the cross, and on His throne today, praise and worship naturally blossoms in my being! I must daily, hourly even, remind myself of the beauty of the gospel!

Are you doing the same? Are you reflecting on the good news of Jesus to help you prevent hypocrisy among a lost world, Christian? Are you a non-Christian, and want to know more about what Jesus has done in my life? Drop in the comments below, and I'll be happy to talk with you more. 

Inheritance Through Faith and Perseverance (Evening Prayer 1/22/2020)

For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, who tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt. For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned. Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints ​— ​and by continuing to serve them. Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance 
-- Hebrews 6:4-12 (CSB)

This passage was shared with me by a church member recently when I was doing a pastoral visit at his home. It had been perplexing him, and it perplexed me, too. What exactly does the author of Hebrews mean here? I went to my CSB Study Bible for help, and here's where it lead me.

Are we to think that these "dearly loved friends" are leaving Christianity and returning to Judaism or whatever religion they previously adhered to? I don't think so, because the author seems to indicate in v.9 that he is speaking rhetorically, and he/she is "confident of things that are better" in their case, specifically. That sounds like the audience knows that Christ is better.

If that's not what he/she means, is it possible that these hearers had heard the gospel, maybe even liking it, but ultimately strayed away? This certainly happens, as we see in the parable of the sower that Jesus tells throughout the Gospels. Yet, look at the way the author describes them: enlightened, tasting of heaven, sharing in the Holy Spirit, tasting God's good word, and the powers of the coming age. That's a description that can only belong to a saved person. No nominal "Christian" that is going to fall away would be described in such terms--especially when it talks about sharing in the Holy Spirit, which only happens in the life of a believer.

Is it discussing the work of sanctification (or being made like Jesus daily), rather than our salvation itself? Again, I don't think so: why wouldn't we be able to repent of our apostasy if this were talking about our growth in Christ? Peter did exactly that repentance from rejecting Jesus in John 21.

So, what does it mean? I think it is a warning against turning from Christ and to continue relying on Christ. The author seems to be indicating that if we have a life that "receives the rain" (i.e. is surrounded by the gospel and things of Christ) and yet "produce thorns" shows that we never were enlightened or Spirit-shared. The author warns us as believers to remain in the faith, to have faith and persevere, which is evidence of our salvation in Jesus. Our faith and deeds are evidence that we have been saved (James 2 goes in-depth here); let us remain in the faith and never fall away!

Father God, hold us close. We know that if we are believers, you will not let us go; do not let us even desire to be released. May we abide in you as you abide within us. 

They Covered Their Father's Nakedness (Morning Prayer 1/22/20)

Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated. Noah, as a man of the soil, began by planting a vineyard. He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked. When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, he said:

Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers. 

He also said:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;

Let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

Let God extend Japheth; 

let Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem;

let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood. So Noah’s life lasted 950 years; then he died. 

-- Genesis 9:18-29 (CSB)

Nobody is perfect, ya know? Noah is often lifted up as a hero of Scripture and as an example of how to live a life following the Lord, and rightfully so. Noah was the only one following God when the time of the flood came, and is a great example in many ways of the Christian life. However, Noah was also a human with a sin nature, and in this tale, he sinned. He got hammered and stripped naked in view of everybody.

Now, in this moment of shame and embarrassing behavior, anyone could have two real options: help Noah or hurt Noah. Ham chose to laugh at Noah's embarrassing situation, highlighting his father's sin with a sin of his own. Shem and Japheth, however, chose to help their father, which was the correct choice. 

We, too, are faced with a similar opportunity each day. We can either help or hurt anytime another is in a bad situation--by their own doing or by no fault of their own. When we choose to help them get out of that situation, we are making the same choice that Shem and Japheth made: the choice to love. To help others is to love others, and that is what the Christian life is to look like. It's, frankly, what Christ did when He came, lived, died, and rose again--all on our behalf. He chose to love us, to help us, rather than to hurt or ignore us. Our plight was and is a direct result of our sinfulness, and yet Christ still loved us enough to come to our aid. 

Will we chose to follow the example of Shem, Japheth, and Jesus today? Will we choose love by choosing to help, or will we choose to hurt?

Father God, help us choose to help today. Help us choose to love. We know that is the way that you would do, because it is the way you have done. Aid us in becoming more like you today. In Christ's name, amen.

Testing and Rebelling

     How do we handle ourselves when we find ourselves in a place we don't understand? How do we approach the Lord when it seems like times are too hard, or we don't feel that we have all we need, or things just could not get worse. Exodus 17:1-7 shows the nation of Israel in a place similar to that, and I think they give us an excellent model of how not to approach such times:

The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.”

“Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?”

But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” 

-- Exodus 17:1-7 (CSB)

     The Israelites were travelling, as the Lord commanded, but there was no water where the Lord sent them. So they got mad at Moses, which then prompted Moses to remind them that it was God who had brought them to this place in life in the first place. That's the same as us; wherever we are currently in life, it is because God brought us there or allowed us to wander there ourselves. Nothing is beyond His scope or His vision; we are never apart from His presence and never blocked from His guidance.
     This didn't stop the Israelites from grumbling and complaining about the situation, though. I get it; there's not any water, and water is necessary for life to continue. It had to have felt like Moses was leading them out into the desert to dehydrate and die of thirst. They even started to long for the "good ol' days" when they were enslaved by the Egyptians, where they at least had access to water. I guess they figured that a terrible life with water was better than no life at all. So they kept complaining at Moses, and Moses did not know what to do. How was he to handle this situation?
     He turned to the Lord. He called out for God to help, knowing that God was totally aware of their plight and that it was God Himself who had lead them there. They had no rebelled and gone somewhere they were not supposed to go; it was totally through Moses's faith in God and His guidance that they had ended up in this predicament. God's people were on the verge of literally dying out, but God had no intention of that happening. He was not going to allow His covenant people to die out. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would not be coming up short, and certainly not in a place that God Himself had led them. He led His people to a place of testing, and they responded by testing Him. They failed His test of faith.
     So Moses called out, and God answered with a plan. It wasn't the assumed, normal plan either. I'm sure Moses assumed that God would lead them to a place with more water, like a river or a lake. We often assume that God's plans will be pretty predictable, too. I know that I often think I can plot out God's answers and next steps for my life, and yet time and time again, I am proven wrong. God almost always surprises me with the next step on His journey with me, and He surprised Moses here, too. God brought their salvation in an unexpected and unforeseen way: He brought water from a rock.
     There is a ton of parallel here with Jesus in the New Testament. He's the Rock we stand on (1 Corinthians 10) and our source of living water (John 4). He is the salvation that came to us in an unforeseen way, as a baby in a boondocks town that grew up to be a street-preaching rabbi that literally died in our place to provide salvation to us. We do not have to go find our living water and our salvation; just like the Israelites, our salvation came to us in our hour of need, and we simply need to trust Him for salvation.
     This is not a one-time deal, though. We do not trust Jesus to save us once, and then live the rest of our lives. Trusting in Jesus as our salvation may be initiated and secured when we place our faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, but our daily walk with the Lord is meant to be a daily step of faith. We daily find ourselves, like the Israelites, confused and frustrated. We don't always understand our circumstances and we don't always see how it will work out for good. Yet, we always have a choice to make: to grumble like Israel, or trust that our Savior is the Rock of salvation every day in everyplace. We must not test (Massah) or rebel against (Meribah) the Lord; we must trust Him.
     Hebrews 3:7-4:2 puts this Old Testament passage into a New Testament context; we cannot allow a sinful, unbelieving and distrustful heart to turn us away from God. We must have confidence in Christ. We must encourage our fellow believers to keep the faith. Hebrews 4:2 clearly shows that Israel had heard the gospel, same as us in the church today; they simply did not combine the good news with daily, practical faith in the moments of everyday life. When they did that, they rejected the rest available to them: both in the immediate rest we find in placing our burdens on Christ and in the future rest we have in eternity with Him. Their lack of faith showed a lack of heart change by the gospel, and revealed them to be frauds in the faith.
     Will we trust our Lord daily, while we still have time to walk with Him and rest in Him, or will we doubt and test Him until the end of our days? The choice is ours to choose faith, and I pray that we will each do just that.

New Year, New Beginnings

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. -Genesis 1:28-30

This time of year is often associated with new beginnings. I saw it said on one post that since New Year's Day falls on a Monday, this year is the ultimate fresh start: new year, new week, yada yada. 

I personally love the new year because I tend to be a list-making, goal-setting, type-A sort of person. This time of year is made for someone like me: I can make all kinds of lists and goals and organizational charts, and it's culturally acceptable to do so (instead of simply just nerdy)! 

Here's the thing, though: I am not always super hot at following through on all my plans. I tend to start well, and then stumble and bumble along my way until December 31 rolls around, and then I start again.

This is not dissimilar to how Adam and Eve handled God's plans for them at the ultimate beginning, back at the beginning of creation. God laid out for them some very simple commands and guidelines, and Adam and Eve did well with them...until they didn't.

That's how sin entered the world. It's how everything got all topsy-turvy, and following God's commands has been a tricky enterprise ever since. We are by nature inclined to disobey and rebel against His good plans for us, and that's why all of us needed Jesus to save us from our rebellion through His death and resurrection.

That's the good news, though: through Christ, there is grace for us! Adam and Eve may have fallen short of following God's commands, but that doesn't mean that they were cut off from following God after their first failure. They were not out of opportunities for obedience.

God graciously gave Adam and Eve further chances to fill the Earth and subdue it, and they did. There is evidence in Genesis 4 that Adam raised his two sons to be a shepherd and a farmer, thus subduing the earth and everything in it (both plants and animals!). Further, Eve gave birth to these two boys, and several other children, thus doing her part to be fruitful and fill the Earth.

Adam and Eve may have failed to follow the Lord perfectly when the serpent tempted, but they did not fail forever. God had enough grace to give them further opportunities to obey, and He has enough grace for you and I as we start the new year. We will set our goals and resolutions, and we will likely fall short of them. I will probably not go to the gym as much as I should, and I will probably not make my quiet time every day, but you know what: God has grace for me. 

We do not become perfect overnight upon our salvation; rather, we become more like Christ through daily dying to self, repenting when we stumble, and leaning on the God of grace to give us strength to grow closer to Him. 

So don't quit on your resolution to take care of your body this year when you miss a day or two at the gym. Don't give up on starting a Bible reading or prayer habit. Don't surrender to laziness when you miss church one Sunday. Instead, remember the grace of God and continue on. That's what the daily Christian life is about: continually striving toward holiness while clinging to His grace when we inevitably fall short. That is the God-glorifying life, and that's how we need to spend our 2018. 

Maybe (Just Maybe) We Have Hope

We all have days where we feel a bit less ourselves, ya know?

Maybe we haven't been having a great time at work.

Maybe we were out of strawberries at the house when we made our morning smoothie.

Maybe we're afraid of failing those we love.

Maybe we have failed those we love.

Maybe we can't find Pikachu on Pokemon Go. 

Maybe we didn't get the job or the acceptance letter.

Maybe we didn't get that second date.

Maybe we didn't get a first date.

Maybe we won't get another date.

Maybe we can't get ourselves to the gym more than two days...a month. 

Maybe we missed our chance.

Maybe we overestimated our chance.

Maybe the doctor had something hard to say.

Maybe we finished a great show on Netflix and don't know what to do with our weeknights.

Maybe we haven't gotten a call back.

Maybe we're wondering if their phone works.

Maybe we know it does, and don't want to admit it.

Maybe we watch too much cable news and read too many Facebook posts and get discouraged.

Maybe we feel like the world is crumbling around us.

Maybe none of these sound like anything you've ever imagined, so maybe your life is peachy.

Maybe you're lying.

Maybe life has been handing you lemons, and you just don't know what to do with them because you don't have enough sugar and sweetness in your life to make this lemonade something you can drink.

Maybe you just need some hope.

The good news is this: we have hope.

I just spent the past six nights hanging out with my church family, loving on some elementary-aged kids. Let me be clear: this does not sound like an ideal week for me. Small children are not my favorite people to be around, and the idea of devoting my nights this past week to such activities kind of made me shiver. Yet, I knew before it even began that it would be a great week, and it was.

This past week was Pinckard Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School, and it was a blast. The kids had a ton of fun, and seven of them made a profession of faith! Yet, it was more than just a fun and spiritually educational time for the kids. For me, at least, it was a chance to dive deeper into my own faith.

The theme this week was "Submerged: Finding Truth Below the Surface," a theme based on Psalm 139:23-24, which says:

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.

This idea of God searching and testing our hearts lead to some fantastic themes each night. The points of the nights were as follows:
Jesus knows who I really am. 

Jesus knows my worth.

Jesus knows I need a Savior. 

Jesus knows my purpose.

Jesus loves and accepts me.

Maybe you need to hear one of these truths. I know that I did. The beautiful thing that God showed me this week was that Psalm 139, if you read all twenty-four verses, will lead you to each of these truths. 

It shows us that Jesus knows who we are, even when it seems like no one knows who we are or even cares to learn. Sometimes we can feel invisible, or maybe we feel like everyone knows us, but no one knows the real us. The good news of this passage is that Jesus sees deep inside us and knows exactly who we are, who we have been, and who we will be. We're not invisible to Him, and we cannot put up a fake version of ourselves. He knows us for who we really are. 

It shows us that Jesus knows our worth, even when we feel worthless. Maybe no one else sees us as valuable. Perhaps you feel used, or maybe you've done something that makes you broken. The good news of this passage is that Jesus not only knows us for who we really are, but He also knows our true worth. He made us, after all, in His precious image and in His precious, remarkable, wonderful plans. That's who we are to Jesus: preciously, remarkably, and wonderfully made.  

It shows us that, yes, we need a Savior. God has made us as His special imagebearers, but because He sees us as who we are, He knows that we're sinners. He knows we've lied, stolen, cussed, disobeyed, disrespected, lusted, and coveted. He knows we're made to worship Him and have chosen to worship our phones, our popularity, our problems, our situation, our jobs, or anything else that consumes our minds. The good news of this passage is that this isn't a mystery that needs to be figured out by Jesus; He already knows.

It shows us that Jesus knows our purpose. Maybe we feel like we don't have a purpose, or maybe we feel like our sinfulness has ruined that purpose. The good news of this passage is that Jesus has a purpose for every single one of us, and He can lead us to that purpose. How, you may ask? Why, by loving us.

Yes, this passage shows that Jesus loves and accepts us. We're His precious creation, full of purpose and worth. He knows us totally and fully. We have all sinned and failed to live up to that distinction, yes, but that does not keep Him from loving us and accepting us. He will test us and search us for anything wicked, offensive or idolatrous in us, and when He does, He is willing to root it out. He is willing to restore us to our purpose. He is willing to remind us of our worth. He is willing to save us, and that is because He knows, accepts, and loves us. In fact, He loved us so much that He died to save us from sins, if only we believe and confess Him as Savior and Lord. That's love and acceptance.

So maybe you feel hopeless today. Maybe it's been a downer of a day, week, or decade. Regardless, I want you to know that we do have hope, and that hope is found in Jesus. We have hope in a Lord that knows us fully, that knows our worth, that knows our purpose, that knows our sins, and yet also loves and accepts us as His own. 

Maybe, just maybe, this will bring you some hope.

Maybe Certainly He knows He can.

Endings (Part 5): The Essential Church

As those close to me should know by now, I have recently resigned from my position at Victory Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This post is not about that. Rather, this post is about what I want my legacy to be at VBC (or really, anywhere else that I ever teach and minister).

I finished my time there by teaching through a series called "Endings." These six messages attempted to drive home the six main things I have tried to teach them over the past fifteen months that I have spent as their student minister, and would be the six things that I would focus on more than anything if I were to remain there indefinitely. Thus, I taught six statements that sum up everything I am about. This blog series will communicate that to whomever else would like to know my heart.

Here's the fifth statement: The church is the Body of Christ living united, loving, and doing life together as a family.

That's the church of Jesus Christ in a sentence, but what does that all mean? Why do exchanged people that are following Jesus in love during a war need the church? Let's break this sentence down:

1. The Body of Christ: The church functions like a body. A glance over at 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says as much:

For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 

-1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (HCSB)

We're a unit. Every part of the body, every person, has their own unique roles and parts to play. We have the same Spirit and the same Jesus and the same gospel; this should lead us to act together in support of those things we have in common. Ephesians 4 takes it a bit further:

But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.

 -Ephesians 4:15-16 (HCSB)

We are fitted together so that we can grow together, building each other up so that we can all be the follower of Jesus that we are made to be.

2. Living United and Loving: As we move as a body, leaning on one another to be able to live this Christian life, we do so as a united and loving body. A body cannot function properly unless it is in agreement. 

One time, I was playing basketball with my brother, and I decided to drive to the basket. My head, arms, torso and right leg were in agreement on how that should happen; my left ankle was not. The result was that all of my body later agreed that my ankle should not be that swollen and painful. This is the kind of damage that can happen when a body part isn't in agreement with the rest of the body: pain and a loss of progression. It's hard to drive on the basketball court with a rogue ankle, and it is hard to fight the war with three fronts as a body with rogue parts.

This is why Jesus prayed this for the church:

I pray not only for these,

but also for those who believe in Me

through their message.

May they all be one,
as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.
May they also be one in Us,
so the world may believe You sent Me.

I have given them the glory You have given Me.
May they be one as We are one.

I am in them and You are in Me.
May they be made completely one,
so the world may know You have sent Me
and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Father,
I desire those You have given Me
to be with Me where I am.
Then they will see My glory,
which You have given Me
because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.

Righteous Father!
The world has not known You.
However, I have known You,
and these have known that You sent Me.

I made Your name known to them
and will make it known,
so the love You have loved Me with
may be in them and I may be in them. 

-John 17:20-26 (HCSB)

He prayed for us to love each other and be so in sync with each other that we are as united as He is with the Father. A Trinitarian-level of unity is pretty united, if I must say so myself. That's how He says that the world will know that we are His and that the Gospel is for real! Hebrews 10:24-25 goes on to say that we must encourage each other in this, "more and more as the day draws near." We must pursue an other-worldly unity that shows the gospel to the lost, and we do it together.

3. Doing Life Together: There are so many passages that could explain how the church lives united and loving as a body. Galatians 6:1-5 shows how to bear each others burdens, while Matthew 5:14-16 tells us to "shine before men." The best passage, though, to look at is Acts 2:42-47:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.

Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved. 

-Acts 2:42-47 (HCSB)

This is how we live life together: learning about God, talking about God, praying to God and breaking bread in the name of God. That's what the church does: follow Jesus together. They generous give to each other. They care and love for each other. And did you happen to read the last part? "And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved." They were being united, showing the gospel by living life together, and that brings more people to Jesus.

4. As a Family: The Church is a body that lives life together in unity and love, yes, but there is a deepness to it that I believe one more passage helps with, and that is Ephesians 2:19:

So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 

-Ephesians 2:19 (HCSB)

We're a family, members of one household. Yes, we're exchanged. Yes, we are following Jesus. We love God and neighbor. We fight a war on those three fronts. However, as we do all of that, we're not alone. We have a home base, a group of people that care and keep up with us. That hold us accountable. That play games and laugh and cry and scream with us because they are family.

The church must maintain all of this to be successful at supporting one another on the mission we are all on. We have to be there for each other. We have to support and rebuke and encourage and disciple and coach another. After all, that's how we will all make it to the end.

Endings (Part 4): War on Three Fronts

As those close to me should know by now, I have recently resigned from my position at Victory Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This post is not about that. Rather, this post is about what I want my legacy to be at VBC (or really, anywhere else that I ever teach and minister).

I finished my time there by teaching through a series called "Endings." These six messages attempted to drive home the six main things I have tried to teach them over the past fifteen months that I have spent as their student minister, and would be the six things that I would focus on more than anything if I were to remain there indefinitely. Thus, I taught six statements that sum up everything I am about. This blog series will communicate that to whomever else would like to know my heart.

Here's the fourth statement: We're in a war on three fronts.

You see, we're exchanged people who follow Christ in loving God and people, but any Christian that has been at this for a while knows that it isn't easy to live the Christian life. Why is that? Quite simply: we are at war, and little at war is easy.

Ephesians 2:1-3 is a crucial passage for this topic. These little verses contain three fronts in which our war is waged. Let's see if you can find them:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. -Ephesians 2:1-3 (HCSB)

Did you see the fronts? Let's explore them a little:

1. The Ways of the World (v.2): our first problem is that we are in a fallen, sinful world full of fallen, sinful people. The people around us are not pursuing God, and therefore are not pursuing a loving, righteous life. They have no desire for their own holiness, and have less desire for yours. They will long for you to sin alongside them, pulling you off the road to glory and into the murky waters of worldliness. We must stay on guard against this, remembering that sinners sin and want others to sin with them. But it isn't just other people that lead us to sin and turn from God.

2. The Ruler Who Exercises Authority over the Lower Heavens (v.2): There is an influencer of souls in this world, and his name is Satan. He and his armies of darkness are our adversary, and they have been given a certain amount of authority and reign on this planet for this time. These dark forces are active and evil, moving on the hearts of people all across the globe to turn from God and fall like themselves. They influence those of "the world" and those of us who are exchanged and following Jesus. However, one more front exists in this war.

3. Our Fleshly Desires (v.3): Not only does the world and our enemy want us to sin, but we ourselves want to sin. Our flesh is broken and sinful just like the flesh of every other person on Earth. We are no better than any other; v.1 of this passages states that "we were dead in our sins" just like all humans. That is why the exchange had to happen: we were sinners following the ways of the world and the adversary, all while loving sin ourselves. We must never forget that our flesh longs for sin, and this is why we must be made holy by Him who can do so.

Our growth in holiness happens as we follow Jesus, but it isn't overnight. We must work and scrap and fight, relying on the Spirit to help us. That is why Ephesians 6:10-18 is in the same book as verses 2:1-3. This passage tells about spiritual warfare and the "armor of God" that allows us to fight the good fight. I urge you to look it up. Read it. Study it. Put the armor on.

Our flesh is yearning to throw us off a cliff, into sinfulness. The world is pulling us towards the same cliff, begging us to join them. And the adversary is behind us, waiting to kick us off the edge when we hesitate. We're in a war on three fronts, and in order to follow Jesus, we must fight. We must strive for truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and prayer in the power of the Spirit and the Word of God. That's our fight; that's our war.

Will you take up arms? Will you fight?

Endings (Part 3): Loving Like Jesus

As those close to me should know by now, I have recently resigned from my position at Victory Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This post is not about that. Rather, this post is about what I want my legacy to be at VBC (or really, anywhere else that I ever teach and minister).

I am teaching through a series called "Endings" with the students over my last weeks with them. These six messages will attempt to drive home the six main things I have tried to teach them over the past fifteen months that I have spent as their student minister, and would be the six things that I would focus on more than anything if I were to remain there indefinitely. Thus, I will teach six statements that sum up everything I am about. This blog series will communicate that to whomever else would like to know my heart.

Here's the third statement: The most important thing we can do is love.

Doesn't that sound cliche? Alas, it is precisely what Matthew 22:37-40 is getting at:

He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands." (HCSB)

We love God and love people. That is what Jesus called our most important task when He was asked that question. But how do we do it?

1. We love God because He first loved us (John 3:16, 1 John 4:19): God looked upon some scraggly ol' sinners and loved them anyways. That is how we even got saved: He loved us before we loved Him. In fact, we are incapable of loving Him without His first loving us.

This love that He shows us, despite our terribly sinful disposition, should bring us to an infatuation with Him. He has so showered us with love that the only proper response is to be obsessed with Him. Just read the Psalms. Read verses like 16:11, 28:7, 63:1-5, and 90:14. They overflow with a love for Him. Yet, how can we truly show that we love Him?

2. We love others because He first loved us (1 John 4:20-21): It is by loving others that we show our love for Him. There is a reason that James points out that faith without works is dead; those who have faith and love for God should love on and work for almost anyone in need. That's how we show the love we have for Him!

Furthermore, our lives are reviewed by God based on how we love others (1 Corinthians 13:2-3). How do we do that correctly? We follow the rest of 1 Corinthians 13, and we foster a love for Him and others that we never imagined possible.

 Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not envy,
is not boastful, is not conceited, 

 does not act improperly,
is not selfish, is not provoked,
and does not keep a record of wrongs. 

 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness
but rejoices in the truth. 

 It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never ends.  

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, HCSB)

So, how are you living your life? Do you love like 1 Corinthians 13 or Luke 6:32 say we should? Do we go out of our way to show some nutzo love to people, being kind and patient and humble? Do we bear all things with them? Believe them when no one else will? Hope for them things they won't even hope for themselves? Endure the hard times with them and be the shoulder to cry on?

We are exchanged to follow Christ in love. That is the calling for believers in Jesus: we love God and love people with reckless abandon.That's all there is to it; that's how love truly wins.

Endings (Part 2): The Cost of Discipleship

As those close to me should know by now, I have recently resigned from my position at Victory Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This post is not about that. Rather, this post is about what I want my legacy to be at VBC (or really, anywhere else that I ever teach and minister).

I am teaching through a series called "Endings" with the students over my last weeks with them. These six messages will attempt to drive home the six main things I have tried to teach them over the past fifteen months that I have spent as their student minister, and would be the six things that I would focus on more than anything if I were to remain there indefinitely. Thus, I will teach six statements that sum up everything I am about. This blog series will communicate that to whomever else would like to know my heart.

Here's the second statement: Giving up all that we have and leading others to do the same is the cost of discipleship.

My last post focused on the exchange that occurs when Christ's righteousness was given to us and He took our sinfulness upon that bloody cross, bearing the weight of God's wrath on our behalf. That's how we have a relationship with God. It is freely given, even though we don't deserve it: that's what grace is, after all. However, once we have this salvation via exchange, there is a cost. That cost is a rather significant one.

When Jesus first called the twelve original disciples, He said a simple phrase: "follow me" (Matthew 4:19). In fact, as one reads the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), it becomes clear that His call to everyone wanting the exchange, wanting the freedom that He brings, is "follow me." This remains His call to all who wish to follow Him to this day. But what does that mean? What does it mean to "follow" Jesus. Allow me to give you two quick points that I believe truly encapsulate what it means to follow Jesus.

1. Give up everything you have. That seems like a pretty intense opening point, does it not? We must give up everything? What do I truly mean by that?

I mean that we give up everything. Wealth may be where you thought first (specifically in the Western culture I am surrounded by); must that go? Perhaps. Do you have an excess that brings you to look at your goods more than Christ? Then yes, it must go.

Perhaps you are more worried about other things: freedom, family, love, success, entertainment, sports, popularity, or something else. Allow me to show you a passage that likely will wreck your understanding of what it means to be a Christian:

As they were traveling on the road someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go!”

 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”  Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”

“Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.”

 But He told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”

 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.”

 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” -Luke 9:57-62 (HCSB)

That's one of the most difficult passages in the Bible, if you ask me. Jesus seems pretty cold-hearted here, right? The first guy simply says he wants to follow Jesus, and our Lord said "bro, I'm homeless. You ready for that?" Then He tells another guy to skip his dad's funeral to follow Him. Finally, the last fellow that wanted to follow Jesus was told he couldn't even say goodbye to his living family. That doesn't seem fair, does it?

Yet, was the exchange fair? Did Jesus not give up everything, even His life, for our ability to live eternally? His request, in response to His own unfair bargain, is that we deem Him to be our Lord and Savior. That means we give up all that we have for His gain. We are willing to give up a life of security and pleasure (v.57-58). We are willing to follow Him, even when our personal life seems to just get worse and worse (perhaps even because of following Him!) (v. 59-60). We are even willing to follow Him away from family and friends that may not want us to go (v. 61). Luke 14:26-27 words it like this: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sister--yes, and even his own life--he cannot be my disciple." You see, our devotion to and love for Jesus Christ must be so intense and all-consuming that we are willing to give up all that we have and pursue Him so passionately that our love for our loved ones (and even ourselves!) will seem to be hate in comparison.

Perhaps an illustration may help: I have a candle on my desk as I write this. It is burning with a fairly bright light. If my room were dark, then this candle would seem exceedingly bright. However, I also have a lamp on my desk, and it is considerably brighter than the candle's flame. Such should be our love for Christ and others. Our love for others should burn brightly in a dark world, making a sharp contrast with the selfish, hateful ways of the world. It should be a radiant, beautiful flame of love that warms the hearts of all that we give our affection to. However, in comparison with the burning love and passion that we have for Christ, our love for others should seem but a dim flame before a burning lamp. It is not hate for others; it is love for others with an even greater love for God.

This love and devotion, this passion that begins when the great exchange occurs in our lives and we are given new hearts with new passions and new devotions (Ezekiel 36:26-27), is what drives us to be willing to sacrifice whatever He asks of us for His glory. If that means leaving any and everything we have ever had and will have, then so be it. He is worth it. This is why we are willing to bear our own cross, taking punishment from the world (Luke 14:27) for His sake. This is why we say with Peter in Luke 18 that we have left all that we have! We have nowhere else to go but with Him!

The cost of discipleship isn't over with our own lives, however. It goes a bit further.

2. We lead others to follow Him. You see, Jesus gave up everything He had to bring us to follow Him. Now, it is our task to follow Him by bringing others along with us in this journey. No one is above His master, and the messenger does no better than the One who sent him (Luke 6:40, John 13:16). If our Teacher, Master and Sender gave up everything for the sake of bringing us along, then we give up everything for the sake of bringing others along, as well. This is why Jesus's last command to His disciples on Earth was to make disciples: bringing them to follow Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). This is our "message" (John 13:16); this is how we "fish for men" (Matthew 4:19). The only way people ever experience the exchange that we have enjoyed is by our sharing the good news with them and training them in how to follow Jesus (Romans 10:14-15).

This is the cost of being a disciple of Jesus: we give up everything for the One that exchanged our sin for His righteousness, and then we lead others to follow that same path. That is the call of a Christian. There is no alternative route; there is no other option. You are either a follower of Christ or not. This is the fork in the road; which direction will you walk?



For more about how to follow Christ, check out the Multiply Movement and Radical.net for more information. These sites and the guys that lead them are largely responsible for my own personal understanding of what the cost of discipleship truly is. I hope they can help you, as well.

Endings (Part 1): Exchanged

As those close to me should know by now, I have recently resigned from my position at Victory Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This post is not about that. Rather, this post is about what I want my legacy to be at VBC (or really, anywhere else that I ever teach and minister).

I am teaching through a series called "Endings" with the students over my last weeks with them. These six messages will attempt to drive home the six main things I have tried to teach them over the past fifteen months that I have spent as their student minister, and would be the six things that I would focus on more than anything if I were to remain there indefinitely. Thus, I will teach six statements that sum up everything I am about. This blog series will communicate that to whomever else would like to know my heart.

Here's the first statement: We were sinners before God, and now all He sees is Jesus.

That, my friends, is the gospel. That's the Christian's "good news." We were sinners before God, and now all God sees when He looks upon us is Jesus and His perfection. Where am I getting this?

He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. -2 Corinthians 5:21 (HCSB)

There's a few things of note in this verse that should rock your world.

1. He had no sin. The "One" with no sin was Jesus. He was without any blame or flaw (1 Peter 2:22), despite the fact that He was tempted in every way, just like us (Hebrews 4:15). It wasn't like the devil left Jesus alone on this Earth. Rather, he came hard at our Lord, and He maintained His holiness, innocence, and purity. He was separate from sin and exalted above all (Hebrews 7:26).

2. God made Him a sin offering. So, why does it matter whether Jesus was without sin? Who cares? Is there any reason for why He had to remain perfect and pure? Yes, as it turns out.

If one were to read the account of the first Passover (Exodus 11-12), they would see that in order for the wrath of God to be satisfied, a pure, unblemished male animal had to be sacrificed (Exodus 12:5). This would begin a long line of sacrifices that God would require of the Israelites--all involving lots of blood and killing and death of pure animals. Why was all of this necessary? As we can see in Leviticus 17:11, it is in blood that a creature's life resides, and it is by the shedding of blood that God allowed for atonement (the payment of sins) to occur. So animal after animal after animal was killed under the Old Testament law, and that was how sins were atoned for. However, God was merely foreshadowing to a greater Sacrificial Lamb.

Jesus became the Great Passover Lamb, dying upon the cross and spilling His blood for our sake. He became the ultimate sin offering, and took the wrath of God upon Himself on behalf of sinful men. Do you realize the weight of that? Jesus took the blow for our sin when He had none. He was all of those things that 1 Peter and Hebrews stated above, and yet He also, as 1 Peter continues to point out, was the sacrifice for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). He bore our sin upon the cross. Fair? No. But it was for a purpose.

3. We become the righteousness of God. This is the great exchange; this is the great news of Christianity! We were hopelessly sinful, and yet, He became sin on our behalf so that we may live in His righteousness. He essentially traded our sinfulness for His righteousness. He gave us His peanut butter and jelly for our rotten apple at the great lunchtable of life.

Take some time and look up these verses in Romans: 1:17, 2:13, 3:21, 3:24. They show our hopelessness that became the ultimate hope by receiving the righteousness of Christ. We gained His relationship with and standing before God the Father. That's ours. In fact, our relationship with God is so great that He made us His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). Doesn't that seem reckless on His part?

It should. However, this is how we must trust the righteousness that has been imputed to (put on) us. That is how we must see ourselves: as holy before God. He knows we still sin. I'll talk about that in another post. However, when it comes to our relationship and standing before Him, He sees Jesus and His sinless perfection. We cannot be removed from Him. We cannot be too sinful to read our Bible or pray. We cannot undo what Christ did. We cannot lose Him as our Father. We cannot expel the Spirit from our hearts when we mess up. We're as secure in our relationship with our God as Jesus is with the Father. That's some Trinitarian-tight bonds right there, and I am beyond thankful that I find myself amongst such a Trio. May we never doubt our relationship with our God and think we can undo the work of His offering!

I Am Not Bradley Cooper

I'm officially done with my first year of graduate school. Sure, I've got a summer class in a few weeks (let's not talk about that...), but I have completed a fall and spring semester. That happened.

Woah.

It is during this year that I have come to see how much of a work in progress that I am,a dn my awareness of that only continues to grow. I'm a construction zone, and God is the foreman for a number of people sledgehammering away my old and decrepit parts or building up new parts of me.

I really have no idea what I'm doing most of the time. I think I do, but I don't. I just try my best, put my heart in it and go. So, what do I do? How can a person that knows very little do much of anything? Let's chat.

We are made to glorify God. That's what Isaiah says in 43:7. The real question comes down to how we do that (or avoid it), and it's here that I am really trying to grow. I want nothing more than for people to look at my life (and everything I'm doing in it) and see Jesus. I want God to radiate through me like sun through a window.

And yet, ain't it easy to get discouraged? You see, here's the part where I am trying to figure this out, and maybe you are, too. I try and try and try to do what I know to do, but I feel like there is never enough time in the day or people I can love or sermons I can preach or what-have-you. I am limited.

I don't know what to do in the moments that God does give me. I've had two ministry opportunities so far today, and honestly had no idea of what to do or say in either of them. I find myself Googling about this stuff and what to say to these people, because I haven't got a clue. I am limited.

I have people close to me that need me, and I don't even know how to help them. I have family and friends that want to spend time with me, and I am unable to do it all. I have ideas upon ideas for my ministries, and lack so much to make them happen. I am limited.

And so here's maybe what I'm learning most right now: I'm limited. I know that. You, if you know me, are probably more aware of my limits than I am. Ya know who else knows about my limits? God does. He gave me my limits. Like, they are on purpose. God didn't accidentally leave the parental controls on my abilities, blocking off things that I could be doing; He limits me on purpose. And I think I know why: so I depend on Him.

I'm one of those overly-scheduled, overly-independent, type-A kinda folks. I don't depend on anyone for anything if I can help it. I'm the Lone Ranger, Lone Wolf or Lonely Island or something like that. The problem with that is that I'm not an omni-God like the Lord that can truly pull that off. All my schedules and charts and calendars and what-not can do is help me use the limited time I have to use the limited energy I have to the best of my limited knowledge for His infinite glory.

And that's okay.

That's all He is asking for me to do. He just wants my best and my whole heart. To pour out myself for Him and others and do what I can. The best way to do that: rely on Him to help me do it. I can do infinitely more with my limitedness with His non-limited help. I am not Bradley Cooper in Limitless, but I worship a God that is all that and more, who loves me and cares for me and wants to help me through this life.

I'm a work in progress. Fines are doubled as you pass me. But if I rely on Him to get the project done, I can trust and hope that He will. He is my Rest, my Rock, my Salvation, my Stronghold and my refuge. So imma pour my heart out to Him, and hope and trust He'll get it done. I am confident in His promises.

That's certainly more than Lexington can say for Centrepointe, and that's all I need.

Until next time,
The Free-Flying Lightning Bug

Freedom: A Call to Prayer

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." -Galatians 5:1, NIV

This verse (and all of Galatians 5-6, as we will see) speaks of freedom, which is a word near and dear to my American-born heart. When we as Americans hear the word "freedom," our hearts ring like the Liberty Bell with nationalistic pride and we say things like "I can do what I want!" or "I have rights and can exercise them!" And to be honest, there is an element of that in this passage. 

We are, in a sense, able to do as we like and can exercise rights...that honor God, that is. Christ freed us for a freedom that goes deeper than our nation's sense. Think of the 21 Christians that were recently killed by the Islamic State (ISIS). The Islamic State doesn't allow freedoms like the United States' Constitution, so how is Galatians 5:1 relevant to Christians in those positions? Are they freed for freedom?

Most certainly.

The freedom here is a freedom from sin, which enslaves us (5:1). An enslaved person lives a life gratifying the desires of a sinful nature (5:16-17), which looks like such: sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies (the Bible said this, not me!) and "the like."

The problem we find here is that people enslaved to lives like the list I just mentioned are headed to Hell. They will not inherit the Kingdom of God or any benefit from Christ (5:18-21). And yet, isn't this all of us in our natural state? Aren't we all guilty of having lived at some point for one or most of those things (and if you're saying no, you are lying and that falls into the "the like" category)? Have we not all been enslaved to that life? Have we not all been "contrary to the Spirit?"

This is why Christ must free us! We were directly opposed to the Spirit (which is God, so we opposed GOD) until we were freed for freedom in the Spirit of God through the death and resurrection and sacrifice of the Son of God by the hand of the Father God. We have had the gratification of the sinful nature replaced with a desire and goal to gratify the Spirit, and this brings a new list of things: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (5:22-26)! Our sinful nature, our enslavement, was put on the cross with Christ! He took it for us!

So now we live in the Spirit. That is why we bear with one another, rebuke one another and fight through sin's last grasps at our souls together (6:1-8). This is why we love one another (5:13). This is why we teach each other (6:6). We do good without ceasing, even looking for opportunities to do so (6:9-10)!

We also must stand with those who face persecution. They may have the same spiritual freedom as us, but they do not have the other freedoms we enjoy. Paul says twice in Chapter Six (v. 12 & 17) to be with those in persecution/have sympathy towards a persecuted state in a person's life. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and the Islamic State is just the latest group of people that are out to destroy the people of God, the "people of the Cross."

So, how can we do this? Some great people that I respect dearly have started 21martyrs.com, a website devoted to ways that we can stand with our brothers and sisters in IS-controlled countries. Specifically, they are praying at 7:03am until 7:14am (times and more explained here) for ourselves to take back up our crosses, to pray for Him to work through us in this world, to pray for His restoration of everything to how it is supposed to be, for our hearts to be looking for opportunities to "do good" toward people, as Galatians 6 said, and more.

Also, please join me and many others with a moment of silence tomorrow, Sunday, February 22, 2015, while we pray for churches in persecution to stand strong for Christ, to continue being a witness for Him, and for our hearts to break with them. Below, I have placed a video to help with that time of reflection and prayer. I urge you, Christian, fellow person of the Cross: do not abandon these opportunities to live out Galatians 5-6. We have been freed for freedom; let us now live in that freedom.



Here's a link if this video doesn't work: 21 Martyrs Video

The Thrill of Victory: Meditations and Thoughts on NASCAR and Jesus

So, this weekend is the Daytona 500. Last night, I spent the evening on the couch, watching the qualifying races for the Great American Race on Sunday. This got me thinking: everything good in the world points to Christ. NASCAR is not, by definition, sinful, and so therefore, there should be evidences of grace (of God) in the sport. What can I think of in NASCAR that shows God in His general revelation? What traits of Him can I see in it? Here’s a list I quickly have jotted down:

1. The drivers are made in His image, and thus have all of His traits that all humans show. Last night, I saw His grace and patience being shown as the cars moved about in the pack. I saw His wrath after the race, when Danica Patrick approached Denny Hamlin about wrecking her. I saw His creativity in the paint schemes and the sponsor logos and the grass in the infield. 

2. The easy thing to point to is the race analogy from 2 Timothy 4:7, where Paul is speaking to Timothy about “finishing the race, keeping the faith.” A NASCAR race is a long, arduous test of skill, patience, mental fortitude and adrenaline—much like our lives! 

3. There is a joy in victory, you know? I watched Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson leap from their cars in victory last night, thrilled to win a race that didn’t even matter for anything beyond qualifying places in the race on Sunday. There was no money, and no championship points were awarded. Jimmie Johnson did not even improve his starting place for Sunday’s race. However, I think there is something in humans that makes us just enjoy victory, and I think that comes from a longing for the victory over sin and death in this world by the Savior of the world. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to wait for a finish line to know the final standings. 1 Corinthians 15 speaks of the victory we have in Christ over sin and death now, and Revelation reminds us that while sin and death were wrecked out of the race back in AD 33, the checkered flag won’t fly until sometime in the future, when the Champion, the Lord of the Universe, will ride in on some real horsepower and finish the race that He started long ago. Now, that is something to celebrate!

I don't know if you watch NASCAR or not, but what I do know is that He can be found in nearly everything. Here's something to try out today: think of something that you enjoy. Maybe it's a hobby, book, sport, movie or song. Then spend a few minutes and see if you can tie your life experiences back to some truth about God and His Word. I'd love to hear what you come up with!

Puritan Musings: Sovereignty and Success?

I am currently reading through Michael A.G. Haykin's book "To honour God: The Spirituality of Oliver Cromwell" for one of my classes at seminary. Each week throughout the semester, I am supposed to read a portion of this book, which is a collection of Cromwell's writings, and have a small reflection upon something that he says. Therefore, I have decided to share these "Puritan Musings" with you. They won't be very long, but I hope that perhaps someone may get something from them.
  

Today, my musings upon Oliver Cromwell’s writings come from two sources: his letter to the Honourable William Lenthall in June of 1645 (pg. 53), and the other from his letter to Sir Thomas Fairfax on March 7, 1646 (pg. 59). Both letters contain words about someone giving God credit for their achievements. The former is talking about a brave soldier, and how this man gave God all glory and honor for his battlefield heroics, despite the fact that this was a rather brave and skilled man. The latter speaks directly about Cromwell himself, as he admits to giving God the glory for as many things as he can. 

I have long pondered on, say, a professional fighter giving thanks and props to God for the knockout he just scored. Did God really give him that knockout? If I say yes, then it almost seems God is playing favorites in the ring, but to say no denies that He is sovereign and in control of even the most trivial of matches. That is obviously false, and both men in the Cromwell reading knew that. He is a sovereign God; He deserves honor in all good that we do. 

What successes are being given to us by God that we need to give Him credit for? How can we better give Him the glory for what we do, win or loss?