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?

Puritan Musings: Declaring His Works for His Honor

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.
 

I am currently in Timothy Beougher’s Personal Evangelism class at Southern Baptist Seminary, and in that class, we talk about our motivations for the spreading of the Gospel, among other things related to evangelism. After all, the entire class is about sharing the Gospel with those who need it. Today, as I read Oliver Cromwell’s letter to his cousin Mrs. St. John, I was struck by a phrase: “Yet, to honour my God by declaring what he hath done for my soul, in this I am confident, and I will be so” (pg. 47). 

How often do we ponder on how we may honor God? How often do we view evangelism, or conversation in general, or anything we do in our day-to-day lives as being for His honor and glory? That is our primary focus, as Cromwell was right in stating, so why are we not more confident in doing so? Why I am not? What more motivation do I need to share the truth (or you could say “declare!”) than to do so for His honor? What a noble task the Christian has! It is our job to proclaim and declare the glory of the God of the universe, our Lord and Savior!

My hope is that I may grow in this manner. I pray that I become more confident in my purpose of bringing Him glory and honor, and that an out-pouring of that is that I would boldly declare His name whenever He prompts. I pray that I might tell of what He has done for my soul.

No Bad Days

As I rode in my car on the way to Louisville today, I was in a fantastic mood. As in, one of those irrationally good moods. Music was blaring, I was dancing, the sunroof was down, the skies were clear, my smoothie was refreshing and temperatures were up from the past few days. As one of my friends loves to say, “things were going my way.” Even when the gas pump wouldn’t work quite right, and when the clouds rolled in, and when traffic began to back up, I was not to be deterred, as my mantra over the past few days has been “No Bad Days.” 

 I don’t mean that in the obnoxious “happy Christian” sentiment, where many of my brothers and sisters seem to believe that the only way to be a good witness is to always have a smile on your face and not let the world see you down. They might even say that a person that isn’t happy isn’t close to God. I would, only somewhat respectfully, disagree. David wrote some pretty sad psalms to be a “happy Christian,” and they called him the “man after God’s own heart.” Paul wept for his nation, Nehemiah pulled his beard out in sorrow and Jesus Himself wept. If Jesus weeps, then he’s either a bad Christian or it’s ok for Christians to have an emotion beyond “happy.”

Instead, we pursue joy and contentment. We don’t always have to be a little ray of bubbling sunshine, like I was this morning. Instead, when I say “No Bad Days,” I mean that I am seeking to find some sort of positivity, some kind of trace of my good God and loving Savior's grace in the midst of even the worst days. Philippians 3-4 preaches a message of contentment and the pursuit of joy. This is the Christian's goal.

A particular Scripture of meditation on this topic is Philippians 4:13, which has become a real foothold in my walk with Jesus. A few years ago, when mom had cancer, the fourth chapter of Philippians became a real lifesaver for me. I repeated turned back to this chapter of God’s Word for encouragement during that time, and it gave me a much truer appreciation of this famous verse. So many people assume that this verse is all about pulling ourselves up from our bootstraps and becoming all we can be, either in the office or on the football field (sorry Tim Tebow). However, this could not be further from the truth.

Rather, Philippians 4:13 is the culmination of these two chapters of encouragement from Paul to what could have been his most beloved of church plants. The previous thirteen verses in chapter four, specifically, all speak of putting aside worry and praying, all in the name of fostering a deeper trust in Him, not in us. When the storms of life hit us (see Matthew 7:24-27), we need a solid foundation. We get our content and peace and security from others (Philippians 4:10) and from learning how to deal with stuff (v.11-12), but it is ultimately (even in those three verses) the Gospel of Jesus Christ that gives us a foothold when life tries to sweep us away in the currents of strife and hardship.

So, with all of this said, let's have No Bad Days. Not in a ridiculous, unbiblical manner that ignores the pains in our lives. We will certainly have some very rough, painful, cripplingly-awful days. However, let's not lose track of Him in the darkness. Don't get so focused on the water swelling around you that you forget who your Savior is. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he called out to Him, asking if he could walk out to Jesus. When he actually hopped out of the boat and began towards Him, though, Peter realized that the waters were thrashing about him and that if he fell in, he'd probably die. So he lost track of what was in front of him (Jesus) and instead was swallowed up by the seas. Don't be swallowed up. Instead, look for Jesus in even the most violent of waters. He's there; walk towards Him.

Like a Child

Yesterday, I read Matthew 18:1-9 and 19:13-15. Both of these passages feature Jesus speaking about how to inherit or enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Take a look:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
² Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. ³ “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.
⁶ “But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea! ⁷ Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes. ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes your downfall, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire. -Matthew 18:1-9

Then children were brought to Him so He might put His hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.” ¹⁵ After putting His hands on them, He went on from there. -Matthew 19:13-15

You see, He claims that we must come to Him like a small child to enter the Kingdom of God. We must have the trust and faith in God and in Jesus that a small child has in his/her father. We are completely dependent, relying on Him for everything and having ever-flowing love for Him. 

But, we often times are not like this. Our dependence and love for Jesus can be muffled by many things, including earthly possessions. I don't think it is a coincidence that in Matthew 19:16-22 we find the story of the rich young ruler. He claimed that he wanted to follow Jesus, but could not let go of his money. He was not able to part from possessions:

 Just then someone came up and asked Him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”
¹⁷ “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” He said to him. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ “Which ones?” he asked Him. Jesus answered:

Do not murder;
do not commit adultery;
do not steal;
do not bear false witness;
¹⁹ honor your father and your mother;
and love your neighbor as yourself.

²⁰ “I have kept all these,” the young man told Him. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
²² When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. -Matthew 19:16-22

Money brings safety and security, so we trust Him less. Money brings distraction and entertainment, which sucks away from our love for God. This is why Matthew 19:23-25 is such a somber passage:

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?” -Matthew 19:23-25

 The good news is that there is a flipside. In verse 26, Jesus says that all things are possible with God. That is then followed up with a quick back-and-forth between Jesus and Peter: 

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
²⁷ Then Peter responded to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You. So what will there be for us?”
²⁸ Jesus said to them, “I assure you: In the Messianic Age, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first. -Matthew 19:26-30

You see, we as Christians are called to be completely devoted to Jesus. We are willing to leave it all and be totally dependent on God, relying on Him day-by-day, step-by-step. We must walk by faith, trusting that we will be held tight by our Father and that the One who loves us won't let us go.

We can be confident in that because He loved us so much that He gave up His Son on the cross, and it was through that act that the impossible happened. The ones who were far from God, separated from Him by sin, were brought close. We were impossibly separated from God until God made it possible for us to draw near to Him.

So, it is no longer impossible for us to trust Him, walk with Him, love Him, be with Him and depend on Him in all things. It is no longer impossible for us to give up all we have to follow Him. It is no longer impossible to come to Him like a small child, and it is no longer impossible for us to inherit eternal life. The Kingdom is ours.

Dirty Love: It Ain't Easy to Love Like Jesus, But We Kinda Need To.

It is not an uncommon occurrence for people to tell us about a problem that they are having. After all, they are either griping and grumbling or they have a legitimate dilemma in their life. In the event of having a legitimate problem, they need someone to be there by their side. Yet, in our culture, we are often too busy to give people that support.

Christians are called to live in a sacrificial manner, loving people in a way that is anything but beneficial from the Earthly viewpoint. Would loving that person inconvenience you? Would it make you late for something? Would you lose productivity? If you can answer yes to any of those, then you probably should go ahead and do what you can to show love. Love is dirty and difficult.

So, what are some ways to show love to people? Perhaps you'd like to know how and simply cannot think of a way. Well, here's a quick list of things that I thought of. There are many more, but I hope this gets you thinking!

1. Say nice things. When someone is having a hard time, or even just trying to get through a normal day (which is hard enough, amiright?!), they could almost always use a word of encouragement. Job was not having a good time of things when he lost all of his possessions, children and own personal health. It appeared that God had completely abandoned him, and he could have used a little bit of cheer. Instead, his friends opted to shame him and try to get him to confess whatever sin he had committed to make God do this. Job even calls them out on it in chapter 16, calling them "miserable comforters." How often are we miserable comforters, either failing to support at all or filling their lives with all of our "advice" about how they can get out of their situation?

Rarely does the person going through a breakup, battling a health issue or failing a class need more advice, especially not in the midst of their darkest hour. What people need more than anything is support and love, letting them know that we are there for them. If there is a sin problem causing their issue, it should be addressed, but not in the form of a brutal chastisement. Think about how you'd feel in their shoes, and respond with love.

So send someone a little note. Say they look cute (in a non-creepy way...) or notice their new hair. Compliment their Tervis tumbler (those are still popular, right?). You never know how far that brief word of positivity can go.

[Side bar: someone who really understands this is Hannah Brencher, the founder/starting blogger at www.moreloveletters.com. Go check out their work. It's officially one of my favorite things right now.]

2. Do something nice. Sometimes people just need to know you are thinking of them. When Jesus saw the crowds hungry in Mark 6:34, the Bible says that He "had compassion on them." He then proceeded to give them a simply dinner of fish and bread (for 5,000 people!). Now, this does not mean that we must feed crowds of people, but it does mean that we have compassion for people in need and be willing to go out of our way to do a little something for them.

Bring them coffee on a cold morning. Surprise them with a little gift that they mentioned in conversation a while ago. Drop some food over at a friend's room during finals. Scrape the snow off their car. Pay a drive-thru meal behind you, or maybe even just give someone a ride home when they need one. It's the little things, y'all.

3. Spend time with them. People get lonely, and that can actually increase during the holiday season. Be willing to make time in your schedule for the people in your life that need you. You and I are likely surrounded by a group of people that could use a little bit of our time. So what if you're busy? I get it, that is usually my excuse, too. But Jesus, ruler of all, stepped out of His eternal rule of all things that exist, have existed and will ever exist in order to walk around Israel for a few years, spend time with some rather dense individuals and ultimately die on a cross and rise again for our benefit. If He made time for the people that deserved His least (note: that's us), then we can give up an hour (or afternoon!) somewhere in our schedule for people that need us.

Go grab lunch or tea. Give them a call and talk about life. Watch basketball with the kids. Drink hot cocoa with your elderly grandparents. Help someone fix their car (unless you're more likely to break it more, and in that case go with them to get it fixed). Show that your schedule is not as important as the people around you.

People need love. Simple as that. Our lives should not be so pristine, and I know that mine has been far too clean for far too long. Love is dirty and difficult, and loving people the right way (the Jesus way) is hard work. So be willing to put in the time and effort to do it. It can be as cheap as a hug or a little smiley face on an index card stuck between the keys of their keyboard. It ain't easy, but it is necessary for the Christian. No efforts are perfect, but all efforts are better than the one that doesn't happen!

Go out, and by the end of the week, I want you to do one thing for somebody, and then shoot me an email at thefreedbug@gmail.com. Lemme know how it went. After all, I could use some more ideas on how to love people myself. :)