Moments In Time

Slavery, Culture, & Making Bitter Things Taste Sweet, pt. I

2010-01-26T13:50:00.007-06:00

"Slavery is despicable to men, but to be a slave of God is the highest title that could ever be given to a man." - Paul Washer

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus... set apart for the gospel of God..." - Paul, from Epistle to the Romans 1:1 ESV.

The Greek for "servant" in this phrase reads doulos and is more accurately translated as "slave." According to Strong's Number: 1401, doulos is a "slave, bondman, man of servile condition... one who gives himself up to another's will..."

Slaves. Slaves have masters. In a very real sense, we are all slaves of something, of someone. Paul is advocating that the best possible position for one to be in (not necessarily in terms of temporal earthly standards, e.g. wealth and fame) is the position of slave to the master Christ. Allow me to simplify. For Paul, there are only two masters: Christ and not-Christ.

"You're gonna have to serve somebody." - Bob Dylan

One either serves Christ, or not-Christ. Now "not-Christ" can look many different ways, and one way in which it is commonly expressed in the 21st century is "individual freedom." Freedom to dress, look, go, speak, and do what one will. To be guided by one's own fancy. To choose for oneself how to live. This is a popular conception of freedom-- popular, though faulty. I submit, in line with Paul and Jesus, that in our supposed "freedom" we are merely repainting our actual bondage, e.g. to the accolades of men:

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." - Jesus, from Matthew 6:1 ESV

I've been thinking about this. In all aspects of life, and especially as pertains to spiritual things: how much do we humans do for our own sakes? And even scarier, we don't know that we do it! We are unconscious that by far the large majority of our decisions are influenced by our culture (This is a recurring theme in my writings; and yes, I do have a serious bone to pick with culture!). We let societal trends, which waver due to the seasonal definitions of "cool" (a subjective made-up term), tell us how to dress, talk, act, watch, buy, etc. You live like you have been taught to by the silver screen! We are being conformed, daily, to a culture which, under the guise of freedom, is a slave to itself.

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God... Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." - Paul, from Romans 12:1-2 ESV.

In a sense, when we are not actively transforming, as this verse suggests, we are reverting to conformation with the ways of the world. That is when Christlikeness seems boring and the world seems so appealing. Our appetites are wrong-- they have reverted from a transformed Christlike state back to conformity with a culture. That's when we seek cheap thrills at the extent of our knowing God. That's when we forfeit true love of both God and neighbor for a nominal love of convenience. That's when we ignore or justify our sins.

You see, I think we (believers, followers of Christ) have this idea that we need to laser-target our weaknesses (e.g. lust, foul mouths, addictions, bitterness, etc.) To a degree, this is good and beneficial, but it is not all encompassing. Unlike what the movies and advertising campaigns tell us, "having a strong will" and "believing in yourself" aren't enough! Christianity isn't about trying your best.

So we target our behavior, well and good, but what I think we continually fail to target: our desires. It's true, we cannot change what we like. We cannot decide to unlike what we like, nor to like what we hate. If something tastes bitter to us, we cannot make taste sweet. This is a supernatural function.

I submit that for all of our "targeting" of our physical and mental vices, we should doubly pray for the God who opens the barren womb to change our desires; that we would no longer thirst for the water of broken cisterns, but thirst for the water that gives eternal life; that we would no longer pretend to enjoy our false freedom, our slavehood to ourselves, but we would "cast off" the old self and joyfully put on the garment of Christ; that we would look to Christ, not merely out of duty, but out of true delight!; that we would desire what our world scorns, and scorn what our world desires.

Afterthought: And all this is not merely for the sake of the doing:

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus... set apart for the gospel of God..."

Why am I going to heaven?

2009-06-23T09:42:00.012-05:00

"Why am I going to heaven?"

Glad you asked...

For starters, in sin my mother conceived me, and in sin I have lived. (Ps. 51:5)

I've broken (at least a thousand times) every letter of God's laws. (Rom. 3:23)

I'm the most vile man who has ever lived-- proud, arrogant, judgmental, lacking in discipline and wisdom.

I even condemn others for the same sins I commit. (Mat. 7:3)

I have not once honored God as he ought to be honored; not once have I glorified him as he ought to be glorified. Never! And even worse, I have stolen the glory and honor that were/are due him and ascribed them to his creations-- even unto myself! (Rom. 1:25)

I am deserving only of the deepest, darkest spot in hell.

As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one.
No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God.
All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one! (Rom 3:10-12)

You may be thinking, "Josiah, the question was 'why are you going to heaven,' not 'why are you going to hell!"

You may have expected a list of my "good deeds," perhaps a record of my church attendance, maybe a date when I repeated some prayer after and evangelist... My friends, I submit to you none of those things as evidence of my salvation. I don't believe in humanist decisionism, I believe in the love of Christ.

So why am I going to heaven?

I go there, friend, by the virtue and merit of the perfect one who calls me his "brother:" Jesus Christ.

It is through him that I receive God's unmerited favor! (Rom. 1:5).

Such grace has chained me!

You see, it was not even my choice! Calling me from his irresistible love, I was swept away. Away into him.

Now I am beginning to understand what it means to "know only Christ and him crucified."

Now I am starting to feel what it means to have "joy unspeakable."

What hope there is in him!

I'm a loser and I've been saved.

And in that, God is glorified. He has utterly confounded the wise, the strong, and the proud! Oh, how he does not forget his promises!

Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.

It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has [true] faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of [our] pride and [our] boasting? It is excluded (banished, ruled out entirely). On what principle? [On the principle] of doing good deeds? No, but on the principle of faith.

For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.] (Rom. 3:25-28)

P.S. God, I hope you can get glory for yourself out of this mumbling. Love ya.

God Slapped Me

2009-05-06T20:40:00.005-05:00

So God slapped me in the face the other day while I was driving.

I was heading to my local congregation and treading some dangerous ground in my thought life. To my shame (and God's glory), I admit my thoughts:

"She doesn't deserve..."

"Ya know, I could be better youth pastor than..."

"I am better equipped to do this than he is."

"She really needs to get the revelation I have..."

Wow, I know. Ridiculous. But is it really so uncommon?

So in the midst of these deceptive thoughts, God stopped me dead in my tracks. I swear, right there in my car, I heard him say, "Don't compare, just obey."

Slap.

Comparison. It can be a dangerous thing, for sure.

Comparison to her.

To him.

To societal expectations.

To media.

To our "leaders" and models.

More often than not, our seemingly harmless comparisons subtly engender these types of selfish and self-promoting thoughts. Thoughts that, by their very nature, belittle and demean God's other children. And in these scenarios, I have to ask:

Where is the evidence of the "love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts?" (Romans 5:5)

In thinking and living out thoughts like these, how will "all men will know" that we are Christ's disciples? (John 13:35)

In what manner is the attitude and demeanor of Christ (the one whom we are supposedly imitating) exemplified?

Wait... so God's kingdom extends to our thought life, too?

Concerning a similar scenario, Paul writes to the church in Philippi:

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,
      he did not think of equality with God
      as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
      he took the humble position of a slave
      and was born as a human being.
   When he appeared in human form,
      he humbled himself in obedience to God
      and died a criminal’s death on a cross. (2:1-8 NLT)

How does that passage fit into our everyday lives? I mean, did you just read that?

"...don't try to impress others."

Ouch.

The implications of those five words alone can totally transform the way in which a person sees/approaches daily life. How often do we think, say, and do things to win the approval of others?

Of that special someone, of (gasp) our pastors and Christian leaders, of our employers, of our parents, of our peers... My friends, how often?

How much of what we do is motivated, in some way or another, by the desire to impress?

Think about it.

Or how about this, "Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves..."

About a month ago, in my Ethics of the New Testament course, we were discussing this verse. My professor introduced a definition of humility (as related to this passage) that I will never forget:

"Humility is wanting to be considered the least."

O-u-c-h.

Personally, I can probably count those times on one hand, yet this is what biblical love is truly all about!

Preferring that our own comfort would not be considered or actualized at the expense of another.

Preferring that our own advancement not precede that of our brother.

Preferring that our sister gets seated and served before we do.

Preferring that our voice not be heard at the expense of unity.

And ultimately in this: Preferring that God's kingdom come and his will be done, regardless if it even costs us our own lives (e.g. Jesus, who, by the way, "pleased the Father completely" because of his obedience).

If it costed him his life (and we are to imitate him), how trivial are our complaints about "our comfort?"

So if she needs time before she can commit to-- give it to her.

If you feel that you are being treated unfairly-- take it.

If he is still wading through opportunities and deciding when and where to settle-- don't despise him.

If he asks you to carry his burdens for a month-- carry them for a year.

If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. (Matthew 5:40-41 NLT)

We toil and we fight for our own advancement (in one way or another), and in the process we tread upon our brothers and sisters.

Even more practically, if you have discretional income... how will you choose to spend it? Who will you consider the most in your spending? What/who do you value most? Are you more valuable than God's other children? More deserving?

No, keep that money. You deserve it. After all, you worked for it. That bum didn't do anything to deserve it.

But, my friend, what did you do to deserve salvation?

The truth is, if we truly received what we deserved, we'd be making our beds in hell. Consider that.

If we truly understood that literally anything we have that is not the wrath of God is a gift from God, how grateful we would truly be!

It's places like this where "the rubber meets the road" in our so-called Christian lifestyles.

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul says: "Love is... not self-seeking... it keeps no records of wrongs."

Do you believe it?

Then stop.

Wasted

2009-04-03T11:50:00.004-05:00

I have been meditating on a story in which Luke recounts an evening in the life of Jesus. From the seventh chapter:
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!"

This story, which is by no means a mystery, presents a beautiful illustration of forgiveness and gratitude which I do not feel the need to comment on. Instead, I would like to tell another story. I recently met with a group of believers and we were worshiping the Lord some pretty amazing music-- including this profound chorus.

I want to waste it all on you

I want to pour my heart's perfume

I don't care if I'm called a fool

I want to waste it all on you

Immediately, I associated this chorus with the perspective of the immoral woman whom we just read about in Luke. She found true life (Jesus), and in response poured her life out unto him.

This is both beautiful and true, but there's more...

In Revelation, John calls Jesus "the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world" (13:8). Jesus laid down his life for us before time, as we know it, began. Before the foundation of the world... What does that mean? Makes me wonder...

Can you see it? I can.

I can imagine the Father, the Spirit, and the Son all standing together, the idea and reality of creation bursting forth from their heart(s). I can imagine them talking about creating men in their image, about the joy of fellowship and the reciprocity of unforced, freely given love. But I can also imagine them saying, since they know all things, that men will eventually turn from God. They will turn from delighting in him and chase after lesser passions that could never satisfy. I can imagine them saying that the only way a truly just God could react (and still be just) is by pouring out the divine wrath which the rebellious men would so richly deserve...

But then I imagine Jesus, the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world.

Maybe with tears, maybe with a smile... I can imagine him saying, "Wait, I'll go instead."

Isaiah relays the account to us in the 53rd chapter of his book.

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
      like a root in dry ground.
   There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
      nothing to attract us to him.
   He was despised and rejected—
      a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
   We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
      He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
      it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
   And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
      a punishment for his own sins!
   But he was pierced for our rebellion,
      crushed for our sins.
   He was beaten so we could be whole.
      He was whipped so we could be healed.
   All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
      We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
   Yet the Lord laid on him
      the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
      yet he never said a word.
   He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
      And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.
   Unjustly condemned,
      he was led away.
   No one cared that he died without descendants,
      that his life was cut short in midstream.
   But he was struck down
      for the rebellion of my people.
   He had done no wrong
      and had never deceived anyone.
   But he was buried like a criminal;
      he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
      and cause him grief.
   Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
      he will have many descendants.
   He will enjoy a long life,
      and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
   When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
      he will be satisfied.
   And because of his experience,
      my righteous servant will make it possible
   for many to be counted righteous,
      for he will bear all their sins.
   I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
      because he exposed himself to death.
   He was counted among the rebels.
      He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

I can imagine Jesus quoting for the first time the passage we just read in Isaiah.

I can imagine him saying that He will suffer the wrath of God, that men may live and be redeemed to true life. I can imagine him saying, "For the joy set before me, I will endure the cross. I will make all things new. I will take the place of men, and be crushed under the perfect justice of God." (Hebrews 12:2, abridged)

Can you hear it? I can.

I can imagine Jesus singing to us, his brothers, his sisters, and his children. To us he sang, and continues to sing:

I want to waste it all on you

I want to pour my heart's perfume

I don't care if I'm called a fool

I want to waste it all on you

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

I'll take it, Jesus. It wasn't a waste.

Now, out of a heart of gratitude, like the immoral woman in Luke, I can sing back to him:

I want to waste it all on you

I want to pour my heart's perfume

I don't care if I'm called a fool

I want to waste it all on you

All Natural

2009-02-22T03:35:00.013-06:00

I have heard it said that Christianity is a lifestyle.

Wrong.

I refuse to passively live in concert with this false societal idea that being a "good Christian" = being a good American, a good person, or anything but this...

Being a Christian means joyfully conforming your life to the image of Christ, seeking his glory through many sufferings (which a Christian should thank God for, see Romans 5:3). Not striving out of the flesh (human effort) to meet some cultural ideal of the autonomous individual that "plays nicely" in his or her environment.

Grow some cojones.

But the issue is not just the doing or the setting apart-- those things will come naturally as a result of a transformed life... not the implementation of some "lifestyle."

Naturally. Interesting word. It implies the idea of the nature of a thing.

Here's an example: It is not the nature of a human to sift through dirty trash cans and then eat every last morsel of rotten food, discarded plastic, and stinking feces that he would find.

A pig could do this, but a human could not.

We would would gag; our bodies would reject the food. It is not our nature. Similarly, thorn trees do not grow apples, apple trees do not grow thorns. They have different natures.

Christians do not love, fear, or consider the world. Period.

Christians do not love, fear, or consider (primarily) themselves.

We love, fear, and consider God. It is our (new) nature. We are new creations.

Do you want, above all things, to please, enjoy, fellowship with, love, and obey the Father? Do you really treasure Jesus as "the pearl of great worth," counting all else as foolishness beside the pursuit of his face? Do you read Psalm 119 and identify with everything David says?

Probably not.

...

Then ask for it.

Jeff Deyo says it well: "I want to want Jesus."

Let us be honest with ourselves and realize our plight. If we believe that our darkness is really the light, how blind we must be! Strip it down, examine yourself, test yourself to see if you are in the faith!

Do you understand that the only lasting fulfillment, pleasure, joy, satisfaction, and purpose are in him?

You may say, "yes, I understand."

Well wow! You can understand English, take a moment to pat yourself on the back. But the issue here is not some mental switch of understanding; the issue is God-inspired revelation. Revelation (a gift from God) will yield results.

Jesus calls these results "fruit." Fruit will show, without excuse, the nature of the tree. (Matthew 7)

So that is great if you understand and know these things, but do you apply them to your life? And that is great if you apply them to "your" life, but do you want to? Or are you just keeping rules?

Is it your nature or just a dreaded obligation? Have you been born again (John 3)?

Who are we fooling?

If we are just keeping rules, then let us correctly call ourselves neo-Pharisees...but we are not Christians.

Too often do "Christians" live according biblical principle until it gets uncomfortable. When living in such a manner is inconvenient or may cause negative attention from society, they shrink back behind the shield of "balance" and justify their weakness as such.

Dear friends! I must ask: Who's kingdom do you treasure? Who's kingdom will endure forever? The world's or God's? Why fear man, who can merely ridicule, despise, and kill your body? Should we not fear (consider, honor, and live according to) God instead?

Stop putting God in your box of culture. He does not fit. He cannot be contained.

Stop telling me about Christian "balance." That must be the devil's favorite word, and rightly so. "Balance" has our generation so subtly deceived...

But there is no balance.

James writes, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (4:4)

What fellowship does Jerusalem have with Rome?

What does a man have in common with pigs?

How do darkness and light interact? One must be influenced by the other.

So who are you? Does your life prove your nature? What are you hungry for?

Note: In terms of nature, I am not implying that true Christians cannot and will never sin. What I am submitting is along these lines: sin will disgust the Christian and God will convict him of it. See the book of Romans and John's first epistle for more on this.

In terms of balance, if it makes you uncomfortable, then that is what I meant. I don't mean stop hanging out with Joey down the street who isn't a professing believer. I mean this: do you want to? why? who are you, what is your nature? Evangelize, don't flirt with temptation.

Convicted in Early February

2009-02-09T04:04:00.013-06:00

God, you are so much bigger than me. Your ways of operation and the reality of your kingdom are so far beyond my comprehension.

It amazes me, or rather, it disgusts me how much I can talk about, think of, and boast in you...

And then turn right around and live as though you never existed.

Example: tonight.

I relished in the thought of you. I bragged on your goodness and the splendor of your name, literally, for hours...

Merely moments later, I ignore the beautiful precepts of your kingdom and compromised.

Which led to-- yet another compromise.

My sin is not defined as "x" action that violated some trite moral checklist.

My sin was that I did not look to you.

I did not treasure you as you ought to be treasured, nor honor you as you ought to be honored.

Like Peter on the water, I took my eyes off of you and fixed my gaze upon something "other."

The other is not the issue, the issue is that the other was not you.

Why would you forgive me?

Because I deserve it?

Because I am "sorry enough?"

Because I can memorize twenty words from 1 John 1:9?

So how many religious activities must I fulfill and "check off the list" to be forgiven?

Then why do you forgive?

Jesus.

He is the one I am looking to.

Because of him you can and will forgive my many faults.

He is the one with whom I will plead my case, and my case is this: propitiation.

Jesus, I am only worthy because you have declared me righteous.

Nothing I could do could merit your infinite, incomprehensible love, yet you have justified me, a God-despising sinner, and called me righteous? Why?

If you are truly so just and holy, how could you not condemn me for my sin?

You took my well-deserved punishment, the just wrath of God.

You bore my sin, and became sin.

Being sin, your Father hated you and forsook you to the judgement that you innocently took upon yourself.

And it pleased him, to crush you, the perfect lamb, under the just weight of his sin-hating wrath.

Yet you overcame the grave, my God, my King. Oh how death could not hold you!

You paid the price, for that simple enigma: that you so loved the world!

You paid that heavy price, and now I am found in you.

My value, my worth-- in you.

My purpose, my fulfillment-- in you.

My joy-- you.

My peace, you.

Jesus, you are not all I need.
You are all I have.

May you be, as you rightfully should, my most prized possession. May you truly be that pearl of great worth for which I would joyfully abandon everything to obtain!

At times, it grieves me that my sin does not. But my emotions are not a lamp unto my feet; your Word is.

I confess my status and deeds. Forgive me, again, a lowly man. I come to you, hopefully humble, that you would not have to humble me. For you set yourself against the proud, but you show grace to the humble. So God, let that be my prayer: make me humble. As a deer pants for water may I desire you, my most prized possession.

May my soul find no rest until it rests in you.

Oh God, may these simple words be more than simple words.

Something more than clanging symbols.

Any fool can put words on paper, but who can ascend the hill of my God? Who can see you, Oh Holy One?

At 2:59 in the morning, from my room I cry, "Purify me! Cleanse me!"

Today and tomorrow, that I may more clearly know and love your wonderful ways. That I may delight in every part of you.

All Things? Really?

2009-01-23T00:21:00.020-06:00

As a regenerated child of God, Christ keeps me abiding in him. On the other hand, as God's kid, I should joyfully apply his Word to every aspect of my life. Of the Word that is in my heart, I do this to the best of my ability (which, through grace is actually his ability).

Yet from my human point of view, between these two truths exist some serious grey areas.
It is in this grey where many of my day to day concerns must be addressed.

Personally, God has never "spoken" to me in an audible manner.
Josiah Thomas Trandahl is not specifically mentioned in the Bible.
No prophet has ever relayed God's Josiah-specific will to me.
I cannot read the stars.
Tarot cards are too confusing, and Cleo's phone line is always busy...

That last one is a joke.

But this lack of specificity often leaves me with serious questions...

So what do you do when you don't know what to do?
As for me personally, I am trying to believe God.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
So here Paul says that God makes all things work together for my good (and thus his glory)...
Hmm... all things?
Really?
Even my little situations?

I often don't know if God wants me to do a or b, but in light of this verse, I now know that either a or b will work out for my good, and his glory.
Whether I "fail" or "succeed" in my seemingly huge (but actually small) quests, God wins.
And if God wins, I win. Here is how.

James 1:16-17
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change...

So every good and perfect thing is a gift from God...
If this is true, it also means that every bad-thing-turned-good is a gift from God.
Think about it. How many times in our ugly self-made messes do we see the greatest gift of all-- the grace of God?

This is so often overlooked. We tend to think of "gifts from God" as: money, smiles, new houses, newborn babies, no cavities at the dentist, the absence of conflict, etc. There is no dispute that these things are indeed good, and gifts nonetheless, but let us expand our idea of God, and also of his gifts.

I am sure that we have all heard the following verse: "God's ways are higher than our ways." (Isaiah 55:9)
In our culture, this beautiful truth is often perverted into a watered down, pathetic, cliche excuse for confusion and inaction.
Please don't misunderstand me. This verse is absolutely true, but it is a cause for joy, not for nervous anticipation and unsure tiptoeing.

The truth that "his ways are not our ways" means that the two ways are different.
The fact that both "ways" are different implies that one is better than the other (or else they would be the same...)
The truth about God is that he is higher than man.
And if this is the case, then the truth of God's ways being higher than our ways is cause for rejoicing.
Good news, eh?
We are not bound to live by our own "ways," and in fact, it's better not to.
We get to live by his.

So let me filter this down to a situation. Say a young man is wondering: Should I go to California, Ethiopia, or stay in Tennessee for graduate school? :)

In light of these verses, what could I say to such a soul? How about...
He makes all things work together for our good.

Go where you have the peace of God. If you pick "the right one," if indeed such a one exists, then glory to God. You were sensitive to the shepherd's voice and obeyed him.
If you picked "the wrong one," then... glory to God! How awesome that He has freely given you the gift of repentance to acknowledge him and turn from your sin! He shows himself strong to those who are weak. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. In your weakness, He will be glorified and made much of. As you decrease, He will increase. What an opportunity for him to show the world how magnificent He really is! He really can take any situation and turn it around, for our good, for his glory. He really does make all things work together for the good of those who love him, even when the ship is burning to the ground...

James 1:16-18 (The Message)
So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.

you stay the same through the ages

and your love never changes

there may be pain in the night

but joy comes in the morning...

and when the oceans rage

I don't have to be afraid

'cause I know that you love me

and your love never fails

he makes all things work together for my good

Note: It is my sincere hope that the reader does not walk away with a false notion about the nature of God. You may live without worldly regard for the future (Matt. 6:25-34), but you certainly may not live without scriptural regard for the future. If this is confusing, I encourage you to read James 4:13-16. If you still lack understanding, please, read the Proverbs. Attain a measure of wisdom and understanding and then reread this blog. Ask God to show you. And as a last resort, feel free to post a comment or email me. I would be overjoyed to grow with you.
Your Love Never Fails lyrics by Chris McClarney. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA-N6Fdt7Ew)

The Glory of Love: Part II

2009-01-18T17:55:00.018-06:00

Over the past couple of months, there has been one word that I have been unable to shake.

This word is literally taking over my every moment of consciousness. It is changing the way I make decisions. They way I look at my neighbors. The way I choose my words in conversation. My body language. It is removing the “scales of self” which have blinded my eyes...

This word is revolutionizing my life.

So what is the big word?

No drum roll is needed, as I know that you are more than familiar with the term...

Love.

Yes, “just” love.

You may be wondering, "What's the big deal?"

Glad you asked.

Let's examine (and reexamine) a passage in 1 Corinthians in which Paul explains what love is (and what love isn't). I beg you, please refrain from rushing over this, it speaks so much more than any of my words... Take it in, contemplate it, measure your life and your love to this text:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (13:4-7)

Now as a follower of Christ, we believe that “all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness...” (2 Timothy 3:16). If this is true, then the text in 1 Corinthians is no longer the apostle Paul speaking, but God speaking. This is how God (who is truth and is love) defines love. And if God is true, than what He says is true. And if what He says his true, then we need not look any further...

So why is it so important for us to understand love?

In understanding love, we can better know God. Because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

God himself instructs us: “The most important commandment is this... 'you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Also, in the next chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul exhorts the church to “let love be your highest goal...” (14:1a)

Paul's further emphasizes the importance of love in his letter to the Colossians: “...Above all, clothe yourselves with love..."

These are just a few of the hundreds of references to love in the New Testament, and we are not even looking at the Greek syntax...

Are you getting this?

Love is a big deal.

Take another look at the language that is used to describe the paramount of love. It is the greatest commandment, the highest goal, and above all, we must clothe ourselves in this love.

Now let's reread 1 Corinthians 13 again, this time, from The Message translation. Let this soak in.

  “Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end. “

I have told a handful of people that I love them. I have also been told that I am loved by certain people.

After reading this, I really have a hard time believing either case.

True love is just radical.

“Love cares for others more than self...”

If we could only understand the gravity of that statement! It does not merely imply a “one time” thing. This should be our way of life!

What about this: [Love] isn't always “me first...”

Dear God, how we have missed the mark.

Like Pharisees, we have cleaned the outside (our behaviors and actions) of our glass, but we have failed to clean the inside and address the issues in our own hearts.

Oh, how I grieve even as I write this!

In our perversion, we have all but defamed this precious word. Friends, go back to the scriptures! (Mark 12:24) Read for yourself what love is! Realize, like me, that you may have built your life not upon the rock of the love of God, but upon your own selfish ambition.

Can we stop “reading what we believe,” and start “believing what we read” about love?

That is, let us stop looking through the warped lens of our culture and its backsliding God-hating ways (Bevere). Let's stop thinking of love as something cultural displayed on The OC or 10 Things I Hate About You. Cast off all preconceived notions and imaginations about God and his love. Instead of formulating our beliefs (and thus actions) around the ways of the world, let us begin to believe what we read in the scripture. Let us begin to realize and embrace truth; we will be forever changed.

This love is not a principle. It is not some cheap band-aid to be applied to a hurting situation. It is not something to be engaged in, and then stopped. And if we truly imitate Christ, love is not something that we ought to hold back... from anyone. For any reason.

True love is not courtesy smiles, hugs, donations, praise, or anything given out of the flesh. It's not just a verb, not just a feeling, not just an emotion.

True love is like... and unstoppable force. It cannot be overcome. Not even by death itself.

This love is a fruit of the spirit. It is an evidence of our new nature. It cannot be genuinely faked or forged in any manner that will last. (Galatians 5:22) It is how men will know that we are Christ's own. For Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples-- that you love one another." (John 13:35) Men cannot see our faith, but they can see our love in action. And if we truly love men, would we not gladly display our love that they may come to joy of knowing our Father?

I encourage you, keep reading that passage in 1 Corinthians 13.

Reread it, again, and again.

Read it until it burns in you so hot that you can't hold it in. If nothing happens when you read this truth, ask God to take the scales off of your blind eyes! Plead with him for an outpouring of his love, that He would open your eyes as only He can do. For if you are thirsty, will He not give you a drink? (Matthew 7:11) Will He not pour water on all who are thirsty?

Then ask him, and drink deeply! The waters of the world will leave you thirsting for more, but whoever drinks the water that He gives will never thirst. The water He gives will become in you a wellspring of eternal life. (John 4:13)

I urge you, brothers and sisters, ask God to teach you how to love. Ask him for understanding. Life is such a joy when He alone is our passion and our motivation. Make God your most treasured possession. He is so worthy of that title (lame as it may be).

He is the pearl of great worth, and how gladly, how joyfully we can abandon ourselves to follow him!

Truth. What is it? What to do with it?

2009-01-03T01:19:00.022-06:00

Real truth demands a real response.

Now the term "real truth" may sound redundant, because it is, but I am trying to get a point across...

When the scriptures refer to truth, they do not refer to our cultural ideas, "isms," or ways that "seem right" to us as men. Biblical truth does not refer to our subjective sayings and beliefs...

Scriptural (hence real) truth refers to the being and nature of our infinite God.

In John 14:6, Jesus claims to be "...the way, the truth, and the life..."

When God reveals himself to us, He is revealing the truth.

When God reveals himself to us, He is revealing his nature and his character, which are true.

When God reveals himself to us, He is revealing not just something true, not just something good, but He is revealing the way He is. And here is the kicker...

This way that He is and the way that He calls us to live is not simply the best way, but the way that life is meant to be lived.

This declaration is so contrary to our post-modern culture that praises tolerance and adamantly believes that there is no objective truth. We live in a day where men have traded the truth (which has been made known to them, see Romans 1), for their own ideas. We live in a time where nothing is wrong because "everything is relative", and when we call something wrong it is simply written off as "closed-mindedness."

Worldly nonsensical babble.

Jesus. The way, the truth, the life.

But He is the original being.

He is the one who existed before anything else... was.

He is the author of what we call life... and his books are not outdated.

What He says, how He lives, and how He instructs us to live are not merely alternative or "better ways" than others. They are not merely superior than the sinful ways of living.

They are the ways that life, the original creation of life, is meant to be lived. And only in our living of life this way will we ever be fulfilled and satisfied.

The way He lovingly shows us how to live is so much more than just a religion. It is way beyond religion.

In a sense, it is living in tune with the God and his universe at the deepest level possible. The way He meant it to be.

Are you following this? This probably doesn't sound "religious" or "churchy," but it is true. And it's not just a game, not just something to remember on Sundays at 9:00. And don't you dare call it something so low as "philosophical."

This is the origin and the basis of our lives, not mere logic!

Oh, what freedom there is in this! It's not just rules, regulations, and principles that we are devoting ourselves to! It is an awesome, amazing, huge, magnificent, loving, creative, and fearful God! The epitome of all that is good, true, right, noble, beautiful, and pure.

Everything good comes from him.

Everything.

This is way beyond religion.

He is the epitome of everything these words can't describe. The epitome of epitomes.

Beyond any doubt, He knows what He is doing.

He is the way, the truth, and the life, and in his goodness and grace He has not sentenced us to meaningless lives of wandering through existence void of passion, instruction, vision, and knowledge. How He has freely given to us every good thing!

By his grace, by his love we can walk in his truth, the truth.

Father forgive me ever looking elsewhere for answers, for satisfaction, and for fulfillment.

Oh that I would trust you with all I am, that I would put my hope solely in you!

Oh, my brothers and sisters, that we would trust him. Has He ever led us astray? Have you ever regretted obeying him?

Ever?

May we throw ourselves upon his mercy. May we throw ourselves upon his love.

I dare you.

He can catch us.

That was meant to be an introduction, but I couldn't stop. When I sat down to write this blog, hours ago, I was planning on exploring a certain revelation which the Lord has been graciously opening my eyes to. Yet before I expressed it, I wanted anyone who would read it (myself included) to realize that God does not just show us these things for the fun of it. By all means, share what God is showing you over coffee with friends, but remember dear brothers and sisters, revelations from and of God are not just ideas to kick around over a coffee with friends...

Revelations are "real truths," and they demand real responses.

God's self-revelation should cause us to stand in awe of him. It should cause us to worship him (and no, I don't mean "to sing a slow song and raise your hands on the chorus..." I will be writing a book about this before the end). His revelation should cause us to stand in fearful wonder of him.

Revelation is so precious.

Revelation is precious because it is revelation of him.

And He is the epitome of precious.

So, so precious, and it cannot be overstated!

Oh that we would realize that it is the most precious thing! That we would gladly lay down our lives for his precious face! Like the parable of Jesus, when the man sells all he has to purchase land where a treasure is buried... that is how his kingdom works. Everything else is utterly worthless in comparison to the living God!

God's self-revelation is the best thing He can do for us (I think that is why heaven is heaven... God will be infinitely revealing his infinite self to us).

How thankful I am, or rather, how thankful I long to be, for all that He has done for us!

But I refuse to just sit here and offer meaningless thanks with my mouth (or keyboard) yet not actualize it in my life.

In the book of James, we are warned to not be deceived and just hear the word, but to apply it our lives (1:22).

When God shows you an aspect of his precious self, when He speaks to you, whether through a song, a sermon, a quickened thought, a blog, a bird singing, an audible voice of thunder, or the silence in your bedroom, let him know that his revelation of himself is precious to you.

I have heard it said, "write down the revelations that God gives you, and you show him that they are precious to you."

And I would agree that that is a good thing.

But what about this:

Write them in your heart. (Psalm 119:11)

And even better:

Show it with your life. Make much of God by how you live.

That is about all I can keep my eyes open to write at the moment. I sincerely hope (and am trying to sincerely pray) that the Lord opens your eyes to his wonders day by day. We are in his hands, his able, capable, and trustworthy hands... After all, He is the one who invented hands, so we should feel safe in his, as He should know how to use them!

The Glory of Love

2008-12-27T16:46:00.012-06:00

In order for this rant (some call it a blog) to make sense, it would help if one understood the purpose of life. I will make this as simple as I can...

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet relays a message from God to his people (us).

"Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’” (43:6-7 NLT)

Another version states it like this:
"I have created them for my glory."

Seems pretty clear.
The purpose of life is to glorify God.

Yet, I was offended when I first heard this. The purpose of life is...
...to glorify God?

So the point of my life isn't me?
It isn't even for fellowship with God?
It isn't for God to love me?
It isn't for my joy and fulfillment?

When I first read this, I thought that we got the short end of the stick.

And this is where we so often come to adopt warped views of the nature of God and the ultimate purpose of our lives.

Now, before we continue let's talk about what we mean by the term "glorify."
When we glorify something, we show it's splendor, goodness, and virtue. We magnify (like a telescope) that something. We show how grand something really is.
We must understand this word in order to understand the implications of our purpose as creations of God.

So back to this idea of our life being created for the glory of God... does that suggest that all of our efforts for gratification and fulfillment are in vain?

It is not that our joy and fulfillment are one thing, and the glorification of God is another...
Indeed, they are not two separate matters.
They are the same thing.

This is how: Only in our enjoyment and display of God are we ever truly satisfied.

Read that again:
Only
in
our
enjoyment
and
display
of
God
are
we
ever
truly
satisfied.

Think about it like this... If God is so good and so perfect, what is the best thing He could do for us? After all, his goodness would allow him to give us no other thing than the best...

The answer is obvious, the best thing that God can give us is, in fact, himself.

Revelation of him, evidence of his nature within us, the reflection of his face in our eyes, his spirit in our bodies, and the being, the very being of God in us. In the book of Genesis, God says that he created man (you and I) in his image (1:26).
We were made to display him.

I believe that it is when we crave God, and long to enjoy and display him, this scripture is fulfilled: "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires." (Psalm 37:4)

The (true) glorification (which is the display and enjoyment) of God is the same as our (true) joy and fulfillment.

So a guy met a girl.
They talked, sparks flew, romance blossomed.
This guy thought that he may be in love.
Yet, upon some further pondering, he then realized...
He didn't even know what love was...

He did, however, know of a book called the Bible, which defines love.
So he checked it out.
And it turned out that love is not what he originally thought it might be.
It was not merely the subject of romance movies, and novels.
It was not just about happiness, pleasure, fun, smiling, and laughter.
It was not about romantic-intoxication or infatuation...
But all of those things were so normal in the world the guy lived in, and it was hard for him to wrap his head around what love really was...
How can so many people define "love" by these things?

Paul, an apostle (sent one) of God, defined love like this in a letter to a group of believers:

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.
Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
1 Corinthians 13:5-10 (MSG)

After reading that, it seems that maybe our friend was not in love... then what was he "in?"
He was interested, but was he ready and able to "put up with anything?" Was he really just thinking, "me first?"

Back to that verse in Isaiah, God says,
"I have made them for my glory..." (43:7)

We were created to display God.

So if the point of life is to display God (glorify him), then the point of love is just the same.

To display God.

(real) Love displays the nature of God.

According to that book, the Bible, "God is love."
Jesus says, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35)

My Bible (Tyndale NLT) defines love like this: the ultimate expression of God's loyalty, purity, and mercy extended toward his people-- to be reflected in human relationships of brotherly concern, marital fidelity, and adoration of God.

Our display if love, in a sense, is like a reflection of God.

When we love people, we "God" people (yes, I just used God as a verb, and no, I don't really understand it).
When we show love, we show God. When we show (display or glorify) God, we fulfill the purpose of our creation.
When we love, we prove, without a doubt, that we are disciples (followers) and imitators of God.
We show that we, in fact, were not only created in his awesome image, but we are operating in it.

Do your relationships radiate with love? Do they radiate with God? (Note: this does not mean that ugliness, misunderstanding, contempt, and frustration will be absent. And it is not a cover all for mistakes... one could write volumes more on this...) Think about it.

Let's not trivialize the idea of love.
Oh, and one more thing, and you can try this today...

Love one another.
(Hint: quit talking about it, and do it. Live it.)

Off My Rocker...

2008-12-23T18:09:00.010-06:00

Its been a while since I've written a blog. The easiest excuse to pull out would be that I have been "busy with school," a valid observation, but not entirely true. As I generally make time for what I am passionate about...
Lately I have been wanting to write some stuff that is... a little more real (I have heard that compartmentalizing your life is "unhealthy"). I used to only want to write Moments in Time about "spiritual" things... then real life happened, and I found myself divided as to what I should share here, which brings me to questions like the following...

Does "spirituality" have to be confined to hard thought, earnest prayer, "daily devotionals," and corporate gatherings once or twice a week?
Isn't God somehow bigger than all that?
A long time ago, a prophet named Isaiah saw the Lord. Above his throne, a group of angels were (and are) proclaiming:

"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." (6:3)
The whole earth is filled with His glory.
What does that mean?
Glory, in this context, translates from the Hebrew word kavod. Kavod refers to the weight, heaviness, or significance of something. So the whole world is filled with this kavod. This weight, significance, severity, and evidence of God.

When I came across that verse in Isaiah, it sparked a thought...
If the whole earth is full and overflowing with the glory of God, why can't I see it?
If it is flooding with God's glory, should I be drenched in it?
What does it look like? Where is it? Were those angels seeing something that I cannot? Why can't I see it?
Can I see it and just not associate it with God?

In the book of Proverbs, the wisest man that ever lived, Solomon, explained glory in a unique way.

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life. (16:31)

"The glory of young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old." (20:29)

Solomon looks at glory almost like a fruit. A kind of tangible evidence of something great.
Something manifested.
How can one see and appreciate something if it is not somehow demonstrated?
In this sense, there would be no way for us to experience God's glory without him somehow showing us...
But he has shown us.

It seems that every time I face a problem in my life, I ask questions. What is motivating me do react or respond to this issue in the manner that I am reacting or responding? What is my motivation? Why is that my motivation? Is what is driving me pleasing to God? After all, God himself told us to live to please him, and neither others nor ourselves. (Deut. 10:12, Gal. 2:20, 1 Thes. 4:1, and virtually on every page of the Bible).

We can read this profound concept of pleasing God, and even theoretically believe it. But do we really believe it?
No, but really?
Do your actions prove it?

I believe Paul's statement about this thing we call Christianity is one of the most profound revelations ever recorded.

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)

When I read that verse, all I can think is that there is still so much of me in me.

I came across another verse in Isaiah that answered a lot of my questions, yet it also can raised a handful of others...
The prophet is relaying a message from God to his people.

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from east and west.
I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”
(43:5-7)

In moments of despair, when all that I think is "my life" seems to be falling apart, I tend to ask (God and myself) some pretty weighty questions.
Why? What is it all for? What is the point of all of this? To what end should I pursue this goal? What does it really matter?
These are real questions I have, and I know that there are real answers. There has to be some truth to all of this.

I am not content to meaninglessly wonder through life, comparing myself to people who compare themselves to other people. Dare I say, even in the "church." (The quotations merely signify the multiple definitions of church... our institutionalized groups and the true body of Christ)

When I ask other believers what the point of life is... I have never heard it said that "life is to be lived for the glory of God."
I have heard answers about happiness, fulfillment, knowing God, and even fellowship with God, but never an answer about his glory.

And this is crazy to me.
Is it not right here in the Bible? Why have I not heard this before?
I think that all of these other believers' answers are contained in living for the glory of God, but to be honest, I can't really explain what that verse fully means.

How do I live, how do I breathe for the glory of God?

Or in the words of Francis Schaeffer, "How then, shall we live?"

In one of Paul's letters to a group of believers in Corinth, he wrote, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Another version states it a little more vividly:

"So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you're eating to God's glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God's glory."
(1 Cor. 10:31)

Does this mean that God is not just glorified in people being raised from the dead, or being healed?
How do I study for an anthropology exam to the glory of God? How do I eat a peanut butter, banana, and granola wrap to the glory of God? How is God glorified in this? Why is He glorified in this?

Is this how the whole earth is filled with his glory?

Romans 1:20
"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

God is so much bigger than we give him credit for. He is bigger than your "church," bigger than your devotional, bigger than your prayers, bigger than your love for your family. He is here, now, yet we only see and understand him in part. Paul likens it to seeing through a darkly tinted glass. But He is not just on the other side. He is everywhere. He is in me. I am in him.

If God is love... then are my experiences if love reflecting God? If Jesus is the truth, then are my experiences of truth reflecting the glory of Christ?
Is God that big?
If Jesus is in me, is everything I do sacred and holy? Does he really sanctify all of me?
Are you that big?
Just a thought...

God, show me more of who You are. Peel away the layers of self and religion that hinder my vision of you. Open my eyes. In the words of my friend Jeff, "Unveil my eyes, so I can see your glory. Unveil my eyes, so I can know you're here. You're here." Make it a reality God. Reveal yourself. Draw near to me as I long for and draw near to you.

In John 17:26, Jesus prays for us, his followers:

"I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Don't stop.

Abiding

2008-07-27T00:06:00.012-05:00

My King, Lord, and Father, I answer you tonight, drawn by your irresistible love. May the words that ensue come only from Your Spirit that has filled me up to the brim and caused me to overflow, for your glory.
It is good to rest. Read from John's account of the Good News. Keep in mind, this is the King of Kings talking to you and me! How awesome!

From the 14th chapter of John (NKJV):
"If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

From the 15th chapter of John:
“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

I felt led to merely copy a portion of scripture pertaining to what God has told us about his Spirit. The bold phrases, and there are many, exemplify just a sample of the wonderful things that Jesus will do for us.

The only requirement for us layed out in this passage is that we love him (and how can we not love him when He draws us in with his absolutely irresistible love?). The fruit (evidence and proof) of our love for him is found in our actions. All throughout the teachings of Jesus, he proclaims that if we love him, we will keep his commandments (note that we are not saved by keeping his commandments, but it is a way to test (examine ourselves) to see if we are saved... see 1 John).
Jesus has sent us his spirit! No longer must we plead with his physical form, but he dwells in us! Hallelujah! He lives and He REIGNS in us!

In the 15th chapter of John, Jesus tells us that we abide in him, and He abides is us.

Get this:

Abiding in Christ is only meant for us, we who are weak and feeble.

It does not demand that we first become holy, or clean ourselves up, or accomplish some great deed.

No my friends, it is simply this: weakness entrusting itself to the Mighty One to be kept.

"Abiding in him is not a work that we have to do as a condition of enjoying his salvation, but a consenting to LET him do ALL for us, in us, and through us" (Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ).

Again, in the words of Andrew Murray, let me describe to you how I, and maybe you have thought:

"The idea they [many believers] have of grace is this: that their conversion and pardon are God's work but that now, in gratitude to God it is their work to live as Christians and follow Jesus... They fail continually and become hopeless, and the despondency only increases the helplessness.
No, wandering one; as it was Jesus who drew you when He spoke, "Come" (Matt. 11:28), so it is Jesus who keeps you when He said, "Abide" (John 15:4). The grace to come and the grace to abide alike are from him alone."

What freedom there is in Christ.
Just lay down!

Stop your striving at the foot of the cross!

Only in passivity can you truly abide, for it is no longer we who live, but Christ...

He lives in us.

I am a worm, and not a man

2008-07-11T02:14:00.004-05:00

How I wish I could understand what I have written. Lord, if it please you, teach me your ways, that I may walk with you. I don't want to love sin, nor myself, but only you. Show me just a glimpse of your glory, that my understanding of you will not be so low as philosophic nor logical, but supernatural in every facet of thereof. Rid me of my pride and faith in my works! Strip me down and humble me as I am broken before you. I am lost without you, and my soul honestly yearns for the real you, not an idol that I have made out of you. Show me your glory and change me forever. Place in me a heart of flesh to replace this dry, dead stone in me. Do not leave me nor forsake me, but shower your mercy on me! The mercy that I have done nothing to deserve.
And though these words ring hollow in my soul, by faith I must believe. You have the words of eternal life, where else can I go?
Help me Lord! I need revelation of the gift of salvation every day! Once is not enough. I need your presence now! Even as I type this plea to you! I cannot live without it! Each second that passes without you I am more miserable than before! Come! You said that if I would draw near to you, that you would come to me! Does a glance from my wicked eye no longer ravish your heart? Why would you save me? I know that it was by no thing that I have done or will ever do! I know this in my mind, but make it real in my spirit! Show me yourself, that I may hate all that I am in light of you really are. Let not me live another day deciding who to serve! Make me a new creation and keep me to abide in you truly. Hear my heart Father, I have nothing left and my strength is spent. Yet I must still seek you!
You have the words of eternal life... and the only life abundant... where else can I go? What can I do? I will seek you until I die because I know that you are precious. Lord reveal your presence and glory here and now! Strip away this shell of self and pride and deceit! For I know that I could not even pray this prayer lest Jesus bore your wrath for me! It is only by grace!

Thank you Jesus, for your mercy.

Truth in Love

2008-07-08T10:02:00.007-05:00

I write these words merely as documentation of my conviction, a declaration before G-d, and a cementing of the precious revelation that He has given to an unworthy servant such as myself. For if the Lord grants us a revelation of himself, should we not treat it as precious? Or should we take it for granted and forget it merely moments after it has been revealed? His Word is eternal! He is his Word, and He is a consuming fire! Revere him? Do not take lightly the promises, truths, and gifts of the Lord! I do not write these words for men to say "That's good," or "He is spiritual." What foolishness is in the hearts, much less the words (which flow from the heart) of men... for there is only one who is good!

Luke 18:18-19
Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only G-d is truly good..."

Whoa, whoa, whoa... But Jesus, aren't you good?

John 5:19
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven to do the will of G-d who sent me, not to do my own will.

John 8:28-29
Jesus says "...I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me. And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”

John 12:49
Jesus declares "I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it."

There is a pattern here. These are just four of scores of cases in John's gospel in which Jesus emphasizes this truth. He is merely a reflection of his Father. A reflection of his Father. A reflection of his Father. A reflection of his Father.

What does this mean for us? What are we to be?

Ephesians 5:1
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.

Matthew 5:48
"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Leviticus 19:2
“Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your G-d, am holy."

1 Peter 1:15-16
But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as G-d who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

A high call, indeed.

So Jesus, who pleased God completely, did only those things which the Father told him do, and he said only those things which the Father told him to say...

...we are supposed to be imitators of that?

Yes.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Did you read that? That is a command! That doesn't mean we get "extra rewards" or we are a "good Christian" for living for his glory! That means that everything that we don't do for his glory is disobedience and treason.
Oh, how we must be holy as he is holy! We must decrease that he may increase in us!
Christianity is not merely confessing a magic prayer and trying hard to stay away from cussing, pornography, drugs, and alcoholism! It is a continual repenting (U-turn from sin and to God)-- not out of the flesh and our human will, but because we are new creations through Christ!

But understand this, that G-d is just. He is not merely "a just god," He is the essence of justice! He is what makes justice just! We cannot sit here on his footstool (earth) and attempt to dissect his infinite attributes, as his attributes are as inseparable as He is. Yet in our polluted minds we choose to value certain aspects of his character over other equally important aspects... We have created a monster of the true Lord. A perversion of truth, holiness, love, and wrath! Dear friends, how can we, who are but mere balls of dust, dare to bring the creator of life down to our level that we may raise up a false image of him to praise?! What horrible blasphemy!
Yet this is the root of so many of our problems: We don't truly know who G-d is, so we make our own god-- "and he looks more like Santa Claus than he does Yahweh."

And consequently, this is what we hear.
"We don't need that holiness, this is the age of grace! G-d is love! Don't be a legalist!"

You may say, "don't be a legalist," but I would say to you: Don't be a fool!
Do you not know that with love there must be wrath? And with perfect and just love (the love of G-d), there is perfect and just wrath. He is as terrible as he is wonderful!

You may say, "Josiah, God doesn't hate! He is love!"
I would say that is because the god that you are serving is an idol. You may not be serving a wooden statue, but rather an imagination and self-creation that you and our damned culture slapped the holy label of "God" on! What blasphemy!
Just because you have heard or read about the G-d of the Bible (the true G-d of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob), that in no way allows you the right to call your false creation by the same name.

The true, Almighty G-d says, "No. I must hate because I AM love!"
If you love some things, you must hate others. If I really love children, I must hate abortion. There is no alternative (unless your love is false). If the just judge of the universe decided to pardon all of us for our sin, he would be no just judge, and no God at all.

Yet, in our own strength, it is impossible to live up to this glorious standard. We can see that starting in the third chapter of the Old Testament, and then in every page thereafter.

We men-- we were born bound for hell. G-d's perfect justice required that we must pay for our sin.
Yet many people, including myself, believe themselves to be inherently good people. They say, "I am a pretty good person! Sure I have messed up a few times, but I think I am a good person."

My friend, you think too highly of yourself.

Do you not understand?

Every breath that we took before we accepted Jesus was high treason against a just and perfect God! He created us in his image, yet we live in every way opposing him!

We were haters of God.

Read from the first two chapters in the book of Romans.
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things.Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

We deserved to die.

Yet Jesus came to bear the cup of his Father's just wrath on us. Wayward, G-d-hating people. He literally became sin, and became the object of his Father's hatred! Isaiah said in chapter 53, "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief."
Someone had to pay for what I did. For what you did. It should have been us. G-d would have been perfectly just and loving if he let us suffer for our sin and hatred of him.

But for his glory, he created us. And for his glory, he redeemed us.

Romans 3
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Peace/Will

2008-02-22T17:51:00.008-06:00

Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

These words from David never fail to bring an overwhelming peace to my soul.
It's nice to know that we, who place our trust in him, are taken care of.
And it is comforting, knowing that even when we endure these difficult seasons (valleys of shadow and death), He is still close beside.
Yes, I'm glad that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He will never leave, nor forsake us.

My sister once told me something that has never left me...
"Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that we have anything to offer God except our hearts..."

For whatever reason, the Lord chose not to create men as slaves, but as free moral agents. In no way are we forced to love him, however those of us who have experienced this unconditional love of God are nothing short of convinced that there is no other way to live. But to dwell in the house of Lord for all of our days is ultimately a choice, and available to all.

Think about it, the only thing that we really control is the position of our hearts (our will).
This is what set Adam (and all men) apart from the angels. The only real "gift" we can give the Lord is the only "real" area that we have control over. The only true act of love that we can display (and live out) is one that requires the sacrifice of that gift (our control of our will). And since we really only have one thing to give... may we sacrifice our will. We choose to trust God, giving back to Him what He has freely given to us, knowing that his purposes, his ways, and his will are higher than our own.

For example, look to Jesus. This Son of God did not want to die, but for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. It was not his will, but the will of his Father that Jesus wanted done. And if Jesus, the Son of God would not choose his personal will over his Father's... then we must be plum crazy to think that our will stands a chance.

In giving our will, we choose also die to ourselves... see Paul's books for more on this subject (especially Romans).
And last time I checked, according to Galatians 2:20, We have been crucified with Christ, so it is no longer we who live (since our personal will is gladly forfeit for the will of the Lord), but Christ who lives in us.

This, my friends, is a central yet often overlooked theme of our faith.

You do not have a choice, but if you think you do... you just haven't given it up yet... so go on, die to yourself, and may YOU let the glory of God be manifested in your life.

Mine

2008-02-17T14:52:00.007-06:00

In my life, there is much that I long to do and be. There is also much that I am able to do and be.

Recently, a friend told me this: "sometimes, it's not so much deciding what to do, but deciding what not to do..."

In I Corinthians 6:12, Paul confirms this thought:
"Everything is permissible for me— but not everything is beneficial..."

Knowing that we have the world available to us, and that we may exercise our free will to choose to live how we may, life suddenly has the potential to become more and more complex...

But if I have learned one thing, let it be this...

My portion is Him, and I am more than blessed.

Can't Sleep

2008-01-20T01:13:00.001-06:00

Saturday night, or rather, Sunday morning. 1:13 AM. I am having a hard time keeping my eyes shut, so I thought I'd spill some of my thoughts to the keyboard.

Tonight, as I was returning home from hanging out with some friends, I got to thinking... It would be nice to have one day a week where I could just relax. I am definitely engrossed in the trivialities of life Monday through Friday. School, work, this, that, and everything else in between. And many collegiate part-timers, myself included, work on Saturdays. Early morning Sunday church can seem like an obligation, and Sunday band practice, a chore.
Yeah, one day a week to recoup wouldn't be so bad. But wait...
Turns out that this was not my idea after all.

Exodus 20:8
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 31:12-14
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. " 'Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you..."

As we know, we as Christians are not bound to the Old Testament rules and regulations about the Sabbath (Colossians 2)... but after all, like abstaining from murder (which we still do), keeping the Sabbath holy is a commandment. So what does it really mean to "keep the Sabbath holy?"

The Hebrew word for "holy" translates to "set-apart." God created the earth in 6 days, and set apart a seventh day to rest. And sure, on Sundays we meet with the local church in a building for ninety minutes, but is that all "setting apart" is?
Outlined in the first 5 books of the Bible, we can read about the many rules the Jews kept for the Sabbath. But when Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees for plucking grain from a field on the Sabbath, He rebuked them and all who made a fetish of Sabbath observance, insisting, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

In the United States, we say the week starts on Sunday.
That reminds me of a tithe. We give the first of our income to the Lord, shall we not also give the first of our week? our time? our energy? ...our lives?

Like Jesus said, the point of the Sabbath is not the Sabbath.

Genesis 1:31, 2:2-3
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Set apart, see that God is good. It's not so much that we rest for the sake of physical, emotional, or psychological rest, but that we remember the Sabbath. Remember the Lord, your God. Honor. See that it is good.

Colossians 2:16-17 (NLV)
So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.

I really don't know why I wrote about that. Just thinking aloud.

Notes: NIV translation used unless otherwise noted. Special thanks to http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2004/janfeb/14.16.html.

Choice

2008-01-08T21:24:00.002-06:00

Purpose.
A captivating word, no doubt.
In the past, and honestly, in the present, I tend to struggle with understanding purpose.
Beyond measure, the Lord has blessed me with friends, relationships, goals, dreams, hopes, and aspirations. Of such things I have no shortage. My mind is ever wrestling with ideas... choices... and their consequences.
I know most of us could care less about math... but bear with me for an illustration.
Math is like life: In math problems, changing one variable will change the entire outcome of the problem. Meaning the solution wholly depends on the variables. In relation to our lives, realize it or not, every second that we are alive we are making choices. We choose what variables to operate on. Every choice (variable), has an outcome (answer), just like every cause has an effect...

The flapping of a butterfly's wings affects traffic patterns in Europe.

Now I thought that quote was pretty outlandish when I first heard it... until I gave it some thought:

Say an American man sees a beautiful butterfly...
The man gets inspired and writes a captivating blog.
A British man reads his blog.
The Brit contemplates the blog while he is driving.
Deep in thought, the Brit wrecks, and destroys an intersection.
Another businessman who usually goes through that intersection is late to work due to the wreck.
Because he is late, he misses a meeting.
The missed meeting led to tensions between two companies.
Now we pay more for gas.

Obviously, this is hypothetical, but the point is, every choice we make matters. Cases like this exist, they are happening as we speak. Our choices affect so much more than what we will ever know, much less see. So due to the gravity of our choices, it is of the utmost importance that we consistently make the right choice. Allow me to explain.

When it comes down to it, there is really only one choice we can make, though it can be expressed in many ways through many scenarios... Choice always comes down to this: God's way, or our way. Even Jesus, the Son of the Living God, never did anything he wanted to do, he merely carried out his Father's will. So here is my question. If the Son of God chose to forfeit his will so that the will of the Father may be done, how much more should we have to forfeit ours? As little Christs, what right to we have to our own will at all?

None.

Mark 14:36
"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (NIV)

Jesus, in his own will, did want to go to the cross. But it wasn't about what Jesus wanted. His life was not his own. And we, being imitators of Christ have been called to as such.

Luke 9:23
..."If anyone would come after me, he MUST deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Romans 8:12-14
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

I was originally going to write about purpose... but you know how those things go... sometimes you have to choose to be led by the Spirit. :)

Believe these words, they are not my own.
Read Romans 6-8.

God Bless

Christmas

2007-12-25T12:35:00.003-06:00

From Genesis 1:26-30
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

From Genesis 3:8-9
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

God created us for his pleasure (Rev. 4:11), for him (Col. 1:16), and in his image and likeness (Gen. 1:27). He made us like him that we may know, love, worship, serve, and fellowship with him. As you can see, he did not make us for us, He made us for him. We will never be satisfied living for ourselves… we were never meant to.

As we read in Genesis 3, God wanted to walk with us in the cool of the day. He was looking for Adam to fellowship. Yet because Adam chose sin, he separated himself from the Lord...

For the past few weeks I have been in Panama, visiting family and to a limited degree, getting involved in various types of ministry. Thus far, I have a had an awesome time here with my parents, brothers, and my brothers in Christ.
My family attends an English-speaking church here, and last night we attended a Christmas Eve candlelight service. Amidst all of the usual carols and the famous story we all know, one of the musicians sang a song that really opened my eyes.

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home
Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

By Chris Rice

So simple, yet so profound. God came near. He did not require us to come to his level, but instead he came to ours.
Can you imagine... The Holy of Holies descending from his glorious throne to attend and redeem his fallen creation? From throne to manger, from God to man, from reverence to mockery. Why?

That word has been resounding in my understanding this Christmas season. Why?
Why go to all the trouble to save us?
What are we worth to him?
Why didn't he just start over?

Meditate on this common verse.
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NLV)

Love. The answer is so simple, yet hard for me to comprehend.
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" I John 4:8 (NIV)
God is love.

Jesus was, and is, the answer to restore us to our Father. To his original intent for his sons and daughters. God came to us, to die, that we may live. The precious, innocent blood in the tiny heart of our infant Lord Jesus would ransom us from the kingdom of darkness that we chose, and allow us back into our Father’s hands. Remember why you celebrate this day, remember why you breathe. Merry Christmas.

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:1-5 (NIV)

I Let It Burn

2007-12-05T18:03:00.001-06:00

In the gospel of Matthew, there is a beautiful illustration that I often find myself coming back to. Whether I am teaching a class on Sundays, talking with friends, giving advice, or even writing music, the principles of this story are ever applicable to the situation. From Matthew 14...

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

“Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

One could write volumes on that passage. However, the main revelation I have received from this story is this: Peter was fine until he took his eyes off of Jesus. In fact, he was more than fine, he was walking on water! But what happened? Peter started to worry, fear, and preoccupy himself with the natural things. The dark, the wind, the waves, the cold. The things he saw and felt. He stopped walking by faith, and started walking by sight... and how can one even conceive of walking on water in the natural? (2 Cor. 5:7)

Paul told us something that we should well know by now: in this life we will face persecution, trials, tribulations, and troubles. These "storms" are a biblical guarantee. So if we walk by what we see, we will have a lot to worry about. But... if we keep our eyes on the everlasting face of our Savior, our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, he will sustain us. He will never leave, not forsake us. It is in He alone we must place our hope. He is our rock, our fortress, our refuge, our shelter, our strength, our strong tower, our deliverer...
Man I could go on and on... In Matthew 6, did He not say:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

As a fellow brother in Christ, I implore you. Keep your focus on the Lord, not the circumstance. Circumstances will always be crazy, it's called life. So don't place your hope, future, and safety in something temporal. Instead, trust Jesus, for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He did not offer his life that we may suffer, but so that we may have life, and life more abundantly.
Stop living with your natural eyes, for your natural things, ideas, pleasures, and desires. But Pray that the God of mercy, love, and grace will open your supernatural eyes so that we may see what He sees, love what He loves, hate what He hates, and be who He is.
Magnify Jesus, not the problem. He doesn't want to you to be like the Israelite children who grumbled and complained about their problems, issues, and circumstances... Our God is not ignorant, He knows before you say a word.
Then what does God Almighty want to hear?

Faith pleases God.
Pray with authority and faith. Pray and speak the Word. Speak faith, walk by faith. Rest assured that He will take care of you. Get your mind off of the distractions the enemy sends our way, and back on the Master.

I didn't intend on writing all of that... but when the fire starts... may as well let it burn.

Sink or swim in this sea of doubt
My God, save me, or here I drown!
Lead me back to you

Today, Everything Starts Where It Ends

2007-11-20T15:11:00.002-06:00

Inspired by largely by Hannah and Joelle, I decided to start electronically recording my rants via this blog. So here I am, sitting in American Media and Social Institutions class, effectively distracted from the playing informational film... I don't really care about the history of early television.

The firing of a spark plug could interrupt the signals of crude televisions.
No, I don't care too much, but here I am.

For such a time as this, here I am. The Lord has led me to this city, this university, this field of study, and this seat. For a reason. Not to wish it away. Life is a journey, not a destination. I believe that God is much more concerned with my character than my comfort.

For the longest time, I would wish. I can't wait 'till:
-Friday
-next semester
-graduation
-the band to generate my income
-a career
-to get married
-x
-y
-z

I was talking with a friend yesterday about this very issue. In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that he came to give life, and life more abundantly. We can't experience abundant life yesterday, like we cannot experience abundant life tomorrow... We can only choose to live abundantly now.

James 4:13-15

And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that." (MSG)

Tomorrow is really not guaranteed. All we have is today.
Do yourself a favor, don't wish it away.

This is the day that the Lord has made... so why not rejoice and be glad in it.

Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Do not worry... that doesn't sound like a good idea, it doesn't sound like a suggestion... it sounds like a command. And it makes perfect sense. If our lives are not our own, what right do we even have to worry?

Examine yourself. Ask yourself, "who am I living for?"

How do you know?