In discussion of Saving Life of Christ last night, I was reminded of many teachings and thoughts that have been shared with me before. I am encouraged by this change I have been seeing in my life lately. It seems as though in many situations, my first thoughts and reactions have been pulling out a scripture, or a sermon, or some other study I have done. I find myself in conversations with people of varying beliefs, and there being answers to questions... It's an exciting thing, as I have been feeling God working in me and through me, maturing me as a follower, but it us also a frightening thing. I am learning that there are times that the right answer to a question can sometimes be, "I don't know."
In the past, that answer would make me feel weak, and I'll-equipped to engage in conversation and discussion about belief, and life in general. But God has blessed me over the last year or so with a deepening understanding of who He is, and who I am. He has taught me to grasp the idea of it being ok to admit that sometimes all I know us that I simply don't know, and being able to admit that, openly and honestly can be the strongest statement we can make to an honest, curious seeker.
The lost world we live in is tired of Christians who act as though they have no questions or struggles in day to day life... tired of those of us who answer questions by simply stating a book, chapter, verse and look at them with condemnation when we have to explain the reference. What they want is honesty, and the ability to say that life is friggen messy, and it doesn't make sense all the time. We need to be honest with people in order to engage, and love them. Without that vulnerability and desire to have raw, honest relationships, we can not hope to reach our communities who desperately need us.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Rejection
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28 NCV)
Among the "good" church-going Christians of this country, you will often find this verse listed as a favorite. It's a great verse to give us hope and understanding and encourage us that in times of confusion and chaos, God has a plan. I count myself among those who have come to this verse to help when things get tough.
Here's the rub though, many times people will throw this verse around trying to make themselves or others feel better about a situation that they don't like. They will use it for an excuse, or to almost blame God for things happening... Saying things like, "I don't understand why _____ is happening, but I guess God has a plan, I know he works all things for good, so I guess I just have to accept it." Ifs often that we want to lop off the end of verses, especially verses that have a qualifier attached. In the case of the often abused Romans 8:28, we lose "of those who love God." I think that at times we drop the ending because we figure its a no-brainer... of course we love God, so of course He is working things for our good. But is that really what this verse is saying?
Among the words that our pastor uses often, the phrase "scripture defines scripture" ranks pretty high on my list. It has helped me many times as I read through God's word. He also helps us, as his church, to understand that the Bible, in its entirety, from beginning to end, not in part, but the whole, is true, infallible, and perfect. Verses, taken out of context, with their words twisted, inflections and stresses changed, can be used to create entirely new ideas and whole religious practice and belief structures are often based on this type if false teaching... it is also the most common tactic of Satan to lure us away from a right understanding of God.
I say all of this to get to a story, and I think there is a point...
I was recently turned down for a job, a shift in careers that seemed truly perfect. Better hours, more money, growth potential, and a way to impact my patients in a much different way. I first applied for the position a few months ago, and was initially rejected. I went on and continued looking for other opportunities, applied for other jobs, trusting that God would open some doors. I then found a position that sounded intriguing, a leadership position in the same office as the other job. I sent my résumé, and waited. One day a couple weeks later I received a call to let me know they were hiring an internal candidate for that job, but they wanted to interview me for a different position... the job I was initially rejected from months before. Romans 8:28 flashed in my head. Everything went smoothly, interviewed, and waited... everyone assumed I was moving on, including my current supervisors, it's was too perfect. Romans 8:28 in action... It couldn't be stopped... until last Friday, a call let me know that, to their surprise, they had received a couple of unbelievably good applicants for the position and they were going to move ahead with them. Romans 8:28... shattered.
Except not... a couple of things happened as I went to God in prayer following that phone call, the biggest was the conviction I felt when I asked God what more I could have done to deserve the job. When I pleaded to know how this was to my good. What I got back was a sense of needing to (again) reevaluate my understanding of scripture.
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28 NCV)
The first thing was to focus on the qualifier that we so often drop from the verse, "of those who LOVE GOD." How does the Bible define love in this sense? How do we know if we love God enough for Him to work things out for good? At the instant that I quoted Romans 8:28 to God (note: never quite scripture to God unless you are ready for a response) He responded with John 14:15 & 24
“If you love me, you will obey my commands." (John 14:15 NCV)
Those who do not love me do not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine; it is from my Father, who sent me. (John 14:24 NCV)
Ouch... God responded
My brain put it together as:
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who obey the commands of Jesus, and anyone who does not obey the teachings of Christ does not love God because those teachings come from God. Therefore if you do not obey the teachings and commandments of Jesus, you are not living within the will of God. However, if you will surrender, and die daily (as Christ commands is necessary to follow and obey His teachings) then you will be aligned with the work that God is doing. Because God is working all things for good for those who fit His definition of love, we can trust that if we are submitted to His living through us, as Jesus teaches, that God will complete His good work through us.
Romans 8:28 is a promise that the will of God is for the advancement of His kingdom and a better understanding of His glory among His people. Those who are submitted to His will are vessels of His work that will lead to that good... It is not a promise that we will get the job we want, or the car we think we need, or win the lottery if we just love God enough.
Among the "good" church-going Christians of this country, you will often find this verse listed as a favorite. It's a great verse to give us hope and understanding and encourage us that in times of confusion and chaos, God has a plan. I count myself among those who have come to this verse to help when things get tough.
Here's the rub though, many times people will throw this verse around trying to make themselves or others feel better about a situation that they don't like. They will use it for an excuse, or to almost blame God for things happening... Saying things like, "I don't understand why _____ is happening, but I guess God has a plan, I know he works all things for good, so I guess I just have to accept it." Ifs often that we want to lop off the end of verses, especially verses that have a qualifier attached. In the case of the often abused Romans 8:28, we lose "of those who love God." I think that at times we drop the ending because we figure its a no-brainer... of course we love God, so of course He is working things for our good. But is that really what this verse is saying?
Among the words that our pastor uses often, the phrase "scripture defines scripture" ranks pretty high on my list. It has helped me many times as I read through God's word. He also helps us, as his church, to understand that the Bible, in its entirety, from beginning to end, not in part, but the whole, is true, infallible, and perfect. Verses, taken out of context, with their words twisted, inflections and stresses changed, can be used to create entirely new ideas and whole religious practice and belief structures are often based on this type if false teaching... it is also the most common tactic of Satan to lure us away from a right understanding of God.
I say all of this to get to a story, and I think there is a point...
I was recently turned down for a job, a shift in careers that seemed truly perfect. Better hours, more money, growth potential, and a way to impact my patients in a much different way. I first applied for the position a few months ago, and was initially rejected. I went on and continued looking for other opportunities, applied for other jobs, trusting that God would open some doors. I then found a position that sounded intriguing, a leadership position in the same office as the other job. I sent my résumé, and waited. One day a couple weeks later I received a call to let me know they were hiring an internal candidate for that job, but they wanted to interview me for a different position... the job I was initially rejected from months before. Romans 8:28 flashed in my head. Everything went smoothly, interviewed, and waited... everyone assumed I was moving on, including my current supervisors, it's was too perfect. Romans 8:28 in action... It couldn't be stopped... until last Friday, a call let me know that, to their surprise, they had received a couple of unbelievably good applicants for the position and they were going to move ahead with them. Romans 8:28... shattered.
Except not... a couple of things happened as I went to God in prayer following that phone call, the biggest was the conviction I felt when I asked God what more I could have done to deserve the job. When I pleaded to know how this was to my good. What I got back was a sense of needing to (again) reevaluate my understanding of scripture.
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28 NCV)
The first thing was to focus on the qualifier that we so often drop from the verse, "of those who LOVE GOD." How does the Bible define love in this sense? How do we know if we love God enough for Him to work things out for good? At the instant that I quoted Romans 8:28 to God (note: never quite scripture to God unless you are ready for a response) He responded with John 14:15 & 24
“If you love me, you will obey my commands." (John 14:15 NCV)
Those who do not love me do not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine; it is from my Father, who sent me. (John 14:24 NCV)
Ouch... God responded
My brain put it together as:
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who obey the commands of Jesus, and anyone who does not obey the teachings of Christ does not love God because those teachings come from God. Therefore if you do not obey the teachings and commandments of Jesus, you are not living within the will of God. However, if you will surrender, and die daily (as Christ commands is necessary to follow and obey His teachings) then you will be aligned with the work that God is doing. Because God is working all things for good for those who fit His definition of love, we can trust that if we are submitted to His living through us, as Jesus teaches, that God will complete His good work through us.
Romans 8:28 is a promise that the will of God is for the advancement of His kingdom and a better understanding of His glory among His people. Those who are submitted to His will are vessels of His work that will lead to that good... It is not a promise that we will get the job we want, or the car we think we need, or win the lottery if we just love God enough.
The love of a child
When I get home from work, it takes less than a second for my hand to hit the doorknob before my daughter starts running into the kitchen, excitedly yelling "Daddy!!" Its as though all she has wanted all day long was for me to be home. All she wants is for me to pick her up, give her a big hug and then play with her. Its really hard to resist, but after spending the previous 12+ hours in the ICU, I need a shower and fresh clothes before I go touching anything! One day this past week, I got out of the shower, grabbed some dinner and had a seat on the couch... this little lady crawled up onto my lap, and cuddled in, just wanting to be close to me. She didn't want or need anything from me, just closeness. After I finished my dinner, she hopped down, grabbed her bag of blocks, sat down and said, "Now, daddy play blocks with me." It was an evening of pure, simple, love. No agenda, no manipulation, no worldly corruption... pure, simple, child like love.
I am long-convinced that of the many blessings that come with having a child (or in my case, children) is the easy and evident snapshot of love. And not just any love, but the love that exists between parent and child and, at its best, how it mimics the love of God to His children. But in this case, the example of the love that His children should have for Him. Jesus tells us to be child-like. Not in a sense of immaturity, but in a sense of purity. When we feel God's presence near us, when He is rattling the doorknob, we should run excitedly to Him. When we ask to be, and plead to be in His arms, we need to understand that there are times we must simply wait, and that there is a reason. When we are in His presence, sometimes we should just sit with Him, sometimes we should play. Never with an agenda, never with a manipulative heart, never by the standard of our world... we should delight in His presence. Our requests should be pure and centered on our desire to be closer to God, and to want to be active with Him.
Its not possible to put into words the feelings of reciprocal love between parents and children. To try would be a disservice, and would fall immensely far from the truth. It is something that can only be experienced by those who are actively taking part in the relationship. The beauty of the love is in its simplicity and completeness, it depends on nothing outside of itself. It is sustaining, unending, and perfect. It is not without struggles, pain, discipline, and heartache. We accept that those hard times come, and through them, we grow in the depth of this love. I pray that my life would reflect a love of God that is anywhere near as pure as the love my children have for me. I pray the same for anyone who happens to read this... there is a God that longs for you to experience His love. No one on this earth can put into words the depth and beauty of that love, only you can experience it for yourself. Seek it out.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Milestones
We often talk about, or hear others talk about, milestones... mile-markers that can be looked back on through our life in an attempt to measure growth. It's often a tactic we, as Christians, will employ in order to make it easier to see how God has worked in our lives and changed us, how He has worked through us from the moment of our redemption through our acceptance of Jesus, and how our spiritual life has matured. It's a wonderful practice, and a great encouragement in the times that God feels distant, or we find ourselves struggling.
Yesterday, as I was thinking over the first chapter of Nate Larkin's Samson and the Pirate Monks, I noticed something else though... the same milestones and markers are there in our descent to sin. As Larkin details his own dealings with lust and sexual sin, he shows the moments that decisions are made and deceptive schemes are hatched. His own experience is so readily transposed no matter the nature of one's sin and at the moment of brutal honesty in looking at our own sin, we easily recognize the stops we made along the way. In the same way that you do not become a mature Christian overnight, you also do not become an adulterer. It is a pattern of action and thoughts... choices made at certain stops along the path. The difference between a person growing in the love of God, and one struggling in the grip of sin is very small... It is, or should be, humbling to remember, as we look on others who are struggling that the only thing different between the two is a simple choice. I could have chosen differently, at numerous stops along my path, and I shudder to think what my life would look like today. By the grace of God, and only by His actions through me am I who I am. And even still, I am a moment by moment choice away from headed straight down the same path. It's my prayer that by knowing and recognizing both the milestones along the upward slope and the downward slope and by relying on the love of God, that I can continue living in a pattern of obedience, and growth.
Yesterday, as I was thinking over the first chapter of Nate Larkin's Samson and the Pirate Monks, I noticed something else though... the same milestones and markers are there in our descent to sin. As Larkin details his own dealings with lust and sexual sin, he shows the moments that decisions are made and deceptive schemes are hatched. His own experience is so readily transposed no matter the nature of one's sin and at the moment of brutal honesty in looking at our own sin, we easily recognize the stops we made along the way. In the same way that you do not become a mature Christian overnight, you also do not become an adulterer. It is a pattern of action and thoughts... choices made at certain stops along the path. The difference between a person growing in the love of God, and one struggling in the grip of sin is very small... It is, or should be, humbling to remember, as we look on others who are struggling that the only thing different between the two is a simple choice. I could have chosen differently, at numerous stops along my path, and I shudder to think what my life would look like today. By the grace of God, and only by His actions through me am I who I am. And even still, I am a moment by moment choice away from headed straight down the same path. It's my prayer that by knowing and recognizing both the milestones along the upward slope and the downward slope and by relying on the love of God, that I can continue living in a pattern of obedience, and growth.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Stop living for God
After reading and discussing chapter 2 of Ian Thomas' book The Saving Life of Christ, I have been struck by a couple of ideas...
The absolutely inadequate way that the Christian life is portrayed and offered by our churches- how many of us grew up hearing sermons proclaiming that we must live for God? Everything we do must be done for God! Witness to the lost... For God! Every aspect of our walk with God was to be focused on a life lived for God. It's an easy misunderstanding, and no harm was meant by the fantastic men and women that taught these principles, but they are principles that shift the focus and the burden of the Christian squarely on our own shoulders. It leads to massive amounts of people who come into a saving relationship with Christ to be radically changed and excited about going about and doing good works to advance God's kingdom... They are excited about living for God's glory... but then, as they get further into it, the same excitement begins to fade, our fruits begin to wither, rot, die, and decay... We get tired and burnt out, it's too hard, the burden is too heavy, and we become just like the majority of Christians that we have ever known... The kind that the lost world looks at and says, "why do I need God? I'm already tired and defeated"
We've missed a very crucial point... It is never supposed to be us living for God, us living for Christ, because that places us in a religion that is just like so many others with the believer at the center, trying to earn goodness... Christianity is different, we are to live surrendered, not for Christ, but with Christ living through us! It is saying at that moment that we ask Jesus to forgive us and become our Lord and Savior, that we surrender our bodies and mind to Him so that He may come and live through us. The burden of living for God is lifted by God living through us. The joy and peace of the Christian life is knowing that I can't live for God and accomplish anything, but if I choose to allow God to live through me, He can accomplish everything. It is only when we forget and try to again do something for God's glory that we are back on the road of defeat. We must choose daily to surrender, to find the strength to surrender, and by doing so, having an unspeakable joy just knowing that through you, God can do anything. Jesus told His disciples that even though they witnessed Him doing great things on this earth, that they would do even greater things once the Holy Spirit was descended upon them. It's because it allows Christ, through the surrendered flesh of all who believe, to work in all places, in all things, doing all work, for all time! It's not because we are somehow more able to do something for God, but rather we are more able to submit to His doing something through us that His glory would be magnified!
Stop living for God... He can do it better. A life lived in regular submission is a life filled with abundant joy that makes a lost world curious. A life lived in recognition that all God has ever expected from man is failure, is a life free from the burden of hoping that you're good enough. A life lived consenting to the will of a loving God is a life that is fulfilled in a way that can only be experienced, not described. The only way to experience that joy and freedom, that true peace, is to step out in faith and tell God that you want to surrender. Tell God that you are tired of trying to live for Him, and you are ready for Him to live through you.
The absolutely inadequate way that the Christian life is portrayed and offered by our churches- how many of us grew up hearing sermons proclaiming that we must live for God? Everything we do must be done for God! Witness to the lost... For God! Every aspect of our walk with God was to be focused on a life lived for God. It's an easy misunderstanding, and no harm was meant by the fantastic men and women that taught these principles, but they are principles that shift the focus and the burden of the Christian squarely on our own shoulders. It leads to massive amounts of people who come into a saving relationship with Christ to be radically changed and excited about going about and doing good works to advance God's kingdom... They are excited about living for God's glory... but then, as they get further into it, the same excitement begins to fade, our fruits begin to wither, rot, die, and decay... We get tired and burnt out, it's too hard, the burden is too heavy, and we become just like the majority of Christians that we have ever known... The kind that the lost world looks at and says, "why do I need God? I'm already tired and defeated"
We've missed a very crucial point... It is never supposed to be us living for God, us living for Christ, because that places us in a religion that is just like so many others with the believer at the center, trying to earn goodness... Christianity is different, we are to live surrendered, not for Christ, but with Christ living through us! It is saying at that moment that we ask Jesus to forgive us and become our Lord and Savior, that we surrender our bodies and mind to Him so that He may come and live through us. The burden of living for God is lifted by God living through us. The joy and peace of the Christian life is knowing that I can't live for God and accomplish anything, but if I choose to allow God to live through me, He can accomplish everything. It is only when we forget and try to again do something for God's glory that we are back on the road of defeat. We must choose daily to surrender, to find the strength to surrender, and by doing so, having an unspeakable joy just knowing that through you, God can do anything. Jesus told His disciples that even though they witnessed Him doing great things on this earth, that they would do even greater things once the Holy Spirit was descended upon them. It's because it allows Christ, through the surrendered flesh of all who believe, to work in all places, in all things, doing all work, for all time! It's not because we are somehow more able to do something for God, but rather we are more able to submit to His doing something through us that His glory would be magnified!
Stop living for God... He can do it better. A life lived in regular submission is a life filled with abundant joy that makes a lost world curious. A life lived in recognition that all God has ever expected from man is failure, is a life free from the burden of hoping that you're good enough. A life lived consenting to the will of a loving God is a life that is fulfilled in a way that can only be experienced, not described. The only way to experience that joy and freedom, that true peace, is to step out in faith and tell God that you want to surrender. Tell God that you are tired of trying to live for Him, and you are ready for Him to live through you.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Sunday Morning Conviction- 9/9/12; Love or Hate
Love presupposes hate... those words struck me this morning as I sat in church. Love presupposes hate. Among the most sure ways we know that love exists is because it is easily apparent in our world that hate exists. It is impossible to love without also hating, both must be active in your life. If you express a love for something, you are saying that you hate anything that strives to harm that love. If you do not hate that which seeks to harm the thing you claim to love, one could argue that you do not truly love. We have been offered a watered down truth that hate is wrong. Hate that calls us to stand up for that which harms our love is righteous and biblical. Because God loves us, He must hate that which seeks to harm us. Because God must hate that which seeks to harm us, He must deal with it in a very serious way. If he does not act against these things, then He does not love us. But because we know that God does love us, we know He will work against those things that seek to harm us. But, also, out of His love for us, God allows us the free will to choose His love, or the things of this world that we try to use to find love. If we choose to love the things of this world, and thus place them at a higher priority in our lives that we place God, then we are telling God that we love those things, and therefore we hate God. We are allowed to make that choice, and the consequence is very clear... the wages of sin is death. To choose against God is to choose eternity apart from His love. To choose against God, is to choose Hell. Or, we can choose to place God as our priority, and ask for His help in placing Him higher that the problems of this world, and we are then choosing to live in His love... to live in His love is to follow Christ... and that is to choose an eternity in Heaven.
The choice is ours to make, the details of how to make the choice, and the consequences for each choice is clearly lined out. It is a decision to made sooner rather than later. It is a decision that alters the path of our lives on a daily basis. What choice have you made... love, or hate?
Friday, September 7, 2012
Resetting my prayer life
Was thinking back to the last time I posted... It's been a little while... So I thought I'd share a little of what God has been teaching me lately.
I felt strong conviction about the laughably weak prayer life I lead. It got to the point that if I managed a heartfelt prayer a week, outside of church, then I was feeling pretty good. I really felt like things were running smoothly, i didn't feel the need to pray. I was coasting along no problems... Except, the problem was the stunting of my growth in spiritual maturity. God kept reminding me of passages on lukewarm belief, and the propensity of stagnant believers to backslide. And then I kept being reminded of some advice my dad gave me repeatedly when I was younger... it's easiest to coast downhill.
There were multiple people in my life that were struggling with one thing or another, each time I quoted this advice, it seemed to help them... Yet I never listened to it myself.
I was coasting, and by doing so, opening myself up for influence from an enemy that seeks to destroy us, one step at a time. I needed change, progress, growth. I was convicted of that anemic prayer life. I wrote out a prayer list and scheduled a time to pray over it every morning. Mostly the needs that my friends had made known to me that week. And then I made a list of the men that most influence my walk with Christ... I scheduled a time to contact and pray for 2 of them each day. I say this, not to boast on what I have done, but in how God has used this to minister to me. To focus on the needs of those around me, and to simply spend time in the presence of my Lord, has been an incredible experience. It has helped maintain my focus on how I can advance to Kingdom work of Jesus, and how I can simply serve those who are around me.
I also say this to encourage anyone who reads this (all 6 of you) to let me know if there is something you want me to add to this list.
I felt strong conviction about the laughably weak prayer life I lead. It got to the point that if I managed a heartfelt prayer a week, outside of church, then I was feeling pretty good. I really felt like things were running smoothly, i didn't feel the need to pray. I was coasting along no problems... Except, the problem was the stunting of my growth in spiritual maturity. God kept reminding me of passages on lukewarm belief, and the propensity of stagnant believers to backslide. And then I kept being reminded of some advice my dad gave me repeatedly when I was younger... it's easiest to coast downhill.
There were multiple people in my life that were struggling with one thing or another, each time I quoted this advice, it seemed to help them... Yet I never listened to it myself.
I was coasting, and by doing so, opening myself up for influence from an enemy that seeks to destroy us, one step at a time. I needed change, progress, growth. I was convicted of that anemic prayer life. I wrote out a prayer list and scheduled a time to pray over it every morning. Mostly the needs that my friends had made known to me that week. And then I made a list of the men that most influence my walk with Christ... I scheduled a time to contact and pray for 2 of them each day. I say this, not to boast on what I have done, but in how God has used this to minister to me. To focus on the needs of those around me, and to simply spend time in the presence of my Lord, has been an incredible experience. It has helped maintain my focus on how I can advance to Kingdom work of Jesus, and how I can simply serve those who are around me.
I also say this to encourage anyone who reads this (all 6 of you) to let me know if there is something you want me to add to this list.
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