Dry and Empty

The past few days I have felt very empty. What I have posted are old ponderings I posted over a year ago. There just has not been thinking about anything of relevance to this blog in days.

Part of that has to do with the fact that I have not cracked open my Bible or done any other reading of significance. The fuel for my ponderings is what I read. So if I am not reading things that spur my thoughts then I am not thinking.

This reality prompted my thinking: it is important for us to replenish our fuel. We can't keep going on with a limited amount of fuel. Whether we are talking about gas for our cars, food for our bodies, or information for our brains we must keep putting the fuel in or otherwise we will run out.

Now I could give you reasons why I haven't kept up on my reading like I should, but they would really be excuses. We make time to do what is important, and the truth is the past few days reading the Bible and reading about being a Christ-Follower just hasn't been very important to me.

Isn't this something we all struggle with from time to time? Life gets in the way, new circumstances get in the way, and those disciplines that keep us connected to God get pushed aside. At first we don't even notice it, but after while we notice the change in our outlook on life, in our conduct towards other people, and our ability to ponder the wonders of God. We can't do much good if we are dry and empty.

So when life throws off our routine and messes with our disciplines we have to be quick to adapt or we might lose those things altogether. The importance isn't when we do these things, but that we do them. With that being said I need to go; I have some reading that I need to do.

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Living by Faith

“As long as man hovers within the safety of his sight and his visible resources, relatively little will be accomplished.” ~ Arthur Harrington; What The Bible Says About Leadership
I am not worth very much. I have no superstar qualities which make me stick out from the crowd. While I possess talents I don’t have anyone talent that is uniquely mine, one that no one else shares. My talents are common and ordinary. When the world looks at me I am just another one of the mass of ordinary people.

Evaluating my talents I realize that I am not going to make an impact on a huge amount of people. I don’t have what it takes to make a huge difference in this world. It is thinking like this that assures that I will never make a lasting difference. When we do just the things we are confident in doing and doing just the things we perceive our resource will allow us to do, we will not accomplish very much.
We don’t need better self-esteem, but we need faith.

When we live by faith we understand that it isn’t about our talents or resources, but it is about God’s power at work in our lives. Stepping out to do God’s will, even when we don’t have the talents and resources, means we are giving God the opportunity to work through us.

Now, that doesn’t mean that every time we step out in faith and we seek to do something bigger than us will be a great success in our eyes. Sometimes it will even seem like a failure. I can think of more than one occasion when I stepped out in faith knowing I was doing God’s will when things turned out quite different from what I hoped. Failure in our eyes doesn’t mean God’s will wasn’t accomplished. It means God’s agenda is different from our agenda.

“And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything in they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved” (Acts 2:44-47; NLT).

These early Christians were not very different from you and me. They didn’t have very much in terms of talents or resources. What they did have they gave to God, they sold what they had and gave to those in need. Rather than looking at their talents and resources they focused on how God wanted them to live and trusted Him to provide what was needed.

Part of living by faith means focusing on God’s will rather than on our resources. It requires us to understand that if we are doing God’s will, then He is going to provide what is needed to get the job done. If we wait until we have the resources or the talents to do something we are going to miss out on God working through our lives to make an impact in this world.

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The Silent Message

“Before and since Tolkien’s death there have been numerous articles and books on the meaning of his fiction. Kilby records Tolkien’s favourable reaction to an essay sent to him from Australia, concerned with the themes of kingship, priesthood and prophecy in The Lord of the Rings. He endorsed the spirit of the essay in finding Christian meaning in his work, even though, as he remarked, it displayed the tendency of such scholarly analysis to suggest that it was a conscious schema for him as he wrote. He didn’t deliberately try to insert Christian meaning into his work—a point over which he disagreed with C.S. Lewis, in whose fantasy he felt the Christianity was too explicit.” ~ Colin Duriez; The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook

The way we view the world, our underlying philosophy of life, shapes everything that we do. I use Tolkien’s creation The Lord of the Rings a lot to provide metaphors or illustrations for Christian truth. The reality is that his works were not intended to be a work in theology; they are first and foremost a story. Yet what we find in The Lord of the Rings is how our world-view influences the work that we do. Tolkien did not consciously insert Christian meaning into his stories, but it shows up, and it affects the way we look at the world.

This is why it is so deadly to approach the stories that we read, the TV shows we watch, the music we listen to, and the movies that we watch with an uncritical eye. Whether or not the makers of these things intend to send a message there is always a message in what they create. We have to be constantly aware of the messages the world subtlety sends through them. I believe our world view, even for a Christian, is powerfully shaped through the stories that we like.

It happens so subtly that we often don’t recognize it. We begin to see the world in much of the same way the author sees the world. If the author paints a dark and foreboding picture of the world, then we develop this very negative view of life. If an author paints a bright and cheery picture of the world then we might begin to develop an unrealistic optimistic view of the condition of the world. Stories have a very big impact on the way we look at the world.

If that is the case then how can we, as Christians, maintain a God-oriented view of life? We do not allow the creations of this world to have primary sway in our lives. We give ourselves to appropriate amounts of time in study of God’s Word and reflection of that Word. We spend time in prayer, not only asking God to do things, but simply seeking to spend time with Him.

Thomas à Kempis wrote; “Why wish to see what you cannot have?” Stories, music, and movies often lead us to desire a life that we simply cannot have. While they may awake in us emotions that will lead us to the foot of the cross, taken indiscriminately they have the power to take us very far way. If you are a Christian I urge you to be more careful in selecting those things that you allow into your minds. The power of the messages found in stories and songs is found in the unperceptive manner in which they invade our lives.

We need to diligently examine those things that we read, watch, and listen for they have the power to shape our lives. On top of that we need be very consistent in making sure we allow liberal amounts of God’s Word into our lives for reflection and guidance.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8; NLT).

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To Be Holy

“Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian. It must be in all affairs, in every condition, and towards all people.” ~ Matthew Henry; Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible

Holiness. This is the key characteristic God wants developed in His people. It is the key characteristic of God. From Holiness flows all the other attributes which are essential to living a Christian life: Love, mercy, integrity, etc. Holiness is a must for Christians.

So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. For he himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.” ~ 1 Peter 1:13-16; NLT

If we are going to live holy lives the very first element that must be present in our lives is self-control. Without self-control we will go with the flow of our desires which come to us through our flesh. We will lust, covet, hate, steal, lie, and curse. Instead of loving and respecting others we will put ourselves first. A life without self-control is a life that is lived without boundaries. The person does whatever he/she pleases.

Not only do we need self-control, but we also need to have hope. If there is no hope beyond what we experience in this life then it becomes very easy to justify satisfying our immediate desires. Even the apostle Paul wrote; And if we have hope in Christ only for the life, we are the most miserable people in the world (1 Corinthians 15:19; NLT). Yet when we have, an expectant assurance of things to come, we are able to put of temporary gratification and wait for the exceedingly wonderful blessings that God has in store for His children.

The third element that is essential to our holiness is being part of the Family of God. If we are not part of a fellowship and we are out doing our own thing then it really wouldn’t matter how we lived. Yet because we are part of the Family of God and the name Christian not only associates us with other Christians, but also with God Himself, it becomes very important how we live our lives. Our actions are a reflection of not only the Church, but also of God.

The idea of holiness is connected with the idea of being set apart. As Christians we need to remember that because of Jesus we have been set apart from Sin. The blood of Jesus has made it possible for us to be separated from the sin that has dominated our lives.

Not only are we separated from sin, but we have also been separated from the world for a special purpose. Christians are God’s special instruments to call a lost world back to Him. To be holy means we have a special calling, a purpose, in our lives.

Holiness is serious business. Until we commit ourselves to living a holy life we will miss out on the wonderful life God has planned for us. The road to the full life God has created for us is found through holiness.

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Being True to God's Design

One of my passions in life is to help people along the path to become the people God created them to be. That is why I am amazed at what John Rumple in his devotional thought (I would call it an editorial thought) God Made Me Gay (Article no longer available):

Rather, I simply want to tell you how being grateful to God for being gay has affected my life, and how failing to be grateful can have devastating consequences.

My purpose in sharing this is not to condemn Rumple, but to point out how easy it is for us to justify our sin by saying: God made me this way. Sin always seems natural. In fact following Jesus often seems to be the most unnatural thing we can do. The Apostle Paul put it this way:

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.22 I love God's law with all my heart.23 But there is another power* within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin (Romans 7:21-25; NLT).

There is this battle we constantly fight between the people we naturally are and the people God created us to be. Just because something feels right or seems to be natural doesn't mean that is what God intended for our lives.

When we go with the flow of what seems natural we miss out on one of the most profoundexperiencess we can have of God. That experience is God's provision to meet our needs as we strive to become the people God created us to be. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is 2 Peter 1:3-4:

3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires (NLT).

When we truly follow Jesus we will trust God to meet all the needs in our lives. Sin is often our attempts to meet our needs (either legitimate or felt) in a manner contrary to God's will. So faith is about trusting God above ourselves in meeting the needs in our lives.

Becoming the people God created us to be isn't so much about staying true to our "nature," as it is about living by faith. By trusting God more than we trust ourselves we find ourselves moving closer and closer to the person God created us to be. After all isn't that our goal?

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Awe Inspiring Hike

This morning as I walked in the rain hiking through one of the most beautiful parts of northwest Iowa I knew there was no other place I would rather be. The rain made the small forest seem like a mythical wood straight from the pages of The Lord of the Rings. It was the perfect setting to think.

Sometimes we have to remove ourselves from computers, cell phones, televisions, cars, and the other distractions of modern life and meet God in His creation. No agenda, just a time to be alone with the Creator.

I didn’t think any great thoughts as I walked through the trees and into different clearings. I just enjoyed being outside and listening to the different sounds that were at there. No blog posts ran through my head as I scared up fifteen deer lying among the trees or as I quietly watched the ten-point buck slowly walk away. I just wished I had a camera so I could have captured it all, but I knew that no picture could have done it justice.

As I walked back to my car wet and muddy I wondered if we of modern conveniences had some how missed life at its most real. Do microwave ovens, DVDs, and iPods somehow rob us of the awe we should have of God’s creation? I don’t know if I have any answers it is just I have come to realize that I am often not in awe of God. Perhaps it has less to do with the things around us and more to do with trying to figure God out. Maybe I don’t see God as awesome because I have my idea about who God is and how He works in the world.

It is a frightening thing to loose your awe of God. This awe of God is the starting pointing of understanding the world and our place in it. Proverbs 1:7 tells us; Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (NLT). Without an awe of God we cannot hope to really understand who we are or what we are to do. Sure we can understand some facts and figures, but the real truth of it all will remain a mystery.

It is hard to have awe for God when we are so certain that we have things figured out. I think that is one of the truths learned from Job 38-42: we can’t even come close to fully comprehending who God is and the reason why He does what He does. Awe allows us to live with the mystery about God while living out the truth He has revealed to us.

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Getting Rid of Junk

“What happened to me is that I realized I believed in Jesus and thought of myself as ‘saved’ and ‘redeemed’ and ‘reborn’, yet massive areas of my life were unaffected. I learned that salvation is for all of me. I learned that Jesus wants to heal my soul—now.

“And for Jesus to heal my soul, I had to stare my junk right in the face.” ~ Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg. 110

Do you have “junk” in your life? I am not talking about sin, but about hurts, scars, personality issues, relationship problems, or physical handicaps that you carry with you each and every day. Do you recognize how this “junk” affects your decision-making and how you approach life?

It is my belief that a great many of our struggles, including our sins, are outgrowths of the “junk” in our lives. A young lady might struggle with sexual addiction in her attempts to feel beautiful. A middle-age man might be consumed by pornography to escape the real life problems he is facing. A housewife might over commitment herself to charitable causes because she is seeking some “greater” purpose in her life. A minister might be obese because food is a source of comfort while expectations for his minister position continue to pile up.

There are underlying reasons that determine why we do the things that we do. Until we decide to stare this “junk” in the face we will never be able break the cycles of addictions, attitudes, and sins that seem to dominate our lives. The writer of Hebrews put it this way:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us (Hebrews 12:1; NLT).

Not all the stuff that hinders our journey of faith is sin. Some of it is stuff we have no control over: abuse, birth defect, an accident, or a disease. Some of it is due to our personality and our genetics while others of it is due to our environment and education. Things such as depression, obesity, and laziness can slow us down just as much, if not more so, than sin.

The problem is that when it comes to dealing with these issues, especially for ministers who are leaders, are the feelings of shame and weakness. We get this feeling at as followers of Christ we shouldn’t have to deal with these problems. We shouldn’t get depressed, be financially irresponsible, be driven to achieve, be afraid of failure, seek comfort in food, or procrastinate. So we hide our struggles, our junk, and tell ourselves that is just the way life is and that it will never be different.

If we are going to truly be Christ-Followers we first of all need to be brave about facing our own “junk.” I have “junk” in my life that is hindering my life of faith: irresponsible in handling money, overwhelming fear in talking with people personally, being a packrat, and the avoidance of meeting new people. I have realized that for me to become the person God created me to be I have to face my “junk” and if that requires counseling then it requires counseling, but hopefully people will understand from my example that life doesn’t have to be stuck in these cycles that there are ways that we can at least begin to deal with the issues if not totally overcome them.

Second, we need to extend grace and mercy to people who are dealing with junk in their lives. I think part of the reason we fear getting help for these things is because we expect to be judged and ridiculed by people in the church, by other Christians. That maybe the case, but let us be the type of Christ Followers who seek to support and love those willing to find help to their problems. Let us be the type of people we want helping us deal with our junk.

Third, we need to encourage people to look past their sins to the deeper issues of their lives. Rob Bell writes this is Velvet Elvis (pg. 111):

“In addition, there is always a mystery behind the mystery. There is a reason we do what we do, and often it is the result of something that is the result of something that is—you guessed it—the result of something. What happens is we try to fix things, but we stop at the first or second layer. We’re stressed and so we make adjustments in time management. But a better question is, why do I take on so much? But an even better question is, why is it so hard for me to say no? Or even, why is that person’s approval so important to me?”

This isn’t just about overcoming sin, but it is about finding life. Satan will use more than just temptation and sin to steal, kill, and destroy our lives. He will use anything that will trip us up and cause us pain. Jesus offers healing for our whole person and so we need to expose our entire life to Him so He can do His work.

The reason ministers, counselors, and other Christ-Followers struggle with things is because we are afraid to look our “junk’ in the face. We don’t have to live with this junk anymore. It is possible to start taking steps to get rid of it today. The question is: are you ready to take out the trash?

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Getting Out of the Dark

“But somehow he was comforted. It was rather splendid to be wearing a blade made in Gondolin for the goblin-wars of which so many songs had sung; and also he had noticed that such weapons made a great impression on goblins that came upon them suddenly.

“ ‘Go back?’ he thought. ‘No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do!’ So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.” ~ The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins found himself in a very difficult position. Miles away from his beloved Shire, in the caves of the Misty Mountains the small hobbit, separated from his companions, is alone in the dark. Bilbo is on an adventure he did not volunteer to go on and is being hunted by Goblins (Orcs).

Finding himself is this terrible situation Bilbo begins to think about his options. Only then does he remember the elvish blade hanging from his belt. The presence of the sword gives Bilbo the courage he needs to face the uncertainty of the dark. With his new found courage Bilbo is able to move forward.

On more days than we care to admit we wake up feeling the exact same way Bilbo felt during his adventure. It feels like we are alone in the dark, unsure of what will happen, and terrified to move. The questions: “What do I do?” “Where should I go?” and “Who can I count on?” are attempts to find a solution to the situation we find ourselves in. These are times when Bilbo becomes a good example to follow.

Bilbo found courage by drawing the sword he would later name Sting. It was a special blade, which struck terror into the hearts of his enemy. Even though he wasn’t skilled in sword fighting the blade’s presence comforted the hobbit.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12; NASB).

God’s word strikes fear into the heart of Satan. It reveals his lies and provides us with hope. The more the Bible is a part of our lives the more courage we will have in facing the uncertainty of what is happening around us. The Bible is an essential component in the adventure we find ourselves in. Without God’s word it is impossible to face the darkness that is around us.

With Sting in hand Bilbo then decided what direction he would head. He couldn’t go back the way he came, for that is where the goblins were. He couldn’t go sideways because of the cave walls. The only direction he could go was forward, and forward he went.

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven” (Philippians 3:13-14; NLT).

With life we find ourselves in the same predicament. We are unable to go back. Time has a way of continuing to push forward and changing everything in its path. As much as we may have enjoyed our lives in the past, as much as we would like to go back and change our mistakes, all we can do is to move forward. It is the only direction available to us. If we try to hold on to the past, or even the present, we will miss the life God has created for us. By choosing to move forward with God we are able to discover life at its best.

If you happen to wake up one day and find yourself in a dark place, with no hope and no friends, do not get discouraged. Bring out the Bible and discover what God has to say and commit yourself to going wherever He might lead. It is what Bilbo would do.

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Exposing our Hearts

“Whenever God speaks, what we do next exposes the condition of our hearts.” ~ Henry and Richard Blackaby; Hearing God’s Voice

How we live and what we do say more about what we believe about God than everything we have said about what we believe. It is relatively easy to say something, but it is another thing altogether to demonstrate that belief.

“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. Which of the two was obeying his father?” ~ Matthew 21:28-31 (NLT)

Each son heard the father’s request, and it is through their actions that the love for their father is seen, not in their words. It is very important for us to respond in obedience when we receive a word from God, for this reveals the love we have for God.

Our obedience reveals the love and trust we have in God. We have made it pretty simple to be a Christian in this country; our expectations for members are pretty low. We are pleased if they come to church a couple times a month and put a little bit into the offering plate. We don’t challenge them to serve or even change the way they live.

God expects so much more from us than what our local congregations expect. Not because God is mean and wants to give us a heavy burden, but because He knows the best life has for us is following Him. Not simply obeying rules, but loving and serving people the way He has from the beginning.

When we are not willing obey God it shows us that our hearts are not in the right place. According to Jesus our love is seen through our obedience. God expects us to love Him, and that means obeying everything He has given to us.

When God reveals a need to us, our responsibility is to find way to meet that need. When God puts a project on our heart, our responsibility is to get involved. When God shows us service which needs to be done, our responsibility is to serve. We will if our hearts are in the right place.

So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God’s commands and does not love other Christians does not belong to God. ~ 1 John 3:10; NLT

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Struggling against Sin

Each of us struggles with sin on a daily basis. No sooner have we overcome one sin that a new sin seems to pop up in its place. We may seem to get a handle on the overt sins of life, but the covert sins of our mind and attitude keep churning below the surface. I think I can safely say that sin will be a constant battle we face.

If we are going to be on a relentless pursuit to become the person God created us then we cannot allow sin to define our lives. We have to keep on fighting, no matter how difficult it might become, because if we don’t sooner or later we will give in and sin will consume our lives. Remember this: as long as we struggle against it we hold sin at bay and prevent it from totally consuming us. It won't be easy, and many times we will want to give up, but we need to remember there is hope found in the struggle.

To offer encouragement to people struggling with sin and doubt the writer of Hebrews wrote:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin. (Hebrews 12:1-4; NET, emphasis added)

I believe that as we are in this fight with sin one of the most effective weapons we can use is to seek to do good. When we do good we take away opportunities for us to sin and we begin to cultivate good habits which are able to sustain life.

It is also important to realize that simply removing sin from our lives is not the answer. When we remove sin we create a vacuum and if we do not fill this vacuum with something that is good and beneficial then we will revert to our old sinful habits or pick up new ones. By giving our lives away to doing good we make less room for sin to exist in our lives.

This is what the Apostle Paul wrote about this subject:

16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18; NET; emphasis mine).

It is my suggestion that God is interested in our continued struggle with sin, even when we don't seem to make much progress in defeating the sin in our lives. Please understand that struggling against sin is one way we demonstrate our trust in God. In other words our fight against our flesh is an act of faith. If we didn't have faith we wouldn't be concerned with the struggle and we would do what we thought was best. I think that God is very pleased when we continue to struggle against sin even when it seems to be a hopeless struggle.

Paul tells us that there are two forces at work in us: the flesh and the Spirit. This struggle isn't about our will power and strength but learning to be led by God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide us to the things God wants us to do. He will put us in positions to do good rather than evil. I want to encourage you to seek the Spirit's leading and find ministries to join and Christian friends who will encourage you in your walk with Jesus. Don't give up! It is through this struggle with sin that God molds us into the men and women He created us to be.

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A Life of Significance

A popular anti-drug campaign that ran on TV for a few years contained this line: “No one ever said; ‘I want to be a junkie when I grow up.’” Do remember the spots I am talking about? They had a child saying what they wanted to be when they grew up and then ended with that line.

Truth be told it isn’t just drugs that rob us of the life that we want to have. Then again that isn’t the real issue, the issue is becoming the person that God created us to be. The life we think is best isn’t necessarily the life that we need. The great thinker and writer C. S. Lewis wrote, “When we want to be something other than the thing God wants us to be, we must be wanting what, in fact, will not make us happy” (The Problem of Pain).


There are so many choices that we can make that lead us away from the abundant life God created us to live. We spend our lives chasing after things of little value and then wonder why our lives seem empty and unfulfilling.

Only by a constant pursuit to become the person God created us to be do we find the life that satisfies our heart’s deepest desires. God has designed us for a purpose and has decided that there is a purpose behind our lives, but we can only fulfill our design if we are true to our calling.

The Apostle Paul is a hero of mine. Partly because I carry his name and partly because of his passion to live out God’s call on his life. Even before his conversion we see this passion at work as he hunted down and arrested Christ-Followers. He was doing what he believed God wanted him to do.

This passion led Paul though many experiences. He had many successes as well as many defeats. He knew hungry and he knew a full stomach. He had many companions and he had many enemies. Paul experienced God at work in his life as he passionately pursued to fulfill God’s calling on his life.

Towards the end of the book of Acts we read about Paul’s decision to go to Jerusalem. People told him not to go because they knew what would happen to Paul if he went: he would be arrested and possibly killed. Yet Paul knew God had called him to go to Jerusalem and face whatever hardship awaited there. This is what Paul told the Ephesian elders before his trip:

And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love (Acts 20:22-24; NLT).

Did you catch where the source of meaning is for our lives? A life of significance is found in doing the work given to us by Jesus. Paul was willing to risk jail and suffering because he knew that only by following Jesus did his life have worth, and if that path led to his death then he would go because his life stood for something eternal.

None of us wants our lives to go to waste, but life comes at us and we make a choice, and that choice takes us a little further away from the life God wants us to live. Soon we find ourselves trapped in a life that is devoid of meaning and we feel like we merely exist rather than being truly alive. At this point we only have one option and that is to take a risk and follow Jesus into the great unknown of the future. If we hope to have a life of significance this is where it begins.

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A Love Relationship

“A love relationship with God is more important than any other single factor in your life.” ~ Henry Blackaby; Experiencing God

In Experiencing God Henry Blackaby tells the following story:

One of our church members always was having difficulty in his personal life, his
family, at work, and in the church. One day I went to him and asked, “Can
you describe your relationship with God by sincerely saying, “I love You with
all of my heart’?”
The strangest look came over his face. He said, “Nobody has ever asked me that. No, I could not describe my relationship with God that way. I could say I obey Him, I serve Him, I worship Him, and I fear Him. But I cannot say that I love
Him.”

I shared that story with you because that is exactly how I feel most of the time. I obey God, but there is something that always seems to prioritized ahead of Him. I worship God, but there are too many times I don’t even give a passing thought to what He has done. Though I had many of the outward trappings of love, the feeling and attitude of love evaded me.

My favorite song off of Third Day’s worship CD Offerings II: All I have To Give is Anything. It is a song which stirs my heart. The lyrics of the song are:

Anything
I can’t do anything
I can’t do anything without You
But You can do everything
You can do everything You want
I just can’t believe
I can’t believe that You would love me
After everything
After everything
I’ve done
And I want to love You
Love You more than life itself
And I want to hold You
Even though You can’t be held
Because You’re so much more
Than everything I’ve ever known
Anything, anything
I’d give anything
I would give anything to hold You
I want to live for You
For You alone I want to live
When I see Your face
I would do anything to know You
You gave everything
You gave all
you have to give

As I thought about why I liked this song so much I came to realize that this is a simple love song. Change a few words and you have a love song that you would hear on any radio station, and that is when the truth hit me. The reason that this song touched me so much is because it is a love song. The Holy Spirit, using this song, confirmed to me that I do love God, that even though the feeling isn’t always there, the love exists.

It is such a thrill for me to be able to sing this song, which I have done many times this past week, and know that I mean every word. To know that above anything else I want to love God, to hold on to His promises, and to seek after His will.

{8} Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ
{9} and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. ~ Philippians 3:8-9; NLT

There is nothing in this life that can compare with loving Jesus! I have talked before about how each of us were created with the desire to be loved. The truth is that we also were created with the desire to love. We put a lot of things into our lives in order to fulfill that desire. There are romantic relationships, there are hobbies, there are jobs or careers, and there are families just to name a few. The reality of it is that we will never truly be able to love these things until we first love God. C.S. Lewis once wrote; “When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.” Do you want to improve the love you have? First, work on your love for God, because everything else flows from that relationship.

I want you to think about this question, "Can you describe your relationship with God by sincerely saying, ‘I love You with all my heart’?"

Being Salt and Light

{Matthew 5:13-16; NLT}

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world–like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father”

Jesus in his teachings used everyday examples to help people understand what he was trying to say. That is exactly what we discover in this passage. Jesus used two common element, salt and light, to illustrate his teaching.

Jesus wanted his followers to be the salt of the earth. What does that mean? If we take a look at salt, we discover certain qualities that Jesus wants Christians to have. One quality is that of purity. The white color of salt conveys a message of purity, that the salt is free from contamination. Jesus wants us to be pure, free from the contamination of sin.

Salt is also a preservative. Until the invention of refrigerators one of the ways people preserved meat was to heavily salt it. The salt held the decay at bay. Jesus desires people to be preservatives, by introducing people to the Word of God and the life giving Gospel.

Salt also gives flavor. Salt is the most common seasoning that we use. We would find many foods to be bland without the salt they contain. In the same way a Christian life should be one that adds “flavor” to life. Many people make the mistake by believing that the Christian life is dull and boring, when the opposite is true. The true Christian life is full of joy, fellowship, and meaning.

Salt is also an irritant. If you have a cold sore and salt gets into it while you are eating, the cold sore begins to sting. It reminds us that we have a sore. At times the Christian should be an irritant. By the way we live we should sting the conscious of the world, reminding them of the evil they are doing. Jesus wants his followers to be the salt of the earth.

Jesus also said that his followers should be the light of the world. What did Jesus mean? Light is meant to be seen. In a dark room when a light is turned on, darkness disappears. We use light so we can see our surroundings. Jesus wants people to see his followers. He wants the world to see a contrast between God’s way and Satan’s way.

Light also serves as a guide. For years sailors would plot their course by the lights in the sky, the stars would guide them to the destination. Even today we will move to the light when we find ourselves in the dark. A Christian should serve as a guide, helping people find Jesus.

Light also serves as a warning. Lighthouses warn of dangerous waters and the lights on the dashboard of a car warn of potential problems. Christians should be willing to warn the world about the consequences of their lifestyles. We are to be the light of the world.

Jesus not only taught that his followers should be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world,” but that is also how He lived. Jesus is our example. Will we get out of the salt shaker and "season" life? Will we let our light shine for all to see? Will we follow Jesus?

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A Broken and Contrite Spirit

But the LORD still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. ~ Isaiah 30:18; NLT

I am full of talk. When I am feeling down it is easy for me to talk about waiting on the Lord and trusting the plans of God, but my actions tell a different story. Rather than going to God for comfort I seek other ways to distract myself from the circumstances around me. Then I wonder why nothing changes in my life.

In Isaiah God makes it clear that He wants to help us. He desires to show us the love we want and need to have. Though God’s love is unconditional and is offered to everyone we still must chose to go to God in order to receive it. We will not discover it while we are seeking life on our own.

How do we receive the love God has for us? King David in Psalm 51 gives us an insight on how we are to approach God:

You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise (vss. 16, 17; NLT).

We are not to approach God with a religious piety and tradition. Going through the motions of a religion does not move God’s heart. What moves the heart of God is when we approach Him weak and broken. Not because He enjoys to see our suffering, but because it is then we realize that only through Him do we have hope. Until we approach the throne of God broken and repentant we will never realize the awesome love God has for us. Pride is the biggest obstacle we have in experiencing the love God has for us.

When we are prideful we look to change our circumstance ourselves. We will pursue happiness the way we think is best. We may say all the right things and do all the right things, but pride will keep us from experiencing God’s love.

I am so tired of mouthing the right things and ignoring God. My pride has kept me from admitting my weakness and my need for God’s strength. I come before God with a humble spirit in search of His love. Will you do the same?

Doctrine and Fallible Man

"The doctrines of the Bible, we believe, have never divided Christians; but human opinions of those doctrines without charity, have always done the mischief. Man, poor, ignorant man, would dictate to the consciences of his fellows, and if they do not receive his dogmas or opinions, they are branded with the odious names of heretic, infidel, etc., and their names and sentiments are trumpeted abroad, distorted, misrepresented and blackened--for what purpose? Professedly to promote the interests of religion--but intentionally, I fear, with many, just to excite the popular clamor and indignation against them, and to raise themselves on their ruins.--Poor, weak man wishes the world to believe him infallible. If not, why so tenacious of untenable principles? Why not abandon them when proved to have no foundation in truth? Why not relinquish them when refuted with the clearest evidence? It must be because he can not brook the idea of being accounted a fallible man." ~ Barton W. Stone, An Address to Churches (chapter 5: On Faith) 1859Follow @PaulBSteele

Chris Adams

Who am I? This is the question, in some aspects, we spend our entire lives trying to answer. This question prompts career changes, interest in spiritual matters, and educational pursuits. We are constantly trying to figure out who we are and what our place in this world is.

Being a Christ-Follower I believe in this pursuit of discovering our identity we must turn to God for the answer. God is our Creator and He knows the purpose for our lives. He knows who we are to be.

In the book of Judges we meet a man named Gideon. God comes to Gideon and reveals to him Gideon's true identity:
The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!" (Judges 6:12; NLT; some commentators believe that "the angel of the Lord" is Jesus)

According to God Gideon is a mighty hero, that was his true identity. Gideon sure didn't feel that way. I verse 15 of chapter 6 in the book of Judges we read how Gideon saw himself: the least of people. Gideon didn't see the hero God was talking about, but the reality is that God knew Gideon better than Gideon knew Gideon, for God is the creator.

God knows who we are. This is why John Eldredge suggests we ask God these series of questions: God, who am I? What do you think of me? What's my real name? (pg. 84ff; Waking the Dead). God will reveal to us who He knows us to be. Remember Romans 8:16 says; For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children (NLT). The Holy Spirit is speaking in the hearts of every Christ-Follower revealing to them God's truth. This seems mystical and so unreliable because it isn't about propostional truth or facts which can be studied and dissected. I believe so many Christians have missed a vibrant and life giving faith because they have chosen not to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking in their hearts because they have come to believe it isn't as reliable as God's written word. When we open ourselves up to hearing the Holy Spirit speaking in our hearts we add a new and exciting deminsion to our faith. It also needs to be pointed out that what the Holy Spirit speaks in our heart will always fit within the framework of what we read in the Bible. So our identity will always exist within the framework of the reality of being God's children, God's chosen people, and new creations (just to name a few glimpses the New Testament gives us about our identity).

I have said all this to give you the reason why this next character is hero of mine. After reading through Waking the Dead for a second time I decided to do the simple excerise Eldredge mentions and I prayed asking God to help me understand exactly who I am. The image which came to mind, which seemed to rise from my heart, was the image of Chris, the leader of the hired guns in the Magnificent Seven. It was an odd image to me. For one it had been a while since I had watched Magnificent Seven and the other reason is because Chris wasn't my favorite character from the story. If I had to choose I would have choosen Vin (Steve McQueen) or O'Reilly (Charles Bronson). After all Chris (Yul Brynner) is the leader and I don't see myself as a leader. I would much rather play the supporting role such as Sam to Frodo.

My response to this revelation has been similar to Gideon's response to God's revelation of his true identity. I think: Being a leader isn't my personality, I am better suited playing second fiddle, I am too laid back, and I lack the courage to lead. But if the Holy Spirit did speak in my heart that means that my true identity is found when I lead and step out in courage to do what needs to be done, no matter what the consquences. In other words I can settle for living a moral life hiding behind the "Christian" mask or I can take a step of faith and respond to life according to the person God created me to be.

Who are you? I don't have an answer for you. I can point you to places in the Bible where it gives us glimpses of the identity of every Christ-Follower, but I don't know you like God knows you. Seek out God's answer for only He knows the true reality of your identity.

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Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

I just have to say it: Darth Vader is one of my heroes! More specifically: Anakin Skywalker is one of my heroes.

The story of Star Wars is the story of the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. Ultimately it isn't about the Jedi or the Force, but about the choices of one individual and how those choices shaped a galaxy (perhaps it is worth considering just how much influence your choices have). Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader is the central figure in George Lucas' vision of Star Wars.

Why do I consider such a rotten person to be one of my heroes? I consider Anakin/Vader to be a hero because his story is my story. I know far too well what it means to give into the seduction of the darkness and to follow the evil path instead of the righteous one. I also know what it means to find hope and salvation.

Think about how the Emperor convinces Anakin to join the dark side. I believe he goes after two areas in Anakin's life: Anakin's fear and Anakin's pride. Ultimately it is Anakin's fear of losing Padme that causes him to surrender to the call of the Dark Side. In his mind Anakin had no choice but to follow the Emperor when he was offered the false hope of saving Padme's life.

Isn't this one of the ways the Enemy attacks us? We are afraid of being alone and so we enter into an immoral relationship which falsely promises real companionship. We are prideful of are accomplishments at work, but when it looks like we might fail we make an unethical decision in order to keep our "winning streak" alive. Satan will use our fear and our pride to gain a foothold into our lives and eventual convince us that his dark path is the right way to go.

But we know from Anakin's story that he does not remain evil. He is able to escape the evil identity of Darth Vader Sith Lord and once again take on his true identity of Anakin Skywalker Jedi Knight. This redemption was made possible because his son Luke believed there was still good in him. Luke was able to put Anakin in a situation where he once again could live from the good that was in his heart.

No matter what we have done or how far we have slipped there is still good in our hearts. Each one of us is still able to respond to God's calling, but we need to be put in a position to respond. Often what this requires is someone who comes alongside of us, who believes in us, and is willing to walk with us on the path of light. The Apostle Paul reminds of this reality:

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are (Romans 3:21-22; NLT).

We can be saved! Our destiny has not been sealed. We are not doomed to remain in our evil way of living. It is possible for us to live by the good that remains in our hearts. Darth Vader maybe a villain, but Anakin Skywalker reminds us that within every villain there is the potential of a hero.

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