Of Incomparable Value

{Philippians 3:7-9; NLT}

I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 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 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.

I want to begin by asking a question, “How valuable is Christ Jesus to you?” Take a moment and think about your answer. How we answer this question determines the direction of our lives, it is that important. If we don’t find Jesus to be very valuable then we are not going to concern ourselves with following him. On the other had if Christ Jesus is valuable to us then we will set the course of our lives to reflect that fact.

The apostle Paul told the Philippians that at one time in his life he did not think following Jesus was of any value. What Paul found to be of value were the traditions of his religion. He kept the law and was a member of the strict sect of the Pharisees, and his zealousness was seen in his active persecution of the church.

Yet something happened to Paul which changed the course of his life. Christ interrupted his life and showed Paul the true path of life. Jesus saved Paul from the empty life of his ancestors so that he could live the full life God intended for Paul to live. From that moment on Paul considered the valuable elements of his former way of life as garbage, because they could not compare to the life he had been given through Christ Jesus.

The reason Paul discovered Christ to be of incomparable value is because in Christ Jesus Paul discovered life. Paul would never have been able to give up his former way of life if he didn’t believe that it was in Christ alone that true life was found. Therefore Christ’s value in the life of Paul was connected to what Christ gave to Paul, and what Christ gave was nothing less than life itself.

We will never value Christ Jesus if we do not discover in him true life. That is what his death and resurrection were about. Jesus’ death on the cross took care of our sins, and his resurrection showed us that not only did he succeed in dealing with our sin, but he was now able to give us a brand new life.

What does this brand new life look like? True life looks like being made right with God. Part of this means that we are able to enjoy a relationship with God. It means that we have access to God through prayer, that God guides us through Scripture and his Spirit, and that we are able to experience God at work in and through our lives.

A second part of this new life means that we are restored to our proper role in creation. Genesis tells us that God created humankind for a purpose. Our responsibility is to be caretakers of creation, and that is still the responsibility of those who are God’s people. Because of sin part of what it means to be caretakers of Creation is to join God in rescuing people from the kingdom of darkness and bring them into the Kingdom of light. True life isn’t just about having our relationships restored, but it is also about having our purpose restored.

What this means is that through Christ Jesus our lives have value. Because we have a right relationship with God it means that we are valuable to God, and because we have a purpose in this world means that we are valuable to creation. In Christ Jesus we don’t have to settle for a life of mere existence, but we can live a life filled with meaning and purpose.

Since the apostle Paul found Christ Jesus to be valuable he discarded and threw away his former way of life. He came to realize that life wasn’t about his physical ancestry , what he believed, or how zealously he lived his life. What matter was Jesus, in whom true life is discovered. It was around Christ Jesus that Paul arranged his life.

This is where the rubber meets the road for many of us. We are willing to accept Jesus, to worship Jesus, and proclaim Jesus, but we are unwilling to throw out our former means of life. The reason so many of us struggle to live the life God has called us to live is because we haven’t made Jesus of supreme to us. Instead we have held on to a relationship, or the fantasy of a relationship, that we believed would give us the life we have longed to live. Perhaps we have place a lesser value on Jesus because of our desire to be entertained, and so we work our lives around television shows, video games, and music. There is the possibility that we have held on to the belief that our life is found in money and the accumulation of things, so we work, spend, and horde trying to find that magical place when we will be satisfied with life.

As we pursue the life God has created us to live our starting point has to be Jesus. We have to recognize that Christ Jesus is our source of life, that he is the vine and that we are the branches. I think this is a very hard thing for many us to accept. We know that it is taught in the Bible, but it just doesn’t feel real. It is this reason I would urge us to pray every day that God would help us lay down roots into Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:7) so that our faith may grow strong.

I also believe that we have to intentionally start arranging our lives around Jesus. Too many of us have allowed our lives to be caught up in the hectic stream of life and we haven’t made Christ Jesus a priority. We need to carve time out of schedule to be in Scripture. Not only do we need to read Scripture but we also have to memorize Scripture and meditate on it. The more we know Scripture the more we are equipped to know and do God’s will. We also have to make time in our lives to serve people, because that is the way Jesus lived. We cannot really love God until we also begin to love people, and serving people is an intentional act of love.

The bottom line is that we have to intentionally get rid of our former way of life and concentrate on Jesus’ way of life. That is how we demonstrate that Jesus is of supreme value in our lives.

Don't Give Him an Inch

{Ephesians 4:26, 27; ESV}

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

The intended audience for much of the New Testament is Christians. From Romans to Revelation each of the books were written to different Churches. The book of Ephesians likewise was written to the Church at Ephesus. The Apostle Paul warned Christians about letting the Devil get a foothold in their lives. I believe this is a warning we need take very seriously.

For much too long we have lived our lives clueless about the power of the Enemy we face. We watch whatever we want, listen to whatever we like, allow our emotions to rule the choices we make, and put God into some corner of our hearts where He isn't very accessible. Because we underestimate the power of the Enemy we don't even notice the fact that he is building a fortress in our lives.

The Apostle warns the Ephesians about anger, and encourages them not to allow their anger to fester and stew, but to deal with disagreements in a loving manner. I believe that angry is not the only way we allow Satan to get a foothold in our lives. Any time we don't handle the situations in our lives the way God has instructed us to we allow Satan to set up shop in our lives.

John Eldredge in Waking the Dead wrote; "The major ways we give claim to the Enemy in our lives are through sin and through making agreements with him" (pg. 175). Starting with this truth found in Ephesians 4:26, 27 about giving the Devil a foothold in our lives, let us take a moment and consider how we have been allowing Satan to stake a claim in our lives.

The obvious one is sin. That is what Paul plain states in this passage "don't sin." We all have sin in our lives, and when we don't take steps to remove that sin from our lives we give Satan a place to dwell. When God, through the Holy Spirit, reveals to us a sin that is in our heart, it is our job to level every resource we have against it. If we don't and the sin continues to be a part of our lives then we have allowed Satan to stake a claim in our hearts.

The second way we allow Satan to dwell in our lives is by making agreements with him. I don't mean that we come to an arrangement with Satan, such as giving him our soul for a doughnut (like Homer Simpson), but rather agreeing with him about who we are. We give the Devil a foothold in our lives when we agree with him that we are dirty rotten sinners rather than believing God's promises that we are His children and that we are new creations. Those nasty things you believe about yourself are not reality of your life, rather they are lies of Satan. Agreeing with Satan about such things gives him a foothold into our lives.

We long to experience the life God has promised us. We long to have a life of significance and purpose, but our current lives are so far from what we desire. The reason is because we have ignored the Enemy, and we have given him a place to dwell in our lives. If we want to experience the life God created us to live we need to fight for it.

It is time to start cleaning house and kicking Satan out of the strongholds that we have allowed him to build in our lives. We do this by changing the way we live and believing in the promises of God. Get serious about the Enemy who wants to destroy your life, don't give him an inch of your life, because if you do he will do his best to ruin the life God has planned for you. Don't let the sun set on another day without beginning to fight for the life Jesus died for you to enjoy.

Set Our Minds

One of the reasons it is essential to be people of the Book is because it allows God to use the truth it contains to capture our attention. What amazes me is that God will use certain books or passage to really hammer home truth into our hearts. One of the books that God has been using over and over again in my life is the book of Colossians.

This morning I was reading through Colossians once again when I was struck by verses 1-4 of chapter 3. In this passage the apostle Paul writes:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (ESV)

I want you to keep in mind, because it is foundational to what I have to say, that salvation and transformation begins and ends with God. It begins with God’s promise to bless all the nations of the world through Abraham and his descendant, it continues through Christ Jesus (the promised descendant of Abraham), and ends with the return of Jesus and the coming of the Kingdom in all of its glory.

Without God’s initiative, without God’s promise, and without Christ’s faithfulness we would have no hope, no matter what choices we might make. Our hope and our lives are bound up in the actions of our loving heavenly Father.

Yet, that does not mean that we have no part in the transformation process. Paul tells us that there is something that we must do, a choice that we must make. We are to set our minds on the things that are above. This requires an act of the will, for if we don’t choose to set our minds on the things of God, then it will not happen.

So what must we do if we are going to set our minds on the things that are above? First, it requires us to get rid of the negative and earthly things that grab our attention and focus. It means going through our movie collection and chucking those movies that take our hearts down paths that we shouldn’t go. It means buying software that will limit the access that we have online so that we are not tempted to view things that we shouldn’t see. It means saying goodbye to friends that lead us town dark pathways and away from God.

It is not good enough to get rid of the old, but we also have to replace the old with something new. Part of this means that instead of putting junk into our hearts and minds we are putting positive and God-honoring messages into our lives. I think we understand this truth, and many of us have made it this far. We have shunned the negative and we have embraced the positive, but things are still not what they should be. The distractions still come and pull us off course taking us down the paths of sin.

I believe that there is another step that we must take. We have to make the decision to add to our lives certain spiritual disciplines that will help us gain control of the flesh and will help us live more fully by the guidance of the Spirit. We need disciplines like Bible study (private and group), prayer, fasting, simplicity (living a simple life), generosity, and service. Being devoted to these disciplines will allow our hearts to be opened up to God truth, and will make it possible for us to implement that truth to the way we live our lives.

Not only do we have to add spiritual disciplines to our lives, but I think we also have to speak about what God is doing in our lives. So much of the time I think we miss out on what God is doing in our lives because we are not focused on what God is doing in our lives. We miss out on the connection between the changes that are taking place and God’s activity. By speaking out about God and changes in our lives helps us to make that connection, it sharpens our focus on God and His activity in this world, especially His activity in our lives.

God took the initiative to save us from sin and death. Let us respond to that initiative by focusing our lives on the things that come from God. Let us set our minds of the things that are above.

Sunday Quote: The Missing Nutriment

"What is it that is missing in our deformed condition? From a biblical perspective, there can be no doubt that it is the appropriate relation to the spiritual Kingdom of God that is the missing 'nutriment' in the human system. Without it our life is left mutilated, stunted, weakened, and deformed in various stages of disintegration and corruption." ~ Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, p. 65

Ransomed Heart: The Real You

The passage from Wild at Heart that is used for today's daily reading that is sent out by Ransomed Heart Ministries is one that had a significant impact on me when I read Wild at Heart. It still influences my thinking and teaching, and so I thought I would share it with you.

The REAL You
December 26, 2009

You are not your sin; sin is no longer the truest thing about the man who has come into union with Jesus. Your heart is good. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you" (Ezek. 36:26). The Big Lie in the church today is that you are nothing more than "a sinner saved by grace." You are a lot more than that. You are a new creation in Christ. The New Testament calls you a saint, a holy one, a son of God. In the core of your being you are a good man. Yes, there is a war within us, but it is a civil war. The battle is not between us and God; no, there is a traitor within us who wars against our true heart fighting alongside the Spirit of God in us:

A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death . . . Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells . . . if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus . . . When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. (Rom. 8:2, 9–11 The Message)

The real you is on the side of God against the false self. Knowing this makes all the difference in the world. The man who wants to live valiantly will lose heart quickly if he believes that his heart is nothing but sin. Why fight?

(Wild at Heart, 144–45)

Sent from my iPod

A Shut Door

Originally posted on December 13, 2004

God is surrounded by mystery. Yes, God has revealed Himself to us, and as a result we can understand certain aspects of who He is. We cannot understand God in His entirety, there is no way our finite minds could understand God in His entirety. God’s ways are not our ways, so there will always be a mystery about God.

When we ignore this reality and construct a box to put God into we miss out on the opportunity to experience God at work in our lives. One way this is seen is the common belief that God opens “doors” to reveal His will to us. By doing this we miss out on experiencing so much of what God wants to do through our lives.

Many times in the Bible God didn’t open doors for people to go through. One might even conclude that God revealed His will and then locked the door. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh to demand that Israel be sent free. Moses went, but the task was not easy. Obstacle after obstacle was put in Moses’ way. There were Pharaoh’s hard heart, Israel’s unbelief, and Egypt’s dependance on Israel’s cheap labor. Given our thinking Moses would have given up after the miracle of turning water into blood didn’t convince Pharaoh. It was Moses commitment to God’s will that he, along with all the Israelites and Egyptians, eventually experienced God’s power.

Here is another example. God crowns Saul as king, but the Philistines are in control of Israel. Saul’s first duty is to gather an army to kick the Philistines out. An army of 3,000 is raised. 2,000 stay with Saul and 1,000 go with Jonathan. Jonathan takes his 1,000 men and begins to attack Philistine outposts. The result is that Jonathan and his men experience success. Jonathan’s men had so much success that the Philistines send in 30,000 men along with horses and chariots. Israel had 3,000 men and two swords and no spears. Out manned and out gunned all but 600 men run into the hills and in the process the door was slammed shut in the face of Jonathan. This is when we say, “I guess it is not God’s will for me to fight the Philistines.” If you read the account in 1 Samuel 14 you discover that was the reaction of King Saul, but Jonathan took his sword and his armor bearer and took the fight to the Philistines. God didn’t open a door for Jonathan, but He did give Jonathan an understanding of what His will was, and as a result the Israelites and the Philistines experienced God’s power.

James 1:12 reads; God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (NLT). An open door is no more an indication of God’s will than a closed one. We experience God’s blessing when we do what we know God’s will is, even when all the circumstances are against us. We have been taught to give up too soon, and the result has been that we have missed the blessings God has wanted to give us.

Stop waiting for God to open the door before you take a step of faith. Start moving toward the wall and trust God to get you to where you need to go. It is this act of faith that will lead us to experience God’s power first hand.


Follow @PaulBSteele

Finding a Life of Significance

If you are anything like me (and you can decide if that is a good thing or not), there is a longing in your heart to experience life. Right now you are existing rather than living—going from one activity to another while making sure all your responsibilities are done. While there are small joys you have discovered along the way there is still something within you that cries for something more.

This is the longing of my heart. I want a life which will make a difference in this world and that helps me rise above the mundane things of this world. As I have thought about this a couple of truths of struck me. Understanding these truths I think will help us understand what a life of significance is.

First, significance is not the same thing as being famous or popular. One of the signs I thought I would have a life of significance was to be able to speak at large youth conferences and other such events. I remember hearing Mark Moore, a guy that happens to do a lot of that, remark that more he speaks at large events the less value he sees in it. He points out that the smaller the group, the bigger the impact. For many of us the significance in our lives will not be discovered in everybody knowing our names or other people quoting us and saying how brilliant we are (though that would be nice). Rather our significance will be found in a small group of people we are able to impact right where we are.

I think a person like my Grandpa Steele is a great example of significance. He wasn’t much more than an Iowa farmer, but he raised a family that has been very involved in the Church over the years, and who has grandchildren who are Christians, many who are teachers or have other jobs which impact other people. That is not counting my brother, sister, and I who are in the paid ministry. There have been hundreds of people who have been directly or indirectly impacted by my Grandpa Steele.

Why was Grandpa able to make such an impact? It was because of his faith. The person I knew as my Grandfather was a different person my Dad knew as Father. The older he got the more mature he grew in his faith in God. As I try to discover a life of significance I think about my Grandpa Steele and realize that it is the result of a living a life of faith which impacts those around you.

Second, significance does not mean an exciting life. It is easy to see our lives as boring because our lives seem to be dominated by the responsibilities of life. While it can seem that fulfilling our responsibilities and commitments is not very significant, it is what God expects His children to do. We need to stop thinking that significance is about excitement and always being able to do something that is meaningful. A dull routine is often what life looks like.

A life of significance does not change that. What significance does is that it helps you understand there is purpose in your life. Having significance and purpose reminds us that we are not just existing day to day, but that there is value in what you do. There are many ways to spice up your life, but finding significance is more about adjusting the way we look at the world. It is understanding that there is value even in the mundane tasks of life.

Significance, therefore, is found in a life of purpose and not in a life of excitement. Most of us are destined to live the life of routine. We won’t have much excitement in our lives, but we can have purpose. While we take care of all the things that need to be done we begin to see that God has a purpose for our lives. Significance is found as we give ourselves away to God’s purpose for our lives. I wish I could tell you what your purpose is, but I don’t know. There is no hard and fast formula for discovering it, but I will tell you what I do know. Your purpose will always have to do with loving God and loving people. How do I know that? Because that is what Jesus’ purpose in life was all about. When we live a life which loves God and people then we are in the best position to discover our purpose in life.

A life of significance is not about a total life overhaul, but it is about being faithful to God in the place that He has place us. It will not make you famous nor will it make your life exciting, but it will make your life good. In the end isn’t that all we really want?

Reason to Believe the Virgin Birth

Christmas is fast approaching. In the rush to buy presents, attend parties, and see family I hope you can take a moment and ponder the true meaning of Christmas.

In his book Jesus Among Other Gods Ravi Zacharias wrote; “Yes, the virgin birth is a startling claim. People have stumbled over this truth for centuries. Yet it’s a claim backed by strong evidence.” If we hold to the belief that the Bible is true, then we must believe that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.

Those who know me well know that I am not a big Christmas guy. I love to give (and get) presents, to spend time with my family, and to eat the food that is so plentiful at Christmas. The reason I am not a big Christmas guy is because I the main truth of Christianity isn’t that God broke into this world as the baby Jesus. The main truth of Christianity is discovered in the resurrection. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then it would not matter that He was born. Even Christmas discovers its meaning and truth in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. That is why, for me, Easter is a much more significant holiday.

That does not mean Christmas is not a significant part of our faith or that Christmas is not important. Christmas is extremely important. One of the evidences for the divinity of Jesus is His birth. Jesus’ birth was promised hundreds of years before the even. Not only was Jesus’ birth promised, it was also supernatural. We all know the natural way for a baby to be conceived and born. Jesus’ birth was different because it did not follow that natural way, for He was born to a virgin. The virgin birth of Jesus is a piece of evidence that points to Jesus’ divine nature.

Ravi Zacharias gives 4 evidences that support the truth of the virgin birth:

1. Mary claimed such an outlandish conception at the risk not only of her own life but of Jesus’ life as well. To be pregnant and unmarried exposed her to a “putting away” by Joseph similar to divorce; to be pregnant by a divine miracle exposed her to charges of slandering God. The sentence? Death.
2. Zechariah the priest and his wife, Elizabeth--the parents of John the Baptizer--celebrated the birth of Jesus as the miraculous birth of the Savior. In a culture that revolved around power and position, it would have been natural for them not to want their son to live in the shadow of Jesus, his younger cousin. They risked shame, social ostracism, and even suicide to stand up for the truth.
3. Jesus’ followers and the New Testament authors risked the rejection of their whole message by claiming a virgin birth, especially since their message had to fulfill perfectly hundreds of prophecies. If untrue, the virgin birth was an unnecessary stumbling block. And it would have been easy for Jesus’ opponents to discredit the message had the virgin birth not miraculously met the test of the Old Testament.
4. Possibly the most astounding endorsement of the virgin birth comes from Islam, which for centuries has opposed the Christian gospel. Even the Koran, written six hundred years after Jesus, affirmed His virgin birth (Surah 19:19-21). This would serve Islam no good purpose. (Jesus Among Other Gods: The Youth Edition, pp. 30, 31).

The Apostle Paul wrote; “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation” (Colossians 1:15, NLT). The virgin birth is one piece of evidence that supports that truth.

I hope your Christmas is a joyful one. Take some time and thank God for sending Jesus, for He is the reason we can have joy.

Be A Loyal Leader

William Barclay in his devotional commentary, The Letter to the Hebrews wrote; "The real leader, if need be, dies in loyalty. He shows men how to live and is prepared to show them how to die. Jesus, having loved his own, loved them to the end; and the real leader, having loved Jesus, loves him to the end. His loyalty never stops halfway." (p. 195)

Wow! Am I prepared to show men how to die? In a way that is what life is about, showing people how to make the most of their time on earth so they can face their deaths with no regrets. Our time is limited and everyone is approaching the moment of death.

The key concept that leapt out at me from what Barclay wrote was loyalty, which is an element of faith. The true leader in the church is the person who is loyal to Christ Jesus above everything else. Doubts may come, hardships may arrive, and persecution may be present, but the true leader remains committed to Christ. Thus, that person becomes an example of what it means to live by faith, even when that commitment takes the leader to their death.

For me to be a leader means that I have to be an example of loyalty and faith no matter what happens in my life. A leader realizes that his/her life is on display, and therefore they are providing powerful testimony about God and the difference He makes in our lives. A leader's life is compelling evidence to the truthfulness of what he/she says (teaches).

"Holy Father, grant me the faith to live a loyal life as I follow Christ Jesus."

"Anyone can attend church. Only truly devoted followers of Jesus can change the world." - Aaron Brockett

Sent from my iPod

Remember What God Has Done

I am amazed how quickly I can forget things. I know that my memory is not the most reliable thing in the world. I forget to take out the trash, I forget where a certain passage of Scripture is located, I forget to pick up a gallon of milk, I forget the date of my mom’s birthday, I forget the date of my baptism, and I forget my social security number.

Is it safe to assume that you have had a similar experience? Experience has taught us that we are forgetful creatures. Time and distance have a way of making our memories fade, changing our perspective, and causing us to forget important moments and lessons of our lives. This forgetfulness has a negative impact on our relationship with God.

The story of Israel is a great illustration of this reality. The nation of Israel continually forgot how God had worked in their lives and the promises that He had made to them. The result was that they ignored God’s Law and lived life following the example of the nations around them.

It is so very very easy for us to judge Ancient Israel for their forgetfulness. We find it surprising that they would so quickly forget the thing that God had done for them. God had sent ten plagues on Egypt to force the Egyptians to free Israel from slavery. God parted the Red Sea to secure the nation’s escape from the pursuing Egyptians. God turned the bitter waters into sweet waters at Marah and sent manna and quail to feed the nation.

In spite of the miraculous intervention Israel constantly complained and grumbled. They, as a people, were never satisfied, and could never quite trust God to provide for what they needed. At the banks of the Jordan River, at the very cusp of possessing the Promised Land they people decided not to move. The occupying people were too numerous, too strong, and too fortified. The Israelites looked at the situation before them and decided it was impossible, and thus they demonstrated a lack of trust in God’s power. They forgot, not only what God was capable of doing, but also His promise to go before them to ensure victory. They forgot God and lived in fear. The result was that that generation of Israelites died in the wilderness as the nation wandered for forty years, learning to trust God.

I see this same pattern at work in my life. Over and over again God has worked in my life, but I am reluctant to trust Him with the future, with my relationships, and with my ministry. Though God has answered my prayers, has spoken to me, has changed my life, and has forgiven my sins I still demand that He does more before I will take the next step of faith. When it comes to God it is never “What has He done?”, but it is “what has He done for me lately?” It is hard for me to be content with what God has already done, and so I expect Him to constantly prove Himself to me in order to have my trust.

Why do we react this way? Why do we forget what God has done and demand that He once again prove Himself? I believe that one of the reasons is because life has a way of dulling our memories. Life sweeps us along and we go with the flow, which leads to the excitement of the past being lost. Those difficulties that God helped us through last year now don’t seem to be all that difficult, especially compared to the challenges that are before us right now. Without constant reflection and worship we are bound to forget how God has worked in our lives. Life and time will fade our memories and quickly make God a foot note in the story of our lives.

Forgetfulness is a problem all people experience. It was a problem in the Galatian churches. The apostle Paul wrote to them because he was surprised how quickly they forgot the Gospel that he had taught them. This is what the Apostle wrote in Galatians 1:6, 7:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (ESV)

Paul’s astonishment leaps off the page, he can’t believe that the Galatians were turning their back on the Gospel and turning towards something that wasn’t the Gospel. These Christians in Galatia had allowed life and time to dull their memory about God’s truth and as a result they accepted a way of life that was appealing to them, but was not the way of Christ Jesus.

We face that same danger. If we are not intentional about taking time to remember how God has worked in our lives, the truth that we have been taught, or how our lives have been changed we can be deceived by a different gospel that is actually no gospel at all. It is for the purpose of remember that God gave us the Lord’s Supper, the Bible, and the Church. When we take advantage of these gifts God reminds us of who He is and what He has done.

Here is a little exercise I think will help you to remember what God is doing in your life. Find a quiet place away from the distractions of life: turn off the TV, get away from the computer, put away the phone, and set aside your work. Pull out your Bible and read Psalm 111 and think about specific times when God has shown up in your life. Write these thoughts down and journal about the experiences. Then pray and thank God for coming through for you in your time of need.

Life will make us forget God if we are not intentional about remembering all that He has done for us. Make sure you “count your blessings” and praise God as you live life so you don’t forget the great things He has done for you.

Sunday Quote: Good Intentions

"The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy. This is the feature of human character that explains why the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We intend what is right, but we avoid the life that would make it reality." ~ Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, p. 6

Value People

Originally posted Friday December 10, 2004

"Anytime you devalue people, you question God's creation of them." ~ Coach Bill McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers

Samwise Gamgee is the constant companion of Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Sam chooses to follow his friend and master, Frodo, into the dangers of Mordor. From Sam's behavior we know that there is a lot of good to be found in him: friendship, courage, being prepared, and even simplicity. J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings found Sam to be the Hobbit which he liked the most. In many aspects Sam would be a character worth imitating.

I am afraid that instead of telling you how you should be like Sam, I am going to remind you not to be like him. J.R.R. Tolkien, as he wrote the famous trilogy, would write letters and send manuscripts to his son Christopher who was serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II. In one of these letters Tolkien wrote, 'For myself, I was probably most moved by...and the tragedy of Gollum who at that moment came within a hair of repentance -- but for one rough word from Sam."

Though the scene that Tolkien refers to in the letter doesn't appear in the movie, at least to my recollection, the thought was still there. In the movie version Sam continually calls Gollum names like Stinker and never wanted to trust him. Frodo on the other hand, reached out to the former Ring holder Gollum, and even questioned Sam's treatment of the wretched creature.

I am afraid that we often treat people struggling with sin the same way Sam treated Gollum. Sam could see that Gollum had been corrupted by the power of the Ring and therefore that Gollum couldn't be trusted. Sam also made sure Gollum knew exactly what he thought about him by calling Gollum names. In other words, Sam put labels on Gollum in order to deal with the creature.

When we behave like Sam, we became a hindrance to people who want to repent and change. That is precisely one of the sins Jesus condemned the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day, for doing.

{42} But how terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you completely forget about justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.

{46} Yes how terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you crush people beneath impossible religious demands, and you never lift a finger to help ease the burden. (Luke 11:42 and 46; NLT)

In Luke 11:37-52 Jesus criticizes the religious leaders of the day. They may have been good religious people, but they never lifted a finger to help those in need, especially those struggling with sin. They were passionate about theology but not compassionate towards people. The Pharisees would name call and blame before they would help. That is exactly what Sam does with Gollum, and sadly that is what we do to people who need our help as well.

Here is the bottom line: When we discover sin in someone else our first reaction should be, needs to be, to reach out to them in love. It doesn't do them any good for us to call them names or even give them new rules to follow, which does nothing to relieve the guilt and shame they have. Let compassion be your guide and always remember the forgiveness and compassion God has given to you through Christ Jesus.

Let Transformation Happen

“But God’s purposes are not the same as ours. We want him to indulge us; he wants to transform us (Rom. 8:29).” ~ Henry and Richard Blackaby; Hearing God’s Voice

Wouldn’t it be nice if God simply gave us everything our hearts desired? After all what better way to show people that He is a loving God than to grant their every request. I want to marry this lady; zap, it happens. I want this job, zap, I have it. I want to win the lottery, zap, time to go to the bank.

While it might seem to be wonderful for God to simply answer all our requests we know that it is not the best thing. All we have to do is remember that spoiled child we have run into. You know the one whose parents never say no and give him or her everything they want. That child is not better off because he or she gets their way. It could be argued that they are put at a disadvantage since they never able to learn how to work for or save for something they want.

Even before sin came into the world God intended for man to work and not simply given what he wanted. It is through this process of obedience and toil that we are able to grow in a relationship with God, becoming more and more of what He wants us to be. God isn’t interested in making us simply happy; He wants to make us holy. If you come to God hoping to be made happy you will be disappointed. Happiness is not the goal, rather it is the product of the holiness we have.

Transformation doesn’t happen by God zapping change into our lives. Transformation is a process, and it is process we have to choose to be a part of. If we are unwilling to participate in the process God is unable to transform us.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. ~ Romans 12:2; NLT

“Let God transform you,” the Apostle Paul writes. Sure God could zap us and transform us into the moral people He wants us to be, but we would miss out on the love and the trust we gain from going through the process. Just as if I were to take a pill that would remove 30 pounds of fat from my body. I might be the person I want to be, but I have missed out on gaining the discipline and work ethic that I need to stay there. While a pill would be nice, in the long run it is what I learn in process that really matters.

God’s way is not my way. I want Him to zap me and remove all the temptation and all of the problems I have in my life. God wants me to love and trust Him, and allow Him to lead me through a process which will transform my life for eternity. To God, the process is just as important as the final result.

Having Faith and Living the Gospel

Originally posted November 16, 2004

"If I am going to experience a greater measure of God's power in my life, it will usually involve the first-step principle. It will usually begin by my acting in faith: trusting God enough to take a step of obedience. Simply acknowledging information about his power is not enough. I have to get my feet wet." ~ John Ortberg; If You Want to Walk on Water You have to Get Out of the Boat

I do not trust God's power the way I should. Sure, I talk about God creating the universe and doing all these other cool miracles that are recorded in the Bible, but when it comes to my life I don't trust Him. Rather than seeking God for guidance, I plan my own life. Why do I do this? I trust my plan for my life more than I trust God's plan for my life.

Let's face it, if Christians truly lived lives of faith then the world we live in would be totally different. Too many of us are willing to talk about what we believe, but we are unwilling to live a life that puts that believe into action. We don't sacrifice our comfortable lifestyles in order to support missionaries and charities, and thereby help others experience God's love. We don't make time in our busy schedules to help our neighbors or visit people in the hospital. While we might believe the right things about God we don't live like His way is the best way. We have a problem trusting God.

The Gospel, the Good News of God's Love and Forgiveness, is spread throughout the world by people of faith. The term "people of faith" means more than people who believe certain things about God; it also means people who trust God. Faith is not simple belief, but it is trust and action put together.

Acts 3 and 4 tells a tremendous story of faith. Peter and John go to the Temple to preach Jesus. Here are two disciples of Jesus going into the very heart of Judaism to preach about the salvation found in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Certainly they were aware of how dangerous this was because they knew that the Jewish religious leaders didn't like hearing about Jesus, just like they didn't like Jesus. Still they went to preach.

The two apostles caused a commotion by healing a cripple of 40 years, and as a big crowd gathered around so do the Temple guards. The result is that Peter and John are arrested and spend the night in prison.

The next day the two disciples of Jesus get their day and court. These two men made an impression on the Council: The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13; NLT).

Here is the point I want to make: Faith is the product of being with Jesus. If that is true then we have a problem. Peter and John spent three years learning from Jesus during the time He was on earth; but we are unable to have that type of experience. So how can we spend time with Jesus?

We may not be able to have the same experience Peter and John enjoyed, but we can still be with Jesus. Being with Jesus begins by our comment to spend time in Scripture and in prayer. If we are truly going to be followers of Christ Jesus then we need to be in the Gospels, the four biographies of Jesus that tell us how Jesus lived and what He taught. We need pray and ask for wisdom, guidance, and most of all His Spirit.

Prayer and Bible Study is where it starts, but we shouldn't leave it there. We need to begin to live the life God has asked us to live: love our neighbors, forgive one another, serve the helpless, and give to the needy. I am convinced, because I have seen this play out in my own life, that as we live in obedience God begins to affirm our actions. We gain more and more trust in God as we experience Him at work in and through our lives as we obey Him.

You want your faith to grow? You want to be like Peter and John? I know I do. What that means is that we have to start experiencing Jesus in our lives by doing what He has asked us to do, and as we gain confidence from doing the small things we are able to have more confidence to do the bigger challenges. Faith begins by hearing the Gospel, but it is grown through living the Gospel.

Knowing Truth and Living Right

Following Jesus is more than having the correct doctrine or truth about God. Having knowledge of God is not the same thing as having a relationship with Him. A person can know the Bible, but be far away from God.

I don't want to make Bible study seem unimportant, because study is a very essential discipline we need in our lives if we are going to follow Jesus. It is crucial that we have an accurate understanding of what the Bible says. Reading and studying the Bible is the main way God guides our lives. Therefore, correct doctrine is very important, and correct doctrine only comes through the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote this to Timothy; Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16; NIV).

What we believe about God matters! Remember, it doesn't matter how sincerely we believe something, if it is wrong, then what we believe is wrong. Our believing something doesn't make that something true. That is the reason why it is important that we study the Bible so we understand who God is and the will He has for our lives. The Bible reveals to us truth so we can know what to believe and how to act. Part of Christianity is about knowing the Truth.

Yet, we know that there is something more than just knowing Truth. We have all witnessed people who knew God's Word, but lived as if it wasn't Truth. Truth without action makes no difference in our lives. Think back to what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:16. He told us that there are two areas of our lives that we need to watch closely: what we believe and how we live.

The problem the Church is facing in the United States are people who have access to the Truth, but choose to ignore so they can do their own thing. These people claim Christ, but pick and choose what they want to believe so they can live life on their own terms. They are neither watching their doctrine or their lives closely.

This damages the witness of the Church because the World looks at "Christians" and see them living like everyone else. The World doesn't see the love, the gentleness, the peace, the hope, the forgiveness, or the self-control that should be visible in the life of Christians. Instead the World sees hypocrisy, jealousy, bitterness, hatred, greed, and the list could go on and on. The bottom line is that the World looks at the Church and sees a reflection of itself.

The way people discover the relevance of Christianity in their lives is to see it lived out in the lives of Christians. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord in your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it (1 Peter 3:15; NLT). Peter reminds us that people are watching the way we live. It is through the way we live people discover the relevance following Christ Jesus brings to their lives.

So how do we change this trend? I think it begins with us. We have to examine how we live and ask, "Does my life truly reflect the Truth I know about Jesus?" In other words we have to set the example. The next thing I think we need is to have Church Families that clearly explain what a disciple of Christ is and the expectations that Church Family has for members. For too long people have left on their own to develop their spiritual lives, it is time the local Church took seriously the task of disciplining people, and I believe that task starts with laying out the expectations.

Christ Jesus told His followers to be salt and light, two elements that make their presence known and produce change, in this world. The way we make an impact like salt or light is by knowing truth and living right. The two go together.

The Ten Books I Know You Won't Read But Should

Every week I send out a Paul's Ponderings e-mail to friends and family. It is a way I can keep people informed about what is happening in my life and shamelessly promote my writings. This week I included 10 books that I read this year that I would recommend to others, and since it took me 30 minutes to compile I thought I would share it with you as well. Don't you feel lucky?

10. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
There is a benefit to reading what the other side thinks, and since Dawkins is basically the face of atheism in the world today his book is a good one to start with.

9. The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill
Thomas Cahill is a history writer who has written a series of books called The Hinges of History. This is the second in the series, the first being How the Irish Saved Civilization (which made the list last year). This book really focuses on how the call of Abraham changed the course of the world. The interesting thing is that Cahill is not a conservative Christian, at best I would say he is a progressive Catholic, and so he comes at Scripture from a different perspective, but still arrives at the truth - God began to do a brand new thing when He called Abraham to follow Him.

8. The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark
Here is a book by an university professor that takes a look at the scientific reasons why the early church grew. I will give his conclusion - Christians lived their doctrine!

7. The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience by Ronald Sider
This book was recommended to me by my cousin Angie. A great look at the damage the western church is during to herself by not living out her doctrines.

6. Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was influential in the 13 colonies declaring independence from England, and so his writings give you an understanding of what our founders were thinking when the began this great country.

5. The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Timothy Keller is a pastor in New York City and has been asked all the tough intellectual questions skeptics throw out. This is his reasoned explanation for God that had come from a life time of ministry.

4. Justification by N. T. Wright
Wright, along with William Lane Craig, has had a big influence on me this past year, between his books and lectures. He has helped clarify some theological issues that I have struggled with. Justification is written in response to John Piper's criticism of Wright on the doctrine of Justification.

3. Hard Questions, Real Answers by William Lane Craig
WLC has taught me so much this year, particularly through his podcasts. In this book WLC answers 7 difficult questions about Christianity, and he does it in a very easy to understand way. This is a book that anyone can read, and I think you owe it to yourself to read.

2. Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright
This book gave me hope. To be honest with you I have never been excited about going to heaven when I die. Once Wright clarified what the true Christian hope is all about I became excited, not only about the future, but also about the present.

1. Imminent Domain by Ben Witherington
The reason I made this #1 is because it is easy to read, it is short (83 pages), and is good theology. As Christians we get caught up in our "personal relationship with God" (whatever that means) and we forget that there is a grander story being played out around us, a story that God wants us to be a part of. This book reminds us what that story is.

God is Faithful

My salvation starts and ends with the faithfulness of God. It isn't dependant on what I do or say, but it is dependant on what God says and does.

I was reminded of this truth as I reflected on Genesis 15. This is a chapter that is often overlooked, but I believe is so essential in having a proper understanding of God.

What we have in Genesis 15 is God providing Abraham with greater detail to the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12, that through Abraham's family God would bless the entire world.

In Genesis 15 God promises Abraham that he would be a great nation, a nation who God will use. The Bible tells us that Abraham believed God's promise, and because of his faith God counted Abraham as righteous.

The narrative then takes a strange turn. God has Abraham get some animals, and then instructs Abraham to cut the animals in half. Through this ancient ritual God establishes a covenant with Abraham. In a covenant both parties have certain responsibilities they are to perform, and to demonstrate their commitment to the covenant they would walk between the halves. By this they would basically be saying, "If I don't fulfill my responsibility may I be cut in two."

Here is the strange thing that happens in Genesis 15, God shows up in a vision of a torch and a fire pot and passes through the halves twice. Abraham doesn't walk between the halves! What God told Abraham by doing this, is that He would be responsible for both parts of the covenant. God would be faithful for His part, and He would be responsible for Abraham's (and his descendants) part.

Flash forward to Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, who is faithful in His obedience to the Law. Jesus' faithfulness and obedience fulfills the conditions of the Law, and yet, because of the unfaithfulness of Israel the curse of the covenant still had to be met, and so God in the flesh, took the curse, and went to His death.

Yes, this is just a very basic sketch of God's faithfulness, but hopefully it reminds us that God is committed to His promise to bless the world through Abraham. Which is Good News because if it depended on us then it would fail. We have hope, not because of our faith, but because of God's faithfulness. It is there that we must anchor our lives.

Sent from my iPod

Sunday Quote: Freely to Become

"Virtue is what happens...when the Spirit enables the Christian freely to choose, freely to develop, freely to be shaped by God, freely to become that which is pleasing to God." - N. T. Wright, Justification, p. 189

Sent from my iPod

No Power = No Posts

Sorry about the lack of posts this week. I left the cord to my MacBook at my parents' house and didn't didn't have enough battery power left to do a whole lot, so while my iPod Touch helped fill in some gaps, I didn't really feel like doing a whole lot of writing on it this week. Hopefully things will get back to normal this next week. So I hope I didn't have anyone out there worried. Check back tomorrow for a new post.

Selfishness and God's Kingdom

I was reading Exodus 4 this morning in my devotional time. Exodus 4, you will recall, is part of the account that details Moses' call to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel. The chapter begins with God giving Moses signs that were designed to give Moses confidence in his calling, and yet Moses doubts.

I was struck by verse 13 this morning: But he said, "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will" (NASB). The reason it struck me is because I am used to reading this out of the NLT which says, "send anyone else."

Moses is asking God to send whoever God wills to send, when he IS the one God desires to send. Moses was not interested in God's will be done, he was hoping to get out if a difficult task.

I can see this same problem in my life. "God, may You will be done on earth, as long as you find someone else to do it." My faith will only take me so far.

This desire to avoid the difficult raises two questions in my mind. The first is, "What have I missed out on because of my unwillingness to do the hard thing?" If Moses continued to refuse to go he would gave missed out on the whole experience of leading Israel and witnessing the plagues God brought on Eygpt.

I probably won't know for certain until the end of time, but I think it is a safe assumption to say that my lack of courage and faith has caused me to miss out on experiencing God's power at work in the world around me.

The second question it raises is, "Why do I avoid things that are difficult?" I am sure that there are many ways that this could be answered, depending the task that is at hand, but I am fairly confident that it all comes done to our desire for life is greater that our desire to see God's Kingdom come into the earth.

In other words we are selfish, well at least I am selfish. I don't want to risk my reputation, my money, my life, or anything else if I am not guaranteed to be generously compensated (at least in a way that I think is generous).

At the end of the day what we discover is that our selfishness keeps us from experiencing God at work in our lives and in the world around us. This means that we have to make a decision. What is more important to us: our lives or being part of God's kingdom? The way we consistently choose to live will reveal the answer.

Sunday Quote: Allow God To Prepare You

"Is it for your sake that God takes time to prepare you? No, not for you alone, but also for the sake of those He wants to reach through you. For their sake, give youself to the kind of relationship to God we are discussing. Then, when He puts you in an assignment, He will achieve everything He wants in the lives of those you touch." - Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God Workbook, p. 41

Sent from my iPod

Don't Be Too Busy To Love

Friends. They are so vital to our lives, and yet we can think of dozens of different reasons not to cultivate friendships. It is time consuming work to maintain friendships, and so we allow ourselves to be pushed along by life only stopping to connect with people when it is convenient to us.

One of the reasons I bring this up is because I often feel like I get treated that way. Yes, I am your friend, but the relationship is based on your terms. So, when I call, they don't return the message, or when I write an email they don't bother with a reply.

It is crucial for us to remember that we are sending a message with our silence. Being busy is no excuse for ignoring someone. We are all busy, and so relationships require we put aside, for a moment, the busy-ness to focus on the person. To allow our busy-ness to consume us makes us very self-centered people.

The sad reality is that as I examine my life I realize that I have done the same thing. I haven't returned phone calls and gave ignored emails. I pushed away the thought of buying the thank you card or stopping for a visit because I didn't have the time. People who I love and care for are left to wonder if anyone truly cares.

Here is the question I want you to ponder: who is in need of your love and encouragement today? I am sure there is someone you know who is longing to hear a friendly voice or see a smiling face. Who are you going to share you love with today?

Sent from my iPod

Do I Trust God?

Have you ever had a snapshot of a story line pop into you head? Perhaps, you have taken it a step further and thought, "That would make a great movie."

A few days I ago I had that happen to me. I was in the shower and I had three scenes entire my mind, each one accompanied by thoughts and emotions. The first scene I see this young man in a ninja costume being handed a sword. A sense of pride and optimism accompanied this picture as I realized he was being given a great task, he was to protect a woman from things that go bump in the night, it was the task that he was trained to do.

The next scene is this "ninja" (a cross between Snake Eyes and Batman) battling demonic looking creatures, and in the distance is this woman he is to protector and her boyfriend. That is when I realize that this woman is the ninja's true love, but for him to suceed in his mission, not only does he have to keep her and her boyfriend safe, but he must remain in the shadows. She can never know what is happening behind the scenes of her life, and who is fighting for her life (a life she doesn't even know is in danger).

The third and final scene is the couple's wedding day, and the ninja is in a tree looking on. Mission accomplished, and because he did his mision well, the woman he loved, the woman he risked his life to protect, became the wife of another man, and able to enjoy a wonderful life without him. A saddness overcame my heart, because it didn't seem fair, after all if he was going to fight for her, he should be rewarded. He should be the one who was able to spend the rest of his life with her.

As I pondered about these three scenes and my reactions to them I realized that we do the samething with life. I had three scenes from a story, and that is all. I don't know what happens to the ninja, the future is still waiting to be created. The reason I had saddness, and the reason this seems unfair, is because we believe what is the best is what will make me happy in this moment. It is hard for us to believe that as much as something is good right now, that there might be something better further down the word.

Here is there point I am trying to make: because of our limited perspective what seems best to us may not really be the best. Since we have this limited perspective it is very important that we seek God's guidance for our lives. We need to be able to leave behind those things that seem good to us, but God tells us to drop. We need to be patient and wait on God's timing rather than allowing desires and fantasies to consume our hearts. We need to trust God more than we trust ourselves, believing that if we follow Jesus He will lead us into the best possible life that we can have.

This line of thinking reminds me of something that Erwin McManus once said, "If you go for the right reasons, God will get you to the place." Our responsibility is found in examing our motivations and aligning them with God's will (which requires prayer and Bible reading), and then in our going. We cannot get to the right place if we do not make the choice to go, to live out God's will.

God's resposibility is to guide us to the right place. Whether our not we accomplish our responsibility depends on whether or not we trust God to do His. The question we need to ask ourselves is: "Do I believe God has my best interest at heart." The way we choose to live will reveal the answer.

Sent from my iPod

I Must Turn To God

I sit in my office trying to work up the desire to finish the sermon for Sunday, but the saddness of my heart is overwhelming. This is not a feeling that I can lower my head and fight my way through, it is to deep to overcome by sheer will power So, I am forced to pause and consider "why is my heart sad?"

I reflect on my life and I see God's hand guiding me, even more so the last few days. Truth be told, I have more reason to trust God with my life now than I have ever had before. The strange thing is that these reasons have nothing to do with God arranging the life I always wanted to live, in fact, it has been the opposite. The further away the life I have always wanted has moved from my grasp, the more confident I have become of God's good desire for my life.

As I examine my heart I realize the problem is one of addiction. For far too long the hope and joy for my life have come from fantasy, and the result has been that I became addicted to the false promise it had to offer. The saddness of my heart is part of the withdrawal pains of that addiction. It is difficult to give up the source of hope that I have relied on for so long.

What can I do about this saddness? I know something I cannot do, and that is to reason with my heart with logic. Trust me, I have telling myself all the reasons why I should trust God and all the reasons why the fantasy is a lie, and yet my heart continues to ache and cry out for the happiness inducing fantasy. Logic is not going to win this fight.

What am I left with? Prayer. I know this is a Sunday School answer, but that doesn't make it wrong (though it is incomplete). When I say all I have left is prayer I am not refering to the wimpy ineffective prayers most of us throw up in order to fulfill our religious obligation. I am talking about honest and heartfelt communication with God. Communication in which I admit my desire, my difficulty in trusting, my lack of patience, and my fear that I will miss our on the good life. Communication in which I thank God for His guidance, His love, His Spirit, and His Word. Communication in which I plead for His mercy, His help, His strength, and His Spirit. Communication that is not done silently, but aloud and in private.

For much of the past year I have ignored prayer, and I only prayed when I felt obligated to pray. I freely confess that this past year I have gone days without praying, because I didn't see the point. Now God had brought me to the point that prayer is absolutely crucial to my life as a follower of Christ. The prayer of a faithful follower is effective and powerful. It has the power to change things.

For that reason, I pause to cry out to God, for only He can change my heart. It is God who has the medicine my sick heart needs, and it is to Him that I must turn.

Sent from my iPod

Shaped for Serving God

Originally posted Sunday, October 24, 2004

(As I was rereading this I realized that this was originally was what I wrote for the opening of worship at the Stronghurst Christian Church when we were going through the 40 Days of Purpose. I was youth minister and one of my responsibilities was to do the welcome and the call to worship)

Erwin McManus in Uprising: A Revolution for the Soul wrote; "The great things of God come out of the small acts of faithfulness."

Since you are reading this I am assuming there is a part of you which longs to live a life which pleases God. You want to hear those words; "Well done good and faithful servant," when you life is over. So we dream off all the things we would do for God if we only had the money, the time, and the talent.

The reality of life is that God has already given us what we need to serve Him. While we might think our gifts are not important or worthwhile, God has given us what we need to live a life of love: for Him and for others.

What our lives come down to then is not the gifts we have been given, but our faithfulness in using what we have. When we are faithful in using the gifts God has blessed us with we are able to make an impact for God's kingdom. We might not accomplish something what we would consider to be great, but it will be exactly what God has created us to accomplish.

Even the smallest act of faithfulness can be used to serve God. That is one of the points Jesus wanted his disciples to understand in John 13:12-17; When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (NIV)

The Work of Prayer

I was reading through Colossians this morning when an unexpected passage hit me between the eyes. The amazing thing about the following passage is that it is found in the closing section that we tend to skim rather than read because Paul is mentioning a bunch of people we don't know.

The passage I am refering to is Colossians 4:12-13. This is what Paul writes, "Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis" (NLT).

Here is the question that popped into my mind after I read those two verses; "How hard do I prayer for people?"

I can prayer desperately for myself and the circumstances that I am facing, but I fear I am rather in different to the people around me. Perhaps part of the reason we lack growth and maturity in our church families is because we have not prayed for it. Maybe the reason the people in our lives struggle with broken hearts, depression, and addictions is because we are not praying for them. I don't want to make it sound that all we do is prayer, certainly we are called to get off our butts and do something, but the fact is that many of us are so focused on ourselves that we miss the pain and the struggles of others.

Part of the reason this passage hit me so hard today is because this the area of my life God has called me to work on. He has impressed upon my heart that I need to be a person of prayer, because things change because of it.

The thing about prayer is that it sounds like an easy thing to do, but it is extremely difficult. Satan and his demonic horde will do everything in their power to keep you from praying effectively. So Paul writes that Epaphras prayed hard for the Colossians, it wasn't easy, but he committed himself to praying, so he did it.

I urge you to commit yourself to being a person of prayer. We all of people in our lives who desperately need our prayers, and if we don't pray for them who will. When God lays a person on your heart, stop what you are doing and pray for them. Not not only are we inviting God to be part of the situation, but we are also doing our Christian duty of loving one another.

I think that we need recapture the reality that prayer is work, and that it is one way we can work for the Kingdom of God. It won't be the easiest thing you have ever done, but it has the potential of being one of the best.

Overcome Sin With Good Works

We live in a world that has been corrupted by sin. I am not talking about a little bit of the world, but the entire thing. There is not a part of all of creation that has been exempt from the effects of sin. Since we live in this world, and because it is all that we know, it is easy to think that sin is our natural state as human beings. That would be wrong.

God designed us to do good works. That means we were created to bring glory and love to God, to love and serve other people, and to be good stewards of the wonderful creation God gave to us. Sin was not part of the original design.

I bring this up because I think we allow the fact that we are "just human" to justify sinful behavior. Rather than praying about our sin and taking steps to remove it from our lives we allow our sin to continue to have a place in our lives. "After all," we reason, "we are just human."

It is essential that we grab a hold of the reality that Jesus died because of sin. The death of Jesus on the cross atones for our sins and it begins to reverse the curse that sin brought into this world. The death of Jesus should remind us that God was not willing to allow His creation to be hijacked by Satan, sin, and death. Our loving Heavenly Father is not pleased that His good creation was corrupted.

If God is not pleased with the corruption of His creation, then as His people we should not be pleased either. It should bother us to see sin cause havoc and hardship in the lives of people, and we should be moved to do something about it.

Ponder for a moment the often used verse from Ephesians: "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10; NLT).

I think this verse helps us understand what part we are to play in the war against sin and its corrupting effect. First, we have to remember that through God's grace our sin is taken care of. We don't have to worry about death and hell because Jesus' death took care of those eternal effects of sin and His resurrection gives us the promise of new life. In other words, overcoming sin isn't about getting our act together, because we will never be able to, we are not strong enough or wise enough to overcome sin on our own. Jesus death and resurrection means we don't have to, because He took care of our sin problem for us, and now we are new creations.

That doesn't mean we have no responsibility in this fight. What Paul says is that we have been re-created for a purpose: good works. Rather than looking towards sin, we look towards good works, doing those things that God originally created us to do. The more we give ourselves away to good works, the less hold sin will have on us. So not only do we not have to worry about the eternal effects of sin, but now we can discover that sin will have a less of a hold on us because or our growing desire to do good.

Sin is not our natural state. Since, Jesus has taken care of the effects of sin, we can slowly but surely break the hold of sin on our lives as we give ourselves over to our original design: doing good works.

Sent from my iPod