Daily Thought: Without God There is No Meaning

The point is this: If God does not exist, then life is objectively meaningless; but man cannot live consistently and happily knowing that life is meaningless; so in order to be happy he pretends life has meaning.  But this is, of course, entirely inconsistent—for without God, man and the universe are without any real significance.

William Lane Craig, On Guard, David C. Cook (2010), p. 41

Faith is...

From Evernote:

The Way of Obedience

The quest of our lives is to become the people God created us to be. This isn't an easy quest because there are many paths that we can travel on this pursuit, and yet only one path will lead us to our destination. If we are unwilling to follow this road we will miss out, not only on God, but also the life He created us to live.

Henry Blackaby in the workbook Experiencing God wrote:

God's commands are designed to guide you to life's very best. You will not obey Him, however, if you do not believe Him and trust Him. You cannot believe Him if you do not love Him. You cannot love Him unless you know Him (p. 63).

The road we are to travel is the road of obedience.

This quest to become the people God created us to be begins with our knowledge of who God is. We cannot love, trust, and obey God unless we first know Him. Knowledge is the foundation of faith. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote:

But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news! (Romans 10:14-15; ESV)

Without a knowledge of God it is impossible to have faith. And what is faith? This is the definition that I use: Faith is the combination of trust and action which is demonstrated by our obedience. Without faith there is no true obedience.

The great biblical example of faith is Abraham. In the land of Ur Abraham heard the call of God. How well did Abraham know God at this point in his life? I know that it has been suggested that at this time Abraham may have worshiped other gods rather than being a worshiper of the One True God. Blackaby in Created to be God's Friend makes this point; "To our knowledge, Abram was not seeking God; God was seeking him" (p. 16). In other words the beginning of this journey is actually found in God's desire to have a relationship with us and not in our desire to have a relationship with Him.

The revelation of God, found primarily in the Bible, provides us with the initial knowledge that we need to trust God and obey Him. This revelation provides us with enough knowledge to make that first step of faith, and as we continue to trust and obey God with our lives we begin to develop a deeper trust in Him.

The relationship Abraham had with God at the beginning was not very strong. Abraham knew God well enough to trust God to lead him to the Promised Land, but based on the biblical account we know that there were other areas of His life that Abraham did not trust God. With time and experience Abraham learned to trust and love God like few people in history have. At the end of his life Abraham knew God a whole lot better than he did when he first left Ur to follow God into the unknown.

The apostle John talks about the relationship between obedience and a relationship with God:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:3-6; ESV)

The only way to know God and thus become the people God created us to be is to obey God. There is no other way that will happen. We can spend time talking about purpose and goals and self-improvement techniques, but if we don't turn to the Life-Maker we will miss out on life.

Since God is the Life-Maker He alone knows what brings purpose, meaning, and joy into our lives. As God's creation it is essential that we look to Him for the directions we need for life. Part of those instructions are found in the Bible. As we begin this journey to become the people God created us to be we need to rely heavily on the wisdom we discover on the pages of Scripture. As we mature and gain experience with God we will begin to rely on prayer and other Christians to provide the wisdom that we need to discern God's will for our lives. As we surrender our lives to God's will in obedience we begin to catch glimpses of the person God created us to be.

It is by traveling the road of obedience we not only discover who we are, but we also begin to discover more about who God is. Only as we obey God do we begin to experience Him at work in the world around us as He transforms our hearts. It is this experience which helps us understand God's heart and thus we are brought a little closer to Him.

Daily Thought: Love Expands When Given Away

From the very beginning you were made for love.

It may be hard to accept, but you are the object of God's love. You were created out of love by him, and though you may not yet realize it, your soul longs to know this love. But it goes way beyond that. You are a creature of love. You are designed to love and be loved. Our search for intimacy explains our need for community, relationship, friendship, and acceptance; it is expressed most deeply in our need for romantic love.

We all long to belong. We are created to know love and to give love. Our need to love, though rooted in God, is not limited to him. Love is not a limited commodity. Love expands as we give it away. Love dies when we do not.

Without love there is no life. To love is to be fully human.

Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, Thomas Nelson (2006), Intimacy: Entry 4


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Daily Thought: Complex and Simple

I say this because people often grumble as soon as a discussion about the meaning of human life, or the possibility of God, moves away from quite simple ideas and becomes more complicated.  Any world in which there are things as music and sex, laughter and tears, mountains and mathematics, eagles and earthworms, statues and symphonies and snowflakes and sunsets—and in which we humans find ourselves in the middle of it all—is bound to be a world in which the quest for truth, for reality, for what we can be sure of, is infinitely more complicated than simple yes-and-no questions will allow.  There is appropriate complexity along with appropriate simplicity.  The more we learn, the more we discover that we humans are fantastically complicated creatures.  Yet, on the other hand, human life is full of moments when we know that things are also very, very simple.

N. T. Wright, Simply Christian, HarperOne (2006), p. 49

The Bible is the Life of Prayer

Linkage: What if Your Life Could be More Engaging Than Television?

Many of us live pretty uneventful lives.  Which at times can seem like a good thing, but it can have a deadly consequence for us.  As we take the path of least resistance and we begin to live our lives out through the actions of other people we begin to opt for a life of meaninglessness.  Our lives become defined by the TV shows we watch and the stuff that we buy.  To take our minds off our reality we watch more TV and buy more stuff, it is vicious cycle.

Followers of Christ are called to live intentional lives.  This will not always equate with an exciting life, but it will equate with a meaningful life.  We are called to be good stewards of all that God has given to us, that includes our time and talents, not just our finances.  I think that is the point Don Miller is trying to make in this blog post:

Ask yourself before your next major decision “If I were a character in a story, what decision would make the story more interesting?” 

You’ll be surprised at how differently you feel about the decision. You’ll weigh safety over excitement, risk over comfort. You’ll likely decide to love people more, quit your job, bring home roses, leap off the cliff into the water and so on. Great characters in exciting stories don’t sit around on the couch playing it safe. They get up, move, try, fail and risk it all again.

Continue reading What if Your Life Could be More Engaging Than Television?

Daily Thought: Prayer Is Not A Waste

That is glorious, and as simple as it is glorious! Thank God, many are trying it. Don't you know any one who is always serene? Perhaps he is a very stormy man by his natural make-up, but troubles and conflicts and reverses and bereavements may sweep around him, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding guards his heart and his thoughts in Christ Jesus.

We all know such persons. How do they manage it?

Just by prayer, that is all. Those persons who know the deep peace of God, the unfathomable peace that passeth all understanding, are always men and women of much prayer.

Some of us let the hurry of our lives crowd prayer out, and what a waste of time and energy and nerve force there is by the constant worry! One night of prayer will save us from many nights of insomnia. Time spent in prayer is not wasted, but time invested at big interest.

R. A. Torrey, How to Pray, Olive Tree Bible Software Edition

Daily Thought: The Significance of Joy

The deep significance of joy in the Christian life is hardly understood. It is too often regarded as something secondary; whereas its presence is essential as the proof that God does indeed satisfy us, and that His service is our delight. In our domestic life we do not feel satisfied if all the proprieties of deportment are observed, and each does his duty to the other; true love makes us happy in each other; as love gives out its warmth of affection, gladness is the sunshine that fills the home with its brightness. Even in suffering or poverty, the members of a loving family are a joy to each other. Without this gladness, especially, there is no true obedience on the part of the children. It is not the mere fulfillment of a command, or performance of a service, that a parent looks to; it is the willing, joyful alacrity [Brisk and cheerful readiness.] with which it is done that makes it pleasing.

Murray, Andrew (2009-10-04). Holy in Christ: Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy (Kindle Locations 2314-2321). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

Attainment of Character

Daily Thought: God Expects Our Worship

This is why we are called to worship Him. His art, His handiwork, and His creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him. He is the King of Kings, the Beginning and the End, the One who was and is and is to come. I know you’ve heard this before, but I don’t want you to miss it.

I sometimes struggle with how to properly respond to God’s magnitude in a world bent on ignoring or merely tolerating Him. But know this: God will not be tolerated. He instructs us to worship and fear Him.

Chan, Francis (2010-01-01). Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Kindle Locations 340-347). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: From the Resurrection Side

Our holiness is, like His, in the death to our own will, and to all our own life. But—this we must seek to grasp—we do not approach death from the side from which Christ met it, as an enemy to be conquered, as a suffering to be borne, before the new life can be entered on. No, the believer who knows what Christ is as the Risen One, approaches death, the crucifixion of self and the flesh and the world, from the resurrection side, the place of victory, in the power of the Living Christ. When we were baptized into Christ, we were baptized into His death and resurrection as ours; and Christ Himself, the Risen Living Lord, leads us triumphantly into the experience of the power of His death. And so, to the believer who truly lives by faith, and seeks not in his own strugglings to crucify and mortify the flesh, but knows the living Lord, the deep resurrection joy never for a moment forsakes Him, but is his strength for what may appear to others to be only painful sacrifice and cross-bearing.

Murray, Andrew (2009-10-04). Holy in Christ: Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy (Kindle Locations 2350-2358). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: The Bible and Prayer Go Together

Prayer begets a church-going conscience, a church-loving heart, a church-supporting spirit. It is the praying people, who make it a matter of conscience, to attend the preaching of the Word; who delight in its reading; exposition; who support it with their influence and their means. Prayer exalts the Word of God and gives it preeminence in the estimation of those who faithfully and wholeheartedly call upon the Name of the Lord.

Prayer draws its very life from the Bible, and has no standing ground outside of the warrant of the Scriptures. Its very existence and character is dependent on revelation made by God to man in His holy Word. Prayer, in turn, exalts this same revelation, and turns men toward that Word. The nature, necessity and all-comprehending character of prayer, is based on the Word of God.

E. M. Bounds; The Necessity of Prayer; Logos Bible Software Edition

Inadequate Messengers

God uses human instruments to bring to men the message of his truth and love; but it is he alone who wakes the hearts of men to new life.  As he alone created the heart, so he alone can re-create it.

William Barclay, DSB: The Letters to the Corinthians, p. 31

Followers of Jesus are called to be be ambassadors and missionaries to the world.  We cannot escape from that responsibility, it is woven into the fabric of what it means to be a Christian.  It is a huge and important calling to be sure and most of the time we feel inadequate for the task.  After all we lack the resources and the talents that we think are necessary in carrying God's message of love and truth to the world.

First I want to pause for a moment and say that is true.  The mere presence of sin my life makes me inadequate, not to mention the lack of knowledge we have about the way the world works, the Bible, and the circumstances of other people's lives.  So let us hang out here and confess that we are inadequate for the job at hand.

Now there are two pieces that I want to add to this.  There is the piece that being a citizen of God's Kingdom begins with being "poor in Spirit." Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with; "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3; ESV).  Part of being a follower of Jesus is having the realization that we don't have what it takes and that we must depend on God to provide us with everything that we need; whether that is our daily bread, patience to deal with difficult people, or the words to share with those who are searching for truth.  

The second piece is the importance of being true to who God created us to be. The apostle Paul reminds us of this truth when he wrote:

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Romans 12:3-8, ESV). 

This isn't just about having a certain talent set, but about figuring out how to use those talents God has blessed us with for His Kingdom.  It is through using our unique set of talents for God's Kingdom which enables us to find our purpose in life.

With that being said we need to remember that the only person that we have any control over is ourself.  While God has given us the responsibility to take His message of love and truth to the world He has not given us responsibility to change the hearts of other people.  That responsibility lies with God Himself, and therefore we do not need to worry about how people will respond we just need to focus on the best and most effective ways to use our gifts and talents for God's Kingdom.  What a sense of relief that reality should give us.

Daily Thought: Praise and Temptation

It is Christ who alone breaks the curse of sin.  It is he who gives the struggle meaning--for he is the purpose and the goal of all our striving.  Therefore Augustine writes, ”Let us sing alleluias here on earth...even here amidst trials and temptations and anxiety...not in order to enjoy a life of leisure, but in order to lighten our labors.” It is by praising God in the midst of temptation that we will be freed of heaviness within our souls.

 J. Heinrich Arnold, Freedom from Sinful Thoughts, Plough Publishing House e-book edition (2007)

Prayer: Find Liberty in Holiness

Most glorious God! I ask You to open my eyes to this wonderful liberty with which Christ has made me free. May I enter fully into Your word, that sin shall have no dominion over me because I am not under the law but under grace. May I know my liberty which I have in Christ Jesus, and stand fast in it.

Father! Your service is perfect liberty: reveal this too to me. You are the infinitely Free, and Your will knows no limits but what its own has placed. And You invite us into Your will, that we may be free as You are free. O my God! show me the beauty of Your will, as it frees me from self and from sin, and let it be my only blessedness. Let the service of righteousness so be a joy and a strength to me, having its fruit in sanctification, leading me into Your Holiness.

Blessed Lord Jesus! my Deliverer and my Liberty, I belong to You. I give myself to Your will, to know no will but Yours. Master! You and You alone would I serve. I have my liberty in You! be my Keeper. I cannot stand for one moment out of You. In You I can stand fast: in You I put my trust.

Most Holy God! as Your free, obedient, loving child, You will make me holy. Amen.

(Adapted from Andrew Murray's prayer found in Holy in Christ at the end of the chapter 20 Holiness and Liberty.)

Daily Thought: Prayer Helps the Heart

PRAYER, with its manifold and many-sided forces, helps the mouth to utter the truth in its fullness and freedom. The preacher is to be prayed for, the preacher is made by prayer. The preacher's mouth is to be prayed for; his mouth is to be opened and filled by prayer. A holy mouth is made by praying, by much praying; a brave mouth is made by praying, by much praying. The Church and the world, God and heaven, owe much to Paul's mouth; Paul's mouth owed its power to prayer.

How manifold, illimitable, valuable, and helpful prayer is to the preacher in so many ways, at so many points, in every way! One great value is, it helps his heart.

E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer, Logos Bible Software Edition

The Moldy Bread Deception

In Joshua 9 we read the account of the Gibeonites, a Canaanite tribe, who deceived Israel in order to enter into a covenant (a treaty), because the Gibeonites feared Israel.  These people had heard what God had done in Eygpt, they had been told that God had given Israel their land, and the stories of the destruction of Jericho and Ai were still very fresh in their minds. Naturally the Gibeonites did not want to be next. 

Rather than engaging the Israelites in battle, which they determined would be futile, they devised a plan to trick Israel.  The Gibeonite plan was to dress up ambassadors to make it appear that they had traveled a great distance.  The charade included moldy bread and torn wineskins to give the deception credibility.  Apparently they understood that God made allowances for Israel to enter into alliances with distant countries, but not with the people who lived in Canaan.  The Gibeonites hoped to survive by deceiving Israel.

Joshua and the leaders of Israel did fall for the ruse and entered into a treaty with the Gibeonites, a treaty they honored in spite of the deception on the Gibeonites part.  The Israelites allowed the appearance of things to distract them from reality. This is the description we find in Joshua; So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord (Joshua 9:14; NLT).  When we follow common sense or what appears to be true to our five sense there is a chance that we will be deceived.

I believe that as Christians we are vulnerable to make alliances with people and parties that we have no business with making an allegiance with.  One of those allegiances I think we get sucked into is the allegiance to politics. Sometimes this has to do with a political party, and other times it has to do with a particular candidate or an agenda.  The result is that we are distracted from what God has called us to do as we put time and effort into something that is of less importance.

The last presidential election cycle there were many Christians who have been deceived by Presidcent Obama's moldy bread rhetoric of hope and change.  They believed that this man would usher in change and bring hope to people.  Let's be honest, that was nothing more than political rhetoric, and after nearly four years of President Obama we realize very little has changed.

True hope and change doesn't happen through the policies of government, but through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus brings hope and change to people regardless of the type of government they live under.  Change that brings living hope is only found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not a politician who is able to make more promises than what he can keep.

Other Christians have been distracted by conservative promises of pro-life and pro-marriage platforms.  There is nothing more precious in this world than human life, and we need to fight for it, but we should have learned by now politics is a poor vehicle to make that happen.  The Republican party, despite of what they may say, is more interested in being in power than in protecting life.  If they can make a promise to secure your vote then they will do it.  When we get deceived by the moldy bread of a political party we will give them our allegiance and give time and money to get the "right" people elected and miss out on really touching the lives of other people.  The greatest thing that we as Christians can do to stop abortion and end the charade that is homosexual marriage is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the lives of other people.  As the truth changes their lives, so will their views on life.

God has given us a great opportunity in this country to be able to participate in the political process.  I think it is something that we need to stay informed on and to vote when we have the opportunity.  I also think that it is dangerous to give our allegiance to a party or a candidate.  The greatest hope this country has is the Gospel on Jesus Christ, which has the power to change the hearts of people.  Our allegiance must be to Jesus before anything else. 

Daily Thought: Being Dead to Sin

To be dead to sin with Christ is not to be lacking in these natural desires, but to have a real alternative to sin and the world's sin system as the orientation and motivation for our natural impulses. In our new life, we are capable of standing beyond sin's reach as we choose what we will do and in that sense we are unattached from it, we are dead to it.  It is still possible in the abstract for us to sin, but we see it as the uninteresting or the disgusting thing it is.  The psychological condition established in us by the influx of Christ's life—a psychological reality—allows us to rise above our "old person" for the motivation, organization, and direction of our physical existence.

Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, HarperOne (1991), p. 115

Think About the Blessing not the Circumstances

Daily Thought: Don't Stop Exploring

God seems to free the oppressed, end injustice, feed the hungry, bring victory, and do every good work through men and women who refuse to surrender to the problem.  As we move ahead on our spiritual journey, we discover that we have to once again become explorers.  If you choose not believe in God or even reject mystery mystery in any form, maybe it would make sense to stop exploring things. However, if you are in a relationship with Jesus Christ, you are an explorer whether you like it or not.  Once you are called out by God, you are called to move into mysterious, uncertain territory and begin to live a life filled with risk and fraught with challenges.

Erwin McManus, Wide Awake, Thomas Nelson (2008), p. 46

Daily Thought: The Holiness We Need

In the holiness of Jesus we see what ours must be: righteousness, that hates sin and gives everything to have it destroyed; love, that seeks the sinner and gives everything to have him saved. ‘Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.’

Andrew Murray, Holy in Christ, Olive Tree Bible Software Edition

Daily Thought: Stay in Touch with God

If we undertake work for God and get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility will be overwhelmingly crushing; but if we roll back on God that which He has put upon us, He takes away the sense of responsibility by bringing in the realization of Himself.

Many workers have gone out with high courage and fine impulses, but with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, and before long they are crushed. They do not know what to do with the burden, it produces weariness, and people say—‘What an embittered end to such a beginning!’

“Roll thy burden upon the Lord”—you have been bearing it all; deliberately put one end on the shoulders of God. “The government shall be upon His shoulder.” Commit to God “that He hath given thee”; not fling it off, but put it over on to Him and yourself with it, and the burden is lightened by the sense of companionship. Never dissociate yourself from the burden.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Logos Bible Software Edition

Daily Thought: The Church Needs Prayer

Without prayer, a church is like a body without spirit; it is a dead, inanimate thing. A church with prayer in it, has God in it. When prayer is set aside, God is outlawed. When prayer becomes an unfamiliar exercise, then God Himself is a stranger there.

E. M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer, Logos Bible Software Edition

If Only...

A battle that I constantly fight with myself is this attitude of “If I only....”  I believe that most people at one time or another has experienced this.  “If I only had musical ability I would do a special on Sunday.” or “If I only made $100,000, then I would tithe.”  Hopefully you see my point.  Too often we focus on what we don’t have rather than doing the best with what we do have.  We write up our failures and our lack of effort to the fact that we don’t have this or that.

Many times as we look around the Church and our local church families we see all sorts of things that could be done.  What keeps us from making changes is this idea: “If we only...”  Sure it would be nice if money wasn’t an issue, if we had the time and the personnel to do all these great and wonderful things, or if tradition wouldn't tie our hands, but wishing doesn’t make it happen.

There is a lesson from the Bible that we can apply here.  Jesus told a parable about a rich man who went off on a long journey.  Before going on that journey the man called three of his servants together.  To each of these men he gives a sum of money.  The first he gives five talents, to the second two talents, and to the third one talent.  You know the story, the man is gone for a long time, but the servants do different things with their money.  The first two invest it and double the money they had been given and the third one buries his for safe keeping.  When the man comes back he is pleased with the first two but is furious with the last one.

One lesson that we can take from this parable, found in Matthew 25:14-30, is a simple one.  We recognize that God has blessed each one of us differently, and therefore He doesn’t expect us to be alike.  What God does expect is that we use the talents and the blessings He has given us to build His kingdom.  We don’t need to be worrying about what we don’t have, because God has provided us with the things we need to impact the people we know and make a difference in the place we live.

Don’t start playing the, “If I only..” game.  Instead think about what God has given you, and use that to the best of your ability.  Pursue excellence, and when we do, we will discover that we can do so much with what we already have.

Daily Thought: The Power of Separation

We need, above all, to know the power of separation, the power that leads us into it in the spirit of desire and of joy, of liberty and of love. The great separating word in human language is the word Mine. In this we have the great spring of effort and of happiness: in the child with its toys, in labour with its gains and rewards, in the patriot who dies for his country, it is this Mine that lays its hand on what it sets apart from all else. It is the great word that love uses. Be it the child that says to its mother, My own mamma, and calls forth the response, My own child; the bridegroom who draws the daughter from her beloved home and parents to become his; or the Holy God who speaks: ‘I have separated you from the people, that ye should be Mine;’ it is always with that Mine that love exerts its mighty power, and draws from all else to itself. God Himself knows no mightier argument, can put forth no more powerful attraction than this, ‘that ye should be Mine.’ And the power of separation will come to us, and work in us, just as we yield ourselves to study and realize that holy purpose, to listen to and appropriate that wondrous Mine, to be apprehended and possessed of that Almighty Love.

Murray, Andrew (2009-10-04). Holy in Christ: Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy (Kindle Locations 1131-1140). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: Don't Just Drift

The professing Christian who now scarcely pretends to open the Bible or pray came to so terrible a position, not at a single leap, but by yielding to the pressure of the constant waywardness of the old nature, and thus drifted into an arctic region, where he is likely to perish, benumbed and frozen, unless rescued, and launched on the warm gulf-stream of the love of God.

It is so easy, and so much pleasanter, to drift. Just to lie back, and renounce effort, and let yourself go whither the waters will, as theybreak musically on the sides of the rocking boat. But, ah, how ineffable the remorse, how disastrous the result!

Are you drifting? You can easily tell. Are you conscious of effort, of daily, hourly resistance to the stream around you, and within? Do the things of God and heaven loom more clearly on your vision? Do the waters foam angrily at your prow as you force your way through them? If so, rejoice! but remember that only divine strength can suffice to maintain the conflict, and keep the boat's head against the stream. If not, you are drifting. Hail the strong Son of God! Ask him to come on board, and stay you, and bring you into port.

F. B. Meyer, The Way Into The Holiest, Olive Tree Bible Software Edition

Don't Surrender to Fear

The tasks God calls us to are often scary and overwhelming.  We know that if completing the tasks depended solely upon us then they will remain unfinished.  Joshua must have felt that same way when he was called to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 31:7-8:

Then Moses called out to Joshua in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you will accompany these people to the land that the LORD promised to give their ancestors, and you will enable them to inherit it. The LORD is indeed going before you - he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!" (NET)

Moses had been the leader of Israel for 40 years and he understood the difficulties that were involved with the task, so he urges Joshua to be strong and courageous.  Moses reminds Joshua that he can be confident in the task because God would go with him.

Deuteronomy 31:22, 23:

So on that day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites, and the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun, "Be strong and courageous, for you will take the Israelites to the land I have promised them, and I will be with you." (NET)

Before the chapter ends in Deuteronomy Joshua is again urged to be strong and courageous, but this time the encouragement comes directly from God.  Joshua wasn't appointed for the task by Moses, but by God, and God tells Joshua that he can boldly lead the people into the Promised Land because God will go with Him.  What a great encouragement!

Joshua 1:6-9:

"Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them.  Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do. This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. I repeat, be strong and brave! Don't be afraid and don't panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do."  (NET)

On the eve of venturing into the Promised Land God again comes to Joshua and affirms the promise that he had been given.  Joshua could be strong and brave because God went with him.  Yet we discover here that God gave Joshua some advice on how to be strong and courageous: to know and obey the law.  God had established a covenant with Israel, and as Israel's leader Joshua was charged with helping Israel to obey the terms of that covenant.  So it was essential that Joshua knew, obeyed, and ultimately modeled those terms to the nation.  It was Joshua's faithfulness to God, as demonstrated by keeping the terms of the covenant, that Joshua could be certain that God would be with him each step of the way.

2 Timothy 1:6-8:

Because of this I remind you to rekindle God's gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands.  For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by God's power accept your share of suffering for the gospel (NET).

Timothy had been given a task to do.  It was based on the talents and spiritual gifts that God had blessed him with, but there was a part of him that wanted to hold back.  If he was to accomplish his God-given mission meant that he would face persecution and opposition.  Paul reminded Timothy that God's Spirit fills us with courage and boldness so that he can have the strength to accomplish what God had called him to do.

As followers of Jesus we are not to surrender to our fears.  We are to go forth in courage and do what we have been called to do, to keep the terms of the New Covenant: Love God and love people.  Yes we will face opposition, but when we surrender to God He will enable us to accomplish what He as called us to do.  He will give us the strength to be faithful to the end.

We can go confidently into the world because we know that God goes with us.  He has enabled us, through His Spirit, to be the strong and courageous people He called us to be.

Daily Thought: Feelings Aren't a Reliable Guide

Lots of people feel very strongly that we should bomb our enemies, that we should execute serious criminals and castrate rapists, that we should abolish income taxes and let the fittest survive.  Lots of other people feel very strongly that we should do none of those things.  An exchange of feelings may tell us where the pressure points are likely to come, but it won't tell us what is the right thing to do.

N. T. Wright, After You Believe, Harper One (2010), p. 156

Thoughts on Easter and Christmas

I have a cousin who is teaching in South Korea and she was surprised that they didn't celebrate Easter yesterday at church.  Apparently the same thing happened with Christmas, and so she asked these questions to some of her friends on Facebook:

So, my question is this: Do American (or western) churches benefit spiritually from the observance of these days?  or are they examples of secular influence on the church?  Please let me know your thoughts.

Here is my reply:

Here are my answers to your questions. I don't think Western churches benefit from the celebration of Easter or Christmas. The reasons for that are varied and complex, but are rooted in the reality that following Jesus is about living a life guided by the Spirit rather than about observing certain special days (part of Paul's argument in Galatians). What happens is that these days become about certain traditions rather than meaningful rest stops during the year to reflect on God and His work of redemption of creation.  

With that being said the Christmas and Easter seasons can be meaningful and spiritually important if we as individuals take the time to prepare our hearts and minds to experience the celebrations. This also it puts responsibility on Church leaders to prepare events thoughtfully and intentionally to help people move past the traditions and cliches of the seasons to focus on what is truly important.  

The last piece of this, as my brother mentioned, is Communion. The Lord's Supper is the "tradition" Jesus handed down to us to remember Him and the covenant He established with us. Even here what makes Communion a spiritually beneficial thing is how the church frames its purpose and the preparation of each individual before they take it. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that a failure to observe the Lord's Supper correctly can be an unhealthy thing. So the bottom line is that for Easter and Christmas to be spiritually beneficial it requires the thoughtful preparation of both the individual and the church.  

To answer the second question I don't think it has to do with secular influence on the church as much as it has to do with the religious spirit that seeks to elevate traditions and laws as the way to follow Jesus rather than being guided by the Spirit (part of what Paul was talking about in Galatians). Those are my thoughts, I hope they were helpful. 

Daily Thought: God Will Give Us Holiness

Learn to cease from your own wisdom as well as your own goodness; draw near in poverty of spirit to let the Holy One show you how utterly above human knowledge or human power is the holiness He demands; to the soul that ceases from self, and has no confidence in the flesh, He will show and give the holiness He calls us to.

Murray, Andrew (2009-10-04). Holy in Christ: Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy (Kindle Locations 252-254). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

A Living Hope

Daily Thought: Resurrection Life

The resurrection of Jesus has given Him authority to impart the life of God to me, and my experimental life must be constructed on the basis of His life. I can have the resurrection life of Jesus now, and it will show itself in holiness.

Oswald Chambers, Utmost for His Highest, Logos Bible Software Edition

A Wonderful Purpose for Life

Daily Thought: Prayer and Preaching

The real sermon is made in the closet. The man — God’s man — is made in the closet. His life and his profoundest convictions were born in his secret communion with God. The burdened and tearful agony of his spirit, his weightiest and sweetest messages were got when alone with God. Prayer makes the man; prayer makes the preacher; prayer makes the pastor.

The pulpit of this day is weak in praying. The pride of learning is against the dependent humility of prayer. Prayer is with the pulpit too often only official — a performance for the routine of service. Prayer is not to the modern pulpit the mighty force it was in Paul’s life or Paul’s ministry. Every preacher who does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life and ministry is weak as a factor in God’s work and is powerless to project God’s cause in this world.

E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer, Logos Bible Software Edition

Jesus Betrayed

This is the written version of the communion meditation I shared at the Good Friday Service tonight at Bethlehem Free Methodist Church here in Austin, MN.


The starting point for the events we reflect on tonight is betrayal. It was the choice of Judas to betray Jesus that sent in motion these final hours of Jesus' life.

Why did Judas make this choice? We cannot know for sure, but like humankind's first betrayal of God, Satan twisted his thoughts and desires, so that what he did seemed to be the logical thing to do.  He probably thought he was setting in motion the means for Jesus to declare himself as King and rebelling against Rome. Things didn't turn out as planned.

Yet Judas wasn't the only one to betray Jesus that night.  When push came to shove, when Jesus clearly revealed that there would be no fight to prevent his capture the disciples scattered.  Two follow from a distance, but one of those disciples, Peter, ended up denying Jesus.

Before we judge these first disciples too harshly let us remember we to have betrayed Jesus, and we too have denied Jesus.  We are not that much different.

How have we betrayed Jesus? Sure there is the presence of sin, but there is also more subtle ways we betray and deny Jesus.  We, like the disciples, often look to politics to usher God's Kingdom into the world. We adopt ways of living that is conformed to the ways of the world rather than following Jesus. We pursue a life that is filled with busy-ness that eats up our resources so we cannot be generous and use up all our time so we have very little to use for service and worship.  Remember in Romans 5:8 says: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (NLT).  Being sinners, the breakers of God's law,  made us  God's  enemies, traitors of His Kingdom.

With this background of betrayal and treachery, how did Jesus respond? Matthew 26:26-29 reads:

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom (NLT). 

In the face of betrayal and treachery of his creation, his disciples, and his friends Jesus stopped and declared that he was making a new covenant.  That he was not abandoning them to Satan, sin, and death.  Jesus was making a promise, sealed with his  blood and death, that we can be numbered among God's people and be citizens of His Kingdom.

As we reflect on the darkness, the sin, the treachery, the agony, and the death associated with this day we begin with communion.  Not only does communion remind us of Jesus' commitment, but it also provides us with an opportunity to declare our loyalty to him.

Take a few minutes and consider the ways you have betrayed Jesus. Ask him for forgiveness, declare your commitment to him, and seal your promise to him through taking the Lord's Supper, remembering His promise to us.

Daily Thought: Love the Simple Truth

TRUTH, not eloquence, is to be sought in reading the Holy Scriptures; and every part must be read in the spirit in which it was written. For in the Scriptures we ought to seek profit rather than polished diction.

Likewise we ought to read simple and devout books as willingly as learned and profound ones. We ought not to be swayed by the authority of the writer, whether he be a great literary light or an insignificant person, but by the love of simple truth. We ought not to ask who is speaking, but mark what is said. Men pass away, but the truth of the Lord remains forever. God speaks to us in many ways without regard for persons.


THOMAS À KEMPIS, The Imitation of Christ, Logos Bible Software Edition

Daily Thought: One Standard of Holiness

There is not one standard of Holiness for God and another for man. The nature of light is the same, whether we see it in the sun or in a candle: the nature of Holiness remains unchanged, whether it be God or man in whom it dwells. The Lord Jesus could say nothing less than, ‘Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.’ When God calls us to Holiness, He calls us to Himself and His own life: the more carefully we listen to the voice, and let it sink into our hearts, the more will all human standards fall away, and only the words be heard, Holy, as I am holy.

Murray, Andrew (2009-10-04). Holy in Christ Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy (Kindle Locations 129-133). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

More Than a Personal Relationship

{Galatians 6:1-3, 10; ESV}

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself...So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. 

We like to talk about having a personal relationship with God. In many aspects it is personal. In Galatians 4:6 the Apostle Paul writes; And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father (NLT). Paul is talking about a relationship that is both real and personal. Paul also reminds us in Galatians 6:5; For we are each responsible for our own conduct (NLT). No one else can have this relationship for us; it is something that must be our own choice.

There is a personal aspect of having a relationship with God, but God never intended for us to be alone in this relationship. We are surrounded by people with whom have a relationship with God. We are to help each other as we live in relationship to God.

It is so easy to become concerned about our relationship with God, or at best a few other people we are close to, and neglect other people. We think that our “spiritual lives” are a private aspect of our lives and that it is improper to trespass on another’s relationship with God. We do this at the determent of the Church.

Sure it is uncomfortable to talk with another about something we believe is so private and personal. Since it is uncomfortable we should get the hint that it is important to do. Satan has great success when he gets us to believe that we have to struggle through life alone. When we are isolated we have a greater chance of falling.

It seems to me that Paul is urging Christians to be involved in each other’s lives. We shouldn’t let a person drift away for our local congregations without providing assistance. We shouldn’t think that this is just the job of paid Church Staff, but be willing to befriend anyone who seems to be in need. We should be willing to share stories of how God is working in our lives and the difference He has made. We should accept the help for other Christians rather than isolating ourselves for the Church when things aren’t going the way they should.

Christianity isn’t just about having a personal relationship with God, but it is also about getting involved in the lives of other Christians. If we are just focused on our relationship with God and neglect other people we reveal that we are still very selfish. By getting involved in the lives of others we are able to learn humility and compassion, two essential characteristics of a mature Christian.

I want to challenge you to get involved in the lives of other people. Maybe you need to be part of a small group, perhaps you need to teach a class, maybe you need to get to know a person in the nursing home, or perhaps there is a teenager at Church you could befriend. The ways for you to get involved are limitless and what you do is less important than you going out and doing it. Having a relationship with God requires us to have relationships with other people.

Daily Thought: Willing to Relinquish

No one is ever united with Jesus Christ until he is willing to relinquish not sin only, but his whole way of looking at things. To be born from above of the Spirit of God means that we must let go before we lay hold, and in the first stages it is the relinquishing of all pretence. What Our Lord wants us to present to Him is not goodness, nor honesty, nor endeavour, but real solid sin; that is all He can take from us. And what does He give in exchange for our sin? Real solid righteousness. But we must relinquish all pretence of being anything, all claim of being worthy of God’s consideration.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Logos Bible Software Edition

Daily Thought: A life of Absolute Surrender

If God allows the sun to shine upon you moment by moment, without intermission, will not God let His life shine upon you every moment? And why have you not experienced it? Because you have not trusted God for it, and you do not surrender yourself absolutely to God in that trust.

A life of absolute surrender has its difficulties. I do not deny that. Yes, it has something far more than difficulties: it is a life that with men is absolutely impossible. But by the grace of God, by the power of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, it is a life to which we are destined, and a life that is possible for us, praise God! Let us believe that God will maintain it.

Andrew Murray, Absolute Surrender, Olive Tree Bible Software Edition

Daily Thought: God Loves Each

Doctrines, political philosophies, and material possessions come to be ends in themselves, promoting our superiority, rather than means by which we serve persons valued by God. Eyes straying from the goal, we lose grasp of a remarkable point, though great Christian thinkers of our time have directed our attention to it. This is the key which should leap out any time we are dealing with friends or enemies or both: God loves each. And when I say, “leap out,” I do not mean this point should sneak up from behind, catching us off guard. Rather, our mind should put it foremost.

Snow, Michael (2011-10-01). Christian Pacifism: Fruit of the Narrow Way (Kindle Locations 570-574). mikesnow.org. Kindle Edition.