Living a God Honoring Life

We are created in God’s image.

The main point of that reality is that we are to be God’s representatives in the world. I like to say, “We are created to demonstrate God’s character.” 

Demonstrating God’s character means, like any good representative, that we bring honor to Him. Our lives should honor God.

This is how Jesus lived. 

On two occasions (his baptism and the transfiguration) God declared that He was pleased with Jesus (Matthew 3:17 and Matthew 17:6). Jesus lived the life that God desired him to live.

A question I need to ask myself is: Do I seek please God with my life? 

I confess the answer is scary. 

Honetly, I have a desire to honor God and to please Him with the way I live. If that wasn’t the case I wouldn’t be a pastor and I wouldn’t spend so much time thinking, writing, and talking about following Jesus.

There is no doubt that I want to live a life that honors God.

Yet, when I take an honest evaluation of my life, I get discouraged by the lack of intention that I put into actually living a life that follows Jesus and honors God.

I realize that part of this is human nature. It is hard to give up our agendas and pursue God. 

We are trained to think about what is best for ourselves and to look after number 1. Perhaps it should come to no surprise that part of what Paul prayed for the Colossians, people he had never met, was that they would live lives that honored God.

In order to honor and please God, I must have a knowledge of God’s will. 

The number one way to know God’s will is to be a student of Scripture. This includes personal reading and study to sitting under the instruction of qualified teachers. We need to be diligent and intentional in learning for God’s Word.

To honor and please God, I need to be a person of prayer. 

Paul prayed that God will fill the Colossians with a knowledge of His will and spiritual understanding. While it is essential for us to be intentional students of the Bible, the reality is that part of being a student is asking for help. Through prayer we can ask the Author for the help we need in understanding.

To honor and please God, I need to obey. 

It is one thing to know what to do, but it is another to do it. Remember, faith isn’t so much about believing the truth at it is about living the truth. By living out the truth we know we discover even more and deeper truths about God. 

Living out the truth isn’t just about living a moral life and going to church. It is also about bending our wills to the will of God. It is about doing those hard things that He asks us to do that we don’t want to do.

It isn’t easy to live a life that honors and pleases God. 

The easiest thing to do, in the short term, is to continue to live the way I want to live. That way of life requires little effort from me.

We were created to demonstrate God’s character, so for us to experience life at its fullest, we have to intentionally seek to do God’s will. In this way, we will live a life that honors God.

Keep Moving in the Right Direction

 I need this reminder.

With the enthusiasm of New Year's Resolutions fading away, I am guessing you may need to hear it too.

Changing our behavior is hard work and it takes time. 

Very rarely are people able to make significant life changes over night. Not only do we have undo years of habit development, but often we have to deal with our own negative self talk. 

At times it really seems like there is a part of us that doesn't want to change, regardless of how bad and unhealthy our behavior may be.

Something that I have been dealing with the last few weeks is the voice that tells me, "That is too little and too late." There is a part of me that wants me to believe that it doesn't matter what I do, all my effort will be a waste in the end. At times it feels like true lasting change is a hopeless dream.

When I listen to that voice I fall back on my old habits. When that I happens I want to throw in the towel and give up.

This is why it is crucial to remember that a mistake is not an excuse to give up. Nothing would ever change if we gave up when a mistake was made.

We need to remember that mistakes happen. They are part of learning a new skill, and it is okay if we are not perfect. The more we work on what we are changing, the easier it will become.

Remember what John wrote; "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." (1 John 1:9; NLT)

God provided a way for us to leave our sin in the past. He knew that we were going to stumble and fall, and so He made sure that even in our sin there would be an opportunity to return to Him.

Because of forgiveness, our sin is not an excuse to give up.

If that is true for sin, how much more true is it for the mistakes we make as we try to alter our habits and change our lives?

Since God forgives our sins, then we should be able to forgive ourselves of the mistakes we make, and keep moving in the direction of becoming a better person.

We Can’t Go Back

 On Monday evening I posted a screen shot of a tweet from comedian and libertarian Dave Smith to Facebook.

I think we need to ponder this reality.

No matter how much we want to go back to “normal” we can’t, things have changed.

Now it is true that things are always changing, but usually they are gradual and you don’t notice the change taking place. In this way you  are slowly conditioned to accept the change. 

Because of social media, reporting around President Trump, and especially the pandemic, the pace of change has accelerated, which has caused us to take notice of it. 

Rather than having these things happen slowly over time, they hit us right in the face.

A good example of this is Sunday worship attendance. Attendance has been trending down for years as congregations grow older and younger people stopped coming. Because of lockdowns, masks, and other restrictions, many churches have experienced a sharp decline in attendance from where they were just last year. 

These people were leaving anyway, the pandemic just made it happen faster.

Since we know we can’t go back, all we can do is to plan to go forward. As we plan to go forward we have to realize that what worked in the past will not necessarily work in the future.

Here are some of my thoughts about moving forward:

1. We need to think smaller rather than bigger. This is true for the church, where we need to concentrate on smaller gatherings. Smaller gathering are not only helpful in discipleship, but they are also helpful when limitations are put on gatherings. When things are smaller our plans are not as easily disrupted. I also think going smaller is the key to moving forward politically. One of the overlooked checks to the federal government’s power, and I believe the most important check, are the states. Washington’s power is rendered useless when the states decide not to comply with the Feds wishes. We see this as individual states legalized marijuana. The federal government doesn’t have the resources to enforce its laws across the individual states. Washington depends on the states to enforce its laws. As one of my favorite podcasters, Brion McCallahan, says, “Think locally, act locally.”
2. We need to diversify our thinking. Too many people think in binary terms. Republicans and Democrats, progressives and conservatives, racist and inclusive, etc. As someone who tends to live outside the binary bubble, I can tell you things are not that simple. When it comes to following Jesus we need to move past the tendency to judge a person’s faith and commitment to Scripture based on a few pet doctrines like the age of the earth or a premillennial interpretation of the end time. We need these different perspectives to gain a greater understanding of the Bible and following Jesus (now, this doesn’t mean everything is open to interpretation, but it does mean that when there are different perspectives we should be able to listen to them). When it comes to politics we need to break away from the strangle hold of a two party system. Having only two major parties lead to corruption as people hungry for power manipulate the system. Also, there are thousands, if not millions of people who do not line up with either a Republican or Democrat view of the world. I am one of them, and consistently we go unrepresented. Let’s bring more voices to the table and spread the responsibilities of governing to many different parties, rather than just two.
3. We need come to an understanding of the role social media plays in our lives. This is a new technology, and we don’t understand all the different ways it is effecting us. It is certainly shaping our opinions of things and making it seem like there is a greater divide between people than really exists. That is one of the reasons for the hostility that we are seeing. Social media is being used to divide us and cause us to see the other side as evil. The responsible use of social media is key to moving forward.

No matter how this election turns out, we need to understand that we aren’t going back to the way “things used to be”. 

Things have changed, and rather than complaining about that reality, we need to find a way forward.

Keep Making Progress

 

This year has been, at least emotionally, the most difficult year of my life.

It started last November with a difficult situation within our church community that caused me to doubt my leadership abilities.

Then we moved into winter, that dark time of year that causes depression in many people, myself included. My heart, mind, and soul were heavy.

We all know what happened as winter began to turn into spring - pandemic and lockdowns. I was faced with trying to pivot and provide online worship and resources for people, while not being able to meet face to face to figure things out.

In May my right leg began to hurt. I lived with the pain for a week, trying to convince myself that it wasn't what I knew it was - a blood clot. This was my second clot and I knew that I would now be on blood thinners the rest of my life.

During this time came BLM and protests, and the added pressure of trying to figure out the right things to say about an important moment in America. One of the difficulties of being a pastor is the expectation to have a position or at least a thought about everything that happens.

As things began to open up we had the great mask debate and the discussion of whether our not churches should follow the lockdown orders. After all, I was told, President Trump declared churches as essential, so we should be meeting in person.

This was followed by several families informing me they were leaving. Which again had me doubting my ability to do this job as pastor.

Even during the summer, when I am usually depression free, I found myself sinking deeper into depression.

By the end of August, I realized I needed to make a change. Not only was I depressed, but my health was being affected. I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life, I was not sleeping well, and the simplest activities were exhausting me.

The change started with my wife Jenny telling me about an app from Ransomed Heart that was created in connection with John Eldredge's book Get Your Life Back (which I haven't read) called One Minute Pause. I started doing the app every day, usually more than once a day. It helped me to reorient my life back to God.

Doing The Pause app reminded me that through the Wild at Heart website John Eldredge has a resource of prayers. I began daily praying the Daily Prayer for the Head of Households. This practice helped me to start reading the Bible daily again.

After about a month of putting prayer and Bible reading back into my daily rhythm of life, I was ready to start focusing on my physical health. There were a couple of false starts as I tried to figure out the best way to implement what I knew I was supposed to do. Even though I knew the right things to do I was having trouble doing them.

That is when I found out about another app called Noom. This app/program is designed to help you make a lifestyle change so that you can live a sustainable healthy life. Last week one of the readings that Noom had me read dealt with understanding that there would be setbacks and struggles through this process. To combat that reality I was asked to write an "Oh well" statement that I could use when I stumbled. Mine is, "Oh well, I am still making progress." 

The next day I saw this Dave Ramsey tweet:

It is a wonderful thing that we can decide to make changes in our lives. We can make today the day that change begins. It is crucial to remember this.

I also think it is crucial to remember that change is hard. It doesn't happen over night and it doesn't happen just because you know the right thing to do.

Things like overcoming depression, losing weight, getting out of debt, or decluttering your house takes time. If we expect this change to go smoothly, for our habits to shift right this moment, and for our life to be perfect tomorrow we are setting ourselves up for failure.

Making these positive changes in our lives requires time and effort, and more than likely we are going to have a moment or two when we binge on Moose Tracks Ice Cream or put a shopping spree on the credit card, or do something else dumb that we have trained ourselves to do.

That is why we have grace. 

God is not expecting us to be perfect. After all He made allowance for repentance and confession. What God is after is our continued progress towards being like Jesus.

I believe in our quest to make changes in our lives the best thing we can do is to give ourselves grace and to remember that we will stumble along the way. Understanding this helps us to own up to our failure and move on by saying, "Oh well, I am still making progress."

Paulism: God Helps Us Change

Wide Awake the Live Blog: Chapter 3

The Alchemist

Very few people are able to live the life of their dreams.  I think most people have a longing in their hearts to do something meaningful, to accomplish something which will echo through eternity.  It is certainly true for me.  While I may be working with men who have a mental disability, my desire is to write books which will connect people with the Scripture and to train people to hear God's voice.

Erwin McManus begins chapter 3 by attempting to connect with this common experience in our lives.  He then goes on to write; "You can't escape that there are hopes and passions inside you, waiting to come alive" (p. 60).  Stop and consider that reality for a moment.  If money was no object and you had no responsibilities holding you in place, what would you do? Do we believe that God has the power to make our wildest dreams come true?

The life of faith is a life of mystery.  God doesn't hand us a detailed map of our lives, rather He sent Jesus and tells us to follow him.

For most of us, walking with God is a mysterious journey of faith and discovery.  I wish that  the moment we entered a relationship with Jesus, God would send us a memo that spelled out everything.  Erwin, this is what you need to do and give your life to.  Here is what you're going to be really good at, and attached is the paint-by-numbers version of how to create the life of your dreams (p. 61).

A life like this would lack faith and the vital experience of trusting God in the unknown.  It would also hinder us from taking the risk to discover the life God created us to live because everything would be just handed to us.

I like this thought:

If you're going to engage in a journey with God, if you are going to follow the God who created you, if you're going to explore mysterious, dangerous, unknown, uncertain places—then you need to know how to reinvent yourself.  You have to learn how to adapt (p. 63)

Over the last few years I have reinvented myself.  My political views have been radically changed, my understanding of Scripture has been transformed, plus I got married.  Change always occurring in life.  One of the things we must decide is whether or not we want to direct that change.

What a wonderful truth to remember; "Your circumstances do not determine your opportunities" (p. 66).  There may be all sorts of circumstances set against us, but no circumstance can complete block us from faithfully following after Jesus and the life God created us to live.  We can take initiative back and begin to live the life God created us to live.

Erwin McManus goes on to write; "Your circumstances do not equal your opportunity, because your opportunity is shaped not simply by your external factors but by the internal factors of who you choose to be and become" (p. 68).  Part of faith is choosing the path of life, the path God laid out for us to follow, rather than quitting because of the circumstances which are set against us.  Daniel and Esther, the two people he focuses on in this chapter, persevered even though deadly circumstances were staring them in the face.

This require humility.  "Part of learning to reinvent yourself is learning how to be teachable, resourceful, and flexible" (p. 70).  We are able to reinvent ourselves through the help of other people.  We should never allow our pride to get in the way of surrendering to God's will.  To become content with who we are is to establish a roadblock to becoming the person God desires us to be.  Humility helps us understand the areas of our lives that we need to change and the voices we need to listen to in order to make that change possible.

Here is an important lesson to remember; "You either adapt when you face circumstances you cannot control, or you allow them to become the boundaries of your life" (p. 72).  Obstacles, tragedies, and unforeseen circumstances make up the journey of our lives.  If we are going to rise up these things and live the life God created us to live then we have to be flexible.  We cannot allow the circumstances of our lives to hold us back, but rather we need to seek wisdom as we look for a way around those obstacles in our lives.  It is by being teachable and seeking out the guidance of other people that God will direct our paths around the roadblocks of life.

As we follow Jesus and seek to do the good works that He has created us to do we need to be teachable and we need to be resourceful:

But when you become resourceful and start pulling out the stuff God has place inside of you and start drawing on that creativity, intellect, talent, and experience that God stored within you and start becoming resourceful, then you become extraordinary and begin to develop your own uniqueness (p. 73).

Each one of us has a unique set of talents, experiences, education, and resources at our disposal.  When we allow these things just to set and collect dust all we have is potential, but when we decide to use these wonderful blessings God has given to us then we begin to influence our part of the world for God's Kingdom.

I like this; "Improvisation is not the result of shooting from the hip but knowing where you're aiming" (p. 77).  It is easy to "just wing it" because our lives are full and we don't always have time to prepare.  This isn't bad, especially when we have enough experience and resource to draw upon.  A good jazz improvisation is beautiful because of the experience and talent of the musician.  The musician knows what he is aiming at.  Improvisation and flexibility should never be an excuse to be lazy and not to prepare, for true improvisation is the result of being so prepared you are able to handle the unforeseen circumstances that come your way.

While we need to be flexible we should never surrender our identity or core beliefs.

If you want to reinvent yourself, you have to know who you are and who you long to be and not violate that on the journey.  At the same time, you must strengthen your core in order to be flexible in every other area of your life (p. 82). 

When it comes to adapting and reinventing ourselves we first need to have a firm foundation to build upon.  Several years ago when I encountered my crisis of belief and considered walking away from faith I had to come to grips with what I truly believed.  What I discovered was that at my core the belief that I never doubted was that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God and that he was killed and resurrected.  There are a lot of things I don't understand or don't know, but it was this foundation that I began to remodel my life upon and I have never looked back.  Jesus is the core of my identity and all the changes that happen in my life must fit with him.

I think this thought is a great way to bring this chapter to an end; "While our dreams may be different, and each of us has a unique path to walk, this I know is true for if Jesus Christ guides your life—your life can never be simply about you" (p. 85). What more can I say?  As we seek to reinvent ourselves and to adapt our lives to the circumstances of our lives we must constantly remember our lives are about Jesus.  He is the source of our lives and when we surrender to his will he will get us to the place he wants us to be.

Erwin McManus, Wide Awake, Thomas Nelson (2008)

Linkage: The Power of Implementation Intentions

One of the realities that we discover as we follow Jesus is the need for constant change.  We realize that we need to change our attitudes and well as our behaviors.  Yet time and time again we discover we don't have what it takes to change, and our good intentions remain good intentions.

The good news in this is that this change that needs to happen in our lives is not entirely our responsibility. The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:22-23; "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (ESV).  One of the truths that Paul wants us to understand is that this changed life we are to live is the result of the Spirit working inside of us.  Our changed life is the fruit that the Spirit produces in our lives.  So when it comes to making changes in our lives we first need to surrender to God and ask Him to bring healing, wisdom, and strength to us through the Spirit.  We need God's help to change.

With that being said we have to realize that we have a part of play in our transformation as well.  Ultimately God wants us to be people who freely choose to do what is right.  We need to learn how to make the right choice, so that the right choice becomes second nature to us, something that we do without thinking about it because it is how we are.

Dallas Willard in his book The Renovation of the Heart provides a formula for the human side of transformation: VIM.  Vim stands for Vision, Intention, and Means.  We have to have vision of what that transformation will look like in our lives, we need to have the intention to bring that vision to reality in our lives, and then we have a means on making it happen.

It is in that last point, the means of turning our intentions into reality, that this article from the Art of Manliness about.  I hope that you find it helpful in your quest to become the person God created you to be.

If you’re like many men across the world, you probably set some new goals for yourself on January 1. Maybe it was to work out regularly or get into the reading habit. Or maybe you wanted to pay off your debt or increase your productivity. 

Perhaps you did okay for the first week or two, but have already fallen off the goal-achieving wagon. Oh well. There’s always next year, right? 

Hold on there, chief. No need to wallow in regret for the awesome life that could have been. There’s still hope for you yet. 

To end this month-o-motivation, I set out to do a comprehensive post about all the ways to increase your chances of reaching a goal. 

But as I waded into the research, what I found was that 1) summarizing all of the information required more of a book than a blog post, and 2) a lot of the methods didn’t personally strike me as all that helpful.

Continue Reading A Formula for Success: The Power of Implementation Intentions.

Walking with the Spirit

A man cannot live one hour a godly life unless by the power of the Holy Ghost. He may live a proper, consistent life, as people call it, an irreproachable life, a life of virtue and diligent service; but to live a life acceptable to God, in the enjoyment of God’s salvation and God’s love, to live and walk in the power of the new life—he cannot do it unless he be guided by the Holy Spirit every day and every hour. ~ Andrew Murray, Humility and Absolute Surrender, p. 128

Trying to follow Jesus is hard work, especially when it is attempted solely by our own strength and will power. It is, in fact, impossible.

I know from experience that I don’t have what it takes to follow Jesus. The truth is that given the first sign of difficulty I crumble. It is what I do with trying to write a book, to run every morning, to eat healthier, and a numerous other things that I think are important. The cold reality is that in the battle of desires my flesh takes the easier road rather than sticking things out to the end.

This is one reason why we cannot boast in our salvation: because I do not have what it takes to save ourselves. We are weak and ignorant creatures, and the experience of life shows us that we will do things that we enjoy doing, even when we now that they are not good for us. There is not one of us that doesn’t know that McDonald’s isn’t a healthy place to eat, yet millions of us eat there every day. [Confession time: I am craving a Double Quarter Pounder and french fries right now] The problem isn’t about knowing what is right and wrong, the problem is disciplining our flesh to do the right thing.

Since we lack the will power and stamina to correctly discipline our flesh, we need to the help of another if we are going to experience the new life we have been given through Jesus’ death and resurrection. That help comes from the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Consider what the apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16-17; ESV)

The Spirit will enable us to live in such away that we will not feel compelled to give into every desire and whim our flesh has. By walking with the Spirit we turn our backs on the desires of the flesh, and we are able to live the way God desires us to live.

How do we do this? It is at this point that I wish Paul would have given us a little more instruction in his letter. It appears there is an assumption that the Galatians already knew what Paul was talking about. So let me offer a couple of my own thoughts.

First, I think it is safe to assume to walk by the Spirit is not about keeping a Law. In both Romans and Galatians Paul equates trying to keep the Law as a work of the flesh. The Law shows us what it means to live as God’s holy people in this world, but it requires our own strength and will power to keep, and thus it is said to be a work of the flesh.

My second thought is that to walk with the Spirit begins with repentance. We need to lay aside trying to become holy by our own effort and turn to God so He can make us holy. This requires that we confess our weakness, denounce our sin, and pledge our loyalty to God. It is this attitude of humility and of being poor in spirit that allows us to be open to the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

It is time to stop tiring so hard to be come holy by own efforts and it is time to start trusting the work of the Spirit in our lives. For it is the Spirit’s work, and not our efforts, which produces the changed life God desires for His people; But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22, 23; ESV). It is the Spirit’s fruit, the result of His work, that produces the type of life that God wants us to live.

Bringing about Change

Influence is the way we help to bring change about in the lives of other people. This is true not only for us personally but also for communities and nations. The change we long to see happen in the lives of other people, in our communities, in our churches, and in our nation begins with our influence.

One of the killers of influence is power or authority. When we seek to bring about change based on our power or the position we hold we will ultimately fail to see the results we hoped to have. People may adhere as long as we are there to enforce obedience, but they will not comply when our backs are turned. A change of heart can't take place by force and resentment quickly replaces any influence we may have had.

Looking at the life of Jesus we notice He sought to bring about change based on influence. He is the one person who could have rightly demanded obedience and yet He sought to influence people by showing them respect and compassion and then providing them with a choice.

Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the apostles, and Zacchaeus (just to name a few) are people who were influenced by Jesus and decided (except Judas) to give their lives to Him. By showing them respect and compassion Jesus was able to allow these people to discover who He really was.

What we find in Jesus in in stark contrast to what we read in the Old Testament. The Ten Commandments and all the other laws given to direct Israel's daily life could not bring about change. These people continually turned away from God, even after witnessing awesome displays of His power.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons the writer of Hebrews wrote: If the first covenant had been faultless there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it (Hebrews 8:7; NLT). This doesn't mean that God made a mistake by establishing the first covenant. One of the things it does mean is that God was trying to show us the inadequacies of the ways we want to do things. Law cannot bring about salvation and Power cannot change a person's heart. God wants us to realize that every other way is inferior to the way of Jesus.

Jesus' way to bring about change is not about power, but humility and service. It isn't about authority but about influence. It is the way of the Lion who became a Lamb who was Killed (Revelation 5:5,6). Jesus gave up His power and gave His life away in order to influence people so that they might choose to change.

Change is not going to happen as the result of laws and political power, but through the influence brought about by humble and compassionate service. We will only see the change we want to happen in this country when we trust God enough to do it His way. The way of the ballot box and political clout is the way of the world, the path of Jesus is influence due to giving our lives away.

Law and Change

"Law is always external. It is always imposed from outside. It can never make man good. It can only make him wish he had been good." ~ W. Carl Ketcherside; The Death of the Custodian

Law is incapable of changing people. Sure it could stop people from doing certain behaviors because they are afraid of the punishment, but those people wouldn't hesitant to do evil deeds if there were no consquences. So while outward appearance the appear to be good it is another story concerning their heart.

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, "'Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell" (Matthew 5:21-22; NLT).

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28; NLT).

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Love your neighbor and hate you enemy.' But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!" (Matthew 5:43-44; NLT).

Jesus tells us that what is just as important as our obedience to the Law is the condition of our heart. The Law cannot fix a heart twisted by sin, only the blood of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit can correct that problem. No amount of law keeping take away the consquences of sin in our lives.

What does that mean? It means that everyone is in the same boat, no matter how "good" the might appear. Without Jesus Christ in our lives there is nothing we can do to make up for the sin in our lives or restore our sinful heart to purity. What the Church has to offer to a world plagued with sin is not law, but grace. Change will only occur as people give their lives to Jesus Christ. We need to be people of grace rather than being people of law.

In Need of Rescue

To be the person God created me to be seems to be an unattainable dream. I keep getting held back by the same chains that have always held me prisoner: laziness, fear, and guilt. I want to be another person, but I cannot seem to change!

How does one change? In some cases making different choices is all that is required, but there are other times when we simply do not have the power and the strength to choose differently. The power of addictions, patterns, personality traits, and circumstances keep people bound to their current way of living. I know that is true for me.

For change to really happen I need to have help. I need human help. I need the encouragement and the accountability of Christians who love me. In need the prayer support of fellow believers as I seek to walk in the way of holiness. I need the companionship of Christians to remind me that I am not alone.

I also need divine help. These chains are spiritual in nature and are beyond my power to break. I have not trusted these issues to God enough. I need to turn to Him and trust Him to rescue me. Will I do it? Why is it so hard to do?

Isaiah 35:4 reads:

Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.” (ESV)

What a wonderful image this is of God coming in to save the day! Evil is defeated and the prisoners/hostages are rescued. Lord, come and rescue me! Save me! Set me free!

Video: Dead Christians

I am at my brother's house today, so I don't have a pondering to post, but here is a video of Mark Driscoll to tide you over until I get back.

Remove the Dirty Clothes

{Colossians 3:5-10; NLT}

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Do you hear it? Do you hear the cry of your heart? The cry to be transformed into the person God created you to be. Don’t be ashamed, for my heart is crying the very same thing. One of the deepest longs we have is the desire to truly live life, and instinctively we know that true life can only be found with the Life Maker. Only God can truly offer us the life that we so desperately want to live.

While many of us have turned to God to find life we are frustrated with the results. One of the reasons for this reality is that we have refused to give up certain behaviors. We have allowed Satan to lie to us and convince us that these “little vices” are not a big deal and will not harm our spiritual growth, and yet the result of our lives would tell us a different story. We are frustrated because our lives are not characterized by joy, peace, love, or hope they way it should be. In short we are not living the abundant life Jesus promised His followers.

Here is the truth of the matter. While our small vices may not seem to be a big deal and that we control them, they, in fact, control our lives. We keep them because they give us a connection to this world, so we don’t feel out of place. The problem is that God has called us to live as foreigners and pilgrims in this world, in other words, we are not supposed to fit into the ways of the world. We keep them because we are addicted to the way they make us feel, and it would be hard work to break free from their grasp. The problem is that God has told us to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and we cannot be guided if we are in the grasp of an addiction.

Make no mistake about it, these private little sins that we hold on to pose a bigger threat to our relationship with God than we realize. They keep us from experiencing God at work in our lives, and they allow Satan to establish a stronghold in our hearts that he can use to lead us further down the path of sin and death. As long as we are willing to play in the mud of sin, no matter how shallow it might seem, we will continually miss out on the celebration of life God wants us to experience.

The apostle Paul wanted to make sure we understood that there must be a throwing off of our old way of life as we adopt a brand new way of living. We cannot hope to hang on to our old way of life and still follow Jesus. It has to be one or the other.

Paul wrote; Put on your new nature… That means being a Christian is about living in a dramatically different way than the rest of the world. In this world of confusion, pain, and doubt Christians are to SHOW the world that there is a better way to live. We bless the rest of the world when we display the new nature that comes with following Christ Jesus.

As long as we are hanging on to our old vices, no matter how small they might seem to be, we will constantly be frustrated with our relationship with God and the life that we are living because we refuse to abandon the old way of living and accept God new way of life. When we aren’t living the life God created us to live, then we are not able to be the blessing to the world that God intended for us to be.

Please remember that God knows that we cannot change overnight. He knows our weaknesses and our addictions. That is why He is gracious. Grace is all about God giving us the time, the wisdom, and even the strength to change our lives. God wants us to change little by little with each step we take as we follow Jesus.

Take some time and ponder what Erwin McManus wrote in Stand Against the Wind:

“You cannot follow Jesus and remain the same. The journey itself will change you forever—not only your priorities but your passions. It alters not only your direction but your desires. It transforms not only your actions, but your values. It makes you just like Christ and unlike anyone else. It is nothing less than leaving the fake for the real. There is great risk in abandoning the artificial in pursuit of the authentic” (p. 26).

It is time that we abandon the artificial life of sin and addiction and pursue the authentic life of Jesus. Throw off the old way of living and put on a brand new way of life.

• Point to Ponder: We cannot hope to hang on to our old way of life and still follow Jesus.
• Questions to Consider: What sins have I hung on to? Why has it been so difficult to give them up? Where can I turn to for help? Do I believe that God will give me strength to overcome these sins?
• Prayer to Pray: God, my Hope and Savior, I thank You this day for life. With all the ups and downs I have experienced I am still grateful for the fact that You have given me life. I ask today for the strength, the wisdom, and the help I need to get rid of my old way of living and adopt the new way of living as I follow Jesus. Constantly remind me that I am not alone, that You are with me in this process, and that You have forgiven me and are proud of the effort I am making to change my life...

Being Religious

Do you consider yourself to be a religious person? I know I do, in spite of the fact that I am told that Christianity is a “relationship not a religion.” The reality is that religion is how we communicate our love to God since we cannot relate to Him in the same way I can relate to my friends and family. Religion is how we have a relationship with God.

Some of the rituals that are part of religion have been handed down by God. This is especially true with Judaism. The books of Exodus and Leviticus contain the rules and regulations of how Israel was to relate to God. A person cannot help but notice as they read through these books that God was very specific on how things should be done.

Some of these rituals that make up religion are the result of tradition and are the product of human ideas of what should be done in order to relate to God. They have little or no Scriptural base, but they are accepted because that is how things have been done.

As a person who follows Jesus I recognize that most of the laws and rituals handed down by God to the Israelites applied specifically to Israel as they tried to be God’s holy people. So I don’t offer sacrifices or keep the Sabbath, instead I trust in Jesus’ sacrifice and weekly observe the Lord’s Supper. I also recognize the benefit of some traditions as well such as the celebration of Christmas and church buildings. Our traditions have a place in our worship of, and thus our relationship with, God.

Besides helping us relate to God, religion has another purpose for our lives. That purpose is to help us change. I can’t speak for other religions, but the purpose of Christianity, those rituals and traditions that we do, aren’t just to help us to relate to God but also to help us become the person God created us to be. Read what James had to say about religion:

26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you (James 1:26-27; NLT).

James spent much of the first chapter of his book talking about how trials, God’s wisdom, and God’s Word are needed to help us become the people God created us to be, because sin has corrupted us. What James points out in these two verses is the truth that going through the motions of religion, doing the rituals and the traditions, is not the same thing as changing. If we can’t learn self-control, if we can’t have compassion for the needy, and if we cannot remain pure in this sinful world than our religion is worthless.

The only way religion has any effect on us, this is also true for trials and God’s Word, is if we first commit ourselves to being faithful. Faith, our chose to commit and trust God, is what makes the difference. Without faith religion is just empty rituals and traditions. Without faith the trials and tragedies of life serve no purpose. Without faith God’s wisdom, which is found in His Word, is nothing more than a nice way to live.

Faith, our trust in God, is what makes all the difference. God cannot change our lives, cannot restore us to true life, until we trust Him. So in the end it isn’t about being a religious person, but it is about being a faithful person. Two questions we have to consider are: Who am I faithful to? Will I trust Him with my life? If the answers aren’t Jesus and yes, our religion just might be worthless.

Broken to Surrender

I love to read stories about how God has transformed the lives of people. Consider the story of Basilio Clark.

Any of the old-timers living in Olongapo, Philippines, near Subic Bay (once the home to the American Seventh Fleet), will tell you that Basilio Clark, the warm Baptist pastor who plays his guitar and sings so beautifully, is a different person from the one who terrorized the same city in his youth.

A clue to his background is found in his name--Basilio Clark. Basilio is a Filipino name; Clark, an American name. Basilio’s father was an American serviceman; his mother, a Filipino who met and fell in love with the handsome American. After several children were born, Basilio’s father was killed in an automobile accident. Without enough food at home, the boy began to run the streets, stealing from the sidewalk vendors and shopkeepers in the open markets of Olongapo.

As a teenager, Basilio was the head of a gang who robbed, plundered, murdered, and pillaged at will. Holing up one night with his gang, Basilio slept as police surrounded the hideout. They took him and his companions captive.

The judge, glad to be able to rid the area of such terrors, showed no mercy. Basilio and his eight companions were sentenced to die in the electric chair. They were quickly moved to Bilibid prison in Muntinglupa, just outside of Manila. The massive steel doors of the fortress-like prison closed, ominously signaling the end.

The electric chair at Muntinglupa sends thousands of volts of electricity into a frail body, short-circuiting the heart and stopping life. Basilio and his gang feared death this way and chose rather to die at their own hands.

Mixing insecticide, which had been smuggled into the prison, with paint thinner they were able to steal, the nine of them formed a circle and drank the deadly potion. Of the nine, only one survived: Basilio, and he was blind.

He had failed in life and he had failed in death. While he awaited his appointment with the electric chair, Basilio began to listen to a little radio that Olga Robertson, a faithful prison worker, had given the prisoners. This little radio known as a PM (Portable Missionary), played but one station, DZAS, the voice of the Far East Broadcasting Company. Day after day as Basilio listened, God began to speak to his heart. From there Basilio slowly surrendered his life to Jesus.

Gaining his confidence, Mommie Olga, as the prisoners affectionately called her, began to disciple and teach Basilio the Word of God. Then going from cell block to cell block, Basilio began to tell other prisoners that God had forgiven him and that he had repented of his sins.

It quickly became obvious that this was no longer the tough youth who had terrorized Olongapo, but a changed man whose eyes no longer saw--but they did shed tears over his fellow prisoners. Something had happened! Something big.

Eventually, the president of the Philippines issued a pardon to Basilio Clark, and he was released. Going back to his home a changed man, Basilio continued to share his faith.

While it would be easy to give the credit to Basilio’s transformation to the voices he heard over the radio and the discipleship of Olga Robertson, the reality is that they are just vehicles God used to connect with Basilio. God was the one who worked the miracle--and what He did for a thug and gangster He can do for you. Changed lives are what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. Paul was right, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). (Harold Sala, Profiles in Faith, pp. 71-74)

Many of us have lives that are broken by sin. They are broken by the sin which we struggle with and by the consequences of the sin of other people. The only way we can have lives that are transformed, like the transformation Basilio Clark experienced, is to surrender our lives to Jesus. Surrendering isn’t a one time act, but the constant giving away our lives to the will of God.

In Acts 2 we read about the beginnings of the Church. I hope that you take that time to read it, but because of space I will summarize what happens. The disciples of Jesus, lead by the 11 apostles, are in Jerusalem. It is the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the crucifixion and around a week since Jesus ascended into heaven. The disciples receive the power of the Holy Spirit and begin to preach to the crowd, which is large because of the festival. At some point Peter becomes the chief speaker, and his words center on Jesus, which prick the hearts of the listeners. They cry out; “What must we do to be saved!’ and Peter answers that they must repent and be baptized. On that day 3,000 men were added to the number of Christ Followers.

Not only did they become members of the Church, but their lives began to change as the devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus, as taught by the apostles, to fellowship, to pray, and Communion. These new disciples were community focused and served and helped one another as they committed themselves to Jesus.

From the historical account found in the book of Acts we can make several observations about surrendering to Jesus. The first observation is: surrendering is the result of understanding God’s Word.

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
(Acts 2:36-37; NLT).

The people listening to Peter’s sermon had experienced the events that took place 50 days before (the death and resurrection of Jesus). They had talked about what happened and maybe even debated who Jesus was, but it was the result of hearing the Word of God preached that God was able to connect with their hearts.

Similarly we are often moved to repentance and surrender when we are convicted in our hearts by the Word of God. We will not surrender our lives to Jesus until we have an understanding of our situation apart from Jesus Christ. If we think we can get by or if we can change our lives on our own then we will not bow a knee to the Lord of lords. Scripture, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is the main tool God uses to convict people of their brokenness. When we are brought face to face with our broken lives the only thing left for us to do is to give our lives to the One who can make us whole.

Second, surrendering requires repentance and baptism. When the listeners of this first Christian sermon became convicted of their brokenness they cried out for help; “What should we do?” (Acts 2:37,) And Peter’s response is quite clear; “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). If we are going to surrender to Jesus then we need to repent and then we need to be baptized.

What exactly is repentance? I think the best way to describe repentance is with the word defection. Repentance means that we have been part of the kingdom of Darkness and we defect and join the Kingdom of Light. We decide to no longer side with God’s enemies and instead we become one of His allies. Repentance is the changing of our minds, wills, and loyalties. This was at the heart of Jesus’ message. Jesus proclaimed; “The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”(Mark 1:15; NLT). This is what Jesus is saying: “Believe God’s Word and join His Kingdom!” Through God’s Word we are made aware of our broken condition and through repentance we leave the kingdom of sin and death to live in the Kingdom of Light.

How does baptism fit into all of this? Baptism is part of the physical action that we do to demonstrate our surrender to Jesus Christ. Malcolm Smith had this to say about baptism:

“But in baptism, we are passive; it is something we submit to;it is a rite that is done to us by another. It is the dynamic action of faith by which we helplessly present ourselves to the Holy Spirit for God’s acceptance through the cross and resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (The Lost Secret of the New Covenant; pg. 149)

Baptism is something that we submit to in faith as we helplessly put ourselves in a position to receive the mercy of God. The apostle Paul wrote; Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? (Romans 6:3; NLT) In baptism we lay aside our agendas and wills and die to self in order to become the people God created us to be. That is what it means to surrender.

Surrendering demands that we change the way we live. How did the 3,000 new Christians respond after they surrendered their lives to Christ Jesus? According to Acts 2:42ff. they demonstrated their surrender to Jesus by changing their lives. Surrendering isn’t a one time event, it is the constant aligning our lives to God’s will. If our lives are not changing then we have not surrendered our lives to Jesus.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:20-24; NLT).

Changing the way we live is an essential part of surrendering to Jesus. It is the part of surrender that we have to do each day for the rest of our lives.

Here is the truth I want you take away today: Wholeness is the result of surrendering our lives to Jesus. We will never be the people God created us to be until we surrender the broken pieces of our lives to Jesus. He can take the broken pieces of our lives and create a masterpiece. All we need to do is give Him a chance.

Changing Self

{Matthew 7:1-5; ESV}

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

One of the lessons God has been teaching me this past week is that in order to help people I have first help myself. In other words I have to work on those areas of my life that God has pointed out to me that need work. Things like not getting angry at my dog when he chews up something, especially when I put it within his reach, or making sure that I fulfill my responsibilities. It is through this process of disciplined life change that prepares us to help other people make those difficult life changes.

Isn’t that one of the implications we can take away from this teaching of Jesus? The point Christ makes is that we are not to simply judge a person, but we are to seek to help them overcome their sin, and the first step in helping them is to work on the sins we have in our lives. It is the person who understands and struggles with his/her sin that is in the best position to help another person with their sin.

This means that we need to be constantly evaluating our lives. We will never reach a place where we have it all together, and so we have to be aware of those areas that are weaknesses, the temptations that haunt us, and the sin that we struggle with in order to focus our attention on what needs to be changed.

If we hope to make an impact in this world, then it will begin with the changes that we make in our lives. The people God chooses to use are not always the most talented or intelligent, but are people of character. Character is a product of making the necessary adjustments in our lives. If we are not going to change, then we are will be of little use to God.

There is one other truth I think we need to consider. When the people around us witness the commitment to follow Jesus in our lives it will give credence to the message of hope and forgiveness that God has given us. Make no mistake about it, people want to know the difference Christ Jesus can make in their lives, and if they can see the difference in your life, it will be a powerful illustration for the truth of the Gospel.

Take some time and examine your life. What are the temptations that constantly tempt you? What is an area of weakness that needs to be improved? What sin holds you back from truly following Jesus? These are important questions to ask as we evaluate our lives, but I think we need to ask at least one more question: What steps do I need to take in order to change my life? It is one thing to know what is wrong, but it is another do what is necessary to correct the problem.

There are many people in our lives that need a helping hand when it comes to changing. Remember the most important thing we can do right now is to model to them what it means to change by making adjustments in our lives. We need to take the log out of our eyes so we can help them with the speck in their eye.

• Point to Ponder: We need to change in order to help those around us to change.
• Passage to Remember: Matthew 7:1-5
• Prayer to Pray: Lord God, help me to see those areas in my life that need to be changed, and provide me with the wisdom I need to change...

Faith Expressed as Love

{Luke 14:25-27; ESV}

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."

Take a moment and ponder this question: How do you know you are really a disciple of Jesus? If someone asked for proof that you are indeed a follower of Jesus Christ what evidence would you provide? Perhaps there is an even more fundamental question that we need to consider: What does it mean to be a Christian?

I believe that many Christians are frustrated with their lives because they go to church at least once a week, pray everyday, and even manage to read their Bibles on a regular basis, but in spite of their efforts there seems to be something missing from their lives. They question if being a Christian even matters.

In the past Christianity has focused on “spiritual disciplines” to help us understand what disciples, followers of Christ, should be doing. These things include study, prayer, meditation, service, fasting, fellowship, and worship. Let me be absolutely clear in this: these disciplines can play an important role in helping us understand how to live the life God created us to live. The problem we run into is that being a follower of Christ isn’t about checking spiritual disciplines off our to do list. When we make spiritual disciplines the criteria for what it means to be a disciple then it will feel like something is missing from our lives. Remember all these disciplines can be done by people who have no faith in Jesus. It isn't so much about what we do, but why we do it. Jesus wants people of faith, and not just people who are dogmatic to a set of disciplines. After all it is faith that makes the spiritual disciplines effective.

Faith is not just about belief. Belief is the foundation of faith, but if all we have is belief then all we have is a stone foundation without a house. Faith must grow into trust, commitment, and action. Trust means that we will believe Jesus even though His way of living seems contrary to what we think is best. Commitment means that we will remain loyal to Jesus no matter what happens to us. Action means that we will be obedient to Jesus' teachings, even when it is difficult. Only when we have faith do the spiritual disciplines of Christianity come alive and help us mature as Christians.

Jesus tells us in Luke 14:25-27 that we need faith if we are going to be true disciples. The type of faith that we need produces love in our lives. Jesus tells us that unless we love Him above everything else in our lives we will not be able to follow Him. We may be able to go through the motions and look like we are His followers, but we will not be the fully devoted people He demands us to be. When we are not fully devoted to Jesus we will only follow Him when it is convenient to us.

Love will motivate us to behave in a certain way and will lead us to do certain acts of service. Furthermore by love demonstrated in the way we live our lives that set us apart as followers of Jesus. Our love is an outgrowth of of faith. Discipleship for the Christian is about faith expressing itself as love. Our love for God and our love for people.

If something seems to be missing in your life take an inventory of your life. What do you love the most? Are you following Jesus out of faith? I think those are two very important questions we need to ask ourselves as we seek to grow as Christians. Being a Christian is about doing the right things out of the love and faith that we have in our heart.

• Point to Ponder: Discipleship for the Christian is about faith expressing itself in love.
• Passage to Remember: Luke 14:25-27
• Prayer to Pray: Father, thank You for sending Jesus. Help me to develop the faith and love I need to follow Jesus.

We Need to Change

{Titus 2:11-14; ESV}

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

As I examine my life I have this sense that I am not who I am supposed to be. It feels like I am missing out on the life that God created me to live. One reason for this feeling is the reality that I am unwilling to change my behavior. I get use to what is comfortable, even though it holds me back from the life God wants me to live, and become unwilling to move outside of that comfort zone. When I am honest with myself I admit that it is easier to settle for this life I have right now than it is to face the hard work and uncertainty of change.

The problem is that following Christ Jesus requires change. We cannot stay where we are and go with Jesus. Following Jesus requires change in our attitudes, behaviors, passions, desires, dreams, relationships, and priorities. The process of following Christ will change us.

The apostle Paul told Titus that the grace of God provides us with what we need in order to change. Not just to make superficial changes, such as changes in diet and exercise, but true and everlasting change. It is hard to change, and we need to be reminded that God, through Christ, has provided us with what we need to become the people that He created us to be.

This true change first requires us to say no. Paul writes that God’s grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions. We cannot change if we insist on holding on to the old. God’s grace: the Bible, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, shows us that there is something better than the life we are currently living. This is key because we will not let go of the comfortable and familiar if we don’t know what awaits us is better. The starting place of change is turning our backs on our current circumstances and turning towards what God has promised.

This true change also requires us to replace our sinful behaviors with righteous actions. The Apostle tells us that our lives need to be described as self-controlled, upright, and godly. In other words our lives need to be positively different from the world around us. If we do part one without doing part two, we will discover a life of guilt because we are living a way which we know is wrong. Understanding what is wrong is just the first step, we then need to move on and fix the problems.

Change is what following Jesus is all about. If we are not changing, if we are not adjusting our lives in the light of God’s Truth, then we are not really following Jesus. Ultimately following Jesus isn’t about living the life God created us to live, but it is about honoring Jesus. We honor Jesus by changing the way we live. When we refuse to align our lives with God’s Word we disrespect Jesus, who we claim to be Lord of our lives. Our obedience always brings honor to the Lord, regardless of what happens to us. Remember, Jesus gave Himself for us, we should be able to give ourselves for Him.

• Point to Ponder: We honor Jesus by changing the way we live.
• Passage to Remember: Titus 2:11-14
• Prayer to Pray: Father in Heaven, thank You for giving me the opportunity to know Your grace and allow that grace to change my life. I want to honor Jesus with my life, and so I ask for wisdom to know what to change, understanding on how to change, and the strength to change.

We are the Problem

I want to share with you another quote from Henry Blackaby taken from his book Holiness. This is what he writes:

“The salvation of the nation has little to do with Washington or Hollywood—it has to do with the people of God! If God’s people do not sense that the problem is with them, then America does not stand a chance of revival or survival.” (p. 21)

Those are strong words, but I think they are absolutely correct. The problems of the United States—from a decline in morality to our current economic mess—are the result of the Church not being Church. Some of us have formed an unholy alliance with a political party which forces us to spend time defending them and their policies. Others of us have refused to be good stewards of the miracle of transformation God is working in our lives, and we have been caught up in the things of this world. Until we change, both as individuals and as church families, our great nation will continue to decline.

Reading Revelation 1-3 shows us that the Church can often look good on the outside, and appear to be doing the right things, but be very far from where Christ desires her to be. Evaluate your church family by what Christ says to the seven churches of Asia. How do your church family measure up? It is not enough to believe the right things and to have the tradition of religion, but we must also influence the world around us. The reality is that many of our church families ceased being lights in this world a very long time ago.

This brings me to the point I really want to make and that point is this: change starts with the person in the mirror. If we are not going to change personally, then our churches and our nation have no hope. We have to make the hard choices on an individual level before we can really have influence on a larger scale.

Remember these changes are not easy. They are extremely difficult. Take for example the rich young ruler who came to Jesus with a simple question: How can I have eternal life? Remember Jesus’ answer? It was to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow after Jesus. That was a difficult thing Jesus asked the young man to do, and because it was difficult the young man went away sad. What has Jesus asked you to give up? How has your faith in Jesus been difficult?

How about this teaching of Jesus:

29 So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30; ISV)

Paul echoes this teaching in Colossians when he wrote: 5 So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry) (Colossians 3:5; ISV). Or a more literal translation could be to cut off your earthly members. The whole idea here is that we need to get rid of, sever our ties with, those things that keep us attached to this world and to sin. Yet for all our talk about filth on television we still have it front and center in our homes. Even though pornography has become the secret sin of the church, we don’t unplug from the world wide web or use a filter system that would protect us. We send our children off to public schools to be indoctrinated without giving it a second thought. We cling to relationships even though those relationships lead us into sin, even “small” sins such as gossip. Until we change, there can be no hope of survival in this country, let alone revival.

I don’t want to end on a negative note. There is every reason to be optimistic because we serve God Almighty. Here is the first step that we need to take in order to change: pray. Not wimpy prayers about bless me and mine, but prayers of thanksgiving and for change. Prayers like what the apostle Paul prayed in Colossians:

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to him as you bear fruit in every good work and grow in the full knowledge of God. 11 You are being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that you might patiently endure everything with joy 12 and might thank the Father, who has enabled us to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. (Colossians 1:9-12; ISV)

Pray for your pastor that he might have the spiritual wisdom he needs to teach, preach, and counsel. Pray for your children that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. Pray for people who are a part of your church family that they might walk worthy of the Lord. Pray for church leaders, the men and women who are on the radio and who write books, that they will communicate God’s truth. Revival begins through prayer, and we need to pray, not that revival happens, but that we will walk in a manner that is fitting of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only when the Church begins being the Church will real and lasting revival break out across the land.

• Point to Ponder: Change begins with the person in the mirror.
• Passage to Remember: Colossians 1:9-12
• Prayer to Pray: Gracious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I ask that You will fill me with hope so that I will not become discouraged with the condition of my nation and my church. Point out to me the areas in my life that I need to change, those ties that I continue to allow to exist which bind me to this world and to sin. Teach me to pray: for the nation, for the Church, and for others so that real change might begin to take place.

Discipleship and Change

Let me ask you a few questions: How do we change? How can we become the people we want to be? How can we truly be the people we pretend to be?

I have tried to change but it seems I have made little progress. The same sins and struggles that plagued my life five years ago still haunt me today. I have tried writing out a plan, enlisting the help of others, and just gritting my teeth as I try to white knuckle it through. Nothing seems to work.

Yesterday morning I prayed that God would help me rid these struggles so that I could become the person He wanted me to be. I hate living what feels like a double life. It makes me feel like a poser.

Feeling like we are making little progress presents a huge problem for the Church. Why is it a problem for the church? It is a problem because it will lead to discouragement, and discouragement will lead to people abandoning their faith.

There is nothing more discouraging in our journey of faith than feeling like we faking the whole thing. We compare our lives to the Christians we know and it seems like they have thing together, and so we come to believe that we are doing something wrong. While these people are the real deal, we are just imperfect copies.

How do we help people like me, to change?

I could be wrong, but in my view part of the solution is discipleship. Discipleship is not about adding another class or series of classes that explain church doctrine or what is expected from church membership. It is also not about handing people a list of "spiritual" disciplines that they need to add to their lives (though disciplines do play part in discipleship).

Discipleship is about doing life together, modeling Jesus’ love for one another, encouraging each other, and helping one another. It is about community, fellowship, or whatever you want to call it. While change ultimately is about a personal decision it always has a better chance of success when other people are involved.

The church families I have been a part of have done a very poor job in this area. Change was automatically supposed to happen as people began to study their Bibles, pray, and attend church services. Experience has told me that it just doesn’t happen that way for most people. We need the participation of other people in our lives if we are going to successfully change our behavior. Discipleship is the key to change, and discipleship takes place best in community.