A Powerful Weapon Against Sin

Evil and sin were not part of our original design.  We may equate sin with human nature, but the reality is that God did not create us to rebel against Him.  Sin is not our natural state. 

We were created to glorify God and live in fellowship with Him. I believe that sin becomes part of our lives when we lose sight of God's purpose for our lives. Purpose is one of the ways God helps us to remain on the narrow road that leads to Life. Erwin McManus wrote; “Sin is what happens when we have too much time on our hands and too little purpose in our lives” (Uprising; p. 186).

When we begin to really live out our purpose what we discover is that sin becomes an obstacle to what accomplishing what God has called us to do. When we are surrendered to God's purpose then we discover that we will reject things that are detrimental to accomplishing that purpose. On the other hand if we are not dedicated to God and His purpose for our lives we will be easily persuaded by things that will take us farther and farther away from where God wants us to be.

Yet it is not always easy to understand your purpose. Part of the problem, I believe, is that purpose comes in a couple different forms. The type of purpose we ultimately want is our grand life purpose.  The type of purpose which will define our lives. Abraham’s purpose was to become the father of a great nation; Moses’ purpose was to lead Israel out of Egypt; and Paul’s purpose was to be the apostle to the Gentiles. We long to have that type of life defining purpose for our lives.

Before we arrive at our life defining purpose we must first live a life of faithfulness. This is the second form of purpose: the everyday purpose. It is through a life of faith that God prepares us for the grand purpose of our lives. It builds the character we need to accomplish the purpose God has given to us. Our grand purpose in life demands that we have a Christ-like character. Without this type of character we will fail.

While waiting around for our grand purpose to show up we often neglect the everyday purpose that every Christian has: to live by faith. The result is that rather  than being prepared to live out the grand purpose of our lives we get distracted by the things of this world. We are not good stewards of the gracious gift of time God has given to us.

Think about what the apostle Paul wrote:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,  making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17; ESV).

To  make the "best use of the time" (literally as we "redeem the time") means that we live faithful lives in whatever situation we find ourselves in .  We do this by seeking and doing God's will.  It is through understanding God's will, that we begin to catch a glimpse of God's ultimate purpose for our lives.

Purpose does two things when in comes to combating sin in our lives.  First, it gives us a motivation to fight against any obstacle that might get in our way of completing God's will.  Second it fills our time with activity so we have less to waste on sin.  Purpose is a powerful weapon in our fight against sin.

After One Year

Today is my one year marriage anniversary.  It is hard to believe that after all those years of being single and living alone that I am really married.  I know many people, from marriage professionals to the average married couple, will tell you the first year is a difficult year, but for Jenny and I our first year has been wonderful.  That doesn't mean we haven't had our share of misunderstandings, but we have made the transition to being husband and wife very easily and naturally.

One reason for this is because we are at the same level of spiritual maturity.  We have both recognized that one of the reasons our previous relationships ended was because of differences in spiritual maturity.  It is so wonderful to be able to talk about things of faith and to be on the same wave length.

I would encourage anyone planning on getting engaged or counting down the days to spend time to grow spiritually together.  Read the same book together (I have a list of suggested reading on the side of the blog) and discuss it with each other.  Make sure you are taking time to pray for each other and with each other (I have some different prayers a boyfriend can pray in this post: Be a Praying Boyfriend).

A second reason our first year has been so great is because we are pursuing the same dream.  God laid on our hearts, even before we met, to have a place where people can come to find restoration, to have training, and to be discipled.  This has been part of our prayers, conversations, and our plans.  Rather than having our house serving as home base as we go out and do our own thing we see our home as the first place our common dream can become a reality.

If you are in the stage of heading towards marriage I think it is very important for you to talk with your fiancee about what you can do together for the Kingdom of God.  The first purpose of marriage is to become a dynamic duo for God's Kingdom.  God has brought you together for that purpose, and your marriage will only get stronger as you give yourself away to what He has called you, as a couple, to do.

A third and final reason I will share is that we didn't allow our problems to fester.  The apostle Paul wrote;  "And 'don't sin by letting anger control you.' Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil" (Ephesians 4:26-26; NLT).  Keep in mind that anger is not the only way Satan can get a foothold in our lives, and so we need to deal with the whole range of sins and temptations, from anger to lust to gossip, because each and every area gives Satan room to wriggle himself into our hearts and minds.  Jenny and I did a very good job at dealing with our disagreements and problems right away and not bringing them into the next day.  I think that helped us to stay focus on our love for each other rather than blowing up the problems bigger than they really are.

One of the things our dating culture is very poor at teaching is how to handle conflict and problems.  Dating teaches us to run away when things get tough rather than learning to work through the difficulties together.  When we don't deal with the problems, when we let the sun go down on them, then we open the door to Satan, and he will do his best to bring division and hurt into the relationship.  If you are engaged I would urge you to take some time and work through some of the difficulties and irritations you might already have with each other, because marriage is not going to magically make them disappear.  What marriage will do is make them bigger, and that is why it is so important to deal with them as soon as possible.  Make sure you do it as gently and kindly as you can and bathe the whole thing in prayer.  Remember God wants your marriage to succeed, and so He is a valuable member of your team.

I am very thankful for one year of marriage and for the love and encouragement Jenny has shown to me this past year.  It is great to think that there are many more days and years ahead!

Our True Citizenship

{Ephesians 2:19-22, ESV}

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 

The only citizenship that truly matters is our citizenship in God's Kingdom.  In this passage the apostle Paul is addressing Gentile Christians, and he reminds them that before Jesus they were on the outside of the God's Kingdom.  They were no better than strangers and aliens in a foreign land, for they did not possess the citizenship papers of the Kingdom, the citizenship papers of faith in the One True God.

That has now all changed!  They no longer had to live as foreigners in regards to God's Kingdom, because now they belonged.  What wonderful news that is!  Regardless of the land of their birth or their ancestry they could find a place, not only in God's Kingdom, but in His very household.  They could be part of the precious and loved people of the World's One True God!

One of things we like to say is, "God bless America!" and we come to believe that because we are citizens of the United States we have a privileged status in the world.  What we forget is that none of that matters.  We can be the most productive and patriotic citizens of this country and it wouldn't matter, because we would be aliens in God's Kingdom without Jesus.  Being citizens of the United States means nothing if we are not first and foremost citizens of God's Kingdom.

When we are citizens of God's Kingdom we realize that the way God blesses America is through blessing His people (the Church), that we can go out and be a blessing to those around us.  We realize that the foundation of our lives is not some political philosophy, be it liberal or conservative, but Jesus Christ.  So what is needed for a God Blessed America is not converting people to our political persuasion so that "Christian" laws can be made, but to convert people to the way of Jesus so that true Christians are created.

The Church will do far more good for the United States when we stop trying to create a Christian nation through politics and begin to bless those around us as we live as true citizens of God's Kingdom.  For that to happen we will have to accept the fact that our American citizenship is worth nothing, and our true citizenship in God's Kingdom is worth everything.

We Don't Stand Alone!

Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil...Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm (Ephesians 6:11 and 13; NLT).

The Bible does not hide the reality that life is hard and that we will be under attack from the Evil One. It should not surprise us that we experience temptations, trials, and struggles.

During these times we are commanded to stand firm. It is when we stand firm that we are able to resist the Satan. Yet experience tells us that we don't have the strength to stand firm. Time and time again we have been knocked down by the attacks of the evil one. So it can get discouraging if we think standing firm depends entirely on us.

Part of the Gospel message is that we don't stand alone and unaided. God has placed in our lives the Church so we can stand firm together, and He has provided us with the equipment we need so we are have what we need to resist the Enemy.

I urge us to take time and ask God to teach us how to use the equipment He has given us so we can stand firm by His power. Remember we don't stand alone!

Live Wisely and Redeem the Time

You and I have been given a great gift. The gift of life is the most precious thing that we have, and therefore it is imperative that we don't waste it.

Yet it is very easy to waste our lives. We can let the moments of our lives slip through our fingers as we sit in front of a TV or computer screen. It is possible to waste our lives as we discover one more excuse to work later rather than going home to our family or to give into the voice for some "me time" rather obeying God's call.

Vacation, Sabbath, and alone time are important because we need opportunities to recharge our batteries and anchor our lives to Christ Jesus. We should never feel guilty for getting the rest that we need, just as we should never feel guilty about fulfilling our obligations.

What we need to be conscious about is how we are using the time God has given us. How we use our time determines how well we are living.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do (Ephesians 5:15-17, NLT).

To make the most of every opportunity means that we buy up the time we have been given. We redeem the time from this evil age and bring it into God's glorious Kingdom. This requires prayer on our part so we can know God's will. We can't be in obedience to God's will if we are ignorant of what His will is. Redeeming the time also requires an intentionality on our part. It is choosing to seem God's will, committing to do His will, and making the effort to do it. We get to decide whether or not we are going to redeem the time for God's glory and honor.

To make the most of our lives and to live wisely means that we redeem the time given to use. By dedicating it to God's Kingdom. That is the best way to use the gift of life God has given to use.

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Standing Firm With Courage

Many men, at the core of their being, long to be courageous.  He wants to stand alone and face the oncoming danger and to be the hero in the moment of desperation. That is certainly true with me. Ever since I was a young boy I have dreamt of defeating the bad guys, defending the ones I love, and rescuing the beauty from the clutches of evil.

Because of this craving in my soul I believe that God made me to live a courageous life and to be able to walk tall in the face of danger. Part of the problem is that so often the danger that exists in our lives bears little resemblance to the danger faced by James Bond and Batman on the movie screen.  Therefore it is easy to convince ourselves that no real danger exists, and all this talk of courage is just an exaggeration to play on the soul desire of men.

Our day to day lives don't seem to be dangerous because we are rarely in physical danger.  We don't have bullets whizzing past our heads or bombs exploding next to us.  It is so easy to be lulled into a sense of safety because we don't have these physical threats to our lives.  We cannot be fooled that a threat doesn't exist.

The threat which exists is the same threat that Adam faced from the very beginning.  Adam turned his back on his design, and rather than fighting for what God had given him.  We have been paying the price of Adam's failure every since.

With the coming of Jesus, through His death and resurrection, Adam's failure is being reversed.  For us to participate with what God is doing in bringing restoration to creation we have to stand firm where Adam fell.  So the apostle Paul writes:

A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against the wicked spirits in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-11; NLT)

I am convinced that when we experience fear in our relationships, when we have fear to do the right thing, or fear to attack the sin in our lives it is the enemy trying to convince us to lay down without a fight. Why does a husband fear talking to his wife? Ultimately because Satan is out there seeking destroy the marriage. Why does giving a little extra money cause fear to run through your body? The reason is Satan wants you to hoard what you have rather than being generous with God's provision. When we give into our fears we play right into Satan's hands.

God created us to live lives of courage. This doesn't mean that our lives will be absent of fear, but rather that we have lives which trust in the provision of His strength, hope, and confidence. When we live lives of courage we are able to experience God's power at work in the world around us. Even if things don't turn out the way we would like, because of the faith and courage we exhibit we are able to grow in the relationship we have with God.

Yet if we live lives of fear we will not only be held back in our relationship with God, but we also put our friends and family at risk of Satan's attacks. Think about how many children have been hurt because their parents were unwilling to face their fears and simply got a divorce. Think about how many woman have been treated like dirt because they feared being alone. When we face our fears, it is not for us alone, but it is for all those we know and love. One day they may need us to be strong and brave, and because we have gone into battle before, we will be able to respond for them. We need to be willing to face our fears and walk into the danger that awaits us.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9; ESV).

An Image of Hope

What does hope look like?  The image that comes to my mind is the picture of light.  It is the sun rising in the east to chase away the night.  It looks like Gandalf coming to the rescue to overwhelm the forces of darkness with the power of light.

Depression and hopelessness can rightly be described as darkness, and many times that darkness can be very overwhelming and oppressive.  In the midst of it you feel isolated and alone and you wonder if it is ever going to end.  This darkness can almost seem as if it is alive as it tries to drag us down into the pit of hell.  All our energy is spent and our hope is dried up and so we give into the temptation to give up and to quit the fight for our hearts and our lives.

Thank God we don't have to fight alone!  The apostle Paul tells us that we have been rescued from the kingdom of Darkness and we have been brought into the Kingdom of Light:

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13, 14; ESV).

Jesus, who is the light of the world, chases away the oppressive darkness, which is the result of sin and death, through the power of His resurrection.  When we surrender to His will and put on His armor (Ephesians 6:10-20) we have the ability to overcome the darkness and to grow into the people God desires us to be.

The Good News of Christ Jesus is founded on the reality that the same power that raised Him from the dead and established Him as King can, and does, reside in us.  So in Ephesians the apostle Paul urges us to pray and ask God to flood us with His light so we can live with confident hope.

 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:15-23; ESV).

The darkness does not have to win. With the power of Jesus Christ we can be victorious over the sin, shame, and depression that robs us of true life.

Lord Jesus fill me with Your light and life so I can be a person who shines in the darkness, bringing hope into this dark and dying world.

Citizens of God's Kingdom

{Ephesians 2:19-22; ESV}

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The apostle Paul, in Ephesians 2:11-18, reminds his readers of their previous reality. They were excluded from God’s Kingdom, and therefore they had no hope. Yet, something happened to change their status. That something was Christ Jesus who broke down the wall (verse 14). Through Jesus they were given hope and they were reconciled to God.

Stop for a moment and remember what your former life looked like. Even those of us who have grown up in a Christian family can remember the time when we realized that we were outside of God’s Kingdom. I vividly remember the night when I realized that I couldn’t rely on the faith of my family and that I had to have my own faith. That was a scary night, but fortunately I knew the One I had to turn to in order to find forgiveness and hope.

That is what served as an introduction to what the apostle Paul wrote in verses 19-22 of Ephesians 2. What Paul wants us to understand is that we are part of a great sacred community: The Kingdom of God.

Before, while we were in our sin, we were outsiders, we didn’t belong to God’s Kingdom, but now we do. We were citizens of the world, and foreigners in the Kingdom of God, but now our citizenship has changed. The world is no longer our home, we are pilgrims in this land, because our citizenship is now in Heaven.

I want to point out two implications that come with being citizens of God’s Kingdom. The first implication is that we are not alone.  I am not the only citizen of the Kingdom, and though it might feel like I am all alone at times, that is just a feeling and not reality. In this Kingdom reside all the faithful who lived under the Old Covenant as well as all of the faithful who follow Christ Jesus. The writer of Hebrews writes of a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). It encourages me to think about all the people who have lived faithful lives, because it reminds me that I am not the only one to experience the struggles of faith.

The second implication I would like to point out is that there are certain expectations for a citizen of God’s Kingdom. One of the things that have horrified us, as U.S. citizens, has been the accusation of brutal and inhumane conduct by our military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have an expectations that our military would conduct themselves in a better manner.

There are expectations for living the God has placed on the citizens of His Kingdom. One of those expectations is that we are to be servants. We need to help those people who are in need and in the process bring God's love and hope into their lives. A second expectation is that we live moral lives. The moral standard that we live by needs to be better than the rest of the world. People need to recognize that there is a difference in the way we live and the way the world lives.

What a word of hope we find in this passage. We are part of God’s Kingdom! You and I need to allow this reality to shape the way we live. Why? We are representatives, ambassadors, of God’s Kingdom, and is essential that we to play the part.

Needing God's Power

So many Christians have missed out on the real power that is available to them because they misunderstand the work that is involved in salvation; which is the restoration of our true life. Christians have trusted in Christ for forgiveness, to get their ticket punched for heaven, but then try to get by the best that they can. Since they are so weak and controlled by their flesh rather than being led by the Spirit the miss out on the truly abundant life Jesus promises to those he follow Him.

In his book Absolute Surrender Andrew Murray wrote:

The cause of the weakness of your Christian life is that you you want to work it our partly, and to let God help you. And that cannot be. You must come to be utterly helpless, to let God work, and God will work gloriously. It is this that we need if we are indeed to be workers for God (p. 113; Humility and Absolute Surrender).

For such a long time in my walk with Jesus I walked in weakness. I thought it was my job to overcome sin, to break the chains of addictions, and to work up courage. The result of this way of living was discouragement, condemnation, and isolation. I felt like I as such a poser and believed that if I truly loved God then I would naturally want to read the Bible, pray, and serve. Not only would those things come naturally but it would be easy to give up my sins, even sins that had been part of my life for years. The only explanation then that I had when that was not the reality of my life was that I must not love God. What a death sentence that is to a person’s relationship with God.

Thank God that is not what following Jesus looks like! Jesus didn’t die to make up for our shortcomings, Jesus died to give us a brand new way to live life. This new way of life begins and ends with surrendering our lives to God, for it is only through God’s power that we are able to live the life that He has for us to live.

This is what the apostle Paul wrote about God’s power:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:14-21; ESV).

If we are going to experience God’s power then we are going to have to surrender our lives through prayer. We need to bow our knees before the Father on a daily basis, surrendering our lives to Him and asking for His power to strengthen our lives.

If we are going to experience God’s power we need to invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts. For it is the Spirit working in our inner being that we experience God’s power in our lives. The power that roots us in love, the power that helps us investigate the amazing love God, and the power that allows us to experience the life that is the result of being filled with the abundant life of God.

If we are going to experience God’s power at work in our lives we need to ask God to work in our lives. God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, and so He has the power to help us overcome the addictions that we have used to cope with the pain of life, to forgive those people who have profoundly hurt us, or to live in courage rather than to be controlled by fear. We don’t experience this power in our lives because we are afraid to ask and we convince ourselves that God doesn’t work like that. Step out in faith and ask God to help you, to heal you, and to bind up your broken heart. He has the power to do more than you can even imagine.

God is interested in you having victory over sin, in living with courage, and experiencing true joy. Don’t think these things rest on your shoulders to achieve, rather trust in God’s love and power to grant these things to you. Surrender your life to Him and ask for His power to live, because Jesus died so that you could live.

Visit the new Paul's Ponderings.

God's Help and God's Expectation

{Ephesians 4:20-24; ESV}
But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

When it comes to following Jesus we need to remember two important truths.  The first truth is that we are unable to be faithful on our own.  Salvation begins and ends with God.  He is the one who took the initiative to save us and we can be confident that He will finish what He started.  Part of the way He is bringing transformation and life into our lives right now is through the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is God guiding our lives towards faith and maturity.  We must always remember that God does for us what we are unable to do for ourselves.

The second truth we need to remember is that God has certain expectations for our lives.  We are intended to reflect God’s love into this world, and therefore God provides us with commands and wisdom in His Word so that we can know the right way to live.  In the passage from Ephesians quoted above we see that we are to take off the old way of living, the way the world lives, and adopt a new way of living, the way of Jesus.  What we need to notice here is that Paul says this taking off and putting on is something that we must do.  God will help us in this process, that is why the gift of the Holy Spirit is such a wonderful blessing, but we have to make the choice to renounce the way of the world and submit to the way of Christ.  God will not do for us what He expects us to do for ourselves.

Take a moment and consider what author Dallas Willard wrote:

“The vitality and power of Christianity is lost when we fail to integrate our bodies into its practice by intelligent, conscious, choice and steadfast intent.  It is with our bodies we receive the new life that comes as we enter his Kingdom...If we are to participate in the reign of God, it can only be by our actions.  And our actions are physical—we live only in the process of our bodies.  To withhold our bodies from religion is to exclude religion from our lives.  Our life is a bodily life, even though that life is one that can be fulfilled solely in union with God” (The Spirit of the Disciplines, p. 31).

I know this seems rather obvious, but I think the story of our lives show that we don’t do it.  We say we believe in Christ, but we haven’t allowed that reality to influence our behavior.  God expects us to align our lives with what we say we believe.  In other words our belief needs to influence our lives.  After wall that is what faith is all about.

You and I need to trust in God for our salvation.  The reason why we can find security in our salvation is because it depends on what God has done in Jesus Christ and not in what we have done, which would put our salvation on very shaky grounds.  Yet, that trust we have in God for salvation needs to begin to be seen in the way we live our lives, and that involves the choices that we make. These choices manifest themselves into action and through our actions we bring God’s love and His rule into this world.  We need both trust and choice in our lives to experience God transforming power in our lives.

To Be Different

One of the expectations God has for His people is that we live differently than the rest of the world.  There are areas in life where I find this quiet easy to do, but there are other areas when it is a huge struggle.  I want to be different, but the way of the world seems to be the better way to go.

When we don’t live differently from the world, not only are we saying that we don’t trust God to provide for our lives, but we also hide the light God has placed in our lives.  It is through the process of being different and stand apart from the world that we become lights in the darkness.  For this reason the apostle Paul wrote:

Don’t participate in the things these people do.  For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it!  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true (Ephesians 5:7-9; NLT).

Since it is essential for the followers of Christ Jesus to be different there is a question we need to ask ourselves: How do we prevent ourselves from being influenced by this culture in which we live?  I believe the writer of Hebrews has provided us with some answers to these questions:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.  And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.  He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward.  Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven (Hebrews 12:1-2; NLT).

In these two verses we find four actions we must do if we are going to live differently from the world.

First we must remember the people of faith who have gone before us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith...

Hebrews 11 is filled with the examples of faith.  Men and women who trusted God through the ups and downs of life.  The writer of Hebrews then tells us: be encouraged by these people.  The examples of Abraham, Moses, Ruth, David, Esther, Daniel, and Peter should give us encouragement as we attempt to live faithful lives in our culture.  Remember there is a reason God preserved the examples of these men and women on the pages of Scripture so lets learn from them.

It is also important to remember that through the past two thousand years more and more people have been added to this huge crowd of witnesses.  People like Martin Lurther, John Calvin, Alexander Campbell, Jim Elliot, C. S. Lewis, Lillian Trasher, Rachel Scott, and Si Steele (my grandfather).  In other words we are still surrounded by witnesses, both living and dead, of the life of faith.  We can gain encouragement and wisdom by turning to their examples faith.

The second action we need to do is remove the hindrances; let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.

Change is difficult.  One reason it is difficult is because it means admitting that our way is wrong.  If we were already living faithful and righteous lives then change wouldn’t need to happen.  A second reason why change is hard is because sin tends to be habit forming.  Therefore, our bodies have developed the habit of not trusting God, and like any other habit it is hard to break.

Keeping those things in mind we still need to face the reality that there are areas in our lives that need to be changed.  We all have junk in our our lives which will need to dealt with.  Part of the problem is that each one of us have a different set of junk that needs to be dealt with, and therefore there are no easy answers in the process of life change.  Yet whatever our sins and issues maybe they are all hindering us from become the people God created us to be.  That is why it is so essential that we deal with them, even if that means going to a professional for help.

The universal weight that is hindering us is sin.  Yes, the weight of sin will different for us, but each of us has sin in our lives.  We need to attack it, struggle with it, confess it to God, and continually turn our hearts back to God (that is what repentance is).  We cannot go with God and allow sin to remain in our live unchecked.  If we are not struggling to rid our lives of sin then we are not living a life of faith.

The third action we must do is run the race; And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.

I like what Erwin McManus wrote in Seizing Your Divine Moment:

“God has created you to do something.  It is not enough to stop the wrong and then be paralyzed when it comes to the right.  God created you to do good.  And doing this requires initiative.  There is a subtle danger of hiding apathy behind piety.  Getting rid of the sin in your life?  Great.  Now it’s time to do something” (p. 35).

God has created us to do good.  That means we are to bring love and truth into the lives of other people.  I like to say that we have been blessed so that we can be a blessing.  Running the race that God has given to us is about doing the good works that God has planned for us when He created us (Ephesians 2:10).  When we use the blessings (talents, resources, and relationships) God has given us to bring good into this world then we are running the race of faith.

The final action is to remember Jesus; We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.
First, we need to remember who Jesus is and what His life means for us.  Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.  His sinless life allowed Him to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins, His brutal death was the price that redeemed us from our sins, and His resurrection not only confirms the reality of our forgiven sins, but it also becomes the promise of new life for you and me.

Second, we need to follow the example of Jesus.  The way Jesus lived, loved, and worshipped God are the examples for us in how we are to live our lives.  Jesus’ life and teachings provide us with the best interpretation of the Law, God’s expectation for how His people are to live, and so it is only by following the example of Jesus that we can live up to that example.

We can only keep our eyes on Jesus and reflect on his life by learning about his life.  I think one of the reasons we fall is because we have created an image of Jesus that appeals to us rather than discovering who Jesus really is.  So if we are truly going to understand Jesus then we need to spend time in God’s Word, especially in the Gospels, so we can have a better understanding and appreciation of who Jesus is and what He did for us.

Followers of Jesus Christ need to be different from the rest of the world.  This doesn’t mean that we seek ways to be strange and to stand out from the crowd, but it does mean that we are intentionally following Jesus rather than allowing ourselves to be pushed along by the trends and fades of this world.  Let’s face it, the easy way to live is to participate in the activities of this world and to go along with our culture, so we must fight the hard fight to be different.  This fight begins, not by making a list of resolutions or trying to summon up the strength to tackle the sinful habits and the dark passions of our hearts, but by falling on our knees and crying out to God for love, forgiveness, and His Holy Spirit.  In other words, this is not about our strength, but it is about relying on God for His strength, and that is what will make us different from the rest of the world.

Great Friendships

One of the virtues that runs through J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings is the virtue of friendship.  It is obvious to anyone who has read the story that Tokien put a lot of value in the positive impact friendships can have in our lives.  One of the places this value is seen is during the selection process of people who will make up the fellowship.

‘But that will leave no place for us!’ cried Pippin in dismay. ‘We don’t want to be left behind. We want to go with Frodo.’

‘That is because you do not understand and cannot imagine what lies ahead,’ said Elrond.
‘Neither does Frodo,’ said Gandalf, unexpectedly supporting Pippin. ‘Nor do any of us see clearly. It is true that if these hobbits understood the danger, they would not dare go. But they would still wish to go, or wish that they dared, and be shamed and unhappy. I think, Elrond, that in this matter it would be well to trust rather to their friendship than to great wisdom. Even if you chose for us an elf-lord, such as Glorfindel, he could not storm the Dark Tower, nor open the road to the Fire by the power that is in him’ (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; p. 310 ; emphasis added)

I would suggest that the desire for good strong friendship is a desire each one of us possesses. We long to have people in our lives that we can count on through thick and thin. People who we know will be there for us no matter what happens. People who we can love, serve, and with whom we live life.

Let’s face it, this world has hardship and pain in store for us. I am willing to be that if we received right now the detailed accounting of the rest of our lives each and every one of us would be afraid to continue. Our future holds the death of loved ones, the slow decay of our bodies, money problems, relationship issues, and various other struggles. The future is a scary place.

We can come up with answers and theories for all these various problems on this side of our lives, before we go through those trials, but those theories mean little once we get there. C. S. Lewis wrote the book The Problem of Pain which gave a logical and thought out answer to why a loving God allows pain and suffering in this world. Those answers provided little comfort as he dealt with his wife’s death and authored A Grief Observed.

What will get us through the through the tough times that lie ahead is not just wisdom and truth, but also the love and encouragement found in friendships. In the dark times in our lives what we need most are not answers to questions but companionship. We need people willing to come alongside of us and offer a word of encouragement, to serve us in our needs, and to show us they love us when the loneliness threatens to overwhelm us.

This type of companionship is to be found in the church.  Consider what the Bible says about what our relationships with other Christians should look like:

Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God’s law (Romans 13:8; NLT).

Follow God’s example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him ( Ephesians 5:1-2; NLT).

Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25; NLT).

We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help—how can God’s love be in that person? (1 John 3:16-17; NLT)

God wants us to love each other.  So our church families should be refuges from the divisions, gossip, and hatred that plagues the world.  Yet, I believe that within this big picture we need a group of 5-10 fellow believers that we are intimately connected with, people we know have our backs. That is how we are going to make it through life.

God could have revealed to us all the secrets of the universe and given us all the wisdom we need to answer any question that came up as we live our lives. Instead God provide us with the church and from within the church He has provided us with friends. Great wisdom and knowledge are not the only provisions we need to get through this life, we also need great friendships.  I hope that you have a few.

A Work of Art

Take a moment and make a list of things you want to accomplish with your life.  Before you die what do you want to do?  How do you want your friends and family to remember you?  What is your passion and love?  How do you want your life defined?  Just jot down a note or two, it doesn’t have to be long.  What is your grand dream?
   
I want you to imagine that you are an artist.  I don’t care what type of an artist: a painter, a sculptor, a musician, an author.  You set out to create the work that will define your life.  You put hours of labor and love into the task of creating, sacrificing your free time and your money.  When difficulties arise with your creation, you patiently work out the problems.  Your creation becomes your passion, and you find both joy and frustration as you work on it.  Finally it is ready for the unveiling, and you have a big party for the unveiling. 
   
Your friends, family, and peers are all greatly impressed with your efforts.  Your work is met with critical acclaim, being proclaimed in the papers as a masterpiece.
    
Fast forward twenty years into the future.  One day you are walking the streets of a large city, and on the top of the dumpster is your grand masterpiece.  You look at it and shake your head, for you did not create it for the garbage dump.  You take your work, dust it off, and your begin your work to reclaim it.
  
For we are God’s masterpiece.  He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things that he planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10, NLT).
   
Each and every one of us is a masterpiece.  There are a few differences between us and a work of art.  The first is that we are a work in progress.  At this very moment we are God’s masterpieces, but God is still creating us, making us better.  The second is that we can decide whether or not we want to be made anew.  A piece of clay, a canvas, a hunk of granite, or a piece of paper has no choice of what happens to it.  We have the ability to allow God to influence us, to mold us, to create us, or to tell Him to get away from us.  Third, the destiny of art is rather discouraging.   Sooner or later it will be trashed and destroyed.  Our destiny is so much better.  It is the promise of God that we will not be trashed!  He promises us an abundant life now and everlasting life in Heaven.
   
I want you to look at the list of things you want to accomplish with your life.  As great as some of those things are, God’s plans for you are even greater.  I don’t mean that you will experience more material blessings or even an easier life, but your life will be better.  The only way you will experience that better life is to let God influence your life.  God has to mold you, He has to create you in order for you to meet your destiny.

An Encouraging Thought

Take a moment and think about your life.  Do you like you life right now?  Are you  hoping for a change?  Is there something that is missing?  Think about what you life is like and how that compares to your dreams.

Have you done it?  If you have not thought about your life, I will give you a few more moments to think.  You can’t go on until you have until you have finished the little exercise. 
    
Finished?  Good, now you have my permission to continue.
    
I know for many of us our lives are not quite where we would like them to be.  We find our current life a little boring, and we constantly complain that there is nothing to do.  Sometimes we are just plain lonely.  We see other people with all these friends or with a companion of the opposite sex and we become a little jealous. We perceive that our lives don’t measure up to theirs.  Other times we desire to have this amazing relationship with God, but our lives lack the promised peace and hope which comes from a relationship with God.  We get down and begin doubting whether or not God has really saved us.
    
Regardless of how you feel about your life right now, you are in the right place.  God has put you in this place so that you will see Him.  For those who don’t know Jesus, God has put them into a place so if they would only open their hearts and seek Him they will find Him.  For us who do know Jesus, we are in just the right place to be used by God.  God has placed into our lives experiences, knowledge, and the salvation we need to make a difference.  We might think it is a small and insignificant difference, but it will the difference that God desires.

Take the example of Esther.  If you have never read the book of Esther I challenge you to do so. It is a book that shows how God works through history.  Esther was a Jewish girl that became queen because of her great beauty.  A plot to kill all the Jews in the Persian Empire became law after she became queen.  Esther had an uncle by the name of Modecai, and he pleads to her to intervene on the behalf of her people.  Esther was reluctant  since it could mean death if the King did not want to see her.  Yet it was entirely possible that God allowed her to become Queen just for this very moment.  God put her just where she needed to be.  This is what Uncle Modecai told Esther:

If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.  What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this? (Esther 4:14; NLT)

We may not have to save an entire race of people, but God has put us just where He needs us to be.  Obeying God and taking that step of faith means that we will experience God in a new way.  Our relationship with the Creator will become better, and our life will look a whole lot more appealing.
   
Consider what Dave Stone in I’d Rather See A Sermon; “God is counting on you to be open to His leading.  You may be the only person who can reach a certain individual or group of people.  God has planted you in that environment to accomplish His purpose for eternity.”

Instead of complaining about your life and wishing things would change, look around you and discover what needs to be done.  My bet is that God put you there for just such a time.
    
In the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring there is one scene that I absolutely love because of the way it stirs my heart.  The Fellowship has been forced to go through the mines of Moria.  They come to a place where the tunnel splits and Gandalf does not know which way to go.  The group sits to rest and think about their options.  Gandalf and Frodo begin to talk about their task.  Frodo confides in Gandalf and says, “I wish the Ring would never have come to me.  I wish none of this would have happened.” 
    
Gandalf replies, “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.  All we have to do is decide what to do with the time given to us.  There are other forces at work in this world besides the one of evil.  Bilbo was meant to find the Ring.  In which case you also were meant to have it, and that is an encouraging thought.”

Erwin McManus wrote something similar in his book An Unstoppable Force; “God chooses not only the places but also the times in which we live.  He has privileged us to live not only in the greatest expansion of human population but also with the greatest opportunity for the spread of the gospel.”
    
Jesus has given us a command to go. “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples.” (Matthew 28:19; CEV).  That command has corporate significance, for it is the mission of the entire church, and it has personal significance, for each Christian is responsible to that command.  We all have a mission in our lives.  How we carry out this mission is our purpose. 
    
Truth is often times this mission can feel overwhelming.  There are so many people who have not even heard the name of Jesus, and millions more who have heard and have rejected Him.  The sheer numbers make this mission seem impossible.  There are the people whom we encounter everyday of our lives, and despite our efforts they do not seem to be changed.  The lack of response makes this mission to seem pointless.
    
When you are feeling like that I want to encourage you, just as Gandalf encouraged Frodo.  God has placed you where you are, for a reason.  There is a purpose to your life, right now, exactly where you are at.  If you remain faithful to God, by committing yourself to obedience and worship, you will experience the purpose of God in your life.  Yes, things will not go as you would like them to, but regardless of what happens God will use it to change lives, most likely yours.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10; NASB).

God has created us, and then saved us, for a reason.  Before we were born, God had a plan for our lives.  As we are faithful to God, that purpose takes shape in our lives, and that is when we begin to experience the life God intends all people to live.  The good life of God is discovered in living out our divine purpose.
    
I hope that you see your life right now as a privilege.  God has created us and placed us here, during this time, so we can impact our corner of the world for Him.  We are perfectly suited for this task, because He has created us for this.  When we grasp this truth our lives will have meaning and hope.  God is at work in the world, He wants us to join Him, and that is a very encouraging thought.

Invitation to Purpose

It can be difficult to live out our God-given purpose.  Life has a way of slowly slipping away and taking us with it.  When we were children we had grand dreams of the things we want to accomplish and the people we want to be.  By the age of 30 so much of what we have dreamt is gone and in its place are jobs, bills, and an endless number of events to do.  We start to believe life is nothing more than existing in the midst of millions of other people.  To have purpose in our lives seem to be more of a fairy tale than reality.
   
I believe everyone has been created with purpose.  In Ephesians 2:10 the Apostle Paul wrote; For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (NLT).  If we could really grasp what this passage is saying it would revolutionize so many people’s lives.  Paul tells us that long before we were born God created us for a purpose.  He has a plan for our lives!  There is a life He desires for us to live.  We are not accidents, and there is a reason for our existence.
    
When I use the word purpose I mean the life God planned for us long ago.  Our purpose can only be understood in context to our relationship with God.  Without that relationship our purpose eludes us and the life God created us to have is beyond our grasp.  The purpose we have in life comes from God.  There is no other source for purpose.
    
To help us find our purpose we need people who will enter our lives and invite us to something larger than ourselves.  Without this happening we will most likely spend our days existing from one day to another.  We will be responsible and do the things that are required of us, but we will not be doing that things that make us alive.  That is the power of purpose in our lives it moves us from existing to living.

 J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit provides an illustration of this truth.  The Hobbit tells the story of a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who is quite content to stay home and never have any adventures.  Gandalf the Wizard and a troop of dwarves change Bilbo’s vision of a full life.  The dwarves have a mission and they invite Bilbo to be a part of it.  Through the adventure Bilbo learns things about himself he never would have discovered and his life changes.
   
The best way for people to discover their purpose is to be among people with purpose.  Many times it requires people living with purpose to invite other people to join them.  We discover our purpose best through our relationships with people.  We need people who will come alongside of us and offer encouragement, support, and love.  It is this type of environment which is needed to unleash our potential into purpose.
    
People are longing to be part of something that is bigger than themselves.  They want to lead lives of significance and to make and impact in the world around them.  At the end of their lives they want to know they counted for something.  All they need is the invitation to get involved.
    
Peter and Andrew had met Jesus.  They had heard his teachings and maybe even witnessed a miracle.  They were intrigued by Jesus, but life brought them back to their fishing boat.  Fishing was their work.  Fishing was how they provided for their family.  While they were being responsible, their hearts ached for something more.  They needed an invitation to discover purpose.  Matthew 4:18-20 tells of that invitation:

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee; he saw two brothers--Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew--fishing with a net, for they were commercial fisherman.  Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!’’ And they left their nets at once and went with him (NLT).

    
I am convinced Peter and Andrew wanted to follow Jesus.  It must have been something they had considered since the day they met him, but their “responsibilities” held them back.  It took Jesus approaching them and inviting them to get them to leave their nets and follow him.  It was following someone with purpose, My purpose is to give life in all its fullness (John 10:10; NLT), which provided the environment for Peter and Andrew to discover their purpose.
    

Jesus had purpose to his life and the purpose included building relationships.  The relationships which Jesus built with the disciples provided the road over which purpose could travel.  It was by unleashing the disciples potential and starting them on the road of purpose that Jesus’ purpose continues today. 
    
Purpose has little to do with our accomplishments and has much to do with the relationships we have.  We can write books, win championships, pass laws, or give money, but if we don’t invest our time in another person our purpose will be lost.  Matthew 22:37-40 reads:

 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (NLT). 

Everything we do must be founded on loving God and loving people.  For us to pursue a purpose which is not founded in relationships is to pursue a life God did not create us to live.
    
I am where I am today because people with purpose came alongside of me and invited me to join them.  The key person was a youth minister I met at church camp.  He extended to me an invitation to join his life and to participate in what he was doing.  For six years he encouraged me and helped me discover the purpose God had for my life.  Without people like that most of us will never understand our purpose and we will lead a life of existence, quietly going with the flow of life.
    
Over the years I have tried to extend that same invitation that was given to me.  Sometimes I have seen a person take wings and fly, understanding their purpose in life.  Other times I have seen the person get swallowed up in the darkness of this world.  No matter what I happens, every time I make that invitation, every time I invest time in another, I come away with a better understanding of who I am and the purpose of my life.
    
As we begin to understand our purpose it becomes our responsibility to invite people to join us.  The only way our purpose will have a lasting effect is to invest in another person.  Yes, it is an investment.  It is going to take time,  it is going to take money, and it is going to take being vulnerable. I want to tell you that the reward is worth the risk.

Divine Opportunities

I have big plans which I would like to accomplish in my lifetime. There are books to write, trips to take, lessons to teach, and sermons to preach. There are so many things that I would like to do and places I would like to see. The problem is that as I look at my life I see the time gradually slipping away. Life, quite literally, is passing me by.

Forgive me for assuming, but I would bet most of you have projects and dreams you would like to accomplish. You want to be able to look back on your life and know that it counted for something. Just like me you look at life and realize that another day has passed without any of these things coming true.

Why does life seem to gradually slip away? I believe it has much to do with the choices which we make. I am not necessarily talking about good and evil, often those are the obvious choices to make. Rather, I am talking about the choices in how we use our time. In our society we feel like we don’t have enough time to get everything done. We have so many different ways to use our time, that we cannot do everything that we would like to do. The truth is we don’t make good use of the time we have been given. A Nielsen Media Research study, mentioned in the January/February 2004 issue of Men’s Health magazine, found that the average American spends 2 months a year watching TV. That is around 1440 hours of television a year, or approximately 4 hours a day. With things like the internet and video games we can sit down and get up two hours later not realizing so much time has passed. Americans spend billions of dollars on camping, golf, and entertainment each year. It is not that these things are bad, but that we allow them to consume the time God has provided to us. When we constantly choose to use our time in this manner we make it possible for the impact God wants us to make to pass us by.

Erwin McManus in Seizing Your Divine Moment wrote; “This may sound too simple, but the abundant life that Jesus promises is ushered in through the choices we make in the ordinary moments of life.” Time continues to come our way, it is a constant. This has led us to take time for granted not giving to much thought to each moment. If we are going to use our lives to their fullest potential we must stop going along with the flow of time. Instead we must choose what to do with the moments we have, making a conscious decision to use them for God’s glory. If we continue to choose the path of least resistance, to get caught up in the hectic pace of life, we will miss out on the life God wants us to have. We will look back on our life and wonder: “Where has my life gone?”

So what is the answer? “Seizing your divine moment,” is the phrase Erwin McManus coined to describe our impact in the world for God’s kingdom. The Apostle Paul put it this way in Ephesians 5:15-17; So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (NLT). “Make the most of every opportunity,” is what Paul wants Christians to do. But what does it mean? How do you “seize your divine moment”?

John 5:1-15 is an example of what it means to “make the most of every opportunity.” Jesus is in Jerusalem to celebrate one of the Jewish holy days. While Jesus was in the city he went to the pool of Bethesda. At this pool gathered people who sick: blind, crippled, or paralyzed. It appears that these people came to Bethesda for the hope of a miraculous cure, or at the very least to have some soothing for their condition. Among all the sick, Jesus singles out a crippled man, who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!” (John 5:8; NLT), is what Jesus told the man to do. At this point the man has a choice, this is a divine opportunity, given by the Son of God, and the man can either seize it or let it pass by. The man stands and is instantly healed. To make the most of our opportunities, to seize our divine moments, we have to obey the command of God. The opportunities we have to serve, love, and to speak the truth are not chance events, but they are divinely appointed tasks for us to accomplish.

For us to obey the will of God we first need to know what God’s will is. We will miss the divine opportunities in our lives if we are ignorant of what God wants us to do. When it comes to knowing God’s will I think we divide it up into two categories. First, there is the board category of God’s universal will, which will help all of us understand the characteristics that should define our lives and should inform our lives enough for us to make decisions for the everyday opportunities that come along. This aspect of God’s will comes to us through Bible as we discover His desire to see all the nations of the world blessed through Christ Jesus and His desire that everyone come to know and love Him.

The second category is the God’s specific will for our lives. Since God’s specific will for our lives will never contradict God’s general will means that we have be students of God’s Word so we can properly evaluate God’s specific will for our lives. Too many people have been led astray because they heard a voice, had a dream, or saw a sign and did not evaluate what they thought was being said to them by the truth of God’s written Word.

The Bible reveals to us that God has spoken to people in many different ways through out history to provide them with specific guidance for their lives, so I think it is still valid to seek God’s guidance for our lives and expect Him to provide it to us. So a prayer that has become part of my life is Colossians 1:9, 10; So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better (NLT). Notice how Paul’s prayer for the Colossians not only included a knowledge of God’s will, but also spiritual wisdom and understanding. We need both if we are going to live a life that honors Christ Jesus by making the most of the divine opportunities that God gives to us.

Seeking wise counsel and evaluating our circumstances are two other essential actions that we must take as we seek to discern God’s specific will for our lives. I believe that if we are honestly searching for God’s will, and not just putting God off because we don’t want to do what He asked us to do, then He will honor our search and provide us with the answer that we seek.

There is one more things I would like to mention. We miss many opportunities because we have forgotten that we have been created for a purpose, that God has a divine plan for our lives. Remember what the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians; For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10; NLT).

There are two truths from this verse I believe are vital for us to make the most of the opportunities we are given. The first is we have to realize that God has created us for a reason. He has planned for us to do good and to bring glory to His name. Our lives are not accidents and the moments we live are not chance events. There is a purpose and plan to your life. The second great truth is that we can only accomplish that purpose through Christ Jesus. Yes, God has created us for a reason, there is a purpose behind our lives, but sin has wrecked that purpose for us. In other words we cannot accomplish God-given purpose by our own strength, we need the blood of Christ Jesus to free us from the bondage of sin, and we need the power of His resurrection to transform us into new creations. We will never be able to discover God’s purpose for our life apart from Jesus.

We were created to make a difference in this world. Too often we think we can only make a difference in some big or spectacular way, but that is simply not the case. The way we have influence in this world is through the small everyday opportunities we have to encourage, serve, love, and help those around us. Don’t miss the opportunities for you to leave your mark in this world because you are looking for the big opportunity that might never come along. Seize the divine opportunity that is just around the corner.

What Makes a Man a Man?

All of creation needs men to be men. If a male doesn’t accept his design to be a man, bad things happen. Essentially that is what Genesis 3 shows us, sin entered the world because Adam refused to be a man. If the world needs men we need to ask ourselves the question: What makes a man a man? I hope that you will share your thoughts as well, because what I am going share is in no way exhaustive. These are just a few thoughts I have had over the last few days.

I believe that the Church needs to do a better job at teaching our young people what it means to be created in God’s image and what it means to be a man or a woman. I know this becomes a touchy subject because sometimes it seems that in doing so women are reduced to second class citizens. Before I get started I want to remind us of two very important things. First, women are the crown of God’s creation. God started with plant life, then it was fish and birds, which then paved the way for the animals on the land, and finally it came to man. After a time when Adam realized he needed a helper God created Eve. The second idea is connected to the first idea: being a helper shouldn’t be considered inferior. This word is also used for God as He helps people, and God is not inferior to man. Eve was Adam’s helpmate, not because she was inferior to Adam, but because she was to join Adam in fulfilling God’s call to rule over creation.

With that being said I think there are three areas that we need emphasize if we are going to properly train boys to be men. These are areas which cannot developed simply by teaching a lesson, rather they have to be experienced. In other words if the Church is going to do this it will not be the result of Bible Study, but the result of discipleship.

The first area we must develop is courage. I believe this a basic difference between men and women. That is not to say that women cannot be courageous, because they can be, and are. It is to say that it is a man’s responsibility to be the first to take the stand. He has to be the one who takes the punishment so his family and friends don’t have to. If a man only stands up in support of the stand his wife took, allowing her to be the courageous one, then something is wrong. Men need the attitude that Jonathan displayed 1 Samuel 14:6 “Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” (NLT). Perhaps the Lord will help, Jonathan says. He had no guarantee of victory or life, but he did know what God desired, and so he stepped out in courage to do it.

The second area we must develop is leadership. The apostle Paul wrote; For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior (Ephesians 5:23; NLT). God has ordained men to be leaders. This does not mean men are to be dictators, getting their way, but it does mean that they are to seek to lead their family or church into God’s best. In this Jesus is to be our example. Jesus led by serving, He led by teaching, He led by praying, and He led by dying. Jesus led by doing those things that would bring God’s best into the lives of people. We need to train boys to be a leaders, which will require laying down their wants and desires to do what is best for others, just like Jesus. We need to show them how to listen to the concerns of others and how to make a decision. We need to help them hear God’s voice so they can lead from His guidance.

The third area is responsibility. I think this is the biggest weakness men in our culture have. We have misplaced priorities which leads to a lack of responsibility. Too many men neglect their responsibilities at home and instead focus on their responsibilities at work. This is actually the best case scenario. The worse case scenarios include men who neglect their responsibilities at home and hide away in the fantasy world of sports, pornography, and video games. We need to take a lesson from Boaz. Boaz was a wealthy land owner we read about in the book of Ruth. When Ruth and her mother-in-law return to Israel, it was to Boaz’s field Ruth went to in order to collect grain so the two women could have something to eat. While Boaz wanted to marry Ruth he couldn’t because there was another relative closer to Ruth’s family who had that right. Yet Boaz wasn’t going to leave it at that, so Naomi told Ruth; "Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man won’t rest until he has followed through on this. He will settle it today" (Ruth 3:19; NLT). Once Boaz decided to marry Ruth, he left his responsibility of the harvest in order to settle the matter. In Boaz’s mind his business could wait while he fixed the problem in his relationship. The responsibilities in our relationships are more important than our responsibilities at work. Men need to understand the difference and be willing to make the appropriate sacrifices for his family.

We need to remember that it is not enough just to educate our young people, but we also have to train them. Our society has dropped the ball in developing true men and women, and it is time the Church stepped into the gap and begin to do what we can to train men and women to be the people God created them to be.

Don't Give Him an Inch

{Ephesians 4:26, 27; ESV}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Work of Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overcome Sin With Good Works

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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