Lower Case g

     How do you see God? To put it another way: how do you perceive God, or what do you think about when you think of God? What would you say is the nature of your relationship with Him? Interesting questions wouldn't you say? The answers to these questions are important, as it is the perceived nature of our relationship with God and how we view Him that influences our behavior in regard to Him.

     To many, God is a mystery; an unknowable and unsearchable force or being that floats about the universe just out of reach. To these people, knowing God in any real way is an impossibility. God may have made the world but certainly doesn't interact with it much, or when he does it happens on some incomprehensible whim. This god is impersonal, indescribable, and pointless. Truthfully, a god who stays apart from reality in virtually every way may as well not exist. This, I think, is the point. Many of the people who hold to this belief would rather god not exist at all but they cannot deny that voice inside that tells them otherwise. Some others want a sense of something more than what we see but don't want the accountability of a knowable, relational god. Sadly something that is merely spiritual but not coherent doesn't do them any good, nothing more than a painkiller for a gaping wound.

     Others see god as a sort of cosmic Santa Claus, there to provide for their needs and desires while comforting their hearts in troubled times. To these, our relationship with god is based most commonly on rules and rituals; if I do this than god will or must do that. This is god chained and tamed, more our servant than the Lord of the universe. You see this idea in the “name it and claim it movement”, as well as in “christian science” and many of the charismatic groups today. If we only have enough faith, or pray the right prayer, or give enough money, then god will make us healthy, wealthy, and happy. Sadly all this belief does is to make its followers into a group of greedy, materialistic adolescents obsessed with the miraculous and the now; or even worse to disillusion them to the idea of a God who cares. One of God's great promises was to be with us in times of trial, not to keep us fat and comfortable all our life. When we make demands of god and insist he do what we say, then we are daring to take His place and put ourselves upon the throne.

     So how should we relate to God? Let's take a quick look at a few things we know about Him. He is the creator of all things (John 1:1-3), the rightful King (John 18:37, 1 Timothy 6:14-15, Revelation 17:14, etc.), the sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:24-26, John 1:29, etc.), and much much more! So how should we relate to one who is the creator of all things? We must recognize that He has right over us to do whatever He wishes. How do we relate to the rightful King? We are servants and subjects, those who must acknowledge His Lordship and obey. How do we relate to the one who bore our iniquity and died that we may live? How else but to throw ourselves down in gratitude for so great and undeserved a sacrifice? God is GOD! He is so big and so much 'more' than we are, how astonishing it is that we continue to forget that He is above and we are below? Join me in asking God to continually remind us of His glory and grace; that we would not forget our place in relation to Him. We are beggars at the door not the Lord on the throne.

     When we take God off His throne, when we forget who He is or who we are, we disgrace His name and deny Him the praise and glory that He is due. We cannot recognize our own sin or our need for a savior when we bring God down to our level. In the end everyone will acknowledge God for who He is. Wouldn't it be better to do so willingly and joyfully than by force, with the knowledge that its too late to change sides? Wouldn't you rather sing His praise as a joyful song in paradise, than mutter it bitterly while in torment?

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

(Philippians 2:9-11)

The Blessing of Guilt and Shame

     We have something built into the world to help discourage us from evil and encourage us to righteousness. It works both internally and externally, personally and socially. We feel it in our hearts when we take actions and we experience from others when those actions become known. We may try and minimize it or even vilify it but I see this system as a blessing not a curse. I'm talking about guilt, shame, and regret.

     These three “feelings”, for lack of a better word, go a long way in guiding our behavior. They are in essence, part of our conscience. When we do something wrong we grieve our conscience and feel guilt, when others hear of our wrong doing we feel ashamed and as we remember past mistakes we feel regret. Like our sense of taste which helps us to know which foods are good and which are bad by how pleasant or unpleasant they are to our tongue, guilt and shame serve as the negative responses to bad things that are unhealthy for us; regret in this analogy is the aftertaste, the bitter remnant that remind us of our mistakes.

     When properly understood and used these emotions, these reactions can serve to align us with proper living. What makes us guilty or ashamed is most likely something to be avoided, and thinking ahead can help us decide against things that we will regret doing. This is all paired, of course, with the positive responses: joy, pride (the healthy kind), and praise. Together they enforce the good and discourage the bad, so long as we use them properly.

     That being said, look at what the modern era thinks of guilt and shame. How often are we told that we needn't feel guilty about our choices? How rarely is anyone ashamed of their choices and how much time is really spent on regret? This culture views guilt and shame as societal programming left over from a more closed-minded time. What you're doing isn't wrong they say, it was just looked down up on in the dark ages of fifty years ago. Whatever you like and whatever you want to do, do proudly and openly! Feel no shame in what and who you are, throw all of who you are into the public square (personally and physically) and don't spare a second thought about what's “proper.” Isn't that what we hear?

     How can we expect to know what choices are wrong when we silence the voice that would warn us? How are we supposed to know to avoid the behaviors that damage us when everything is accepted and nothing is decried? Many of us have so ignore and seared our consciences that we don't even feel the twinge of guilt or hear the whisper of restraint. Mankind no longer feels the chains of sin because we've convinced ourselves that it was “righteousness” that held us prisoner.

     Listen to your guilt, listen to your shame, let yourself feel regret. Ask God to resuscitate your conscience and give it life anew. Your guilt will remind you of your sinful nature and keep pride from devouring you, shame will keep your public behavior proper and help you shape your private self, and regret will never let you forget that the God who saved you had every right to condemn you. These three are important, don't let them die in you.

'The' Original Sin

     Sin. The thing that separates us from God. We were created as perfect beings, way back when.  In the days of Adam and Eve they were without fault and in perfect communion with God and each other. They had no reason to be ashamed of who and what they were and all was right and at peace, until sin. Until the day that Eve was deceived by the serpent and Adam chose what he knew was wrong, all was as it should be. No longer. Now we live separated from God by sin, in this world tainted by sin, in bodies ravaged by sin, and doomed to death caused by sin. We cannot escape it.

     What would you say is the worst of sin? If asked by a stranger which of the many instances and examples of sin was the supreme example of its evil, what would you say? Perhaps murder, with so many lives having been ended by it; millions of people removed from this life and cut down far before their term in life 'should be' complete. How about theft? Every day and in a million different places people take what is not theirs and leave others without. In many instances this leaves the robbed desolate, as what was taken was precious and the one from whom it was taken had little to begin with. Maybe lying, since it's a destruction or a distortion of the truth? How many lives have been hurt or destroyed by a lie believed? You might even think blasphemy, after all what could be worse than spitting in the face of God?

     While all of these are good suggestions, and I am sure you could think of a hundred more, I would personally suggest pride as the true origin of sin. How is pride so awful? How often are we told in scripture to think of others and how often are the selfless held up as examples? How often are we commanded to show deference to God and be thankful for what we have? Pride is what tells us that others matter less than ourselves or that they don't even matter at all. Pride puts self first and others, a distant second. Pride screams ME, when God says others. Pride is the heart of every sin. The murderer puts his desire to kill over the the right of another to live, the thief puts her desire to have over the rightful ownership of another, and the blasphemer puts his own authority in place of God's.

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.”

(Isaiah 14:12-15)

     When we stop putting others first and especially when we push God out of His proper place, we open ourselves to a whole world of trouble. How difficult is it to love someone when they aren't fulfilling your conditions? How hard is it to forgive someone when all you care about is your own hurt? Pride is relentless. When you think you've beaten it, when you think you've really gotten it licked, that is the moment you'll find that it has appeared again. In my own life I find it so easy for pride to get a foothold. When you scoff at someone for not knowing something, when you're angry at someone for inconveniencing you, don't you see how that's all pride?

“Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.”

(Proverbs 3:34)

“When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”

(Proverbs 11:2)

     God wants us to love others, even our enemies, and to think of them first. Like the good Samaritan we are to seek the good of those around us even when no one else is willing to help. Let us all pray for a selfless spirit and a heart that fights against destructive pride. If you work on being happy with what you have and remembering that you are just another sinner saved by God's grace alone, you'll find that the faults in others don't bother you as they used to and that your time is worth less to you. Pride is the opposite of humility and the enemy of a righteous soul.

“A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.”

(Proverbs 29:23)

“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.'"

(James 4:6)

And Who Am I to Speak?

I am reminded of how little I am. What do I think I'm doing with all these words? Who am I to speak to others and to tell them what truth is? I am no prophet nor am I some great man of God. My imperfections glare at me from the mirror and I know that I am so very little worth. I am no great scholar, I am no enlightened thinker, but what I have is the Word. That is all I or anyone else has to say that has any meaning. 774,746 words that contain anything of any eternal bearing or meaning or purpose. In the end I'm just finding new combinations of words to express ideas that God has already given to us.

In a way I guess I am a prophet. The job of the prophet has always been to take the words of God to the people. In times past those words were new and directly given, now we have them already recorded. Still the job remains the same. In that way, everyone who teaches is a prophet, and like a prophet of old, we all must be very careful not to get in the way. His words truth must not be mixed with my opinion, my thoughts must be shaped by His commands. When I write, when I speak, when I try to explain this text, then I must stay within that text. If I stray into uncharted lands then I am lost and worse than that, I may drag others with me. Remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees?

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides...”

(Matthew 23:15-16)

Is that what we do as modern day teachers? Do we go about making disciples, teaching them what we believe, only to make them even more fit for a residence in eternal torment? How often do you examine yourself, how often do I, to make sure we are on the path? Can we check too often? Too much? Why do I never see the experts on TV or the Internet carrying Bibles? Why does the preacher always have one but the pundit does not? Do we really care if people see us as less of an authority because we have to read or look up a text? Wouldn't it be better to be accurate for sure then appear to have great knowledge?

I pray that I'm doing what I should be here. I pray that in taking up this mantle, for trying to teach the truth, that I am in fact doing just that. Dear God let my words reflect Your truth and may I not lead a single soul astray by my thoughts expressed. There is terror here if you understand what is at stake, but there is hope and comfort in Him. Like in all things our understanding of God helps us. I may hamper or hinder some poor soul by some errant teaching, but I will never be responsible for their salvation or damnation. No matter how well written the article I will never save anyone from hell and no matter how poorly I screw up a doctrine I can never damn anyone to it either. We are each of us responsible for our destiny and God will -will- save those who are His.

“And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.'"

(John 6:35-40)

Use my words oh God, if You will. Though I can offer only a pitiful sacrifice. Keep me on a short leash, let me only say your Truth and Your words. Let me never lose sight of how little I am and how big You are; the awesome God who created and keeps all things, who has laid out the plan of creation and carries it out, who has given us the words of life (John 6:67-68). It's not much but all I have is all I can give. Like the song “So Great a Salvation“ from the O.C. Supertones: “I could never thank you enough, but here's my life for whatever it's worth.”

Reflections On Waiting

     I have now been married for more than one year. It almost feels odd to say that, almost like it's not the reality I wake to. I've always wanted to get married, since my earliest memories. I remember feeling so depressed and lost as an even younger man because I saw no hope for this future. I would beg God to let me meet my one and only, to show me the way to the love I longed for. He always seemed so silent at those times. Looking back I see that God wasn't silent, He was quietly telling me “wait, wait, wait.” I can see now that it wasn't time yet, I wasn't ready and His plans hadn't come to fruition; but He did have a plan. I'm glad He made me wait. He had someone that He was preparing for me just as He was preparing me for her. Had my desire been answered I would have been with less than His best for me.

     I see this all the time in my life and in the lives of others. We want what we want and we want it now. It's not even just about greed or a lack of patience, I think we simply lack the ability to see or perhaps just ignore the possibility that getting something later can be better. We are convinced that we should have what we want or need at this moment and that any delay is damaging to us. Further, we tend to think of delays as punitive. I would have such and such thing or relationship if only I were a better Christian or read my Bible more or if I were more in line with His will for my life. So often we fail to see that maybe, just maybe, it is simply just not the time or the place for us to have something we desire.

     God often asks us to wait. In fact I think that through waiting we learn most of life's lessons. We learn patience and trust and contentedness and humility through waiting; and we often find other seemingly unrelated lessons being taught while we are waiting for something else to come about. Ultimately we all need to learn to just trust God. He will by no means turn us aside nor neglect our needs. God desires our ultimate good and He will achieve that by the best means and in the best time. Furthermore, as our heavenly Father He desires to give us good gifts. Just as our earthly fathers -if they are good- delight in giving things to their children so God has joy in bringing us joy in the things He gives.

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

(Luke 11:9-13)

     We need to get away from the now mentality. Everything will come in God's time and if in His wisdom it does not come to us then we need to trust His choice. That new job or that girl or that guy may be the worst thing for us or the worst thing for us now, though we may find joy in them. Trust and obey for theirs no other way to be happy in Jesus. His will will bring all good things in time.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

(Matthew 6:33)

To Whom Do We Compare?

     We are none of us perfect, and all a work in progress. It can be disheartening, falling down again. We push and we struggle and we try for every inch of holiness and still we have so far to go. Worse yet is the sight of those who are “further along” than we are. It would be easy to get lost in the comparison. It would be easy to see yourself as less, or wrong, or even to doubt your salvation because you're not moving as quickly or as far.

     Don't let that happen. We must remember that we all started at different places, at different times, and as different people. We all walk our own road to heaven so to speak and it would be folly to compare the paths. Don't confuse what I'm saying by the way, there is only one way to heaven and to God, namely through Jesus Christ, but what I'm saying is that no one walks the same steps on our journey. Some of us had the blessing of growing up in Christian homes with Christian parents or having a great biblical church to attend or having great teachers to learn from; others did not. Some people started in more shadowed worlds, or eventually found themselves there. Some of us have more dust to shake off than others.

     What is important is not your position on the journey but that you're making it all! Whether you're a baby Christian experiencing God for the first time or an elder nearing the end of a lifetime with Jesus, we're all going home. Don't worry so much about how much more work God has to do in you, the greatest saint is a horrid creature when compared to God.

     Ultimately God is the one to compare ourselves to, the one and only standard. We may be saddened when we compare our black soul to another's shining white but when laid before God we are all just shades of gray, only He is perfect! It should be a humbling and a hopeful thing to see ourselves compared to the Holy God. We appear so much worse and He appears so much better. Let that remind you that we are all just travelers on the journey, no one any better than another, and to all of us God has blessed us greatly with salvation undeserving.

     If we can keep a right perspective on ourselves and others we will be better prepared not only to continue our own journey but to help out others with theirs. That perfect saint you see may be battling demons inside that are tearing him apart or that struggling new Christian with the course mouth may be just bursting with the love of God! Remember that our only comparison should be vertical, Man to God. Forget how others may look to you or how you may look to others, ask God to help you see everyone -yourself included- as He see's them. That's how to move forward, onward and upward, to eternity.

Battling Decoys

     My word do we love a good cause to rally behind! Every day there's some new atrocity to stand against or some new social initiative to support or some unknown injustice to raise awareness of. Social media lights up like a Christmas tree every time one of these things starts making the rounds on the internet. Nearly everyone it seems, likes to jump on the bandwagon of the newest bit of internet activism and we're no different as Christians.

     Let's take homosexual marriage as an example. Many evangelicals today are caught up in the fight to 'preserve' traditional marriage. They rally in town squares, they post long speeches online, they wear cute t-shirts and buttons, and they talk. They talk a lot. Many people also take this issue and just go crazy! They start spewing out hateful language and setting up their opponents as evil tyrannical conspirators out to destroy everything we hold dear. Because that's probably what's happening...sure. (Please visualize a sarcastic, dead-pan face while reading that last sentence.) When did the Christian life become about blasting other people and setting ourselves up as some kind of perfect, holy beings?

     Lets just say this right off, homosexuality is just not Biblicaly supported. We have plenty of verses against it. That being said, we have plenty of verses telling us to love our enemies, to spread the gospel (which in case you missed it, is the GOOD news), and to be humble. We have a whole lot of instruction to go forth and tell people about God and we have pretty much none at all about decrying social evils. Why is that? Well because as a Christian we are supposed to understand that the world apart from God -is- evil. We can't expect evil people and evil institutions to understand and desire good things. What we end up doing is raising our weapons and spending our energy fighting decoys and battling dummies.

     Immorality isn't the issue, homosexuality isn't the issue, homosexual marriage isn't the issue, the breakdown of the family unit isn't the issue; SIN is the issue! We live in a fallen broken world and no matter how much we rattle and rail against these social and societal wrongs they will remain unchanged so long as the people remain unchanged! We don't need to see congress enact laws protecting 'traditional' marriage, we need to see human hearts and souls saved for Christ! And yes, we need to stand up for the Kingdom and defend life as God see's it, but our primary concern is the salvation of the lost. All these other issues will dissolve and fade away when people are brought to repentance. Christianity was never about forcing change on the world but about God changing the people -of- the world.

Just a Little Something

     I need to apologize, yesterday was kind of a down day.  I wasn't feeling very creative and I also felt just a touch under the weather so I made excuses till the day was gone and I hadn't really written anything.  I don't wan to leave a day blank though so I have an older poem of mine for you all.  Not sure If I've posted it here before, let me know if I did and I'll replace it!  Thanks for reading!

The Puzzle Complete

I think that I was missing something

Though I had much to say

I think I somehow missed the point

With so much in the way

With fear and doubt I closed my eyes

And sank into despair

I sat and cried

And didn't try

To see that you still cared

But now something has changed in me

The darkness starts to fade

The love of God has pulled me from

The hole that I had made

I've spent so long so focused on

The missing, broken parts

That I forgot that you fulfill

The longings of our hearts

So let me walk in daylight, Lord

Let my heart be freed

And let me not forget again,

That you are all I need.

by. Jonathan Schaefer

06/21/06

Don't Give Up

Dear Christian,

     I know where you are right now. Alone and angry and frustrated. You're sitting in the dark as you rail against yourself. “Again.” You ask yourself. “Why have I done this again?” For the hundredth time you find yourself in the aftermath of sin, of sin you chose to do for reasons that have now evaporated. I know this because I've been there, we all have. The life of a Christian is not one of perfection and sadly we often find ourselves repeating the same bad choices we swore never to make again.

     The first thing I'll say is this: Use it. Sin won't stop at merely getting you to choose the 'flesh'. It will use your grief to drive you further from God.  Grief and guilt are unusual. When used properly they can keep us humble, drive us to do better, and cause us to draw closer to God. Often though, our guilt makes us unwilling to approach the perfect God and can actually push us to further sin. It's important to remember that we are undeserving of His grace and deserving of His punishment, but we can't focus on that. We have to keep that fact in mind so that it informs the wonder and awe we experience from the knowledge of what He has done for us. That the Holy God of the universe would deign to save such as us shouldn't make us cower into the dirt, it should have us shouting for joy and praise! On the flip side, we must examine our sins and our behaviors and our history to be sure that the overall pattern is growth not simply a lack of freedom from sin. God has given us freedom, we don't -have- to sin, but we will. Not until glory will we be totally free. Use it, don't let your guilt simply sit there. Go to God and repent, ask for His help and He will be there with you.

     Furthermore, remember that you never deserved your salvation in the first place. I know that when I sin, when I have to repent of my actions, one of the first things that comes to my mind is the question “why on earth would God have saved me?” It's helpful to remember that God didn't save you because of anything within 'you'. To put it bluntly, He saved you because He chose to. That's it and we may never understand the reasons. We were utterly unworthy of salvation in the first place so we can't become less worthy than that. God saw all of your sin, all of it, from the time that He made time itself. He knew exactly what He was getting into when He saved you. There are no surprises, there are no regrets, and there is nothing that will cause Him to revoke that which He has given. If you're saved, if you really are, then know that you will never fall fully away. You will always return, God will always be calling you back or even dragging you back.

     So don't give up. Use your guilt and your mistakes. Take what the enemy want's to use to destroy you and give it to God so that He can build you up instead. Repent and move on from that dark room you find yourself in. Keep your eyes on the bright horizon and keep walking, keep fighting for every step and when you fall, get back up. 

 I'll be praying for you.

Thankful

Have I thanked You for the sunset?

Have I thanked You for the stars?

Have I expressed my gratitude

for all we count as ours?

Do I show how much emotion

I feel or sense in me?

Do I truly understand how much

Your Grace has affected me?

God I thank you for this world I see

I thank you for the land

I thank for the beauty

For the artwork of Your hand.

I thank You for my journey

For the life I lead each day

I thank You that You're always there

Even when I've lost my way.

How can I fully say,

How can I justly show?

How much You are appreciated?

Do I even know?

Can I comprehend Your riches?

Can I understand Your Grace?

Will I realize it someday?

Or will it be a constant chase?

I know that I can't fully grasp

The wonders You bestow.

I know I'll never say enough.

My gratitude to show.

I have so little I can give

So few words I can say.

What I have is nearly worthless

In this world of pain and strife

But it's all I have to give you

So to my Father,

Here's my life.

The Madness of Methods

     We love a process don't we? Everyone has a twelve step program or three simple rules or five things you should know or whatever. People everywhere are constantly on the look out for the rules to follow to make their lives better. There is a problem with that though, namely that the Christian life isn't usually about following a process or sticking to a strict set of guidelines. There are rules of course and there are guidelines but the Bible actually gives us a tremendous amount of freedom in our daily lives.

     I've seen a few blog posts and articles both from Christians and non-Christians that lay the blame for bad things at the feet of some statue or ideology. One writer blames their youth for their failed marriage another blames the path they took to get there and others simply give up and say that the divorce rate is just the modern way. Well to be honest everybody is wrong. Not literally everybody of course but the point I want to make is that we love the process and the system because not only does it give us something to follow (we are sheep as you know - Isaiah 53:6) but it gives us something to blame when we screw things up. 

     For example, I read an article (http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2014/08/courtship-fundamentally-flawed/) where the author makes the case that the somewhat recent “courtship” movement is, as they put it, 'fundamentally flawed.' Now the author makes some good point and some not so good points but the thing I disagree with the most is that 'courtship' is blamed for the failed marriages that resulted in the lives of the people they knew and in the lives of others. I'm certain it contributed since what the author describes has some serious flaws but the reason those marriages fail -why any marriage fails- is because people allow it to. There are, of course, contributing factors but eventually the choice is made to end it. If we then narrow the field to marriages comprised only of two faithful Christians...what are you doing? Who told you to give up? Who told you that you could walk away? Does not the Bible tell us to make your yes 'yes' and your no 'no'? You vowed before God and man, you made a covenant, once you're in -you're in- and it doesn't matter what path you took to get to that vow or what your family was like before then or what baggage you bring to the party! The process isn't to blame, the steps aren't to blame, the rules aren't to blame, you are.

     We bring this desire for steps and rules into our general Christian walk as well. How many times have you lamented your lack of growth because you 'didn't know what to do?' What do you need to know? The process of sanctification is basically God changing you and you working with Him. It's somewhat straight forward, you pray and ask God to point out the things you should work on and then you read what His Word says you should work on and how you should be according to God and then you work on those issues! Excuse the wonky sentence but God has said that the Scriptures contain what is necessary for life and doctrine, why do we keep looking elsewhere for instruction? We aren't expected to perfectly understand everything, that's why we look for good teachers, but we needn't spend our lives trying to find the secret to growing in grace; read the Bible! It doesn't matter what devotional book you follow or whose teaching you study or what treatise you read if you're not reading God's Word and spending time in prayer.

"And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn”

(1 Kings 2:3)

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”

(Psalms 19:7-14)

     Remember that we are not ruled by procedures, we are not enslaved to steps, we are not chained by guidelines, and when you mess things up it's because of the choices you made not necessarily because you didn't have the right instructions. We lose a great deal of understanding when we try and pass the buck or lay the blame outside ourselves and our sin, and that can actually lead us farther from the truth than we were to start. Read God's Word, seek wisdom and understanding and discernment and you'll be equipped to make the right decisions apart from any program.

Neither Slave Nor Free

     Christianity gets blamed for a lot of things in society. I think more than nearly anything else though, we get called out for being racist and homophobic and sexist and a whole variety of generally unkind things. Unfortunately there is some basis to these claims as many people over the years have sought to use the Bible as a club to beat down those they didn't like or to control the people around them. In other instances, such as with homosexuality, we have people reacting to a societal problem in an un-biblical way, thus distorting the public’s view of God's Word.

     The main problem we have is actually two-fold: people judging Christianity based on the actions of people not acting like a Christian should, and the public at large having a very poor understanding of what the Bible actually says. It's a standard rule that no one talks about, you cannot judge a belief based on what people do in it's name. You have to judge it based on what it says, what it teaches. For example, the Bible says “though shalt not kill”; specifically translated that means “though shall not murder.” Basically we as normal humans do not have the authority to decide when someone else dies. Knowing that, we can know that any person or government going around killing people in the name of God is -not- following His Word! (And for those of you who might want to bring up ancient Israel and the killing of the Canaanites etc., remember that they were directed by God and that His message to them was verified by numerous unmistakable signs and miracles.) It doesn't matter how many people run around acting like fools with Jesus' name on their lips, the only thing that matters is what the Bible actually teaches. This leads to the next problem, a profound lack of Biblical knowledge amongst the general populace. People think they know a lot about the Bible but all they really know is hearsay or rumor at best. People in general don't know or understand what the Bible teaches so that void is filled up by what they hear, and the world says quite a bit against God and His Word. It is our responsibility as Christians to make known the truth of Word of God to those around us and around the world; sadly many Christians lack a decent understanding of Scripture as well.

“For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

(Romans 10:13-14)

     The truth of the matter is that without these two problems, all the specifics I mentioned earlier clear up. We can't have misogyny and the rumor of it if Christians and Non-Christians understand that the Bible teaches men to love their wives as Christ loves the church and to care for their children. We can't have sexism or racism or any other 'ism' when we understand that God see's our souls and does not care about who or what we are externally!

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

(Romans 10:12)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

(Galatians 3:28)

     Let's talk for a moment now about homosexuality. We get hit by this a lot these days, and in a certain sense we deserve it. The Bible is quite clear that practicing homosexuality is a sin, (Jude 1:7, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, just to name a few verses.) But we are told as Christians to love our enemies and to love our neighbors (ie. everyone around us). To the world at large: I have to tell you that we cannot back away from the clear Word of God, we cannot except this “lifestyle”; and to the Christians living in this world: I say we have to remember to love these people like we should love everyone. One sin isn't any worse than another in God's eyes, all are equally damning. Let's do our best to work for the Kingdom and spread the truth -the real truth- of God's Word to the people around us and to do it in love and with a desire to save not to condemn.

“But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.”

(1 Peter 3:14-16)

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

(Matthew 10:16)

Poem: Sometimes, Often, Always

Sometimes

I can feel that infinite void

That separates God from man.

Sometimes

I find it hard

To understand His plan.

Often

I feel so lost

And confused by what I see.

Always

I can feel His hand

Guiding and comforting me.

Faithless

And fallen

And useless I am at heart.

But Perfect

Is the love of God

Who chose me from the start.

Never

Will I fully understand

The scope of His Grace

But someday

I'll worship in truth

And see Him face to face.

This world

Is harsh

It's breaking, broken,

Full of suffering and strife

There is every reason

To just give up

But more to search for Life

This God

I serve imperfectly

Is all I will ever need.

This world

Will fade eventually

With all it's lusts and greed.

I

Will hold to that which lasts

And kneel before the throne.

He

Will keep His every Word

And prove He is God alone.

by. me

A Plea

     Father, may You hear this prayer. I'm sorry. Sorry. How hollow is that word and so small. When weighed against my sin how little that one word means. How can I be sorry, how can my regret mean anything at all when I understand so little of what I do; when the enormity of my sin I cannot even start to comprehend? I need you oh God! These hands are filthy and I cannot scrub them clean, neither palms, nor wrists, nor even one single finger. All around me are smiles and welcome and much esteem. Would they love me if they knew me? Knew me as You do? As the man who chooses the wrong again and again and AGAIN, who fights a battle against himself and seems to so often lay his sword aside and present his neck to the blade. If on some lonely night a screen were erected on which to project my life and thoughts and deeds done in solitude how many would speak to me again? How many would break off all ties? How many would forgive? How many would take pity? How many would help? Anyone? Anyone at all? Would anyone at all look on me with pity or with love? Would I find one sympathetic soul to take my hand? Would you? Would anyone?

     Father, may You hear this prayer. To You alone can I turn to in the night that is myself. From You alone can I seek forgiveness and grace. For You alone have provided a way for salvation. I am weighed down with guilt. Every lie, every half-truth, every wayward thought, every flash of lust, every selfish action, every MOMENT that I have spent on the flesh and it's fallen desire pulls me to the floor and I CAN'T BREATHE from the weight of it all! Yet you are there with me. Lord Jesus you are there with me, under the mountain of crushing evidence and crime. It is Your back that bears the burden now, YES, I can feel the burden lifting! In Your blood stained hands my sin lies crucified forever on the cross of Calvary! The weight, that crushing force that held me down is rising now and I can stand and breathe and see another day!

Thank you.

.

.

thank you.

Two words. They too sound hollow. How can two words, and two syllables, and eight letters, and one language, and one mind, and one soul, and one lifetime be enough to convey my gratitude? How can I show my joy? I have not the words to say, nor the songs to sing, nor the tears to shed to express it! How can I thank You? How can I say I'm sorry? How can I convey such meaning that even my heart cannot contain? How can I?

     Father, may You hear this prayer. This life is Yours now, as it was before but now by more than right of Lordship. Now You have paid for it with the blood of Your Son. This life that was meaningless and stained and broken, this life that had no worth and no point is suddenly more valuable than all the jewels, and all the gold, and all the precious things of all the worlds combined because You have set the price. You have shown what You would pay...for me. I cannot understand why You would do such a thing. Why You would pay so great a price, for me. For us. For anyone.

     So many words. So many songs. So many lives and so many souls given to the worship and praise of Your name, and it's not enough. There will never be enough singing, never be enough dancing, never be enough stories told, or poems written, or dramas played out across the stage to encompass what should be said. I cannot say enough, I cannot even begin. So I will say what I can.

I'm sorry

I love You

.

.

.

Thank You.

Saved to What?

     The Gospel is good news, and not just good news but THE good news! That God himself has come to earth to save us from our sin and rightly deserved punishment is mind-blowing! Ask just about any random person and they can tell you what God saves us 'from', namely our sin. The Bible teaches that every man, woman, and child is born inherently sinful and in desperate need of forgiveness. We are natural enemies of God from our birth!

"All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one,

to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

(Isaiah 53:6)

     I feel we should ask then, knowing what we've been saved 'from', what have we been saved 'to'? This might seem like an odd question, and it kind of is, but it is still something we need to answer. You see, God did not free us from sin that we might be a law unto ourselves. He did not wipe out the stain of our pasts that we might write a new story of sin done in freedom. The truth that few people want to talk about is that humans were designed to be servants. That fact is in our very core and we will be slaves to something, either to sin or to God.

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

(Romans 6:16-18)

     Ultimately the question for today is this: are you willing to accept Jesus Christ as your 'Lord' and Savior? The two are inexorably linked. His ability to save is a part of His right as our King. Only when He is our Sovereign does he have the authority to be our Savior. God is the uncontested ruler of all that is, was, and will be. When Jesus came to earth and died He was paying -literally paying the price- for our salvation. It's not that God simply wipes the slate clean or sweeps our sin under the rug, that would make Him unjust. When Jesus died on the cross He bore the price of our sin, all of our sins, from the beginning of time till the end of days. He is both the only one who could pay our price and the only one with the authority to accept the payment.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

(John 3:16-18)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

(1 Peter 1:3-5)

     The phrase “Lord Jesus Christ” is used over eighty times in the new testament! The apostles were quite clear in their understanding of Christ's authority. As Christians we're not meant to simply “get saved”; as others have said, salvation is not merely “fire insurance”. Our salvation is the beginning, after which comes our sanctification. God begins the process of transforming us into the image of His son. We will only hinder that process if we refuse to acknowledge the fact the Jesus has rightful rule over our lives. After all, why should I follow Him if He is not my leader? Why should I model myself on Him if He is not my example? Why should I obey if He is not King? Acknowledging your sin and your need for a savior is an important step, but it cannot stand alone.

     I do think that this situation, of knowing Christ as savior but not as Lord, is not the exclusive territory of the unsaved. I'm sure there are many young Christians who are the victims of incomplete or inaccurate teaching. Men and women who have been brought to the place of repentance but not discipled, not taught what the Lord expects of them. Others still may be resisting, still working through their naturally proud hearts and not at that point of total submission. That being said the most common place to find this belief is the more modern “easy believe-ism” groups that speak much of the love of God but little of His judgment. The same people who invite you to simply pray a prayer and then pronounce you saved will often fail to lead you to a place of deep understanding. Salvation is more than merely agreeing with God, though that is part of it. It is more than simply admitting you are bad person in need of Grace, though that's important as well. We need to fall to our knees and admit that we simply cannot do this alone, we are incapable of getting through this life alone and we desperately need God to save us. We cannot breath or take a step without Him, we know we cannot save ourselves, why would we then think we can get along without Him every day?

"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, "so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; "for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.”

(Act 17:26-28)

A Simple Life

“And, yes, no doubt to others, our ways seem quaint. But today of all days, it is brought home to me: It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.”

(Bilbo Baggins, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Directed by Peter Jackson.

Based on “The Fellowship of the Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien)

     On Saturday we celebrated my second youngest sister's birthday. It was a good evening with family and friends playing badminton and Rock Band and just generally enjoying each others company. It got me to thinking about how much we appreciate our lives. I could have been born anywhere else in this world, some perhaps nicer and others not so much. God chose however, to place me here with these people and at this time. I think we spend a good deal of time making sure we know that our faith is not bound up in our culture and reminding ourselves that we are not owed the prosperity we have, but sometimes I think we forget to take the time to thank Him for where we are.

     I wonder if we are neglecting the real goodness of a simple life. Just think about how much we love our rock stars and movie stars and success stories! We love to hear about the glory or the fame, about the self-made man or the under-dog champion, the 'come from behind' victor or the last-second victory; but how often do we celebrate the simple husband and father, the humble wife and mother, the close family or the strong bond found there? These things are gifts to us, great blessings that far surpass the fleeting glory of victory or stardom. It is in this simple humble life that true joy is found and real life happens.

     It feels like there is no honor left for the man who provides. How many men are looked down on for just going to work and making their wage and providing a home? How many of us would look at the man who may work long hours, or spend his life in hard labor to give his family what they require and think “If only he'd applied himself more.” Are we wasting our time if we don't pursue 'success?' Do we ask if that man is happy? Do we ask if he's living as God would have him? Do we care?

“For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit:

And let him be turned from evil and do good; searching for peace and going after it with all his heart.”

(1 Peter 3:10-11)

     Even in our church culture we seem obsessed with superstars. Big name preachers and mega-churches fill the headlines and line bookshelves, but why? We hear so much of the “great men of faith” that we forget a very simple fact. There are NO great men! There was only one great man, and that man was also God. Men are small and fallen and weak, only God is great. What matters is not how successful you are or how well known you are or how much you know, it is not about how “great” you are, it's about how Godly you are! I will take a handful of faithful local church elders over a hundred 'great' preachers for there is much to learn from a life lived in faith.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,”

(Titus 2:11-12)

     Take some time today to thank God for His blessings. Thank Him for the men and women in your life who don't have their name up in lights or their ministry talked about on the news, but who wake up every day and get about the work of the kingdom never looking to be known by anyone but God. Thank God for your life, your simple beautiful life.

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

(2 Corinthians 13:11)