"Increase Our Faith" - India Sermon

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking my 4th and final sermon for this 4.5 month stint in India. The Lord has been teaching me a lot about faith and some new things as I prepped for this sermon. When my preparation began, the sermon was about Gideon...then Gideon became one of the illustrations but no longer the central focus...then he was removed altogether as the focus went elsewhere! Thus encapsulates my typical preparation process for any sermon in which I must choose the topic.

Below is the sermon draft, from which I deviated slightly as I spoke. I hope that in reading it the Lord may enrich and bless you:

Have you ever desired greater faith? Have you ever come to a point where you realized just how small your faith was? And you yearned for greater faith? I think that is a healthy realization, and the desire for greater faith is good...but a desire that can still be refined.

I just finished reading the biography of Oswald Chambers, author of “My Utmost for His Highest” and one of the great Christian leaders and writers of the past century. In reading his biography, my admiration for him grew even further. As I read through his biography over the past month or two, I thought to myself, “I wish I could have faith like that!” I see in Oswald Chambers, as well as many Christian leaders of yesterday and today, a faith that is so inviting and desirable. I see it in Abraham in the book of Genesis. Moses, David, and every person listed in Hebrews chapter 11. And as I study the lives of these men and women of great faith, there is something inside of me that cries, “Lord, increase my faith!”

I think that some of that desire for greater faith is good, but some of it may be falling short of what God would prefer for me to desire. The 12 disciples themselves asked this of Jesus, to increase their faith. So let’s turn to Luke 17 and examine closely Jesus' response to the request of His disciples to increase their faith.

Scripture: Luke 17:5-6

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

 

The disciples and Jesus are having a conversation. In verses 1-4 that precede this request for more faith, Jesus has just commanded the disciples to do something truly hard: forgive. And not just once. But to forgive someone even if they continue to sin against you and ask for forgiveness. The disciples response is very interesting and probably similar to ours today: in order to obey such a difficult command the disciples ask for more faith. But Jesus gives an interesting reply to the disciples in this passage.

 

We might have expected him to show them how to increase their faith, or perhaps breathe greater faith into them. But instead of showing them how or miraculously granting greater faith, Jesus instead says “if you had faith as a mustard seed,” you could do mighty works. It was probably not the answer the disciples were hoping for, but it was exactly the answer that they, and we, need. In fact, Jesus’ answer was the perfect response, because it leads us as His disciples to understand the nature of faith, the nature of our God, and the nature of our relationship with Him.

1.       Power in Small Faith – v. 6

Jesus often referred to our faith as being like a mustard seed, and it was always an encouragement, for at least a couple reasons. The mustard seed was an example of one of the smallest of all seeds. Yet, when planted in fertile soil, it could grow into a large bush with mighty branches that even birds could nest in. What an encouragement that when we are convicted of being “ye of little faith,” that it is not a pronouncement of final condition. Instead, it is a declaration of our current status—having little faith—but like the mustard seed, a faith with great potential. We are meant to be growing toward our Lord Jesus, and He makes our tiniest faith into something great.

Though this is an encouragement to me, I do not believe that growing faith is what Jesus is referring to in verse 6 when he says, “if you had faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” I don’t believe that Jesus is saying that once your faith has grown into the mighty mustard branches, THEN your faith can produce great works. I believe He is saying that even now, when your faith is still as small as they eye can see, even NOW your faith has that power. This is a critically important answer from our Lord to His disciples asking for greater faith. It gets at the heart of who we are in relation to God and the proper perspective of our faith in Christ.

John Piper has these comments on this passage:

“God moves mulberry trees. And it does not depend decisively on the quantity of our faith, but on his power and wisdom and love. In knowing this we are helped not to worry about our faith and are inspired to trust God's free initiative and power.”

You see, the disciples were viewing great faith as being the gateway to great things. But Jesus was saying that we don’t need increased faith...we need to understand that our tiny faith is enough because of Him.

To illustrate the roles of our faith and God’s faithfulness, and the importance of each, let us examine the mathematical concept of infinity. The concept of infinity refers to something without limit, a number so large that it is beyond counting. It is endless. In mathematics any positive number multiplied by infinity equals infinity. Infinity times 1 equals infinity. Infinity times 100 equals infinity. Soon we discover that the number being multiplied by infinity matters much less than infinity itself. This is what Jesus is getting at when He says that “if you had the faith of a mustard seed” you could do amazing and miraculous things! He is saying that whether your faith is 1 or 100, it is the power of God that makes it miraculous.

Do you ever catch yourself having these thoughts?: "If only I had greater faith, I could do this, or God would do that." But our focus has become our own personal faith. If our focus is on the size of our faith, our focus is off Christ. We are to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

We must realize that our faith by itself causes nothing to happen. We cannot say to God in our faith, “Look, I have the faith of a mustard seed,” or “Look, I have greater faith than even that, and because of my faith you MUST do this.” No, no, no. Instead, God chooses to allow us to take part in His purposes. God CHOOSES to work through our faith. Our faith without God choosing to use it, would be powerless. But instead, God—the one who is faithful—has promised to honor our faith and work through it to glorify Himself and accomplish His purposes.

I would like to share with you a story from my childhood. When I was a boy, about 5 years old, I would go with my father and grandfather into the forest to make a load of firewood. In the northern U.S. many homes are heated by burning firewood in a furnace. I would go with them because I liked to be outdoors, because it was an adventure to go into the forest with them and see new birds, deer, and other animals. I would go because I actually enjoyed the work of my hands and arms and legs in laboring to produce a truckload of firewood. But these were all secondary. I went mostly just to be with my father and grandfather. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from these times. My father and grandfather were skilled and hardworking. They would cut and split every piece of wood into small enough pieces to handle, then they would load them into the truck, and finally after transporting the load, they would unload it at our destination. I helped them with each of these...but how much help can a 5 year old boy be? The truth is that they did 99% of the work, but I was quite happy to do my 1%, and so were they. My father would tell me at the end of the day how much he appreciated my work and that he couldn’t have done it without me. It was always “WE” split a load of firewood. My father and grandfather did not NEED me to help. But they WANTED me to help. It have them joy and it gave me joy, too.

I believe our faith journeys with the Lord and in doing His works on this earth are very similar to my childhood experience of helping my father and grandfather cut firewood. God does not NEED us to help Him do anything. Our faith is not the source of His miraculous works. But we are blessed to be called God’s children! And because of that He absolutely desires for us to join Him. Yes, to do the work…but as with me and my father and grandfather, the work was quite secondary. Just being in each other’s presence was the main purpose. And so, how gracious is our Lord, and loving! That He allows us and our faith to take part in His mighty works. God does the 99% and is capable of doing all 100%, but He allows us to come beside Him like His 5-year old child and contribute our 1% with our mustard seed-sized faith.

Do your mustard-seed’s worth. Do it to your uttermost! But never forget that the power is of God and not of us. Not the size of our faith, but the size of our God is what creates mighty works.

2.       Seeking Christ Above All

I mentioned earlier that if our focus is on our faith, it is off Christ. It is simple to say, but just like the disciples in Luke 17, we ourselves will be tempted to have our focus migrate toward ourselves and the size of our faith. As we have just studied, Jesus corrects the disciples understanding of faith and how God chooses to work though it. But Jesus also addresses the root desire at the heart of our request for more faith, revealing the vanity of seeking our own greater faith and instead the supremacy of seeking Christ. And although asking for faith, or love, or peace, or joy, or successful ministry, or any number of things may be good things to ask of God, there is one greater thing to desire: simply Christ Himself. The disciples’ response to having to do a hard thing to obey God was “we need more faith.” If I had more faith, I could obey...if I had more faith I could do this or that...If I had more faith I could walk more closely to the Lord. But they had it backwards. What produces faith in a child of God is nearness and knowing Christ. To know the Lord more intimately—that is the only legitimate pursuit that leads to greater faith!

Let me be clear: Hebrews 11:6 reveals that "without faith it is impossible to please God." But that faith was never meant to be pursued as a means to our own ends, but instead as the fruit of pursuing and knowing Christ. The disciples had let the pursuit of faith replace Jesus as the central object of their desire. In this moment, they were seeing greater faith as the gateway to obedience to God and doing great things. And although they desired a good thing, the insatiable desire for more, more, more of anything except Christ alone had revealed a spiritual lust within them.

Oswald Chambers: “Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer.”

I will admit that when I’m reading about Oswald Chambers, or Abraham, or many great examples of faith, I want to have that kind of faith right now! And the desire to have a closer walk with the Lord that produces such faith is pure, but the part that “must have it at once,” is rooted in lust. Spiritual lust. We must guard against such spiritual lust, or spiritual discontent. And the greatest guard is turning our focus of off good things like faith, and onto the greater thing, which is Christ Himself. This is a subtle difference, but central to pursuing Christ.  I am NOT saying that we must make a choice: either faith or Christ. That is nonsense. What I am saying is that if we pursue faith or any other thing, however good, as our chief desire, we will miss Christ. But if we pursue Christ as our chief desire, we will be given faith that moves mountains.

There is a story of a king with three sons, triplets. Under the law of the land, each had equal right to the throne. When the three sons had grown, the king gave each of them three options to prove himself worthy of the throne. To each he said: “Choose one of the following: Spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal process from our chief law makers, or spend a month at my side.” The first son answered, “I shall spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to defend and conquer.” The second son answered, “I shall spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal system from our chief law makers, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to govern and rule the people according to law.” But the third son answered, “I shall spend a month at your side every moment, for surely of utmost importance to understanding a kingdom is knowing its king.” The third son had chosen wisely and was selected as the next rightful king. In knowing the king, he came to know the art of war. In knowing the king, he came to know the law and how to govern the people. In knowing the king, he came to know much deeper and greater things than even these.

I believe that we are in similar positions. (Not as successors to a king, for our King rules and reigns forever. Yet, the Bible does call us heirs of the Kingdom. Co-heirs with Christ.) When our chief desire is to have greater faith, we aim for a good thing, but not the best. Just like the first and second sons who aimed at a specific portion of kingship, but missed the greater thing of knowing and understanding their king. Let us be like the third son, who chose simply to pursue and know his king. Jesus instructed, “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these will be added to you as well” (Matt 6:33). As we seek Christ first and above all, we will find that great faith will be added to us as well.

It is not as though we should not pursue faith, or hope, or love, or any number of great Christ-filled attributes. It is simply to beware that the flesh wars against the Spirit, and because of this, we are tempted to pursue what is good, such as faith, in place of what is best, which is Christ.  We are tempted to replace the central thing—Christ—with the things that exist only because of Him.

By responding to the disciples’ desire for greater faith in this manner, Jesus is leading them in the only path of righteous faith: Pursing and knowing Christ ever more intimately.

Conclusion

Let us as Jesus’ disciples today hear Him. Let us read Luke 17:5-6 and the accounts of so many faith filled Christ followers, and remember Jesus response to the desire for greater faith:

- Remove our focus from the size of our faith and onto Jesus Christ, our infinite God.

- And never let what is good and exists because of Christ replace the only Way, Truth, and Life. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Each of us will likely soon feel that desire for greater faith, or greater joy, or greater love, or greater ministry. But the next time we feel the desire for any fruit of the Holy Spirit, let us resolve to pursue one thing alone: let us choose to get to know our King. He is a good King. And He has invited you to be at his side today and forever. I pray that you accept His invitation. Amen.

Do You Want to Be a Better Christian?

John 15:4-5 (Jesus speaking) – “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

“Better Christian.” Likely, you have either said this phrase yourself or heard it many times from others. Today I was half listening to the radio when I heard the phrase, and it sent me into introspective thought.

There are many good follow-up questions, such as how do you become a better Christian? Or what does a better Christian life look like? But for now, I will focus more on the motivation and mindset of the desire to be a better Christian and suggest that when we consider relationships of any kind, with man or with God, we might start replacing the word “better” with “closer.” What if instead of becoming a better husband or wife, a better friend, a better mother or father, we pursued being closer to our spouse, a closer friend, or closer to our children or other family members? What if instead of becoming a better Christian, we pursued simply being closer to our Lord and knowing His character? What if instead of seeking to love better, we sought to love closer, more intimately? I believe this reset in perspective and pursuit will make all the difference in the world.

When we resolve ourselves to be better at something, the truth is that the focus lies squarely on ourselves. We may want to be better for someone else’s benefit, but at the core of our action is a focus on ourselves. Furthermore, in order to feel progress or success, we will have to be analytical and judge whether or not we are better. This leads to a lot of self-focus. However, if instead we refine that desire and replace it with the desire to be closer in any relationship, we will find our focus squarely on the other person. To be closer to someone is to know them better, to perceive their heart, to share what matters to them. As we do this, our eyes, desires, and actions will turn outward. This is true of human relationships, just as it is true of our relationship with our Father, Creator, and Savior God.

The root of the desire “to be a better Christian” can actually be very good. To desire to be a better Christian is often derived from a conviction of incompletion or separation from God. It is a recognition and admission that we need to be changed. It is a desire to live out our lives as Christ, yet a realization that we currently are not doing that well. These are sound convictions that the Holy Spirit works in and through. The twist comes when we begin to focus on ourselves and our shortcomings, desiring to be better, when in reality our truest and deepest desire is simply to be closer. Closer to our holy God, loving Savior, and trustworthy Counselor.

After all, what is the outcome of a life lived in the pursuit of being a better Christian? Or a better anything? I will affirm that learning discipline, especially in spiritual things, is quite good and right; but it is the underlying mindset and approach that I am seeking to divide joints and marrow, truth and error, with the scalpel of the Word (Heb 4:12). Take for instance the desire to be a better husband. This may be lived out in any of a number of tangible ways. Perhaps a man desires to be a better husband and begins to buy his wife flowers on a regular basis. Perhaps he gives other gifts, acts of service, gives his time, offers words of love, or seeks to embrace more often. Whatever he does, as he sets out to be a better husband, he will likely succeed…at least for a little while. But if the desire to be a “better husband” does not meet up with a desire to be a closer husband, closer to his wife, then these languages of love will soon grow dull and meaningless. Months later, dozens of bouquets given without thoughtfulness, acts of service done begrudgingly, time spent with other things preoccupying the mind, repetitive words spoken, embraces given as the new “more” routine…if none of these things are of the heart, they are meaningless. What good are any of these actions that represent our perception of a “better husband” without growing nearer in relationship with your spouse? The true reality is that if we start with the desire to grow closer, we will find ourselves being better. If we grow closer with loved ones, spouses, friends, family, even co-workers, bosses and subordinates, or the man on the street…if we seek to grow closer to the individual, as we do grow closer, we begin to care for them better. And just as this is true in human relationships, it is true in our relationship with God.

Have you ever tried to please someone without knowing them well? It can be very difficult. Have you ever tried to please God (be a better Christian) without knowing Him well? It can be very difficult. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). I will submit that without knowing God, it is impossible to have faith. For who has faith in something of which they know nothing about? Can I have faith that the sun will rise if I have no knowledge that it exists and no one has ever told me? Can I have faith that a light bulb will turn on if I’ve never known that it exists? Can I have faith that a seed will grow into a plant if I’ve never seen a plant or a seed, nor have I ever heard of such a thing? Ah, but upon hearing, I can begin to wonder. The power of revealing the truth of Christ to someone who does not know anything about Him! But to truly know our God, is to have faith. And to have faith, is to please our God. To please our God is, so to speak, to be a better Christian. Therefore, if our aim is to be better, our means is to know Him, to be closer to Him. And as we make that our aim and desire, our pursuit is no longer to be better afterall; yet, that is exactly what we become. When we grow closer to God, being “better” simply flows from the relationship. We must let go in order to apprehend. We must step back, to be brought forward. We must surrender in order to be set free. This is the way of our Lord, and how gracious is He to grant us the abundant blessing of knowing Him more closely.

If we set out to be better Christians, there exists a danger of our lives soon becoming all about works and less about faith. If our focus in on ourselves, we begin to strive to earn sanctification and even salvation through works. We did not start there…we were saved by grace and fully aware of it. We then desired to be changed and in our fleshly foolishness, sought to be better in order to get closer. But we have it backwards when we approach the Lord that way, for we can only be “better” by being closer, and being closer to our Lord is a far richer experience than any self-realization of being a “better Christian.”

Zech 13:9 - This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

Job 23:10 - But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Oh to be refined in the refiner’s fire! For the dross to be burned away! To come forth as pure gold! Let us willingly come before our Refiner, and let our desires to be better Christians melt away, "setting our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2). May we discard our pursuits of being better, and embrace the pursuit of being closer. May we do this in our marriages, our friendships, our families, our work environments, in everywhere we go. And may we do it unswervingly in an abiding relationship with our Father, Creator, Savior, Defender, Counselor God. Amen.

Pray It Through: A Loving God’s Response to Our Requests

What are you asking of God today? What is He giving you? Do your requests match His responses? If so, have you noticed that He gives beyond what you asked for? And if they don’t match, have you noticed that He gives you even better things than you asked?

We live in a world of want. Whether it is the homeless man starving on the street or the CEO desiring a larger yacht, we all feel a desire for more than we have. I find this to be true of all humans at all times, independent of social status or upbringing, independent of life experience or education, independent even of character. Though some display and may even feel more want than others, I find this base desire to be present in even the holiest of mortal men. They may conquer it through the Holy Spirit, but it is still an intrinsic part of our flesh.

The root of this want is likely our separation from our holy Creator God. The homeless, starving man does not know he is starving in the pure presence of God (which will only be experienced by men in Heaven), and furthermore, he no longer is homeless or starving in the pure presence of God. Regardless of your perspective, the want is gone. The same is true for the CEO who wants even more, if he is so blessed to be brought to a place in which he turns to Jesus as his Savior. “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven…” (Matt 19:23). There is much to this truth that I will not indulge in tonight, but one aspect of the rich man’s difficulty is that he has distanced himself from his most basic neediness that gets man in touch with his only true need, God Himself.

The same is true in the Church. And in fact, God has beckoned His children to ask things of Him throughout time. One of the greatest examples is Solomon. Solomon had the opportunity to ask of God whatever he wanted and receive it. Let me stop right now, and ask the question of you: If God told you He would grant you one thing, in addition to the salvation that you have already received as a child of God, what one thing would you ask of Him?

1 Kings 3:9-13 – “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”

Those who know Solomon’s story might jump into the question above with the idea of answering just as Solomon did. I would caution that although Solomon asked for a great thing, that is not necessarily specifically what God would prefer that you as an individual ask of Him. Treat the question seriously: What one thing will you ask of God? Seek His face, seek to be transformed into righteousness, and ask in sincerity with faith, and He will give you what your heart truly desires.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

I would like to build upon the prayer request that we just formulated by examining the interaction of God and Solomon and seeing its application to us this very day. You see, Solomon did not ask for earthly wealth and riches, but that is what he received. He did not ask for greatness, but that is what he received. And in addition, he received a greater gift, that which he asked for: God’s wisdom. In this I see the generosity of God to give “exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20). And in addition, I see the power of a prayer when our hearts are truly set on God and not ourselves, delighting ourselves in the Lord, and therefore receiving the desires of our hearts: God Himself. (For more thoughts on this, see “Delight yourself in the Lord, and…”)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you.” – Matt 6:33

I challenge you: whatever physical thing you are asking from God, take the request to the next level, just as Solomon did. Solomon likely desired riches and greatness, but he took his request to the next level, asking for Godly wisdom, and God responded by giving him all of these things. God’s response shows that He knows the heart of men! He knows that Solomon and every other man and woman desires well-being, greatness, and good and pleasant things. And so He poured out His kingdom on Solomon, giving him Godly wisdom as a main course or centerpiece, and adding to it the side dishes or garnishes of earthly riches and greatness.

Do you seek physical healing? I encourage you to take your request to the next level and ask for healing of your sinful heart and unrighteousness. Do you seek relationship with others, whether it be a spouse, friends, or family? I encourage you to take your request to the next level and ask for deeper knowledge and intimate relationship with Christ Himself. Do you seek to excel in your career? In encourage you to seek and request of God the highest position in heaven, which is the lowest of positions on earth as servant (“The last shall be first and the first shall be last,” Matt 19:30). Do you seek wealth? In encourage you to request of God heavenly riches stored up through trial and suffering and perseverance in Christ. I have a rare guarantee for you: God will absolutely answer these prayers with a resounding “Yes!” and you will please your Father in Heaven so abundantly! How then will He hold back the Kingdom of Heaven from you, His sincere servant after His own heart?

A note about sincerity. The above is certainly no formula. Take this as a formulaic approach without sincerity and you will by no means receive the greatest blessings that God wishes for you to ask and receive. However, if you are sincere, these things are yours. Perhaps with that conviction, you and I should start with the same prayer and ask for a heart that would change such that these prayers would actually be sincere. I believe this will please God, as well, and begin us both down the path of His good and pleasing will.

You see, I know something as your Christian brother. When we ask for physical healing or meaningful earthly relationships, when we ask for success and wealth, we attempt to express our deepest needs to God, but we do so inadequately. How great is our God, though?! Because in our meager attempts to dig at the root of our desires, failing to see that what we really want is Him, He sees and knows what we really need and want deepest in our souls…and that is just what He gives.

Luke 11:9-13 - “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. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 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? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 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!”

You see, when you ask God for a good thing that pleases Him, He gives it. And I see it one step further, especially as it relates to the rest of this conviction: We know that if we ask for bread (a good thing in God’s sight), He doesn’t give us a stone (a lesser thing in God’s sight). But I submit to you that when we are so blind in our humanness apart from God, such that we ask for a stone, He knows that we really need the bread, and that is what He gives anyway! Now, perhaps we are not ready to receive it just yet and we would actually reject the delicious heavenly bread, in whatever form it appears in our lives. But God continues to work in our hearts until we can receive that bread. His work is ongoing and He never ceases to do good work in you and me. It is simple, yet essential that He has given us the power to reject Him, and in that the power to choose Him. This is the essence of love: to choose someone when you have the power to reject them. After all, this is exactly what God has done for us in His love and grace in the wake of our sin. Without this choice given to us, there is no love to be shared and we are just robots. Though many will call the concept of freewill problematic, we can see clearly that freewill presents both extremes: eternal separation from God, or eternal closeness to God in love…in both cases, the result of our choosing. To eliminate the possibility of Hell is to eliminate the possibility of Heaven as it exists and has been designed as our dwelling place—love with God, of God, from God, and all because of the ability to choose Him and be chosen.

And so I implore you: choose God through His Son Jesus, seek His face in sincerity through the Word and prayer, search the desires of your heart and elevate them to a standard of righteousness. Take your physical needs and examine their parallels with your spiritual needs, then focus on the spiritual, attacking your deficiency in prayer. I know what awaits any man or woman who is in this place: the powerful, sweeping arm of God granting His will in the life of His servants in the most pleasing of ways. I pray that God’s power is so displayed in your life this very year, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). Amen.

Seeking God's Face - Church in the Park Message

I had the honor of once again providing the sermon for Church in the Park in downtown Houston last Saturday. Church in the Park is an outdoor service for the homeless and is open to all passersby. This message is about seeking God's face, drawing heavily on 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 and Zechariah 3:1-4.

Idle Time –The Devil’s Playground or God’s? You Decide.

Eph 5:15-16 - “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

I’ve been challenged by something this week. As usual, when I feel a conviction or challenge and see that it is a good thing, I consider that it might be good for others, as well. Therefore, I am compelled to share. So I offer the following challenge as a gift. “Taste and see that the Lord is good…” (Psalm 34:8) …then pass it on.

This week I have committed to a time of purposeful seeking of the Lord, due to various things in my life. Some very good things, but nevertheless, things that I need to be very near to the Lord through (but shouldn’t this be the case in all things at all times?). In such times, I have found that fasting is a wonderful prescription given by God to those who want to find intimate time with Him, to draw nearest to His face, His very character and being. However, fasting is not appropriate for me this week. I am on vacation with my father, as we take this time every year to enjoy Nascar together, and just spend quality time together in general. (Upon hearing “Nascar,” your view of me may be tainted forever. Yes, I enjoy Nascar very much…there, I’ve admitted it openly!)

This vacation is a time of celebration and a time of fellowship, and to be fasting would be placing myself in an “unequally yoked” position with my father for the weekend. You see, food is something that we share on this trip and it is an integral part. For me to fast from food would be to deprive my dad of a major joy of the trip—the meals that we savor and share. When asked why the disciples were not fasting, Jesus illustrated, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast” (Mark 2:19). Furthermore, Jesus illustrates in Matt 6 that a fast that is pleasing to the Lord is one done in secret…this would be impossible on my trip. Note: There is a time for fasting, and if God reached out and convicted you or me to do so, there would be no excuse good enough to resist Him, no matter how logical.

So I started asking the question this week, “How am I going to give God a special focus? What can I fast from? How can I ensure that I am devoting myself to Him?” The solution that came to mind was very simple and soon it grabbed a hold of me, leading me down the path of conviction that resulted to this blog post. I decided that I would try to replace “idle time” with two things: either prayer or reading the Bible, or both. I decided that step one would be to recognize “idle time,” which it turns out can be a difficult thing to do. I know that I myself have gotten so used to the technology age that I don’t even realize the amount of time I spend with email, that favorite app on the smartphone, seeking entertainment of other kinds, and most shameful of all…Facebook. (To think I was one of the last of my friends to cave in and get on Facebook…and now it is on my list of distractions.) My tone is somewhat facecious in my list of “idle time” distractions above, especially poking fun at Facebook. But at the same time, this is a legitimate concern, especially in the new technology age that is sweeping our cultures and particularly with the youth of today. Go to a public place and just observe the amount of people looking down at their smartphones, etc. I think you’ll find much greater than 50% of people you observe will have their noses buried in them. Of course, I myself do a lot of worthwhile and productive things on my smartphone, as many others do, too…in fact, it has been a blessing from God for increased productivity in my busy life. But at the same time, what if you and I decided to keep a record this coming week of our “idle activities?” Depending on personality, you might make a spreadsheet or you might just ballpark it by feeling at the end of the week. Whatever rigor your personality allows, what if we took a first step and just tried to identify the quantity of time we spend on such “idle” things?

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Cor 10:4-5

So this week, I have tried to “take captive every thought” a little more completely than I’ve ever tried before. I can tell you that I’ve had varied success at best. But the particular level of success is not my point. The point is that I actually have found myself in the Word and prayer more, and I am so thankful for it! Furthermore, I have discovered an opportunity to discard bad habits and in their place construct very good ones. Here was my conviction that led to this post: why is this week any different than others? Why does the attempt to find more and more time with God feel like something special? Shouldn’t that be the norm? Oh my…yes indeed, this should be the norm. What if I took this week and made it the norm going forward?

Think about someone that you care about more than anyone else. Think about someone that you want to spend time with more than anyone else this week. You know that you make time for that person, both because you like spending time with them and because they like spending time with you. Now think about God. What if He was that person every week? What if you desired God to the point that you wanted to spend every spare moment in communication with Him? What if we really loved God, such that time with Him was insatiable and we sought to spend more and more time with Him every week? What if we desired to spend time with Him to the point that we saw every “idle” moment as an opportunity to pray or open the Bible? How might that change our lives? I know it would be a shift in my priorities and I know with 100% certainty that God would bless it.

And that’s just it: priorities. Do your actions and time allocation show God as your number 1 priority? Mine don’t. I might have thought that it did…that is, until a week where I am purposefully filling every opportunistic moment with prayer and Bible study feels special. If that is the exception, then by definition it is not my normal behavior or priority. Though I may be growing in desire for the Lord, which bears fruit of time in the Word and prayer, my “idle” moments show where my priorities lie…and that means that sometimes that smartphone or Facebook or entertainment is a higher priority than God Himself to me. This is convicting. Are you as guilty as me in this?

Let me make a quick note that I don’t believe the most appropriate response to this conviction is to throw out all of our electronics, renounce all entertainment, and lock ourselves in our homes with just a Bible and a water supply. I’m amused at the exaggeration, but my point is that it is just fine to seek times of rest (in fact, rest is an important command from God for us, as well as a blessing) and occasional entertainment. Facebook itself can be a tool for the Lord, and even the silliness of the status update that reads, “Florida is awesome!” is not at all a bad thing in itself. It’s ok to spend some time texting or playing that favorite game on the smartphone occasionally. It’s ok to have a Facebook account. My point is that we can all take stock of our time allocations and at least become purposeful in our time budget decisions. This is something that I think the Lord will bless and replace a heart of stone with a heart of flesh, and with it place in us the desire to spend more “idle” time with Him (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph 5:15-16)

Using these aforementioned things is one way that we can make “the best use of the time,” the technology age, and glorify the Lord. But to do so, we will have to watch our time and habits closely.

I encourage you to take a couple minutes to do the following exercise. Make a priority list. Start with God and work down from there. List general things, such as family, friends, work…and list specific things (maybe as subcategories) like pro baseball games, running, eating/cooking, and even Facebook. Now, after you’ve made this list, take notes on your time allocation to these things in the next week. I know that much of our time is obligation based, such as a job, but nevertheless, take note of it all. After doing that for a week, list your activities in order of time allocation—highest to lowest. This is your priority list, whether you like it or not. If work is 50 hours per week, perhaps that is right where God wants it to be. But if Facebook is 10 hours per week, perhaps that is not right where God wants it to be. The point of the exercise isn’t to analyze that we’re spending a lot of time sleeping and at work—of course we are, as God seems to have designed us that way. The point is to find those activities that have no place being so high on our list (i.e. “idle time” activities), as well as to identify those activities that have slipped way down our priority list. How much time did you or I spend in the Bible or prayer this week? Where does that fall out on our priority list? I just thought of this excerise and therefore haven’t yet been able to carry it out in my own life, but I’m sure I would be embarrassed to share the results. But guess what—this is our starting point, not our finish line.

Will you step up and take the challenge with me going forward? I write this conviction to you not as one who has conquered it, but as someone who struggles with you. I desire that we would both begin to “take every thought captive,” become aware of our “idle time” habits, and seek to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, sacrificing the selves that we have become, and building up new habits for the Lord. New habits that God will love…new habits that we will love! New habits that will absolutely produce fruit, both in us and in those around us. I am convinced that God has absolutely zero “idle time”—He is working in all things at all times. Therefore, I am confident that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine with an offering such as this (Eph 3:20). My prayer is that you are spurred onward into a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through such a commitment. May God’s presence amaze you this week and draw you into more quantity and quality time with Him. Amen.

Leaving a Pure Legacy

Have you ever desired to leave a legacy behind? To have an impact that outlasts your time with a group, on a team, in a job, or even in life itself? Many of us seek to “live beyond our years,” by impacting the world around us in a permanent way.

These can be noble goals and are certainly realized by those who serve the Lord their God with all of themselves—it is the natural outcome…it cannot be stopped. The issue that I find within myself and that you may find within yourself, as well, is that of desiring my legacy. We have erred immediately upon that thought.

“My Utmost For His Highest,” Feb 5:

ARE YOU READY TO BE OFFERED?

"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Philippians 2:17

Are you willing to be offered for the work of the faithful - to pour out your life blood as a libation on the sacrifice of the faith of others? Or do you say - "I am not going to be offered up just yet, I do not want God to choose my work. I want to choose the scenery of my own sacrifice; I want to have the right kind of people watching and saying, 'Well done.'

It is one thing to go on the lonely way with dignified heroism, but quite another thing if the line mapped out for you by God means being a door-mat under other people's feet. Suppose God wants to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased" - are you ready to be offered up like that? Are you ready to be not so much as a drop in a bucket - to be so hopelessly insignificant that you are never thought of again in connection with the life you served? Are you willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work and remain saints because it is beneath their dignity.

Leaving a pure legacy means to leave an impact so centered on God that we are seen as insignificant—that we are seen only long enough for others to then see Christ, and we vanish behind His infinite light and glory. It means impacting the world around us for Christ, such that those who are impacted continue to see Him for eternity, and we are as a speck of dust or “drop in a bucket.” Indeed, that bucket was filled by a great many individual drops and each were chosen by God to play that small part—but me and my little drop have nothing to boast about ourselves. We instead can boast about the One who orchestrated the thousands of little drops like ourselves to fill this metaphorical bucket.

This “bucket” could be leading someone to Christ. Did we do that? Not hardly—we may have been the last drop that filled the bucket, but there were many drops before us paving the way, setting the foundation, filling the bucket. And we as “drops” in this bucket of another Spirit-filled soul merely fell where we were directed. God alone is to be praised for the work of grace for the newfound in Christ!

This “bucket” could be a ministry or volunteer position or opportunity. Again, did we do that? Is it our work that is so amazing? Not at all—it is the Lord’s amazing work that will continue with or without us—we are simply to be overwhelmingly thankful that we have been included! What a truth is this: God will not be deterred—not even by you and I, the stubborn part-time followers, insisting on our own way. Are we so important that if we disobey, the entire world will begin to crumble and all of God’s large and small purposes will not be fulfilled? God is sovereign—He rules all and is not dictated to by His creation. In disobedience, God will go right around you and I, and we will forfeit the glorious opportunity of obedience to His calling this very day. He doesn’t miss out—we do.

I know that you and I will continue to wrestle with the same pride and selfishness that rears its ugly head every time we are given the opportunity to do something for God. We may rightly love the service; but we must stop short of admiring our small little part. Doing so is like being invited to cut the ceremonial ribbon as a mansion’s completion is revealed. We are invited to join the master of the mansion inside, and by cutting the ribbon as he has asked, we have been made a part of all who are brought off the street to enter his mansion. At this point, if we sit and marvel at how well we cut that ribbon, with what skill and smoothness we operated the scissors, we will miss the entire point. This illustration may sound ridiculous—it should. This is how ridiculous we act when we take pride in leaving a legacy of our own, even if it is in doing the Lord’s work. It’s like the ribbon cutter wanting everyone to remember him cutting the ribbon instead of taking part in the celebration of the mansion and those who have been invited, accepting the invitation to live within it. If we don’t cut the ribbon, the master will certainly find another to do it—there would be many eager to take that place, many that would be thankful, and a few that would do it in humility as he desired. It’s not as if our declining to cut the ribbon will stop the mansion from being opened. And it’s not as if we built the mansion or made it possible for those called to enter. We simply did our small little part and can thank the master for allowing us to be even a small part of his purpose for this mansion.

As you may easily see, this mansion is Heaven, the master is God, Jesus is the one who has given the invitations and made a way for us to be there, and we are graciously appointed as ribbon cutters or servants in other parts of this glorious scene. Let’s set our eyes upon the Master, the Mansion, and the Way. Let’s glorify the purpose behind our purpose. Let’s “cut the ribbon” obediently and thankfully, seeking that no one would recognize our cutting—that no one would remember a meager human legacy of our own, but that they would instead immediately look to the Mansion of Heaven and Jesus who welcomes them. If we are successful in leaving a legacy that others see as our own and then exalt us because of it, we are doing them a disservice, for we have distracted them from all that is good…we have traded a glimpse of a perfect, loving God, for that of a self-seeking human.

We cannot go incognito our entire lives and live out the Gospel that we are called to live. Some people will notice us, and we have to realize that. What we do with that focus, and before even that—how we pursue God in service in our hearts, seeking our own legacy or instead seeking to leave His pure legacy—these are the things for which we are accountable.

Many of you may say, “I’m not like that, at least not often. I just don’t think of such things.” Very well, I pray that it is because God has worked within you to refine you daily into such a selfless servant. I speak to the many that say, “That’s me—I am convicted that I am always seeking my own. I desire to be changed.” I desire to be changed, too. Let us look to leave the only Pure Legacy—that of Jesus Christ, our Savior who has rescued the most corrupted hearts, like yours and mine. Let’s finally step up to the plate of humility and actually desire within our hearts in our quite moments of absolute honesty to say sincerely “He must become greater. I must become less” (John 3:30). We can struggle and strive, and still we cannot do even that—ask to become less—on our own. The amazing thing about Jesus and our need of Him is that it is so utterly sweeping that not only can I by no means obtain salvation, only accepting it as freely given from Him, but in addition, once saved, I must continually rely on Him to do any good thing in me. I have to decide to want to be changed, and I have to follow through, but I cannot follow through as a matter of pure self-will. I can ask God to change me, and I can will to ask Him, but I must have Him come in, set up shop, and begin to do the changing. And even the desire to be changed is found in the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. – John 16:8-11

How utterly helpless and condemned we are on our own—for we cannot even repent from our sins without His conviction. We need Him to even know that we need Him. He has made it such that all can see and know that He is God, then we need Him to respond to our conviction and cry for help, then we need Him to refine us into the servants He and we desire to be. Jesus said in John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Apart from Him I can do only evil. Apart from Him I will not even know I am evil and will spiral straight to Hell. But with Him, I am convicted. With Him I am saved. With Him I am transformed. With Him, I have no legacy of my own. With Him I am made a part of His pure legacy. With Him, the same is true for you. Forever. Amen.

Recognizing and Responding to the Call - Wisdom from Oswald Chambers

"My Utmost For His Highest," Jan 14(http://utmost.org/called-by-god/):

CALLED OF GOD
"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:8

God did not address the call to Isaiah; Isaiah overheard God saying, "Who will go for us?" The call of God is not for the special few, it is for everyone. Whether or not I hear God's call depends upon the state of my ears; and what I hear depends upon my disposition. "Many are called but few are chosen," that is, few prove themselves the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ whereby their disposition has been altered and their ears unstopped, and they hear the still small voice questioning all the time, "Who will go for us?" It is not a question of God singling out a man and saying, "Now, you go." God did not lay a strong compulsion on Isaiah; Isaiah was in the presence of God and he overheard the call, and realized that there was nothing else for him but to say, in conscious freedom, "Here am I, send me." Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with compulsions and pleadings. When our Lord called His disciples there was no irresistible compulsion from outside. The quiet passionate insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men with every power wide awake. If we let the Spirit of God bring us face to face with God, we too shall hear something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small voice of God; and in perfect freedom will say, "Here am I; send me."

Pair this up with recent insight from previous days' "My Utmosts:"

"If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything— it is a delight...
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him." - Jan 11

"We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself." - Jan 8

"He went out, not knowing where he was going —Hebrews 11:8

Have you ever “gone out” in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, “What do you expect to do?”You don’t know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to “go out” in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely...
Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do— He reveals to you who He is." - Jan 2

"There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.

At first you may see clearly what God’s will is— the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, or something else you feel is distinctly God’s will for you to do. But never act on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will cause difficult situations to arise which will take years to untangle. Wait for God’s timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move." - Jan 4

I'll admit, I don't have all this put together in my mind yet, either. I know to wait on God, for His timing is perfect. I also know to listen in the waiting and when I hear His still, small voice, to say "Here am I, send me!" I also know that it takes faith, beyond what is certain or logical, such that we will go out like Abraham, "not knowing where he was going." I know that we must count the cost, not just to ourselves to but to loved ones and those around us, and that any cost to us or others is no reason not to obey the call, but rather to prepare our hearts for His work. I know that although the call can bring sacrifice to others and myself, that the call is a delight, for we "Delight [our]selves in the Lord, and he will give [us] desires of [our] heart" (Psalm 37:4). I also know that I cannot dictate what consequences will be conditions of my obedience or what the call may be--but that obedience is our only condition.

The paragraph above is just a brief summary of the "My Utmosts" quoted above, and each is sound and in agreement with the Word. However, how do we apply each of those things correctly, such that we are not either over eager or too hesitant? Again, I'll admit that I'm still figuring it out, but I love to ponder these things and I hope you do, too. I think of it like this:

In the moments before the start of a horse race, each horse is in the gate with the rider poised for the start. But there is silence. Some horses stir a bit, getting anxious for the start--these often get poor starts. Some horses and riders are almost too relaxed or not on full alert, such that when the gate drops, there is a slight enough hesitation to put them in the back of the pack at the start. In any case, all horses and riders are ready to some extent, yet the gate has not been dropped.

Sometimes I think we need to have the attitude of the horse and rider behind the starting gate. We should not try to charge ahead while the gate is in place! We will be disqualified from that race and have to wait for the next one. By the same token, we should make sure we've gotten to the gate and in position, or the race will start without us. But I think we can be like that well-trained horse and rider, ready for the drop of the gate. Until the gate drops, until the Lord makes it clear without a doubt that we are to charge forward, we wait. Immediately upon dropping the gate, immediately upon picking up on that still, small voice, we go out with all we can muster, though we don't know what the race is going to look like--will my horse grab the lead or will I be last? Will the track be slippery? We go out without knowing where we are going, but we go at the drop of the gate. Others will not be chosen by God for this race that we're running, though we may wish that we could run with them. "Run with endurance the race marked out for you" (Heb 12:1). We may feel that we wanted to go with others on their races before us (their calls), or that we want to bring others and not "leave them behind" in our own minds, but God has called each to a race marked out for them. We cannot consider what it is costing them or us to run this race--we simply run the race marked out for us. And though we do not know all the consequences and there was sacrifice in leaving our comfortable stables to get out on the edge in the race, putting ourselves at risk, we can forget all the other distractions and realize the great exhilaration of the race--we are running with the wind in our faces! But only if we have gone through the life-long training, only if we've taken our place at the starting gate, only if we've waited for the gate to drop, and only if we'll charge forward when the gate is dropped, knowing perhaps little more than that a gate has been dropped, we are here and equipped by our Master Trainer, and we must run the race He has marked out for us.

All of the above alludes a specific call for ministry. As if we as riders and horses are committing to something new and different that is full-time ministry. Indeed, this fits, I believe, and you and I may very well need to read it that way. However, we might want to examine in what way we define "full-time ministry." When you hear that, I'm sure you think of pastors and missionaries, etc. Indeed, they are included. But could you be in full-time ministry right where you are? Could you be an engineer, school teacher, doctor, or lawyer in full-time ministry right now? I believe the answer is "yes." We often think about "going out without knowing" as being discarding all for the sake of a career in ministry. That may very well be your call--do not dismiss it if He is asking! And if you're unsure, then you can still start in obedience by making your life and career full-time ministry right now. The difference is attitude and approach to the work day. The difference is attitude and approach to friendships. The difference is attitude and approach in your thought life. We can "take every thought captive" (2 Cor 10:5) in the working world, doing everything "...with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Col 3:23) being ambassadors for Christ every day.

I do not want to discount the calling to pastors and missionaries here. I believe that as many will read this, less are going to commit to such service for God than He has called. "Many are called, but few are chosen." As O.C. writes, few prove themselves chosen by responding to the call. In encourage you, in whatever way the Holy Spirit is guiding you right now, do the following:

- Listen for God continually while you wait and as you go out
- Wait for the Lord's direction that you KNOW is from Him
- When you act in obedience, go out without knowing or being hindered by the consequences for you and others
- Check to make sure that whatever the sacrifice, you still have the full joy of the Lord
- Start living for Him in full-time ministry right where you are today
- At any snare, at any success, at all times, "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17)

If you can satisfy these conditions, I believe that the Lord has you right where He wants you, your life will never be the same and for the better, and we are one step closer to walking down the path of His preferred will.

If this is all confusing, I understand. You might throw everything written here out the window and do just one thing: pray. You don't need me or anyone else to tell you what God can tell you Himself through prayer and sincere study of His Word. I write these things to be a catalyst in your relationship to Him, not at all to be a substitute. Your inspiration can start while reading here or "My Utmost" or any other Christian writing, but it must immediately be fed by the Source, God Himself. This is endeavored through prayer and Scripture.

May the Holy Spirit speak to you today, and may we both respond to His voice in the way that is most pleasing to our Father in Heaven. Amen.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and..."

Psalm 37:7 - “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

What an amazing promise. What stellar truth. However, I feel that there may not be another verse so wonderful yet applied to our hearts so errantly.

When you read that verse, what are your immediate next thoughts? Search them and see.

If you are like me for the entirety of my life including immediately up to this moment, the principal joy and attraction of that verse is the second clause, “and He will give you the desires of your heart.” We have seriously missed the point…we have seriously missed the joy…we have seriously missed the attraction: God, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Delighting myself in Him is the delight. That sounds redundant and I wrote it purposefully as such in order to demonstrate its simple truth and expose how easily we miss what should be so obvious. If I delight myself in the Lord—delight!—what else matters? I am delighted in and of the Lord Himself, and nothing apart from Him. In that moment, all the desires of my heart are fulfilled, whether they are purely spiritual or actually realized in the physical world.

But when this verse is read, and when I have heard it all my life, it is given as hope for all the good things we desire or might desire. We realize that we do love the Lord at some capacity and are delighted in Him alone to some capacity, and we see the true promise that follows. That is actually fully good in my opinion—as the starting point of our thoughts—but it cannot be where our thoughts end. It could be the spark that ignites the flame, but God is the only fuel that will keep the flame burning. Who can keep warm via merely spark after spark? Only the flame that burns much hotter can satisfy that need for warmth in a world that is cold. Desiring the current things in our hearts as a result of delighting in the Lord is like desiring sparks instead of the flame—it is backwards and leaves us yearning for more. So the promise of good things that our hearts desire is the spark that turns us to the first part of this verse, delighting ourselves in the Lord.

Unfortunately, most of us take that verse into our worlds this day or week or year and start looking for all the desires of our hearts to come true. We keep a record, as if we had to prove that God is true to His promises. Firstly, if we think by keeping the knowledge of those desires and the status of their fulfillment or lack thereof is at all important, then we have kicked faith to the curb. If we had faith, we wouldn’t have to keep track, for God would do the good thing in His timing with no need of our record keeping. The fact is, such behavior displays doubt that the promise is true because God said it—instead, we are saying to some degree that it is only realized as true when we have seen it personally—where is our faith? But beyond that, we should have never let that second part of the verse so powerfully overshadow the real importance of the promise: the prerequisite that is also the fulfillment—delighting ourselves in the Lord.

I think we need to focus on the second half of that verse, the fulfillment of the “desires of your heart,” just long enough to recognize that a wonderful promise has been given by a Wonderful God and to recognize that He loves us that much and in that way. Upon the revelation of His love through this promise, we must then immediately shift all focus, desire, passion, and energy on the first half, delighting “yourself in the Lord.” That is the beginning and the end of it.

Too often we take it as the means to the end. That “if I delight in the Lord, I’ll get the desires of my heart.” I want to change our attitudes—yours and mine—to, “if I delight in the Lord, He is the desire of my heart.” Then we realize for whom that is true, He will not hold back the all-surpassing greatness of knowing Him, the overwhelming joy in His presence, the fullness of His love, the depth of His mercy and grace, the peace that surpasses all understanding. In that moment, whatever desires of our hearts that remain have been tested as true, and all other desires that are present have been newly given, better than all I previously held in my heart. And in that moment, all the goodness of Christ is availed within me, and all the desires of my heart—my now pure heart through Christ—are given freely and abundantly, to the extent that I cannot contain it alone and it flows forth from me into the lives of those around me who are also beginning to delight themselves in the Lord.

A note of encouragement here: if you feel so far removed from this attitude of abandonment, such that you have no practical vision of how you could ever be so dead to your current desires, and fully and only fulfilled by your relationship with God—know that I stand with you. I have stood with you my entire life, and this realization is only one step closer. Imagine someone who one day realizes that they must climb over and trek through a mountain range in order to get from their place of starvation and isolation to a wealthy village inhabited by their family that yearns for them to be present to share in their wealth. What lies before them is the choice of staying where they are, a certain and lonely death awaiting, or finding a way to assured life and loving community. But they must do what seems impossible—make the seemingly insurmountable journey, starting with almost nothing. They would feel like if they started on the side of wealth and provision, fully fed and fully equipped, that they could make the trip to the other side, but how can they hope to make it to prosperity if they have nothing to get them through the perilous journey?

The realization of where we need to be is quite different than starting out in that direction. This inspiration is only a realization and not a testament to arriving, nor even starting, except for maybe one single step. Ah, but I know something that I hope you also know. Our situation is not so bleak as the one described in the paragraph above. For we have One who is with us where we are, who will not leave us to find our way Home alone—for without Him our fears are well-founded—we would certainly not survive the journey, never making it to Paradise! Instead, there is One who has come down the mountain to meet us, to give us Nourishment to get us started, Provision to keep us going, and He is already there before we’ve even made this first tiny step: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). How much more will He be there once we have taken that first step?!

The One here is Jesus Christ. The Nourishment is the Holy Spirit and Word of God sent to sustain from within our very bodies. The Provision is the entirety of the Word of God through the Bible, as well as the Holy Spirit within us. All of this possible by the incomprehensible depth of love of our Father in Heaven, our Salvation through the bearing of our sin in Jesus Christ—tortured, killed, and resurrected to give us eternal life—and the companionship and advocate of the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us to the Father and affords us the presence of God right where we are and everywhere we go, for “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).

Even still, you may ask, “where do I begin?” First, above all else, is asking Jesus Christ to be your Savior, confessing your unworthiness as a true sinner, acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God. Soon you’ll come to realize that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, who took on human life, bearing the burden of sin, yet remaining perfect, who died a mortal death, but conquered it by rising from the dead, and He now reigns forever. Start simply by declaring your yearning for Him to save you, and He will instantly.

Next, what about the desires that are in your heart right now? What do I do with them, especially if I have no idea if they are good or need to be banished from my heart? Jesus speaks to you regarding this and the thoughts above in Matt 7.

Matt 7:7-11 - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

If you ask, not knowing you are asking for a stone or a snake, he will be sure not to give you something so terrible, for He knows what you need and what you were really longing for in that request. And if you do ask for bread or a fish, then He will certainly give it to you or something even better. So we find that no matter what we ask, God knows the source of that desire, and is willing to go right to the foundation of it and give us that bread and fish. Along the way, we’ll begin to recognize exactly what we were truly asking for all along, most deeply to delight ourselves in Him.

Here is the rest of the this portion of Psalm 37 that I think paints an even fuller picture:

Psalm 37:4-24 – “Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:
Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.
23 The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”

Delight in these truths, for they are surely delightful! He will fulfill the desires of your heart. Delight yourself in the Lord. Amen.

Radical Faith, Greatest Joy

Check out the "My Utmost" for Oct 23: http://www.myutmost.org/10/1023.html

Here is a quote that I find most powerful and deep reaching:

“How are we going to get the life that has no lust, no self-interest, no sensitiveness to pokes, the love that is not provoked, that thinketh no evil, that is always kind? The only way is by allowing not a bit of the old life to be left; but only simple perfect trust in God, such trust that we no longer want God's blessings, but only want Himself. Have we come to the place where God can withdraw His blessings and it does not affect our trust in Him? When once we see God at work, we will never bother our heads about things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in Heaven Whom the world cannot see.”

Firstly, can you even imagine life so refined by God that you have no lust or no self-interest? No sensitiveness to “wrongs,” or unprovokable love? I can hardly fathom it. But we’re working our way there by God’s grace.

Secondly, would our faith be tested and revealed so strong as it currently seems or appears if all of God’s blessings were stripped away? All of them. For Job, all was taken but his life, yet he remained faithful. We seek blessing after blessing—at least I have for the longest time—but there is a major difference in seeking gifts vs. seeking the Giver. To think that we’d be content to have daily conversation with God, stripped of every human comfort and physical blessing. To think that quite literally, “My grace is sufficient for you,” and that was literally all we had to cling to (2 Cor 12:9). Few of us have ever truly been there, not to that extent, and honestly, I kind of hope not to be…yet, what a joy must be developed in someone who is led down that path, never forsaking God, continuing to have faith and be sustained by God Himself alone, supernaturally through the presence of His Holy Spirit within us. I don’t think you or I even know what that really means or looks like, for we are so far from it. It makes me consider the following: the man who does not know Jesus and is suffering--he is to be pitied. The man who stands solidly in Christ and is suffering--he is to be envied (in a righteous sense, such that we see his plight as good and desirable). That’s a radical change of thought, but I believe it is true. Understandably, many cannot accept it.

Let's ask ourselves this piercing question today: What would it take for me to trust God with absolute abandonment to the point that all I desire is His presence and grace and nothing else matters? Am I willing to pursue eternal life with Him that way, or am I resigned to always put a little bit of myself above all other things, including my all-powerful, perfectly loving God and Creator?

The Best for the Journey

Imagine you have a son who is 18 years old. You have plans to buy him a reliable car that is also extremely pleasing to him in every way—aesthetically, performance, interior, reliable, easy to maintain, fuel efficient. Now you’re on your way to go get the car that you have picked out for him, and let’s say that you actually know what you’re doing and have picked out the best car possible for him in every way. On the way there, your son sees a bright red (his favorite color on a car) sporty-type car for sale and points it out in exclamation. That’s the car he wants! “Dad, can we get it please?!” You say no, but he insists that you at least take a look. Knowing better, but seeing that he won’t appreciate anything until he is appeased, you go to look at the inferior car…plus, if he’s listened to you growing up, he’ll see what you see anyway, right? It actually looks pretty good, especially from a distance. You notice some exterior inconsistencies, but you’re really concerned about what’s under the hood. This car has 99,000 miles on it. Being a car guy (and since this is hypothetical), you know that the engine on this model breaks down within the first 105,000 miles without exception, most within 100,000 miles. Incidentally, your son is about to set out across the nation and back on a road trip with trusted friends, driving the car you pick out today. That’s a 6,000 mile trip, so you’re guaranteed that this thing is going to break down, and as Murphy’s law would have it, it would probably be on the opposite end of the country. You know this, your son doesn’t. Well, he’s in love. He wants this car. But you say, “no.” He doesn’t understand, but you tell him that you have something better, so much better in mind for him. He doesn’t believe you, or maybe he does, but he’s too mad to admit it. Why couldn’t that dealership be next door?—then he’d only be mad for a couple seconds. Oh, but the drive to the next town over, 50 miles away, is grueling. You hardly talk. In fact, you find your son’s behavior and comments toward you so repulsive, you wonder if you should even buy a car at all! Perhaps cancel his trip! But then, you have patience and understanding, and you continue on your journey with your son.

At last you arrive at the dealership. There she is—bright red, sleek and smooth, excellent condition coupe with only a few miles and a wonderful interior…and under the hood, the most reliable and powerful, fuel efficient engine in its class. Your son is in heaven. “Thank you, Dad!” You both share smiles and he’s almost in tears (not that he’d admit it). He says to you, “Wow, Dad…I had no idea what you had planned for me…I couldn’t have imagined…I can’t believe I fought you over this!”

And that, my friends, is a great picture of us with our Heavenly Father. He, the all-knowing, all-loving, all-patient Father who is looking out for us, doing “infinitely more than we dare to ask or hope for.” (Eph 3:20) He “know[s] the plans [He] has for you, plans for good and not to harm you.” (Jer 29:11) Will we trust Him today? Will we patiently endure the seemingly infinitely long journey to his chosen blessings for us, realizing that they aren’t so long after all? Will we at least ask Him, when we’ve picked out for ourselves what we want in our lives? Will we yield when He says, “no,” and begin to realize that it’s not just for His good, but for ours?! Finally, will we recognize Him as our protector and provider when we have at last received the next reward? I sincerely hope so. That is my prayer for you and myself. Amen.

Playing to Win...or Not to Lose?

We know we are not to sin—it is succinctly the separation from God, apart from whom there is no life and is only death. We also know that we are to aspire to and desire righteousness. So is there a difference between not sinning and becoming righteous in God’s sight? Ultimately, they are the same and one cannot happen without the other. However, the difference, I believe, is attitude or approach. Athletes: it is the difference between playing to win a game or playing not to lose. Some may say, “what’s the difference?” Oh my, what a difference. Those of you who are conscientious athletes know exactly what I’m talking about. Teams that play not to lose indeed lose much more often than teams that play to win. I speak as an amateur athlete from childhood to present day, playing on numerous teams in multiple sports. From an individual perspective, this is seen in the difference between playing to help the team and playing not to make a mistake. Have you ever taken the field or court saying, “I just don’t want to screw up?” I can tell you what is just around the corner when those are your thoughts—you make that big mistake. I have lived it. Athletes or not, I think most of us see the analogy, but yet another example is in driving a vehicle: Have you ever tried to avoid the center-line on a road by continually staring at it? If you have, then you know what happens. Stare at it long enough, and you’ll find yourself gravitating toward the very thing you are trying to avoid! (you may be tempted to try it…but make sure there is no one on the road with you!) There is even a basic principle in racecar driving—look where you want the car to go and you’ll find yourself there. If you stare at the wall or barrier, you are going to hit it. (you need to glance at it or be aware of it in your peripheral vision, but you focus where you want the car to go and not the wall—or you will likely hit it sooner or later!)

So today we go out into the world, full of its temptations. How will we avoid them? How will we pursue righteousness that is oneness with God—opposite and mutually exclusive from sin? It seems noble to say, “I just don’t want to fall into temptation…or THAT temptation.” Well, stop thinking about it. Think about it only long enough to recognize it and your holy desire not to do it and to pursue righteousness. From there, our focus has to turn to the positive…or rather, the Positive. Only by looking toward what we want to be, only by looking to do good in God’s sight, only by “running for the prize” and “fighting the good fight” (1 Tim 1:18, 1 Tim 6:12, 2 Tim 4:7) will we be successful.

1 Cor 9:24-27 –
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Perhaps we begin by briefly acknowledging the terrible presence of sin and the holy desire to avoid it. But if you stare that sin in the face and dwell on it, living a life of fear, running from it, but not running toward anything or anyone in particular—you’ll find yourself right where you mind’s eye has been looking—in sin.

So how do we look to God? Number one, prayer. Prayer is an absolute focus on what is righteous and pure: God. Second, God’s Holy Word, the Bible. Read it and ponder it and find ways to apply it every single day. Find fellowship with other Christians with a shared focus on what is righteous. We are warriors together to fend off temptation, sin, treachery, and Satan himself, as well as advancing toward our goal and victory in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 6:11-12 – “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Examples of good things to refocus on, as well as “taking every thought captive:”

Phil 4:8-9 - “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

2 Cor 10:3-5 – “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Desire more than a life of sin avoidance—“we are more than conquerors in Christ.” Desire what that really means—salvation first, then righteousness shared in oneness with God and all those called sons of God (Gal 3:26-27, Rom 8:13-15, others).

Rom 8:35-39 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

At this point, we realize that it is a constant journey toward God until we get to Heaven and perhaps we begin to stop looking for boundaries by aiming just this side of sin—“where is the line?” If we are asking this question, we have already strayed—do we want to know where the line is so we can stay as far away as possible or so we know how close we can get? Be honest with yourself. Knowing God’s principles and natural boundaries is necessary, but we must not aim for the edges of the road, for if we slip, we are already near the edge. Aim for the center! Would you drive on a mile-high cliff one inch from the edge? “No one in their right mind would do that—you’re crazy for suggesting it.” Am I? Many of us are so crazy in the way we live our lives! Adolescence is often the pinnacle of such an attitude, if you ask me. And there is much to learn from the necessary correction when overstepping our righteous boundaries—thank our Good Lord that He is so forgiving and loving. There is also a truth in saying that a line is only truly found by crossing it. Let’s not be so bent on finding the line—because that often includes crossing into sin. But as adults, let’s stop riding the edge—let’s look to aim for the center of righteousness.

This means that when we read something in the Bible that doesn’t make us comfortable or we don’t yet understand or sounds harsh—we don’t reject it because it is uncomfortable, resorting to the comfortable religion the world would have us accept—we search out its meaning whether individually or with other believers. “I know behavior A is a sin, and behavior C is not a sin…but what about behavior B in the middle?” Well, maybe behavior B is a sin or maybe it’s not—but how about aiming for the center of the road and engage in behavior C instead of behavior B until you have searched out God’s righteousness through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship? “For God is not the author of confusion, He is the author of all peace.” (1 Cor 14:33a) “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith” (James 1:5-6a) God loves it when we come to Him like this, for it is a child-like faith in Him, combined with an adult’s God-given faculties. I think we learn to love it, too. It is the essence of why Jesus says “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life,” (Matt 7:13-14) while also saying, “my yoke is easy, my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30) Do these sound contradictory? They’re not. They speak to completely different aspects or dimensions of our walks. The road is narrow because it is the way of God Himself, perfect, which is impossible without His Holy Spirit. It’s the ultimate narrow road. Yet, walking it can be easy and a light burden through the Holy Spirit and loving relationship with Jesus. We just put one foot in front of the other, as Jesus takes us by the hand and the Holy Spirit guides us from inside our very bodies. Look to the center of the road and where we are going—Heaven and oneness with God and all believers—may you find the truth in the light burden and easy yoke of God in the pursuit of pure righteousness.