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.

Obedience – A Well-Balanced Meal of Service

“…Obedience is better than sacrifice...” – 1 Sam 15:22 (NLT)

I find that a struggle exists within me between healthy sacrifice and healthy enjoyment in that which God commands. It seems easy to fall away from the proper balance and toward either experience-seeking (doing something because it benefits us or we get enjoyment from it) or begrudging obedience, when we set our faces as flint for pure obedience at full sacrifice of ourselves, but with a sense of self-righteousness and the absence of the joy of the Lord. Honestly, I see most of us erring to the side of the former, following that which we enjoy instead of having obedience as our starting point and guide; however, I believe that God has designed us and His commands to have a good balance of both flavors: sacrifice and joy. This is of course a paradox to the human mind because it is the work of the Holy Spirit who is higher, greater, and not limited by human imperfection.

As I have been recently considering decisions before me, in which I feel called by the Lord to service, I have recognized that it is going to cost me something. And as I wrestle with it all, recognizing that in some ways I look forward to the service because I love it, but in other ways would rather run away like Jonah because of what it could cost me, I feel that the Lord has spoken some truth to me about obedient service of our Lord.

To me, following God in joyful obedience can be illustrated by a well-balanced meal. A well-balanced meal typically consists of a main course (meat or protein), vegetables or other healthy additions as side-dishes, and even some sweet dessert (You might astutely comment that dessert means that the meal is no longer “well-balanced,” but I have included it in the analogy for a reason.). When it comes to decision making and living out our lives for Christ, being poured out as an offering for Him and our fellow man, obedience is the main course…it drives the meal, it is the center-piece for the meal, and it is the impetus for action. God will’s it; therefore, we do it. Let’s not forget who God is and who we are, created in His image for His purposes and His pleasure. Now, when God wills something, He wills it in all love, He wills it in all goodness and righteousness, He wills it in all wisdom and sovereignty, and He wills it in perfection. And because He is God and we are His servants, what He wills, we obey. This is the main course of our meal of service to our Lord.

Even the main course in itself can be analyzed before moving to the side-dishes and dessert. God’s main course of obedience for His will is always seasoned with Himself, a pleasing spice to life. We may have to do some effort, working with our hands to cut through the main course, chewing on it such that we can stomach it, but there is a flavor from God that is joy in the midst of our labors.

And the meal of obedient service to our Lord goes beyond the main course of strict obedience, for there are further joys and further difficulties along the way. First, the difficulties, including repercussions:

As someone who has struggled to find the slightest pleasure in eating many of the vegetables that God has placed on this earth for our nutritious benefit, I relate the consequences of following God and the “grin and bear it” portion of obedience to the vegetable side-dish. You may chuckle here, as I do…and I do enjoy many vegetables (rest easy, Mom, I am eating my vegetables…at least sometimes), but think of that one vegetable that you absolutely can’t stand…the one you wouldn’t eat unless you were forced to. Well, sometimes that vegetable shows up on our plate of obedient service to our Lord. But I have already hinted at the dichotomy of eating such an unpleasant item: God uses it to strengthen and nourish us in a unique way that our main course and certainly our dessert could not do. We must have the spiritual vitamins that are contained within sacrificial obedience to our Lord. It will not always be easy, and in fact, many times it will be hard to obey the Lord. This is because it will cost us something. This is because our circumstances may be less favorable. But God has placed it in front of us as we noted before with all love, goodness, righteousness, wisdom, sovereignty, and perfection…will we not accept what God has handed directly to us? We will, and we must willingly consume that which is nearly unpalatable, such that our souls receive perfectly balanced spiritual nutrition from God Himself.

And finally, our favorite part: dessert. Yes, obedient service to our Lord always comes with dessert. There is a time that is coming, after we have finished our full courses of obedience—the main course, the side dishes and everything else—that we will receive the joyous perspective of God and marvel at such a well prepared meal of service as we delight in all that God has done, is doing, and will do. The joy that flows naturally from the Spirit will be a sweet, sweet dessert to our souls. This sounds like a reference to Heaven, and it is, but it is a reference to the “here and now” on earth, as well.

Psalm 27:13: - “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see
the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (NKJV)

You see, God provides us the sweetest of joys as we grow closer to Him through obedient service, and He does so not only in Heaven, but in the land of the living.

In view of this, it is easy to see how we often get unbalanced in our service. We frequently try to supplant obedience with dessert as the main course. If we live for dessert, we will eat more of it and less of our healthy balanced-meal. Likewise, if we live for experience, driven by our affinities alone, we will become self-seeking, forsaking God’s call. At the same time, we sometimes become so committed to sacrifice that we eat meals of side-dishes alone, and although this can sustain us for a time, we will need some core nourishment of a well-seasoned main course to sustain us. Furthermore, if we have come to a place where obedience has no joy, then we are susceptible to refraining from partaking any longer, starving ourselves of God’s leading because we are wearied in our unbalanced approach to obedience without joy. And so it is important that we remember that obedient service to our Lord is a well-balanced grand feast, in which obedience to His will is central, sacrifice is essential, and the sweetness of joy is our reward and promise. Through the Holy Spirit, obedience and sacrifice are not without joy.

Heb 12:2 - “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter 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.” (NIV)

I write these things only because I have experienced them and continue to experience them, and every saint that has ever lived has experienced them, as well. Even more significantly, Jesus Himself experienced it, as revealed in Hebrews 12:2, and therefore we must experience it alongside Him as we are sanctified to be one with Christ. Take heart in your present circumstances, accept the main course of obedience, willingly digest the unpleasant sacrifices in side-dishes of nourishment, and anticipate with certain hope the joy of the Lord that will be manifested to you by His Spirit. We could never conceive of this truth, for it goes well beyond human ability, and we could never acquire such a glorious truth, for it goes well beyond human utility. But is a gift of God, and one that He wishes to pour out on you.

“…The joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Neh 8:10

I pray that you take your place at His table, embrace the meal set before you, and offer your life in obedient service to our Lord. May the joy of the Lord be made full in you, and may it be your strength today and forever. 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.

Pray It Through - Changing God's Mind?

I had a very theologically stimulating conversation with a close friend the other night. We were discussing the purpose of prayer and its results. The concept of “changing God’s mind” was brought forth. Through study of some books by prestigious theologians, he was leaning toward the side that says “prayer can actually change God’s mind and change world events.” At the beginning of the conversation, my reply was that prayer absolutely changes world events—but does that take place because God truly changed His mind or because we took the action that allowed the realization of His greatest will, instead of disobedience? I did not know the answer to these questions, and I still may not, but I feel that my understanding has grown towards the revelation of these answers and I would like to encourage you to engage in your own Spirit-led thoughts as you consider mine below.

“God changed His mind” In the Bible

Consider Moses. We read the following in Exodus 32:19-14, in response to the Israelites' construction of the golden calf, an offense punishable by death:

“'I have seen these people,’ the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “O LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. ¹³ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” (NIV)

The word “relent” in verse 14 is translated in a minority of English texts as “changed His mind.” The Hebrew word here is “nacham,” in the Niphal tense, which blueletterbible.com defines as follows:

נָחַם (nacham)

1) to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted

a) (Niphal)

1) to be sorry, be moved to pity, have compassion

2) to be sorry, rue, suffer grief, repent

3) to comfort oneself, be comforted

4) to comfort oneself, ease oneself

(Note: When you read “changed His mind” in the NLT, NAS, or other version, “nacham” is likely the original language.)

So we see that God was moved to compassion by Moses’ intercession and it did absolutely change what would have occurred, had the intercession not taken place. But did God’s mind change, or was His preferred will for Moses to step up as an intercessor fulfilled by Moses’ prayer? Perhaps the jury is still out in this discussion, but I find the explanation offered in the previous sentences to line up much more harmoniously with the rest of the Bible than the belief that God actually did any changing of His mind, at least in the way that we experience the changing of our own minds—which is to be persuaded unto different thought or action. Was God persuaded here or had He already willed this and honored a prayer within His will?

Practical Importance of the Matter

As my conversation with my friend continued, we began to realize a few things: that our minds were not entirely made up and were open to further “proof” that may be brought forth, that in this moment we differed in our opinions, and most importantly that we absolutely agreed upon the following things: Regardless of whether God is actually changing His mind, it doesn’t alter the fact that prayer works—things in this world change because of and in response to our prayers. The overarching point became less about why God honors prayer (changing His mind or otherwise) but that the answer to that question does not dictate whether or not I pray—we pray because of the following:

1. It brings me closer to God in a loving relationship, and that would be sufficient enough reason to pray even if it availed no impact on the world.

2. When we pray, it does change things.

Addressing point #2 above: When we pray, it does change things.

However, let me very quickly point out that I don’t believe a correct attitude in prayer is to convince God of anything, or to persuade Him. This is hard to grasp because in our interaction with humans, when we speak passionately about something, we perceive the opportunity to spread our point of view, whether by enlightenment, argument, conviction, or otherwise. Even those of us who are the least logical-minded, when we converse, we understand the necessity of satisfying another individual with our words such that our point of view or our desires are accepted and even chosen. So when we pray to a sovereign, holy, all-powerful God, we tend to approach Him in the same way. He understands that—He made us. Nevertheless, do you really want to project your imperfect thoughts and plans onto a perfect God such that they come to fruition? Any thoughts that we have are either in error, whether completely or just slightly, or they are born of God and are perfect. Therefore, we cannot convince Him or bring a plan to Him that is any better than the one He already prefers. We can only come in agreement, be strengthened in our concurrence, and be empowered to go and live out the purpose that God prefers. In that moment, we have taken part in an important transaction that God allows through free-will…and life events change.

Human Observation and Understanding of Cause and Effect

To illustrate our human view of prayer and events versus God’s perspective, consider a car on the street of a highly populated city. We have the view of the driver of the car. We see the immediate landscape in front of us and have a general sense of where we might like to go and how it might be best to get there. God, however, is above the city in something such as a blimp, seeing your very car, where He desires you to go, and the best way to get there. We often go long periods trying to navigate on our own intuition, following the same mistakes of men before us and around us from whom we have learned worldly wisdom. One day, we realize we have a GPS, or a phone line to the overhead blimp (prayer). We ask the GPS or blimp (God) to help us with the direction or to get to a specific destination. What we observe is that our asking led to a change: turn here, go there, the light turned green or another red light. Even when we recognize His hand guiding us, we might be tempted to say in our limited point of view that our prayer actually changed those things and even changed the mind of God. But in reality, God already saw all and knew all, and He would not have guided you in a way that was not within His will. Therefore, we were right that our prayers changed things—we received the right direction as a result of contacting Him. But we were probably wrong in thinking that our prayer actually changed the mind of God—instead, it merely allowed us to interact with God such that His desires were fulfilled, in a way that they weren’t fulfilled apart from our prayer. How important that prayer was! Even if in the beginning we were asking to go 180 degrees opposite of His will. Because when we began to realize the general direction He was guiding us and we continued to pray for direction and for change, we began to walk within His will. None of this would have happened without the prayer.

So prayer is absolutely necessary and vital to God’s will, but it does not change it. I encourage and implore you: pray any matter on your heart to God continually until your heart has been changed or the thing comes to fruition, being open to either, having faith in God and His perfect love. In either case, through prayer, God’s will has been realized.

The Product of Free-Will

Another amazing part of this discussion is the fact that we get to take part in such things and are given free-will. Free-will allows us to make choices. If we have the ability to choose God, then we have the ability to reject Him. There is not one possibility without the other. The possibility of rejecting God opens the door to the amazing relationship of choosing Him—and this is love (agape)! God is sovereign and ruler of all. And in that sovereignty, He by all means has the right to make the choice to limit His control and allow free-will. Please do not misinterpret my words and call this a heresy. This makes God no less sovereign—in fact, it puts an exclamation point on His sovereignty, coupled with His patience and love—that He would purposefully step back ever so slightly from controlling all decisions and actions at all times, such that we would have the capacity to make choices…and in that, have the capacity to love. Otherwise, we are just robots. But since God is love (1 John 4:8), then God is a choice-maker. And by making us in His image, He has made us choice-makers capable of love. This is His design and He looks at this creation and calls it good (Gen 1:31).

So when the world hangs in the balance—our individual worlds or the entire earth—consider prayer. Pray the matter through to completion, knowing that your prayer does matter. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b). This is because it aligns us with God. This is because it changes our hearts. This is because God willingly gives us this power of Himself to choose and make changes in this world. This is because the angels respond to the word of God and the righteous prayers of His saints. This is because of the power and value God gives an intercessor.

God’s Design: Intercessor

Isaiah 59:15b-16: “Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

God has an almost peculiar affinity to intercession. We read in Isaiah that God “wondered that there was no intercessor” to plead the case of the terribly sinful Israelites, such that they might be spared the punishment and wrath of God. If the presence of an intercessor didn’t matter, the role would not have been mentioned. In the example of Moses and his prayers (discussions with God), he was the sole intercessor and God honored that.

To God and to us, an intercessor means everything. This is because the ultimate prophecy of Isaiah 59 is Jesus Christ as the ultimate intercessor to our Father in Heaven, such that we might be spared His wrath and instead receive eternal life (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25, 1 John 2:1). The reason that John 3:16 is true—that through the love of God and by belief in Jesus we can be spared eternal death and instead have eternal life—is because when we call on Jesus for who He is, He intercedes to the Father on our behalf. In doing so, we are imparted the Holy Spirit, who cries out “Abba, Father” for us (Gal 4:6-7). If instead in the last day, Jesus says, “Depart from me, I never knew you,” we are damned because of our sin and the lack of righteous intercession (Matt 7:21-23).

So we see that a great component of the power of prayer is God’s value of intercession. In intercession, we agree with Christ for simultaneous grace and justice—a favorable outcome for us through Christ alone—and He responds in a very real way. He responds in eternally saving those interceded for, and He even responds by changing physical circumstances in the lives of those for whom intercession has been made. All within His will, of course. If in my human emotion of anger, I was so zealous to call fire from Heaven down upon the man who just cut me off on the highway, I highly doubt that God would honor that request. If God is pursuing that driver to be His child, then I just prayed outside His will and the Holy Spirit is grieved by that disharmony (Eph 4:30-32). But if instead I pray in sincerity that my co-worker who denies Christ would be saved by faith, and I pray in fervent faith, I know that the Lord will honor that prayer. Simply because God responds to holy intercession, none greater than Christ Jesus.

Conclusions

Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that “God changes His mind,” it becomes a little less relevant and doesn’t change these facts: Prayer does change specific physical things on this earth that are within God’s will. These physical things are changed because of their spiritual impact. Why this is true can likely be summed up by God’s gift of free-will and our capacity to choose and love Him, as well as each other. We should pray to seek God’s face (intimacy, seeking Him for Him alone) and not just His hands, and in a deep relationship, that would be enough. But beyond that, God desires that we are empowered and approach Him with confidence, knowing that He responds to our prayers and changes the world through us for His glory. I challenge you therefore, to approach prayer with the following motives:

1. Seeking God’s face (intimate relationship of knowing Him for the sake of knowing Him alone)

2. As a natural outflow of your love for Him

3. As an intercessor for your fellow man and God’s glory

4. As a subordinate to a sovereign God who has given you this responsibility and privilege

5. To test your desires and be transformed

6. To alter the world forever, making change for God’s preferred will and glory

What would the world look like if we all stepped up with these attitudes in sincere prayer? I don’t know fully, but I do know that it would look differently, for the better, and for God’s glory. I’m making a recommitment to prayer with full confidence of God’s power through it. I’m making a recommitment to prayer to bask in the full loving relationship with a loving God. Will you join me, be changed for good forever, and change this world for good forever? It is my prayer that you do. Amen.

The Power of Redemption - Part 2 - Rejecting Complacency

Excerpt from "The Power of Redemption - Part 1" -

"Redemption is the reclaiming as good, something that was bad. It is a reversal in esteem...

...Christ is our Savior first, and also our Redeemer. This means that once we have sinned and departed from His path, He not only saves us from Hell, but He restores us to right relationship with Him. The paths our lives take from that moment onward suddenly have purpose that they didn’t have without Him. And remarkably, the consequences that flow from our now blotted out sins become the very things that glorify God...

...When I trace it all back, every cause and effect as seen by the human eye, I marvel at the power of an amazing attribute of our God—Redeemer. Only by His redeeming power could my life be this rich, this joyous. Only by His redeeming power could my relationship with Him be stronger and fuller. Only by His redeeming power do I now call this my “plan A life!” Not that sin was the right approach—it caused years of pain!—but God is both sovereign and redeeming for those who love Him. Through Christ and Christ alone do I look back with thankfulness, live in present joy, and look forward with eagerness to a life held in the power of redemption." (read full post)

I am aware that some will respond to the news of redemption in the following way: “Well, then what do I care if I sin—it brings glory to God anyway. I might sin all the more so that God can be glorified even more. It sounds like you’re saying that it doesn’t matter if I sin or not.” Paul dealt with this attitude in Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Look at your thoughts! Do you respond to this realization of redemption by justifying your own sins? Where is your pursuit of righteousness, where is your pursuit of a God who is pursuing you? Where is your desire to be His pleasing servant? Where is your right relationship with Him? Where is your love of God who loved enough to send His Son to die on our behalf while we were still sinners? (Rom 5:8) The response of a person in relationship with Jesus to the marvel of redemption is pure thanksgiving and even greater resolve to follow Him closer than ever…not to accept sinning…but to marvel at our sinful pasts, yet redeemed presents, and look forward to never departing from our Savior and God again, knowing that if we do fall, He will redeem us…but we never want to be separated from Him again.

If God can redeem us after we’ve sinned, how much more will we be squarely in His love, delight Him, and be delighted by Him if we remain in Him and refuse to sin?! If redeemed life with Christ is this good, then why ever willingly leave Him again? A child of God has the comfort that he is never beyond the grasp of his Savior and Redeemer, so he no longer fears eternal death from sin. But we should not be complacent because of this knowledge—we should be even more resolved to refrain from sin, such that the pain and sorrow in the midst of redemption must not be suffered by the sinner or God Himself.

Have you seen the effects of sin in your life? Let’s not downplay it—there are terrible effects of our sin. I suspect that you know these effects as well as I do. The grieving that comes in the wake of our sin is expected and is even right and holy, for the Holy Spirit is grieved by our rebellion (Eph 4:30). We are in tune with God when we grieve our sin. That MUST happen—it is the natural consequence in the life of a child of God who as sinned. Thoughts of redemption should never ease the grieving of our sin immediately upon conviction—grieving of the sin itself, not grieving our circumstances, a key difference. Grieve your sin until you can produce no more tears…no grief can sufficiently capture the terror and plight of a human separated from God by sin. But on the other side of it, when God heals your heart and the pain begins to subside, I encourage you to step boldly into the life of redemption. Step up into your place as the redeemed child of God. Look at your circumstances and your new life path and no longer lament it as your doomed or fated path as a consequence of sin—but look at it with new eyes—eyes that see God’s power. God’s power that overcomes the sins of man and makes your new circumstances the things that bring Him glory and you joy. I pray that wherever you are, you come to Jesus right now. If you have just realized your sin, I pray that you ask for Him and His Spirit convicts you of sin, such that your mourn. Because on the other side of that mourning is a renewed relationship with a God who is called Our Healer.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matt 5:4)

“God heals the brokenhearted.” (Psalm 147:3)

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

It sounds morbid and cruel to wish mourning upon someone, but realize that if we don’t mourn and are not heartbroken, then we will not be comforted and healed. Once you experience His healing and comfort, I pray that you come to the full knowledge of a redeeming God and begin to marvel at the joy that He places in you. I pray that you begin to marvel at how He takes a circumstance once seen as bad and makes it so glorious for His namesake. I pray that this deepens your love and thanksgiving for your loving God. Forever. Amen.

"Powerful and Effective" Prayer - The Presence of God Almighty

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” – James 5:13-17

Why is "the prayer of a righteous person...powerful and effective?" (v. 16)

We often make or hear statements like, “the power of prayer,” or “prayer is the most powerful weapon we have,” or “prayer is the answer.” In fact, I have said those things myself and very much meant them.

The problem is that we often think of it as a means to an end: “if prayer is a weapon and I wield it, then I am victorious,” or even that “then God is victorious.” God is victorious whether or not you or I utter that prayer. God is supreme and sovereign and will never be anything but victorious. We don’t alter His outcome, we choose whether we are identified with Him in eternal victory or alienated from Him in eternal defeat.

We put too much focus on our prayers, the fact that we uttered them, or the words that we’ve chosen. Those things are not at all why the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. They are powerful and effective because in a moment of pure righteous prayer, God is made real in you and me. There is no greater power and effectiveness that you will experience than when Christ is made alive in you. You see, the righteous person that is acting in righteousness goes to God. The going to God is prayer. Therefore, the prayer was not the powerful thing itself—the prayer was a natural outcome of the righteous one’s relationship with God. The righteousness in you and me is what leads us to prayer, and those moments become powerful and effective because through the prayer we have fixed our “eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith” (Heb 12:2).

Do you see the difference? The thought that I could pray a mighty prayer to move a spiritual mountain is appealing. But if that is our thought, we’ve missed it…by a little or by a lot, we’ve missed it either way. It’s not that my prayer is powerful and effective because I pray it. It is that God is with the one who enters into sincere prayer, and “if God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom 8:31)? So the specific words or even the topic is less important than just being in the presence of God, just being in sincere prayer—that is the Source of the power and effectiveness—God Himself!

So as we go to prayer this morning or this night or in the middle of our days, let’s remember that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. Let’s remember that we have been made righteous by the blood of Christ to “be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). We could have never attained it, but upon belief Jesus immediately makes us “sons of God” in His righteousness (Rom 8:15-16, Gal 3:26-28, Gal 4:4-6). Knowing that we are made righteous and therefore our prayers are powerful and effective, let’s engage in prayer. But not because they are powerful and effective for our means, but because they are the nourishment of a real relationship with God…they are the pathway to His presence. And it is His presence that is powerful and effective, simple as that.

In His presence, we bow in awe, saying "woe is me, for I have sinned."
In His presence, His light is so bright that we cannot look straight at it.
In His presence, we have natural and healthy fear.
In His presence, He tells us not be afraid, for He has come to cleanse us as His own in love (1 John 4:18).
In His presence, we abandon our personal desires and forsake our selfish pasts.
In His presence, we see clearly in all truth.
In His presence, we learn our true identity in Christ.
In His presence, we pour out in thanksgiving to our Creator and lover of our souls.
In His presence, we are made one with Him as His Spirit is made alive in us.
In His presence, we are aligned with His will and He moves decisively on our behalf and His own.
In His presence, we are transformed powerfully.
In His presence, we are made effective ambassadors of His Word.
In His presence, we are in continual prayer to the uttermost.

So we see that Christ has made those who believe righteous, the righteous will go to Him in prayer, in prayer the righteous will enter His presence, and His presence is powerful and effective. Because of this, the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Amen.

From "Against you alone have I sinned" to "For you alone do I live"

From the Jan 4 “My Utmost for His Highest,” (http://www.myutmost.org/01/0104.html) –

Peter said to Him, ’Lord, why can I not follow You now?’ —John 13:37

“Peter did not wait for God. He predicted in his own mind where the test would come, and it came where he did not expect it. “I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Peter’s statement was honest but ignorant. “Jesus answered him, ’ . . . the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times’ ” (John 13:38). This was said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. He could not follow Jesus because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough. Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.”

This “My Utmost” is very challenging and convicting to me. “Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.” I know this full-well. We have to get beyond “natural” devotion. The kind of devotion that is excited and inspired and purely emotional at the beginning, but fades with time, or the kind of devotion that is to a cause, however noble, or to the amazing blessing or gains that we may see personally from such a devotion. This is any devotion short of sincere commitment to Jesus Himself, leading to strict obedience to His Word and a sincere desire to know Him more.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.” – 1 John 5:3-4 (see also John 14:15, 21, 23).

Again, this is more than emotional response and much, much more than a desire for the good things that such a relationship brings to my life. This is commitment to Him, at the risk of abandoning all that I consider to be my own. “Against you and you alone have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). This is an interesting and true Bible verse, as David writes that against God, and God alone has he sinned. In addition to sinning against God, we think about sinning against our family, friends, or strangers because of the hurt it might cause them, or perhaps because of some good fortune at their expense, whether they know it or not. But this verse reveals that our only sin is against God.

Have you ever put a stake in the ground and said, “I will sin no more,” or “I will not commit this sin anymore, starting right now!” And you last for hours, days, maybe even months…but sometime down the road you and I failed to keep that commitment? Why is that? Because there was even the smallest element of “natural devotion” short of holy devotion to God Himself. Often we realize in those times that we are deprived of something and we want to change that. Sometimes we use a loved one in our lives as motivation not to commit that hurtful sin (whether it be outbursts of anger, infidelity, lying, or an obvious impurity in your heart or other sin). These motivations may seem noble, but in the end they lead to failure. This is because the motivation must extend to this: “Against you and you alone have I sinned.” If our aim is anything short of devotion to God in obedience to Him for HIS sake, then we will fall.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Cor 10:12-13

To whom are we committed? To our Father who is with us to strengthen us to withstand all temptation that we might face? If not, then we will not stand. If so, then we will surely stand. The struggle then, isn’t against sin or to stay motivated and devoted to the cause or the person that we are abstaining from sin for…the struggle is to remain wholly devoted to the only One who can save us and can strengthen us such that we are “more than conquerors” (Rom 8:37). This “One” is Jesus Christ. When our daily motivation to lead a holy life reaches a point where our thoughts are purely for God and living for Him, recognizing our weakness even in our strongest moments and our need for Him, we have a foothold that will never slip. For most of us, this is a life-long struggle, which is the source of “work out your salvation” (Phil 2:12). Our salvation was immediate and permanent upon receiving Christ (Eph 1:13-14, 4:30, 2 Cor 2:21-22). Yet, we must work out that salvation in the daily struggle with sin, and our victory is in supernatural devotion to Jesus, imparted to sincere hearts that truly seek Him first and above all else, realizing that “against you and you alone have I sinned,” and therefore when I live righteously, it is because for You and You alone do I live. 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.

Silent Spirituality

Have you ever been drawn to someone's spirituality? In those circumstances I think some are actually drawn to the Holy Spirit displayed in the individual saint, but other times I'm afraid we're drawn to the other person themselves. Call it mystery, wonder, adventure, the possibility of something better, some mystical spirituality that someone possesses that we want to be a part of. Some of that may hit or miss you, but the point is the vast difference to which you are drawn: to the person or to God.

The above perspective seems to focus on the observer and not the person on display...but I think it is just as important to look at yourself on the other end. If I have any "spirituality" worth sharing, it is the kind that puts others' focus squarely on God. The degree to which others begin focusing on me is the degree to which I am a distraction from God to them. The perfect witness or inspiration would be one where no one remembered your name, what you even looked like, or any specific detail about you...but instead they remembered the movement of the Holy Spirit in them and their revelation about God that was true and in their core.

Of course, as humans I think we find it extremely difficult to completely meet this picture of spirituality, whether from the observer or sharing role. But that doesn't change our aim: decrease me and increase you, Lord. John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease."

What is of equal or greater importance than the degree to which you achieve this pure, God glorifying witness, is the intent of your heart. When you share your spiritual thoughts with others, what is your motivation? Not 100% pure all of the time yet? You're a normal child of God...but be on your way...seek to grow in this area and pray in communion with God for it. God knows how to give good gifts, none greater than the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:13
"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!" (see also Matt 7:11)

Do you see someone whose spiritual insights inspire you? Try to see less of them and more purely the Spirit. Realize that the same God works in you and will work his perfect purpose in your life just the same as theirs. You need not wonder if you can hear from God like others: you can and you likely have without even recognizing it. Besides, we were all once sinners condemned to Hell for eternity, yet we now have everlasting Heaven through Christ. If this is possible in the fraction of a second when you accepted Christ, what might be possible through Him by morning?!!

Jesus in Matt 6: 3-6, 16-18 -
But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly...
...Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

It happens most purely when no human knows of your impact, but God sees in secret. It happens when the slightest of circumstances gives glory to God in the eyes of an observer and you never know it until Heaven. And it even happens when you are unfortunately aware of your impact and are seen by others as spiritual. I say "unfortunately" because any self-realization can be a burden if you think that you are responsible for producing the next inspiration or witness, or if you take pride in what you feel you have accomplished. How hard for the flesh to be a silent anonymous witness and how much harder for that witness to be unbeknownst to you...but how pleasing and pure to the Holy Spirit inside of you.

Seek to be fulfilled by spending time with God alone, instead of on display and through things seen in the flesh. The mundane gives glory to God as much or more than the great things seen by men. For when men see, they often attribute some of the glory to other men. How glorious when all praise and glory is instead given to our Heavenly Father.

Experiencing God - Dying to Self

Recently, I was reading "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, a daily devotional. In the Apr 21 devotional, titled "Don't Hurt the Lord," a few lines really jumped out and convicted me... (http://myutmost.org/04/0421.html)

In talking about our expectations of how God will move in our lives and reveal Himself to us and others, he says, "Other people see the manifestation, the child of God does not. We want to be conscious of God; we cannot be conscious of our consciousness and remain sane."

That is a very deep statement, but after reading it several times and thinking about it, I thought that it might be easiest to relate to the statement with the concept of humility. I've been known to offer the following as a joke: "I am the most humble person I know." I hope you can laugh with me as you realize how contradictory that statement is! But in context of O.C.'s statement above, we need to be conscious of humility, yet not conscious of our consciousness. What I mean is this: the thought should be “I want to be humble in this situation,” not “I know I am being humble in this situation.” Or better yet, just being humble without calling it humble ourselves…doing it naturally without humility being the goal. When you take the thought to the point of calling yourself humble, you are praising yourself and being less humble than you first intended. I wonder if that is the difference between being conscious of something and being conscious of our consciousness of something?

The most convicting statement in that devotional, though, was the following: "If we are asking God to give us experiences, or if conscious experience is in the road, we hurt the Lord."

I often want God to use me, and I ask Him to do so. But how often do we ask with the expectation that we might be used and be ok with never even knowing it? Don’t we usually conceptualize being used by God as some great and wonderful thing—not only for God and for others, but that we might experience it ourselves as we do His work? This may be the way God rewards us most of the time, but how utterly selfless is the request that we might be used by God, while being fully receptive to never even getting to experience it or even knowing it? Think about it: even in my most selfless requests to God for Him to use me in any way that He sees fit, with no regard to my own circumstances or personal desires, even then I almost always have at least a hint of selfishness…because I expect to see the work I am doing for Him, and I expect to be fulfilled by that. Now, it is true that in almost every circumstance those who have utterly sold-out to God and serving Him have had the greatest sense of fulfillment of any men…but that is inconsequential for our requests—it cannot be the motivation, or even the “kicker” that we perceive as good because of personal gain. What if we could place ourselves in such a selfless place that we would be willing to serve God in anything and everything that we do, trusting that He is doing His great things through our work, yet having absolutely no awareness to the good that is coming of it? What if we learned to become so selfless that we would commit to being a tool for God even if we never saw an ounce of fulfillment and success in our work for Him—if our only solace was our trust that He was doing things unseen to us, according to His promises? Wow, I can tell you that I don’t yet know how to make myself that selfless…but I sure would like to work toward it. It sounds grim, it sounds absolutely hard…but I know it is an attitude pleasing to God. And I do know that He loves me so much that He will allow me to share His joy and the fruits of the Spirit He places inside of me—but the struggle is to rid myself of those things as motivation and commit to Him because it is right, simple as that.

For those of us who are young in our faith, dying to self is extremely hard to do, or to even fully comprehend what it means. Jesus says in John 12:24-26, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." Furthermore, Paul says in Galations 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (More in Luke 9:23-25, Mark 8:34-36, Matt 16:24-26)

After you have started dying to worldly desires and sins, then begin to die to your own expectations of the future, then begin to die to what you might do any given day, then begin to die to everything else—there is often something that remains that should die. Even if we have died to self in all other ways and given our lives as service and sacrifice to God (which is a big if, in of itself), for many of us, including myself, there is an expectation of fulfillment through that. That somehow the experience will be fulfilling in of itself. But the very last part of us that we can give up is the expectation that through all of it, every good thing, we might not require such an experience, such a fulfillment…that we might be content to obey God in pure servanthood—that although God doesn’t usually deprive us of the rich joy that comes in serving Him and sharing in His sufferings, we would be willing to commit to Him even if it did require that depravation of joy—wouldn’t that be ultimately dying to self completely? That is what I am trying to communicate, what I know I will likely never comprehend or fully realize as a human on this earth, but what I would like to work toward. There is some comfort here: we know as we serve God and commit our lives to Him, He sends the Holy Spirit and the fruits of that Spirit are a wonderful experience: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galations 5:22-23). And the best news of all: Heaven awaits! Until then, I would like to learn how to embrace this attitude a little bit more every day.

The Cure

Loved Ones,

I have not always had a relatable answer to those who might ask me why I witness. And that has led to timidity. But there is a good answer that I think most people will relate to, even those who are not yet saved:

“Why do you witness? Why do you feel compelled to share your faith?”

These are questions that I have heard asked of those who actively share Christ with those around them. And often the question is not good-hearted…often it is asked with a tone of annoyance or even resentment. Why many of the world assume this attitude is a good topic for conversation, but right now I am more focused on our response to the question.

Consider Tim Tebow. It’s funny that at the mention of his name, if you know about him and who he is, you probably just had a reaction inside. If you don’t like the Florida Gators, that’s one thing (I am not a UF fan by any stretch of the imagination). But most have a reaction because he openly professes Christianity and seeks to share it with so many. He and other collegiate football players can be seen on TV on Saturdays with scriptural references on their eye-black strips below their eyes. I think that is awesome. I have heard that on Saturday, the number one Googled Bible scripture is the one on Tim Tebow’s face. If that’s true, it is absolutely awesome. Whatever the impact, people are seeking God’s Word through open and public witnesses such as these.

But many have a great disdain for Tim Tebow. I have heard many say almost these exact words: “He is a great college football player, I’ll give him that, but I can’t stand him because he pushes his faith on other people. If there’s a place for that, it’s not on the football field.” First of all, what is “pushing your faith” on someone? I believe Tim and others share their faith and the pushing that the individual feels as a result is the Holy Spirit!

I wish I was personally asked the question, “Why do you feel like you need to witness to me?” Even if the attitude is combative—because that would mean that I was actively witnessing. But nevertheless, I have considered the question. Why do I feel like I need to witness? The truth is this:

Consider the following situation: you and your entire family have cancer, for which there is no known cure. You are all dying together. One day you happen upon the cure. You did not create the cure, and likely someone else shared it with you, but you have happened upon the cure and you are cured—cancer removed! What do you do next? Certainly, you will share it immediately with everyone you know, especially your family who is dying of the cancer! How can you keep that to yourself? You can’t, and you share it with them because you love them and want them to have life.

The truth is that every single one of us on earth does have a cancer. This cancer is sin—separation from God that results in death to our souls. We are doomed without a cure. But one day, someone shared the Cure with me and I am free of it! God is the Good Doctor who discovered/created the Cure…but we have to go to see the Doctor to receive the Cure. He is there with it, beckoning us just to come to Him to receive it. But how will we go to the Doctor if we don’t first realize that we need to? We must first realize that we have the disease, then we must realize that there is a Cure, and we must recognize Who holds that Cure. Finally, we must go to the Doctor to receive the Cure—and then it’s all over—we’re cured. The Doctor Himself even comes right to us, but we must still allow Him to administer the shot that will cure us—He has done all the work and we simply have to accept Him and His Cure.

The example above contains 4 steps. Recognize your sin, recognize that you can be saved from sin, recognize that God through Jesus Christ is your salvation, and finally accept Him and go right to Him for forgiveness. The Cure is Jesus Christ, His willing and sacrificial death for us on the cross, and His resurrection and defiance of death as we know it. This is possible through His unending, boundless, perfect love for us, His creation.

If you have not experienced that yet, I encourage you to do it right away and accept the wonderful cure available to you. If you have experienced Him, you know just how amazing it is. How can we keep that to ourselves? How can we not share with everyone we meet? We are all part of the same family, after all. Let's help bring our family to God for the cure of salvation.

Amendment (4/23/10) - Great verse that sums up our approach: 1 Peter 3:15 - "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..."

Our Work Here - Tested by Fire

From Paul to the church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 3:4-15 --

"4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men? 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.
14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

Verses 4-9 are truth. And I am convicted by verses 10-15. Verse 15 is a comfort — as Christ followers we are saved, yes, that is not in question. Even if what I do fails to save others and have an eternal impact, I know that I, myself, and saved. That is comforting...but what is the work that we are doing? Verse 10 says we must be careful what we build on our foundation of Jesus Christ. And verse 13 says that our work will be revealed through fire. It’s now that I wonder how much of my work will endure into Heaven…through the test of spiritual fire. The answer is “not much to this point," and if the same is true for you, I hope we are both determined to change that. I am convinced that what we do every day will be measured by its eternal impact. What is the fruit of our work every day? Are we building lives and legacies of houses, entertainment, reputations or anything else that can be measured in this world alone? It will be burned away — it will not remain. The entirety of my life — reduced to nothing, except that which brought glory to God and saved others. It is a terrible thought that your entire life could be reduced to smoldering ash…so we must change what we’re working for, and it must be eternal, it must be of highest quality…we don't have to know immediately how, but it must be our new goal, and we must pursue it to completion.

The verses here are simple, yet profound. It makes me think, “today, what am I putting on the foundation of God? Will it burn away like wood, or will it remain, like a precious gem? Today, did I help to build the eternal house or just an illusion of one? What will I do tomorrow?”

What will you do today that will endure into Heaven?