Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Raging Fool

"Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end." --Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)


I don't like confrontation. Who does? It's necessary though and unavoidable. If we try to avoid it, we give way to a growth in our heart that ends up eating us alive: bitterness.


How often to we just let go of our anger and vent fully to those nearest to us? Sometimes I come home to my wife and just unleash on her all the stuff that went wrong, obviously myself very upset about it. The evening gets ruined or the attitude in the house changes to a negative spirit. I understand the need to vent some things, but in rage? 


I really like Proverbs. Sometimes the stuff that has been put together in a sentence makes a chuckle a little. Kind of like this verse that I read this morning, "A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth." No kidding! I'm not sure, though, about the correlation between the two, but both statements make sense. It's just a little interesting how he talks about wisdom making dad joyful and then quickly shifts the subject to going broke because the son decided to be "prostitute happy." 


But this verse above really spoke out to me today and I'm reminded of some other Scriptures that have to do with this. I've always had some issues about getting angry about something. Some may not know it because I try my best to maintain self-control in public. But for some faulty reason, I actually believe it's okay to animatedly vent the anger to my spouse. Let me share that other verse with you:
"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." --James 1:19-21
How can this rage accomplish anything God desires? How can I please the Lord with this kind of stuff? Venting the rage within comes from the knowledge deep down that my comfort, my pursuit has been offended or interrupted. The vent comes from the selfishness within me without taking others into the equation. Proverbs clearly tells me that I've become a fool to vent my rage. Wisdom is found in the understanding that life isn't all about us but about God and others.


Then comes the real question: since when did my life really ever revolve completely around me? If my pursuit is God, then my life centers around Him. He is the center. If He's the center, I'm not. What God desires cannot be accomplished through my anger. And that's why we get rid of the evil, the darkness within us that pulls us back from pleasing Him. The only way to do that is to accept that grace, the word of God planted within us that can save us. 


Then there's that other section in the Bible that really makes it very clear as to what God expects.
"For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."  --Galatians 5:14-25 (NIV) [emphasis added]
This passage speaks volumes to me and helps me clarify even more in my life that is and isn't of God. It's clear. These things that God is not pleased with that we do every day show us our need for Him to save us! It also spells out what God brings through us. If my anger doesn't bring about the kind of life God desires of me, these are the things that he expects in its place. Peace, love, kindness... Where does rage fit in with peace? Where does my anger fit in with love?

Awareness of the one command to "Love others as we love ourselves" helps keep us in line with what God desires of us. And the one command is exactly what He desires. Keeping others in mind will help keep the fits of rage away. Losing site of the "neighbor" opens the door for the flesh to reign in that moment and cause destruction. We must realize what's at stake! Not only does it destroy the neighbor and our reputation and witness, but habit of rage keeps us from the kingdom. That's what hurts the most. That's the ultimate factor at stake.

Lord, thank You for Your grace! Thank You for the Word planted in me to save me! Remove the filth in my heart that seeks to satisfy me so that I can produce the righteousness you desire, the fruit of the Spirit. Help me to be quick to listen with the two ears you gave me, and slow to speak with the one mouth you gave me. Give me strength to think of others first, to love them as much as I love myself, to bring calm in the end.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Unbelieving Believers

This is kind of a post that coincides with the previous one. I've gone over in the previous post about God being the One who fills us. Here in the next section of Colossians (1:15-23), we can catch a glimpse of God's bigness, the fullness of Him who fills all things.

Jesus. What a name! If you haven't had a chance to read the verses yet, click here and you'll see what I mean. Here He's only mentioned as the Son. This is the greatness of our Savior, the amazing truth of the awesomeness of God. Jesus embodied God's fullness within Himself. But to capture His greatness hidden in the flesh of a man, we get an amazing picture of His power. Everything was created through Him and for Him, He preceded it all and holds it all together. He started it all and holds it all and it all belongs to Him.

To get a little better of an idea of "in him all things hold together," I'd like share with you something I heard while in college during one of the senior sermons. It's stuck with me for awhile. If you went to college with me you might remember it. Scientists have long since discovered that everything is made of atoms. But what they couldn't figure out was what is holding all the atoms together. The name they came up with was gluon (glue on). But I guess if they would have looked in the Bible (heaven forbid), they'd see what the real name is: Jesus. Mull that over for awhile and tell me what you think. It makes sense if through Jesus everything was created.

This is the cool part. All this fullness of the Creator of the universe and all that is in it, it's all crammed into this man, Jesus! The image of the invisible God! And not only is it all in Him, but God was pleased to do it!

We measure our greatness to the next guy and compare ourselves with them. We say we're good enough, or have good morals, or that we're not Hitler. But compared to the perfection of Christ...nope. No comparison. And that's why God sent Him. A perfect price had to be paid for redemption and it was only found in God Himself. I want you to check out this video. It does a better job capturing the idea of this reconciliation through Christ's death, the cross, and His blood. And thanks, Ryan Green, for sharing this on your blog!


Christ has reconciled us to God and He has removed His wrath because of the cross! We have been made holy because of Him! There's only one thing we have to do now: continue in faith.

We're going through a new series here at Meridian Point Church called Hour of Prayer. This past weekend our Lead Pastor talked about the power of prayer and challenged us to use the Model Prayer from Jesus in Matthew 6 when we pray throughout the week. Makes total sense to do. Please take this next section as a humbling lesson from me because that's how I feel about it. All the glory goes to God and nowhere else because He alone is the One who works within us to perfect our salvation. God had a lesson for me in my lack of faith.

Before services our Worship Department goes around and prays in the worship center, sitting in chairs and praying for those specific people who will sit down right there. Well, God was at work. We prayed and got up to rehearse and worship with the church. After the message was over, a man got up and had something to share with us. At first, when things like that happen, there's hesitancy about the whole situation because you don't know what they're going to say. But the first words out of his mouth was, "Someone prayed in my seat. They had to have. I've never felt God's presence like this before in my life. He's doing something in me and let me tell you about it."

At that moment I was taken aback because that was the very seat I prayed in! I had to repent! What began as a good thing to do before the service, I didn't really believe in or that God would do anything. The hand of God is more powerful than we can give Him credit for. My faith has been rocked as I've seen the power of God work in prayer. The question comes gently from Him, "Where is your faith?" and from Paul's pleading as well, "continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel."

Then another person got and shared with the congregation the power of prayer, the influence God has given her in a community of people who need physical help, and proof of God's working today to the rest of us, the unbelieving believers.

Tears well up in my eyes even now as I confess with certainty that I have sinned and repent. But joy wells up in my heart and mind as I confess to you something even greater! Jesus saved me so that God's fullness would fill me as He has come to make His throne in my heart! His Spirit teaches me and guides to me to know His wisdom and understand His will to please Him in every way. I confess to you that I've seen the power of God at work. I've experienced the humbling reality that God can even use faithless people to restore and encourage others to know what faith really looks like. I confess that I believe and know that He is God.

The greatness and awesome power of God, the Creator, dwelled within His Son, Jesus, to lead Him to the cross so that those who believe and have faith may experience for themselves the overflowing fullness of God.

He is near. Do you really believe?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

My Prayer for This Year

One of the most important things to me this year is growing in my knowledge of God's will and developing an irresistible love for His Word. I've been going over things that the Spirit has been revealing to me and helping me apply to my life. This post uncovers the reason I'm blogging. I've long made it no secret that I believe worship is a lifestyle, my response toward God because of His love and grace toward me. I am to offer myself to Him for His purpose. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, to share in His sufferings (and I stole that from Paul in his letter to the Philippians because I truly believe that is the attitude God is developing within me now). But I also believe that God doesn't want me to withhold from you what He has been teaching me. As He uncovers more of His gracious love toward me day by day, I begin to see a little more of Him and am very willing to share with you what I see. This isn't only for my benefit or solely for yours. God's Word applies to all whether they believe it or not. His principles have not changed, and His character remains the same from the beginning. Only He is worthy of praise, and understanding and knowledge comes from Him. He is the one who fills us. May the believer take note that we are all to be looking to Him for guidance and the revealing of the Truth of His Word.

Yesterday I wrote of the assuring hope because of Christ. It's what draws us together and bring about an action in our lives consisting of faith and love. This prayer Paul mentions next is also my prayer for you and me. This prayer is why I'm sharing with you.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. --Colossians 1:9-14 (NIV)
"We continually ask God to fill you" -- One of the first things that sticks out to me is asking God to fill us. The knowledge of His will only can come from the Spirit. There is nothing on our part where it can come directly from ourselves. It's all God. Our part is seeking Him. The more we grow in Him the more we begin to know His will and are able to make judgments based on that wisdom and understanding. I'm beginning to wonder that if we're not getting it or understanding, maybe it's because we aren't asking Him to fill us. Maybe in an attempt to be filled we aren't filling up correctly in that we're using the God's word to make us feel right or for our own purposes instead of His.

God filling us up with the knowledge of Him brings only one thing: a life lived unto the Lord. There has been times in my life when I've not been worthy of the name tag I wear. I boldly wear my identity as a Christian...sometimes. Moments come when I'll shame the identity I have in Christ. I believe those moments come because I've slacked in seeking God and instead have sought my own pleasure. The "filling" is of more of myself instead of God, the pleasure is for myself instead of God. The problem becomes the disgrace to the Name I bear. The identity doesn't leave in those moments. Thank the Lord for His mercy toward me!

Quick Note: The letter to the Colossian church was sent to also counterattack the heresy that was spreading around among them. Some who claimed to be followers of God were teaching a different gospel from the one they first heard. Knowledge and becoming full as a person was offered by these false teachers in a different and self-fulfilling way. But Paul makes clear that God is the one who fills. How often have we allowed worldly teaching to interfere with the truth of God? What things have crept into your understanding and wisdom (or what you believe the understanding and wisdom to be) that isn't true of God's character? Let me encourage you, before we come to conclusions about what we've been taught to be knowledge or "new," let us first be sure to test it against His Word!

"please Him in every way:" -- Here Paul gives the list of how we please Him in every way when God fills us with the knowledge of His will through the wisdom and understanding the Spirit gives. There are four things and they all seem to point in reference to the greatest commandment of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

  1. Bearing fruit in every good work (love in action - bringing praise only to God through the way we live by loving Him and spreading His love toward others; fruitful good works benefits God's Name and others' lives)
  2. Growing in knowledge of God (mind - our relationship with the Lord and His purpose for our lives become clearly seen)
  3. Strength from His power to endure (strength that is found only in God - life is tough sometimes, but we please Him when we rely on His strength to pull through as we wait and patiently endure those trials)
  4. Gratitude for the hope of our future (grateful soul - we please God by giving thanks to Him for the future He has in store for us in His kingdom)
Isn't that neat? God fills us with the ability to fulfill the greatest commandment! So it seems right to say that God's will for us is to fulfill the greatest commandments, and He is the one who gives us the knowledge and the understand in how to conduct our lives to do so. Where do we fit in? We don't! We have one responsibility and that's to seek Him! And in seeking Him, the kingdom of light shines brightly in this world of darkness and points directly to the Father!

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." -- And this is the most awesome part of the whole passage: God's grace! We have been rescued! We've been taken from the kingdom lost in darkness and brought into His kingdom, the kingdom of light, through the Son He loves and yet crucified for us so that we might have forgiveness! There is nothing more freeing in life that forgiveness. When the bitterness of guilt and wrongdoing control us, all we long for is release. Feeding on bitterness consumes us and affects all our surroundings and out lives. But when released by forgiveness, there are no words to describe the freedom forgiveness brings! The walls of the kingdom we once were held captive in have been broken down and we have been redeemed, just like a free pass to get into an amusement park, but better...way better! We have a pass to get into the Kingdom of God!!! The pass is Jesus. The pass has been paid for. We've been moved from a loyalty that ended in ultimate destruction and into a loyalty that leads to the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Lord, fill us with the knowledge of Your will! Please give us the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and please You in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to You, our Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of Your holy people in the kingdom of light. For You have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son You love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Assurance of Hope

This post was begging for the title, "The Audacity of Hope" but it was taken by a book. I thought it better to label it differently. However, I'm going to attempt to talk about what true hope is compared to what it is not, and what comes from it. There are many forms of hope in our lives, aren't there? But true hope is found beyond our desires and comes from a different place than some wishful outcome. There is only one hope that matters. (that's a bold statement)

Think about a hope you have. Here's a few examples: "I hope..."

  • she/he calls me back.
  • my kids do well in school.
  • I don't get hurt.
  • they go to prison.
  • they get a ticket.
  • I get the job!
  • I win!
  • we have a girl!
  • remember.
  • the house doesn't burn down while we're gone.
All these "hopes" are found in complete helplessness of our circumstances. And lets face it, all hopes are. Hope puts us in a place where we can do nothing about the situation in some cases. The outcome is what the outcome becomes. Many times hope begins because we've placed the outcome in someone else's hands. And we're not always to fond of that idea. But what if there was an assurance in this helpless form of hopelessness? When hope doesn't simply have a wishful outcome, but a destined outcome, hope brings more to our lives because it's true. Even if that kind of hope is placed in someone else's hands, I can rest in it a lot easier.

The Truth is found in the message of the gospel. Hope is found in none other than Jesus Christ. The message of hope comes from the good news that there is One in whom we all can place our trust. Colossians 1:5 says that it is stored up in heaven and comes from the gospel. It originated in heaven, came to earth, and is now found in Christ. This kind of hope is sure. This kind of hope is true. There is no wishful outcome, but only a destiny predetermined by the only God who wants all of us to have a chance to know Him on a personal level. 

There are two things that come from this hope (Colossians 1:4). One is faith in Christ Jesus. The other is love for God's people. This is genuine stuff. Faith isn't something based on a blind decision, but on the facts of Jesus and what He's done for us and is continuing to do in us because we believe in Him and the message of the gospel. Love isn't something fleeting that runs on emotions or a pursuit of happiness, but is deeper and founded in the Truth; humble and unconditional in affection and action, desiring the betterment of others instead of ourselves. 

This is the true hope. This is the hope that comes with an assurance that can't be broken or moved. The destiny of those in this hope have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The practical part of this hope is challenging for me. I've noticed that if this fruit of faith and love aren't evident in my lifestyle, my hope has moved from Jesus to something else much less true. But living in the hope that I have because of Jesus, a hope placed in the hands of the Creator of the universe (which is a much better place to rest it in), creates through me fruit that makes a difference, based on a immoveable foundation of Truth. That's what I want. 

This is the hope that the world finds utterly audacious, which is why I wanted to title this differently. But I've found no reason not to believe. And the more I've come to know this hope, the stronger my foundation has become. Tomorrow's post will deal with the second half of this hope and how to live it out in a world that just doesn't understand. But hope comes from the assurance of the believer's destiny because of Christ. 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Do You Worry?

There's a lot of skepticism on worry and the Bible. I've heard many people say that because their a parent and/or a spouse, it's their job to worry about their kids or wife or husband. Or, because of the fragility of their work, it's okay to worry about their job. Trust is a hard thing to keep in a world that values the pressure of getting to the top through deceit and the "whatever it takes" mentality. But the real question is whether you trust anyone else, but do you trust God?

I'm reading in Philippians still. I think you'll find that I stay in one place for long periods of time because there's too much in there to miss. And I believe it's okay to have one small lesson a day to apply to living than moving quickly from one thing to another. It takes a lot for me to process God's Word. Anyway, I'm in chapter 4, the last chapter of the letter, and have begun reading the farewell remarks.

Paul likes to give exhortation at the end of the letter that specifically applies to the situations the church is facing. One thing this church was having trouble with was joy. Joy seemed to be the best answer in dealing with what they were going through. I mean, how else could any church have an impact in the community? Without joy, what reason would there be to meet at all!

To get to the point, verses 6-9 deal with what stuck out to me today. He talks about anxiousness, literally translated "worry" in the Greek. Mostly the same. This passage reminds me of Luke 12 when Jesus gives a message of relying on God for your daily needs. But how often do we turn to the self-sufficiency model of living instead of turning to God first? Paul doesn't leave us high and dry, but gives us an example of what to do in place of worry. Again, I really like what Ash said in his commentary:
"Let God's power address men's concern. If divine power could not effect resolution, then none would be possible. That would be the cause for worry! And prayer is as wide as life, for 'everything' is its scope."
There is nothing too big for God to handle. And somehow us worrying or being anxious about something is kind of like us saying to the Creator of the universe, "God, I know this is too big for you, so I'll take this one." How does that even make any sense? Echoing Jesus, if God can take care of the grass of the field, and it does no labor, can't we believe that God can take care of it? Take care of us?

There's a blessing that comes from trusting God, from taking it to prayer, everything to prayer. Paul says we are to pray to Him with thanksgiving. That part is the hard thing to do. It's in that moment we lay down our "right" to handle it ourselves and trust completely in the Lord, knowing and believing that the outcome is exactly what He desires. Again, it all comes down to us surrendering to His will.

The blessing is the peace of God. This is a special expression of peace. It deals with the fact that God is peace, it's something of Himself. So no matter what the outcome of the prayer, even if it doesn't turn out the way we would like, peace is still there because we've surrendered to His will over our own. It something we can't rationalize, or can't quite grasp from a human perspective. This peace goes beyond any planning we could do on our own because God is at the core.

This peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ. To the Philippians, the metaphor of a soldier guarding an entrance becomes very clear. Nothing is allowed to go in and mess things up without going through the soldier first. So if this peace is some of God Himself, we couldn't ask for a better guard to our heart and mind!

Many times we all face anxiousness and worry throughout the day. The next moment, even, could hold an opportunity to forget everything and begin to worry about what might come next, even though the future isn't in our hands to begin with. Worry comes from dwelling on the problem. We think about it too much. So Paul gives another example and "way out" of worry: replace your thoughts with this:
"...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." - Philippians 4:8
Now, obviously these things pertain to the character of God Himself. And I believe that they all have to do with one another. Things can be lovely and admirable, but if it lacks purity, it's sin. Replacing our thoughts with incomplete goodness could give way to something very dangerous and perverted, and ultimately lead toward a downward spiral in sin excused as an escape from worry. But these things together describe the greatness of God and His purpose for us. God is true, He is right, nobility is something worthy of respect, lovely (a word that was also defined as "virtue") keeps our minds out of the gutter, and admirable things don't offend. All those things must be weighed with the attributes of excellence and praiseworthiness. We must replace the thoughts of concern about the outcome of things with thoughts of God and His character, surrendering the outcome to His will. Think about the things that are worthy of praise and positive recognition, things that God has done in your life, the evidence of God and His love. When we put those thoughts in place of the problem, or put a spin on the problem with those thoughts, the walls worry don't stand a chance because it's foundation is crumpled.

Lord, guard my heart and mind as I surrender my troubles to you. I know that You're in control. I rest in Your peace.
 

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Quick Reminder 3

For the believer, citizenship is in heaven. Isn't it nice to know?

I'm faced with a new scenario in my life. Questions of my lifestyle come up constantly within myself as Christ overtakes and overcomes more and more of me. Philippians 3:17-21 is where I'm at today. I notice here that an example has been set for me to follow, to mimic. The definition of an enemy of cross is given. I wonder if I've become an enemy sometimes. My witness of how the cross has impacted my life is seen in how I live and what I value. Verse 19:
Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
That's the enemy of the cross. People whose minds are set on earthly things. Whatever we believe this life to be about, those things that can only come from earth, the pursuit of fleeting happiness from the fulfillment of stuff and everything else that perishes or can be destroyed by fire or water, that person is the enemy of the cross. I fail too. I don't look to the cross for deliverance like I should. Christ isn't the first one I turn to when I'm in trouble. Counsel is sought from peers and friends over the Word of God. Money is what fixes things, not His provision. I want something better, but the better tends to be what is seen and felt rather than what comes with faith. Is my mind so shallow to not believe there is something deeper going on than the surface issues that rise up every day? Why is this so difficult? I've been redeemed! I want to know Christ!

But for the Christian, citizenship is in heaven, not this earth. We look to what Christ will do in transforming who we are now into something glorious and eternal. I like what Anthony Ash said in his commentary, "The enemies focused on the body only as it related to this life. Christ called men to consider it as it related to the next. The Christian's destiny is not decay, but transformation."

Suddenly, anything that burns is futile. If death is certain, then those things which last must take priority of the things that don't. What kind of kingdom are we living for? Where is our citizenship? Are we spreading American culture as it applies to what we see, or spreading the Christ culture as it applies to each's destiny? Transform me now, Lord, to live as a citizen of heaven on this earth until it's all over and I'm transformed for an eternity in Your presence!

Another thought:
I read something that caught my attention here in this passage. When Paul refers to citizenship, he's appealing to a similar type of Philippian citizenship to Rome. Rome had made Philippi a Roman city. So the rights of Roman citizenship were given to the Philippians. Anywhere they went they could assert their Roman citizenship and spread Roman culture. Paul uses this word, and it's the only time it was ever referenced like this in the Bible, in reference to their citizenship in heaven. So they share all the access and rights as being a citizen of heaven anywhere they went, and were to spread the heavenly culture everywhere the went. It's a really neat thought that applies to us as well. We share in the access to God as a citizen of heaven, spreading the culture of Christ everywhere we go.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Quick Reminder 2

This post is based off the last one a little bit. The story doesn't end about us needing reminders of the same understanding we've come to over and over again. There's one thing we must remember all the time: I'm not there yet.

Ever get to the point where you believe there's nothing left to learn? Technology has changed that. Every day there's something new for us web and graphic designers to learn. It doesn't stop and we've never arrived. There's a new graphic, a new terminology, a new style that catches our attention that now we must incorporate to what we already have or do. (And the new colors are orange and gray, by the way. Earlier this past year, it was blue and gray. I'm not sure why but it seems that the Gatorade colors are what people are most interested in, especially when layered over grays and blacks.)

But we tend to treat what we've been taught differently. We're not all that teachable anymore. Our opinions define how we act...sort of. We live off opinions to an extent. Media influences what we've come to naturally believe about the rest of the world. But when someone comes and says something different we're faced with a crisis. What we've been taught is familiar and safe. Change is scary, and believing that there's still more for us to learn can hurt our pride. Sometimes I read the Bible and don't see anything new. Sometimes it's the same message. Sometimes my journaling seems to have recorded everything there is to know about a certain Scripture. Sometimes the commentary seems like it's enough.

Paul gives great illustration to what he was and now has become. He believed he was there. He had attained what living for God was supposed to look like, or so he thought. When faced with Christ he came to a crisis in his life. This dilemma would change him forever if he chose to believe there was something more. I admire that. He allowed himself to be taught more. There are some things we've been taught that are solid and won't change. But there are other things we have yet to learn.

Paul didn't believe he was done. Philippians 3:7-11 says that he wanted to know more, even more Christ than he had. Nothing else mattered. Everything other than Christ was simply not worth it. All those things he had attained meant nothing anymore. Christ has become everything. All the deeds, even the motive in getting God's approval for his life couldn't bring him to that place. Only Christ could.

In verse 12, the apostle said that he hadn't attained it yet! He said that he hasn't arrived at his goal! That's crazy! This guy whom God used for spreading His message of grace (and testimony that tops all others) said that he was not even close to getting there. What's awesome is that he wasn't going to let anything keep him from getting there either.

I think we tend to allow things to get in the way of our pursuit of knowing Christ. How many things come to mind that hold you back from living to your full potential in Christ? Fear? Acceptance? Rejection? Time? Family? Friends? Stuff in the past? Break free from the chains that hold you back from straining for what's ahead!

Now finally, what I really want to get to is in verse 15 and 16.
All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Those of us who have been in this journey with Christ for a while, should always keep in mind that God has more in store for us. We are to pursue Him and forget what's behind to move forward. Those who haven't been in this race for long, God will reveal more to you as you seek Him more. So live up to what we do know. Live up to what God has already revealed to us. We're not there yet, but we can begin right now to live out what we've been taught already. What have you been keeping Christ from doing in your life? What is holding you back from running the race to take hold of the prize? Jesus knows God unlike any of us. But He took hold of us on the cross so that we can know God just like Jesus. Are we pressing on "to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me"?

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Quick Reminder

Sometimes it seems as though I've already read this. Ever get that way? Deja vu in reading, learning, or whatever. Here it goes again, the same ole, same ole. Nothing different...maybe.

We are a forgetful people. I've played the same songs during worship services over and over again and still forget the lyrics or the next chord or riff, sometimes even the order of the song. It's frustrating. It's especially frustrating when I don't remember where I left my wallet and keys. And even more frustrating when I can't find the chapstick! I'm convinced it has legs that secretly come out of the sides to run and play tricks on me by showing up in odd places.

Paul begins chapter 3 saying that it's no trouble for him to remind them of the same things again. I don't like having to remind anyone of anything! We're supposed to be adults and remember things...right? How often to I have to teach the same thing over and over again to get it through people's heads?! It's frustrating sometimes.

Then he says it's a safeguard for them. That makes sense, since we can't even remember where we left our shoes, or our child's name when we call them. Hearing the same things over and over again help us remember. The stuff that sticks is repetitive. I know I've read the Old Testament and have wondered if I would have been the same as the Israelites, constantly forgetting God and His commands, even when His presence was visibly among them! We are a forgetful people. Why do we like routine? Because we can finally remember what we're supposed to do. Why does Paul not mind teaching the same things over and over again? Because it helps believers to remember why they believe and Who their Savior is.

Let's be honest. If we don't become more and more familiar with God's Word, the less we're going to remember it. History has a way of repeating itself over and over again. Why? Because we forget the lesson we should have learned. We forget that God is our Provider. How do I know this? Because money is what we've come to trust. It purchases everything for us, right? Not actually. God provides for us what we need. When go into debt, we didn't trust that He would and money has become our god. I'm guilty.

We forget that God is our Lord. How do we know this? Self-reliance is what we've been taught since childhood, or at least most of us have been. We honor and hold in high esteem the self-made man or woman. But God tells us to rely on Him to guide us. Our surrender to the cross should mean that Christ is living through us instead of ourselves.

We forget that God is the Comforter. How do we know this? When we're in trouble we turn to things to set us free and give us comfort. Habits of smoking, drinking, lying, violence, laziness, avoidance, shopping, and anything we do to give ourselves the comfort we think we deserve because it's been hard. We've come to trust in these "things" rather than the Creator of the things. He's the Comforter we long for. He alone can give us peace.

Martin Luther would teach his congregation the message of the cross every week. One week, a church member walked up to him and asked, "Why don't teach anything else?" to which Luther replied, "Because week after week you forget."

Our forgetfulness is seen in how we live. So I pray that I don't get tired or get frustrated at the same lesson again. It's a safeguard and helps me remember.

Monday, February 06, 2012

It's Convenient

Have you ever heard the phrase, "How convenient" used? I use it a lot, usually in a sarcastic term, like when I drop something and spill it all over the floor. Convenience is nice. It's nice that the grocery store is less than 2 minutes away. It's nice to have the theater just 3 minutes away. Internet access everywhere, 3G, smart phone, iPad, DirecTV (and the recording feature on that thing is awesomely convenient, especially when I know I'm going to miss my favorite TV shows), the Giants' win in the Super Bowl, a comfy couch, the refrigerator, a deep freezer, two cars, a paycheck, light bulbs, and you can fill in the blank for the other many things that are convenient for us. It's truly a marvel that we've come to have so many conveniences. Air conditioning is one that I wish I had during the summer months. But it sure is nice to have a wood burning fire place in the basement.

We've become reliant on these conveniences and can't imagine life without them. Seriously, what would life be like without a cell phone? I mean, how else would anyone ever get ahold of you when you're doing things that you don't want to involve anyone else in or let them know about? Share one car, for real? Are you serious? And how could I possibly give up Facebook?! It's my whole world! Get out of bed to go to church, are you crazy? I can just watch it over the internet in my bed! Why would I want to get up?

Convenience is overrated. Now we're so dependent on these things that we've given up personal responsibility and believe some one else owes us. Self-interest is the word.

I'm reading Philippians now and I've made it to the end of chapter two. Paul is getting ready to send Timothy to the church in Philippi because Timothy shares Paul's concern for the church, and he makes a statement about the other believers in that area that sounds pretty harsh. However, it leaves me wondering if I'm just like them.
For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 
Thanks, Paul. What a pick-me-up for the rest of us.

Let's set the stage for this comment. Paul is Rome writing this letter. Rome is on the east side of the country. A trip to Philippi would mean having to sail around the boot of Italy. Sailing anywhere in those days wasn't all that fun because it was based mostly on the wind. There were no motors other than raw man-power (slaves using oars) or wind to get them from one place to another. Trips like that take weeks or even months. It's not exactly how you would want to spend a season in the year, but it could just take that long.

Here's the point: what difference does it make when care about something? I would easily give up the time to go home to my wife and family, but what about taking a trip like that to encourage a church? The other believers wouldn't give up the convenience of their location and settlement to do what was important to Jesus.

Here's the application for you and me: Let's ask ourselves, are our interests found in what Jesus values most? Or is our convenience more important to us? What if God calls us to something that we know would cause us to leave our convenience behind? Would we do it? Let's take a test and find out. I've said it before, if we're are willing, it's a nice thought and completely meaningless. But if we actually do it, it's meaningful and makes a difference. Let's ask God to lead us toward a concern for His Kingdom. Pray. Whatever comes to mind first, do it regardless of it's inconvenience. If it's local missionary work, get involved. If it's global, spend some time in prayer for guidance and begin to work toward the calling. If it's serving in the church, call your church and ask how you can serve and be sure to tell them what area you're thinking about. Let's look out for the interest of Jesus Christ.

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Life Is...

Remember the Charlie Brown verbiage? Happiness is...a warm blanket. I'm reminded of that right now. But I'm going to change it for a few minutes to begin with "Life is..." instead of the happiness thing.

Think for a moment and fill in the blank: Life is _________. What is it?

I've been reading in Philippians now. It's taken me almost 5 days to get through with chapter one! I'm not quite sure why it takes me so long to read these things. Guess I'm just a little stubborn sometimes and don't understand. However, I have to share with you what I'm learning. God's Word is becoming more and more important to me. I'm finding that I can't move on to the next phrase or section without understanding what's going on. This is kind of new and exciting.

Paul is one amazing author! I read what he begins with and as he continues, he explains what we wrote from the beginning. He's in prison but it doesn't get him down. Paul talks about having joy even though he's bound in a cell. Conviction about his life's purpose must have been very strong for him to find anything worthy of joy in a dark muggy cell. Then he says it; "to live is Christ." Notice the verbiage? "Is." It's not "as." It's "is." He understands the importance of God and the relationship He's come to establish. Life is...Christ.

I've often wondered what it would mean to me if suddenly everything were taken away. The worst possible tragedy happens in life and, just like Job, I lose everything. (There's a huge difference between me and Job. I have a godly wife instead of nagger. If Job had her as a wife, she would have sat in sackcloth with him and poured out her heart to the Lord.) Would Jesus be enough? After all is "stripped away" and it's just me, would He be enough for me to live on? All it takes one incident, one thing to happen for the life we have grown so accustomed to, to just disappear and change. Is Christ enough? Honestly, I pray He is!

With everything given over to Him and His purpose for me, Christ becomes life because there is nothing else. The most important, most vital thing in life is relationship with Christ. Even myself must go to the cross and die. Christ must become life. The value, the mission, the priority, and everything safe is found only in Christ. And what it all boils down to is the safety of my soul found in Him. When my shell is faced with certain and unavoidable death, what difference does it make for "me" if it quits breathing? I'm found to be with Jesus, the Life!

Live in this shell and take over every part of this life, Father! I don't want to be found any more as Nate. Christ, be my life! Truly live! Overcome as I wave the flag of complete surrender!

Everything else is loss and holds us back from knowing the true God. Everything. Nothing can take the place of Christ as life within us. We cannot find life in marriage, children, a bigger house, a nice car (or even one that runs), the best computer or phone, careers, friendships, or anything. Life must become one thing: Christ. It doesn't mean that we are no longer responsible for parenting, our marriages, or responsibilities. It does mean that if Christ is life, He affects all those things for the glory of God.

Pass it on. Let people know what Life is. Begin to truly live.