Offset Innocence

Sanity

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sanity - Keeping your mind on God and your feet on Earth

In my studyof Scripture I constantly come back to the battle between now vs then and thehere vs there. The now and here represents the earth, people, social dilemmas,problems within time and possible solutions brought about by the means of men.The then and there signifies the spiritual, the life to come, God’s realm andfrom that God’s timing and purpose within visible problems and solutions. Weare supposed to keep our mind on God, on “the things above” and live in such away that reflects His sovereignty. But at the same time we are fully immersedin the flesh and operate within the constraints of time. Our feet are firmlyplanted on the ground and our hands can only reach so far.

This iswhere the frustration sets in. By setting our eyes and hopes and goals so high,we glorify God in the sense that we confess to his greatness. However, justbecause we see the goals and know our God more than capable of them, it does notmean we get to see them achieved. In fact, what we end up experiencing are theroadblocks, the insufficiencies and weaknesses characteristic of this brokenworld.

How can Iunderstand the God of eternity and in some way apply that to a frustratingrelationship that needs to be redeemed by next week? How can my thoughts whirlaround the concept that His resources are endless and yet with the same mindreel in worry at how certain needs will be met?

The obviousanswer here is to have faith, to trust, to keep hope. This sounds so flimsy inlight of such heavy and immediate issues. But that’s the key, to understand Godas both heavy and immediate. For God there is no now and here vs then and there,He inhabits all always.

Sanity isthe ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner. A Christian’ssanity should take the same responsibility, to think and behave in a mannerthat is normal for God’s children and rational in regards to who He is.

With this I would like to begin a study into the attributes of God as found in Scripture. My main guide for this study will be Stephen Charnock's The Existence and Attributes of God. This is going to take a while (being that it is written in 17th century English and roughly 1100 pages long), but it will be worth every bit of strenuous effort. I hope you will encounter with me what Christian sanity looks like as we discover the depths of the Almighty God we serve.

Flirting With Apostasy

2012-02-03T23:28:00.001-05:00

Acting Christian and being Christ's are worlds apart in purpose, in action, in effect.

Ioccasionally think about what my life would look like if I were not aChristian. What would be my aspirations be, what would my friends look like,what would I be dedicated to? On a more personal level, what would my relationshipslook like, what would my morality look like? And most frightening of all, wouldI be sane? These are all very real, very deep questions and along with them Iam drawn to consider how I would answer them in light of the faith which I dopossess. Since I am a Christian, are my aspirations, friends and relationshipsreflections of that fact? Is the content and direction of my life coherent witha Biblical confession of faith?

Afterward Iquestion the line between those two answers. Does having faith necessarilytransform any such category, or am I merely adhering to a preconception of whatChristians do in such a scenario? In truth I ask if I would be a better personif I were not a Christian. To most believers this doesn’t make sense at all –the answers clearly stands as a no. Why is that? Because of their idea ofnon-believers or specific interactions with them? As far as my limitedexperience with ethics goes, the difference is not nearly as distinct as theaverage Bible-belt resident would argue.

This ideadrives at questions I do not intend to answer, such as what is moral and canthere be morality apart from God. However, the question I do want to raise is whatactions in my life are clearly present because of my faith and which areabsent; and more importantly should they be? Should I defend any decision onthe basis of “I’m a Christian and that’s what Christian’s do (or don’t do)?”

At the rootlies two truths: I am human and I belong to Christ. They both illuminate myidentity, but not necessarily in different ways and not immediately in opposingways, as I believe some take for granted (myself included). Being Christian does not unmake ourhumanity, if anything it encourages it. Perhaps we can blame Paul and his useof the term “flesh” to embody the evil in humanity; or our misunderstanding of his meaning. But Christ didn’t think so.His incarnation was proof of that fact and his actions on earth rarely “followedthe rules” and yet he fulfilled the law.

My salvationis in the hands of God and my leaving is as impossible as his abandoning. Butmaybe there are some things I do need to abandon or take up, things which mightmake my Christianity look less Christian but glorify God more honestly.

Just somethoughts partly inspired by Bonhoeffer. I'm sure they'll make better sense one day.

Young Hearts Sleep So Well

2012-01-28T01:11:00.001-05:00

Why do young hearts sleep so well,
What symphony sweeps their souls to slumber?
For in the darkness my eyes stay wide and count the thoughts within me
Band-shot back against the flesh, too early for such heavy dreams
I leave one to find another
And watch the careful cloth I've sewn unweave
Careful words, still careful words tread softly into foreign ears. but foreign words find homes
So quickly
And decorate with familiar fears. close to home and rising,
The shrinking world sets forth. and on its course we seek to cross a path we have divorced.
Forget, forget the scribbled vows etched onto unsure palms. a little warm water does the skin well, and
On stormy nights just close your eyes, your rest will surely come.

Against, Unto, In

2012-01-25T23:30:00.001-05:00

"When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ."
For whom do we labor? We have seen that all things are for God, as we are also. And as much as we are for him, equally as much we are from him. Our desire is for His glory, that desire is from His gracious hand and we fulfill that desire through Christ. We are encased by grace, covered on every side and from every angle, that he may receive the glory for every success; and make his mercy known at every failure. Failure will come, we remain human during this time. In some ways we sin against our brother or sister, in sexual immorality we sin against our own bodies. But there is a graver sin still. In destroying a weaker brother we not only hurt them, but whatever you do for the least of these, you do unto Christ (Matt 25:45).

If that is true than we should never see a weaker brother but Christ himself. To see Christ in every member of the church - an unfathomable goal yet the unrelenting duty of the believer. The world destroyed the body of Christ once, should we be responsible again through our ignorance and by our pride? When that settles into the mind, change is mandatory. These relationships are no mistakes or coincidence but should be considered revelations and opportunities. As we are being filled by the ever full, ever flowing fountain we must find vessels to pour into. And how beautiful are the weak, for they thirst deeply. Rather than criticize them for their thirst, let our own desire be reignited by the memory of how sweet the river was at first taste. May our lips never grow tiresome of its life, because the cup of death is always close at hand.

"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall."

What would you sacrifice for the salvation of a friend? Is any price too high? Any luxury worth such a cost? Is any necessity worth this lost? Food is necessary, but if anything more than bread and water causes a brother to stumble then plainness should become our virtue. If what I listen to, if what I say, if what I laugh at destroys my sister, than silence would become a crown of glory.
We flirt with radical Christianity and half-heartily praise those who subscribe to its tenets. But there is no such thing as radical to Christ, who being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself (Phil 2:6,7).

Are we willing to empty ourselves for the benefit of a weaker Christian? Will we count God as more valuable and more satisfying than the knowledge of him which we possess? Be eager to exercise your faith over your rights. Love knowledge because it is valuable; love people because they are invaluable. And love God because, though possessing all knowledge and all value, he chose not to destroy the weak but to become all things for them in Christ.

Whom We Destroy

2012-01-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

"For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?"
This is a little deeper than temptation, but not detached from it. For in seeing you they, the weak, are tempted to justify some action their conscience forbids because you have justified it for them. Who are you that someone should imitate your actions? Who am I that my visible actions should conflict with the Holy Spirit's work in that person? Rather our calling is as Hebrews 10:24 says, to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Like I have written before, our rights must always be subject to love. And every decision we make, every course of action we take must not tempt the weak but spur them on towards Christ. Our calling as Christians is to both know God and make him known in the world. It is out of this foundation and goal of knowledge that our actions should flow; and any knowledge which claims to place us higher than one another is from the twister of truth.

How can a thing as pure as knowledge be from the tempter? Remember, in the beginning it was the promise of such knowledge which first caused man to fall. We have not yet been cured of this lust and the devil knows all too well how we crave it. He never tires of his search, seeking those he may destroy (1 Peter 5:8). And if he can use a Christian to destroy one of his own family members, oh how sweet it must be to his thirsty lips. That even as instruments of glory we may be used to complete dark tasks. This is not our imagination, even Paul sees the danger here and begs for us to feel the gravity of the situation.

"So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge."

I imagine what this scene looks like. An old man on the ground kneeling and weeping. In his arms is a young boy or girl, no older than ten, and they are barely alive. Their breathing is labored, their face is covered in a mix of sweat, blood and dirt. How did this happen? Who is that in your arms?
The old man looks up, eyes red; his heart too broken to feel anger. Your knowledge destroyed him.
But it was just knowledge, it was a meaningless action. There's nothing wrong with a little freedom.
You take a few steps closer. You want to see the face. The child, barely able to complete his breaths, turns slightly to face you and to your horror you recognize them. This is your brother, your sister, the one you ministered to, the one you've served with. And upon their forehead, in God's handwriting, is written This one is mine, who I love, for whom Christ died.

For whom Christ died. Does that phrase stop you? Does it remind you of what you were before you were called? Does it open up the spiritual ignorance you were saved from? Does it break your heart that you would count someone less valuable than Christ has, knowing what you once were?
No freedom, no right, no knowledge is worth exercising if it means the destruction of one of our own. We must seek God's glory, not our own. Remember, we are also weak in some ways. Although God Almighty is our protector and sustainer, He will remove His hand if the one he is protecting is destroying others. Do not do the devil's work for him.

Eyes Off Us

2012-01-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak."
We are creatures of freedom. Even as I write this I am exercising a number of my freedoms both as a Christian and as a citizen. I am free to study God's Word in this country. I am free to read it, to write about it and to share it with others. As a child of God I am free to be led by the Holy Spirit, free to have the Scriptures opened to me and free to grow in them. By the grace of God I have been educated and disciplined in a number of areas which help my understanding of the Scriptures, to know which paths are acceptable and which interpretations are justified by the passage. But this freedom does not come without its dangers. Some do not even have the freedom to possess a Bible let alone study it. And in our culture, we sometimes take this freedom too far and through poor logic and practice we attempt to read into the Scriptures things they have never said.
Incredibly we are not even talking about food, which could possibly be a controversial subject, but the very Word of God. How could this practice of holiness become a stumbling block?

We rarely think of others. This is not a statistic, it's a fact. Unless we are planning a meal or meeting someone for lunch, our food is subject to our tastes and our schedules. When we plan our goals and lives, we look at these from the point of view of how they can most benefit and satisfy us. Of course there are exceptions to this, and marriage plays a large part in disenchanting ourselves with ourselves, but overall we take action and make decisions according to our own freedoms.

So far in this chapter Paul has been focusing on two main characters: God and us. He carries his argument through this section with the pronoun 'we.' We know that...yet for us...we are no worse. To follow, almost line by line, Paul also presents an idea about God and about his importance to the matter at hand. Known by God...but one God...near to God. Up until this point the argument has focused on these two in order to wrap our heads around two ideas. First, this is an issue with us. It is not to be solved by church legislation or planning; we cannot pawn it off on a few bad seeds or try to deeply theologize the issues knowledge presents to a practicing Christian. No, the issue is simple, there is a problem with us and the way we act and blame begins and ends with the person directly in the mirror. Second, the inclusion of God explains the gravity of the issue at hand; although it is a human issue it very much so carries eternal and cosmic consequences.

Now Paul brings a third character into the discussion. They have been mentioned in passing and the idea of them has been present from the very beginning but now Paul fully humanizes them in order to begin a coherent conclusion to his argument. The weak. Be careful. This discussion which consisted of high mental and religious subjects suddenly becomes very personal and takes on a more counseling tone. Be careful because all these issues are not merely head games to be won but are precious practices of which God is concerned because so many of his children are frail.

There is also another shift in the wording. Whereas before we were counted as equals with Paul through the usage of 'we' and 'us' the focus turns and he puts on the role of a teacher wishing to speak wisdom into his students' lives. The exercise of your rights. It is amazing that we should even have such a thing as rights before God and man. We have the right to eat and marry and study - but your rights are subject to your duties. To love the Lord your God and love your neighbor will always trump the exercise of your freedom in Christ. No matter the situation, if your qualities are not bound and motivated by love than you are a stumbling block, no better than the accuser himself who rejoices when such things occur because it means pride has found a way in and a foothold has been set.

So then, how can reading the Bible wrongly become a stumbling block to the weak? That is a discussion for another place and time. But I pray you see so clearly that our freedoms will always be subject to love. And love means getting our eyes off of 'we' and 'us' and seeing them, the weak, as who they truly are: brothers, sisters in Christ, co-heirs, God's image bearers, and ones for whom Christ counted it joy to die for.

No Better, No Worse

2012-01-16T17:20:00.001-05:00

"But food does not bring us near to God;"
What does it mean to be near to God? I think the HCSB translation clarifies what is being written here: "Food will not make us acceptable to God."
If you are thinking, yes of course, I hope you are also seeing the implications this passage presents. If food cannot bring us closer to God what can? Can marriage? Can education? Can church bring us closer to God?
All of a sudden, the answer isn't so clear. Certainly purity and discipline are praised in the Christian life and throughout the Bible. One of the main ways we go about cultivating spiritual growth and discipline is through education; we pursue purity in marriage and practice sacrifice as we transform into the Body of Christ. But food, for the readers of the letter, was an enormous piece of their purity and discipline; much like marriage or education or church is for us today. So how can something which apparently matters so much to God, not bring us any nearer to Him?

The things we let near us are the things we accept. Think about that.
In a positive sense, we accept good food and friends and music because we enjoy these things and accept what they have to offer to our lives. The other end of the spectrum is much darker. Think of the sins we commit, the thoughts we harbor or the images we look at. We're letting these things near us and, by the same logic, we are saying we accept these things. We accept gossip, we accept lies, we accept filth; not even by pursuing them at times, but by merely letting them in and near our lives.

Paul is asking, what can you do that will make God look at you and say yes I accept that person? I could rattle off the verses which expose who we are apart from Christ (Romans 3:23 and Isaiah 64:6), but the majority of readers will simply skip them; some will read them and nod approvingly, but their actions tell a very different story. But some will truly see and rejoice deeply that such things are true.
Food does not because it cannot. That is why "we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do."

This works for the first two: marriage and education. 1 Cor 7:1 says "It is good for a man not to marry." But to balance that statement the rest of chapter 7 explains the good of marriage and how to glorify God in it. In regards to education I believe another one of Paul's statements helps us understand the two sides of it: 1 Cor 1:26 "think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards.". In either case we are no worse if we do not and no better if we do - because our salvation supersedes both these qualities. They are secondary but we rarely treat them as such.

Especially church. I feel torn even as I write this because I know how wrong this may sound, but I honestly believe there is truth in saying church is secondary. Remember, this verse is examining what can make us acceptable to God. The entire chapter is asking that question in light of specific knowledge and that knowledge turned practice. So if church cannot even bring us nearer to God then what can? God, for whom we live, and Christ, through whom we live. Because "whoever loves God is known by God." The Gospel is a one sided story of God's action satisfying God's wrath. When we try and write ourselves into the story, or make ourselves one of the main characters it gets muddled and the saving truth gets distorted. The church is for God, we are for God and anything of value we could hope to accomplish must be done through Christ who has already completed the joy of God in His self.

God's joy is already complete in himself, so can anyone please God? That is an incredibly hard line to ask for those of us who are involved in ministry. The stuff we have to deal with, surely God must think we are the cream of his creation crop! But whether in marriage, education, or ministry it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb 11:6). To take it one step further, purity and discipline and sacrifice will never please God if they are done without faith. Faith that he will keep and reward our purity, that in our discipline he will grow a spirit of obedience, faith that though we sacrifice we are doing so out of His riches and glory. Faith turns the focus of everything we do back towards God so that we may truly experience how all things are from Him and for Him.

We can try to love God, but without faith, we are trying to love a God we do not know and apparently do not trust.

So Accustomed To Death

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

"Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god"
The former rather than the latter should voraciously strike our hearts. Yes, there is but one God and all people, whether on the earth or under the earth, will one day come to this knowledge. Their foolishness is not the deepest tragedy here, it is their complacency. They, these 'some people' spoken of in this passage, are not wrestled to worship these gods. Their false priests are not likely knocking on their doors and threatening a fiery death if piety remains ignored. No, what is occurring is much deeper and darker. It is not a product of emotion or even of specific knowledge, but it is a product of habit. They have remained 'accustomed to idols' and in so doing, have forsaken the freedom and strength which is made available to all who call Christ their Lord. Because when they are weak in habit, they are weak in conscience.

Constantly the Christian is called to duty. We are beckoned to pursue righteousness (2 Tim. 2:22) and train in the way of godliness. "Have nothing to do with godless myths...rather, train yourselves to be godly" 1 Tim. 4:7.
Now godliness in its purest form means a sort of piety directed and for the glory of God alone. Living out such godliness should transform into a sort of god-likeness. Do not mistake the phrase, piety is ultimately humility, which is knowing full well one's place and subsequent nothingness before God. Rather, the god-likeness displayed is the activation of his attributes in us. Such as ever merciful kindness, enemy forgiving love, eternally satisfying faithfulness, and many more. Though imperfect, we strive along as the Holy Spirit carries us along.

First, this should break our being accustomed to idols. Pursuing God is an active term and it should be experienced as such. Pursuing denotes movement, and more it specifies aimed movements. We point our steps towards God and walk. It is impossible to remain 'stuck in idolatry' while one is walking with Christ and towards God. Idols are lifeless, voiceless, motionless. They cannot chase us down. If we find ourselves before idols once again, it is because our own feet have led us there and we have turned from the pursuit to the stationary death of idolatry.

Second, pursuit should form a habit of Christ-reliant action. Anyone who has walked with God for a time can tell you that there are times when we are amazed at our obedience to Christ, not for pride's sake, but in praise of the Holy Spirit's work. It is incredible to see how far God has brought us. The spiritual practice of meditating upon his works is vital for continuing in one's walk; because without occasionally looking back, we may think, especially in times of trial and failure, that we have actually made no progress at all. But this is a lie of our Accuser. Work has been done, habits have formed for the work of our sanctification and our conscience is being strengthened.

"and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled"
Notice what is said, the defilement is upon the conscience. This begs the question, is a man separate from his conscience? Can one be defiled apart from the other? I do not think such an idea can be supported from the way Paul continues. No, rather a man and his conscience are one. He is led by his head and heart into what he perceives or understands as correct. How does he know, or how does he not know? The answer lies in how he is being led. His conscience is weak because it is of human origin. A stronger brother is in no way less human, only he has been more opened to the Spirit. So when it says 'it is defiled' it means the man and his perception, so that his framework of righteousness crumbles before him and he is at a supreme loss. For how can he live if he has no sense of right and wrong?

But the Spirit does not leave us in such a hopeless despair. In a number of cases, our crumbling is precisely a precondition of our being rebuilt. Our conscience is then strengthened because it is enlightened by the Spirit. He opens to us the reality of our mortality and of God's supremacy. Conscience-defilement is no longer a risk because it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20); and he alone exemplifies the ethics we are to follow.

To Sit At His Table

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

"But not everyone possesses this knowledge."

Why? The verse just prior to this exalted both God and Christ as the source and sustainer of all things. So then how could some be without such beautiful saving knowledge? J.I. Packer has said it beautifully in this way, "God is good to all in some ways, but good to some in all ways." We must take another step in our study of God and move from Exalted Ruler to Tender Father. Yet we do not have to move far, nor should we. The totality of the attributes of God are never in contrast to the others or to the detriment of some. His wrath and his love can be experienced in the same event, just as his mercy and judgment are handed to us within the same palm.

But to ask why not everyone possesses such knowledge is to beg the larger question of why do not all people follow God? Our answer is found in our adoption.

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12
Do you see the miracle in this? Verse 11 reads, "He (Christ) came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."
His own, even they did not possess the correct knowledge. Yes, they knew the Scriptures and the law and ways of men, but they knew nothing of the ways of God. They looked at the Scriptures and saw lessons, stories, history; but did they see the irony, the cosmic joke of creatures God uses to advance his kingdom. And did they see the gap, did they see the outline drawn of a perfect Savior and crave his appearance? No, we can see their answer in their actions, they did not receive him.

However, these events did not happen in vain nor were they outside the will of God. Yet by providence, what was impossible became possible through Christ, and the sinners of the world received a Savior. This is the Gospel, that as we opened our hands before us, God wrapped his hands around and at the same time we both spoke "You are mine." Us, meaning He was to be our King, our Lord, our Savior, our Justifier, our Inheritance, our Protector, our Provider, and our God. God said likewise meaning, you are my creation, my glory, my enemies turned servants and servants turned children, and if children than heirs! Yes!

But the tragedy remains, for of everything that was said, of our beautiful hope and our bountiful promise in Savior Christ - in knowing all this, we must also face that 'not everyone possesses this knowledge.' What does this have to do with food? Little in a straightforward sense, but think of how and where one eats the food? If you were an enemy, your meal would be miles even countries away from the Master. If you were a servant, then you might have the privilege of eating in his town or even his very house, but likely in a different room and with different company. But alas, children are kept so close to their parents, and if we are such than our place must be at his own table. Think of the company which will be present, kings and men of authority, other children, and of course the Master himself.

When thinking of the knowledge one possesses in relation to Christ and in regard to food keep in mind there is both a now and a then. Now, we must guard our brothers and ourselves from the temptations of the enemy that we may together build one another. And if we can accomplish so great a thing in such a small task as refusing to eat meat - than praise God for the opportunity. In the now, freedom is given that it might be sacrificed, to the glory of Christ who is our highest freedom through the deepest price. The then consists of the meal we shall have at the Father's side. Then, everyone will know as they ought and we will dine in purest celebration.

Now, pray that God may bring many to such glorious knowledge, so that then His table may be filled.

Trivial And Familiar

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

"one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live;"
Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. John 6:47
There is an onslaught of truth and love as we read the Gospels. They press in upon our souls as the Holy Spirit impresses them upon our nature. For to know God is know both the beginning and the end, and it is to know our purpose for the in between. The Father, from who all things came, from whom we have come and for whom we have come. God alone is our purpose for life, to glorify him in our words, our actions, our very being is harmony of declaration that God is supreme. And this is not just for right now, for whoever believes has! To believe is to hold, to make a thing in your mind and heart is to make it so in your hands*; when we love God utterly, his love becomes all we need and we are more able to accept, that from now until ever more, all we have is his love. There is no life apart from him, so as we live unto him we are fulfilling our purpose.

A Christian's life is not a gift to be given back to God. God does not want lifeless presents surrounding his feet. He is too big and too lively for such things. No, rather even as he fills the expanse, so he desires our lives to do the same. Not to shrink in pride, but to grow in humility. Let me explain. We are confined so long as we understand ourselves to be under sin. Jesus grants us power to escape such a mentality, and in that power we experience him. Now what is he: "and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."

He is our one Lord, in the same as God in that all things also came from him and unique for us in that it is through him we live. This is the power of God, to understand our purpose as living a life unto God and grasping the possibility of doing so in Christ. Surely this is what is meant when the Gospels record Jesus saying I am the way.

For older Christians, this all might sound rather trivial and familiar. Well, yes of course we know these things, they are the motivation of our faith. But are they? Do you make every decision within the framework of God, for whom I live and Christ, through whom I live? Do you see every thing that has come as being from God, whether for good or ill, as having passed through his loving palms first? We are easily fatigued creatures. We are exhausted after a few minutes or hours of serious relation with God, how will we ever be able to endure an eternity of such? Now is the time to learn because it will make this life more lovely and dark simultaneously. Lovely, in that we may live through Christ for God even now, though imperfectly**, the Holy Spirit carries us through rainy and sunny days alike. The worries of this world become a sort of foggy haze that we notice, but do not sweat over like we once did. There is a light now, illuminating solutions of course, but more so it beckons us to come ever nearer. That foggy haze of problems are only temporary; disease, sorrow, they are passing away. We are better able now to see what wishes to be seen.

But such knowledge also lays a weight upon our soul, which is probably better than using the term darken. If anything, our spirits are lightened. Because in experiencing such pleasant things of God we see much clearer how ill equipped we are to do so and we crave heaven all the more. We crave, knowing the day is coming quickly, and loving our Lord through each moment we are given upon the earth, but our heart always feels a sort of homesickness to it. So we wait, but not in mourning that we are so far off but in rejoicing that the time is so near. Evangelism is much closer to celebration than it is to reprimand.

*This applies to the gift of faith, not the greed of man
**That is to say, it is not the Holy Spirit which is imperfect - His work is perfect, but we engage with his work imperfectly. We cannot make less of God, only more of ourselves thus distracting some from Him.

What Dust Creates

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

"So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that "An idol is nothing at all in the world" and that "there is no God but one."
Sovereignty. Supremacy. These are not just Christian words or human concepts, but God-sized truths. We get our smaller definitions of each directly from the Highest Definer of these things. For if there is power to be held, it is because God has allowed there to be, and he has also appointed the person who should hold it. If there is one who is subject to another, let them behave in such a way that God may be seen as the king of both. His sovereignty is not confined, but terribly expansive. There is no competition with God, there is no for or against, only under. And those under will bow either with delight or destitution.
We are God-breathed and alive, yet we are still called the dust. Idols are man-breathed, so what of value can dust create? Nothing at all in the world. Apart from Christ we can do nothing, such is the eternal state of our idols.

Scripture has made clear that there is no God apart from our own. There is only Jehovah, only El Shaddia. To do anything for any other supposed deity is to worship the air. Then why does Paul include such a strange phrase, "For even if there are so called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"). Is he carefully covering his bases? Does he doubt the singular supremacy of our Triune God? Is there a mystery here waiting to be solved? No. He does not doubt, even for a moment, Christ. He continues, "yet for us there is but one God." Again, does this answer not carry a tone of subjectivity? For us yes, but for you the matter is yet to be decided. No! Paul reminds us of the knowledge we have come to know, the gift we have been given in knowing God and being known by Him.

Those who still believe in 'so called gods' are not stupid, although weaker; but we, then, are only stronger because of what Christ and the Holy Spirit have enabled us to believe about God. "Whether in heaven or on earth" - that is to say, men's minds create fantastical theories. But they draw in dark rooms. We have the Light, our heads have turned and we see so clearly 'but one God.'

Be careful what truths you draw upon boards in their rooms, our mission is first and foremost to be lights. They can understand none of the truths we draw until they have first seen the light which introduces, founds, and builds. However precise we may be, apart from Christ our best will always amount to dust breathing nothings into existence. At all times, the speaker and hearer are in need of the Spirit of God who is but one.

The Joy Of Being Known

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

"But whoever loves God is known by God." Up to this point our focus has been upon what we know and how that knowledge directs the way we love. After all, Christianity is about something happening to humans so that they may once again be in right relationship with God. Everything we hear about God, his unchanging nature and immutable qualities, ends up making him more static than is true. If what this verse says is true, than what really happens is a million times more glorious than some mechanical salvation. Because as we move, God moves.
But whoever loves. Ideally, that is us. Paul has addressed some of the ways we must change if we are to become better lovers of God. We must experience freedom, submission, heaviness and focus. The weight of the reality of who God is, of who Christ is, and of who the Spirit is should crumble us to joyful submission. Afterward, we realize the weight has shattered the hard shell which encased us, but we never knew because, alas, we were born into such confines. The new freedom is exhilarating and it begs to be experienced and tested, but it is immature. And like a child, it must be disciplined so that it may focus. Both of these qualities, discipline and focus, are fruits of the Holy Spirit's indwelling. He works hard that we may truly embody better lovers of God.

Notice, how this process is enacted and continued by God. God oversees each step, each failure and each rescue. How does our loving God make us known to God? Because of the tender care he bestows upon his children. You see, the moment we accepted this truth and entered this love we began to undergo change. Like military training, we have been disrobed of every-day comforts and set naked, reliant upon whatever they choose to give to us. God enrolls us much the same, disrobing sin, and once we are naked before him he clothes us in glory. As a drill sergeant tests his recruits, he begins to know them. Not just by name, but by skill, by preference. He begins to recognize the sound of their voice and the company they keep. They are no longer one among many, but individual and alive. God has such knowledge, all of his creation is special. But to his children he pays particular attention. The lovers of God are recognized by him fully, in shape, in appearances, in thoughts, in spirit. In every way that a man or woman can be known, God knows.

But he does not stop there. No, love is not so easily satisfied. It is not enough just to know what one's significant other enjoys to eat, but a true lover desires to eat the meal with them. To see their eyes light up at first bite and even to hear them moan 'mhmm' as they delight in the experience. Love shares and love is meant to be shared. Therefore, the knowledge is meant to be learned by another and used to love that person more completely. To love God is to eternally want to know him more and please him more fully. To be known by God is wondrous, because the Lord of Heaven and Earth craves to know you more and to use that knowledge to make you infinitely and eternally joyful.

I do not believe I am saying this wrongly, though it may be understood in dangerous terms. God desires our joy. In him alone is our joy complete, but also his joy is manifested even as he works to build our joy. Do you see how incredible this is? God and us working constantly for each other's joy, ours in him and his in us. Ours because He is our Creator and His because we are his creation! Knowledge and love swirling together, amplifying each other to infinite heights of sacrifice and tender care. What joy it is to be known by God, what mystery it is be loved by Him.

As They Ought, Better Lovers Of God

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

"Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know."
It can be incredibly frustrating being a child. Everyone's taller than you and they can all do things you cannot; like riding roller coasters, driving cars, paying bills (yes, this is so much fun). It seems like grown ups live in a world entirely alien to a child's world. Probably the most frustrating thing for me when I was a kid was when older people would answer my questions with "Don't worry, you'll understand when you're older." That infuriated me! What do you mean when I'm older, I have a perfectly good brain right now just tell me. And that is probably why Paul frustrates me so much in his writings, I feel like a little kid again being pushed aside and told to wait until I'm older. Well I'm not getting any younger so what does it mean for someone to know "as they ought to know."
Paul pulls the same trick twice in 1 Corinthians. Once in chapter 8, quoted above, and again in chapter 13. If you know you're Bible this should strike you. Isn't 1 Cor 13 the quintessential love chapter, the one everyone uses to poorly understand God because they think he's pink and the horses of the apocalypse are actually giant butterflies. Alright, that may be exaggerating. But we should definitely notice the love part, especially since both passages address knowledge within the framework of defining love.

Those who think they know. Quite frankly that is us. Us meaning humans, meaning Christians, meaning anyone who sought the knowledge of the Holy. Because of sin, because of death we are ill-equipped for such pursuits. However, the Bible continually encourages them, that we be diligent in righteousness and in our pursuit of God even as He lavishly pursues us. We know some, we know a little and two things should come from this knowledge. First, a gratitude that we have been allowed to experience the knowledge of God at all. We deserve no part of Him and yet He gives more and more. Our praise is one of thankfulness, we have known about God but even greater we have known God. Second, we should be awestruck and humbled. Who can know God but Himself? Yes, we should be thankful for the scraps we have been thrown from the table, but never become so enthralled with your scraps that you forget there is still an entire banquet you have never seen or tasted. God is grander and the small pieces we are graced with should open our appetites for him. It is the hungry who will be fed.

Knowledge tricks us into thinking we are already full. It is the same as junk food. We must be careful with the sweet things we gather, that they do not crowd out the delicacies Christ has prepared for His followers. And this is what we ought to know. That there are better things to come. Not just less worry, but King Jesus reigning supreme and his glory now lights the whole earth so there is no night - that sort of better things. And even though we know this, we have not known it.
The know I am using here is a little closer to experience but with an additional requirement as well. I believe Paul is using the term know and ought to know with regards to experiential knowledge. Especially in ch.13, the focus tends to be on what the knowledge has brought and the experience it led to. But the second part has to do with the aftereffects of that knowledge. Let me see if I can put this clearly. We know forgiveness and yet we still sin, still stumble for whatever reasons. I believe this is the current way we know. It has to do with our selves still being imperfect as we wait for the end of the age. The ought to know part, then, is not only about what the knowledge has led up to but how it severely divides the prior and afterward for the individual it has met. When we know as we ought to know, there will be no more sin and no more death. Why? Among a number of theological reasons I believe one will be because we now know as we ought. What is it that we know? Namely, God.

We will know God more fully and experientially than ever possible while on an earth subject to sin. This is absolutely beautiful when you see how it brings together what we have talked about before. Paul is addressing practice, not only theory, in his discussion of knowledge. That is why he emphasizes an understanding of love which even trumps knowledge. Later on in the chapter he will say that love should free us, even if that freedom means chosen limitations for the sake of others. Knowledge makes us better lovers.
In regards to God the same is true. Truthfully, it is hard to love God sometimes. We are so easily distracted. We are trained to head in a million different directions, so when we try to pray and face in only one direction, even for a short period of time, we find it impossible. But it will not always be this way. One day we will be better lovers of God. There will be such a freedom and a power because God has opened our minds to him and opened Himself to us. The relationship will be indescribable.

Rather than dissatisfaction that I cannot know fully now, I feel joy that such knowledge and experience waits ahead of me, and is slowly drawing closer with each passing moment. We do not know yet as we ought, neither do we love yet as we ought; but He is unchanging. His thoughts are higher and His love is deeper, but even this we will know in fuller glory one day.

Knowledge Does, But Love Does More

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

"But knowledge puffs up while love builds up." You will know them by their fruit (Matt 7:16). I use the last verse to test a lot of things, especially the teachings of certain people I look up to. Yes the words which are coming out of their mouths are important, but not so much as the effect those words are having not only upon the hearers but primarily their speaker. Is the man who teaches about God loving people? Is the teacher speaking on truth living a double life? The right words can be so deceiving at times, even the right ideas can lead us astray. What hope is there to live in a God honoring, gospel glorifying manner if every notion on how to do so is in danger of manufacturing pride? As corny as it may sound the answer is love.

Paul knows his audience. In modern terms they would be the ones with large libraries, who use words most people have to look up, and are threatened only by those who can see through their facade. Yes, you have knowledge but what is the fruit of that knowledge? Again, I think this verse is trying to hit home the idea that theory is useless without practice. Theology is worthless if it does not lead us to doxology (J.I Packer). And that doxology, or worship, is not confined to a structured sense of holiness. True worship is the purpose of our life, we exist to glorify God. Even with that piece of knowledge we are bound to life radically opposed to the self-satisfying culture we are bred to accept as the highest good. But so often our knowledge of God does not lead to worship, instead it instigates arguments.

Knowledge is like a drug. Once you've had a taste, I mean a real swig, it can take you over. The knowledge of God is likely the most potent form of this drug. In centuries past one could not even study theology without first studying, at least to some degree, every other major form of academic pursuit there was. They had to show ability in science, language, history and others before the dangerous study of God could be made available to them. It is tempting because there is nothing higher, nothing more satisfying than to delve into His infinite depths. And that is also why it is dangerous, because one can easily get so lost so quickly. This knowledge which should be humbling above all else, puffs up because our eyes are opened to how many people are completely ignorant of the glories we have seen. That is why teachers must be so careful, they are always only a slip away from destroying a brother or sister because they place a burden on another which themselves are only able to carry because of the grace of God lavished upon them.

Knowledge does increase our usefulness to God, if that knowledge is constantly offered before him and for his use. But as we grow, the extra room we now carry is most easily filled with pride. It seeps its way in like a fog, low and thick. It blinds us in its haze. Others can see how it dilutes our every sense, but we have become accustomed to its coolness and even enjoy its company at times. Strangely enough, a haze actually improves the ability to see the hazes in others. But the thickness of their haze is always less than we perceive because what we are actually seeing is ours, made clearer by the simple fact we have seen another person; even if it was in a negative light.

As knowledge increases us it also increases room for pride, but love builds us up in a different way. How so? First because love, especially God's love, does not leave the original in tact (Luke 14:26). The original must be destroyed and afterward what is built is completely new. The newness of the structure is bright and brilliant. It glows by the Spirit which now indwells it. Our goal is to have the Spirit indwell so completely, so utterly, that there is no room for anything else. He now becomes the source against which are fruit may be tested. Pride finds no place, the haze can not remain around so much light. And our words, which can either be effective or destructive, flow out as seeds bound to grow. Knowledge speaks of death, of dead things and dying people. Love speaks life, because it is possessed by life's Creator.

We will never be more loved by God than we are at this very moment, may that simple fact build us up in faith every morning. Still, we will learn to love more, and certainly we will know more - not just more knowledge, but knowledge as it ought to be.

We Know That

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

"We know that "we all possess knowledge.'" Essentially what Paul said was, we know that we know. In modern terms, hey I got this no sweat. But like I said previously, his discussion is mainly about practice and not theory. This is partly why I chose this verse for 2012 and why I believe God led me to this specific passage. It is much too easy to get stuck in our heads on certain issues, especially those of us who love to read. There is an entire life of the mind which no one sees. Of course, certain parts of it leak out into our "real life" but for the most part the adventures we take and the problems we wrestle over in our heads never see the light of day, unless we write them out or, heaven forbid, talk about them.

What follows in 1 Cor 8 is precisely about living outside of our heads. We know that we know in one sense, but the church is not a collection of heads it is a collection of bodies. Christ is already the head of the church (Eph 5:23), he does not need our help solving problems as much as we'd like to argue otherwise. We are his hands and feet and the possession of knowledge is definitely not so we can move our hands and feet less. Rather, such knowledge is that when we do move, we move in the right direction with the correct motivations and goals, and with clear knowledge of who and what we are moving for.

Another interesting point is that most understand the remaining verses of the chapter as dividing the weak and the strong into two contrary categories. But Paul does the exact opposite in his opening phrase, "we all possess knowledge." One thing is for sure, Paul never writes lightly. He chooses each phrase carefully so as to deliver the most exact meaning he wishes to portray. Yes, it is done better in some cases than others. Still he approaches this topic with the same care and precision as he would in any other letter. Therefore, his phrase "we all" is not thrown around lightly. He aims to include both the weak and the strong. Maybe we are all weak and strong in some areas, maybe the knowledge we possess has nothing to do with our weaknesses or strengths. Maybe the hands are more important than the head.

I do not say that last phrase lightly. I believe God wants equally to renew our minds and redeem our bodies, but for some of us (myself included) the mind part comes more naturally than the getting one's hands dirty in love. So Paul asks, what does knowledge do and what does love do?

Now About Food

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

I love the way Paul begins in 1 Cor 8. He has just come off a long discussion on marriage and made a number of tough points. His audience is in need of a mental and emotional break. So he fakes them out with one. He begins so casually, "Now about food". I can almost picture the audience breathing a sigh of relief, finally something easy. Paul probably smiled right after he wrote that little phrase. Ha, they think I'm actually going to talk about dinner...I should specify for them. And without even finishing the sentence he throws in "We know that we all possess knowledge". That'll get 'em. Ironically, in what was going to be a discussion about food he began by feeding their egos.

Jesus loved to the use parable illustrations for his lessons. He would introduce something relatively harmless, usually a catchy short story. The people listening would grab on to the narrative. As he was reeling them in he was also opening them up. There were always a few in the crowd who caught on before the story was finished. They'd be listening and suddenly, wait a minute this isn't actually about animals or foreign people is it? As the story came to close it would hit them like a wave, the imagery, the wording, the reality of it all. Paul was not so patient or artistic in his deliveries. They are often straightforward and face-smacking. But here, he knows what is about to be said will rub everyone the wrong way so he might as well try to keep them open for as long as possible.

"Now about food." If someone ever says that to you, you can almost guarantee what follows will not be a discussion about food. Food is a conversation starter, a peace-maker. It defines cultures and holidays. Food has made some individuals rich and famous. It has destroyed lives with its abundance and cut lives off with its absence. It is essential to life, whether human animal or plant. Where there is celebration or tragedy, food is not far off. But Paul is not talking about any food, he specifies it is the kind sacrificed to idols and the discussion turns from theory to practice.

Verse Next

Passage for 2012

2012-01-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 8 (NIV)

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

Dearest Noel

2011-12-21T00:18:00.000-05:00

(you have to read this to the music from here - press space bar a few times for it to start)

Music of thesea, come to me

Scent of thestars, carry me

Show me thesecrets of this galaxy

The hopesand dreams of smiling things

A child’slaugh at bedtime stories

Softer talesof hard earned glories

Of adventurestaken to far off lands

Of thingsyou hold not in your hands

But openyour heart to this short story we tell

A tale ofhope, of dearest one Noel

Take myhand, hear the words

When manger’sstable held such a birth

And historyshook for the day has come

No morewaiting, there is the Son

Baby tohold, child to guide

Man atdeath, God alive

Jesusseason, white with snow

Beautiful Saviorwe can know

Calmer ofthe sea, who rescued me

Sender ofthe stars, carry me

Show me thesecrets of your galaxy

The hopesand dreams of smaller things

A child’slaugh as he falls to sleep

Soft releaseof things we cannot keep

Of adventureswe’ve yet to take

Of the Lordwho makes no mistake

Open myheart to the story you tell

The tale ofhope, of our dearest Noel

Merry Christmas

Wait, A Thank You

2011-12-11T23:13:00.001-05:00

Itis no small coincidence that the first word used to describe love is patience(1 Cor 13). Time is the great enabler of love. At first it binds it, holding itback for its own good that it may grow in wisdom. Slowly, then, it releases it.Like a soft breeze upon the soul, it awakens. Some say it is more like a lightning strike, but not from what I have come to know of God. Slow to anger, slow tospeak; so that every glorious movement would not be like a wave crashing, but awave swelling; climbing in greatness and towering over us. Surely we would bedestroyed if it were not a wave made of grace.

(v7) Italways protects, as it waits, always trusts, as it rests, always hopes, as itreaches, always perseveres, as it continues. To love properly is to waitlongingly.

Thankyou Lord that you do.

What Do We Wait For?

2011-12-10T23:18:00.001-05:00

BlackFriday is ridiculous. I remember a few years ago the temperature flirted around0 degrees and there were still lines of people outside. They were out there withtheir tents and sleeping bags for hours, some even days, before the sale began.They were waiting.

It’samazing what we’ll wait for in a society driven by immediacies. An hour longdinner with family is a stretch, but give us the opportunity to save a fewdollars and our time is yours for the taking. We wait for small gains. We buildour patience not around character but around benefit. If it will tangiblybenefit us, we are willing to linger; but we will make sure people know thesacrifice we are making.

Isee waiting as something so much bigger and in this case so much deeper. How doyou know if your wait is worth it? Simple, what are you waiting for?
Are you waiting for a thing that is subject to decay and thievery (Matthew 6)?Or are you waiting for the unchanging (Job 23:13), everlasting (Psalm 119:142),deeply satisfying (Ps 145:16)?

Blessedare those who hunger and thirst
Those who are without, those who wait, those who struggle are blessed. They arenow and will be then better off because of the pains in their stomachs and theroughness in their throats, because they have tasted wait.
for righteousness,
And they do not wait in vain. They do not wait for emptiness, for foolishness,for the temporary. They wait persistently, heavily and in glorifieddiscontentment with the current state of our world. They wait for righteousnessHimself.

forthey shall be satisfied (Matt 5:6)

Satisfaction,completion, not just happiness but swelling joy. The race is finished but theprize is unending. The temporary wait has given way to the eternal (2 Cor 4:17)and we who labored in wait shall be glorified.

Towait for waiting’s sake is foolish. To wait for someone is an art. To wait forGod is a privilege. His is a hope which will not disappoint (Rom 5:5). But thebest news is that we do not wait alone or with empty hands. Christ is the Kingand Savior now. The Holy Spirit is moving and acting even as you read theselast few words. A Christian’s wait is never empty.

Series Of Moments

2011-12-08T00:19:00.001-05:00

Waiting doesnot necessarily imply that the situation in which you wait is unfavorable.Although “desert” seasons are typically what comes to mind when anyonediscusses the topic of waiting. But I want to talk quickly about two aspects,one positive the other negative, that have to do with waiting well.

In a seasonof waiting there can be a general sense of dissatisfaction. Maybe not so much adeep discontentment, but when you think about it hope is what it is because itpromises something better. If everything was perfectly fine than what reason isthere for hope? Likewise, we wait because something better is promised or hopedfor. This is where the Enemy has a prime opportunity to disrupt.

Pleasure issatisfying. Eating your favorite meal or watching a good movie produces a senseof pleasure. Now take a second and examine those scenes a little closer. Whatgoes through your head during those times? For me, it’s usually nothing. Smallpleasures like those are so great because they allow us a break from life andgive us a chance to recoup. They are momentary distractions. Remember, too muchof anything is never good.

We mightcomplain at times about the desert tone of our waiting periods but look at thealternative. If those periods were filled with distraction, small handouts ofsatisfaction – would we still wait? Pleasure blocks out alternatives and itstresses the immediate over the best. In order to lose a waiting game, you do nothave to outright give up; only settle for something else, something quicker andmore accessible. If we enjoy every ounce of our waiting phase what is there torejoice over at the end?

Now, all ofthat is in contrast to the next point. Waiting is a caution sign for real life.If forces us to slow down and take a deep breath. Learning to really enjoy themoment should be a goal of any waiting season. Hope seems so far off at timesand distractions are few and far between. But there is something we all haveand every day we are given more: moments. We each get the same amount, but weuse them so differently and typically so foolishly. We are hasty with our livesbecause we want the waits to be over. However, the waits are there preciselythat we may enjoy life all the more. While pleasure may be a distraction andturn us away from our wait, enjoying the moment does the opposite. It forces usto really examine our position, to see where we are in relation to others, toour hope, and ultimately to keep us on task. Each moment is a microcosm of ourlife. We don’t live a life, we take advantage of a series of moments and thatbecomes our life. Waiting well means taking a good look at the small pictureswithin the masterpiece we hope to paint.

Patience In Waiting

2011-12-06T22:12:00.001-05:00

We seepatience as such a small thing. A few minutes, a few hours, perhaps even days;yet the end is always clearly within sight. We encourage with the simplestwords “be patient.” For a short while that works and soon enough our goal ismet. We rejoice in our exhibition of the virtue of patience.

But this canbe a childish understanding because as God sees it patience is no small thing.It is not a battle measured by minutes and hours but in seasons and in years.And the battlefield is most often a desert. If we are to learn how to wait wellwe must examine He who, though having all power to bring things as they oughtto be, waits. It is a patience built of mercy, a wait founded in love. Surelythe waiting of God is one of his most lavish gifts of grace and a heavy lessonfor us to adhere to. Prayer is at the core of waiting well.

But do notforget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousandyears, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping hispromise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, notwanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8,9

I thinkpatience is an interesting subject to talk about in relation to God. Wepractice patience most often because we have to, but that is not the case forGod. We wait for things to change, for people to grow up, for time to opendoors. For God, every option is already in his hands; every possibility, everydestination. God chooses patience.

I don’tbelieve God is wringing his hands together in nervous worry, but I also don’tbelieve the extreme opposite is accurate either. Sometimes we take the sovereigntyof God and unintentionally desensitize him. If he can do anything than there isno real reason for him to feel. But the emotions of God are throughoutScripture. My point is that God does not wait well because he is void offeeling. That is both unwise and impossible for us to follow. I believe Goddoes feel a sense of anticipation. And even though He knows the glorious endingthat awaits, He still yearns for it.

Hope isemotional and waiting can be expressive. Don’t feel like you must become arobot in order to become a champion of patience. Wait with all your heart,which literally means wrestle with its storm of emotions, and your patiencewill never be in vain if the thing you wait upon is Christ.

The Waiting Of God

2011-12-05T22:47:00.001-05:00

Adventliterally means the coming. The coming of the promise, the hope fulfilled, thesinner’s Savior, Israel’s redemption, the Christ. We joke and laugh and sing,celebrating the season in much the same way as we did the year before. But theidea that has been pressing upon me this Advent is the question of why docelebrate the coming like we do? I know the theological answers, but myquestion is actually very practical. Our Christmas is annual meaning we get achance every year to “celebrate” and enjoy whatever it is that has come.

And that ispart of the reason we get it wrong.

If there isa coming, then there must have been a time without it, a time of waiting. Thinkabout some of the greatest things we can accomplish in this earthly life: marriage,career, education. All these things require periods of waiting. Before marriagethere is singleness, before a career there are odd jobs or unemployment, beforecompleting an education there is usually more education or even uselesseducation (yes there is such a thing, welcome to college). We celebrate theseaccomplishments in part because of the time and sacrifice it takes for one toreach them.

Or take foodfor example. A full thanksgiving dinner will always be more satisfying than adrive-thru burger. Why? Because your mother is a better cook, yes. But alsobecause of the anticipation – the scents tempting you hours before the table isset and piles of pies tucked away for after.

We talkabout saving ourselves for marriage or not spoiling our appetites by saving oursweets. Waiting does something to us which prepares us for the arrival. Tobetter understand the coming, we must first build our understanding of the waiting.

Who iswaiting in the story of Advent? Us. We are waiting for a Savior. Israel, who iswaiting for a king. But there’s one more. This has been racking my mind forweeks now and after finals I am going to pour myself into finding the answer.Because my question is, can we understand Pre-Advent as the Waiting of God.
God, who is altogether outside of our world and yet wholly and intricatelyinvolved in it, waits for a specific time in history to enter radically his SonJesus into the story. But the story of Jesus is one of waiting also. Thewaiting for the promise, the waiting for his birth, the waiting for hismaturity, the waiting for him to fulfill his ministry, the waiting for his resurrection,and now the waiting for his return. Each step, more glorious than the last, buildsupon this theme of waiting. And it’s from this waiting that I believe we learn twothings.

First, howto wait well. If huge portions of the Christian narrative and of the humannarrative are characterized by seasons of wait, then this must be a priority inour lives. And second, how to celebrate fully. Anticipation builds celebration,if there is little waiting then there is little celebration. If we seeChristmas as purely an annual holiday we miss so much of what it is meant tobe. Christmas aims at pointing not only at Christ, but at the long long roadwhich preceded him coming to earth; and the long road forged now as we wait forhis return. Christmas is a reminder that we do not wait in vain.

Chance

2011-12-03T12:39:00.001-05:00

Chance is the possibility of possibilities.

If We Are To (IoS pt.8)

2011-11-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Now thisthing which was once parts, pieced out and examined, returns to a single item.What can be called Christianity becomes more clear since we see how each thingbelongs in its place. But many can see the how and miss the why. They can callupon a god and miss the Almighty, they can form a shape and deliver the wrongmessage. The right knowledge and why binds these things in right relation. Thatway when one sees the what they are immediately reminded of the what for, thatis doctrine. To say the face of Christ is our utmost goal and to never point athis hands or at his side is to neglect the very reason we may even look uponHis glory. To come together and speak and yet say nothing of the hope we haveis to fail and to fall short of the glory to which we have been called. Yousee, with each addition there is a requirement. That requirement stands, notthat either should be initially experienced, but so that they may be known asthey wish to be. The most beautiful day of a person’s life is the time whenthey meet Christ. But that should be outdone by the next meeting, and then thatone by the next, and so on so that each and every meeting is more beautifulthan the last. One could not imagine going backwards, because it is no longerabout what is purely experienced, but what is known. Even as each of us, interms of personality, dislikes and likes, can be known, so it is with ourGracious Lord. Who desires every part of us and equally so desires that we woulddesire every part of Him. This salvific narrative and these attributes of Godare the core of what we call doctrine. They are in place so that when we lookupon the thing that is Christianity, we may see it all the more clearly; notonly with our eyes, but with our minds and with our hearts.

Finally wemay say a thing or two about color. Because, way back towards our firstthoughts it was said that a particular color came to mind when our phrase wassaid. But it was quickly proven that the color played no part in distinguishingwhat the thing was; and it is this very point I wish to make most clear. Inlight of an era in which we have lived, a time placed in the shadow of so muchhate and of so much hope, we are called to see clearly. And if I have saidanything worth remembering I wish you to hold on especially tight to this, thatwe must see past our own color if we are ever truly to behold the face ofChrist. For His glory is mystery embedded into the very framework of thenations, if we are ever to see the grand picture more clearly, then theindividual pieces must be united. Though they be shaped oddly and often clash,they belong – and that is the strongest of allures to human soul, a place ofpurpose.

If we are todisplay Christ for the world to see, its simplicity is placed before us. Theirony concerns our willingness.

Eyeing The Trinity And Shaping The Church (IoS pt.7)

2011-11-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Indiscussing the smiley face we concluded that the essence was in fact thefeature of two dots and a curve, in a unique relation to one another. Thisthing, being distinctly made of three parts, but also being recognized as onecoherent element, can only point to one belief such as ours: the Trinity. TheTrinity, then, becomes the essence of the thing we wish to investigate in amysterious way. For alone it is self-sufficient, relating to each of its partsin perfect harmony and agreement, yet remaining fully distinct so that I maytell what is the right eye and what is the left, or who is the Father and whois the Son. All this comes together in our illustration simply enough toportray a face. And whether that face smiles or frowns, whether its eyes beheavy with tears or light with laughter, it is the face we have come, andshould continue to grow towards, knowing loving and chasing. That is, thetrinity is seen so clearly in the face of Christ. To see the love Jesus had forHis father, to see his reliance upon and anticipation for the Spirit. For whatis above to be worked out so clearly upon the earth below because of Christ’sfaithfulness in all things. The essence of what we seek is Christ, and Christis God, and God is manifested in the Trinity. Above all that is the core of ourbelief. Our story plays out according to their words and our fate depends uponthe actions of their hands. When you seek the deepest truth, you need look nofurther than the face of Christ.

In ourillustration the above was contained within a particular shape. And while no thingcan contain God in all His glory, as Augustine so brilliantly laid out, he canbe known by lesser things. Whether it is Himself in part, or some othermystery, that which is greatest enters the small. And what was once small and evenshapeless in itself becomes glorified by what now lives in it. Containing orbeing contained is not the issue, but what manifests. For as the mind of Goddesires so His hands perform perfectly. That perfect action was Christ, theface we seek, and now to display that face for all the world to see God haschosen to form a shape around this one central point. That shape being, thechurch. Upon this rock Peter echoes through history, bouncing from tragic eventto glorious success and always landing back in praying hands of the faithfulfew. The church is a necessary quality, not so the thing in itself may exist,but so that entity may be all the more clear, all the more effectual. God choseto do things in such a way that a body was required. That body is not to sitand merely stare, but as the very mind of God, directed though his Word andTrinitarian relationship, directs us, that we would be like his hands aiming toharmonize with his every will, on earth as it is in Heaven. That alone is the magnificentgoal of the church, the pressing calling upon the believer, the burden of allburdens – to be what our very Creator has intended. Be drawn to the face ofChrist and make it known.

Allegory And Then (IoS pt.6)

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have alove hate relationship with allegories. Mostly, I feel as though the beautythey may carry is often marred by their tendency to sway too far into nonsense.A thing should not be said purely because the way it sounds is appealing or fantastic.There must be truth behind it and that truth must be aimed at a purpose, oneworth pursuing. Language can be the greatest of tools when used properly andthe most dangerous of weapons when it is not. Thus, I tread carefully in thefew words I am about to say. I say them to illuminate a certain picture, onewhich will hopefully spark your affection for Him. My words are as the twocoins the poor women brought to the temple, un-valuable alone, invaluable with,for, by Him.

The specificillustration of a smiley face was chosen for good reason. First of all, itssimplicity allowed me to ask questions and reach points rather quickly; as thesame questions and points would have taken must longer to be reached in a morecomplex object. Secondly, to discover the essence of a thing is no simple task.It requires stripping and piecing out. It also raises questions aboutrecognition, identity, definition, virtue, quality, consequence and much more.Most we could not cover because they did not fit the specific purpose of thisexercise. But all these are shown bare in simple illustrations, not becausethey are absent, but due to the increased clarity of necessary features. When Ican almost see the thing I am reaching for, the obstacles begin to fade fromthe picture; and once I have actually reached it, the obstacles diminish,shrinking back to facts and conditions of the journey. It is the end we have inmind, which is little more than the starting point for many more discussions.

Pre-Conclusions (IoS pt.5)

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

As wecontinue it comes to mind that another point must be examined in light of theprogress we have made thus far. Two items leads to this next discussion. First,towards the beginning we discussed a variety of shapes but did not completelypress the issue of their existence as a necessity. And second, in theexamination of necessary qualities within said shape, that is the dots andcurve, it was never mentioned that these items only bear relation to oneanother precisely because of their proximity to one another.

Furthermore, thatproximity is a direct result of the shape containing them. So then we may ask,is shape a necessary quality? If all items were placed in an identical fashion,only without the outer border of a shape, would it remain a smiley face? Iargue it would not. While there may be elements recognizable to the article inquestion, they would fail to be contained and relatable in such a way thatwould describe them in our desired manner. They could be spread out in aninfinite manner and our perception would fail. Well cannot the shape itselfalso be spread in a similar manner? True. And I admit that it appears theproblems for each scenario would appear the same, but there would remain one chiefdifference. There is a boundary for one and in the other none. As we continue,boundary is not the word I desire to use. The purpose of the shape is not tolimit the items within it, but instead it desires to embody the items. Theitems, themselves, characterize that which bears their presence. The innerdefines the outer, this is essential.

At last, weare a few steps closer to a coherent conclusion. An essence is not void ofqualities, but it can be recognized apart from them. Of those qualities standtwo types, necessary and unnecessary. The unnecessary, in some cases, make athing more of a certain type of itself. No quality can a make a thing moreitself than itself alone, but qualities lean the item in one direction oranother. Necessary qualities illuminate the essence. A flashlight is aflashlight without batteries. But a flashlight fully acts as it should onlywhen it has the quality of batteries, so that which is not inherently a part ofthe original item becomes a necessary feature of it. The essence must be ableto stand apart from both such qualities and remain recognizable.

To concludeour short picture example, the essence of the smiley face is the element of twodots and a curve, in a specific order and relation to one another (the problemof size was excluded for this example). The shape, any that is, is a necessaryquality, reinforcing the relation of the inner element and producing theopportunity for inclusion of unnecessary qualities such as color.

Nowwhat does this have to do with Jesus?

Necessary Points (IoS pt.4)

2011-11-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Let meremind the reader that at the end of this little experiment I will take the duetime to show how each every example thus far can be applied to Christianity insuch a way that our understanding may improve in two ways. First, in a positivesense to see more truthfully what must be at the core of our beliefs andsecond, that one may clearly see what is unnecessary and even potentiallydangerous if included.

Thus far wehave discovered two unnecessary qualities, shape and color, and oneanti-substance, that is the color black. We finally come to the third andpossibly final piece of the puzzle, that which constitutes the parts of theface. Two dots and a curve.

Beforemoving on, let us address one more problem. The only reason the color blackbecomes an anti-substance is because it overrides the above quality. So then,if the color of this property were changed, say to green, or to red, wouldblack remain an anti-substance? No, because it no longer overrides the quality.So then, a color itself cannot be the anti-substance, but it is the action ofany color which overrides the quality of dots and curve because of itssimilarity to them. That is to say, an essential part of the situation is thatthe contrast between the two qualities, color within the shape and color of theitems within the shape, must persist for the thing to remain as we wish it tobe. The true anti-substance is when one cannot discriminate what figures arepossessed in the shape.

And if allthis has to do with preserving the dots and the curve, the evidence pushes ustowards the conclusion that the essence must be tied in some sort to thisquality.

The nextquestion, can this quality be separated even further. Can the two dots bereduced to one? Or the curve excluded? Or the dots excluded? I argue theycannot. Their purpose is to create a coherent resemblance of a thing, thatthing being a face smiling. If any single part was removed the image would bedistorted and misunderstood. If a dot was removed, it would not seem like aface but a strange symbol. If the curve was removed, what would be left ismerely a colon. If both dots were removed, a single curve in a shape would bearno significance. Therefore, within the quality itself, each distinct part is anecessity, for apart from them being together the quality no longer performs asthat we wish it to be.

Whatabout the order of these pieces, is it also a necessity? If the curve was ontop of the dots, or placed in the middleof them, would it remain the original object? I believe it would not. Theplacement is such that the pieces themselves are not only necessary but theorder in which they correspond to one another is also necessary. Such order is indispensablebecause the figure would be unrecognizable otherwise. In conclusion, concerningthe two dots and curve, they themselves along with their specific relation toone another, are deemed necessary to the formation of the thing we wish toexamine.

Such A Thing As Not (IoS pt.3)

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Let usreturn for a moment to the issues of color within the shape. We covered anumber of colors and even took out color to reach our conclusion. But there isanother option, one which will lead us to our next discussion point. Thisalternative option is to color the inner shape entirely black – so that theeyes and curve get lost into the shape and are no longer distinguishable ascharacteristics. Is it still a smiley face? I argue it is not, instead it hasbecome a black hole or a black shape.

Our nextdiscussion point is to separate necessary from unnecessary qualities, and thedanger of giving any more influence than they are due. We shall begin with asimple enough definition, which will likely be changed as we progress, for thebetter of course. A necessary quality then, is one which may be a candidate ofthe substance; that is, if the thing in question would no longer be the thingwe wish it to be if this specific quality was removed, then the argument may bemade that it is more than a quality and at the very least a necessity. Thedefinition for unnecessary carries on likewise; a thing is unnecessary when therecognition of any subject does not depend on its possession of said quality,but may be improved upon its doing so.

In theprevious examples we concluded that color was indeed an unnecessary quality, tothe extent a smiley face could be identified whether its presence was madeknown or not. The color black thus stands as an unnecessary quality. But, itmust also be different since its presence cancels out the yet unidentifiedessence. Stated plainly, when the unnecessary quality of the color black entersthe shape bearing the other qualities, which share the same color, all thingswithin the shape mesh into a single indistinguishable entity, overriding theoriginal conception.

I believe itwould be justified to deem this unnecessary quality an anti-substance, a thingwhose inclusion covers and effectually expunges the essence of any subject. Anyanti-substance must be predominantly unnecessary in nature; for if it was necessary,than the original substance would never have a chance to be uncovered in the firstplace.

Drawing The Problem (IoS pt.2)

2011-11-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Let usconsider a smiley face. For the majority of readers, the image which popped upwas a yellow circle with two black dots for eyes and a black curve for mouth.Take notice at what specific phrase brought this picture to your attention:smiley face. Now if I had said a smiling face, that would be different, perhapsa more human concept would have come forward in your mind; of perhaps if Isimply said smiley, that could refer to an emoticon or a nickname.

The task of definingthe essence of the object is to call the most correct picture to one’s mindwhen the word is used. Confusion allows for misinterpretation andmisinterpretation leads down many a dangerous path.

Now, to findwhat exactly constitutes the smiley face we must remove certain parts andconsider whether what we see is still the item we wish to discuss. As saidbefore the smiley face is made up of a yellow circle with two black dots foreyes and a black curve for the mouth. Let’s first take away what is morenoticeable, the circle, and instead replace it with different shapes. If onehad every other element, only now it was placed inside a square, would itremain a smiley face? Yes, I believe so. And what about inside a triangle? Yes,I believe it would still remain as that which we wish it to be.

And youcould continue this with a host of different shapes and the answer wouldremain. Therefore, the shape of the smiley face is merely a quality.

Next, let usexamine the largest thing within the shape, in this case color. The originaldepiction was one of yellow. As we did with shapes, we will repeat with colors.If one changed the yellow to blue, or red, or green, would the object remain asmiley face? Yes, in every case. Then it appears that color is also a merequality. But take one more step. Within the original drawing take away allcolor within the shape, apart from the blackness of the two eyes and of thecurve. Does it yet remain a smiley face? Yes. Therefore, color is not only aquality but a lesser quality in that its appearance is not necessary.

It may besaid then, the things which are most easily seen often tend to be qualities andnot the essence, for the essence lies deeper, and holds qualities about italmost like gravity.

Thegoal of this exercise is to search out more clearly the essence of Christianityand piece out necessary and unnecessary qualities.

Irony Of Simplicity: Seeking the Essence of Christianity through a Smiley Face

2011-11-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Our questfor simplicity emanates a certain irony which is hard to miss if one paysattention. The matter being, as one progresses in advanced studies, buildingtheir repertoire of knowledge, the focus of said knowledge narrows. And theultimate goal, in a number of disciplines that is, is precisely to narrow allthings into such a finite equation that that which was once endlessly elaboratemay be understood through a single feature; that feature no longer being aquality but becomes recognized as the very substance or essence of the natureof the question which was asked.

There aretwo benefits to engaging in such a task. First, one is able to clarify what athing is. Very often the most difficult problems are remedied by the simplestof solutions. To recognize simplicity in the midst of complication is, verynearly, to have the sight of God. The second benefit is a conjugation of thefirst. For in knowing what a thing is, at its simplest level and purest form,then what is not original or necessary may be more easily excluded. Simplicitysheds the unnecessary.

Can such athing be applied to Christianity? Well it has, in theory; that was the goal ofthe Reformation and also of subsequent divisions within the Protestant churchthereafter. To reach the essence of Christianity is to hold the power to barevery contrary and gratuitous doctrine or practice from polluting its beautifulsimplicity.

But a dangerremains in becoming so narrow, for what if there is more than one substance andto exclude one would harm the other as well as distorting the primary goal?Would a dual-natured understanding present a problem? At the risk of beingrepetitive, it has. One example is the dual nature of Christ, being both manand God. It has long presented difficulties in a number of disciplines, not theleast of which are Christology and the concept of the Trinity.

To return,what would this dual-natured Christianity look like? Faith and… Christ and… TheBible and…

You see,reaching the essence of a thing requires the exclusion of qualities which arevery much a part of its core definition, or at least of our understandingconcerning its shape.

A littledrawing may be helpful.

Assignment

2011-11-06T00:44:00.000-04:00

An assignment from God is very rarely a thing and very often a person, or set of persons of which whom, if not for God's guiding hand, your paths would have never intersected. But since they have and since you are in such a place and time as this to accept God's will verily means to accept the broken individuals he has placed within arms length. No matter their apparent worth, relation to you; and even more so, despite your reservations of which, as with all, there are many. But these are not so you will be discouraged, in fact quite opposite. The oppositions built against you are precisely for your glory, that you may see the devastating power of our Most High God. Yes, that every obstacle placed has been done so that God may move, lift, and open the pathway. How much less would you rely on God if things were simply accomplish-able within your own strength and by your own means? The difficulties are our exercises of faith, either we see them as beneficial to the development of our purification, or we complain about them as the rough swats of an angry and fet-up Lord.

It is our duty then to be thankful. Thankfulness as duty sounds very much like a childish thing to accept. For when we were children, most of our parents had to give us that look or reminder to say thank you after we had received some gift. Now, in our maturity, such things should come natural. They are manners, societal expectations which allow pleasant and easy relations to take place within our conversation and dealings. Are there not such things spiritually? Would it really be a stretch to say then, that there are indeed spiritual manners which one must acquire as they approach maturity so that our dealings both in conversation and action should arrive well accepted? Yes. And, I believe, our thankfulness travels alongside our assignment. If we would pursue one and not its counterpart, the trueness of both is lost. If we prop one higher than the other, the ground will fall out from beneath both. But only if they are taken as a pair, each instituting and encouraging the other; only then can they be experienced properly and fully.

Seven Pounds Gospel

2011-11-04T22:44:00.000-04:00

Eyes to theblind man, bone marrow to the young boy and his heart to the young woman. The maincharacter in this movie literally pieces himself out to remedy a sin whichhas burdened him since that fateful day.

The film isthree years old now and I’ve seen it a handful of times, but I can’t helpfalling in love with it all over again the minute I see Smith’s solemn stare onthe screen. The film tells a beautiful story, one of redemption and sacrifice.But I cannot help see what is missing.

For one willscarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one woulddare even to die. Romans 5:7

Smith, as hischaracter, searches out a handful of deserving souls; hopeless victims ofcircumstance. He watches them, meets them, enters their life briefly. All in aneffort to measure their worthiness of the gift he is about to relinquish. Agift which will literally cost him everything. He finds them, althoughimperfect, they embody some facet of humanity he finds worthy; something worth preserving,worth saving.

In the midstof so much beauty, all I see is an arrow pointing upward. And even as verse 7spells out the best mankind has to offer, it is surrounded by 6 and 8 whichoverwhelm it with a scenario so much more real, so much more costly.

Forwhile we were still weak,

Unrighteous,foul, even outright evil…

at the righttime

unbeknownstto us, not asked for, but planned so magnificently

Christ diedfor the ungodly.

but God

anything andeverything that has to do with hope usually begins with as simple a phrase asthis

shows hislove for us in that while we werestill sinners,

undeserving,unworthy, ungodly

Christ diedfor us.

Don’t believethe seven pounds gospel. Christ did not die for the deserving, he is notmeasuring you and weighing the options. The penalty has already been paid, youneed only to accept the gift being laid before you. It is the undeservinggospel that is most beautiful for it is the most true.

Daily As A Mirror

2011-11-03T22:13:00.000-04:00

Look intothe Bible daily as a mirror and fix that which needs to be changed.

I heardthis, not in so many words but the essence of the statement was present, andwas immediately burdened with the question of why? How can such a thing bepossible, to take what is flesh and hold it along side Holy Scriptures andconclude some things are right and others not? How can a sinner be made to lookinerrant? Why does this scenario work?

My immediatereaction was simple, it cannot. One cannot compare the holy with the unholy.They are different in every way. It is like trying to understand an angel froma flower. Both may be beautiful, but one surpasses the other in ways we canhardly fathom; so that the very glory of the one may crush the existence of theother. And is that not like the question at hand? Cannot the glory of God’sword crush the very soul of its reader? Has not the Word of God condemned manyan unbeliever to death, and even more, death apart from their Creator?

But you see,this is where the magnificent truth must reign because between us and the Wordthere is no bridge built by man. Only by wood and by blood and by darkness wasone end connected to its other; and then by resurrection the gates on eitherside were released that passage may be attained. At one time we were in theimage of Him who authored the ends of the earth and whose hands measured theirdistance. For a short while, there was God and there was us and we wereglorified in Him by revealing Him to the world. How so? Because our image inaction, in word, in thought, was His; and as He did, so we were inspired to do.

A crippling darkness,from whence the visible has yet to recover, came and shattered that inspiredrevealing, in action, in word, in thought. An infinite congregation of salvificwhispers came to inhabit the time in between darkness and light. We have a few.And in that time redemption began to make itself known. But it was anincomplete salvation. The ends remained unjustified by our meager means. Agreater vitality, a deeper higher authority, an incomprehensible extravagance wasneeded.

EnterChrist. The fulfiller of all these and much more. Who, in person, acted spokeand thought in the image of divinity He carried; and that divinity submitted insilence for a moment that it should be declared aloud by all men in the endlessage to come.

And his appearancewas not without eternal consequence; for the image which had once broke as insidiouslyas the skin of that fruit which was bitten by us all, became once again availableand as easily donned as any cloak. But this cloak is not worn with arms andback, but one must reach through each arm hole with the inseparable parts of ourselveswe crave to keep so close. With our heart we reach through one, with our mindthrough the other; by faith it keeps to our backs and by movement it stayspure. This is the re-creation.

So then, aswe are recreated, donning the cloak of Christ, who was in Himself the Word madeflesh, so too we return to that first image which was of truest God. And as theWord is flesh in Christ, consequently we, becoming ever more models of Christ,also become ever closer to what He was as stated before, that is the Word madeflesh.

How then arewe to look at the Bible as a mirror? Truly, to see how closely we resembleChrist this day. To purge that which is impure, to praise for those parts whichhave been touched by grace and pray that such a glory is not kept hidden, butso that all may know we are, because of Christ, and Christ is God.

Small Portion

2011-10-22T02:09:00.000-04:00

"Whatsalvation aims to do is to sever the most natural parts of yourself whilegraphing on the new parts. These new parts are wholly foreign and your bodywill reject them at first, as is natural. Only by the continuing grace may theygrow to be a part and may you fully reject those pieces which have beensevered. It is no coincidence His body was broken, and now we take inremembrance. As each piece falls off us, we go back to him – here is my body and we take. And with each moment of obedience, Christ fills us, completing ourincomplete parts. We trade perishing for everlasting, handful by handful."

-an excerpt from my Origins project

Glory to God alone

You've Heard It All Before

2011-10-18T20:12:00.000-04:00

"God has taught me that I can fail at lifeand he remains constant." - my incredible friend Austin

I worry because I do not want what I have. When I stress, it's because I'mreaching for something outside of my control and I become frustrated because Icannot control it. I distance myself from God because the closer I am to him –the more I must submit, and how can submission and ambition live in harmony?

Failure comes from losing sight of the goal. Something else comes into thepicture, a distraction, a deterrent. But failure is never all at once, it is adrift. And if one attribute of God should catch your attention and cause you tokneel in awe it is His ability to not drift. God’s constancy must radicallychange your view of this life.

What is this life if God’s ultimateplan remains the same? If your failures and successes are all subject to God andin the end instruments of His, why stress? Every day, we will fail at beingperfect. But the answer here is not to lower our goal, it’s to clarify it. Donot seek perfection, but the one who is perfect. Do not search for the plan,but the Planner. Work from salvation, through love, to His glory. And ineverything, learn that He is there.

And just like you shouldnot grow weary of doing right – do not grow weary of hearing the simple truth.I have not said anything new here because we don’t need new, we need proven. Weneed old, honest and straightforward. We need a single Savior, a simple Gospel,a submitted life – and everything that is of true worth will be added.

Fear not, love much andpray without ceasing. Confess so that the devil cannot gain a foothold andblind you. Read the Word so that you may be equipped. Act justly, love mercy,walk humbly.

And when you speak, do soon what has been accomplished in Christ.

Remember

2011-10-13T20:47:00.000-04:00

Remembertherefore from where you have fallen;

repent, and do the works youdid at first.

Revelation 2:5

It’s a week after Thanksgiving. You've stuffed yourself beyond what you would care to admit and you’ve finished thelast of the leftovers. Meals are back to normal now and you run out to get aquick bite. A quick stop and you’re on your way with a dollar burger and somesoggy fries. You force the food down, accepting the trade of convenience forquality. But then you see a sign for discounted turkeys and you remember. Youremember the scent of a table filled with all shapes and colors of food. Yousee your plate overflowing and switch back to the empty wrapper thrown aside.How quickly and how far your meal choice has fallen. What was once sosatisfying fades to a memory.

This verse is not for the new believer. It isdifficult for the young in faith to give what is being asked of the hearerbecause they have scarcely seen the foothills let alone the peaks of the adventurewhich is Christianity. But for some of us who have spent long hours incommunion, those of us who have turned in dark times to His eyes aflame withcompassion; our heart is tried by these words.

Remember. A single word, begging you to divedeep into yourself; to search out what was once so prominent and bring it onceagain to the limelight. Remember. Remember the discussions, the emotions, theunderstanding you once had as you sat so close to His feet. Recall theinstances which were undeniably beyond you and in that moment made you realizethe prominence of His spirit.

I said it once before, we sin every day wefail to love Jesus more than we did the day before.

One of the surest ways to re-spark your walkwith Christ is to remember how sweet it once was. When we fall and stumble wetend to look around and judge ourselves by what we see. All the while Christ iscalling, look up, look up and remember.

The second half of the verse is less of acommand and more of an instinctive response. What else could you possiblydesire after seeing the sweetness that is our sanctification? The freedom ofit, the power in it; what else is there?

I Wish I Could Paint

2011-10-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

I wish Icould paint, becomes sometimes words can’t quite do what colors can. Andtextures too. Writing opens doors, but painting softly takes your hand andleads you in. I can describe a tree bursting into fall brilliance, shedding itssummer green and donning a crimson coat spattered with gold. But a brush couldshow you the bark, the way every branch reaches out in a different direction,how each leaf is a fingerprint in its own right; and yet, altogether they formthe harmony that is a tree.

With words Ican point out that a leaf is falling. A brush never points to anything. It onlywhispers, inviting your eyes from one scene to the next. As your eyes climb thebranches they catch the gold spec which has detached. They fall slowly,following the leaf’s path, measuring the gaps: how far it has fallen, how farit has to go. They mourn for a moment and jump back to the full cluster stillattached, knowing they too will suffer the same fate; that is, if time affecteddreams and could steal perfection from imagination.

Yes, I wishmy words could paint. That I could spell with shapes. That emotions would bemere tones and nothing hurtful ever had to be said. That a tree was enough andsome could see it as it was and others as what I hoped it to be. And whether ornot I was the leaf never came into question because there was a much morebeautiful sight to behold. And the whispers of background guarded the opendoors. Because truthfully, the tree was made of words.

But By Them

2011-10-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

"Men are notpunished for their sins, butby them" -- Elbert Hubbard

This is the painful truth so many believers and unbelieversare unaware of. Since we are made free from condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1)many take that freedom and abuse it. Truthfully, I take that freedom and abuseit. We play a dangerous end game if we believe our actions are void ofconsequence. Elbert put it simply, our condemnation is no more but ourconsequences have just begun.

I rememberback, about two years now, I was part of a small men’s Bible study group. Thefriends I made in those few hours will continue to be my brothers for theremainder of my life. We grew close because of our openness and grew immenselystrong because our frailty was exposed and challenged. And this phrase was one of the biggest factors in many of our spiritual walks. We knew theanswers and arguments about whathappens once a person becomes saved. But this phrase is a serious wake-up call.

In one senseit’s terrifying. Sin will always find you out. In addition, it will sabotage anythingand everything it can, seeping its way into delicate areas of your life. Itweighs you down and fills your head with the stench of guilt, of unworthiness.It is the daily reminder that this world is thirsty for God’s grace buthardened to seek it.

On the other,it’s hope. Yes, sin will hurt but there is something so much bigger at hand.That God is constantly making himself known so that you may return to him. Thatdespite our stumbles, He is faithful; despite our distractions and wanderingdesires, He is focused in on seeing his plan to completion – the plan ofrestoring his creation to everything it should be, of restoring us toeverything we could be.

Instead ofbeing held by your sins, hold them up to him.

What man isthere who desires life and loves many days,

that he maysee good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil and do good; seekpeace and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are toward therighteous and his ears towardtheir cry.

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from theearth.

Psalm 34:12-16

What Constitutes "All Things" In Phil 4:13

2011-09-30T17:36:00.000-04:00

I can do allthings through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

How have weperverted this? How have we taken a promise and turned it into a tool?
It is so easy to do and then do more in this culture. And if you’re one of thefew who does less, you are looked down upon as inefficient; which may be theclosest thing to sin as our non-Christian culture has understanding of.

I am not advising slothfulness, but I am asking you to read that versedifferently. Personally, I focus on the first three words much more than therest of the verse: I can do.

What canI do? How much can I do? Is there a limit? Apparently not, because in thatlogic I can do all things, which in my own world means every single responsibilityI accept. I can go around, adding adding and adding to my already full scheduleand then turn to God and say “Alright God, pump me up cause I have a full dayahead of me.”

I hope yousee how wrong that is.

We are notliving a life that is exclusively through Jesus,we are supposed to be pursuing a life ofJesus. Of him, by him, for him but most of all towards him. We lose thatperspective in our busy-ness. And when we lose Christ as our center, we lose somuch more.

Phil 4:8-9

Finally, brothers,whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, ifthere is anything worthy of praise, thinkabout these things. What you have learned and received and heard andseen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will bewith you.

You are what you do andyou do what think. Paul is building an idea here that culminates in verse 13.And hopefully you will see it’s different than the one we usually use.

Phil 4:11-12

Not that I amspeaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how tobe brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I havelearned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,abundance and need.

The all thingswe are supposed to be doing and that he is supposed to be strengthening us towardsis not simply our everyday tasks but the formation of character and contentmentwithin us. That is not to say Jesus does not concern himself and strengthen in whatwe need to do. But he wants so much more from us and for us. To be honorable,pure, excellent and worthy of praise are all things outside of our grasp apartfrom Him. That’s why he promises – I will strengthen you in all of thesethrough myself.

That is thegodliness half of it, but what must be added? 1Timothy 6:6 – to have great gainwe must submit to contentment. And this, to be content in every circumstance is the gift of God’s strengthening.

Moving amillion miles an hour in a thousand directions is not what God wants to bestrengthening us towards. He wants you to stop moving and finally be moved.

2 Peter 1:3

His divinepower has granted to us

all things

that pertain to life and godliness, throughthe knowledge of him

Free Song!

2011-09-26T23:03:00.000-04:00

For those of you who do not have an Air1 in your local area, they are a Christian radio station with some great music. And best of all, about once every month they offer a free song download from a chart-topping Christian artist.

This time is Drifting by Plumb. So check it out: http://www.air1.com/music/free-songs.aspx

Guest

2011-09-21T17:38:00.000-04:00

I had the privilege of guest-writing for Love Unawakened this week.
Check out my post here: David's Heart

Simple Beauty

2011-09-17T23:23:00.000-04:00

What is morebeautiful: the soft blue petals of a gerber daisy or the pages of a sciencebook which diagram the various parts of that flower?

What is morecaptivating: the melody of a violin or the sound of machines which cut andpieced the instrument together?

One of thegreatest joys we can experience in life is pursuing a passion. The downside is,with every passion there are parts we dislike, or never knew existed. In orderto be good we dig deep, tackling the challenges as they come, increasing inknowledge and skill and experience. We understand more and more and stay onthis pace of getting deeper. But at some point we hit a dry spell. We wake upin the midst of a mess which was our own creation and question what led us herein the first place.

If we arenot careful our passion will lead us away from itself. Why? Because we are notsatisfied with simplicity.

I love theBible, I love the way the text weaves in and around history constantly buildingtowards the Messianic hope and then, once that is fulfilled, building againtowards his return. I love the words, the mysteries embedded in those ancientlanguages and the wonder I feel as I try to grasp their purpose. But I am notsatisfied to stay at wonder, I want discovery. And so I pour over textbooks andarticles which explain the when, who, what, why, and how of these ancient writings.I read and learn and grow in knowledge – but I have done so at the expense ofsomething else. In all my analysis, in all my linguistic and historic researchI have drifted away from the thing which brought me there in the first place,the beauty of the Gospel.

I wasreminded tonight by a good friend of how beautiful our hope is when put insimplest terms. Christ died for the undeserving and because of Him everythingis ours. He did it all.

No matterwhat your passion is, remind yourself continually why you fell in love with itin the first place. And if you have a passion for Christ, remind yourself dailyof the simple beautiful hope we have.

As simple asa petal, as beautiful as rose, as magnificent as a garden - this is our Gospel in Christ.

Why I Love Dubstep

2011-09-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

It startslow, inviting you in almost like a bakery – the sweet scent of promise thickensas you approach. You enter and are immediately introduced to the climb, a shortslow journey that increases your anticipation with each step. The journeystretches as you get closer, the beats dance around your head this way and that;the speed reaches its bearable limit and your heart pumps to keep pace. Faster,faster, faster then…silence. A short sweet symphony of nothing, always only fora second at most which is just enough time to remind you where you are and whatyou are waiting for.

Finally itarrives. It’s exactly like a rollercoaster, the beginning is smooth, the climbsteady and alerting but what you really want is the Drop. The music reaches itslimit, quiets to nothing, than blows you away by dropping you back into amakeshift world where music is king. The rest of the songride continues, and it’spretty good but nothing as memorable as the way it began.

Now, as muchas I love electro house music, that is not how I want my life to be. I don’twant a single moment to define everything before and after it. Yes, in a sensethat could be my moment of salvation. But my relationship with God, myknowledge of Christ and the Bible are all far greater than they were at thatmoment. I think too many of us live lives waiting for that ‘drop.’ Where oncewe’ve climbed certain heights and endured certain pains, everything should bepretty much downhill from there aside from a few turns and small hills.

I want it toresemble something more like an orchestra. They play long tunes, ripe withdifferent emotions moving in and out of seasons. Each instrument plays its partand the final product is greater than the sum of its parts. And the ending, theglorious ending is as memorable as every other part. It leaves you satisfied,knowing that what was done was perfect. Perfect not that it was withoutmistakes, but because it was slow, visceral and alive.

The Beauty Beneath The Rubble

2011-09-10T23:36:00.000-04:00

Ten years ago on this day a memory was made. At the end of seventh grade English class, the whole of the school body was ushered into the chapel area. Rumors swirled about what had occurred, some said bombs, some said assassination. We sat down orderly and in silence. The principal stood at the front, his face heavy. He said something but all I could hear was my heart racing. The entirety of that morning is a blur, but the next few minutes will be ingrained to my memory forever.

The secretary rolled out a television on a cart, set it up where the principal had stood and turned it on. A building, the largest I had ever seen, was burning. There were gasps and tears. And then within moments of turning it on, the station replayed one of the planes hitting. A part of our innocence died at that moment. In one second, the realm of possible, our understanding of evil of sin of death, changed.

I was roughly 460 miles from the towers on that day. 460 miles from the fires. 460 miles from the screams. 460 miles from the rubble.

But I was alive, alive on the day distance disappeared. Because on that day, our hearts were in the streets with those people. Our prayers ran alongside firemen and our tears kept company the medical heroes who saved so many that day. Our hope became as fierce as our fear and some part our selves lay under the rubble.

Ten years and America is something different from what it was, we are something different. For better or worse we mark that day in our minds as one of the utmost reality. Outside, we saw the most horrific of sights. But inside, some saw the unexpected, the beauty of our humanity. While we saw fire and smoke, inside the stairwells were filled with sacrifice and character. We sighed ‘no’ while they whispered ‘thank you.’

September 11 was a tragedy, but like a thorn bush it was not without its roses. Those roses were the souls which saved, carried, bled and died for another.

Mourn for those senselessly lost that day: 2,977. And also mourn that it took such a tragedy to bring about such beauty.

Silliness

2011-09-06T23:40:00.000-04:00

It’s ironic that my last few posts would be about freedom, and at this very moment the very last thing in the world I feel like is free. And the worst part is – I’ve asked for this. Honestly, I have. Every morsel of this extravagantly complex life, I’ve garnered praise for taking on.

But I am not going to repeat last semester. My health, my family, my ministry, my Savior – they are all more important than my transcript and bank statement. And honestly, this is going to be the season of Sabbath and saying no. I’m ready for it, I really am. Part of growing up is taking more responsibility – and a huge part of more responsibility is being able to say no. Something I admit I am horrible at.

I feel good though. As though, there is hope. I don’t have to do it all, I really don’t. I might not save the world, but I’ll enjoy the meaningless little bit of life I’ve been graced to live.

If one thing is pretty clear in the Bible, it’s that things move pretty slowly. Sure, Genesis moves pretty fast but think about the patriarchs, the kings, the apostles. Any and all of their accomplishments took a long time to come through, and in the end came about because of God anyways. So it makes our fast-forward life seem very silly.

This is mostly my mind winding down before bed. But I hope it really is something more. I really don’t want to lose myself for nothing. To lose myself in Him, in the service of something greater is always the goal. But to lose it for silliness, for letters and numbers. No thank you.

The Difficulty of Freedom

2011-09-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

On the other end of the spectrum is the problem of choice,

and if you have a few minutes to spare I urge you watch a portion of this video. He does a fantastic job identifying and addressing the issue.

The Freedom Of Difficulty, Continued

2011-09-04T23:54:00.000-04:00

It is easy to say difficulty is freeing after the storm has passed. It is something else entirely to be laid up in bed, teary-eyed with pain and pray under your breath, ‘this is for some good.’

In the previous post the idea of not having to choose the easiest path was mentioned. Like the famous Frost poem, the lesser traveled road makes all the difference in the end.

In this short piece I want to deliver a single concept as clearly as possible. God allows difficulty often, that is no secret. Anyone who has been alive for any significant amount of time will have experienced some trouble and as a Christian, your lot in life is no easier. The difficulty here is for the purpose of training. Yes, endurance, character, surrender – these are all beautiful fruits which grow from a patient walk with Christ. But one thing our Lord is constantly cultivating in us is not a fruit but an ability, a heightened sense. Another facet of the freedom brought on by difficulty is true sight.

Our eyes are such precious tools. With them we see the glory of creation, filling our souls with light. And with the same vessels we open our hearts to darkness. Men and women alike, stumble for lack of control over their sight. The eyes, though permanently attached to our heads, wander like animals and often find more trouble than they had hoped.

It is this constant search which defines our humanity, always looking, always seeking. But this also should change as one matures in Christ. Once we have salvation, the Word made flesh, what more is there to find? What can be more satisfying? A symptom of the peace of God is contentment, meaning the search our eyes once conducted on things out there, now our soul searches the Scriptures for things above. The search changes and our sight follows.

Our sight has little method to its madness. We see so much but we look past the majority of what actually counts. The freedom of difficulty is a limiting of that broad sight, a necessary blindness to the things which do not matter. A better word for this is focus. When unbelievably hard circumstances come our way we have a choice. Sacrifice becomes a necessity and we devote ourselves and what we have towards whatever truly matters. Some would call this painful, since we see any limit as a negative. But on the contrary, the strongest tools, the wisest persons – they were all the ones of the utmost focus. We can experience freedom in difficulty through the limitations of our sight, our focus becomes our strength. And with Christ as our focus, there is no greater strength.

Real freedom comes from discipline. It’s no accident that the most talented people in the world experience a freedom few ever will precisely because they endured a discipline few would ever want. I want to focus on what God wants me to see, because that limitation is the only way to freedom .

The Freedom Of Difficulty

2011-09-01T23:38:00.000-04:00

Discerning God's will for your life is pretty much the number one concern for Christian college students. Getting an idea about which direction you are supposed to head in is a pretty universal desire among people. From my conversations with people, age really doesn't matter all that much - the young and old alike are always looking towards something. But when you’re a Christian, this desire has a different flavor.

In one sense, we become detached from the mission. Since after all, it isn't exactly what we want - although we desire God's will for our lives, His choice is probably different than ours so we take the backseat approach. We automatically assume that God's will means God's choice. But what if it really isn't that clear cut?

Earlier in the week I was reading Andrew Byer's Blog. He wrote on discerning God's will and argued (successfully in my opinion) two points:

1] “open doors” do not necessarily indicate God’s direction. And

2] ease of circumstances does not necessarily clarify the path down which we are to trod.

Now let me circle back to the beginning and I'll tie it all together shortly. I am becoming more and more convinced of the freedom we are given as part of God's will. Not simply the "freedom in Christ" the New Testament explains in regards to religious practices and so forth, but the freedom of God. The lack of restraint he bestows upon his creation, in countless circumstances, so as to let the situation play out in an individualist manner.

Put simply: God creates the playing field and the rules, but I'm not sure He wants to create the script. He allows the characters to find themselves in the story. And the truly beautiful part is that the more we offer ourselves to Him, the more He directs us to be a part of His story.

I can see the potential argument of God's omniscience here, that in a sense He already knows the script. But I also think we need to rearrange our understanding of God's knowing - less of what we think it should be and more closely to what the Bible explicitly states.

Finally, back to what Byer's said. We have a tendency to rejoice more when things go right than when things go wrong. Well duh - because we're human. And that should be reason enough to question the response. A Christian can work on the words and actions and appearance. But if you really want to see if God is working in them, observe their responses and reactions. Those rarely come with warnings or time for them to Christianize their behavior.

I know, personally, I look for open doors. I am so thankful when uphill battles finally relax and I can coast downhill for a bit. I love when circumstances are easy or even favorable. It feels like things are finally aligning and then a corrupted thought usually follows: God came through. Wait, what?
We are trained to see open doors as God’s will when clearly that is not the case for so many saints and patriarchs and apostles and everyone else who has had to sacrifice for the kingdom of God. Do not condense God into your own personal genie.

I love that Byer’s pointed that out so clearly from Scripture. It is so important to realize open doors aren’t necessarily the right path. And this is where I want to elaborate on the point, and wrap the whole discussion into one coherent position. The will of God incorporates a freedom that is hard to define and even harder to practice in our lives. But there is a freedom: freedom to go through that open door and equally as much freedom not to.

I don’t believe the ease of any circumstance should be the deciding factor for one’s path in life. In reverence to the liberty we have been given under the sovereignty of God, we should act wisely understanding that every obstacle can be overcome in Christ and every opportunity should be an offering for His kingdom.

The mark of a maturing Believer is that they strive less to see God’s plan and more to plainly see God.

Death Disarms

2011-08-30T22:03:00.000-04:00

Now, then, as Christians we are given a choice daily.

The question being asked is not ‘to what degree are you willing to live for Christ today’ but instead ‘to what degree are you willing to die.’

Because the life of Christ will intentionally take over whatever part of ourselves has been given over to death. That is what the life of Christ does, resurrection. And so, for us to squeeze the life of Christ into our own is impossible and bound for failure because in essence we are trying to live two lives through one body. James sees this so clearly and defines the battle as one having to do with desires.

We were not made for a give-and-take with divinity. Our flesh cannot handle such a task and so the only option we have, in order that such a transformation of our desires and consequently our lives through action may change, is solely through death.

Trying and submitting are vastly different words, and as believers we must see and understand. As much as there was a difference between the weak and the strong in Corinth, so there is today between the saints who try and the saints who submit.

For the one, relying on their strength, runs so very fast but always in circles. The other, visibly weak, walks and sometimes crawls, yet somehow moves faster and higher than all the rest. This is the mystery of the Kingdom, that God should exalt the low and lower the exalted, that He might be glorified in everything.

There is no surrender without words; thus, prayer precedes every death. In the garden and on the cross, words came before blood. Folded hands led to outstretched arms. There was no trying on the road to Golgotha, no alternative seeking, no circumstance complaining; only the soft hush of conflicting desires. The Enemy knew he lost if Christ died. His only hold is on the tries of the living. Death disarms him.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Col. 3.3

10 Steps To Surviving College

2011-08-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

As my last first day of college is around the corner, I've been reminiscing at everything that has happened over the last handful of years. Perhaps it'll all come out in a book someday, but for now here are a few bits of wisdom I've picked up along the way.

1. Get ahead. Get your books, syllabus, schedule, calendar, room assignment, meal card, etc, get everything you can possibly think of ahead of time so you’re not stressing when school finally hits. Staring behind is a very bad habit to have in university life.

2.   Talk. To your roommate, counselor, teachers, classmates – everyone, because you have no idea how they could affect your future and help you in ways you never expected. I’ve experienced this more than once, random conversations leading to relationships which led to genuine benefits to my life. It’s not just networking, these people will shape you more in an hour than any degree ever could.

3. Love. You have to have to have to love what you do and what you are learning. The tragedy is the majority of students don’t; they’re in it to get the job. I know we have responsibilities, but we also have the responsibility to glorify God in the unique fashion He has made us –and sometimes that means making odd choices.

4.       Play. Hopefully you are going to study hard. So hard in fact, if your brain doesn’t feel like mush at least once a semester you should choose something more challenging. Because that brain workout warrants some pretty hardcore fun, and what better place to celebrate than at college? Playing hard (but legal) is a great destressor and distressing is a must if you have any hope of surviving four years.

5.      Shhhh. Seriously, just be quiet. You’re mind and life and heart will be going about 110 mph in university life so hitting pause becomes a necessity. Find a park or a tree or get in your car and go for a drive, whatever it is find a place where you can be a lone and silent. Give your spirit time to just be, apart from due dates and social dilemmas.

6.       Find. You’re never going to find if you don’t search, and just so you know, good searching requires pain. College is a time to find yourself but it’s also a chance to be found. Pursue your interests but also be open to things you would have never considered or would have frightened you – like mission trips, strange foods, or relationships. True identity is as much about stepping into who you truly are as it is stepping out of what you are truly not.

7.       Plan. Plan as if you were in charge of building the titanic. Your education is the most prominent ship on the waters and you want everything to be perfect for smooth sailing. This is where people come in and the wisdom of elders proves to be priceless. And then plan knowing that a hidden iceberg lies somewhere out there and your ship is likely to be shattered. That’s not just college that’s life. But not planning is not an option. Because even if everything goes down the toilet, you have something to fall back on.

8.       Pray. This is actually number 1, but people typically remember the first and last better than the middle and the last better than the first, and number 8 is an important number so prayer seemed a natural fit. I can’t warn you enough what can happen when prayer becomes secondary or even optional. It should be as much a part of your daily routine as getting dressed. Even on a person’s worst day they won’t give up getting dressed – they’d be indecent. So why are we okay with going out spiritually indecent?

9.       Guard. Protect your heart at all costs. Because of this small biological thing gets toyed with, everything else becomes unstable. Guard your mind. Education is not memorization; if you are not struggling with the knowledge they are bestowing, if you are not questioning and interacting with what is being delivered, than you are not truly learning. And guard your body. You will never have so many exquisitely good and profoundly wrong choices in one place as you will in college. Choose wisely.

10.   Smile. This season of life will be over before you know it, so enjoy every bit, even the sour ones can serve as good memories down the road.

Father Make Me Hungry, Father Give Me Thirst

2011-08-24T22:50:00.000-04:00

Father make me hungry, Father give me thirst

Bless me with solitude To seek you in the hurt

Father birth in me a desire raging, Open hellish doors if need

To open young eyes to glory aging The sinner’s soul you’ve freed

Quench me not with droplets sweet Of momentary distraction

But Father plant the mustard seed Of your endless satisfaction

If wanderlust does take my hand, Take my feet instead

And where I dare seize the land, Give me only bread

Give me so very little, That I may have much

Burden me not with riches, Only lightly with your touch

From head of ponderous thought To knees of empty bone

Sing the song in me which brought A prodigal home

Father make me hungry

Until I fade, if not for the sweetest touch

Of your word this day

Father give me thirst

For nothing but Spirit’s wave, lest I

Forget and crave crave crave

Loneliness may bless the heart

A noiseless paradise, where sin’s exposed

Apart from its clothing of noise

So I seek you, everlong

painfully if must, but pain carves this heart of stone

into a monument of trust

A Better Question

2011-08-24T00:25:00.000-04:00

Do you ever feel like you’re not quite the person you really are? Like there’s a wall between two realities: the one you are in, and the one you want to be in. A wall built of others’ perceptions of you, of what you should be.

Maybe it’s an issue of appearance or style. Would you be more you’re true self if something on the outside was different? If it more clearly reflected the inside? Is that even possible?

Or maybe it has to do with your surroundings: the people, the buildings, the sounds, the smells.

What if it’s just all in your head, and the wall doesn't exist at all and the awkwardness you’re feeling isn't because of something you need to step out of, but something you need to step into.

I am convinced “who are you” is a horrible question to ask because no one knows how to answer it well. Each and every person is constructed of countless dimensions and to try and sum it up into one statement would be an insult to the complex beauty that is our humanity. And a better reason that the question fails is because it is static.

Who are you tries to solve the mystery of the moment: precisely up to this point, how would you define yourself to me so that I may better understand you – aka place you in a category I’m familiar with. We do this because it makes people less complicated; it’s easier to have ‘a friend who’s a music major’ than ‘my friend who plays piano because her grandma taught her and loves photography and secretly wishes to visit France, she paints poorly but it’s her favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon, the smell of wet leaves in fall remind her of her dad who passed away and so when she plays the piano she’s also reminded of his funeral.’

People are endlessly complicated. The point I am driving at is to not see identity as a goal to be reached but a journey to be experienced. Who you are is static, so a better question is ‘who are you becoming?’ It’s active, hinting at the fact that even at this very moment you are changing from who you were this morning and by the time your head hits the pillow tonight, you will be different again.

There is little satisfaction to be gained from comparing one’s self to others, because we are measuring imaginary static beings against each other. It’s like two guys standing next to an aisle of parked cars and arguing about which is the fastest – none of them are moving. And better yet, they weren’t all made for racing. Sure, that sleek two-seater can hit 60 in under 8 seconds, but how does it handle a payload of 1.5 tons? Or can it transport half a soccer team to practice with a trunk full of gear?

Take heart, no one is exactly the person they want to be and no path is arrow-straight. But are you taking steps? Are you thanking God for the complicated messes we are and for having the opportunity to love other messes. Remember those messes are becoming and growing too.

The definition of our identity is in the transformation of our being,

for better or worse, by sanctification or idolization.

We are shaped by everything we pull away from or push towards, each leaves its distinct mark.

If you are unsatisfied with who you are, don’t wallow at the unmovable;

instead, take a look at the motion of things: activities, conversations, purchases –

things done by decisions towards certain ends.

And then change the ends and watch how everything else follows.

James: A Little Light, A Little Sound

2011-08-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

How do these help you? A little light, a little sound. But they are so much more.

You see, a little light can expose what the darkness has been trying to hide. A little of Heaven’s light can open your eyes to the lies of temptations, and the parts which were once invisible become glaringly apparent. And you think, how come everyone else can’t see that, it’s right there. However, that is the gift of Heaven’s light and it has shown you something other’s simply cannot see.

The second is even less noticeable because it is about preventing. When you are being tempted, it is very much like a small whisper hinting you towards a certain decision. It’s trying to push you towards something you should not do and most likely would not participate in if not for some coaxing. But the small whisper of God, when you are actively pursuing him, does something really incredible. It drowns those voices out.

What does that mean? You are going to be tempted the rest of your life. Every day, in some way, towards some sin, you will be tempted. I can guarantee that.

But it is up to you to determine what is going to tempt you and, in addition, how much pull are those temptations going to have on you. Your temptations depend largely upon your current station in life, and as you mature naturally, you should grow out of these things. So it should be likewise spiritually, that as you mature you should grow out of small temptations.

This is challenging to explain; the voice of God is the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It will lead you towards certain things and away from others, sometimes with or without you taking a conscious notice of the possible temptations He is guarding you from. Continually then, as you grow up physically and spiritually that voice increasingly drowns out the lesser/more juvenile temptations but also becomes louder when you are being tempted.

These are two things that have to happen at the heart level if you are ever going to battle temptation.

Furthermore, this is a direct challenge to your spiritual development. We are supposed to grow stronger as we continue in life alongside our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we are, on this side of eternity, bound to sin and failure. But at the same time we are set apart, given the gift of time within which we have the opportunity to develop, precisely for His glory. Do not let this life be a waste. Temptation is but a symptom of a much deeper, darker issue. I plead with you to expect and search out the power God has promised to us that we may live as a people who have truly met the Savior King.

James: We Have To Want More

2011-08-17T09:20:00.000-04:00

Now desire is a tricky thing.

How many of you have ever had a crush?

Not a “Oh I think they're cute” kind of crush, but the “I am going to die if they actually talk to me” kind of crush. Our minds drift towards what we desire most. If you are ever curious about what is most important to you, throughout the day, at random times, stop yourself and see what you are thinking about. Our mind's desires are naturally prone to move by themselves towards certain things.

However, when those desires become focused on something, it can feel as if you are going crazy. When you have that second kind of crush it can be all-consuming. You need that person, they are the reason you awoke this morning and the reason you are going to have trouble falling asleep tonight.

But we are fickle; meaning we change our minds pretty often and pretty quickly. Because, honestly, a year from now you are no longer going to be obsessed over that person and most likely you have moved on to a entirely new paramour.

CS Lewis says “we are far too easily pleased.”

One of the best, surest ways of battling temptation is to desire something else.

You will not want that particular sin if your wants are consumed by something else. If something else has all of your attention and time and devotion, than what are you going to have left to give to temptation? Nothing. (James 1:25)

That is the point and the goal of desiring God; God himself and the reward He promises us if we remain steadfast. We have to keep our mind, our hearts, our eyes on Heaven, on the life awaiting us after this one, on God and His love and the new world He’s going to give us – one free of sin, free of death. It is going to be so spectacular we really have no idea, no idea at all!

But we have to do everything in our power to keep it in mind and in sight. As much as we want a good life, we have to want Heaven more (Colossians 3:1-4).

Like a crush, as much as we want that beautiful person to complete us, we have to want God more.

And as your doing that, as you are aiming to desire God, something amazing begins to happen. As you are pursuing God (and we are going to cover some of the practical steps soon), as you are reaching more and more for Him; something clicks.

It is not instant at all, but very gradual and hardly noticeable. And truly you are likely not even going to know when it started, but one day you are going to see it in action and wonder how long it has been there. I am talking about a small glimpse of Heaven’s light and a small whisper of God’s voice.

And truly, this next part is my favorite.

James: The Skunky Source

2011-08-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Where does this temptation comes from?

This is hugely important because if you are able to understand this concept, than you should be able to stop it or avoid it. Think of a bad smell: skunk spray. Now this scent is reeking the whole house up. You check the basement, you check the kitchen, the attic, the living room, the bedrooms, the bathrooms. Nothing. So you check the people: mom, dad, siblings, dog, cat, grandma (sorry grandma but we had to make sure). Nothing. But it still smells so bad. You decide to take a break and go for a walk, but as soon as you turn the corner you realize you still smell it. What the heck! Then you realize why.

You’re the one who smells like skunk. That’s why you could not lose the scent; it is on you.

Temptation is the same way. That’s why it will never matter what state you live in or what school you go to; the temptations are being carried with you because of your desires. You’re desires are like magnets for temptation. God does not tempt you, He tests you – but with truth, with difficult choices and with opportunities to rely on Him. (Read James 1:2-3)

God's testing pulls you towards greater character and intimacy with Him.

Temptation pull you in the exact opposite, worldliness and ignorance of God's presence.

Temptation is what the devil uses because it is a perversion of what is good. Usually the desires we have are genuine and good. They are legitimate things that we should crave as humans, but that is not how they stay. In the world they are perverted, changed into things they should have never become and then presented back to us as perfectly fine. (Read James 1:16-17)

Do not be fooled. Desire is an incredibly strong emotion, it can mess with your head.

But we are far from helpless. And in fact, desire can be our greatest tool against temptation, fighting fire with fire.

James: Desire, Burgers and a Lie

2011-08-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

Think for a second what it means to desire: a strong feeling of want, to crave, to focus upon.

Now what does it mean for something to be desirable? To be seen as attractive, useful, or even necessary.

Over the next few days I want to bring temptation to light by examining what it is, what it is not, and most importantly how to deal with it. Too often an extreme is taken, whether that is making more of temptation than we should, or even worse, taking it too lightly. My aim is to reiterate a few things you have likely heard before, but to tie it together in such a way that you see temptation as not only an opportunity but even as a necessity in one's Christian walk.

We begin today with the truth of temptation.

The best way I can describe desire and temptation is with a food analogy. Now everyone knows the facts about a burger – meat, cheese, buns, toppings. It is a burger, big deal. But when you are hungry that is not how you think of it.

You see that meat is perfectly cooked, crisp yet juicy. The cheese melts perfectly, leaving an equal hot sweet layer gently resting atop our meat. The toppings are as fresh as spring itself, they smell delicious and you pile them on. Then the buns, oh yes. The buns are warmed, so their soft but they give the burger something a little extra. You see that delectable dish, you smell it, and you want it; I mean your starving! It is almost 2 o’clock and you haven’t had lunch yet, that burger is exactly what you want, no wait, exactly what you need.

I mean everyone needs to eat right? And burgers aren’t a bad thing, it’s just a burger. God made us with the necessity to eat so you have every right to satisfy your desire. You have every right to take hold of what is being flashed in front of you.

And you do. You take it and you bite the heck out of it. And it's good, so good. You chew, extracting every ounce of delicious flavor into your mouth and then go in for another bite. Oh yes,this is exactly what you wanted.

But wait, you feel something in your mouth – something that definitely does not belong on a burger. So you spit it out and there it is...a nice big fat band-aid. You start praying to God that is ketchup on there.

Gross.

Yeah it is gross. You did not see that part and, for some reason, it was left out of the description.

And that is the first point I want you to understand. Temptation never gives you the full picture. Of course it is not going to tell you the consequences. But even more than that, it is not going to tell you everything that is involved with the particular sin. Like a commercial, the temptation only tells you the inviting parts, the attributes everyone likes; the disclaimer at the end gets muffled up.

Temptation may not be sin in itself, but it is a lie.

To The Daughter Who Stole My Affections

2011-08-08T14:54:00.000-04:00

To the daughter who stole my affections...

Dear my piece of Heaven’s light,

Even now, years before I will ever hold you in my arms, yet an eternity after God saw that you would be, I am stricken with love for you. With failing might I hold back the rush of tears which threatens to undo me. They are of joy and grief. Joy, that you are mine, joy that such a love exists, joy that I would be so blessed to be entrusted with such a gift. And yet there is grief, grief at the world you are coming into, grief towards the lies they will have you believe and how, with so much terrible effort, they will try to rip you out my arms. But take care my child, because even with all the overwhelming love I have for you, there is a Father who loves you more. Even as I make every effort to protect and provide, it is He who satisfies, secures and surrounds.

I have seen the woman I want you to become. A woman jealous for purity who is fearless when such values are diminished. Whose tongue is quick to encourage, and both in word and deed preaches the Gospel of righteousness. A woman of fierce convictions, with a soft heart; but never frail. Never mocking, nor without hope, never condemning but in all things shows a mercy rarely seen. A woman bright with the love of Christ, mature in His word, desirous of His ways and heavy with a heart for others.

You are so beautiful. But if all you see is the beauty in the mirror, you are but examining a seconds mark upon a clock as large as time itself. For what is on the outside is only the smallest of fragments of your beauty. True beauty, such as that found in you and your mother, runs deep. It starts somewhere near the heart like burst of light. The radiance catches on, infecting both the soul and heart. The heart, renewed by loveliness, pumps its newfound fervor through your veins into your mind. Your mind, alit with the truth, sparks, setting aflame your conscience self. Then the light shines through your eyes, and I catch a glimpse of Heaven.

That is your beauty and your worth. Unfading, irrevocable, lasting, beating, vibrant beauty. You are my daughter. Never forget. And you are His bride. Always remember.

I love you.

A man after His heart

To the daughter who stole mine

To The Son Who Has My Heart

2011-08-07T22:41:00.000-04:00

A letter to my future son, if his heart is anything like mine...

Dear most precious child,

I write to you out of my burden of love for you. Since the day you were born I have been flooded by emotions I never conceived a person could hold. I have thought upon you more than any person I’ve ever known, even thinking of you more than myself at the best of times. I pray this reaches you before much heartbreak has, in the hopes to prevent you whatever pain I can; though I know you must endure some.

This letter primarily concerns the issues of the heart. As you already have and will increasingly come to know, this small vessel inside your body does much more than pump life through your veins. As much as it is the source of life physically, so it is spiritually. And perhaps the illustration will further encourage you to see that one can never be totally severed from the other. They are hopelessly entangled, along with our emotions and mental capabilities; all tools, whether for our destruction or refinement.

Some will say ‘the heart knows what it wants’ and I admit for a time I lived in such a way. But James has argued against this point and I beckon you to take hold of his words. The heart, this lovely source of so much good in the world, is in itself the foulest of entities. It will just as quickly pump death as it would life given the opportunity. Be on guard my son. For it has been through many a painful night, weighed with the heaviest of sorrows; yes, only by these have I come to see my errors, through a curtain of tears.

Those with softest hearts are easily squeezed until their well runs dry and they are left a skeleton of who they once were. But the hard of heart are no better off. Being one myself, I see the danger of it all. We take pride in our defense. With high walls we protect that which is dearest to us, namely ourselves. Yet, though they are hard, they are light; and though they are firm, they are fragile. And when the winds of faintest love blow are way, such hearts are easily lifted high and float effortlessly upon the scent of hope. It is short-lived and our invisible carrier returns to nothing and we are shattered.

As this will be the first of many letters to come, I dare not overwhelm you. But I do aim to drive you to action. Guard your heart, in whatever shape it may take, towards whatever beauty it may admire; rein it in. So that if it is squeezed, may it be by the pressing of His holiness; if it is shattered, may it be by the understanding of His grace; and if it is captured, may it be by the softness of His voice. He never abandons.

A man after His heart

To the son who has mine

She Knew His Love

2011-08-05T22:38:00.000-04:00

I wish she knew his love

I turned, to a teary eyed saint,

whose beauty had not worn.

This place is evil, with wicked schemes

of men to kill innocent dreams.

With child's hands we carve are fates,

into broken wood. I wish,

I wish she saw the sunset skies,

with purple hues of God’s design,

and realized for a moment that her life

was no less magnificent

than the skies.

I wish for a day she could know

how deep the ocean waters flow,

and for a moment understand

that his love for her is equally as grand.

I hope she’ll find, somewhere inside,

the fingerprint pressed on heaven’s side.

To know that is where she belongs,

and that is why this life is merely

a shadow and whisper of things to come.

I wish she could know the joy again,

of softest hands, of dearest friend.

To know a love without bounds,

to see the music of sorrow without its painful songs.

To have a glimpse, not of the plan,

but of His face who knows her well.

I wish she knew his love tonight.

And with softest thoughts, I pray she might.

Ancient Love

2011-08-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

I love how beautiful the ancient language of latin sounds, so here is my verse for the year (2 Peter 1:3-11) in latin. I encourage you to read some of it aloud - let it take you back to the churches of 1500 years ago, when Christianity looked much different. Yet we serve the same Lord forever and always.

quomodo omnia nobis divinae virtutis suae quae ad vitam et pietatem donata est per cognitionem eius qui vocavit nos propria gloria et virtute per quae maxima et pretiosa nobis promissa donavit ut per haec efficiamini divinae consortes naturae fugientes eius quae in mundo est concupiscentiae corruptionem

vos autem curam omnem subinferentes ministrate in fide vestra virtutem in virtute autem scientiam in scientia autem abstinentiam in abstinentia autem patientiam in patientia autem pietatem in pietate autem amorem fraternitatis in amore autem fraternitatis caritatem

haec enim vobis cum adsint et superent non vacuos nec sine fructu vos constituent in Domini nostri Iesu Christi cognitione cui enim non praesto sunt haec caecus est et manu temptans oblivionem accipiens purgationis veterum suorum delictorum

quapropter fratres magis satagite ut per bona opera certam vestram vocationem et electionem faciatis haec enim facientes non peccabitis aliquando sic enim abundanter ministrabitur vobis introitus in aeternum regnum Domini nostri et salvatoris Iesu Christi

The Screwtape Letters Quotes 2

2011-07-31T09:00:00.001-04:00

“when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever.” L.13

“Hence, nearly all vices are rooted in the future” L.15

“’To be’ means ‘to be in competition’” L.18

“You must therefore zealousy guard in his mind the curious assumption ‘My time is my own’…[though] it all comes to him by pure gift” L.21

“Nothing is naturally on our side” L.22

“We have trained them to think of the Future as a promised land which favoured heroes attain – not as something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is” L.25

“A woman means by Unselfishness chiefly taking trouble for others; a man means not giving trouble to others.” L.26

“For the Enemy does not foresee the humans making their free contributions in a future, but sees them doing so in His unbounded Now. And obviously to watch a man doing something is not to make him do it.” L.27

“Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it’, while really it is finding its place in him.” L.28

“To be greatly and effectively wicked a man needs some virtue.” L.29

The Screwtape Letters Quotes

2011-07-30T12:25:00.000-04:00

C.S. Lewis never ceases to amaze me. He writes with an insight few have, because it is the type of knowledge only experience can teach. And experience’s tool of choice is pain.

The Screwtape Letters are a series of communications between an elder demon (Screwtape) and his young tempter-in-training nephew Wormwood. It has all the qualities of a Lewis classic: witty, clever, eye-opening and of course beautifully written. But aside from the laughs, Lewis had a very clear aim in producing this work. He wanted Christians to get their mind on spiritual warfare as a very real thing.

Do you take that phrase, spiritual warfare, seriously? Do you honestly wake up and think, I am going be attacked a multitude of times today by demonic forces who desire nothing else than my turning away from God.

If we did, I bet our days would look different, our mornings especially. Our prayers would be more informed and hopefully our Bibles would be more read.

I encourage all of you to pick up this book. It is a relatively simple and quick read; but I’d also encourage you to not read it simply or quickly.

Quotes:

“Keep everything hazy in his mind now, and you will have all eternity wherein to amuse yourself by producing in him the peculiar kind of clarity which Hell affords.” Letter 2

“if ever he consciously directs his prayers ‘Not to what I think thou art but to what thou knowest thyself to be’, our situation is, for the moment, desperate.” L.4

“He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.” L.6

"Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” L.8

“All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be.” L.10

“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one” L.12

More Quotes Tomorrow...

O Jesus Be Mine

2011-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

This is the melody of the Gospel we play

When darker days drown our joy away

Truer notes never did ring

Than the lips of a sinner with salvation to sing

A gift undeserved, but ours to take

So Holy Spirit, our lives awake

And fashion as thou desire

Clothe us with Heaven's attire

Stand us upon pillars of white

Crown us with diadems blinding

For our glory is none, if not for the Son

And His is ours

Incredible yes, true absolutely

So take me as I am

And recreate with fire

For the darkness of my coal sin hides the gem which God did first create

And dirty deeds have made me darker still

With heavy hands I fold to pray

And wandering mind I bind to say

That You are my Lord, still today

Tomorrow too, but only

Only if you

Guide me as I walk so blind

Lift as I fall behind

Catch me when troubles weigh

Me down to dirt, I dare to taste

But weak desires leave me lost

And weaker still my heart to trust

Be then, my strength reserve

My God on High

My Savior of truth, to which my life testifies

Be the all I wish to have, victor over sin and death

O Jesus, be mine

In The Eyes Of A Child

2011-07-26T21:06:00.000-04:00

In the eyes of a child

Our dreams come true

For the futures they seek

Are ours to lose

In the eyes of a child

This world I first saw

All innocent and green

All teary and raw

In the eyes of child

My soul did weep

For secrets of mine

No heart could keep

In the eyes of a child

There is grace to impart

Did not God’s gift

With a child start

And so it remains

That what we refuse to see

Is not hidden from our distracted view

But with such a heavy heart we turn

To Him who by our sin is not riled

But bestows on us such innocence

As that found

In the eyes of a child

Disillusionment Of A Busy Soul

2011-07-23T11:29:00.000-04:00

For the past handful of weeks I have felt very much like a garbage can being whirled about by a tornado, spewing things I wish I hadn’t and unable to set my feet upon the ground. My mind was disconnected and my heart discontent. My body was exhausted and the world around me was a fog through which I could not see my next step.

This is the disillusionment of a busy soul.

This is what can happen when one lets the whirlwind of their life begin to lift them off the foundation who is their life. It is very possible to serve a God you ignore. And that happens because we let the thing become the goal, and not how God wants to use whatever that thing may be. Ministry becomes a series of events, leading nobody nowhere very quickly.

The fountain we once relied on becomes muddy and tasteless, for we have stuck our hands where only our lips belonged. That is an issue of our prayers: do we pray after, that He might make what He can out of what we have offered. Or do we pray before, offering nothing but ourselves and letting what follows be an overflow, not the wringing out of any moisture left in our thirsty souls.

Ministry is torture for the disconnected soul but bliss when it is truly an overflow.

Before you attempt anything by the Lord’s name, examine what you are being filled with. Because regardless of what many may think, that will be the only resource you have to offer.

1 Samuel: Not Without Hope

2011-07-21T18:00:00.000-04:00

This section of 1 Samuel ends with a boy named David. A boy who is alive because of the obedience of his great grandmother: Ruth.

Now that you have seen what can happen when pride is driving someone’s life; in the story of David you will see the opposite, how incredible a story can become when obedience to God is the driving factor.

I pray you will choose the latter.

Saul: An End Worse Than Death

2011-07-21T13:00:00.001-04:00

Listen to Saul’s reasoning in verses 20-21.

He kept the ‘best of what was devoted to God in order to sacrifice to God.’

What is your best? What is the best you have to offer to God? Maybe your athletic and you can play your heart out for Him, or you can sing, dance, write, study? What is the absolute best thing about you that you can offer God?

You see we try to develop those as our offerings, thinking this is what God wants me to do because this is the best I have.

But that’s not it, our best is not good enough. And when you really get that, when you really understand there is nothing you can do on your own terms to please God; that’s terrifying. Because what do you have left?

v.16 - To obey is better than sacrifice. We see that practically in this story as Saul continually drifts further and further away from God. God wants obedience, not the ritual sacrifice, not the best we have to offer. He wants our obedience and obedience requires devotion and devotion requires everything.

He doesn’t want the best of us, He wants the whole of us: the bad and the good, the perfectly imperfect masterpiece He calls His own.

Saul’s downfall continues in the following chapters and as Saul is rejected, David is anointed as the next king of Israel. But there was one more consequence I mentioned at the beginning. Something I believe to be worse than death.

15:26 - the LORD has rejected you as king - and - 15:35 - The LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel

In American Christianity we have developed a very soft idea of God and because of that, a very soft view of sin. It doesn’t really matter what you do because God will just snap his fingers and everything will be alright – and while that is partly true, His forgiveness knows no bounds, He will not put up with disobedience forever – either you choose him or you don’t.

Here we read the result of Saul’s disobedience. God was grieved that he chose him.

Now can you imagine being chosen for a part in a play or joining a team. You work hard and practice and then when the play opens or the season starts it seems to go really well. Your excited and encouraged. You see your coach or director coming towards you, thinking ‘I did a great job’ you’re expecting to hear good things. But when they reach you, they look sad and disappointed. Then they say, “I wish I never chose you for that part, it would have been better if you never played.”

But this wasn’t just some leader, some person Saul looked up to; this was God. God looked at him and the job he was doing and said, you should have never been king. Can you imagine what that feels like, to be rejected by the person who loves you the most, who designed your life. And for them to see what you’ve done and who you’ve become and be utterly disappointed and even disgusted.

That is what pride does to your relationship with God.

Pride is the sin of exalting yourself above God and therefore being rejected by God.

Saul: A Dark Harvest

2011-07-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

The second incident leading to Saul’s downfall is found towards the end of Chapter 14.

Jonathan had attacked a small Philistine outpost. There were only a handful of men there but what was amazing is how God used that small attack. He caused the rest of the Philistine camp to become confused and fearful. Suddenly they were all attacking each other and the Israelite army took full advantage of the situation. They jumped into battle and the LORD gave them victory that day. All the men who had left or went into hiding came back and helped in the attack. It was a much needed turn of events.

But that was not enough for Saul and he made his army take an oath not to eat any food until he has taken more revenge upon his enemies. The strategy was to motivate and drive his soldiers to fight harder. Many of you know what happened next. Jonathan, his son, ate some honey.

Yes, he did not hear the order from his father, but even when he was told of the wrong he committed what did Jonathan say: my father is just making trouble. No repentance – like father like son.

Saul seems to deal with it appropriately at first, he seeks God and promises to make amends:

v.39 - even if it means killing his own son. v.44 - again he seems to be on track but the fact remains Jonathan does not die.

Saul’s second mistake: he desired to keep the favor of his men, rather than the commandments of his God. If you’re ever not sure if you are dealing with pride, this is a good way to test: how much do you depend on the approval and opinion of others?

Last week we saw Hannah and her humility before God and her family. She gave her son, she gave her identity away out of obedience. Saul didn’t, he couldn’t – that was where he found his worth, in his position. Most anything could have happened to Hannah and she would have remained faithful because the object of her affection was God: not the gifts he could her or the people he put in her life, but the Creator himself.

Saul’s third incident is found in Chapter 15.

Saul is told to punish to Amalekites for what they did to Israel a long time ago. The directions are clear: destroy everything. That means all the people and all of their possessions, nothing should be left whether it is valuable or not.

And for a third time Saul disobeyed. For a third time he showed that his heart was not surrendered and for a third time he led the nation of Israel to disobey God.

v.9 - Saul kept what had value in his eyes. He refused to destroy the things he believed would add to his worth and his kingdom.

This was the last straw. Samuel confronts Saul in v.17.

Pride destroyed Saul’s devotion. It took him off track, blinded him, and drove him to chase the wrong things.

It is ironic as you keep reading that everything Saul refused to do came back to bite him in the end; not killing Jonathon and especially not destroying all of the Amalekites.

A speaker I recently listened to put it this way, "you reap what you sow and the harvest is always bigger than the seed." Here Saul was sowing his pride and he believed everything was fine because he did not know the harvest that was to come, when all of his actions and decisions were about to be shown for what they really were: disobedience.

Saul: The Impatient Sacrifice

2011-07-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

The story of Saul begins with much hope.

Samuel is led to find the chosen king of Israel when he meets Saul. Saul is everything you expect in a king. Tall, handsome, strong, the appearance and demeanor of a natural born leader. He looks the part and has the qualities to accept and thrive in such a position.

The people rejoice at their new king and Saul quickly leads them to victories. They triumph over their enemies, finally uniting as a nation again and being strengthened by God’s power. They defend against and attack surrounding nations, gaining victory after victory. Everything is going so well.

That is when Samuel decides to step down. The period of judges is now over and a new season has come upon Israel. Kings were now the official leaders, physically and spiritually. They would set the example as well as direct the nation as a whole.

But Samuel is very aware of the evil that can come from one person having so much power. His farewell speech is filled with warnings and a call to repent. Do not forget who your real leader is; do not forget who your real judge is. Because whether or not the king punishes you for the sins you have committed, one day you are going to have to answer to God for them.

And if the king turns from God, if the king decides to ignore God, who will he have to answer to? That alone is the cause of so much evil: people believing they are the only judge on what is right or wrong.

There are three events recorded in Saul’s reign which lead to his downfall, God’s choosing of another king, and finally something worse than death.

The first is in Chapter 13.

Saul was made king. His army had attacked a Philistine outpost at Geba and now the whole of Philistia or Plest was getting ready for war. They assembled an enormous army: six thousand charioteers and soldiers as numerous as the sand. And what did the Israelites do when they heard about their army? They hid. They hid like animals and some ran away, getting clear out of Israel. Already many had forgotten that the LORD would fight for them if they were faithful to him. They didn’t look for God in this situation, they only saw the circumstances. They only saw what was impossible for them and fear shot through their veins.

A few men remained with Saul, ready to fight. It was custom to sacrifice before battles, to gain God’s favor. The high priest would come and go through the ritual, and as long as it was accepted the army would do well. Reasons for it not being accepted were: the priest was engaging in sin, the offering is the wrong type or not what was specified, or the wrong person was leading it.

Saul was told to wait for Samuel (v.8) and he did, mostly. He waited a week. For six days he obeyed, but on the seventh one the pressure had become too much. On the seventh day his men began to depart and he doubted Samuel. So he did what pride will always lead us to do: He took matters into his own hands. He did it his way, rather than waiting and depending on someone else. (read v9)

Saul offered the sacrifices – his first mistake, and the first sign that his devotion to God was waning.

His leadership skills and talent were becoming the source of his power, not the LORD.

Saul: Our Devotion's Default

2011-07-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength -

Deuteronomy 6:5

What does it mean to be devoted? What does that look like in our everyday lives, in our words, in our thoughts? How are we to maintain our devotion, especially when things get difficult? And who will help us along?

We see that devotion begins, continues and ends with God. He is the one who calls us to himself and gives us salvation. When we fail, He will be the one to pick us up and lead us differently if we truly desire repentance. He will also surround us with believers and mentors – all imperfect – but all there to assist us and remind us of the glory we are waiting for.

Just as last week we saw how the call of God was a call to give; likewise the call to devotion is a call to forsake everything and everyone else. All of us are devoted to something: our hopes, our goals, our significant others; many of which are very good and possibly even gifts from God. But you must not fall into the trap of Romans 1:25 - they worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised.

Hannah in humility gave herself by relying on God in prayer. And when that prayer was answered, she gave the good gift of Samuel away out of her devotion to God.

Why did it have to be her son?

Yes, it foreshadowed the Gospel, and God was working towards a miraculous plan in Israel. But it had to be something as dear as her son because devotion will never ask you to give something that is easy for you to surrender. If you are only relying on Him for the most insignificant parts of your life; how important is he to you? If you are only giving to him the least valuable offerings and the smallest amount of energy, than what does that say about his worth to you?

True deep honest devotion is so incredibly hard because it is not satisfied with only a part of us. True devotion requires the entirety of who we are. True devotion takes over your thoughts and dreams and desires so that you really are a new creation, one headed in a completely different direction because of Christ and the Holy Spirit’s work in you.

As we continue through the book of Samuel we will see one of the greatest enemies of devotion. The sin of pride.

Most often pride is not a deliberate sin, like many others we commit. People do not step into the world and seek to become prideful. Rather it is something we drift towards. It is our natural tendency to be prideful, to glorify ourselves above others and above God. That is our desire as a human, self-exaltation.

For this, I have bad news and good news. The bad news is there is no way to stop being prideful. You will never become so holy that you just stop having prideful thoughts and attitudes, that will never happen on this side of glory. But there is good news.

The good news is, even though you may never be able to stop it, there are ways to battle it. Through confession and repentance, and the pursuit of righteousness God will lead you away from pride. But if you are not aiming and heading in the direction of godliness, then there is no other option but pride.

It is our default setting as fallen creatures.

Hannah: The Starting Point Of Faith

2011-07-12T13:00:00.000-04:00

In the following chapters the focus begins to shift to the house of Eli, the ark, and eventually Saul. The brief focus on Hannah closes with a prayer starting in chapter 2.

It begins very much like a psalm, praising the LORD and his works. It flows in and around his attributes describing him as the rock, as the provider, as the just judge, and as the highest power. It is all very poetic and celebratory until the end. The tone changes, becoming dark and heavy.

Here we see something very unexpected if you had read this apart from reading judges and Ruth. God uses Hannah, a woman, as a prophetess. In these two short verses, Hannah elegantly and candidly summarizes the rest of the book. (2:9b-10)

It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the LORD will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.

It is not by strength – whether you are sons of the high priest, or the anointed king of Israel, your power will always be subject to the LORD, for there is no authority apart from God (Rom 13:1).

As you continue to read through 1 Samuel you will see the mighty brought low time and time again. You will see those who received so much from God reject their calling, because they believe what they have rightfully belongs to them. They fall into sin as a result, immorality and many other faults; but their first and greatest error remains that they kept what the LORD gave them to give.

He will give strength to his king – Here we will see the beauty of humility, and again what the LORD can do when you are surrendered to Him.

Just as Hannah was. No position is too low, no person is too small, no gift too insignificant. Our God is the God of the impossible. All he asks is of you is to believe with faith and to obey by acting according to that faith.

And this is how the story of Samuel begins.

Hannah: The Pain Of Giving In Joy

2011-07-11T13:00:00.000-04:00

Hannah showed faith during the darkest trials and obedience during the greatest joy. Circumstances will change, but God remains forever. It is incredibly important to lean on God during the hard times in life. When nothing is going the right way, and you are a Christian, it seems or should seem only natural to lean on God. To call on Him and pray for His strength to carry you.

But it is much harder to lean on God when things are going right. When sickness and pain and fear seem miles away, God becomes less of a necessity and more of an ornament. We become our own gods when things are going well.

Relying on God is essential during the suffering, but the real test comes during the celebration.

Hannah showed her foundation through her actions; her faith during the barren years and her obedience during the season of joy.

The call of God is more about what our Lord asks of us to give, rather than a task we are given to do. Some say the call of Hannah was to give birth to a son. But if that is all she did, would we be reading about her today? If she simply completed the task to the best of her ability, out of her ability, would she be worthy of mention in the Scriptures? God’s call for Hannah was to give her son. To give the very thing she had received. To give what was never hers in the first place.

Likewise with Samuel, when God comes and calls him out of his bed what are the first words God greets him with (3:11) “See, I am about to do something in Israel…”

It is God’s doing, not our own.

Even at this moment as I deliver this message, am I answering the call of God? Am I giving of myself – my time, my words, my study. But apart from His doing, my effort is empty. Apart from His gift, I have nothing to offer you.

Hannah: The Treasure She Surrendered

2011-07-10T15:44:00.000-04:00

She prayed deeply and confidently. But too often that is where our faith and obedience end; at the door of God’s glory. We are shy and fearful to enter into the promised land. We are careful to believe only so much, but never cast our heart completely upon Him.

We fear His failure, though He never fails; we fear our heart-break, though love is the only language our Savior speaks.

Hannah acted on her prayer, she stepped in faith according to what she had prayed as verse 19 tells us “Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife.”

They had done this before, countless times, but nothing came of it. Time and time again she answered her marital duties but to no avail, as she remained without child. She could have easily given up and succumbed to discouragement. She could accepted her role as a childless wife. But that was not Hannah. Hannah was stubborn but honest in her desires. More importantly she was confident in the power of God to work miracles.

And so because she acted on her faith, “the LORD remembered her”

(1:20) So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”

Next we see a little of Hannah’s payback towards Peninnah, the other wife. If you remember back to the beginning of chapter 1, it begins by explaining that every year Elkanah was faithful to take his family up to the temple to offer sacrifices. But also during this time, Peninnah would rail on and ridicule Hannah for being childless. Year after year this conflict persisted between these two women. But now Hannah was with child. The story presents it logically, that the child was still very young and needed to be weaned before being offered to the priest.

Probably she could have traveled with them, but I believe her intent was a bit more calculating. She remembered the hard times Peninnah gave her.

And so to stay behind to nurse the child would be a constant reminder as Elkanah and his family made the trek to the temple. Every mile they traveled without Hannah stung the heart of Peninnah as she remembered why Hannah had stayed behind. She was made to eat her words in the end.

Hannah kept to her vow. She weaned Samuel and then, as young as he was, went to give him for the service of the LORD.

I want you to think about what she was giving. She was giving her one and only son. The son she had prayed for. We only have one of her prayers recorded, but realistically how many times did she pray before that? How many barren years did she endure before the joy of Samuel came to her face? How many emotional beatings did she take from the other wife? And then, suddenly to have all your problems seemingly fixed. To have the son you’ve always wanted – to be the person you’ve always dreamed of being, and in the position you had always hoped to obtain.

The impossible had happened to her and she gave it away. She showed again where her heart lie. It did not depend on what men thought, or her rival wife, or even Samuel her son. Hannah's allegiance was to God, her obedience was the key, the focus and the treasure.

Hannah: The Barren Saint Who Prayed

2011-07-09T20:41:00.000-04:00

Our heroine is Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, along with his other wife Peninnah. Now within the first few verses we see that Hannah is set apart. Hannah was barren which meant she could not bear children.

Today it is still a big deal, but much less so than it was back then.

They lived in an age where a woman’s definition was grounded in her family and their success. There were no careers outside the home. And even the term blessing was linked with the idea of bearing children.

But her barrenness came with a purpose. (1 Samuel 1:5) The LORD had closed her womb.

It was divinely ordained that she would not have children.

A number of things may be taken out of this scenario.

First of all, conflict is a necessary part of life. But aside from producing character, in some cases God uses our extreme conflicts to introduce so much more than we imagined. In time we will see that this barren woman not only gave birth to one of the most famous Israelite prophets and kingmakers, but herself also became a prophetess.

We’ve all heard that God’s plan is better and bigger than ours; but most of the time, if we submit, his plans are bigger than our dreams.

Secondly, the hand of God was upon Hannah. The focus often tends to rest upon Samuel and his physical call from the LORD; but he would have never been in the position to receive that call if it had not been for his mother who was faithful. Her life was directed by God, and I believe she represents much more clearly what the call of God truly is – not what we can do, but what we can give.

Her call was to bear a son and then to give him away for the service of the LORD. The familiarity of this story is not by accident. The scent of foreshadow hangs thick upon the writings of Samuel.

Thirdly, perhaps she was only meant to be barren for a time. And eventually she would have bore children. But that is not what the Bible says. It says (1:10) in bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. It may have been heartache and bitterness which brought her to her knees, but it was faith in God which brought the prayer. It was her faith in the Almighty which asked for a son. She knew the power of the One she was praying to and submitted herself accordingly.

An incident interrupts her prayer. Here another theme is introduced: appearances.

In this case, Hannah was the one misunderstood. Here she is, stricken with grief and bitterness and outwardly appears to be drunk. Eli confronts her. Listen to the wording (1:12) As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth, Hannah was praying in her heart.

To Eli, she was no more than a drunk barren woman. She was weak, she was insignificant, forgettable. But to God she was a cherished servant, a believer, a daughter. And she would be remembered and she would certainly be of incredible value to the entire nation of Israel.

Outward appearance means little in the eyes of God.

(1 Samuel 16:7) The Lord does not look at things people look at.

Hannah: The Setup

2011-07-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

We are blinded by pride. And often God uses conflict to break us – to bring us low so that He is the one to exalt us. Also, to open our eyes and our hearts to His will.

Like in the story, he sometimes uses our pain to spur on obedience and devotion. The sensitive spots in our lives are where he can grab our attention.

Psalm 147:6 The LORD lifts up the afflicted, but casts the wicked to the ground.

The Story of 1 and 2 Samuel is an extended illustration of humility. We see the low rise up despite circumstances which would normally spell their failure; and we see the proud brought low by their own evil deeds and actions. Multiple times throughout this book there are comparisons made, the humble contrasted against the proud, the strong against the weak; and the steady hand of God through it all, his sovereignty guiding the story and character across the appropriate and just paths.

For some, that is exaltation beyond what they could have ever expected. And for others, it means an early and violent death. The story of 1 and 2 Samuel is a constant war between obedience and desire, self-definition and worth in the eyes of God or man.

The background of the book of Samuel is grounded in the history of judges. For over 300 years the Israelites were ruled by sinning men. Judges records the gradual decay of a society, the consequences of men falling from grace and the rise of women when there are no male leaders willing to stand up.

Also, Judges shows that you can measure the morality of a society by how they treat their women. And through the story of Judges the treatment of women also decays, from disrespect to abuse and even murder.

It is important to keep in mind the whole of the Old Testament is constantly building towards the Messiah. The long drawn out conflicts birth desire for a Savior. The wicked rule of judges and kings should set a desire for a just ruler. Disease and death and betrayal, all tools and devices pointing towards the reality that there must be something better. There must be a hope.

The story of Ruth which follows the book of Judges is a glimmer of hope in the midst of so many trials.

Again the focus is upon a woman. The faith and obedience she showed set the foundation for immeasurably greater things to come. And as we will see next week, Ruth’s obedience ripples into the book of Samuel as well.

1 Samuel takes a similar path at the beginning. In a book dedicated to the founding of the Israelite monarchy, it would seem the natural place to start would be in a king’s court, or in the heat of a fierce battle. But like so many Biblical narratives our story begins with a woman and the trial of a birth.

For The Sake Of The Weak, Part 3

2011-06-29T23:43:00.000-04:00

As long as you rely on your own knowledge of what is right and wrong, you will never be able to pull yourself outside of sin. Sin is much more inclusive than simply what harms another person.

(v23) But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

If it is not from faith, it is sin. As a reminder, what is faith: Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction ofthings not seen.” God is the one who grows faith in you, just as He is the one who allows conviction.

Well how do you do something out of faith? How do you walk by faith, act in faith?

(v7-8)

We live to the Lord, we die to the Lord; whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord.

Faith is about the end goal of our actions; the objective of our motives. Why does it matter what we eat, whether we drink alcohol, or listen to certain music; what affect do our clothes, or appearance, or hobbies have on our holiness? These are small issues, inconsequential in the big picture. Nothing more than cultural tidbits which place us into one category or another.

But in truth, they have everything to do with our holiness. There is no small thing to God. When he died for all of you, he died for the whole of you; every crevice and dark corner.

2 Cor 10:5 “Take every thought captive to obey Christ”

If he is concerned with every thought and action, so should you.

(v12) each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Our arguments are not the final judgment on any issue, we will answer to God: for what we did, for what we did not do, and for what we led others to do.

The end goal of this lesson was to encourage you to not cause your brother or sister to stumble. But we cannot do that until the desire for personal holiness is clear and real in our own minds. Honestly, what am I going to care about someone else’s walk with God when my own is not where it needs to be. And Paul sees this so clearly, that’s why he spends so much time explaining: this is wisdom, this is conviction, this is faith; but most of all don’t be judgmental.

He repeats it multiple times: without passing judgment, must not condemn, why do you look down, stop passing judgment…

And so on.

It must be your own personal motive and goal to glorify God in your decisions. Or else every argument you have on disputable matters will be purely about your own opinions and not about how one should “act in love.”

For The Sake Of The Weak, Part 2

2011-06-28T07:24:00.000-04:00

Next we must ask, what is “this way” mentioned in Romans 14:18 which pleases God and is approved by men?

The passage continues with a few sentences concerning the Lord’s Day – which is something we cannot get into right away, but it is a very important detail: the difference between calling it Sabbath and the Lord’s day.

In verse 5 there is a statement which begins to set the next major requirement for our actions concerning gray matters: "each one should be fully convinced in his own mind."

After wisdom, comes the need for conviction. Wisdom will get you so far, it is a trustworthy guide but wisdom is not all knowing; it is the practical application of acquired knowledge. Conviction is a step beyond that. Conviction can only be accessed through a heart which is softened by God. It is the pull of the Holy Spirit towards what is best, towards what is God-glorifying. It must also be read through the eyes of wisdom and listened to with a prayerful mind, but once it is confirmed it must be followed.

Paul does not take conviction lightly: v22 "so whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves."

If you are the only one testing wisdom and conviction outside of a community of believers, failure is not an option, it is a certainty. There is a very clear warning here for a very real temptation, do not condemn yourself.

For The Sake Of The Weak

2011-06-27T20:44:00.000-04:00

So then we enter Romans 14 with the knowledge of the situation. Paul is not writing here to correct, but merely to state what he believes to be true about the Christian life and in part as an encouragement to the believers to continue in such a way.

The discussion of Romans 14 is an echo of 1 Corinthians chapter 8, where the issue of the weaker brother is also discussed. Now at first, the surface issue very clearly appears to be about food. Whether or not it is lawful to eat meat or drink wine. These were serious areas of concern. On the one hand, you are to be different from the culture surrounding you; but on the other hand, these things are all part of God’s creation and we are free. Free by the grace of God to enjoy everything He has made.

(v1-2)

Verse 1 sets up very clearly where the arguments arise from: “Without passing judgment on disputable matters.” Before going any further into the chapter you have to understand what the focus is on. There are many things which are clear and outright sins. We have the commandments and wisdom of our elders and the Holy Spirit, all which guide and direct us towards what is right. But not everything is so clear cut. There are definite gray areas. These could be music, dress, language – all characteristics of our culture, but also avenues towards which we may glorify God by what we choose, or cause our brother to stumble, or even sin our self. So when confronting disputable matters, the first item which you must possess is wisdom: wisdom to differentiate between what is clearly sin and what is a disputable matter.

(v3-4)

Next Paul defines how such an issue, or gray area, must be approached. We must not look down on the person nor condemn them who, and here is the key to the phrasing, chooses differently than we do.

No two persons are going to agree on everything. Whether they are light or heavy matters, opinions define and shape us. We are who we are and act as we do because of the beliefs we hold. The stances we take on certain issues are not just words and theoretical stances; they begin to direct us if we truly hold to them. Here then, it is very clear that there are going to be disagreements.

But what effect are these disagreements to have on our relationship with that person. We will cover this more later, but look very carefully at what is said. “To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the LORD is able to make him stand.”

We are not the final judge on any disputable matter, God is. He knows the heart with which we engage in any and every action. And if we choose to do something disputable, it will be the LORD who continues to uphold our relationship with him.

Why?

Because v17-18 : "The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men."

Now we are beginning to dig a little deeper into the issue.

Le Magnum Opus De Pauline

2011-06-19T22:03:00.000-04:00

Paul was the theologians theologian, the pastors pastor, the suffering saint whose inspired words have rippled across time becoming mountainous waves within our Christian religion. His trials for Christ shaped him in such a way so that his message of Christ may shape us. This is nowhere more evident than in his epistle to the Romans.

Romans stands apart from every other undoubted letter for two reasons. First because of its unique style; and second because of its unique situation. Romans is the most systematic of Paul’s letters. Meaning, it comes across less like a conversation and more like an essay. He builds towards certain themes in a well constructed manner. This style likely arises out of the situation into which he writes. Paul had never been to Rome. In every other letter Paul is writing to a church he either founded or had a very strong impact upon its growth. To these, He was a spiritual father; encouraging, firm, and acting as a disciplinarian when necessary. But the relationship with Rome was entirely different. He had no ties outside of Christ and no real knowledge of the character or struggles of that specific church.

So then, when one reads Romans, both as a historical text and as a piece of Scripture, one must take into account the tone with which Paul writes. He is not writing to amend a situation but to introduce himself. Furthermore, the time period also plays an important role. Romans was likely one of the last, if not the last, letter written by Paul.

This is why it is considered the magnum opus or crowning achievement of Paul. Romans is the product of years of wrestling through the intricacies of the Gospel. It displays the effort Paul put in towards understanding what role the Old Testament scriptures played in shining a light upon the person who was to be the Christ. The epistle also covers a host of relationship and administrative issues. These were problems Paul experienced time and time again in the multitude of churches he had helped found.

As much as Romans was an introduction, it was also the closing speech of a saint. It was the meat of what he believed, with all the depth and flavor only a lifetime of experience can bring.

If this letter was indeed such an achievement, what did he actually take the time to say?

(Next time we will examine Romans 14)

Moment Of Music

2011-06-16T21:42:00.000-04:00

Sound binds us together unlike any other sense. Music isn’t just in front of you, but in you. It streams out of one heart and into another as easy as a string being plucked. A good song can vibrate through your entire day, lifting even the heaviest of hearts.

Music can do something words alone cannot; that’s why every writer is at least a little jealous of a musician’s gift. A poem can paint the very steps of heaven, but the right melody will open the gates.

As I speculate on Heaven, I think of what it will be like actually meeting God. I can’t call it joy, because our definition is too small. I can’t call it freedom; too limited. Or rest because that’s too detached.

No, I believe our meeting Jesus will be like music. Like a soft orchestra strumming behind Him as He comes to meet us. Like a low note gaining strength, the volume climbs not in our ears but in our hearts. The pulse in our wrists meets a mystery rhythm and beats our blood in anticipation.

This is what we’ve been waiting for. This is the song we’ve longed to hear, the story we’re desperate to become a part of.

Knowing little can be a benefit; it keeps awe as our natural reaction to God.

So next time you pray, just lean back in silence and wait for the good part.

If We Suffer

2011-06-12T19:39:00.000-04:00

We often find our identity in suffering.

As much as we have a clear idea about the persons we desire to be, our actual shaping takes place primarily through our reactions. And this is where the vital portion of our character formation is understood: we can never become the people we want, without first going through the sufferings we hate.

This is the harsh reality as we live, waiting to be taken to Glory.

My year, so far, has been anything but desirable. It has been one obstacle after another: physical, emotional, spiritual. An endless onslaught of battles, leaving me broken and tired and frustrated most days. I’m not going to lie and say this has been a great time of growing closer with God; sure, there have been gracious moments but I cannot spiritualize suffering like I used to. I could weave in and out of bible verses so well, praise would be the only response.

But what happens when the weaving can’t be done. When the life-giving Word seems to dry up in your very hands. When the touch of God is far, far away and your left beaten and dirty on the floor praying to the ceiling fan? That’s where theology must bow to love. It must inform it, guide it, and guard it; but at the end of the day our understanding is always subject to something greater, to Someone greater.

It’s funny when you realize you’ve gotten exactly what you asked for. At the beginning of this year I asked God to make me into a man of character, to make my verse for the year more than something in my head. He heard. And now I see, at least in part, why most of the prayers in between then and now have seemed to go unanswered. Because He heard the first one, the one I prayed with my heart by the Spirit’s leading. Not the ones I’ve prayed out of my circumstances.

I’ve heard that He will never give us more than we can handle. I don’t know if I really see that in the Bible – all the great men of God were only remembered because they were given tasks they could never accomplish apart from the work of God!

I say, He gives us enough to bring us to our knees.

You may not find shelter during this storm. A warm, dry, safe place to wait it out. But if you step outside, if you stare at the winds and the rain and say my Father is greater, He will hold you. You may get wet and bruised, your clothes might rip and people may scream at you to come inside. But didn’t He promise to dry your tears, didn’t He promise to heal your wounds, didn’t He lay out clothes of righteousness on Calvary? And while they scream, doesn’t He whisper His truth. Child, I am with you always.

I desperately want the storms to be over. However, I will be more thankful for them at the end of my days than for the calm victories which only produced pride.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,

if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Romans 8:17

The Keeper

2011-06-09T22:45:00.000-04:00

O God of Heaven high, to whom do my eyes seek?

For even as I turn you are there. And even as I fall, you are near. My soul, your gift to this body of flesh, take it. Resurrect it in thy light, that it may shine as the stars made before it. Both by your hands. And in my journey, let me stray not. For as the sun rules the day, may your Word rise upon my life every morning and set only at the end of my days, when nearer to you I will finally be.

God, crafter of galaxies, speak your promises once again. Let not doubt decay the tower you plan to build upon foundation laid. Let my small hands do work, a brick or two. Keep always in my mind the Keeper as well as the kept. For promises reach only so far as words wish to carry. But you hold fast and waves of time do not crash upon your foundation. Even they know the fingerprint of your hands, the gentleness of your power.

Feed me not greatness, lest I boast with unclean lips. Grant me not health, lest I rely on feeble self. And guard me from lesser loves, lest I stumble short of your glory.

I am altogether a wretched man. But a hopeful wretch. I am a tired soul. But you have carried me. Then, as a cross; now, as a Father.

Deliver me, while praise fills my wait.

Fear Of An Un-Kept Promise

2011-05-31T22:29:00.000-04:00

A promise is an invitation.

A good promise invites you into a secret, into a relationship, into a life. These invitations, however, are shackled with expectations. You would not enter a promise without understanding the reward of it being kept, or the consequence otherwise.

A product promise comes with the reward of satisfaction or usually the consequence of getting your money back. Relationships reward the faithful with intimacy, or burden the faithless with the dark reality of sin.

We can usually see the benefits of a promise. Even if we inflate the actual goodness of it, we still see it for what it could be; what it should be. We believe the commercials, we hope for the beautiful endings to become our own, and we wait. Wait for the promises to be fulfilled, as we do everything on our part to make that a reality.

But that is only one side of the story.

On the other hand, we carry the scars of broken dreams. We have moved from seeing dimly through cloudy glass to peeking through the shards we have left. Life has not lived up to all we hoped it to be and we grow bitter.

Not outright and never visible, but inside. Inside a slow and quiet discontent grows. A negativity fed not be lies, but by failed hope. A lie is short, sweet, and painful for a moment. But a broken promise stings like a rash. It becomes irritated with every movement and colors your world a blue turning grey.

God knows this is how many of us see promises. God knows we have been hurt and disappointed and left feeling empty. I could tell you God keeps his promises until I’m blue in the face and my hands are cramped from typing, but until you see it. Until you are invited in and believe and taste that sweet reward of God’s faithfulness, then their just words. Words we’re afraid of being hurt by. Words we’re afraid will take advantage of us and leave us worse off than before.

You should be weary of any promise that does not come from the lips of God. But when it does come to God, “do not fear.”

“The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.”

Psalm 145:13b