Feeling guilty for how we use our time is a common occurrence.
Often daily.
Should we feel guilty about how we use our time?
Well I don't know how you use your time, but if you feel guilty, depressed, or anxious about how you use it, than the answer to the above question is most likely....
Yes.
So what are you doing wrong?
The reality is that you are probably doing most everything wrong. If you don't use your time wisely, than nothing you do is being done for a good reason. Time is the only currency you can't get back. You spend it and it's gone. You can't get that second, minute, or hour back.
Bye-bye.
In Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders, Sanders discusses the importance of time management.
"The way we employ the surplus hours, after provision has been made for work, meals, and sleep, will determine if we develop into mediocre or powerful people."
There you have it. So why do many of us waste so much time on television, computer, facebook, etc...?
Sanders has an answer to that.
"Procrastination, the thief of time, is one of the devils most potent weapons for defrauding us of eternal heritage. The habit of 'putting off' is fatal to Spiritual Leadership. It's power resides in our natural reluctance to come to grips with important decisions."
Again, if we look at the way Jesus lived, not a moment was wasted.Everything he did was for the purpose of bringing healing to the world and glorifying God. James says this.
"What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:14)
It is so important for us to acknowledge the truth that we are going to die and we only have so much time to spend on this earth. Will you resolve to quit wasting it?
What are some steps we can take towards being good stewards of our time?
Here are a few.
1. Make a list of time-wasters
Everyone is going to have different things they do that waste time. If you want to move beyond mediocrity in your life, make a list, and get rid of these time-wasters. Remember, be all-in, not part-in.
2. Start scheduling
I carry around my planner as much as I carry around my Bible. Keep some sort of calendar near-by so that you can make deadlines for yourself. Stick to them religiously.
3. For one full week, keep a time-journal
Examine how you spend your time. Keep a time-journal for 7 days that has an outline of how you spent your time that day. At the end of the week, look at how much time was wasted time. Probably staggering.
What should we spend our time on?
Here are a few TIME-SPENDERS that will usually (under the right circumstances) be beneficial.
1. Put aside time every day to spend with Jesus
When you love someone, you spend time with them. Period.
2. Spend time being intentional in the work of minsitry
For you, this might mean inviting people over for dinner, have a game night, or simply getting coffee with someone. Just remember, intentionally do this for the sake of ministry. It's okay to have fun, but keep in mind your bigger purpose.
3. Grow in character
This is vague, but that is because it's going to look different for everyone. I want to be a good communicator, so I spend significant time writing these blog posts and preaching at church. I also want to be healthy, so I try to eat right and put time aside for exercise. What kind of person do you want to be deep down? Start intentionally putting disciplines in your life to help you become that person. Otherwise, it will never happen.
Monday, December 1, 2014
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Wednesday, November 26, 2014
The Importance of Pacing Yourself When Leading People Towards Christ
I LOVE leading and I LOVE making disciples.
It's one of those passions where you could just do it for eternity because it is such a joy. Not to discount the difficulties it brings, but it really is a lot of fun.
I recently came across this little piece of advice in a book I'm reading. In short, it was basically "lead people at their own pace."
Many times, I (and if you are anything like me, YOU) have charged ahead with our passion, drive, and seemingly unending energy towards our goals, all the while intending to bring certain people with us on the journey. But when we get to our goal, we look back and it appears everyone has given up because they couldn't keep up with the pace at which we charged forward.
You been there?
I have...
Many times.
I remember one particular example.
I had led this girl who knew nothing about the Christian faith to Christ over the course of four one-hour meetings (hint hint). Once I had, I moved on and tried to find someone else to lead to Christ, missing out on the value of making a self-sustaining believer. A few months later, her faith dwindled out was gone under the lack of discipleship and good example.
Realization hit.
I had gone too fast...
And there was no going back.
How do we avoid creating this demoralizing and difficult scenario?
JOG, DON'T SPRINT.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are times in life to sprint, but that is ten percent of the time. The other ninety percent, we need to be patiently jogging alongside those who are weaker than us. This is what Paul has to say on the matter.
"We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Romans 15:1
This has two main applications.
1. Leading People to Christ
When working with someone to help them learn about the Christian faith for the ultimate goal of seeing them give their life to Jesus, understand that more often than not, there pace is going to be different than yours.
Take it upon yourself to give them what they need to hear and know, not what you would like to tell them. Learn about who they are, where they are at in the process of surrendering, and from there, with prayer and discernment, decide before meeting what some things they need to understand are. Not always, but often times what they need to hear at this stage is painfully basic.
2. Discipling People who Know Christ
When working with someone to teach them what it looks like to live a Christian life and dedicate every area of their life to Jesus, pacing is equally important. Realize, in most cases, this is not going to be a two month process, but usually a several year, if not a life-long journey.
You will be disappointed at times. They will not be completing the challenges you asked of them, they will not be moving at the pace you desired.
Remember though, as long as there is any amount of forward momentum, no matter how small, YOU are making a difference.
Just....
Pace yourself.
It's one of those passions where you could just do it for eternity because it is such a joy. Not to discount the difficulties it brings, but it really is a lot of fun.
I recently came across this little piece of advice in a book I'm reading. In short, it was basically "lead people at their own pace."
Many times, I (and if you are anything like me, YOU) have charged ahead with our passion, drive, and seemingly unending energy towards our goals, all the while intending to bring certain people with us on the journey. But when we get to our goal, we look back and it appears everyone has given up because they couldn't keep up with the pace at which we charged forward.
You been there?
I have...
Many times.
I remember one particular example.
I had led this girl who knew nothing about the Christian faith to Christ over the course of four one-hour meetings (hint hint). Once I had, I moved on and tried to find someone else to lead to Christ, missing out on the value of making a self-sustaining believer. A few months later, her faith dwindled out was gone under the lack of discipleship and good example.
Realization hit.
I had gone too fast...
And there was no going back.
How do we avoid creating this demoralizing and difficult scenario?
JOG, DON'T SPRINT.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are times in life to sprint, but that is ten percent of the time. The other ninety percent, we need to be patiently jogging alongside those who are weaker than us. This is what Paul has to say on the matter.
"We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Romans 15:1
This has two main applications.
1. Leading People to Christ
When working with someone to help them learn about the Christian faith for the ultimate goal of seeing them give their life to Jesus, understand that more often than not, there pace is going to be different than yours.
Take it upon yourself to give them what they need to hear and know, not what you would like to tell them. Learn about who they are, where they are at in the process of surrendering, and from there, with prayer and discernment, decide before meeting what some things they need to understand are. Not always, but often times what they need to hear at this stage is painfully basic.
2. Discipling People who Know Christ
When working with someone to teach them what it looks like to live a Christian life and dedicate every area of their life to Jesus, pacing is equally important. Realize, in most cases, this is not going to be a two month process, but usually a several year, if not a life-long journey.
You will be disappointed at times. They will not be completing the challenges you asked of them, they will not be moving at the pace you desired.
Remember though, as long as there is any amount of forward momentum, no matter how small, YOU are making a difference.
Just....
Pace yourself.
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Monday, November 24, 2014
The 1 Needed Realization to Stop Sinning
I keep sinning.
And I'm sick of it.
Seriously....seriously...sick of it.
Let's talk.
Sometimes I wonder, why, if I am a saint now who has the Holy Spirit and the very righteousness of God, do I still sin? Not only do I still sin, but I sin willingly, consciously, and consistently!
I've often found myself wondering at if I am a true believer because I can't seem to let go of my sin struggles and be a holy and righteous person, so what gives? Why can't I (and I'm willing to bet, YOU) quit sinning, are we doing something wrong, or was God's plan for us to be committed to Him, but still dominated by our sin life?
What have we tried already that hasn't worked?
Stopping.
We have tried stopping. We have tried committing to never sinning again cold-turkey. Did it work?
Nope.
Why?
Because usually when we just stop cold-turkey, we are addressing the symptom, not the source. You see, our sin struggles are not the issue. They are simply a symptom of the issue.
Romans 1:18 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."
Romans chapter 1 discusses the fact that every person, deep down inside their soul, is aware of almighty God. It then goes on to say that unrighteousness suppresses that truth.
Did you catch that?
Your sins suppress the truth of God inside of you.
I'm not talking about other people seeing you sin and the truth being suppressed in some third person sort of way. I'm talking about YOU.
When you sin, you suppress what you know to be true about God.
Well, that begs the question, what does it mean to suppress? Think about a gun with a silencer (or suppressor) on it. You've seen the movies, why do they have a suppressor on their gun? So that no one else hears the gunshot. So that it quiets the truth of what is happening.
Now apply this to your own life. Realize that not only do your sins suppress your ability to feel the reality of God in your life, but you sin in order to suppress the reality of God in your life.
Why?
Because you don't realize how good the reality of God in your life is.
The problem with sin isn't the sin itself. The problem is that is quiets the truth inside you.
Ultimately, a love problem. A problem with not realizing God's love for you because it has been suppressed for so long.
You don't have a lust problem, a drug problem, a marriage problem, an alcohol problem, a gossip problem.
YOU have a LOVE problem.
So how do we stop sinning? How do break the pattern of sin that we seriously hate?
Seriously...through LOVE.
We stop creating a habitual sin by stopping the suppression of the truth inside of us and realizing the love God has for us.
God is infinitely more interesting, more flattering, more loving, than any sin you could indulge in. But until you experience the reality of that, you will continue suppressing the truth.
But know this.
God is better.
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Saturday, November 15, 2014
The First Step to Telling Someone About Jesus
So you wanna help people come to know Jesus?
Great!
I'm here to help.
How are you supposed to persuade someone to come to know Jesus? Well, there isn't any magic formula (and theologically speaking, God brings people to himself using us, we don't really do a whole lot), but practically speaking, we want to know what the best things to say to someone is when they are thinking about accepting Jesus into their life.
Many people will tell you that you should study Christian apologetics (the defenses of the Christian faith).
But guess what...
It doesn't work.
Why?
Because people don't reason their way to God, they have an experience with God. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity talks about how man is unlikely to "reason themselves to God," but rather it is more likely that they have an encounter with God which surpasses reason.
Apologetics is good for teaching people who are ready to believe, but not for bringing the unbeliever to faith in Christ.
So where does that leave us?
Right here.
"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." - 1 Corinthians 1:17
Imagine that you were bringing news to your parents that you are going to have a baby (or your significant other is for all you men out there), you might try to reveal the news in a clever way, but the reality is, if you simply told them that you were going to have a baby, the same amount of excitement would be instilled.
Why?
Because it's not the way the news is presented that makes it powerful, but the news itself.
That is the way the gospel is.
The gospel does not need to be (in fact, it shouldnt!) presented with "words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power," but rather presented as you would any exciting news.
You wouldn't reason with someone that there really is a baby in your stomach (women, that is), you would simply say "here are my experiences, thus there is a baby in my stomach." We should do the same with the gospel.
"Here are my experiences, thus faith in Jesus is satisfying."
Share YOUR faith. Share YOUR experiences. Share YOUR passion.
Only when people see YOUR excitement about the gospel, will the gospel seem more real than ever before.
Experience is more powerful than reason.
So stop reasoning, and start experiencing.
Great!
I'm here to help.
How are you supposed to persuade someone to come to know Jesus? Well, there isn't any magic formula (and theologically speaking, God brings people to himself using us, we don't really do a whole lot), but practically speaking, we want to know what the best things to say to someone is when they are thinking about accepting Jesus into their life.
Many people will tell you that you should study Christian apologetics (the defenses of the Christian faith).
But guess what...
It doesn't work.
Why?
Because people don't reason their way to God, they have an experience with God. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity talks about how man is unlikely to "reason themselves to God," but rather it is more likely that they have an encounter with God which surpasses reason.
Apologetics is good for teaching people who are ready to believe, but not for bringing the unbeliever to faith in Christ.
So where does that leave us?
Right here.
"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." - 1 Corinthians 1:17
Imagine that you were bringing news to your parents that you are going to have a baby (or your significant other is for all you men out there), you might try to reveal the news in a clever way, but the reality is, if you simply told them that you were going to have a baby, the same amount of excitement would be instilled.
Why?
Because it's not the way the news is presented that makes it powerful, but the news itself.
That is the way the gospel is.
The gospel does not need to be (in fact, it shouldnt!) presented with "words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power," but rather presented as you would any exciting news.
You wouldn't reason with someone that there really is a baby in your stomach (women, that is), you would simply say "here are my experiences, thus there is a baby in my stomach." We should do the same with the gospel.
"Here are my experiences, thus faith in Jesus is satisfying."
Share YOUR faith. Share YOUR experiences. Share YOUR passion.
Only when people see YOUR excitement about the gospel, will the gospel seem more real than ever before.
Experience is more powerful than reason.
So stop reasoning, and start experiencing.
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Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Jesus' Response to Temptation: Bread Ain't Enough
What's the longest period of time you've gone without eating? One hour? Two hours? A few days maybe?
Well believe it or not, in the book of Matthew, we read that Jesus fasted for forty days!
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." Matthew 4:1-2
Go and ask a medical professional how long a person can live without food, you'll find that it is right about at forty days, maybe even thirty depending on the person. Here Jesus is, no food in his stomach for thirty days, no doubt weak and hungry but thriving off of the Spirit of God. And here comes a new character onto the set.
Satan.
He see's Jesus and he must be thinking, "ah! He is weak, he is hungry. Now is the time he shall fall and no longer be adequate as the son of God!" But alas Satan, let me turn your eyes to the truth and reality of the gospel.
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10
Friends, do you realize that in the midst of hardship, in the mire and the difficulty, in the seasons where death is ripe and life is dim, where love is mute and hate is loud, do you realize that these are the times we Christians shine best? That these are the times we are at our strongest?
Many people will say "ah, but I am only strong when I shall have much money and much worldly satisfaction." Than you do not belong to Christ. Those who belong to Christ are satisfied with Christ. Those who belong to Christ become strong in the pit of darkness, in the den of wolves.
We dare you Satan to push us into the tomb, into sickness and despair, for their, our triumph awaits.
What is it that Satan decides to tempt Jesus with? Listen on.
"And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.'"
How many times has Satan come to you in your time of weakness and offered an escape? But we do not wish to escape from our weakness Satan! For it binds us to Christ! But many have taken him up on his offer. Many have attempted to abandon their weakness to a place of momentary satisfaction.
You aren't getting sex from your spouse so you have an affair or turn to pornography. You feel overwhelmed with work so you turn to a few pain pills here and there. You aren't satisfied so you constantly thirst for more and work yourself into the grave.
Look at Jesus' response.
"But he answered, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes form the mouth of God.'"
Substitute your own struggle. Man shall not live by work alone. Man shall not live by money alone. Man shall not live by sex alone. Man shall not live by food alone. Man shall not live by video games alone.
So what do we live by? Every single syllable of the breath of God. Every ounce of beauty that pours forth from our creators mouth.
Next time Satan shows up to tempt you and your weak, your in bad shape, and your disappointed in yourself.
Think "I do not live by what you are offering Satan. I live by the breath of God. A beautiful and satisfying breath."
Well believe it or not, in the book of Matthew, we read that Jesus fasted for forty days!
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." Matthew 4:1-2
Go and ask a medical professional how long a person can live without food, you'll find that it is right about at forty days, maybe even thirty depending on the person. Here Jesus is, no food in his stomach for thirty days, no doubt weak and hungry but thriving off of the Spirit of God. And here comes a new character onto the set.
Satan.
He see's Jesus and he must be thinking, "ah! He is weak, he is hungry. Now is the time he shall fall and no longer be adequate as the son of God!" But alas Satan, let me turn your eyes to the truth and reality of the gospel.
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10
Friends, do you realize that in the midst of hardship, in the mire and the difficulty, in the seasons where death is ripe and life is dim, where love is mute and hate is loud, do you realize that these are the times we Christians shine best? That these are the times we are at our strongest?
Many people will say "ah, but I am only strong when I shall have much money and much worldly satisfaction." Than you do not belong to Christ. Those who belong to Christ are satisfied with Christ. Those who belong to Christ become strong in the pit of darkness, in the den of wolves.
We dare you Satan to push us into the tomb, into sickness and despair, for their, our triumph awaits.
What is it that Satan decides to tempt Jesus with? Listen on.
"And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.'"
How many times has Satan come to you in your time of weakness and offered an escape? But we do not wish to escape from our weakness Satan! For it binds us to Christ! But many have taken him up on his offer. Many have attempted to abandon their weakness to a place of momentary satisfaction.
You aren't getting sex from your spouse so you have an affair or turn to pornography. You feel overwhelmed with work so you turn to a few pain pills here and there. You aren't satisfied so you constantly thirst for more and work yourself into the grave.
Look at Jesus' response.
"But he answered, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes form the mouth of God.'"
Substitute your own struggle. Man shall not live by work alone. Man shall not live by money alone. Man shall not live by sex alone. Man shall not live by food alone. Man shall not live by video games alone.
So what do we live by? Every single syllable of the breath of God. Every ounce of beauty that pours forth from our creators mouth.
Next time Satan shows up to tempt you and your weak, your in bad shape, and your disappointed in yourself.
Think "I do not live by what you are offering Satan. I live by the breath of God. A beautiful and satisfying breath."
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Monday, August 25, 2014
3 Necessary Principles for Running (and winning) a Race
There you are.
You see the blanks-loaded gun cocked and ready to fire. You eagerly wait for that POP to set you on your way.
You take off sprinting, adrenaline pumping, heart pounding with excitement and intrigue. You keep running, but your more tired, the finish line seems to be getting farther away rather than closer.
You feel as though something is holding you back.
What is it?
You look down and realize the whole race you have unintentionally been strapping weights to yourself. You also notice that the gun had never gone off and you had taken off too early. The race hadn't even begun. Because of these factors, the finish line no longer looks as greatly appealing as it did in the beginning.
And thus we have a disqualified runner.
Visit 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 with me.
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep in under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."
Let's check out some principles for race-running.
1. Wait.
Seems a bit interesting to start with this principle but I believe that it is critical for Christian's to learn to wait on God and his drawing.
Here's Isaiah 40:31
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
That's truth. So why don't we experience that as Christians? Could it be because we aren't waiting for the Lord to speak? Could it be that we have our own agenda for where we see our life going and we haven't taken a moment to sit with God and see what he has to speak to us?
I believe the reason that we don't experience such endurance in our life as Christians is because we are never waiting upon God. We are never waiting for the divine POP. We rather began running without direction and without guidance and end up more lost than we were in the first play.
Do you feel tired, out of energy, at the end of your rope?
It's time to wait upon the Lord and be renewed.
2. Get rid of excess weight.
What a hilarious sight it would be to see a race where the runners run carrying as much weight as each one can bare. Think that's hilarious? Well imagine that the rules don't even say the runners have to carry excess weight!
I can't help but imagine that the audience would be harassing the poor fellow to get rid of his weights. And let's be honest, they are right. It is ridiculous to be carrying extra weight while everyone else races on ahead of you. There are a few reasons someone may do this.
1. You don't actually take the race seriously
2. You look at it as mere training, not the real thing
I believe that many Christians are running with excess weight; our sin. Folks, the rules say we don't have to be using these excess weights. Now does a person with excess weight get anywhere in a race? Of course they do! But not as far, not as fast, and not as long.
2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness"
Get rid of it.
3. Look to the Prize
Perhaps most important is this principle. Don't take your eyes off the prize. Runners run only for the prize. And I believe that when we enter into that heavenly kingdom where the runners are crowned for their striving, there will be cheering and joy from our glorious savior and the angles.
Don't lose sight of how glorious the prize of eternal intimate relationship with Jesus is. To lose sight of this is to be disqualified altogether. Keep running, but be sure your running the right direction; towards the correct prize.
This race is long, but pass the finish line is immensely longer, and that time depends on what you are doing right now. So apply these principles when needed in order to finish the race and hear the words
"Well done, my good and faithful servant."
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Monday, June 16, 2014
This Is Your Prognosis
"You have two weeks to live."
When that prognosis comes your way, how are you going to act differently? When what we all dread most has come right up to your door step and is knocking and you must open the door; the moments before death greets you, what is it that you will boast about?
There a plenty of songs and movies produced trying to push a "live every day like it's your last" mentality. I can't say I disagree with this premise.
Who were the first people who heard the words, "your dying"? Adam and Eve. God came to them after they had disobeyed him and as punishment, said "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). We don't see much about their response. I imagine they must have been struck with some amount of fear. For what does it look like to not exist in the form we have always existed in? No one really knows.
Interestingly, just a chapter later, the first murder occurs, which couldn't happen if death and sin didn't exist. Personally, I would have assumed that the second sin recorded would have been something like lust or idolatry, but not murder. That seems like such a fast progression.
The very punishment that we are forced by God to endure is used and abused by Cain in chapter 4 of genesis, and still today by many disturbed individuals.
Adam and Eve got their prognosis.
But did Abel get his prognosis? Did someone come up to him and say your going to die today? No. But he knew he was going to die, surely his parents made him aware of this as we are made aware of it today. Abel's death was sudden, unexpected. It couldn't have possibly been prepared for. Could it?
I like to sweep death to the side just as much as the next guy, but the sooner we embrace the facts, the more honest a life we will live. We are going to die.
The difference between you and someone who is told by a doctor that they are going to live only two more weeks is....well, there is no difference. You could die in two weeks just as easily as the next person. Do you wanna live your life for God, or push death to the side, die in ignorance, and regret every step you took in life?
This is your prognosis.
When that prognosis comes your way, how are you going to act differently? When what we all dread most has come right up to your door step and is knocking and you must open the door; the moments before death greets you, what is it that you will boast about?
There a plenty of songs and movies produced trying to push a "live every day like it's your last" mentality. I can't say I disagree with this premise.
Who were the first people who heard the words, "your dying"? Adam and Eve. God came to them after they had disobeyed him and as punishment, said "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). We don't see much about their response. I imagine they must have been struck with some amount of fear. For what does it look like to not exist in the form we have always existed in? No one really knows.
Interestingly, just a chapter later, the first murder occurs, which couldn't happen if death and sin didn't exist. Personally, I would have assumed that the second sin recorded would have been something like lust or idolatry, but not murder. That seems like such a fast progression.
The very punishment that we are forced by God to endure is used and abused by Cain in chapter 4 of genesis, and still today by many disturbed individuals.
Adam and Eve got their prognosis.
But did Abel get his prognosis? Did someone come up to him and say your going to die today? No. But he knew he was going to die, surely his parents made him aware of this as we are made aware of it today. Abel's death was sudden, unexpected. It couldn't have possibly been prepared for. Could it?
I like to sweep death to the side just as much as the next guy, but the sooner we embrace the facts, the more honest a life we will live. We are going to die.
The difference between you and someone who is told by a doctor that they are going to live only two more weeks is....well, there is no difference. You could die in two weeks just as easily as the next person. Do you wanna live your life for God, or push death to the side, die in ignorance, and regret every step you took in life?
This is your prognosis.
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Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Business And The Modern Day Pharisee
I remember my transition from High-School to college. Ahhh...the glory of no bells that ring, no parents that yell, and all-you-can-eat food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
College seemed significantly easier to me than High-School was and it took me some time to put my finger on why that was. Eventually I came to the realization that College had less "Busy Work." You know? That work intended to keep a classroom full of high-school students busy and free from learning. That work that had no value other than giving the teacher a well-deserved (under most circumstances) break.
Matthew 12:38-39 says, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.' But he answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."
This is one of multiple times that the Pharisees get rejected by Jesus when they request signs from him. Why? After-all, Jesus could just show them a sign, that doesn't seem like a whole lot to ask for from the creator of the universe.
Jesus only had so much time.
He wasn't about to waste his time on busy work. The Pharisees were people who had neglected all of his signs thus far and were so caught up in their own "righteousness" that all of the signs he had already produced were completely ignored.
For Jesus, this was "Busy Work."
Life has a way of distracting us; of manipulating us.
You only have so much time.
Do you let life distract you? Are you caught up in your job, or your next big success? So caught up that your next step forward in your relationship with God has been set on the back-burner?
We are foolish people. We invest our lives in little successes here and there to only find ourselves damned to hell at the end of our life. Is it worth it to you? If it is, then continue in your way, find yourself not dedicating your life to God, not investing your life in other people, not resting in the easy arms of Jesus.
For you, this is "Busy Work."
The person who invests there life in success; in busy work, is the finest of pharisees.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."
Are you busy?
College seemed significantly easier to me than High-School was and it took me some time to put my finger on why that was. Eventually I came to the realization that College had less "Busy Work." You know? That work intended to keep a classroom full of high-school students busy and free from learning. That work that had no value other than giving the teacher a well-deserved (under most circumstances) break.
Matthew 12:38-39 says, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.' But he answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."
This is one of multiple times that the Pharisees get rejected by Jesus when they request signs from him. Why? After-all, Jesus could just show them a sign, that doesn't seem like a whole lot to ask for from the creator of the universe.
Jesus only had so much time.
He wasn't about to waste his time on busy work. The Pharisees were people who had neglected all of his signs thus far and were so caught up in their own "righteousness" that all of the signs he had already produced were completely ignored.
For Jesus, this was "Busy Work."
Life has a way of distracting us; of manipulating us.
You only have so much time.
Do you let life distract you? Are you caught up in your job, or your next big success? So caught up that your next step forward in your relationship with God has been set on the back-burner?
We are foolish people. We invest our lives in little successes here and there to only find ourselves damned to hell at the end of our life. Is it worth it to you? If it is, then continue in your way, find yourself not dedicating your life to God, not investing your life in other people, not resting in the easy arms of Jesus.
For you, this is "Busy Work."
The person who invests there life in success; in busy work, is the finest of pharisees.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."
Are you busy?
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Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Priceless Security in Jesus
Are you ever amused by the people surrounding you? As I type this, I can't help but smirk every once and a while a three older women across the coffee shop from me discuss local problems, problems with their husbands, and topics of such unimportance that it would fascinate even the most dull of human beings. But beyond that, beyond the gossip and the problem-solving lies something greater that is in these women's eyes.
Sorry, one of them just said, "you would have had your fanny kicked if you wouldn't have bought that."
Priceless.
Anyways, beyond the gossip and the problem solving lies something greater that we all desire. Something that we all long for, that these women seem to have found at this moment, though I believe it to fade within moments.
You see, the conversation amongst them is swiftly changing topics; from clothes to husbands to politics. And each one of them desires to talk. To me, it appears there is a great sense of excitement and satisfaction as one of them begins a new topic, but as the topic drifts from what one of them desires it to be on, there is a slight change in demeanor. They seem to be troubled that the conversation is no longer focused on the wisdom they have to offer, but it has transferred to another person in the room, causing them insecurity in who they are.
Now they are debating whether it's proper to refer to them as "Pine-cones, or Fir-cones"
Because in a group of two, there is one other person to focus on. But in a group of three, there are moments of insecurity when the conversation is more focused on two people, and the third is left feeling insecure.
#Beentherefeltthat
However, even in the little things, there is freedom in Christ. The Bible says that
"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" - Galatians 4:8-9
You are secure!
Be confident in the Jesus who walked towards that cross with love in his heart.
That is your purpose.
Go live it.
Sorry, one of them just said, "you would have had your fanny kicked if you wouldn't have bought that."
Priceless.
Anyways, beyond the gossip and the problem solving lies something greater that we all desire. Something that we all long for, that these women seem to have found at this moment, though I believe it to fade within moments.
You see, the conversation amongst them is swiftly changing topics; from clothes to husbands to politics. And each one of them desires to talk. To me, it appears there is a great sense of excitement and satisfaction as one of them begins a new topic, but as the topic drifts from what one of them desires it to be on, there is a slight change in demeanor. They seem to be troubled that the conversation is no longer focused on the wisdom they have to offer, but it has transferred to another person in the room, causing them insecurity in who they are.
Now they are debating whether it's proper to refer to them as "Pine-cones, or Fir-cones"
Because in a group of two, there is one other person to focus on. But in a group of three, there are moments of insecurity when the conversation is more focused on two people, and the third is left feeling insecure.
#Beentherefeltthat
However, even in the little things, there is freedom in Christ. The Bible says that
"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" - Galatians 4:8-9
You are secure!
Be confident in the Jesus who walked towards that cross with love in his heart.
That is your purpose.
Go live it.
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Monday, February 3, 2014
Show Me Where You Laid Him
I have been itching to write or speak on John Chapter 11. And I believe the Spirit has prompted me too strongly today to resist the urge.
John Chapter 11 is about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It is a powerful and amazing story that God uses to show us what Jesus did with each and every one of us.
"Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha."
Verse 3, "So the sisters sent to him, saying, 'Lord, he whom you love is ill.'"
Here we got Jesus in a town separate from that which Lazarus is in, Lazarus bedded down to die, and his two sisters desperately looking for Jesus to come and make him well.
What is Jesus' wise decision after the sisters tell him this?
To stay where he is at for two days. (verse 6)
But after these two days, Jesus prompts the disciples to depart with him to Bethany where Lazarus is.
The disciples reply "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?"
Thomas goes so far to say "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (verse 16)
Please realize something as we read this. Bethany, where Jesus was headed back to was a place that him and the disciples just left because the Jews were trying to stone him there. And if you look at the progression of events in this section of scripture, we find that immediately, in chapter 12, because of Jesus return to Bethany and his raising Lazarus from the dead, the Jews begin to plot how to kill Jesus.
Ultimately, Jesus return to Bethany to raise Lazarus leads to his crucifixion.
Now Jesus and his disciples go to Bethany. Mary and Martha express some amount of frustration with Jesus because they say "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
How many times have we cried this out? Lord, if you had been here, my finances wouldn't be in the garbage. Lord if you had been here, I wouldn't have gotten cancer. Can you believe today that God is near, and perhaps that doesn't always look how you would like it to?
Let me skip forward a bit.
After conversing with the Mary and Martha for some time. Jesus asks this simple question.
"Where have you laid him?" And he immediately weeps.
There is much debate about why Jesus cried, but may I suggest today that it wasn't just because Lazarus was dead. Jesus after-all knew that he was going to be raised. But may I suggest that Jesus wept because he knew that there was a cost in coming to raise Lazarus, and that cost was his crucifixion. That Jesus knew, in returning to Bethany and raising Lazarus from the dead, he wept under the burden of knowing he must die in order to do this.
And may I be so bold as to suggest further that Jesus has said this about every single person who is someone "whom he loves." That Jesus has said "show me where you laid him" and began to weep knowing that in raising you out of your trespasses and sins, he was going to suffer a most brutal death.
Do you believe we were dead in our trespasses and sins? If you have accepted Jesus, be confident that at one moment, Jesus spoke to God the Father, asked "where have you laid him/her" and wept on his way to your tomb, knowing that in raising you to life, he must pay your price.
John Chapter 11 is about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It is a powerful and amazing story that God uses to show us what Jesus did with each and every one of us.
"Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha."
Verse 3, "So the sisters sent to him, saying, 'Lord, he whom you love is ill.'"
Here we got Jesus in a town separate from that which Lazarus is in, Lazarus bedded down to die, and his two sisters desperately looking for Jesus to come and make him well.
What is Jesus' wise decision after the sisters tell him this?
To stay where he is at for two days. (verse 6)
But after these two days, Jesus prompts the disciples to depart with him to Bethany where Lazarus is.
The disciples reply "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?"
Thomas goes so far to say "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (verse 16)
Please realize something as we read this. Bethany, where Jesus was headed back to was a place that him and the disciples just left because the Jews were trying to stone him there. And if you look at the progression of events in this section of scripture, we find that immediately, in chapter 12, because of Jesus return to Bethany and his raising Lazarus from the dead, the Jews begin to plot how to kill Jesus.
Ultimately, Jesus return to Bethany to raise Lazarus leads to his crucifixion.
Now Jesus and his disciples go to Bethany. Mary and Martha express some amount of frustration with Jesus because they say "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
How many times have we cried this out? Lord, if you had been here, my finances wouldn't be in the garbage. Lord if you had been here, I wouldn't have gotten cancer. Can you believe today that God is near, and perhaps that doesn't always look how you would like it to?
Let me skip forward a bit.
After conversing with the Mary and Martha for some time. Jesus asks this simple question.
"Where have you laid him?" And he immediately weeps.
There is much debate about why Jesus cried, but may I suggest today that it wasn't just because Lazarus was dead. Jesus after-all knew that he was going to be raised. But may I suggest that Jesus wept because he knew that there was a cost in coming to raise Lazarus, and that cost was his crucifixion. That Jesus knew, in returning to Bethany and raising Lazarus from the dead, he wept under the burden of knowing he must die in order to do this.
And may I be so bold as to suggest further that Jesus has said this about every single person who is someone "whom he loves." That Jesus has said "show me where you laid him" and began to weep knowing that in raising you out of your trespasses and sins, he was going to suffer a most brutal death.
Do you believe we were dead in our trespasses and sins? If you have accepted Jesus, be confident that at one moment, Jesus spoke to God the Father, asked "where have you laid him/her" and wept on his way to your tomb, knowing that in raising you to life, he must pay your price.
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Join others who want to grow spiritually through Bible Study lessons, direct from Mike.
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