Listening With Eagerness

Oh, Great Father that hath lavished Your love upon us. What have you found within us that has made us worthy of such a great gift? We do not find ourselves worthy of Your love, but you have granted mercy upon our souls that we may understand who You are and how You love us. We ask for patience, for forgiveness, for mercy, and for joy as we walk through our day today. Be with us, strengthen us, and do not cease to pour Your love out on us. In Jesus name, Amen.

There have been countless times where I have read my Bible out of duty and counting down the minutes till I have finished. If I truly wish to move past the barrier this barrier of reading my Bible with lack of inspiration to reading my Bible with joy and excitement, I usually have to pray before and ask that God will give me grace to understand his Word. I have an intense desire to understand his word, but not the ability to do so. I only understand the word of God by the grace of God.

My brothers and sisters, I daily set aside time for reading and studying the scriptures, but this time means nothing if my heart is not in the right place. I can learn everything there is to learn in the scriptures, I can understand all of it, but if my motivation isn't to know God because I love him, than I'm doing it for the wrong reasons. My desire is to know God, but it isn't always easy to keep focused on this desire. Sometimes, I get off track and have to remind myself the calling God has given me, and then I'm ever so joyful to be reminded of that calling once I have pursued it again.

Friends, do not be stagnant or distracted as you read the Bible. The Bible is the word of God and it is how he reveals himself to us every day. The Bible is how God speaks to us, teaches us, mentors us, and loves us. If you want to hear God speak, go read the scriptures and listen to what God has to say, if you want to be taught by God, go read the scriptures. Too many of our brothers and sisters today have become lazy in there method of listening to God speak. Some have abandoned the scriptures altogether, some have deemed them unreliable, some have turned to prophets and people for the voice of God, but God speaks through the Bible today.

As believers in Christ, we are called to a higher level of scripture reading. Do not be lazy in listening to God, but make a conscious effort to study, hear, and listen to what God has to say to you daily. When you read the scriptures, read until you have began desiring to hear God's voice and you will began to hear him speak through what your reading. In studying and hearing God's voice, you will grow in your faith, in your understanding of who God is, and therefore, in your spiritual maturity. Listen to God and do as he says.

Come to the Bible with excitement to learn about who our savior and Lord is, to further understand the characteristics our God holds. By faith we come, by experience we stay. Understanding comes through eagerness to learn; faith comes from understanding; and spiritual growth comes from faith. God be with you friends. God speak to you this day.

"Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." - Acts 17:11

Discerning Our Desires

Our God is so holy, so full of grace, so full of mercy, so full of love. We wish to understand the depth of Your love Father. For no love is greater than that which You have bore for us. Speak through Your body for the sake of encouragement, discipleship, and firstly, for the glory of God. Allow us to be beacons of light today that shine in the darkness with courage and hope. We love You Father, thank You for accepting our small love we have to offer. In Jesus name, Amen.

Within myself, I contain desires that are holy, and desires that are unholy. A battle rages within me, not only between the holy and the unholy, but between the decision making process of which to follow. I have often chosen to follow what is unholy in my life, only by the grace of God have I ever chosen to follow that which is holy. I am forced to wonder how a child of God is to seperate these desires. By that, I mean how is a child of God supposed to discern which desires within him are holy, and which are unholy?

The role of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of its' sin, but I'm not necessarily referring to sin my brothers and sisters. I'm referring to those choices we have in life that the Bible says nothing on. Such as, which job should I take, which house should I move to, which bank should I use. I'm talking about those everyday choices that we still need to seek God's guidance on. I believe it was in A.W. Tozer's book that he said "God will never put a desire in your heart which he will not satisfy". As you can see, my child, the problem doesn't lie with merely what should I do, but with, which desire is from God. This is not always an easy thing to discern, for it can be difficult to tell which desires are from God and which are of the flesh. I pray that the body of Christ may be able to discern such a thing with prayer, fasting, and whatever it takes to accomplish the will of God.

I want to urge you, my brothers and sisters, to move forward in your walk with discernment and humility before God. When options arise that require wisdom and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, pray earnestly. Do not sit back, do nothing, and hope that God will say something audibly, it usually doesn't work that way. God wants us to discern these things because when we do, we grow in relationship with our Father and we learn more about his Character and who this great God is. God is not trying to get us angry with him or frustrated with his Word but more in love with him. He desires that, through the discernment process, we will see the Father all the more clearly and understand the grace he has lavished on us. Laziness will cause you to never experience to Father as some others have. Do not sit down and do nothing, for the Holy Spirit is not within you if nothing is taking place. God will work through you if he is in you, if there is no work through you, he isn't in you.

Continue in love and kindness my beloved. Don't let the things of this current world put you down or pervert your judgements made by the council of the Holy Spirit. Be mentored daily by Him as he grows you and matures you as a child of God.

"Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you." - 1 Chronicles 17:2

Walking in Humility

Our loving Father, come and dwell with us. As we walk through the day, as we read your word, as we prepare for activities, may your spirit speak strongly and clearly to everyone of us today. Oh God, may a great move of your love take place today and may you use your vessels to complete it. We pray that souls would be saved and your children would grow even in this hour Lord. We love you and we thank you for all you have done in our lives, in Jesus name, Amen.

I think I'm a really good writer. I also think that I'm pretty smart when it comes to reading the Bible. In other words, I'm prideful. There are a lot of things in life that I think I have reason to be prideful about. I think I have the right to be prideful about my girlfriend, my hobbies, my abilities, and my looks. However, what I think is not necessarily truth so I could easily be wrong in thinking these things about myself, and I am. My brothers and sisters, I hope you learn to not be prideful as you walk next to God's grace, but are humbled by the greatness of our God. I ask myself why I am so prideful when I have spent time in the presence of God, how is such a thing even possible? I am so small and he is so big, and this should force me to humility, but pride remains as the biggest struggle in my life.

Thankfully, God deals with his children's pride. If you are a child of God, God will knock you down when you become prideful, and it isn't gonna feel good. If you aren't a child of God, God will let you continue in your sinful, evil ways and you will continue being selfish into eternity. The children of God are so blessed in being knocked down when they get too high up. God doesn't do this because he wants to see you suffer; God doesn't knock you down when you become prideful because he even necessarily enjoys disciplining; God knocks you down when you become prideful so that you will have the opportunity of understanding how great God is. God humbles his children so that his children, in their humility, will know the greatness of the Father in comparison to their own filth.

I think their is a popular belief that humility is thinking less of oneself. Let me quote C.S. Lewis: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." As C.S. Lewis would agree, this belief I mentioned is a misunderstanding of what humility is. You can be humble and realize you are a good writer, or a good speaker, or a good singer. You can realize that God has gifted you greatly and still be humble. However, you cannot believe you have been saved by your own works and not the grace of God, and still remain humble. Humility is holding an accurate view of yourself and God, whereas pride is holding a higher view of yourself than is accurate.

People are humble when they realize that they have sinned, and everyone has. When a person realizes they have sinned, they can now realize they are lower than God and unworthy to be saved. Once a person realizes they are not worthy to be saved and their good works amount to nothing, they have become humble because they hold an accurate view of who they are. This is why a truly humble person desires God to work through them, because man can do nothing good on his own. God is also humble because he thinks of himself correctly. He knows he is a perfect being who is worthy of praise. In having an accurate view of who he is, he is humble, and in man realizing how great God is, humility should ensue.

Do not be prideful my beloved. Pride is a straight path that leads downhill. It is easy to walk but unrewarding in the end. Without realizing there is a God greater than you, you must began to depend upon yourself and your own abilities, this is the birth of pride. With the birth of pride comes a lonely and hopeless life. My brothers and sisters, I urge you, do not be prideful but rejoice when you are weak and give thanks when God grants strength.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you." -  James 4:10

Examine Your Calling

Oh great Father, thank you for knocking us down when we become proud. You do not let your children hurt themselves and we thank you for watching us so intently. We are such poor children, but you are such a great Father. Thank you for giving to us when we ask, thank you for holding things from us that would hurt us, thank you for caring enough to say "no" when we ask wrongly. You are a good Father and we desire your presence in this moment. In Jesus name, Amen.

I get obsessed with hobbies I take on. Currently, I'm obsessed with exercise. I've been obsessed with magic tricks, reading, theology, fiction, writing, girls, and plenty of sins that don't need mentioning. When I find something I like, I really like it. It is actually difficult for me to simply like something, and not love something. It is difficult for me to find something I like and not spend all my time doing it. Do not be like me brothers and sisters, and if you must, then obsess over God and his love.

From this kind of personality comes rashness. In other words, I find things I like quickly. Not only do I get obsessed with things I like, I like a lot of things. I like a lot of things because I don't consider it before I decide I like it, I just like it. I don't want to have to decide whether or not I like something, I just want to have something to do. Oh, my beloved, part from me in this way, do not be hindered by such rashness. For it is not good to take on any priorities without first examining whether it is worth being a priority. When you find something that is a potential calling from God on your life, examine it. Take it apart and look at the inside to see what motive is behind it. Look at the external parts to examine  whether God is for such a thing. Pray and ask that the Holy Spirit will speak to you about whether this is something to be pursued. Ask yourself why you wish to pursue this thing. Is it a holy motive or a selfish motive? Do you want to do it because God will be glorified or because you will be glorified?

I ask you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, to examine yourself when you take on a calling from God. Do not be impatient in your waiting to hear, but continue in perseverance. However, do not wait too long either. If God says "go", than go. Become obsessed with this calling if you must, because God has called you to it. God does not want you to be luke-warm in pursuing your calling, he wants you to be all-in. He doesn't want you to pursue your calling part way, but all the way. Firstly, examine whether it is the will of God. If it is, go; if it isn't, throw it out. Secondly, either pursue it with every atom of your being or let every atom of your being forget it. Be a radical, do not be wishy-washy when God calls. He has called you that you may listen. Come before him and do as he tells you.

God is with you in your walk. He will not abandon you, he will not forsake his children, but will pursue us as we should pursue him. May our love for God be motivated by the great love he has for us. God is good and God is with you.

"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands." - Psalms 138:8

Idolatry of Money

Gracious Father of all, Oh, how we adore you. We do not adore you because we are so full of love ourselves, we adore you because you have first adored us. For we have no love within us to give except that which is graciously granted by You. We ask for love to dwell inside of us; we ask for hope to be a prominent characteristic people notice in us, and we ask that our works may not be our own, for they are filthy rags. May our works be the working of the Holy Spirit through our fleshly bodies. Thank You for Your grace and love, in Jesus name, Amen.

I'm terrible with money. Ask my girlfriend, my mom, my dad, my sister, or anyone who knows anything about me, and they will tell you the same thing. I am not good at handling money. By that, I mean that if I am given a large sum of money, usually by the end of the week, I do not know where it has gone. It has usually been spent on things that I didn't need, things that entertained me for a day and then were forgotten or I spend it on equipment to start a new hobby I think I might like and I find out I hate it. I hope, for my sake that I'm not the only one who suffers from this sort of greed; but I hope, for my fellow Christians sake, that I am the only one who struggles with this.

Society tells us that the richer we get, the happier we are. The more we have, the more satisfied we are. They tell us this because they are focused on this world, and they, in effect, want us to focus on this world too. They want money because they are focused on this world, and we give them money for things because we are focused on this world as well. It's important to understand that riches are not a bad thing, stuff is not a bad thing, entertainment is not a bad thing. The question isn't "are you rich?" The question is "are you focused on your riches or God?" Riches, in themselves, are not a bad thing, but they are a slippery slope to idolatry. Any God-given gift can be abused: money, children, spouse, sex. Secularism wants us to focus on the world we are in today, the gospel wants us to focus on eternity.

If we choose to focus our attention on the world we are in today, we will get all the money we can, have all the sex we can, enjoy all the things of the flesh that we can possibly engorge ourselves in. If we choose to focus our attention on eternity with Jesus Christ, we will deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily. We will not be hindered when we fall because of the wait of our cross, not because of our strength, but because God bears our cross with us.

Do not let things of this world be your idol, for God hates idolatry. Humans were made to praise, but they were not made to praise false gods, rather, the real God. We were not created for idols sake, we were created for God's sake. My dear brothers and sisters, do not let yourselves fall down the road of idolatry, for everyone who does not worship our Father worships an idol. I pray for us, that we may not allow ourselves to be overtaken by the secular pull of society, but overcome by the power of a gracious and loving God. May God's grace be upon us during the times we struggle with such sin. God be gracious to us, your children, whom you love.

"Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf." - Proverbs 11:28

Easy or Holy

Our great Father, deserving of all reverence and glory, please speak through us as your vessels to encourage each other and to give opportunity for others to commit themselves to you. Will you please let us burn for you daily Father. We ask for joy and the feeling of your presence, that we may not claim the wonders you work as our own, but as grace given from the Father. We long to feel you, to know you, to understand you, and to be with you in this moment. So come, and love on your children. In Jesus name, Amen.

I hate when God asks me to do something I don't want to do. It seems like this is most commonly what he asks of me. I hate when he asks things of me that I'm uncomfortable with doing because I have to sacrifice my pride, my reputation, or just my time. It feels like such a burden when God asks me to talk to someone about Him when I'm on my way to the gym. "But God," I say, "I need to exercise, you'll respect that, won't you?" I'm like a small Child whining to pick up the laundry from my room. "But mom," a small child might say, "I'm playing a video game, you understand, don't you?" This is how my flesh thinks and it frustrates my soul. My flesh says "I'm busy" and my soul screams "Tell them the Gospel!" Which option is the harder one? Or maybe a better question, which option is easier? I'm afraid following the flesh is easier my brothers and sisters.

Unfortunately for believing Christians, we are not called to follow what is easy, we are called to follow what is Holy. What is easy and what is holy are on opposite sides of the same spectrum. It's easy to not talk to people about Christ, it's holy to talk to people about Christ. It's easy to pursue whatever comes your way, it's holy to pursue the calling God has put before you. It's easy to love who you want to love, it's holy to love who God tells you to love. Your welcome to repeat those sentences and replace "holy" with "hard". The two are almost synonymous in our fallen world. However, it's important to understand my dear brothers and sisters that holiness is not difficult for God, it is difficult for us. It is difficult for us only because we live in a fallen world where the very thing we live in (our flesh) has been ruined. What is holy is opposed to the flesh. We are flesh, and God is holy, therefore what we want with our flesh is never what God wants.

Do not tell unbelievers or new believers or old believer alike, that the Christian walk is easy, for that is a lie. The Christian walk is not hard because God makes it hard, but because we have made it hard. It isn't hard because God is holy, it's hard because we are not. The Christian walk is contradictory to our nature not because God is good, but because man is bad. We are flesh, and the flesh cannot overcome flesh, for that is all there is. Therefore, in order for a Christian to be changed, we must be changed by something greater than the flesh; something holy. God has graciously taken this role upon himself and granted us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and give us a new heart. For he is the only one who could do such a thing.

God will tell you, throughout your Christian walk, to do hard things, and I encourage you with all of myself to do such things. For the reward is much greater when we follow what we were meant to be in the first place: holy. Let us return, by God's grace, to our original selves and be renewed by the love of our great Father, that not only we will enjoy him, but we will enjoy him because we walk according to the commands he gives. God has overcome the world, may we dwell in that security.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Constant Prayer

Our great Father that we desire to know, why have you chosen us as your vessels to represent your glory? For you have loved as we have never deserved; you have bestowed grace as we have been unworthy to receive; you have give joy when our hearts are broken. For what purpose have we been allowed to witness such glory? Oh God, love on our hearts, be in our presence, and let us experience you further. We love you and praise you for all that you are. In Jesus Christ name, Amen. 

I forget constantly. As I walk through a door in my house, I forget why I have gone to that room at all. There is usually a purpose I would go to the room; to get something or do something, and daily, without fail, there is a time when I forget what I was doing. I get frustrated with myself as I forget things throughout my day. I hope that my brothers and sisters have not experienced this to the extent I do. We are all going to experience such forgetfulness in some form because of our humanness. 

However, the thing I desire to remember throughout my life the most is the same things I forget throughout my life the most. That thing is God. Throughout my day, I am consistently forgetting the things of God, forgetting what it means to be a true Christian. I desire to be with God all the time, but I can’t seem to pull it off. I do not do the thing I want to do. Have you experienced this my Child? Do you understand what it’s like to desire something so great and not achieve it? We will fail throughout our life. We will forget God throughout our day. We will forget to think on the things of God and our minds will stray to other things. Oh, how I desire that this wasn’t the case! May we be strengthened by the power of God.

I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to continue all of your life to never forget God. You will not achieve it, but I plead with you, never give up. You may ask “why would I try for something I know I can’t do?” My answer to you is because we are called by our creator to do exactly that. We are called by God to think on the things of God, to meditate on these things. We are called to pray without ceasing. We must always remember that prayer is not only speaking to God, prayer is not only listening to God, prayer is seeking God. Prayer is looking for God and the way he is working, prayer is asking God to work his will for his glory in your life, prayer is thinking on things that are good and holy, prayer is a way of life that is focused on embracing, understanding, and thinking on the things of God. We pray without ceasing by seeking God always, in everything. Oh our God! Where can we see you? How can we dedicate ourselves to you further today? We desire you in our lives.

My beloved, please strive to never think on things that are not of God. Think on things that are holy, things that are righteous, things that are good. For from such thinking comes further understanding of the great God we serve and understanding of how he wills that we should serve him. May we seek him always because we were lost and we are now found by him. God sought us, may we in love and joy and because of the prompting of the Holy Spirit within us, seek God with all of our being that we may understand the loving Father. Man is meant to enjoy God, so lets begin doing so. 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:17-22

Rejoice in Our Weakness

Father God, forgive us this day for the anger we have had towards our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even towards our enemies. Forgive us for how we have lacked when you have called, and how we have ignored when you have spoken. May you make us new great Trinity. Will you now cleanse us of all things we have done evil that we have known were evil, along with those things which we are unaware of. For our bodies so easily forget the iniquity we have committed. Cleanse us today Father and may your violent love not allow us to fall any further than we have this day. Oh God! Thank you for your grace and mercy in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

With some things, I am a perfectionist. The first example that comes to mind is these blog posts I write. Many times, I have not liked the quality of my posts, I have found them to be, for lack of a better term, dumb and unappealing. However, when it comes to the cleanliness of my room, I am less than a perfectionist, anyone living with me will agree with that statement. I'm not so much a perfectionist in the way that I try and make everything perfect, but I am a perfectionist in the way I think many Christian's are -- that is, we get annoyed or frustrated with ourselves when we see imperfections in who we are. Such as sin, a temper, or things such as this. Strive to not be a perfectionist, for the purpose God has created us for often requires that we be less than perfect.

This does not mean that you must go about your life, messing up on purpose so that God can work through you, but it is a humbling of yourself to realize your going to mess up. All Christian's must admit to their mistakes, I am sick of hearing my brothers and sisters brag about how wonderful they are at certain deeds, and I'm sick of hearing myself commit such an act. This is not the will of God. We should cut off all of our pride and admit to the sins we commit daily, for we aren't tricking anyone but ourselves. Others see our pride, and it is a terrible representation of Christ. When we, my brothers and sisters, are prideful, we will never truly understand the greatness of God because we assume part of ourself to be God. Through perfectionism, we assume that we have the ability to do something perfect, we are so mistaken! Quit rejoicing in the things you have done right unless you are boasting about the ways God has worked in your life. Boast about our weaknesses and the ways we have messed things up and then tells others how Christ has changed us and chosen us to be his servant though we are so unworthy.

God works the most when we are weak, so pray for weakness, that we may boast in Christ. And through boasting in Christ and not of ourselves, may others see the joy we have in being Children of God though we are not worthy to be such.

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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 12:9-10

No Better Response

Almighty God, what words should we use to praise you? What language is adequate to bear such a name? Oh, how we desire your love and your presence; and oh, how you have so graciously granted such blessings upon your unworthy children. Why do you find favor upon us? For we do not understand, but we praise you because your ways are so much greater and you do have understanding in the things we don't. We thank you for the blessings bestowed upon us daily, and we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, that they may gain perseverance in Jesus name. Amen.

I've never spoke in tongues; I've never prophesied over someone; I've never seen any visions, and I've never heard the audible voice of God. This frustrates me. At times, I beg God for any one of these things, such as a vision, or to hear God's audible voice, and believe me friends, I've prayed earnestly. I so long to hear God's voice, but I am always found wanting. I get frustrated with God, and often times, I remark "so you love others enough to speak audibly, but not me?" Oh, the stories I hear of people who have heard God's voice. Oh, the stories I hear of people who have seen miraculous visions, and Oh, how I have seen people prophesy as though they were speaking for God himself. I get so angry with God when he is willing to do these things for his other Children, but not for me. Do any of my brothers or sisters reading this understand this frustration with me or have you all experienced such a wonder? I you have not, do not be frustrated with our God. For I hope to explain in part why our God has not done such things for some of us. Always remember my dear Child, God cannot be tamed or controlled, but he is good.

When in these times of frustration, I say to God "what if I do this for you, than will you show me this vision, or allow me to speak in tongues, or let me hear your audible voice?" My God, forgive me for how greatly I have understood your ways. For you are not a God of "give me this and I'll give you this". You are a God of "look what I gave you, give me everything". God needs nothing from us, but wants everything from us. We can give nothing to God that is great enough to receive something from God. Do you understand that my friends? If we give God all that we have earned, and all of our lives, and all of ourselves, this is still not a great enough thing to receive that which God has to offer. We can give God all ourselves, but still we deserve no salvation. We can give God all of our money, but will still deserve nothing in return, for the finite things we give do not compare to the sins that have made us filthy. So then, we pray, we give, we love, we persevere, we are joyous, we praise, and we live for God not because we earn anything by it, but because we have been changed by the Holy Spirit living within, and there is therefore no other possible response that a true child of God could give.

My child, we do not give because we will receive, we give because we have received. For the love of God is great and because of such a love, our bodies are used as vessels for Christ. Do not be angry with God when he does not give you the things that you desire, for he is building you, testing you, and making you new through your continuing faith. Be joyous because of what God has already given you; such as life, love, and salvation. Only on God's time will such wondrous works be done. In closing, let me share with you what prompted this post.

"Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simeon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said to him, 'May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.'" - Acts 8:18-22

The Fear of Sleep

Father, you are what we need. There is nothing on earth that alone could satisfy, but you, O Lord, have satisfied us with the highest level of satisfaction. I do not wish to want the things I do, I wish to want you alone, but I find myself lacking. Daily, I lose focus on you; daily, I forget the things of God; daily, I am unworthy to be in your presence, but your great love has shown mercy upon our disgusting souls. You have cleansed us that we may be seen as holy, but may we always strive to be holy through our actions. Not because this makes us holy, but because we desire to be like you. Not because we think we can be perfected, but because you have called us out of the world and into righteousness. We thank you Father for your grace upon us who are so unworthy. Amen.

I have told people that death doesn't scare me anymore because of my faith; that is a lie. I apologize to those who have heard me say that, for it was out of pride that I claim such a faith. I profess that my fear of death has truly been lessened but not diminished. I do not fear because I believe I may be wrong in my faith; I do not fear because I worry God may not exist. I fear because of the unknown. I fear change, and what greater change is there than that of leaving the sinful body we have always known? I am about to head off to college and I fear that change as well. It is an anxious fear of what I have not yet experienced. It is the fear of something new. I encourage you brothers and sisters, do not fear death as I do. Learn to encounter the unknown with boldness and excitement of what is to come. If you fear death because you worry God may not exist, than may God increase your faith; if you fear God for the reason I do, than may change be a blessing in your life, not a wall; and if you do not fear death, than may God increase your fear of him.

What are we to compare death to? For what can amount to such a change? Is there not an analogy that can be used for this departure from earth? The Bible gives us a parallel for death; namely, "falling asleep". I want to think on these things.

When Stephen, the first Christian Martyr, was stoned, Acts uses the term fallen asleep to describe Stephen's death. When Jesus heals a boy who has died, he says the boy is just "asleep" prior to raising him. When Paul talks of, in first Thessalonians four, the prophets of old who have died, he talks of them as having fallen asleep. Why is sleep used as a parallel for this terrible thing called death? Sleep is not the first thing that comes to mind when I parallel things with death. Death is bad and sleep is good. Why is this used throughout the Bible as the explanation for death?

When we sleep, the body is no longer under our conscious control. The body goes from a state of acting, doing, and being, to one of rest, dream, and subliminal understanding. Many people actually believe that sleep reveals who we really are. For example, people say, if you dream about so-and-so, than you are probably this kind of thinker. What we dream about is often thought to reveal our true thoughts and passions. Why do I bring this up? Because I believe it is much like death. When we die, our true self will be revealed in Christ. We will be shown who we were always created to be, for in a fallen world, this knowledge is forgotten.

Through death, God will give us rest, God will show us who we are without the presence of a fallen world. Sleep is the perfect parallel, because in sleep, we are granted rest, but nothing compared to the rest death now grants us. Rest from the evils of this world, rest from temptation, rest from hate, rest from sin, rest from anxiety. It is interesting to me that the cure for my fear of death is to experience it. Once I experience it, I believe I will be ever so joyful to have done so. Once Christ takes me home, I believe the joy of the Lord will overwhelm my soul and no longer must I worry about change, no longer must I fear the new, but only must I fear the God who has granted me love, grace, and joy through using the new.

"And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." - Acts 7:60

the Love of God for the Glory of God

Great and wondrous God, come dwell within us. For we cannot dwell with thee. We wish to come to you and enjoy your presence, but our filth puts up a wall between us and you. Would you please, this day, cleanse us and shower your mercy upon our hearts that we may not walk in unrighteousness, but turn away from our evil. May strength come to the body of Christ. We do not ask for easier lives, we ask for more strength to bear the predestined sufferings you have for each of us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control be abundant in the Christ representatives. You are deserving of all glory and honor, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Every day, without fail, I come before God hating myself. I come before God with a broken heart because of the ways I wish to serve him and the ways I wish to worship him, and the ways I wish to pray to him, and the ways I wish to praise him, and never have my actions lived up to my expectations. I am constantly in a devastating battle of repent, turn away for a while, fall again. I strive for perfection but cannot attain it. Much as Paul talks of in Romans 7.

When I come before God with these thoughts of myself and the knowledge of the ways I've again failed him, often times, I am speechless. I literally do not have words to express my guilt to a God who is so great and acknowledges a man who is so small. Oh, how I wish I could express in tongues, or heavenly language my sorrows that come from the knowledge of my depravity. Though I still wonder whether even these glorious languages could support what I feel in these times. I do not believe any language could support the hurt a Christian feels when he fails such an almighty God who died for him.  With these thoughts come the speculation of whether or not I am worthy of Gods grace. I ask God "why do you choose me, do you see how I fail?" Oh, what a misunderstanding of grace. Grace, by definition is unmerited favor. It is not something earned. Now I ask the question, why does God show us grace?

Many Christians think that God has showed his grace to us simply because he loves us, but it goes so much deeper than that. Yes, God loves us, and died for us because he loved us (John 3:16), but that was not his top priority. God's top priority in showing man grace was not to love on him, it was so that the glory of God may reflect off of the grace given to man onto God once again. Jesus died because he loved us, so that God would be glorified. The statement doesn't end at "Jesus died because he loved us".  Man is a recipient of God's grace because the grace of God upon man glorifies God.

If it was true that God chose to glorify man by dying for him, what glory does that give to man? If you are told by your parents you will be burnt by a hot coal if you steel anything, and you steel something, and then your parents burn themselves with the coal because they love you, how does that glorify you? It glorifies the parents mercy, grace, and love for their child. And if anything, the Child will feel guilt and come to repentance when they see such love.

We know God is Lord because he doesn't judge according to what we do, but according to what he wills. The grace of God is given to man so that God's glory, love, patience, righteousness and more may be shown to the universe and the universe may in return praise the God who has shown such unmerited favor. We have not received mercy because we earned, we receive mercy because God has chosen us to be vessels by which he is glorified. What a pleasure! God chose to use mankind as vessels to show his love and kindness to all of creation. It is not for our sake, but for Gods. Thank you God! This realization is meant to alone lead to praise, worship, and continual repentance of our sins to the God who has chosen to love us and show his glory through us.

"And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God." - Ezekiel 20:44

He Who Lives Within

Oh, great God, how we desire to know you today and to understand who you are. To understand the great I AM; that because you know us, may the evidence of our salvation be that we know you. May what is written here and now not be my thoughts, but the work of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of Your love. Rid me of my pride; destroy my lusts; disintegrate my fears, unless it be a fear of You who should be feared. I pray for love, joy, hope, peace, and patience to dwell within the Christian body and that these things may be obvious to others. If we are to fail, than discipline us with your mighty hand, that we may not again sin against Thee. Deliver us from evil this day and allow us confidence and hope in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

As I read through the book of Acts, I am jealous of how great it seems the disciples were. I am jealous of their courage, of their perseverance, of their violent love. I am jealous for several reasons: 1. Because I wish to see these kind of great works done. 2. Because I want to know that God wishes to use me. The Former desire is partly a desire to further the kingdom of God, but it is also partly a desire to see a wondrous work that I feel would increase my faith. The Latter is a desire that I wish for chiefly because I don't only want to know Jesus, but I want Jesus to know me, that he may say on the last days "Well done my good and faithful servant." Oh, how I desire to hear those words echo in my ears, I believe there is no greater desire within my being than to hear my great creator utter those words to my face. The greatest fear is that he would say "Depart from me you who work lawlessness, I never knew you." Absolutely terrifying, those words make me cringe. I pray that we may not be deceived by a false faith, but always changing by a true faith that produces good fruit. 

As I thought on these things, I believe the Holy Spirit reminded me that the apostles worked with Jesus for three years side-by-side before they finally developed the faith we see in the book of Acts. In fact, all throughout the three years they work with Jesus, they are told of their little faith. I wonder how many times in our walk with God, Christ has said to us "Oh, you of little faith". The radical change that the disciples experienced happened after three years of being closely and intimately mentored by their Lord. Is it not the same for us? I assume God does change some overnight, but this is a rare occasion that such a glorious work is done. And if such a person is changed overnight, they still do not have, nor could they have, full knowledge of the things of God. Is there not always room to improve? For we are never perfect, and there is always therefore room for betterment. Hence if God does such a wondrous work as to change us overnight, we will still not be made perfect and must continue striving for righteousness the rest of our days. This is one of the great battles the Christian faces. 

Once the person of the Holy Spirit has entered us, He is now our mentor. In the times of Jesus of Nazareth, the disciples mentor was Christ, now our Mentor and Rabbi is the Holy Spirit. Do not be deceived though fellow brothers and sisters. The Holy Spirit is not a force to be grasped, or a power to be manifested. The Holy Spirit is a person who works with us, speaks to us, and shows us ways to improve who we are in Christ. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is wise and does not tell us of all our wrongs right from the beginning, he does not reveal all mysteries the moment he enters us, for I doubt that such revelation could take place without the death of man. No, he works as Jesus did with his disciples, he teaches us daily. He tells us to take up our cross daily and minister and proclaim that gospel to others. He teaches us how to pray, how to love, how to teach, how to mourn, how to praise, and how to begin understanding an unfathomable God. 

I ask you this day bluntly and with love, are you being mentored by the Holy Spirit daily? If you are, I commend you, and I praise God for the gracious work he is doing in you. If you aren't, than please examine yourself dear brother or sister! Do not take such a thing lightly. The Bible tells us to examine ourselves. Do so daily. Do not wait to change, do not tell yourself that tomorrow will be a new day where God can forgive you, but drop to your knees now and beg God for his grace and mercy. My prayers go out to those who have dropped to their knees in realization of their filth; my prayers go out to those who are being mentored by the Holy Spirit daily and I praise God for you, may you continue to love and grow in Christ Jesus. But woe to those who do neither of these; woe to you who believe yourself to be saved because you went on a missions trip once, or because you go to church regularly. Oh, how you have been deceived. I pray that God moves you to a point where you do nothing but bow in respect to the God who shows you how low you are, and by showing you how low you are, you understand the grace, greatness, and love of God. May all of us trust alone in the redemptive, changing power of God's love. 

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:4-5

The Joy of Pain

Cries from all around the world echo out "Why me God!" At this moment, millions upon millions of people are crying out to God in their suffering, wondering why they must suffer. There are many ways this cry is heard by God. Sometimes it is "God, show me you care by taking this suffering away", sometimes it's "God, if your really there, remove this cup from me". Is that how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane? Not exactly. 

"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." - Matthew 26: 39

Did Jesus say "My Father, take this cup from me if you really care, but your will be done." No! That kind of statement is wrong. Do you not realize, created being, that the creator died for you? Is that not an adequate statement of love? Who are you, oh man, to say to God "if you really love me, do this"? I'm not talking about a humble request to God that he may show you his love further. I'm saying, if you ask this, expect it may be expressed through further suffering. It may be expressed through joy and prosperity, but there is a chance God will show you how much he cares by putting you through anguish and disaster. "Mike," you say, "that makes so sense! Why would God put us through further suffering to show his love for us? That doesn't sound very loving." Oh, my brother's and sisters, do you not understand that when you experience the anguish of this present age, you are gaining knowledge of how Jesus felt? And in learning how Jesus felt, you become overwhelmed with his great love and the fact that he experienced that suffering for you? I am forced to wonder if the man next to Jesus on the cross knew better than anyone at that moment, how great a love this Jesus of Nazareth had. Why? Because he understood at least the physical suffering Jesus was going through. With that understanding and with the knowledge that this Jesus was still showing love came the desire to be know by Jesus. "Remember me in your Kingdom" the criminal said. Can you imagine this man crying as he pleaded with the Lord of all creation; can you imagine the despair he felt and yet the joy to hear Jesus say in response "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." With the understanding of the pain Jesus was going through and the knowledge that Jesus was still expressing love came the understanding of the depth of God's love. Suffering's allow us to understand what Jesus went through because he loved us, and than encourages us to go through a similar suffering for him. 

When we suffer, do not ask, "why do I suffer?", ask "why did Jesus suffer?". When we sinfully condemn others because they have caused our suffering, ask "why did Jesus love as he suffered?" Allow your anguish of this present age to shape your view of the great God who has showed his love by suffering, and continues to do so. Allow suffering to shape who you become for Christ. May you rejoice brothers and sisters in times of prosperity, in times of hardship; in times of love, in times of hate; in all times and all seasons, give glory to God. This is truly pleasing to our Father in heaven. 

I Need to Need You

In a song called "Times" by Tenth-Avenue North, there is a line that I believe God has laid upon my heart for a while now. The line is "I need to need you". Short and simple, yet in to that short line is packed an essential belief for the Christian doctrine. This line doesn't only express that we need God, but that we "need to need" God. It doesn't only express that in order for salvation, we need Christ, but that we are reluctant to and hate Christ unless God allows us to need him. 

Although, don't just take a song's word for it. Take Jesus' word:

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." - John 10:28-29

And Paul's:

"as it is written: 'none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.'" - Romans 3:10-12

Firstly as these verses make clear, everyone, in their natural state, is completely evil in the sight of God. The question then becomes, what hope do we have? How are we to turn from sin and toward God without the ability to do so? This question is answered in the verse I just quoted from Jesus in the gospel of John. "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all." Given them? Maybe that term is confusing you. We have been given to Jesus? Yes. By who? The sovereign Father. What does this really mean though? It means that in order to change from death to life; from sin to righteousness; from filth to being white as snow, you must be changed by God. Truly, you can do nothing good because you have not been given the ability by God to do anything good. If you do good that is good in the sight of the Lord (which is only considered good if it is done for the sake of the Lord), than God has done a marvelous and gracious work in you. If you ever credit yourself with this work, you disrespect the power and grace of God. 

Does it seem odd to you that God offers us a gift he knows we will deny in our natural state? He says "here, accept the forgiveness of my son" as a father may say to a young child "here, enjoy my fortune and have all you want". We respond "No Father, just let me play in the mud, this is much more enjoyable". But the Father in his grace, will not allow his chosen children to continue to play in the mud. He disciplines them and graciously teaches them the worth of what he has to offer. He teaches us that the things we have been so enjoying are evil and the things that he has for us are good. 

God has a violent and jealous love for the elect. He does not let them sway from him, and when they do, he will take them back. Oh how great is our God. How perfect is his love and how amazing are his ways. I am constantly amazed by the grace of God to choose any of us for his love and salvation. The question isn't "why not all of us?" The question is "why any of us?" We don't only need God, we need to need God. Don't pray for a balanced checkbook or lots of money or nice cars or a sweet spouse, pray that you may need God more than you do now. Pray that God would put a passion in you for the things that are good and holy and just, and that he will continue to increase this passion throughout your life. If God starts a work, he will finish it; if he doesn't finish it, it wasn't him who started it. 

Go and Sin no More

Throughout my Christian walk, I have desired to continually improve in my relationship with Christ. I want to read more of my Bible, I want to pray more, I want to hear him speak more, I want to tell more people about him, but most of all, I want to quit sinning. I so desire for sinning to cease. I am sick of it, I feel ashamed and disgusting when I do. Having to crawl to my Lord with filth all over me and ask for cleansing over and over again is not my favorite thing to do. It's humiliating and it makes me feel worthless. Do you know what I'm talking about? There are even times when I am so distressed over my own sin that I can't express it in my own words and I simply cry to God "Have mercy!" There are times when my mistakes have had such terrible repercussions that I can't imagine how God would ever forgive me. Maybe you get these same feelings when you sin; feelings of hopelessness, sadness, humility, and shame.

I'm about to tell you something that might surprise you. In a sense, it is a very good thing that you are getting these feelings. In fact, if you don't, be sure to examine yourself as to whether you are truly a Child of God.

Everyone is born a sinner. There is no escaping that, for "all have fallen short of the glory of God". But what do you feel when you sin? If you have become numb, you better be fearful. The Bible says that if you go on sinning without care, God will give you up to the sinful passions of your heart. Numbness to sin (or not caring about whether you sin or not) should terrify you. It does me. There should always be some kind of remorse for what you have done. Peter knew that Jesus had died for his sins, but he still wept when he denied his Lord. How can you not mourn for your Lord after you sin, knowing that your very action has hung him on that cross to die? How can you not feel some sort of sadness for the one who you have crucified but was so full of forgiveness that he forgave you?

Having made it known that some sense of guilt should be present after sin, I also must make another point so that we don't all become extremists with poor biblical views. Let's look at Romans 7:

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dew ells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me." - Romans 7:15-20

There is good news too. Although we feel guilt for what we have done, realize it is not even you who do it. Amazing, huh? If your mind does not like sin, does not desire it, does not want to do it, and even hates it, then it is not you who do it. This is however not an excuse to go about sinning. As you may have noticed, one of the requirements for the view that it is no longer you sinning is that you do hate sin and you don't want to do it. So there is no possible way to use this as an excuse to sin because the moment you do is the same moment you now desire to sin, and therefore have abandoned this view.

Strive to not sin. Desire that God may be gracious upon you to "not lead you into temptation but deliver you from evil". Always practice self-discipline and do what you can to avoid temptation, no matter how radical. But when you fall, because you will, come to God, plead, ask that he may have mercy upon your depraved soul, and turn away from your sin. Then, as Jesus has said, "go and sin no more" -- well, try.

Glorifying God Through Blessings

"Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said to him, 'We will go with you.' They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, 'Children, do you have any fish?' They answered him, 'No.' He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.' So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. The disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!'... The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off." - John 21:2-8

This is a story that most Christian's are familiar with. It's a common sunday school story that is taught with simplicity. In sunday school, they usually simply teach about how Jesus was able to make them catch fish and that is the extent of their study. But I wish to go a bit deeper.

Seven of the disciples were together and Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to them twice already. The seven disciples decided to go fishing, which was how they would feed themselves. Today, fishing is more of a recreational sport in America, but then, they had to catch something if they wanted to eat. So that makes sense that they were out there from nighttime to the break of the next day, because they weren't catching anything.

Now as day was breaking, a man on the shore (Jesus, but the disciples didn't know who it was yet) asked the seven disciples if they had caught anything. They said "no" and Jesus told them where to cast their net so that they could catch some fish. Once they had done what he said, they caught so many fish that they couldn't get it in the boat but held it in the water as they brought it to shore. After catching the Fish, the disciples realized it was Jesus and rushed to him; Peter even jumped out of the boat, and the others came in dragging the fish.

Here's the point. In life, we get gifts, wether we are Christian or not. We are happy whether we are Christian or not. We get depressed whether we are Christian or not. But only when the Christian gets a gift, can he praise the gift-giver--God. You see, gifts aren't meant to be an end in themselves, they are meant to lead us back to the kindness and love of the one who gave it. When God blesses us, it is meant for his glory and not to be an end in itself. When the disciples got the fish, they rushed to Jesus in excitement. They were happy and joyful about the fish, but they were even more excited about being in the presence of the one who had given it. So much so, that Peter started swimming.

However, the disciples had to wait a long time to receive what they had been hoping for and in order to receive it, they had to do as Jesus said. We often have to wait patiently for gifts to come to us. Unfortunately, we are an impatient people. God has a plan and will give us what we need when he wants us to have it. If the disciples had caught fish before Jesus came up and the storied continued the same, the miracle of catching fish would not be very surprising. It's because the disciples hadn't received all night that they were so joyful to receive. Often times, God wants us to wait to receive so that the joy of getting the gift is so much greater. The disciples also had to listen to Jesus and do what he said in order to receive their gift.

The last thing I want to bring up is how difficult it was for the disciples to actually take in their gift. So many times, God gives us things, but we think it is too difficult or too strenuous to actually go through with receiving this gift and so we simply let go and don't make an effort to drag it to our Lord. When you receive a gift, don't hesitate, but drag it to Jesus, no matter how heavy, and ask "how can I use this to further glorify you?"

Again, gifts are not meant to be an end in themselves, they are meant to lead us back to our great creator. It's not what you receive that matters, it's what you do with what you receive. If you suffer, rejoice. If you are blessed, rejoice. If you are killed, rejoice. If you are joyful, rejoice. Christian's should be ready to rejoice for the sake of the Father in every situation no matter the cost. Glorifying God is first priority, even at the sake of a life.

When the Father Calls Your Name

Let me take you somewhere. Jesus has died, and three days later, you, a disciple of Jesus, head to the tomb early in the morning to mourn over the body of your lost Lord. When you arrive at the tomb, you see that his body is gone. You assume someone must have stolen his body and you began to weep because you will never be able to see the body of your Lord again. As your weeping, you turn around and see a man behind all of your tears whom you think is the gardener. He says "Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" and you respond "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." The man responds with one word: Your name. Then it clicks. You realize this man who you thought was the gardener is actually your risen Lord. What made you realize this? Jesus saying your name. When your heavenly Father simply says your name, you will recognize his voice and cry out "Father!" 

After you realize this man is not a gardener but your risen Savior, you embrace him with arms squeezing and joy in your heart. But Jesus says "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 

What would you do? Would you continue to embrace Jesus in fear that this might be the last time you see him? Would you began to weep because you feel as though Jesus didn't want you to simply be with him, but to be with others and proclaim him? Would you actually listen to Jesus and head out shouting to people you know that Jesus has risen? 

This is the story of Mary in John 20:11-18. This story paints an amazing picture of our walk with God. The first thing a Christian usually does as they come to Christ is weep, mourn, and wish they could see their savior. There is a sadness because we realize how rotten we are and how that caused a perfect man to be killed in the most gruesome of ways. After the Christian has mourned over the death of Jesus, they will hear God call to them much like Mary did. "Mary" Jesus said. It will most likely not be audible but you will understand and you will not know why you understand. Once you hear the Father say your name, you will be overwhelmed with joy and love for this man who died for you and you will want to cling to him for eternity. You will just want to be in his presence, no matter what that means. The Christian often says "if I must die to be with you than so be it, may it come swiftly." But don't forget Child of God that for a short while, we must proclaim his name to others. Jesus will say to us after we cling to him "Do not cling to me...but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 

All Christians, though excited to fully embrace Christ in the heavenly kingdom must attempt to remain focused on the life at hand and how it should be lived for God. Christians must start worrying about others souls just as much as their own. Keep eternity in view, but realize where your at now. 

We are the Branches, He is the Vine

The Bible says that a "good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit". By saying this, Jesus is expressing the concept that a child of God will look like a Child of God, while someone who isn't a child of God won't look like a child of God. Makes sense, right? Someone who has accepted the gift of salvation will be changed by the holy spirit continuously throughout their life. Someone who hasn't accepted the gift only has the hope of being changed by the world's morals and their own sense of what is right and wrong. Now someone is saying "but there are non-Christians who are better than some Christians". Well, there are two things that must be examined in this situation. Firstly, is the Christian your thinking of actually a Christian? Many people say they are Christian's but the Bible says many people will be self-decieved. Now you ask "How do I know if they are a true Christian?" Because they will look like a true Christian; they will know what they believe, they will be continually trying to improve, they will be talking to others about their faith, their primary goal in life will be to know God and to make him known. 

The second question you must ask is where did this Christian come from? Did they just become a Christian and were they living like hell prior to that commitment, and now they are struggling to get out? It is always important to see where someone is improving from, not just where someone is improving to. Did the non-Christian grow up in a place that was fairly easy to live with very few bad influences, and the Christian grew up in an abusive home where all his morals were torn to pieces? As people examine Christians, may they not only acknowledge our desire to be different, but our effort to do so as well. 

In John, Jesus says:

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." - John 15:4-6

Jesus says "the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me." What does that mean? The first interpretation that comes to mind is that Jesus is saying we cannot do good things unless we abide in Christ. Now we have gone back to an original objection. "But non-Christians do good things!" you say. Yeah? By whose standard? By yours? Too bad your standard isn't objective. God's standard of good is what matters and everything should be judged according to it. Listen to me carefully. No one can do any good thing unless that thing is pleasing to God.  The only way to make what you do pleasing to God is to do it according to His will and for his will. We can all give money to a charity, but only a Christian can give money to a charity and please God through it. You cannot please God unless you abide in him for the good that you do. And only once you please God, is your work actually good. 

You see, the non-Christian cannot do good works because nothing is good unless it is done for God. What a lonely and sad life. The unbeliever tries to satisfy themselves with things of this world and tries to do good for the very purpose of doing good. But the believer is able to truly be satisfied in doing good because they do it for the sake of the Father, therefore it truly is a good work. 

The Bible says "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." (Ephesians 2:10). Quit trying to do good works for no purpose other than being called a good person. Truly be satisfied and do everything you do to the glory of the one who made you. Then, and only then, will your good works be satisfying and worthy of the goodness of God. 

The Second Greatest Commandment

Christian's are known as judgmental to many people. I don't need to give statistics to show Christian's or non-Christians that this is how American Christianity is viewed, it's become common knowledge. But there is more to Christianity's Judgmental attitude than meets the eye. Now before I make my point,  I don't want people thinking I agree with the way arrogant and prideful false-Christians pursue making everyone feel as though they are worthless and always in the wrong. As I talk about this subject, I want to make clear that when I say Christian, I'm talking about genuine Christian's; Christian's who have the fruit of the spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control". I'm talking about Christian's who desire to make a difference, Christian's who are truly children of God and still sin and are thankful for the grace God has given.

Keeping that definition of Christian in mind, let me now tell you something: All these Christians are trying to love other Christians and unbelievers. All of these Christians truly are trying to follow Jesus' commandment to love others. The problem isn't in the Christian's motive (again, remember the strict definition of Christian), it is in how the Christian perceives love. The problem isn't with who the Christian is, but what the Christian knows. For that reason, I want to humbly do my best to create a more correct view of how we are to treat others.

Some Christians go about loving others by being judgmental and blunt about telling them the truth, so to them, that is love. This view though, taken too far, can become destructive. Some Christians go about loving others by being tolerant. In other words, they don't disagree or really even tell people about their faith, they just "love" people. However, this view can be equally destructive to the Christian faith.

Christians have taken up some pretty destructive views that were arrived at on a road with good intentions. Fortunately, Jesus said more than just "love your neighbor"; that would have allowed for different definitions of love to be applied. He said "love your neighbor as yourself". This is what must be examined when the Christian is looking at how to love others.

Christians are not to only love others with their own petty definition of love, but to love others as they love themselves. So in order to arrive at a conclusion of how to love others, we must first figure out how we love ourselves. When you make a mistake, do you still love and forgive yourself? After you told your parents that lie, did you still love and forgive yourself? After you looked at that pornographic site, did you still love and forgive yourself? After, for a short while, you became numb to sin, did you still love and forgive yourself? When you were overweight and insecure, did you still love yourself? Humans in general have a tendency to have an easier time forgiving themselves for sins committed than forgiving others, but Jesus calls us to be equally forgiving. Here is another question for the Christian: when you sin, do you try to gently correct your sin? I know I do. And that is how we should love others; we should not be tolerant of their sin, but we should not be hateful towards them either. We should tell them the truth, but we should listen to what they have to say. We should correct their sin, but with gentleness and respect. We should tell them of their depravity while realizing our own. We should tell them of Jesus remembering we don't change people, God does.

The point is not to become too tolerant, nor too judgmental, but to find a healthy balance. But why correct at all if God changes people? Because God tells us to change, and as Christians, let's do our best.  We will fall, and when we do, may we be humble enough to apologize and help others realize that what was done was not a Christian action, but rather a poor mis-representation of Christ. The Christian must start and continue correcting his/her life for the sake of Christ. After-all, that is the evidence of a Christian's salvation.

The Sovereignty of God and The Depravity of Man

"Why did God make all these rules if he knew we were going to sin?" asked a student last night at a small fellowship-based youth group. That's a good question, isn't it? How would you answer that? I have heard many responses to this question, but few that are satisfying. One response I've heard is that "All of life is a test, and God is testing us by putting these rules in place".  Although this response does have some weight to it, it only deals with how a Christian could apply this to their life, it doesn't deal with the intellectual side of things, in fact, it raises more objections. Here are a few that come to mind: Why would God give us a test he knew we were going to fail? A test for what, I thought we were saved by grace? This answer doesn't get to the heart of the question because it doesn't deal with the ability of God to control everything (omnipotence) by his nature. In other words, it doesn't deal with the question of why God didn't prevent us from sinning if he had the power to do so. God is all-powerful. God can't choose not to control because if something else had control, God wouldn't, and therefore he isn't really a soveriegn God. People will say "so He can't choose to give us free will? Doesn't that limit God's sovereignty?" Let me ask that person a question: can God make a stone too big for him to lift? No, because no matter the size of the stone, God would be able to lift it. He would, by definition, have to be infinitely bigger than the stone. Therefore there are things God cannot do because he can't not do something. Sorry for the double negative. One of those things he can't not do is control everything, including us. That is not to say we don't have free will, it is to say God has control over our free will.

My goal is to answer this question while remembering the sovereignty of God. So let's go back to the beginning. Only God exists. Now it's important to remember at this point that God is omniscient (all-knowing). 

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9

In the ability to know everything exists not only the ability to know the outcome of a created world, but the outcome of every possible world. In other words, God doesn't just know what is, but would could be. Before God created man, he wanted to create for the soul purpose of glorifying himself through us. Therefore, as he looked at all possible worlds he could create, he instantaneously knew the one that would bring him the most glory: the world we live in today. He chose to create this world because he would be most glorified by the people on it, the outcomes of their lives, the fall of man and the gift of God, and the grace of God shown to man because of man's depravity. It's important to realize God created not for us, but for him.

"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'"

- Isaiah 46: 8-10

Getting back to the original question with the idea that we are created for God in mind, I would answer something like this: God did not create the rules for us. You say 'Why did God create the rules if he knew WE were going to sin?'. That makes the subject of the sentence more focused on us, not God. A better question would be 'Why did God decide to use sin in order to fulfill his purpose?' The question is not why did God create rules, for he did not create rules, his nature requires that if something be in his presence (as man was in the beginning) they must be perfect, and perfection has boundaries. If God is perfect, he can't look on imperfection. Furthermore, if God is perfect, than imperfection is possible. For example, if  people can get in an airplane, than not getting in the airplane is possible. However, if people can't get in an airplane, than getting in an airplane is impossible. Imperfection exists partly because God is perfect. But it mainly exists because God's character requires it to. 

God made rules in order to remain as God. We didn't follow those rules because God's purpose was to show us his grace and love through our depravity and therefore be further glorified through our better understanding of who He is. He didn't create the rules so that we would sin, he created us as who we are, knowing we would 'fall short of the glory of God'. 

To Lay Down Your Life

The amount of love God has for his children is immense. We go about our lives and we love many people, but not in God's sense of the word, in our sense of it. Our love does not last; we love someone one day and next they are on our nerves. We all have people in our lives that it seems our patience cannot handle. I can even think of specific people that I dread to see at school and in life in general. These feeling's don't please me, but they are there. That is undeniable.

There is something about Jesus that never ceases to amaze me: his patience. He is patient towards people who want to be healed, people who want salvation, and even people who persecute him, and eventually, nail him to the cross. He is patient as he gets lashed, as he is mocked, and as he dying on the cross. Could you pull that off? Could you sit there dying on the cross and not throw out a few curse words to the people who are doing it? Could you let the people lash at your back until you don't even look like a human anymore, in patience? One of my friends loves to ask a question to other Christians. She first asks "Would you die for Christ?" to which nearly every Christian says "yes". Then she asks "would you suffer ten years for Christ?" Yeah, they usually pause for a moment.

Jesus says this:

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no on than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." -- John 15:12-13

First, Jesus says that we have to love others as he has loved us. Then he tells us how he loved us, by laying down his life for us. Does God really expect us to go around dying for our buddies? No, than every Christian would be dead. Could you imagine a world where if your buddy said "Go jump off a bridge", you headed off to kill yourself? Ridiculous. God doesn't expect that every Christian go out and search for opportunities to die for friends, but he expects you to be willing when, and if, that opportunity comes along. If there is a situation where you have the power to take a bullet from your friend, whether that be an insult, a persecution, a physical beating, or death, God expects you to take it.

Some of you might be saying to yourself that you have already decided that you would be willing to die for your friends and family, well I got news for you, you have to be willing to lay down your life for Christ firstly, enemies secondly, and friends thirdly. Christ deserves first because he should already have first in your life, if he doesn't, you should examine your faith. Because he is number one, if you were to die for someone, it should be him. You may be looking at the other two and thinking I got them backwards. Nope. Think about it, if a man runs up to you and aims a gun at your head, the chances are that that guy isn't a Christian. If you were to pull out your pistol and shoot him before he could get to you, you just ended that guys life, which means he is headed straight to hell for eternal punishment. But if you die, you head to eternal joy, so you are obviously the better option, perhaps this guy will learn something from your willingness to die and come to salvation in the end. God would definitely be proud. Your friends are last because they aren't necessarily even hard to die for because you like them anyways. That may simply be instinct.

Fortunately for you, the chances are pretty slim that you will be put in a situation where you have to sacrifice your physical body for Christ, enemies, or friends. However, you must sacrifice yourself to Christ on a daily basis. Every morning waking up, dropping to your knees, and praying for mercy upon the iniquities and depravity of your flesh. Jesus expects us to "lose our life that we may find it". He expects us to walk every day in the spirit and not in the flesh and ask for forgiveness for the times we haven't. We are to have a higher love for others and Christ than we have for ourselves. We must learn to love others and Christ as Christ loved us; that is his commandment. Worldly love doesn't include sacrifice, a love for God requires daily sacrifice.

True Christianity

What if I told you that all Christians are going to heaven?  What if I told you when someone becomes a Christian, their whole life changes? Not for a week or a year, but for a life-time. What If I told you that Christianity isn't just a belief, but a transformation done in man by God? What would you say? Would you deny it? Would you claim I'm lying? Check out these verses:

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." -- Romans 10:9

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." -- 2 Corinthians 5:17

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." -- 2 Corinthians 3:18

There you have it. It is the truth. Every christian who has believed in their heart and confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and God raised him from the dead, that person shall be saved. In being saved, God will transform them from who they are to who he wants them to be. It really is quite simple, but there is a problem.

Why is it sometime hard for me to tell who is a Christian and who isn't? In many situations, I don't notice a difference between the way of life of a believer and the way of life of a unbeliever. The Bible clearly says throughout that believers will bear fruit of their salvation. That means that believers will show evidence of their salvation in how they live, so what if there is no evidence? Don't just think about me though, can you tell who is and isn't a Christian if you had never talked to them before in your life? Even more importantly, can people who don't know you tell that you are a Christian? Do even your closest friends know your a Christian? Does anyone? Or are you the only one?

So where does the problem lie? The Bible is true, and that must be accepted by anyone who is a Christian anyways, so it can't be that. What about me, maybe I'm interpreting it poorly. In that case, have a look for yourself and feel free to form your own opinion. But if we assume that the Bible is correct and that I am not trying to lead astray but am speaking the truth, we have to conclude that many people who think they are Christian's really aren't. If you truly called upon God, if you seriously wanted to be changed, if you said "I'm all in", God will transform your life. If you didn't, he won't. It's that straight-forward. If you are saying to yourself "I did give my life to God! I said the prayer and I have given to charity but I haven't been changed. That must mean it's God's fault!" Jesus says "Ask and you shall receive". Therefore, if you didn't receive transformation from God, you didn't really ask with all of yourself. God is faithful to transform you if you truly call upon him. If your the only one who knows your a Christian, your not.

Fortunately, there is some good news for you who have been self-decieved about Christianity. That is, if your reading this, your not dead yet. If your not dead yet, you still have a chance to start over with Christ. Don't just sit there and continue to deceive yourself, you will regret it for eternity. First, pray passionately and humbly to our Father in heaven who will forgive you your sins and deception, and will transform you if your heart is in the right place. Then stand up, pick up your Bible and head out into the world with a Holy world-view, a salvation that no one can shake, and a love that no one can remove. It will not be a sudden transformation, but a life-long fight of getting closer and closer to God until finally you take your last breathe on this earth and experience paradise and perfection with your next breathe. It will be hard, but don't worry, we get to celebrate for the rest of eternity.

Wide-Spread Consequences

I hate it when I make mistakes. I know it is inevitable in life that I'm going to, but I still can't seem to get used to it. Do you know what I'm talking about? When there is a sin in your life that your can't seem to kick out, or when you are doing everything right and you think you have everything under control, and then you slip up? Go ahead and think of a time this has happened for you. Maybe it is a sin that has haunted you for a long time, maybe it was a one-time sin that still haunts you. All of us have these sins though, and for one moment, dwell on that.

Now that you've dwelt on your own sins, I want to take you to a different setting. Imagine you are put in control of city. You are now king (or queen) and you make all the decisions. It's all up to you. Cool, right? You have a buddy who is very close to God and you are aware of his devotion to the Lord, because of your friendship with him, you have put him over all your other advisors. You have been friends with him for a while and you have seen beautiful things happen from the God he serves, you have even gone so far as to make a plan for setting him over the whole Kingdom when you are all done.

It's just a normal day, your making all your king-like decisions and sitting on your thrown, just doing your thing; staying busy, when one hundred and twenty two of your advisors come to you and say "Oh King, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions." This offer sounds pretty appealing to you. Why wouldn't you want people to worship you, right? You are the king after all, but there is a catch. Your advisors continue "Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." If you sign the document saying that for thirty days, no one can worship anyone but you or they are thrown into the lions den, you have to follow through. There is no going back. However, you can't think of any reason to not sign it, so you sign away and watch people bow down at your feet.

The next day, your advisors come back to you with some news. They tell you that your buddy who worships God refuses to bow down to you. You think to yourself "Oh no, I didn't see that one coming". You realize it was a plot by your advisors to get rid of who you planned to crown next as King but there is nothing you can do. You can't revoke it, that power is not in your hands. You do the only thing you can do. First, fight for him, when that doesn't work, you cry for him as he is being taken to the lion's den, when your crying ceases, you fast, pray, and hope that God will deliver him.

You wake up in the morning, and run to the lion's den, yelling "are you alive, has your God delivered you?" You here your friend cry back, "yes! He has shut the lion's mouths." You rejoice and are glad.

You may recognize this story. It is commonly called Daniel in the Lion's Den. The King made a poor choice that had consequences for his best friend, but none for him. We have the same potential in our lives. Our choices in life can hurt others, not just ourselves. So what do we do when we have made that choice that we cannot control but has hurt someone else? We cannot just ignore it. First, we fight for them, we do what we can to change the mistake we've made. If our fighting fails and reconciliation has still not been delivered, let us mourn with them, let us show them that we hurt with them. Let us not simply let them sit in sadness alone. Once all has failed, may we have the humility and faith to run to God screaming Help! I have hurt my brother in Christ! Do not let him suffer from my mistakes, but deliver him. I am sorry. When we come to God with this, he will turn to us and say "I will take the piercings of transgression upon myself, be forgiven and run to your brother who rests in my arms."

God is faithful to forgive us for when we hurt ourselves and others. These times are going to come in life. When we make a mistake and it seems the consequences outweigh what has been committed. When these times come, remember God. Remember his hands, remember the blood, the sacrifice, the death, the love, the grace, the mercy. The consequence of His choice is the forgiveness of ours.

The Great Commission

I have a friend who works at RadioShack and the other night, me and some other friends went to visit him for some pizza and conversation. I ended up having to leave in the middle to grab something from home for one of my friends. Once I returned, I went into RadioShack and only my friend who was working was still there, so I asked him where everyone else had gone, and he said they had went to buy him a water from the store just next door. Me and Him talked for about fifteen minutes before I realized that the other friends were still gone.

Now before I continue my story, it's important to realize the kind of person I am. Firstly, I am a skeptic. I have trouble believing things that I don't have evidence for. Secondly, I was raised as a Baptist and therefore am not in the least Charismatic--that is, I don't heal or speak in tongues, that sort of stuff. I have always admitted that those kind of miracles are possible, I just never had seen or felt it done.

When I realized that the other friends were still gone, I asked my friend why he thought they were taking so long. I figured it would be a somewhat pointless question. How was he supposed to know anyways? He replied "They are praying for someone". I thought he was crazy, there was no possible way for him to know that they were praying for someone. Ridiculous. I said "what?" and he said "at this moment, they are praying for someone". Being able to see the skepticism in my eyes, he prompted me to "go look". What did I do? I looked. I felt this would be an opportunity to prove him wrong, not only that, but there was something inside me saying "prepare to be amazed" but I just kept ignoring it. That is why I went. There was no way that right at the moment I had asked him what was taking them so long, they had been praying for someone and my RadioShack friend had known. I ran over to the store to test what was happening. As I looked around, I looked down several different aisles, not being able to find them. I kept expecting to see them just browsing about the store and then I could say "hah! you were wrong!" As I looked down the next aisle though, my reality shattered. There were my friends talking to some woman that I didn't know. I walked up and before my friends could say anything, the lady, while pointing at my friends, said "hey, they just prayed for and healed me". My jaw dropped and I didn't think I would ever get words out. I felt speechless.

"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.'" -- Mark 16:15-18

The Bible says that the signs in this verse will accompany those who believe. Do you believe? Than you have the power to do these signs. It's right there in the Bible. Jesus said that he gave us the power to do them; those who believe. Not just the disciples, not just the people from back then. But believers in Christ today. Do we not serve the same God now that the disciples did than? Our faith is small, smaller than a mustard seed.

Not only are we called to preach, teach, and disciple, but we are called to heal and cast our demons. Not for our own sake, but for the sake of God's glory and Jesus' kingdom. Not so that we look cool, but so that people realize the power of God. People will see signs, and wonder how? They will see our love, and wonder why? They will see our faith, and say wow! They will feel God and proclaim YES! 

Dying to Yourself

Looking at our past is not always a fun experience. However, it is often times a humbling one. I remember times in my life where I was lead astray, where I lead myself astray, and where I lead others astray. Such experiences are haunting to look back at; specifically, the experiences where I lead others astray. "I could have ministered to them" I say to myself, "I could have changed them but I missed my opportunity." Do you have these thoughts as well? The times when you look at your past and it makes you feel as though you don't deserve to be who you are today? Maybe you look at your past and ignore it. Maybe you look at your past and live it. Or maybe you look at your past and learn from it. We all have lessons to learn from our past, from our mistakes, from our short-comings. We are often shaped by God through our failures.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." -- Galatians 1:4

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." -- 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." -- Romans 7:24-25

Many of us, before we came to Christ (or perhaps you haven't yet come to Christ) lead sinful lives. Whether  those lives were sinful by drunkenness and sexual immorality, or whether they were sinful by cussing and not serving the will of God, it was still sinful because our eyes were not set on God. It is one thing to not be capable to serve God at a certain point in your life, and lead others away from him, but it is another thing to have your eyes set on God and openly lead others away from him. As I told my testimony to a group of friends today, I talked of the shame I carried for leading people away from Christ in my days of serving a lukewarm Christianity. One friend said in response to me "you can't be ashamed for not talking to them about Christ and not leading them towards Christ because at that point in your life, you were not capable of helping them in there relationship with Christ." I couldn't help them because I hadn't been helped. I first needed to get over my sickness before I could help someone else who was sick.

So how do we get over our sickness? How do we go from sin to Christ? How do we change from depravity to perfection? The answer is Jesus. By the blood of Christ, we are changed. Once we have been changed by the blood of our savior, then we can focus our energy on helping others to understand how we were saved from ourselves and how they can be as well. However, never do we save anyone, only the Holy Spirit does that by entering into their life. We are called to tell our story, we are not called to save people. God will take care of that through our words. Only once I'm a new creation, will I be able to adequately share Christ with others.

It took me a long time to realize that I am literally not the same person I was, the Bible says I am a "new creation" in Christ! That's right, that person who committed those sins, who lead those people astray in their insecurity, depravity, and sickness, is not me, that person no longer exists. They are dead, and I am joyous that they are. I have been reborn, I have changed, "the old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Once we have come to the point where we serve Christ whole-heartedly, we than have not only an obligation, but a desire and privilege, to tell others that we were saved by Jesus. If someone jumped in front of a bullet to save your life, would you tell their story? Would you proclaim it to the ends of the earth? Would you fulfill whatever that savior wanted from you? By the death of Jesus, we have been saved; by the blood of Jesus, we have been redeemed; by the grace of God, others will too.