Remembering the Love of God

During the most recent worship service at church, I became overwhelmed under the weight and reality of God's utter love that He has lavished upon us.  I was reading, somewhat accidentally, through Isaiah 53 and I was just struck to the core, pierced in the heart by the poignant love of God, which was shown most fully in how God had sent His Son, Christ Jesus, to suffer a horrible death by crucifixion so as to pay the debt of sin.

Jesus took upon Himself, in His very own flesh, all the concentrated iniquity and transgression of all humanity.  But He did not do it begrudgingly or with much grumbling.  Instead, He kept silent before  His persecutors and even prayed for Him during His passion.  He went as a lamb silent before the slaughter.

But, and this is the remarkable thing, that it pleased God to strike and crush Christ Jesus, His own Son.  For at His death, Christ Jesus glorified the Lord Almighty with the purest song of praise and adoration that had ever been uttered.  Moreover, Jesus condescended to human form, laying down some of His divine power and prerogative to live a perfect, sinless life before submitting Himself over to His earthly accusers to be beaten, flogged, spat upon, and ultimately hung naked from a crucifix on the side of the crossroads outside of Jerusalem.

All of this is undeniable and supported by the Holy Scriptures, yet it is nto simply static information.  No.  This should affect us, it should transform us, it should stop us in our tracks mouth-agape and in awe.  Reverence and humility seems an appropriate response to recognizing the absolute goodness of God and His amazing love for us.  It should prompt us to praise, to offer thanks, and to pray in earnest.  Let us then take the time this week to remember God, who He is and what He has done for us.  

God who Reveals Himself

There is a clear and present difference between that which is wicked and that which is holy.  In Scripture, this is often described as the difference between sin and defilement, wickedness and righteousness, or darkness and light.  But the most clear and challenging of these distinctions is the one between the world and heaven, or the difference between the natural and God.

However, although the distinction between the things of God and that which is not of God is a sharp one, Scripture is clear to indicate that, due to the effects of sin, the unregenerate sinner will be utterly unable to assess the difference (1 Cor. 2:14).  As a result, there is limited amount of contact between the believers and unbelievers when it comes to discussions of sin, holiness, and wickedness.

Because there exists this gulf between believers and unbelievers in these fundamental matters, a point of contact needs to be assessed and put forth.  But, to be sure, there is such a common point of discussion for believers and non-believers.  The point of contact, not surprisingly, is God Himself.  However, the surprising thing is that it is in humanity and in creation that the knowledge of God is to be known, if even in a foundational sense, in the fact that man has been made in the image of God.

The implications of this is that man and the creation around him is a revelation of God unto himself, meaning that no human is either not to be accountable to God and that no one is capable to escape from the presence of God in His creation (Rom. 1).  However, as evidenced by the passage in Romans, the revelation of creation and humanity is insufficient to save.  Thus, it pleased God in history to reveal Himself in more specific revelation.

This more specific revelation that is purposed for redemption and restoration from the effects of sin comes in two closely related forms: the Word and in Christ.  The natural, unbelieving man may not, in and of his fleshly self, be able to know God in the salvific sense.  But God has not left that man to his own finite devices and damned him without grace,  Instead, God has given humanity His perfect Word.  Additionally, His Word became incarnate in His son, Christ Jesus, which is the revelation needed for salvation and redemption.  Praise be to God who has revealed Himself so that we could know Him in relationship!

A Treatise on Holiness

In an ever-secularizing world, holiness seems to be a forgotten thing, or an unknown thing altogher.  However, more than any other attribute or characteristic of God, He is described as holy.  Additionally, this holiness is something that, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the personal application of the Word of God, Christians are to exhibit as well. 

Metaphorically, it can be thought of in this way: if a liquid is, in its purest form, the color red, then everything that the liquid comes into contact with will have the attribute of red.  Similarly, God in His very essence and being is holy.  He cannot be separated from His holiness because holiness, in its basest form, derives from the holiness of the Lord God Almighty.  Therefore, it stands to reason that a believer who, by confession and faith, has received God's grace and the Holy Spirit is now living within him or her, then the holiness of God will be present.

Thus, an understanding of holiness and what it is to be holy is in order for, as stated explicitly by the apostle Peter, "But just as He who called you is holy, be holy in all you do; for it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16).'"  So, in reality, holiness and being holy is not merely a suggestion but it is a necessity for the believer.

To be sure, only a believer in Christ Jesus who has been baptized in the Holy Spirit is capable of being truly holy, for only a believer will have access to He who is holy.  This is like saying that the only people who can have toes are those that have feet.  If you have no feet (are not a believer), then you will not be able in any sense to have toes (be holy).

Becuase holiness is such a fundamental part of God, a basic two-part definition is in order and should serve as both the rubric and the barameter of holiness in our own lives.   First off, to be holy is to be set-apart, separate, not only of degree but primarily of kind.  That is to say that God's holiness, and by extension believers' holiness, means that we are of a different kind, separate from that which is not holy.  This is what is meant by the phrase, "in the world but not of it."

Secondly, holiness refers to moral purity.  Think of two glasses of water.  One glass is full of sediment and impurities, while the other is absolutely pure H2O.  The pure glass, lacking any literal impurity is holy in that it is absolutely and utterly pure.  The other would be akin to unholiness, full of impurities and, thus, lacking holiness.

The second sense of holiness often rubs people wrong, believers and unbelievers alike, because to understand holiness in this, quite literal sense, means that believers are to be holy as God is holy, an outright impossible acheivement, correct?  No.  The essential component here is to separate what God has made holy and what God is/will make holy.

In the former, God has made us holy in our souls and in our economical (sin) standing before His justice.  In this sense, we are already holy.  Redemption, salvation, justification, these are areas of already holy.  In the latter, God is and will make us holy.  The is refers to the process of sanctification by which the Holy Spirit applies the Word to us directly in our lifelong transformation.

In this sense, we are being made holy.  The will here refers to the glorified state that believers will find themselves on the otherside (post-mortem) of eternity.  When this occurs, we will be made perfectly holy because we will be blessed definitively with the utter presence of the Holy Lord.  This is beautiful!  So, when we use the language of holiness, now we may have a better understanding both of its vital significance as well as what it means for us today.  And praise be to God who has seen fit in His pleasure to bless us with His presence so as to make us holy as He is holy!

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

In reading through the Book of Acts today, there was a sequence of events in chapter 8 that caught my attention, sending my mind and heart reeling.  The story speaks of Philip evangelizing throughout Samaria.  The Gospel, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was making great strides throughout Samaria and many people were believing and being baptized into the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12).

The news of the Gospel's spread and affect in Samaria began to reach Jerusalem, prompting Peter and John to go and check out the buzz.  But, although the new converts had been baptized into the name of Christ Jesus, they had not received the the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-16).  What struck me today was that even though the had came to Christ in faith and been baptized into the name of Christ Jesus, for them to receive the Holy Spirit was an altogether other event.

The implications of such a discovery were and are staggering.  The people of Samaria were saved.  They had confessed their sin and professed their faith and commitment in covenant with God through the blood of Christ Jesus.  However, they had not received the Holy Spirit.  In other words, economically they were saved, but transformationally they still lacked the Holy Spirit's power.

I began to look around at my local congregation and the people who have professed their faith but still lack the fruit that is to accompany such profession and I wonder: have they received the Holy Spirit?  Have I?  This is not a flippant or intentionally provocative thought.  Instead, this is a serious inquiry into the state of my relationship with the Lord Almighty.  For if I am saved but have yet to receive the Holy Spirit, then I too will lack the power of God.

Essentially, I could have the Word but still not possess the Spirit who applies it to my life personally and directly in the matter of sanctification.  Therefore, I think it is still a necessity for Christians who cannot definitively say that they have received the Holy Spirit to pray that He would indwell their hearts and empower them miraculously!

To Love and Not Judge

One of the most unified and resounding indictments from unbelievers of Christianity over the ages has been that Christians are judgmental.  This is both searing and, sadly, true.  The effects of such an attitude of judgmental behavior as it regards the world, is that many people are instantly turned off by the messenger that they disregard the message of the Gospel without ever hearing it.

Needless to say, this should not be so.  Christians should be the most gracious, kind, loving, peaceful, humble, and compassionate people because they have the Holy Spirit living within them and sanctifying them to the image of Christ.  Unfortunately, sin is pervasive and affects Christians, causing them to think of their status in Christ as a license to condemn instead of a commission to love.

Jesus says it quite directly, "Judge not, that you will not be judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you (Matt. 7:1-2)."  Clearly, Christians are not to judge lest we be judged as well.

The reality is that as believers grow in the knowledge of God through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word, we will begin to see the world through God's eyes and we will see sin as we have never seen it before.  However, there is great responsibility that comes with this sort of enlightenment, for although we may see the sin of others clearly, we do not always have the right to expose that sin to them directly.  That is the job of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, who convict hearts for the purposes of restoration and salvation.  Additionally, when we step into the role of judge, are we not claiming a position that can only belong to God Himself?  Let us then slow our tongues and strive to be gracious when we could easily fall into habits of criticism and judgment!

A Discourse on Thankfulness

Today I was struck with thankfulness.  In America, we have determined one day a year for thankfulness, but is the measure of what we should be thankful for so meager that we can fit it into a single dinner conversation?  Or, have we so lost our sensitivity to being thankful that we spend all our time focusing on that which we desire but do not have to the neglect of that which we should be thankful for.

To be sure, this discourse is not referring to a grandchild being thankful for their birthday present from Grandma, but we are attempting to get at the heart of thankfulness, which as is true in everything, the ultimate form is found in reference to the True and Living God.

Thankfulness, by definition, is a dense verb that is rich with meaning and significance.  Because of this, it can be surprisingly challenging to nail down a succinct and concise definition of what thankfulness is.  Nevertheless, defining thankfulness is a necessary endeavor in order to have a base for discussion, and so: thankfulness is an active perspective of appreciation and relief over the reception of something that one would, without an acting external agent, not have in our possession.

The "something" that is received can be physical resource, relationship, intellect, gift, or any thing else.  The essence of thankfulness, though, is not as concerned with the thing received as much as it is in the fact that it is received outside of our own ability to achieve, seize, or find it on our own.  Instead, thankfulness praises the One who gives, who is God.

In truth, thankfulness is to be an ever-present attitude or way of life that is to characterize every God-lover.  As Paul says directly, "Be thankful (Col. 3:15)."  So thankfulness, at its heart, is a recognition of God and all that He has done, is doing, and will do.  If we take this to be our understanding of thankfulness, then we should be thankful all the time.

Everything, every situation, every relationship, and every blessing in life, then, becomes an opportunity for us to lavish thankfulness upon our gracious Lord.  This has been a necessarily-brief discussion on thankfulness, but the point is that thankfulness is to be an ever-present attitude that permeates every aspect of our lives.  Praise God, therefore, in thankfulness for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and all that He will do!  Amen.

God Helps those who Cannot Help Themselves

There is a common aphorism that's thrown around Christian circles with such frequency that many people have come to think that it is actually a biblical quote.  How many of us have heard this used in a devotional context: "God helps those who help themselves."  And, although there is a grain of truth to the statement, it is neither sacrosanct nor scriptural in nature.

For starters, this quote was not written by an apostle, a prophet, a pastor, or even a Christian.  It was written by Benjamin Franklin, an avowed deist who truly lived his life by this maxim.  The deists believed in God's existence as a transcendent being, the Creator and original cause, but they did not believe that God was imminent, in that, He never intervened in creation.  Therefore, Franklin and those like him felt that self-reliance was necessary as one could not depend upon God, who is transcendent and distant, to intervene on the human's behalf at any time.

The issue at hand is self-reliance and its biblical basis.  At the onset, a basic definition of self-reliance is in order.  Self-reliance refers to an individual relying upon their own strength, resources, guile, volition, intelligence, effort, or general power to achieve, sustain, and support themselves all while eschewing input, of resource or otherwise, from others.  Using this as our basic definition Scripture gives a remarkably unified indictment upon self-reliance, unequivocally indicating that self-reliance is not only unbiblical but is, in fact, disbelief that leads to outright sin.

The first instance of self-reliance, and a revealing example at that, occurs in Genesis 3, when Eve picks and eats of the forbidden fruit.  Eve did not trust God to provide her with wisdom and knowledge, but rather relied upon her own gumption, which led to sin.  Think of the Israelites wandering through the desert.  As they came to the Promised Land, they saw the giants and trembled in fear, believing that they could never defeat them and possess the land.  The result of their self-reliance was death in the wilderness and an entire generation failing to reach the Promised Land.  Or think of Saul, chosen to be king of all of Israel, but because he did not trust in God in patience, but rather relied upon his own will and assessment of the situation, sacrificed to the Lord in unbelief and the kingdom was removed from him for his self-reliance.

This is a minute swatch of biblical evidence but the point is clear: God does not ask believers to be self-reliant; He wants us to be God-reliant.  This means that we will rely on Him for our strength, for our resource, for our direction, and for our decision making.  Self-reliance is the very essence of pride, which leads to all sorts fo sin and debauchery.

However, and this needs to be heard clearly, to say that God does not want us to be self-reliant does not in any way, shape, or manner mean that God wants us to be lazy, lackadaisical, or unintentional in work.  He demands that we work.  Yet, the point at hand is that we would work for Him and through His empowering and in accord with His will.  In fact, God helps those who cannot help themselves, those who have no strength of their own at all, and have no resources of any sort.  This is the very essence of grace.  Let us then strive not to be self-reliant but to be God-reliant in all things!

I Never was a Football Star

A few weeks into the 2012 NFL season, I am reminded yet again how much I love football.  It is a great sport.  Massively talented, superhuman-athletes going at each other in an intensely coordinated and thoroughly competitive manner make for a great sport.  Almost without fail I find myself wanting to go outside with a friend and play catch or a pick-up game.  However, football and I have an interesting history and it sometimes saddens me to admit that for as much as I love the sport, I never really got the chance to play it.

The fall of my freshman year of high school was as eventful as it is for any would-be high schooler, but for me it was foundational in making me who I am as a person.  Due to scheduling allowances and my diversified interests, I was simultaneously signed-up for the football team and the marching band.

In the mornings, I would have football practice and then in the afternoon I would go to the other side of the school and have marching band practice.  This went on for a couple of weeks until we got to the busy part of the schedule.  For football this meant two-a-days, while for band this meant heat-week.  Individually, each of these is brutal but when combined they are just totally exhausting.

On Tuesday of that over-stuffed practice week, during football practice, I broke my foot.  Not a horrible break but enough to put me out of commission for the football season.  However, while the football team would, obviously, not allow me to play football with a broken foot, the marching band did let me march with a cast.

The net effect was that my more-than-short-lived football career was over, but my identity of a musician and geek was cemented.  Although I never played organized football again, my path was set as I became heavily-involved in music and all of my relationships were taken from my musical activities.

The point is, as painful as it can sometimes be, life (GOD) has a funny way of orchestrating events so that we will become who we are.  And though we may plan and scheme, it is the Lord who establishes our steps (Pro. 16:9).  Or as the old colloquial proverb goes: for every door that is closed, a window is opened.  Let us then find comfort in that God has made us for specific things and for specific paths that may lie outside of our current comprehension.  But we should also take joy that God has it all in His hands and for our good!

Hospitality as a Way of Life

Hospitality is an important part of the Christian life.  Not only is hospitality a spiritual gift that God bestows upon certain members of the body of Christ, it is also a manner of life to be espoused and administered by every Christian.  However, due to the ever-increasing fragmentation of our culture and the rampant spread of individualism, hospitality is neither understood nor practiced the way it should.

In the truest sense, hospitality refers to a manner of caring and showing love to people by feeding them, clothing them, giving them a place to sleep/live, and showing them God's love in the most practical and human ways.  This means that we will invite people over for dinner, offer people a place to sleep, and care for them in the most practical of ways.

At the onset, yes, this is not always a comfortable or easy thing, but is necessary all the same.  To be sure, hospitality is not simply an "option" in regards to Christian lifestyle, it is a requirement for every Christian to exhibit such love as this.  Yet again, as this is not necessarily a natural way of life for most people, hospitality is something that demands some intentionality too.

This means, quite bluntly, that we as Christians will not only sieze opportunities to show hospitality but that we will seek them out also.  Even more so, though, hospitality must be shown to strangers, especially to fellow Christians but also to unbelievers too, for in showing hospitality to the unbeliever one may express the love of Christ in practical, tangible ways.  Let us then take this to heart as we strive to live a life that exhibits the love of Christ through hospitality in all things!

A True Story about Hypnotism

I recently read this story about an English woman who, after a long day of work, came home to find her husband transfixed, staring at the bathroom mirror.  The woman tried with all her might to break her husband's gaze to no avail.  The woman noticed that his pupils were small as pinheads.  It was then that she realized what had occurred.

The Londoner called a friend, specifically her husband's teacher, to talk with her husband and release him from his gaping.  Within seconds, her husband snapped back to normal, blinked several times, and then walked slowly into the living room to sit down.

For several weeks the husband, named Helmut, had been studying hypnotism and learning advanced techniques to the point that he had began practicing for an upcoming show.  What had happened is that Helmut, practicing in the mirror, had accidentally hypnotized himself and was stuck staring into the bathroom mirror for over five hours.

While this story is an incredibly humorous story about the risk in getting in over your head, it is also a  colorful painting of trying to live a righteous life apart from the guidance and fellowship of Christ.  Many people live their lives as zombies staring into the mirror, stuck in their life without any ability within themselves to snap out of the gaze.

Normally, I would spend time supporting the point by the weight of Scripture, however, today it would suffice to say that, while the above story is both factual and hilarious, it is also a good metaphor for life spent apart from God and apart from Christian fellowship, unable to break the hypnotized stupor without outside help.  Therefore, let us break the zombie-esque self-hypnotized state and seek after God whole-heartedly!

Hell & Love

A disclaimer: this will be a blog about love and grace, but most of all this will be a certain and real discussion about hell, that only place in the whole of all existence that sits outside of the presence of God.  I put this up front so that you know and are, at least, warned.

Hell is real. As a word, the etymology of hell is an Anglo-Saxon word that has been applied to the Hebrew word, Gehenna.  Gehenna was an actual place in ancient Israel outside of Jerusalem known as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom.  Different from Sheol or other non-heavenly eternal destinations, Gehenna is the final terminus of the wicked.

This is the very essence of Hell, it is the eternal place of the wicked.  Where this might become uncomfortable is a two-fold thing.  First, God and He alone is the one who determines who lives eternally in His presence (heaven) or spends eternity in His absence (Hell).  And secondly, God's understanding of wickedness and what makes someone wicked is very, very different from our human  definitions.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus describes Hell in direct and terrifying ways.  A biblical picture of Hell would be a fiery furness in outer darkness where there is constant weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).  Additionally, Hell and its inhabitant are separated from Heaven by an uncrossable chasm (Luke 16:19-32).  This is but a sobering glimpse of eternal condemnation.

God, the Creator of the whole universe, is to be praised and obeyed.  This is the essence of faith.  For humans, this can be boiled down to love.  We are to love God.  The funny thing about it is that when we learn more about who God is, we will love Him more and we will want to love Him more.  Moreover, this ardent love for God is the very essence of faith and of wisdom.

Also, God does not and will not overtake a person's freewill.  This means that God will not make someone love Him.  This is one of the necessary features of love, especially love of the highest degree.  The very essence of love is that it cannot be caused or determined, but that it must be chosen.  Here is where the love involved in Hell comes to a head.

If a person spends their entire life turning away from God by the power of their own free will, why would God force that person to spend eternity in His presence?  If God were to force someone to love Him for all eternity, then it would not be love.  Instead, God, in His infinite grace, allows people to exercise their free will and turn away from Him in unbelief and disobedience.  Hell is but an eternal extension of this.  For Hell is that place that is reserved for those who have spent their lives ignoring God can now spend the whole of eternity away from Him all the more.  How could a loving God not send people to Hell if they had never wanted anything but to be separated from God?

This has been but a snapshot of Hell, suffice to say that it is not a place that anyone would desire to go.  However, whether a person is destined for Heaven of for Hell is based solely upon their love and faithfulness of God.  As per the disclaimer, Hell is an extreme example of the God's love as much as it is about His justice.  But, without a doubt, no one wants to go to Hell and be kept at distance from God for all eternity.  Let us then take heed to love God and be found faithful on that last day!

Dealing with a Fire-starting Tongue

Potentially a genetic disorder passed on generationally, I begrudgingly must admit that I suffer from chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome.  Although my symptoms have been kept in check for the most part, occasionally I find myself falling back into the disease when my mouth starts to speak without consulting my brain.  The net effect of such an endeavor is, without fail, unnecessary relational strain and undue emotional stress due to a tongue that behaves like a vial of Nitroglycerin, ready to break at any moment and ignite my forest of friends and family into a fiery inferno.

James writes that the tongue, though such a small thing in reality, is a powerful thing.  He likens it to the rudder of a ship, that is what guides the ship in all its size from such a seemingly small device (James 3:4).  And, "How great a forest is set ablaze by such a fire (James 3:5)!"  James is telling us that the child of God is to control, to tame their tongue and take care to speak only truth and grace.

The reality is that the tongue can be either the source of the greatest encouragement and love, or it can be the most destructive weapon of all.  The determining factor for how the tongue will be wielded boils down to intent: do we intend to love or do we intend something else.

Over the last several years, I have found it to be the case that when I remain focused on love and on loving those whom God has blessed me with that it is easy to speak only love and kindness.  However, in times that my tongue has been savaging, I have been able to find that the root of such destruction to be traceable to a heart that has not been focused on love but something less, like selfishness, greed, or (most often) pride.  As Jesus spoke, "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).

The words of Paul seem most appropriate here:
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29)."

Truly, the most corrupting and ruinous speech is that which is not loving, gracious, or kind.  And those who have given their lives wholly to the Lord should take this as a call.  To be sure, I still struggle against the flesh in this regard, for my mouth often speaks what I would rather it did not.  But, as aforementioned, speech is but a symptom of the heart.  Therefore, let us determine to keep our hearts fixed upon Christ Jesus so as to keep our lips free from vile, unloving filth and destruction!

God of Provision

There are countless stories in the Holy Scriptures of God miraculously caring for and providing for His people.  A favorite of mine is in Exodus 16, when God provides daily food for the Israelites in the wilderness in the form of quail and manna.  This story is remarkable not only because of God's active hand of provision in the lives of His people, but also because of the context it occurs within.

Think of the circumstance.  God had just saved the people from slavery under the Egyptians in the Exodus through the Red Sea and out of Egypt.  He (the Lord) has just given them sweet water to drink by casting a log into the river.  And yet the people are grumbling and complaining that God has led them into the wilderness to die of hunger and that it would have been better if they would have just stayed in Egypt.

But God, who is rich in mercy and compassion for His grumbling people, determines to provide for them daily food of quail and manna to sustain them as they make their way through the Sinai peninsula to receive the Law.  And on the first day, when God provides all this for the people, they are so stunned that they do not even know what to do, so that Moses has to tell them that God is providing for them.

You see, God wants to provide for us.  He truly does.  And His desire has far-less to do with any goodness or righteousness that is within us and more to do with who God is and that He is a God of love and compassion.  And even as unbelieving as the Israelites were, and later became, God was faithful and fervent in His compassion and care for His people just as is faithful in His provision to His people still to this day.

This is as wonderful for us today as it was for the Israelites in the wilderness.  God has, does, and will provide for us in our very time of highest need.  The appropriate response to this is humility, reverence, thankfulness, and utter praise.  For God has no obligation to care for us apart from His goodness.  Therefore, we should be in awe, full of praise and thankfulness at the provision of God!

An Archery Story about Sin

Quite literally, sin can be understood, especially in the Greek, as an archery term for utterly missing the mark.  While this is a functional understanding of sin, that is, man missing God's mark, it would be a gross misunderstanding to assert that sin is mankind aiming at God's target and "flubbing" the shot.  To get at the serious and egregiousness reality which is our sin, a story might be in order.

The English countryside of the late middle ages is full of undulating pastoral plains and pristine grasslands interlaced into rocky hills.  Villages are fairly secluded, distanced little contact with each other apart from traveling salesman, tax collectors, and itinerant preachers.  However, there was an annual archery contest in one of the smaller towns (if it could be called a town) that every year would attract the greatest archers from around the world for a chance to win the coveted prize.

Over a thousand yards, from the farside of the brook that formed the mouth of the valley to a small, blood-red target painted into the rocks across the village at the base of the mountain range that hugged the other side of the valley.  Every archer was given one shot.  A single shot.  But for this prize, archers would travel from the far-reaches of the world for that shot.

It is said, passed from the holy men and sages of the past, that if any man could make the shot with a perfect bullseye on that certain day he would be given life eternal.  However, if the shooter missed even in the slightest, he would instantly die and dissolve into the babbling water of the brook.  For decades, shooters tried and although some got close, everyone of them died.  After years, people stopped even trying to hit the mark and the yearly event slowed to just a couple of brave archers a year.  As more time passed, the day of the event faded into memory and then into legend.

Years later, a traveler was passing through and stopped at the inn for a meal and perhaps a place to sleep.  As he was talking with the barkeep, the legend of the archery shot of eternal life was brought up.  The barkeep said that no one had ever hit it and that people just stopped trying.  The traveler mentioned that the barkeep had to be mistaken because he noticed that as he was coming down the mountain trail, he saw the target with a single arrow in the direct center of the bullseye of a rock.

The barkeep just burst out laughing and poured the man another drink.  The traveler looked up at him in confusion.  "That was Harold," said the barkeep.  "Well, did he get life eternal?" answered the traveler.  "No! He shot the arrow and then painted a target around it before he died!"

This is what sin is about.  Not only do we miss the target, we don't even get close.  In fact, we are so far from even hitting the target that it could be though that we aren't aiming at all, which in some cases is the truth.  However, the target of sin has been hit and definitively.  Christ has hit that mark and, because of who He is, we can take part in that victory through faith.  This is the most beautiful event and truth that has ever occurred.  Period.  Let us then take joy in Christ and cling to Him in faith so that we would not have to shoot that shot, but that He has taken it for us!

Seeking after Wisdom

Wisdom is the ability to live life rightly.  It is both an attitude towards life as well as a rubric for making future decisions.  In this way, wisdom is as much about choices being made currently and in the past as it is about decisions that are yet to be made.  Thus, the difference between a person who is unwise and a person who is wise is determined by the rightness of their choices.  

Luckily, God has given us guidance in growing in wisdom, through the study of His Holy Word, as well as a way to receive heavenly wisdom by asking for it in faith.  The first sense, wisdom accrued from the study of His Word, means that we will read the Scriptures with a keen eye, focused on waht the Scriptures are saying about wisdom.

Additionally, there are three books of the Old Testament that are jointly focused on expressing the value and meaning of wisdom for humans: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job.  While each have different perspectives, they each are primarily dealing with wisdom's usefulness in the life of a man and are valuable resources within Scripture for wisdom.

The other sense of wisdom involves a person directly asking God to grant them wisdom.  Solomon did this (1 Kgs. 3:9), and the apostel James tells us that "If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5)."  In this way, the believer has access to all the wisdom of heaven through faith.

At the final analysis, God has given us keys to the storehouses of His wisdom.  All we have to do is ask and pursue His wisdom in faith.  A word of qualification is needed here.  While Solomon was blessed with wisdom beyond comprehension, and was deemed the wisest man to have ever lived, he will be remembered as a man who forgot that the wisdom had not come from him but had been deposited in him by the Lord Almighty, and when he neglected that fact he fell into disbelief and unfaithfulness.  Let us then seek after wisdom in our pursuit of God so that we may live a righteous life in and by Him!

Exhortation to Love

God is love and He has loved us.  Although every human was deserving of judgment and eternal condemnation for their sin, God has shown His love that while we were still in our sin, He sent His Son, Christ Jesus, to die and to pay the penalty of sin that was due all each of us.  Now, by faith, grace is received from God and He indwells in those who earnestly seek after Him in that faith and by the Spirit.

The question then becomes: what now?  Following salvation, which inaugurates and depends upon regeneration of the believer, the believer is commanded to continue in seeking after God.  This is the essence of discipleship as well as sanctification.  For as the believer seeks after God and studies His Holy Word, His mind is renewed and transformed so that he/she may be able to discern what is the Will of God.

But there is another, weightier aspect of Christian sanctification that should not be neglected for the pursuit of His Word: love.  Love is the essence of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  And as we are redeemed by that Gospel and the Word of Christ begins to dwell in us all the more, we find in us a distinct call to love.  But who should we love?

The easy answer to the above question is everyone.  Christians who, by definition and nature, have been spiritually blessed with a new heart, a new mind, and a life that is led by the Spirit of God and not by their former fleshly nature, are called to love, especially those whom God has loved, aka. Christians.

This is far-from a merely dogmatic assertion towards the importance of love.  No, this is a practical, actual, self-sacrificial love that all Christians are to exhibit as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit indwelling in their hearts.  The essence of this discourse is, then, exhortation.  We, as believers in the True and Living God, are to love as He has loved us.  Not only because He has commanded us to do so, but for in loving form the supplies of God's indwelling Holy Spirit, we will be flowing in the Holy Spirit in the highest degree.  What could be more beautiful or desirable?  Let us then seek out opportunities to love and to sieze them! 

The Importance of Elephant Role-Models

In 1999, the television program 60 Minutes aired an episode that was striking for its comments about the need for role models and mentors, particularly in the lives of young men.

The story was focused on a South African wildlife preserve that found 39 rare White Rhinos slaughtered, their carcasses left scattered around the park.  Despite the fact that the Rhinos were left whole, though killed gruesomely, poachers were blamed for the Rhinos' deaths.  The preserve's staff spent weeks setting up cameras and gathering information in order to pursue prosecution.  What they found was simply astonishing.

After researching and gathering evidence, coupled with direct video footage, the preserve discovered that juvenile delinquents had killed the Rhinos.  What was so disturbing about it though was that the delinquents to blame were elephants, teenage elephants.  Teenage delinquent elephants had killed the Rhinos, seemingly for no other reason than because they wanted to.

Years before, the preserve could not financially sustain the growing elephant population, so they made the decision to euthanize the adults whose young were old enough to care for themselves.  The effect was an entire herd that lacked adult males and a growing population of young male elephants to make their own way with little guidance.

Without dominant males, the young males became increasingly aggressive and violent.  And as the males became sexually active and their testosterone rose, they grew in aggression and a gang formed that began to "bully" the other species of the preserve, particularly the Rhinos, eventually killing 39 on them.  One elephant, Mafuto, had asserted himself as the leader and had to be killed.

The preserve brought in a large adult male from another preserve to solve the problem.  The new male asserted his dominance and the young males fell into place behind his leadership.  The young males began learning under the dominant bull and the killing stopped.

This is a remarkable story that highlights the necessity of active adult leadership both to guide the younglings in how to do things but also to lead and protect them from making irresponsible "mob" decisions.  Especially to younger men, who are physiologically predisposed towards testosterone-fueled agression and shows of dominance, an older men are a necessity.

The point here is succinct for both young people and older people (especially if that age is coupled with growing wisdom in Christ).  If you are young, seek out older and wiser people to mentor you.  To be sure, this is not a passive endeavor.  Often you need to seek them out and pursue them.  The other side of this coin is for the older person who has spent years accruing wisdom in faith to Christ.  For you, seek out young people to invest in and to share your wisdom and learning.

This is much of what Christianity is made of: receiving love from others and turning around and pouring into someone else.  Let us then take this call to mentoring and discipleship seriously and in faith!

Truth is: Lord, Thank You for Love

Between weddings, confirmations, dedications, baptisms, and countless other commemorations, I have heard and read the famous love passage from 1 Corinthians 13 more than several times.  But today, during my Bible study, the Holy Spirit pierced my heart in a way that I did not expect.  To be honest, the Holy Scripture rocked my world and brought me to tears with its profound honesty and convicting definition.  Pray that God might give us new eyes to see His Word today.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist in its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Now think of that in lieu of Paul's previous admonition prefacing this passage stating that no matter what we may have or do, if we have not love, then we have nothing.

My prayer is that you would grant me a bit of vulnerability in this as I get honest in engaging with God's Word for just a moment.

I claim Christ.  I have given my life to Christ Jesus in faith and have been blessed with grace beyond measure and joy beyond comprehension.  I belong to Him and have be blessed with an insatiable passion for His Word.  I want so badly to serve Him, to be a good witness towards His name, and to be obedient to what He has commanded.  This is the very core of who I am.

All that being said, when I read 1 Cor. 13 today, the Lord stirred in my heart a conviction, not a condemnation, but an awareness like I had never known.  The brass tax is that, in reading 1 Cor. 13, I realized that I have failed or neglected every single one of those love definitions.  I have been impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, self-serving, irritable, resentful, rejoicing in wrongdoing, and foolish in ignorance.  How could one as wretched as myself fit that bill of what love is supposed to be?

About the moment that the question hit me, I was floored by the Holy Spirit when He spoke into my heart, "My child, you cannot love how I have loved you unless you love me fully, recklessly, and without reservation.  But child, I have loved you in your sin and disobedience so that you would know the extent of my love."

Floored and struggling to hold back tears, I felt so honored that God would love me.  He loved and loves us so much that He condescended (in the most positive sense) to human form and suffered an atrocious death to save all humanity and restore a broken relationship so that now, by faith, we can know love as it is, not just what we feel or how the world defines it.  But love.  Real, actual, transformational love.  Normally, I would end this blog with some sort of exhortation, but for today all I can say boils down to three simple words:

Thank You, Lord.

Life-lived Rejoicing

Rejoicing in the Lord.  The Bible speaks of rejoicing in the Lord with such regularity and with such a tone that it is assumed in our very life.  In other words, Christians are to live rejoice.  Rejoicing is a way of life, the very manner with which we are to live.

The Psalms speak of this rejoicing in terms of singing a song and that praising the Lord befits the believer (Psa. 33).  In other words, rejoicing is the Lord is the Christian lifestyle.  All the doctrine and theological axioms are all for nought if not for a life spent praising and rejoicing in the Lord.  For lack of better way to put it, this is just the way we are to live.  Period.

Because praise is so subsumed in the life of the believer, Christians should take heart to monitor the depth and breadth of worship in their lives.  For if a Christian feels distant from God, it is highly probable that they are not rejoicing in the Lord, because rejoicing in the Lord is how we actively engage our faith.

Essentially, if we are loving God with the passion and fervor that He has intended and created us for, rejoicing in Him will be as rudimentary to our lives as breathing.  Conversely, if rejoicing in the Lord is more like trudging through mired bogs, the issue is not God but our relationship with Him.  We should then take this call to rejoicing seriously and live lives that our filled, moment-by-moment, with rejoicing and worship.  Let us then rejoice in the Holy Lord God Almighty every second with unceasing praises to His glory!

Preach the Word of God to See Him Move

Recently, and on previous occasions, I have found myself having to confront a certain type of theology that stirred my heart today.  The rudiments of this theology would state that the unbelieving world knows God by the actions and lives of Christians.  As in, the evidence of a person's Christianity to an unbelieving world is his/her lifestyle.  While on the surface this sort of theology jibes with underlying principles of the Christian faith, it neglects another, namely, the authority and power of the Word of God.

At the onset, a brief qualifying statement is in order.  Christianity is supported and, in a sense, evidenced by a life that adheres to the teachings and example of Christ Jesus.  Word and deed.  We need both of these.  However, being a Christian that expresses the love of Jesus to the stiff conviction of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) requires a deep and ardent commitment to the Word of God.

The issue at hand is one of power and of authority.  The essential question for every believer to ask is: what has the power and authority to cause people to repent from sin and to sling to the Lord in a life-changing, transformational way?  The answer is two-fold, involving two equally-necessary forces: the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Consider this from a logical standpoint for a moment.  If the Word of God is in fact Jesus (John 1:1-5), and becoming a Christian is a matter of faith in Christ Jesus, then how could anyone become Christian apart from them hearing, at the very least, the story of Christ?  Unequivocally, the appropriate response is that no one can come to Christ apart from encountering His Word.  For if anyone claims to know Christ apart from His Word, then their testimony is called into question as is the Christ they have chosen to worship.

It is the Word of God, inspired by and understood by the Holy Spirit, that is authoritative.  If we, as Christians, would like to "live by example" in order to express Christ to a fallen world, not only will we be ineffective in garnering the intended result of discipling people and bringing them to a transformational relationship with the Lord, but we will also fail to rely on the power of God to convict the hearts of those around us who we may actually be affecting.

Quite bluntly, to not preach the Word of God and to not make His Scripture be the very speech that falls from our lips is tantamount to not spreading the actual power of the Gospel.  I understand that this is challenging and convicting teaching, however, how we relate to and express the Word of God is at the very heart of how we relate to and express God Himself.

How we overcome such a deficient attempt at evangelism is simple but by no means easy: we need to speak the Word of God, share the verses that speak to that moment, and present the Scripture to those who may not be saved with grace and kindness.  This may sound like "Bible thumping," but what would be worse: being hit by God Almighty who reveals Himself through His Word for the purposes of humility and salvation, or eternal damnation because some believer was too afraid to share it?

Now, and this needs to be asserted clearly, this does require a fair bit of discernment and, frankly, Bible study on the part of the believer.  However, what could be more exciting for someone who claims to know God that digging into His Word in order to be obedient to His commandments?  Clearly, nothing is more important.  Although Christians must back up their beliefs by living them out, they must also acknowledge that their beliefs are dependent upon their reliance on the Holy Word of God, the Scriptures themselves.  Therefore, let us strive after the Word and be bold to preach it for in doing so we will see God move and transform lives!

Psalm 19 and the Revelation of Creation

Psalm 19: 1-4a:

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.  Day to day it pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the earth."

This passage of Scripture came up today in my Bible study and it seemed appropriate to bring it to light.  The essence of this passage is referred to by Paul in Rom. 1:19-20.  At the heart of it, and of our understanding of nature in general, is that God has revealed Himself in nature and nature continually reveals the character of God, declaring His glory and proclaiming His handiwork.

How we respond to this speaks of our devotion as well as the depth of our theology.  If, when we look at the majesty of creation, we are not drawn into awe and worship, then, we are not receiving the message that God has intended us to receive.

Instead, the appropriate response to the wonderful beauty of creation should be humility and reverence  before a mighty God.  In needs to be stated that the purpose of this has been neither doctrinal nor conviction.  Rather, God desires us to look for Him where He has left His imprint and the whole of creation is one of those sure places.  Let us then praise His name because of the revelation of creation!

Becoming Old Wise People

One of the realities of human life, that is a result of the Fall in Genesis 3, is aging.  In many ways, aging is a harsh reality because able-bodied young people decrease in physical capability just as a result of the passage of life and of time.  On the other hand, age should bring with it wisdom and dignity as well as insight into the Word of God.  The pertinent word is should, the process of aging should breed wisdom, but it is the process of such a decree that warrants further examination.

The issue at hand is the fact that wisdom is not accrued passively.  In fact, it requires our intentional and active pursuit.  More so, though, acquiring wisdom demands that God, particularly that we ask God to bless us with wisdom in faith (James 1:5-6).  Essentially, aging into an old, wise person does not simply mean growing into an old person.  Instead, it necessitates a life spent seeking God and asking Him to bless us with wisdom.

This is an all-too-often neglected reality.  We all know people who are old but are unwise.  However, they feel that their age is the only requirement of being wise.  This is just blatantly incorrect because, as aforementioned, wisdom and growing in wisdom does not happen passively but requires our active and consistent participation and pursuit.

Truly, aging in godliness requires more than merely the passage of time; rather, aging in a godly sense  demands our consistent and continued faithfulness.  Remember, wisdom at its heart is the ability to make right decisions.  And as rightness is a characteristic of God Almighty, wisdom is thus the ability to rely upon God for decision making.  Let us then pursue the wisdom of relying upon God so as to grow into the old, wise people that God intends us to be!

The Pacific Gospel Mission

Since 1877, the Pacific Gospel Mission has cared and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the men and women of Chicago.  The mission was founded and funded by George and Sarah Clark from the very beginning and would quickly become a mission of massive size.  As a result of the increase, the Clarks, who had been bearing the cost of the mission, were unable to fund it any longer.

Despite their best efforts to fundraise, the financial burden came to a head to such a degree that if the Clarks did not garner the money, the mission would have to close its doors.  The Clarks spent the whole night on their knees in the house praying that God would provide the money to save the mission.

In the morning, when the couple emerged from its Morgan Park home, they looked with awe at their yard.  Filling the yard were hundreds of the highest quality mushrooms.  This was made even more remarkable because not only had there never been mushrooms in their yard before but it wasn't even season for them.  The couple spent all morning picking the mushrooms, then brought and sold them to the chefs at the Palmer House, the famed hotel.  The Pacific Gospel Mission was able to keep its doors open, all because of the providential hand of God Almighty.

The essence and point of this story is fairly self-evident.  God is a God who provides for those who earnestly seek after Him.  This is one of the keys to the Christian life.  No matter our circumstance, if we are seeking to live in the center of God's will and we are worshiping Him in faith and humility, He does and will bless us for our faithfulness.  Let us then continually and persistently come to God with our requests, big and small, so that we may be blessed by the Lord!

"Emmie, You're Bad Luck."

Bill was in his early 70s when the cancer hit in force.  He lost several pounds and found himself so exhausted from the treatment that he decided that it was time to let go of this mortal world.  Emily, his wife, stayed strong by his side throughout the whole ordeal and, although it was hard to her to accept his decision, she was supportive in the end.  The doctors had prescribed some painkillers to deal with the pain so he spent most of those last weeks in and out of sleep, all the while having Emily right there with him.

One day Bill woke up from his nap and turned over to Emily and spoke, "Is that you Emmie?"  He spoke so softly that she had to lean in to hear.  "Remember years ago when I was in the Veteran's hospital?  You were right there with me, taking care of my wounds.  Do you remember when our house went up in the fire and we lost everything?  Again you were right there with me.  And now, as I'm fading into death, you're right there.  Emmie, for over 55 years you've been right there through all the hardships."

She smiled and reached for his hand.  Bill smiled and looked right into his wife's eyes, "You know Emmie, I've figured something out: you're bad luck."

We all know people who deflect, who divert, who blame, and who are plagued by negativity.  Negativity is a poison that infects from the inside out.  It is highly-infectious too.  We have all found ourselves in those situations when just being in the presence of a particular person can make us negative, or blaming, or turn us into a gossiper.  Or, like in the situation above, the traumatic struggles of life can propel us into vertiginous states of negativity and blame.

This should not be so.  Instead, when we, as Christians, find ourselves inching towards negativity, we need to take a deep breath, make a short prayer, and remember all of the blessings God has bestowed upon us already.  Remember, it is thankfulness that should characterize our lives.  Therefore, although Christians face many of the debilitating life circumstances as un-believers, our attitude and posture towards them should and will be altogether different.  Let us then press into God for our peace and for our joy whenever we feel the creeping of negativity in and around our lives!

The Story of Fanny Crosby

Throughout the centuries, there have been many remarkable and gifted Christians who have, because of their gifting and faithfulness, left indelible marks upon Christianity.  One such person is Frances Jane Crosby, known more famously as Fanny Crosby.

Fanny lived her life in the tumultuous frontierism of the 19th century.  She lived a simple life as a wife and a missionary worker, but she will be remembered as one of the greatest hymn lyricists of all time, rivaled only by Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, having penned over 8,000 hymns in her lifetime.  In fact, towards the end of her life, she was so prolific that she started to publish hymns under pseudonyms just so her name would not be the only name in the hymnal.  This remarkable feat is brought into a greater light when we consider that she was blind from infancy.

Although Fanny had eyesight at birth, when she was an infant she became very ill.  And, unbeknownst to the family, a man claiming to be a doctor prescribed that her eyes be salved with hot mustard.  The result was that Fanny became blind and spent her whole life as such.

There is a story of a pastor coming up to Fanny after a service and telling her, "Fanny, it is a great shame that God has blessed you with such gifts but neglected to give you your sight."  To which Fanny snapped back with laughter, "Ha, if I could have wished for something before I was born, I would have wished to be born blind for when I die, the first face I see will be my precious Savior."

What a beautiful sentiment.  And my prayer is that we would take the same mind among us.  It is also valuable to be reminded at the value of history in our faith.

Faith like a Child

Recently, I was hanging around a playground with a client of mine (I do care work with the developmentally disabled).  While my client was busy swinging to his heart's content, a grandpa and his 4-year-old grandson walked up the playground.  I watched as the grandpa sat down on the nearby bench and his grandson tried with all his might to get his grandpa to play with him.

Because my client was safe and focused on his swinging, I decided to help the elderly man out.  I walked over to the boy, asked him his name, and asked him if he would like to go down the slide with me.  The dejected and frustrated 4-year-old looked up at me and beamed with an exaggerated nod, indicating his approval at my proposition.

We walked up the stairs, crawled through the tubes, I helped hold him as he struggled across the monkey bars, and finally I coaxed him to put aside his fears and go down the "big" slide.  After some time, the grandpa came over and told the boy that it was time to leave.  Before running away, the boy gave me a hug and the grandpa whispered, "thanks for playing with my grandson."  After they left, God spoke a simple passage of Scripture into my heart:

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it (Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17)."

This boy had never met me, yet because I was willing to meet him at his level and care for him, he loved me and followed me.  He didn't ask why he should follow me, nor did he question me leading him around the playground.  No, this boy had faith that I had his interests in hand.  This became clear when he was on the monkey bars, he clung to me, a total stranger, because he was so afraid of falling. True faith is more like this than any denomination, ritual, discipline, or doctrinal knowledge could ever hope to be.

Although the translation of the above verse is sufficient, it does lack in expressing the imperative nature of Jesus statement.  It might be more accurate to state that the one who does not receive the kingdom of God like a child cannot enter it.  The sort of innocent and pure faith of a child is not just a pithy motto that Jesus wants for us to put on plaques to hang above our mantles.  No!  Receiving God and His kingdom like a child is a requirement of faith, not merely a suggestion.  Let us then seek to have faith like a child so as to please God with love!

Overcoming Our Delusional Selves

There have been multiple times in my life that I can say that I was lying to myself.  Generally, each of these times was marked by a man (me) who was pretending to be living life the right way and deceiving myself into believing this to be so.  However, without fail each of these times was ended abruptly when God hit me with reality and I came face-to-face with the how my life's understanding of what was true stood in discord with what was actually true.

To understand how this would feel, for those who have not experienced what it feels like when truth slams your falsity in the face, I want to paint a picture that might give some insight and protect us from getting so wrong.  For if we continue to deceive ourselves and remain concealed from the truth, we will inevitably be crushed by truth when we are forced to see it.  Imagine, then, for a second a situation like this:

A young man jumps off of the 124th floor observation deck of the largest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.  For a few moments the laws of physics are suspended and the young man falls in slow motion.  As he passes each floor, he has a brief conversation with each window he descends passed.  Every conversation has the terrified person asking the young man with great fear and care, "Are you okay?" To which the young man shocks the person by replying, "Yeah, I'm great!  This are going well and looking good."

Despite the young man's delusion at his present predicament, the truth will hit him as he splatters onto the ground.  The bystanders that watch him cooly pass by them can try with all their might to persuade him to see the reality of his situation, but he continues to lie to himself and neglects reality and the truth will crush him when the the pavement strikes him.

The point is to point out the danger in delusion.  Aren't we all masters at rationalizing our behavior and claiming to be in the right no matter how dire our trajectory may be.  Instead, we should strive vehemently to continually realign to the perfect Word and will of God.  In this way, we will be protected from falling ignorantly like the man above.  But praise be to God who always brings us back to Him!

Planning in order to be More Effective

My natural inclination is towards disorder and improvisation.  At a very early age I was diagnosed with pretty severe ADHD which has been a huge part of who I am in this regard.  One of the effects of such a personality is that I tend to be very comfortable in uncomfortable situations because.  While this propensity towards pandemonium can be an asset in certain scenarios, it can also be a hindrance towards productivity.  As a result, a major part of my personal growth and sanctification has been about learning how to simultaneously take advantage of my comfortability with disorder as well as how to overcome it with some intentional scheduling and focus.

Speaking from the perspective of an ardent abstract-random thinker, to concede to the benefits of being intentional would be a shock if I were to tell this to my fifteen-year-old self.  Although, as it stands today, I have learned without a doubt that God wants us to be intentional about how we will use our time to ensure that it is being used for maximum effect and potency.

Normally, I would make a list of relavent Scripture passages to make the point but for this it might be best to simply point to the nature of creation put forth in Genesis 1.  God created all of creation to have order and He did it with great intention.  God is a good of purpose and we should take that same posture in ourselves.  We should become a people of purpose and of intentionality, who do are not tossed to and fro by the tossing waves of this corporeal life, but who determine to stay true to the paths that God has set out before us.  Therefore, let us determine to plan and to stick to our plans so as to be as effective and significant as we possibly can!

Getting Right wth Family

For those who may not know me all that well, my youth was not always spent on the straight and narrow.  In fact, most of my youth happened in the brush and brire that rest outside of that good path.  As a result of my earnest wanderings, I often found myself in self-made messes and lacking a mop or broom to clean up my life.

One such instance will stick with me for all my life because it etches into my memory what real family is made of. While the particulars of this mess shall remain nameless, suffice to say that I had made some  mistakes that came to a head one late evening, which resulted in an wholly-deserved, amplified vocalic thrashing from my father.

As my dad was giving me an ear and heart full, and the crescendo of his admonition was approaching, my father grabbed me by the collar and looked directly into my eyes.  My father said something that has burned inside of me ever since and speaks to his God-given wisdom.  He said: "Look, I'm gonna know you for the rest of my life, so d*$%it, we're going to work this out and love eachother."

On this day holiday weekend, I pray that we would all seek out our family and love them.  Reconcile with those with whom there is tension, and care for those who are crestfallen.  This is my simple prayer.  And remember to always praise God for the good blessings that He has given us!

Working because its Right

Over the course of the past couple of decades, America has seen a dramatic change in its work force.  The increase in the technology of distractions (video games, entertainment, etc.) and the growing sense of entitlement has created generations of Americans who either do not know how to work or just don't want to.  It is more than the concept of rest in relation to work.  Rather it is the idea of the value of work.

For starters, there is a significant difference between resting after work, and deciding to be lazy and slothful before ever working at all.  This is a major issue of extreme importance, and if we miss this one, we will never live our lives to the extent that God has for us.

In reality, work and the whole concept of work goes back to the very beginning of time.  When Adam was created, God ordained him for work.  Work marks the days, six on and the seventh off.  It is also work that informs life with purpose and intent.  If we understand that work has not deviated from its origins, then we can begin to understand that to skew our concepts of work isnothing less than disbelief and, dare I say, sin.

For this, the writer of Ecclesiastes, a wise man with wisdom to share, has much to say in this regard:

"Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil which one toils with under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot (Ecc. 5:18)."

Although this is a single passage of Scripture describing the value of work, particularly the worth of enjoying one's work, it is by no means an isolated instance in which work is esteemed for its value.  Instead, this is just a simple and overarching reality of human life.  We, as humans, are made to work just as work has been made for us.  Assessing the purposes and reasons behind are more than this dialogue permits, suffice to say that it is God's will that we work and work with diligence and enjoyment.

Unfortunately, there have been misconceptions of what constitutes enjoyment in our culture.  Our world has misconstrued enjoyment to mean something less-satisfying and more instantly-gratifying, to the detriment of the good that comes from having to work for enjoyment, namely perseverance and character.  Should it be any wonder, then, why the world is inundated with people who lack character and inner fortitude?  Let us then take joy in the toils under the sun all the days of our lives, knowing that God has made us for this and He has purposes for us through it!