An Identity Crisis

Who do you think you are?

This is the question that was raised by the pastor to the church on Sunday morning.  It is a question that, at its core, is a matter of identity.  In this world, there are many identifiers.  I could say that I am a man, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, a guitar player, a writer, a college graduate, and a whole host of others.  But while each of these may be true, none of them fully encompasses the core of who I am.

I, as with all things that have ever been created, derive my being from God.  He created me, He gave me my being.  More than that, He made me in His very image, created to reflect His being.  This is the very depth of who I am; there is no escaping it.

But there's more: I am saved.  By the death and resurrection of Christ, I have been transformed from a sinner into a saint.  By His grace I am no longer trapped in the mire of sin, but I have been saved.  So in the end it is who I am: a child of God.

This is the answer to the question of who I am.

Protecting the Gift of Friendship

There is perhaps no greater joy than the true pleasure of love.  I do not mean only love of the romantic variety, but the love between friends, the love between people that have been allowed to see the deep parts of one another.  This is one of the truly beautiful gifts that God has given us.  But despite this truth, our sin natures continually act as a toxin, degrading our relationships and spoiling the great joy of love.

This is why it is so vital that we seek God in faith, that we would give every bit of ourselves–even our relationships–to God so that He would consecrate and sanctify us fully.  It is only in giving ourselves to God that He is free to transform us from the inside out.  This is the only way to truly protect and cherish the love in our lives.  Let us then commit to seek after God without end so as to be made able to love with reckless abandon and utter trust!

Jeremiah 23:24–Nowhere to Hide

Jeremiah 23:24: "'Can a man hide himself in the secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the Lord.  'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' declares the Lord."

There is nowhere to hide from God: He is omnipresent.  His presence fills all of existence while sustaining it by the power of His Word.  But isn't it just like a human to think he can find a quiet spot to hide from the Almighty God?  This is simply an impossibility.  And we should find great comfort and strength in this truth: that God holds everything in His hands.  Let us not forget this truth but rather let it it from the basis of life before the Holy Lord!

Giving Yourself Fully to Christ

To give yourself fully to Christ.  This is the task for the Christian.  We hear it from teachers, we read it in the Scripture, and we say it to each other, but what does this mean? And while we throw this phrase around with a sort of recklessness, it is but an indistinct clang of a cymbal if we do not stop to answer the basic questions: what does this mean and how do I do it?

What does this mean?
To give yourself fully to Christ is a daily moment-by-moment submission of will, talent, ambition, goal, resource, relationship, and everything else imaginable to God.  A complete surrender.  The funny thing is that there is really no such thing as a half-way surrender.  If you don't give it all, you haven't really given any of it.  But the thing about it is, there are stages to this submission.  I mean to say that what you have offered as a sacrifice of submission today is predicated upon what you have been blessed to submit yesterday; it may not happen all at once.  Fortunately, God works like that!

How do I do it?
This one is simple: practice, practice, practice.  But what do I practice, you might ask.  For fear of writing too much I will say this.  We are called to practice godliness.  Quite literally, this means that we will imitate Christ.  From a practical standpoint, this means that we will love God with every pore of our beings, that we will make prayer and Bible study a vital part fo our daily lives, and we will love people fiercely.  But again, God has given us a Helper in the Holy Spirit, who guides us and strengthens us for this task of daily devotion.

Hopefully, now when you hear/read someone say that we ought to give ourselves fully to Christ, you would be better equipped to raise your hand in exuberance and cry out: "Amen!"

Consistency, the Great Task of Man

Consistency.  It is the key to both great growth and great devastation.  For instance, if one is consistent in practicing the violin, she will in time become an excellent violinest.  But by that same right, the man who is consistent in drinking will undoubtedly become an alcoholic.  It is consistency, the daily trudge of one foot in front of the other like so many times before. that we need to bring to the Christian lifestyle in force.  It is the great practice of Christianity, the day-to-day devotion, that is the task for Christians.  We should never forget this truth; let it form the sure and good rituals of life in Christ!

2 Thessalonians 3:3–The Lord is Faithful to Establish You

2 Thessalonians 3:3: "But the Lord is faithful.  He will establish you and guard you against the evil."

To say that God establishes us and guards us against evil is to say that He is sure to protect us, to keep us secure in His will.  And it is a good thing, a great thing, that God is faithful in this way for we are so naturally unfaithful.  It is His awesomeness that secures our souls.  It is His faithfulness that establishes us and it is that same faithfulness that guards us against evil.  Let us take confidence in this fact.  Amen!

Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone

One of my favorite verse in all of Scripture is uttered by Christ during His temptation (Matt 4).  After forty days of fasting and prayer, Jesus is hungry and tired.  It is at this moment that Satan comes to Jesus and tempts Him, attacking His flesh, His power, and His loyalty.  As for attacking Jesus' flesh, Satan knows that Jesus is hungry and he challenges Jesus to command the stones to turn into bread.  Jesus' response:

"Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

While this may seem like a simple response to the temptations of Satan, it is quite dense with theological weight and lovely revelation.

In the first, it asserts that there is a distinct qualitative value between anything fleshly and the things of God–there is really no comparison.

In the second, Jesus' statement points to the reality that despite man's inclination to feed the soul through the belly, it is God who truly feeds us with the sustenance of eternity.

While there is so much more to be said about this single verse, it would suffice to say that when we feel the hungry voices of our bellies trying to pull us away from God in any way whatsoever, we have an example to follow in Jesus' words here to Satan.  Thank God for that!

Psalm 121:7-8–The Lord WIll Keep You

Psalm 121:7-8: "The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."

Kept.  This passage is about being kept by the Lord.  Consider that your whole life is held by the Lord, cradled in the loving embrace of the Lord all the days of your life.  What a wonderful thought!  There may be nothing greater than this truth, nothing more fundamental to our faith than this simple and profound fact: God has it covered!  Let us pray and meditate on this single truth, let it be the firm foundation on which we rest our entire lives! Amen!

Psalm 91:1–Dwelling in the Shelter of the Most High

Psalm 91:1: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

What does it mean to "dwell" in the shelter of the Most High?

At the very least it means settling in the vicinity of God Himself.  This only occurs through faith, that we would stay as close to God as possible.  It is a matter of obedience but even more so it is about loving God, truly loving God.  And to abide in the shadow of the Almighty is  to take refuge in the Lord.  While asserting doctrinal statements are not without value, it is an entirely other thing to live it out.  We would do well to live this out, dwelling in His shelter and abiding in His shadow!

What Does It Profit to Lose One's Soul?

Mark 8:36: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"

A good deal of life is about weighing one thing against another.  Whether it is as insignificant as what to eat for dinner or as important as where to live, our lives are inundating with weighing choices and making decisions that have ramifications that ripple through our lives like dropping rocks in water.  And while many of these decisions do have value, they all pale in comparison to the concerns of eternity.

This is what this verse is all about.  The anteverse deals with the denial of self and the daily taking up of a cross, but the hit comes in this question: for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

The answer to the question is that nothing is worth forfeiting your soul.  There is not a treasure that could possible be worth yielding one's soul for all eternity.  We would be wise to remember this in every situation.  In the end, only eternity matters.

The Flaw of Using Physical Remedies for Spiritual Ailments

There are quite a few people around me who exhibit the wounds of spiritual injuries.  These wounds are easy to spot once you know what to look for: like lack of self-worth, overwhelming guilt or grief, or even the depression of lovelessness, and a whole slew of other ailments.  While this is, of course, not an oddity in itself, it is the manner in which these people deal with spiritual injury that warrants discussion.

These people, and many like them, seek physical remedies for their spiritual maladies.  We know people who do this: they drink to dull their pain, eat to cover guilt, or commiserate with other lonely people just so they don't have to feel so alone.  All in all, these are flawed remedies because they fail to address the heart of the issues, which are, in their most fundamental sense, spiritual in nature.

In the end, nearly every issue can be traced to spiritual disease, that is, to sin.  And only God has the definitive cure for sin.  Only by coming to Christ in faith will be be given correct vision to see properly that which is truly a physical illness and that which stems from spiritual disorder.  As for the latter, God is the only solution.  And we must seek after Him in faith and love for our healing and for our restoration. Let us remember that when we begin to use physical remedies to attempt to heal spiritual ailments. The results of such a misinformed endeavor will be only more spiritual ailment.

Romans 12:1-2–Worship in Body and Mind

Romans 12:1-2: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,  that by testing you may discern the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

This passage is about worshiping God in body and mind.  It is about giving oneself to God by treating your body as it is: a living sacrifice to God.  While this says much about God and who we are as His creatures.  We belong to God, therefore we should be all the more willing to expel ourselves for God in worship and faith.

As for our minds, the key phrase is, "be transformed by the renewal of your mind."  This is to say that our minds have been tainted due to the pervasiveness of sin and need to be 'renewed' so that we may be able to discern the will of God. In the briefest sense, the renewal of the mind is about Bible study and prayer.  Through these God renews our mind by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Let us commit these verses to memory and apply them to our hearts, our minds, and our lives!

A Few Thanks

Not a whole lot to say today other than thank You, Lord.

Thank You for air to fill my lungs with breath.  Thank You for food to fill my belly and fuel my body.  Thank You for health to live and to serve You.  Thank You for my amazing and gorgeous wife whose beauty and countenance astounds me daily.  Thank You for my beloved family whom I am blessed to love as well as like.  Thank You for my friends, who love me in spite of my innumerable faults.  Thank You for resources like car, books, glasses, and the like, so that I may worship and serve You with mobility anywhere.  Thank You, Lord, for my education.  Thank You for my body and may it be used only to bring You glory.  Thank You for my mind and may it be renewed everyday so as to discern Your will and think Your thoughts after You.

And thank You, Lord, for Your Son, whose precious blood was spilt upon that wretched but glorious cross for my sin and the sin of the whole world that all mankind may enter into a restored  relationship with You through faith in Christ Jesus.

Thank You.

Praying to the Father

Matthew 7:9-14
"Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

This sequence comes to us in the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7.  It is Jesus' direct teaching on prayer.  As we start another week, I have a simple request for devotional homework.  Every day this week, as we wake up in the morning, let us commit to praying this prayer as the start to our day.  In this way we will be, in the most literal sense, devoting ourselves to God as He has commanded.

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day is upon us.  The day of the year when children honor their fathers.  We spend this day giving thanks to our fathers for fathering.  While this is, without question, a good and important part of being a child, I submit that this Father's Day be spent, at least in part, in self-examination and personal assessment, asking ourselves: am I a good child?

Throughout the Holy Scripture, the value of a wise child is heralded as the joy of the father.  Therefore, the greatest gift a son or daughter could give would be the gift of devotion.  Devotion not only to our temporal fathers but also, and more so, to our heavenly Father. 

I can speak from personal experience here: the greatest gift that I have ever given my dad was when I gave myself to Christ.  Not only that, but in giving myself fully to Christ, my father and I have become closer than we ever have been.  And I praise God for that distinct joy.  It is as if in giving myself to Christ, God was giving my father to me and me to him.

While there is so much more to say, I would leave it at this: love your father today by loving God.  It is, after all, the only eternal gift we can give.  Everything else perishes as ash, but joining with your father in worshiping the Father is, well, it is everything.  Thank you, dad, for teaching me this.

The Blessed Promise of a Glorious Body

Philippians 3:20-21: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to by like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself."

It is often thrown around that Christians are in this world but not of this world.  But this simple assertion, while true, may be an oversimplification of the actuality of the Christian hope, that is, life eternal.  We live our lives in expectant hope for the transformation into eternity with God Himself, finally resurrected in our glorious forms like Christ!  This is beautiful and I will rest my hope on this promise!

Devotion: It's a Love Thing

The Christian life is about loving God with the utmost reverence and adoration.  This is the very nature of devotion, and it forms the basis for our devotional life.  While much could be said about duty and obligation, the essence of Christian devotion is a matter of love: we love God.

It is our love for God that compels us to pray.  It is our love that urges us to read His holy Word.  And it is our love for God that obliges us to love one another.  Whenever devotion neglects this necessary foundation, then it becomes lopsided and deformed.  After all, why would we worship if we didn't want to?

This is the key.  We should never fall into that pit which would question our level of devotion as a problem with obedience.  Instead, wavering in devotion is not an issue of duty: it is a problem with love.  We need, then, only ask ourselves: "How much do I love God?"  The answer to this question will most certainly correspond to our devotion.

Tozer and The Problem of God

If you have never read the book The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer, I cannot more highly suggest it.  It has been one of my favorites for a few years now and I just recently went back to it as a reference for a series on seeking intimacy with God for the youth group.  While I normally would not make excessive quotations here from any book other that the Scripture, this one in particular struck me today:

"All the problems of heaven and earth, though they were to confront us together and at once, would be nothing compared to the overwhelming problem of God: that He is; what He is like; and what we as moral beings must do about Him.

The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which at the most cannot concern him for very long; but even if the multitude burdens of time may be lifted from him, the one mighty single burden of eternity begins to press down upon him with a weight more crushing than all the woes of the world piled one upon another.  That mighty burden is his obligation to God." (Taken from A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy. Harper Collins Publishing, 1961.)

I love this quote.  The context surrounding it is equally profound and challenging, its truth keen and far-reaching.  God's reality is a terrifying thing for all humans, as it is a weight of existence and of morality that we cannot escape. Thus the Gospel is Good News to those who would fall upon it in faith.  For it is the Gospel received by faith that permits us forgiven access by grace into the holy presence of God Himself without the crushing heaviness of our moral failures.  This is the beautiful problem of God!

Be Still and Know

Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God."

This is one of those great verses in Scripture.  It encapsulates so much of the Christian life yet it is almost bafflingly simple.  There are two ways to consider this verse: either as descriptive or prescriptive.

As a description, this verse relates to us the effortless holiness of the God who is.  God does not need to strive or strain to be who He is, He just is.  On the other hand, as a prescription, this verse  prescribes for us the way for us to recognize in our depths the vastness of the God who is.  It is in stillness, in being quiet that we know, truly know, who God is in the most intimate sense.  Let us then take the time to be still and be quiet so that we may experience the knowledge of God in the most intimate way!

Not Winning Souls, We're Being light

There is a common misconception of evangelism that thinks the Christian's job to be one of 'winning souls.'  This could not be further from the truth.  Our job is not to bring everyone to Christ, it is to bring Christ to everyone.  The very essence of Christianity and thus the Christian life is to live out Christ, to shine as the light of the world.  It is through this that God affects those who may not yet know His holy name.  It is not through argument but it is through influencing people by living out Jesus in every aspect, every facet of our lives.  We need to always keep this in focus when we encounter the world and those of it: we are hear to lighten, not to win.  God captures hearts by the power of His Word applied by His Holy Spirit.  We are merely the instruments through which that blessed music of salvation is played.  Let us not lose sight of this truth!

Matthew 7:13-14–Aiming for the Narrow Gate

Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Although it may not need to be said, the narrow gate is Jesus.  It is through is broken body and torn flesh that God is found.  To be in the presence of the holy One requires that we step through the gate that is Christ.  There is a common lie that is spread about Christianity, that it is just one way among many.  The truth is far different.  The truth is that God has prescribed a way, the way, which is Christ Jesus.  It is faith in Jesus, He is the way to God; there is no other way.  We need to always keep this primary as we fix our gaze on the way to God!

Seeking Intimacy with God

Intimacy with God is the name of the game.  In preparing to discuss this topic with my youth group kids, a friend and I considered the simple question: What is intimacy with God?

Although there are many different angles to this question, we agreed that the primary starting point was this: God is.

From this simple assertion the endeavor of seeking intimacy from God is brought forth.  But it is not enough to deal with the fact that God is merely in the cognitive sense; intimacy with God is not just an intellectual undertaking.  Intimacy with God is, by its very nature, a whole-person experience.  This is to say that intimacy with God involves every facet of a person, body, mind, and soul.  Let us then seek intimacy with God with every part of our beings today!

Psalm 90:4–God's Sense of Time

Psalm 90:4: "For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night."

This concept reaches the very limits of language and thought, but it forces an inescapable conclusion: God's concept of time is not like ours.  Humans are temporal beings.  We are constrained to the constructs of time and space.  It takes a great strain of thought, therefore, to consider any concept of eternity.  We are, as stated, intimately tied to now, to the present moment.

Because He is eternal, God lives every moment that has occurred and every moment that will occur as the present.  Acknowledging this reality is one of the sweet truths of Christianity for if we recognize that God sees everything past and future presently, then we can easily see how we rest our faith upon His sureness.  Let us then always remember this when we pray to God for our future, because to God, the future already is.

Proverbs 6:27-28–Don't Carry Fire

Proverbs 6:27-28: "Can a man carry a fire next to his chest and not get burned?  Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?"

This whole chapter of Proverbs focuses on adultery but these two verses in particular can be applied across the spectrum.  Two questions, two poignant questions.  But could they be any more clear?

Truly, when it comes to sin of any kind, but especially of the carnal order, the most effective way to prevent sin is to keep the temptations as far away as possible.  We should not think our  resilience so strong that we need not be concerned about the weight and pull of fleshly temptations.  This would be the deadliest pride.


Instead we should admit our own proclivities as we seek God's hand of protection.  Let us put on the full armor not as an excuse to enter the battle but as an acknowledgment that the battles will take place.  Freedom in Christ comes into play here as well.  Our freedom is not only from sin but it is also from the inclination to sin too.  Thank You, Lord, that you have so saved us!  Please help us to protect the deposit of grace that You have invested in our hearts through Your Son!

Sheep Listening for Their Shepherd

One of the great analogies of Scripture is that of the shepherd and the sheep.  In this case, God is the Great Shepherd and we are the sheep.  Central to this analogy is understanding that apart from the Shepherd the sheep wander around aimlessly and without any natural defense.  It is as if the sheep were tailor made food for wolves and other lurking predators.

At this point in the analogy it should be asserted that God, being the Good Shepherd, seeks after His lost sheep to return them to His fold.  Also, the sheep who do not respond to the voice of the Shepherd are easy prey for intruders in the flock.  The sheep has no natural defense.  Its primary method of dealing with stress is to go rigid and fall on its side in self-induced paralysis; not a very effective defensive strategy.

This is why it is of such paramount importance that we, the sheep, listen for our Shepherd's voice with attentive ears.  God is our Shepherd and He does seek after us to bring us back to the safety and life in His pastures.  Let us then always listen with open ears for God who continually calls us back to His fold!

Remember:
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."

1 Chronicles 29:10-12: David Praising the Lord

1 Chronicles 29:10-12:"David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, 'Praise be to You, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.  Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the Kingdom; You are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things.  In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.'"

This is David's dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem.  A massive structure built as God's residing place over Israel but also to act as a testimony to God's power and provision.  This could have quite easily been a speech to the glory of Israel for building such a huge and beautiful building but David, instead, turned his attention on God.  He fixed his gaze not on what they had accumulated but on the God who had provided it.  I think we could take a hint from this passage.  Read it again and let it sink in.  Amen.

Just Keep it to Yourself Even Though You Want to Blow Up!

Proverbs 12:16–"Fools show their annoyance at once,
but the prudent overlook an insult."

Proverbs 19:11–"Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense,"

Today was just one of those days.  You know, the kind of days in which you find yourself on the cusp of explosion at the next irritation.  In response, I did the only thing I could think of: I got frustrated to the point of anger and then, in a moment of divine clarity, I prayed.  In no way do I want to make it sound like my 'supreme' spirituality is what saved me from detonation.  Rather, I would like to praise God for His help in staying my unsteady emotions.  Referencing these verses, I am reminded that if there be any prudence or good sense in me it is only as God has bestowed His great mercy upon me.  And after a day like today, all I can say is: "Thank You, Lord!"

Ephesians 5:1–imitators of God

Ephesians 5:1: "Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children."

To imitate God may seem like an altogether daunting if not impossible task, however, we are not left without guidance in this verse as to the prescribed method of imitation: as beloved children.  I think of a child holding mommy's hand through the grocery store, or the father carrying his son on his shoulders.

Emulating God as children begins with following Christ fully.  No way around this one: Jesus is who we imitate.  We will imitate Christ in character, sacrifice, and devotion.  In character we will imitate Him in love, mercy, compassion, patience, wisdom, and justice, etc.  In sacrifice we will earnestly strive to lay down our lives for the people around us.  And in devotion we will seek out the Father with sincere and fervent devotion.  This is what it means, at the very least, to imitate God as beloved children.

Revelation 4:10-11: Hope in the Eternal Song

Rev 4:10b-11: "They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.'"

Whenever I read this passage, I imagine the sweet melodious symphony reverberating through the halls of the great heavenly throne room.  I think of the boom of unison voices, singing out in concert to the great King of all creation.  And I cannot but behold the sheer awesomeness of the sight.  Oh, to cast my eyes upon the crystal glass sea and to hear all the saints throughout the ages sing as one choral ensemble; I can think of no greater pleasure and joy through all eternity.  Although there are times in this life, that I feel the dense and drowning weight of malady and moroseness, I need only think of this great heavenly destination that John describes in his revelation to be reminded of the wonderful and majestically awesome presence of the Holy Lord God Almighty.  Amen.