John 14:6–Except Through Jesus...

John 14:6–"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

This is a pretty bold statement for Jesus to make.  He is making an absolute statement.  It is unequivocal, unambiguous–there's no mistaking what Jesus means.  He is stating a theological proposition, that the only way to God is through Him.  Quite a statement.

There are really only three ways to consider this statement.  Either Jesus is out of His mind.  Or He's an absolute liar.  Or He is telling the truth.

So what do you think?

John 3:16–God So Loved The World

John 3:16–"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shat have eternal life."

Without a doubt this is one of the most famous verses in all of Scripture.  It is so well-renowned and frequently quoted that perhaps some of us may have even forgotten what it means.  But consider, for a moment, the reality of what this verse is saying.  God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.  Love.

Spend some time today pondering on this verse, perhaps thinking on it in a way you have never done.

Hebrews 11:6–Need For Faith

Hebrews 11:6–"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."

The quintessence of our relationship with God through Christ is found in this verse.  Our introduction to the Gospel comes through faith, to which we believe in God's existence but, even more so, without faith drawing near God is an impossibility.  In terms of the necessities of worship, faith is sine qua non, that without which worship could not take place at all.

Because of this, there is one prayer that takes precedent over all others:

God, please forgive me my doubt and help me to believe.

Be Still And Know

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

Perhaps you are fretting over how to pay the next set of bills.  Maybe you are too busy playing with your iPhone to notice the 'real' life going on around you.  Or perhaps your days are so filled with activity and stress that it would seem like a tremendous tragedy for there to be a moment of genuine quiet.  Whatever your circumstance, I am sure that this verse speaks an enormous truth just as true as when it was first written.

There is no doubt that life is full of bustling and noise.  And the loud hurry of it all is surely capable of overwhelming our existence.  This is why so many look to a constant stream of distraction or inebriation; anything to take the edge off and prevent our eyes and ears from seeing and hearing the profound, shattering truth:

God is.

Because of this, I urge you today to take time, a moment or an hour, to be still and know.  Turn everything off and listen.  Listen for the still, pleasant whisper of God's voice as He calls out to us. Just be still and know that He is God.

Proverbs 3:5-6–Trust in the Lord

Proverbs 3:5-6–"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."

Far be it for me to say something completely obvious but life is hard.  It is full of disappointment and a whole lot of, well, junk.  Amidst the vertiginous reality of this world, however, we have a sure and certain security: the Lord.  Only in Him and in His truth will our paths be made straight and our ways be secure.  It is for this very reason that we should not lean on our own understanding but should, in all our ways, acknowledge Him.

Psalm 73:25-26–Whom Have I But You?

Psalm 73:25-26–"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and portion forever."

This passage is more than a statement about priority, and it is saying something other than hope. This passage is about honesty, about a sincere contemplation of who we are in light of God's greatness and His utter majesty.  Truly, we have no one save Him!  And there is no thing besides Him!  He is the strength of our hearts and our portion forever!  Let us make this the very cry of our hearts.

Psalm 118:5-6–Comfort in Distress

Psalm 118:5-6–"Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?"

Every human who has lived or who will ever live will experience distress.  It is not outlandish to claim that distress is the human condition.  But this is but a portion of the story.  As Christians, we understand that the trials and stresses of this life are as a result of sin.  We also assert that distress and tribulation are but temporary discomforts that pale in comparison to the vast awesomeness of God and His goodness. This means, at the very least, that when we are held under the seemingly-insurmountable weight of life, that we can have a confident hope in the knowledge of God.  We can face distress with hearts solidified not because we feel so strong ourselves, on the contrary!  We understand that our confidence rests solely on the greatness of the Lord God Almighty!

Let us never, not ever forget this.

Can't Live Off Yesterday's Manna

Exodus 16:13-21 gives us the heart of a specific episode in the life of the Israelites as they are walking through the desert that can offer a fine and right principle for us as Christians.  In it, we see that the Israelites, hungry and sick of walking through the wilderness, are grumbling at God.  God hears their grumbling and responds by offering a daily meal of quail and manna, the bread from heaven.

The one stipulation is that the Israelites may not save up any manna for the next day; each day has its own manna.  Of course, the Israelites, as they are want to do, disobey the Lord's request and collect enough manna for the next day.  However, when the Israelites go to the manna the next day they find it full of worms, completely spoiled.

The point is that the people of God were to rely solely on the grace of God for their sustenance everyday.  Every single day was an exercise in relying upon the promises of God.  This is the principle for Christians that we need to get.

God desires us to rest upon His promises daily.  Every day must begin and end and survive with the assured reality that we are seeking after God, trusting Him that He will provide for every need just as He has promised to provide it for us.  This is a perspective, to be sure, but it is also a daily exercise in faith.

After all, we can't live off yesterday's manna!

John 14:6–I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

John 14:6–"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

This is one of those foundational verses that that is more polemic and assertive.  Jesus is, in the very least, asserting a stiff statement about who He is and His position in relation to God.  Additionally, He is consciously objecting any system of philosophy that would claim to have an 'in' with the divine apart from through Him.  To be sure, this statement is both unequivocal and unambiguous, leaving no question as towards what Jesus knew to be the road to God the Father and salvation on the whole. Additionally, Jesus doesn't make this claim lightly, understanding fully the ramifications of such an outlandish assertion.  But it is upon this claim that rests the whole of Christianity.  Therefore, let us consider it and let us make it foundational for our framework for life and everything it includes.

Assurance of the Things Unseen

In Hebrews faith is defined as the assurance of the things unseen.  In modern understandings, however, faith has been relegated to merely a trust in things that cannot be empirically observed, specifically dealing with spiritual things.  Yet this redefinition is an insufficient understanding of what faith is and how naturally we employ it throughout every moment of the day.

Consider gravity.  It is a verifiable, repeatable, and observational relationship between two bodies if mass.  Yet, in the most basic sense, these relationships themselves are, in fact, unseeable.  We cannot actually see gravity, we can only observe its effects, the echoes of its existsence.  Yet we have faith in its properties and in its existence without any thought.

Or apply this of the relationships between husband and wife: they cannot see, it turns out, the marriage itself, for only the effects, the shadows of their relationship can truly be seen and verified empirically. Yet we do not discount the faith that draws together the man and woman in matrimony.  In this way, faith is not just a word we use to describe a private ascension to a set of theological assertions.  Instead, it is a trust in the invisible relationships that dominate every aspect of our lives and of all creation.

Thus when we have discussions of faith and about faith, we need to take into account how pervasive faith actually is.  In truth, then, our understandings of faith are perhaps some of the most important things about us.  While space does not permit an exhaustive dissection of faith suffice to say it is vital that our definitions of faith, its purview and its significance, be as accurate in taking into account all of the data so that it can once again be affirmed as a valid source for absolute truth.

Isaiah 48:17–God Teaches and Leads

Isaiah 48:17–"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.'"

This verse comes at the beginning of a passage of judgement in which God judges the people of Israel for their apathetic indifference and for their utter disregard for His commandments and blessings.

Taken out of context, this verse can seem like a fine assertion, like: 'now remember, I am your God and I'm the One who is suppose to teach you the way you should go. So listen up.'  But it is void of those lovey-dovey connotations.  God is telling Israel–and us–that He is the Lord and deserving of our obedience and our praise.  Additionally, He is asserting within that statement a warning that those who would disregard this message will not go unpunished for their unbelief.

We would do well, then, to always keep proper perspective in focus as to who we are and who He is.  In this way, we will go a long way to ensuring a solid footing with each step as we will be stepping in faith that He is leading us in the way we should go.

Hebrews 11:1–Faith Defined

Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen."

We speak of faith in so many different senses.  But at its heart, there is distinct and certain content of faith.  When we talk of faith in any way other than faith in Christ Jesus, then we are, by definition, speaking of faith's derivative.  That is to say that when we say that we have faith in this or that we are merely paying homage, consciously or otherwise, to the faith that is eternal: faith in God.  We should keep this perspective before us at all times as we strive to live lives of fulness and authenticity.

Hosea 2:19-20–Married to God in Faithfulness

Hosea 2:19-20: The Lord declares, "And I will betroth you to me forever.  I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.  I will betroth you to me in faithfulness.  And you shall know the Lord."

Married to God in faithfulness, righteousness, in justice, steadfast love, and mercy.  This is the definition of our relationship to God.  But how many of us truly consider our faith in this context, with this depth of love and devotion?  But it is in this measure, in this degree that we "shall know the Lord." If we are having trouble assessing our devotion, this seems a good place to start.

In the end, God has defined and He has commissioned our betrothal to Him.  We belong to Him because of all that He has done.  It is then lovelessness and faithlessness that draws us away from Him. We need only check ourselves in this manner to assess our devotion: how much do we love God?  This is the most important question that we could ask and it is also the most challenging one to answer.

Let us then bow our heads in faith and draw closer to Him in love as He has betrothed us to Him forever, let us love Him as such.

Isaiah 7:9–Firm In Faith

The book of Isaiah, the primary writing prophet of the OT apart from Moses, is comprised of several prophetic utterances made by the over his prophetic career.  One of these prophecies that Isaiah delivered was to Israelite king, Ahaz.  While I do not normally like to abstract individual verses from their literary context, there is a single verse in this prophecy that applies across contexts:

"If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all." (Isaiah 7:9b)

This verse says it all.  It is a good reminder that firmness in life has nothing to do with intellect, conviction, emotional strength, physical prowess, or anything else; firmness and solidarity comes down to faith for it is in God that the firmest foundation is found.  Amen to Him and let us always rest upon the sure footing and rock which is Christ!

Hebrews 11:6: Necessity of Faith to Drawing Near to God

Hebrews 11:6: "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."

I like this verse.  It is direct, clear, concise, and understandable.  In no uncertain terms the writer asserts the necessity of faith in pleasing God, in drawing near to Him and receiving reward for our reliance upon His grace.

It is kind of like an electrical outlet.  No matter how strong or how well built a lamp, if it is not plugged into the outlet then it will never shine no matter how much it may desire it.  Only when the lamp is plugged in can it serve its purpose.

Similarly, only by faith can we be 'plugged in' to God.  It is through faith that we can draw near to God for it is in this way that we are able to please God and to give Him the praise He so rightly deserves.  Let us then praise God for faith and by it draw nearer to God!

Presence of Evil

Yesterday, in Boston, one of the most historic sporting events was challenged.  At least two bombs went off at or near the finish line of the marathon's end, killing a young boy and injuring several others. It has been the star of the news for the past day.  It is an horrendous tragedy and it seems to stir something in us, something deep down in our cores.

Most of this life is, when it is stripped down to reality, a game of distraction.  We spend our money, our time, and our energy pretending that we are healthy, attempting to cheat death, and ignoring the evil and sin all around us.  However, there are those occasions, such as the tragic events in Boston or the Connecticut school shooting or the Colorado theatre shooting, when we are forced to face the truth: that evil does exist.

Often times this reality sparks theological tension as we reel back to ask "where is God?"  But I submit that this question itself is proof of God's existence.  If we are to recognize the external absoluteness of evil we must have an innate sense of that which is good; for you cannot have eyes to see evil if those eyes are not tuned to see the good.

This thought warrants that good is not to be considered the opposite of evil, as it were, but that evil is the utter lacking of good.  Sort of like hot is not the opposite of cold just that cold is the complete absence of the presence of heat.  But we could not know that which is cold apart from an understanding that heat exists as a reality.  Similarly, we could not begin to recognize that evil exists if we do not accept that good must be as well.

And 'good', if we could consider it a substance more than a trait of things that are good, must be an external thing that is thus possessed in some measure through the actions/thoughts done.  It must not be thought of like blue or smelly, for it is not perceived through the normal means: it is perceived spiritually.  Because of this, we should remember that the presence of evil, strangely, is a reminder at the presence of God because it is in our relationship to God that we can in any way perceive that which is good and, by extension, that which is evil.

At the final analysis, evil is an indictment of how far from the good man and creation has fallen as well as a reminder as to how great and good God truly is that we could recognize evil at all despite the wickedness of our sinful nature.  My prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy and I pray as well that it serves to turn us back to God!

Romans 3:22-25–All Justified by Grace, Received by Faith

Romans 3:22b-25a: "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith."

This passage of Scripture is often used as the great equalizer to remind us that we are all on the same footing of righteousness.  It is a righteousness unearned and unmerited; it is the righteousness of God's grace of redemption through the blood of Christ.  But this passage is brimming with theology not just about how short we have all fallen in contrast to the glory of God, but even more so does this verse highlight the great merciful grace of Christ Jesus.

As a good exercise, taking each component of this verse as it is may render some rich understanding.  Consider then:

–For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,...–

–and are justified by His grace as a gift,...–

–through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,...–

–whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood,...–

–to be received by faith.

Amen.

The Long Walk of Faith: A Matter of Practice

The long walk in the same direction that is Christianity is an endurance race, an ardent patience of struggling to step forward steadfastly and sure through the troughs and snare of life.  Throughout this arduous race our only assurance unto perseverance is faith in God Himself.  But this strength is the ultimate source of strength that can cause all of us to be ever emboldened and comforted in the journey.

But this is not to say that faith is a passive endeavor.  On the contrary, faith is always reckoned actively.  Remember: "I will show you my faith by my works."  (James 2:18).  Faith, to be sure, is as much a matter of practice as it is about ritual, and it is as much an endeavor of individual experiences as it is one of everyday exercise.  

The everyday faith is, it turns out, the strongest faith man is capable of rendering to God.  It is that faith that so wholly suffuses the person's character with the regularity of the everyday exercises.  It is explained easy enough: start your day in prayer and study, throughout the day continue seeking after God and praying, and then ending your day the same way it began.

Pointing to Isaiah on Easter

Easter is fast upon us.  It is a marvelous day by which the Christian commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ.  On this day, more than any other day of the year, the Christian is exhorted to truly consider the weight of sin placed on the whipped shoulders of Christ as He breathed His last breath splayed upon the cross.

Because of the sheer exuberant heaviness hereof, it seems sufficient a study today to read the two passages of Scripture that seems most appropriate at this time: Isaiah 53 and John 19-20.  As an obedience of love and faith, let us commit ourselves to study and contemplation today.

Living by Faith in terms of Sweat Pants

Notwithstanding the fear of exposing my vanity I must confess that I have far-too many clothes.  It is more than a single dresser may hold and it bloats my closet, ties and slacks bursting through the doors.  Yet with all the variety that such a wardrobe affords, I still find myself wearing a relatively small rotation of garb.

Actually, I were to be completely honest, apart from socks and underwear, I could probably get by with little more than a couple of outfits.  To my discredit, there is one pair of pajamas, the grey ones, that I could wear nearly everyday.  Their comfort seems to call to me from the pile as soon as I walk through the door.  I find that I nearly always heed to its wooing and by the end of the night I am invariably wearing my grubby grey sweat pants.

But isn't life so like this, more specifically, isn't Christian virtue so like this.  We have all sorts of options to choose from: vanity, pride, humility, and charity, et al.  But we, more often than not, put on the same-old habits, those tired character traits and personality flaws that we've lived with for however long.  We hear the voices of vice court us and we fall prey to our own inhibitions and habitual deficiencies.

But there is another way.  Christ has made another way.  He has told us to shed ourselves of such rubbish as vice and to live new, reborn lives in Him, in His name, and by His strength.  It would seem not enough to say that we are called to live a 'life lived by faith.'  But this is just it.  It is as if every time I hear the voice of my sweat pants I wear to listen to the other voice reminding me that they were dirty and that there were another pair of sweat pants, clean and new, untarnished or soiled from my previous misadventures and escapades.

This is what being a fully-devoted follower of Christ is all about.  It is not merely theological affirmations or ascending to rites and rituals; no.  It is a full-on identity change.  Let us then choose to claim that identity change so that when the dirty laundry of our past days tries to infiltrate our sanctification we would be able bodied to choose the better way in Christ.