Whatever you wish

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7, ESV)"

How often do we read these words or think of this verse and focus on only the last part - "Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." We often times think of God as a heavenly vending machine and prayer is the quarter that gets us what we want. But this promise from Jesus, like so many promises in the bible is conditional. "IF YOU ABIDE IN ME AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU".

What does it mean to abide, well as we look at the context of this verse we see that Jesus has just got done saying "I am the vine, you are the branches...Abide in me and I in you". It is evident that He means a whole lot more than simply "If you are a Christian". A lot of people look at this verse and think it says - "If I am a Christian I can ask for anything I want, and God will give it to me". And then they get upset when their prayers aren't answered the way that they want them to be.

In light of what Jesus is talking about it becomes clear that "To abide" means to live our life dependent upon Christ for our very existence. If He is the VINE and we are the BRANCH, we will wither and die if we try to live our life apart from Him. This is the key to answered prayer - not only do we live our lives as "Christians" but we live our life dependent upon Him for our very existence.

I believe that we find when we live our lives dependent upon Him for our very existence, the nature of our prayers will change and be in line with what God wants for us rather than what we want for ourselves and when we pray for what God wants - He will gladly give us whatever we wish for.

So why is this so difficult for most people (myself included)?

"Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." (John 15:9-10, ESV)

If we truly abide in Jesus - we will keep ALL of His commandments just as thoroughly as He kept His Father's commandments - that is what it means to truly abide in Christ. Now that is an ambition worth chasing after in life.

Never Settle for Less

Heads up - this may step on a few toes. Read at your own risk.

Continuing on from yesterday's thoughts - it seems to me that the whole concept of never offending anybody else by having the guts to stand up and tell them that their ideas are wrong (with GRACE AND LOVE) - has led us to a cultural phenomena of relativism and subjectivism - whereby we say that there is no such thing as absolute truth - and therefore, I alone, as the seeker of truth have the ability to dictate what, for me, is right and wrong.

To me, this whole concept is flawed because if indeed it were true, the very statement that there is no absolute truth, would have to be an absolute truth, and as a result, with that very statement, the whole concept of relative truth begins to break down.

It is this relativistic and subjectivistic approach to life that causes us to twist Scripture and settle for half-truths that sound good. We settle for beliefs like - "a loving God would never send a good person to hell". Or "a loving God would never disapprove of a monogamous, loving relationship regardless of orientation or marriage commitment."

Well, I'm sorry - but scripture teaches us that no matter how GOOD we are, we can never earn our own way to heaven. I can go to church, give to the poor, shelter the homeless, and feed the hungry, but unless I have Jesus Christ in my life - unless I am relying on Him and Him alone for my salvation - I am going to spend eternity in hell.

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

The bible also teaches that immorality - whether between a man and a woman, two men, or two women is wrong. God's plan for intimacy is within the boundary of marriage. PERIOD.

Likewise - gossip, slander, impatience, selfishness, arrogance, pride, and many more sins are all wrong.

It may not seem fair or right to us - but look at what the Lord says:

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. "Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 18:23-31, ESV)

The bottom line - God will judge us according to our actions - in light of what is right and wrong according to His perfect standard - whether we like it or not.

Big Bold Humble Truth

Ok - so the month of May wasn't very good for blogging - we had soccer 4 (sometimes 5) nights a week. I kept meaning to sit and write something, but it just didn't happen - so here we are - already into June and I am forcing myself to sit and write again.

I am preparing for family camp in a few weeks. Evidently, seeing as how I have 6 kids, they decided that I knew about being a family and have asked me to lead the chapel services. I am excited for the opportunity, but also a little overwhelmed at the prospect of 4 chapel services in 3 days while at the same time keeping up with church, work, and the occasional flooded basement.

The theme for camp this year is BOLD HUMILITY - based on Philippians chapter 2. As I have been thinking about this - I have realized a few things. If you simply read the first 11 verses of Philippians chapter 2 - it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that humility is simply love love, joy joy, do whatever you can to make other people happy, put their needs and desires ahead of your own, etc. While that all sounds good, we can't skip the next section of chapter 2 in which we are encouraged to stand as "blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world."

Sometimes we are so worried about not offending someone that we are willing to overlook their faults and grey areas. We think this is being humble peacemakers - but in reality it is being a spineless wimp.

Yes we need to offer grace to people, but we also need a full measure of truth. Grace without truth leads to disasterous results - truth without grace leads to harsh judgementalism.

When we are standing in the dark and all of a sudden a bright light is turned on. It isn't very pleasant - especially when it shines right in our eyes - but when the bright light illuminates the ground before us, our eyes adjust and we are thankful for what the light reveals. That is a picture of how grace and truth work toghether. The light is the truth, the grace shines it on the path that we need to take rather than abrasively in our face.

That's enough for today - more to follow soon.

Knowing the Knower

As I continue thinking through the whole idea of knowing God and being known by God. I'm not 100% sure which is more remarkable - the concept that I can know God or that He knows me.

I guess I think of it like this - as a pastor, I can have a lot of people that feel a special connection with me. And if I am open and transparent as a pastor - a lot of people may say that they know me. Being the pastor of a relatively small church, for the most part I would also say that I know these people. But when I think of pastors of much larger churches, there comes a point when the pastor may be familiar with the faces that attend on Sunday morning or may recognize a person's name - but does this pastor really know the people that would say they know him or her?

God has made himself readily available to each and every one of us. We can know Him, we can worship Him, but the very thought that He KNOWS each and everyone of us sometimes blows me away. In God's eyes - I AM SOMEBODY. In God's eyes - each and everyone of us is a person of significance and importance. How cool is that?

Depending or knowing?

In the Bible, God paints several pictures of His relationship with us. He describes himself as the good shepherd, as our Father, as our King, and He also describes the church as his bride. Thinking through each of these relationships - one thing that stands out to me is that in each case whether it be as sheep, child, subject, or bride - knowing the shepherd, father, king, or husband is not only an emotional or intellectual knowledge - it is also a knowledge of dependence. Each of these relationships is built on love and trust - knowing that the one in whom we place our trust will protect us - and provide for us. It is a matter of knowing deep down in our heart that God has our best interests at heart - that He will always do whats best for us.

Sometimes we don't feel as if that is true. Emotionally it can seem as if we have a better plan - as if we know better becasue we are down in the trenches living it out day to day. The trouble with living in the trenches is that it is hard to see what is beyond the next trench. As we come to KNOW God - to know his character - to know his voice - we learn to depend upon him for wisdom and guidance even when we don't know what to do - or when it doesn't seem to make sense.

Personally I would love to say that I always understand exactly where God is taking me and what He is teaching me, but often times I find myself following and depending because I know that He will never lead me astray.

Why do we even care?

I've been talking about "Knowing God". I talked about the four evidences of knowing God, but I think that leads us to the simple questions - Why do I even care? Many people feel as if God is some abstract power or galactic being that is out there doing His own thing and they don't give it a second thought.

For me, as I look at life, I can't help but know in my heart that there is more to life than the short 80 or so years that we spend on this rock called earth. For as long as we have records of mankind, there has always been an underlying belief of some sort of life after death. Whether that is Valhalla, the happy hunting ground, paradise, heaven, or reincarnation. Mankind has almost alway believed that there is life after death.

In John 17:3 Jesus says "This is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent." Knowing God is the key to eternal life. Not merely knowing about Him. Satan and his followers know about God - but they do not know Him as Lord.

Looking back to the time when Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden, there was a time when God walked and talked with mankind - face to face. Adam and Eve knew God. In fact I would go so far as to say that that is why they were created to know God.

Hosea 6:6 says that God does not want our sacrfices - He wants our steadfast love. It also says that He does not want burnt offerings from us - what He truly desires is for us to KNOW GOD.

We were created to Know God and to be known by God. If we are not living out the very purpose for which we were created - then what's the point of life?

Peace - or is that Pieces?

The fourth evidence of knowing God is this - "those that know God have a great contentment in God." Sometimes it seems as if our lives are falling to pieces around us. We feel as if nothing is going our way. The same is true for other people in our lives. Some people face the same situations - or worse - and seem to maintain a great sense of peace and contenment, while others seem to crumble under the slightest pressure.

If we truly know God - if we trust Him - if He is really who we believe Him to be - it makes absolutely no sense for us to live in a state of worry or anxiety in life. Stress can't change the past and it can't control the future - it only makes us miserable in the moment.

The bible never promises that just becasue we are Christians life will be without problems and or troubles. In fact it says just the opposite. The bible says in James 1:2 "...when trouble comes your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." Not IF, but WHEN. Trouble is going to come - that's part of life. But what do we do with it when it comes?

If we KNOW God, then we should know that He is in control. That He loves us and is watching out for us. If we KNOW God as our personal Shepherd and Lord we should be able to trust Him with everything that is important to us and know that His plan is for our betterment.

Perhaps my favorite example of this is found in the bible in the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (That's Rack, Shack, and Benny for you Veggie Tales Fans.)

When King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden statue and demanded that everyone bow down and worship this image. Rack, Shack, and Benny refused.

Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." (Daniel 3:13-18, NLT)

Only through truly KNOWING GOD, not just knowing about God could these men have such peace and contentment in the face of mortal danger. They KNEW GOD, they knew that they could trust Him - regardless of the outcome, they could trust Him.

How about you - when life gets tough do you have the PEACE that comes from truly knowing God, or do you fall to PIECES wondering how you will ever make it through the tough situation you find yourself in?

Big, Bold and Beautiful

The third evidence of Knowing God - is that those people that know God show great boldness for God. Jesus said:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38 (NLT)

We need to wrecklessly pursue Christ with our lives - not the things of this world. The bible teaches us that no matter what we do - we should do it for the Lord - not for man.

I am in no way saying that we should completely disregard the opinions of man in our pursuit of Christ - the bible teaches us also to speak the truth in love and to do everything within our power to live at peace with our fellow man. But I am saying that we should never be ashamed to do what Christ is calling us to do.

God has a purpose for each of us. It is His purpose, not ours. Our lives are not our own and we should not hold back or be afraid to pursue Him withour lives because of what others may think of us.

In the same way we should never back down from what Christ has called us to just because we are afraid taht we may fail. If we only do the things that we are capable of doing on our own - always living our lives in fear and trepidation - then whose purpose are we fulfilling? Ours or God's?

People who know God and have given their lives to Him - and who trust Him with their lives will not be afraid to take risks for Him. If I live my life for Him and choose to give my life for His purposes and He chooses to pour it out as a sacrifice of offering to His glory - then so be it. God is God - I am not. I will serve Him with all that I am - choosing to pursue His purpose rather than my own.

Surley goodness and mercy will follow me all of the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen

God is Great

The second evidence of Knowing God is that those people that KNOW God have great thoughts of God. When I first read this I was a little confused, but as I thought about it - it all made sense.

Who or what is God to you? Is He a friend and confidant? Is He a shoulder to cry on when life is against you? Is He a good luck charm? Is He a mascot for your life? Or is He the ALMIGHTY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, master and creator of all things - the author and giver of life?

How do you approach God? Flippantly and in your spare time? Or do you humbly come into His presence waiting on the edge of your seat - hanging on His every word? Are you desparate to be in His presence and to hear from Him?

Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT)1... As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?

When can I go and stand before the Lord? We can do it any time - we can do it all the time. But do we? If we truly KNOW God and recognize Him for who and what He really is we will pursue Him with all that we have.

Energy for Life

Continuing with our theme of KNOWING GOD (with respect to J. I. Packer and his book Knowing God), I propose that if you truly KNOW GOD - not just know stuff ABOUT Him, that there will be evidence in your life. The first evidence of people that Know God is that they are people of great energy

Daniel 11:32 (ESV)
"...the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action."

People that know GOD will be people that take action. The evidence of their life will be a passion and a willingness to stand up for God. This is in contrast to the people that are seduced by society and the things of this world and live life their way -opposed to God.

Are you going through life as if you are enslaved in drudgery, or are you going through life with a passion and an excitement for what you believe in and stand for?

Jesus said in John 10 those of us that know Him follow him. We stand for what is right, we live our lives to make a difference, rather than simply going through the motions of life.

Eph 4:23-24 says:
"There must be spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness - righteous, holy, and true."

If we know Him - we are new creations - recreated in God's likeness and it should be evident in our lives.

Knowing God

I have been wrestling with the difference between knowing a lot ABOUT God and actually KNOWING GOD. Through this, I pulled out the book Knowing God by J.I. Packer. This is one of those books that I bought 15 years ago and have started reading once or twice only to get sidetracked - but this time - it is really speaking to me.

On one hand - people would argue that it is impossible for us, as finite beings, to really know God. He is so infinite and so far beyond our comprehension that it seems ridiculous for us to truly KNOW Him. And yet Jesus says that not only does He know us - but that we should know Him - and not just know him a little. He says that we should know Him the same way that He knows the Father and the Father knows Him.

John 10:14-15 (ESV)
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Wow - so how do we really KNOW God? I believe that it starts by knowing a lot about God and then meditating on His word and allowing it to permeate our lives and take root in our lives so that it transforms us from the inside out.

I am going to continue this theme of KNOWING GOD tomorrow.

Count it Pure Joy When the World Comes Crashin

I went the to the Rock and Worship Roadshow last night - it was awesome. To my friends in Seattle and Portland - it is coming your way - don't miss it.

One song that Mercy Me sings is Alright - the song closes with a refrain that says - Count it pure joy when the world comes crashin - hold your head up and keep on dancin. I love that song it reminded me of the Blog I meant to write all day yesterday - so I am just going to combine it with today's thoughts.

Romans 5 is an incredible chapter of hope and encouragement. It opens by telling us to rejoice when we face trials and problems? Why should we rejoice - well as Mercy Me so eloquently states in the same song - There's a love much stronger than anything that holds you down.

Problems that we face are simply a chance for God to develop our character. God has a plan for us - the person that we are today is not the person that He wants us to be in the future - He wants us to grow and develop and mature and trust him to use us for greater things.

The love that is stronger than any problem we face is proven by the fact that Jesus Christ came to die for our sins while we were still sinners. He didn't say - get yourself straighened out and then I will come rescue you - He came first. So that we may have eternal life through Jesus Christ.

I guess one thing that I would like to add here is a simple reminder that no matter what you are going through in life - it is only temporary. The world may come crashin down around us - but if we can hold up our head and keep on dancin - praising God in all that we do - remembering that He loves us and is walking through it with us - we will come out the other side stronger than we went into it.

Here is a music video of Alright by Mercy Me - enjoy.

A Heart Condition

First of all let me start by saying that I hope to begin blogging on a more regular basis again. Life is crazy this time of year. Regardless of whether I blog or not - I hope that you have been keeping up with the bible reading. Spending time with God and in His Word is the biggest source of Hope that we can have - and in a time when our economy is struggling and people are losing jobs and money is tight - that is a pretty big deal.

We have been reading for the past few days in Romans - which happens to be my favorite book of the bible. No other book of the bible so clearly demonstrates my need for a savior and God's faithfulness, grace, and mercy being offered to me.

Romans 3:1-20 explains to us the importance of obeying God. God loves us and wants what is best for us - true He is magnified by His willingness to forgive our sins - but that doesn't mean that we should just keep sinning so that we can be forgiven for more.

The fact of the matter is that God IS GOING TO JUDGE US. One day we will all be held accountable for our lives. But when we are covered by the grace of God - we are judged by the condition of our HEART - not so much by our actions. Our outward actions are simply a reflection of what exists on the inside.

If we lie and say - I can do whatever I want - I can sin and do what I want because it makes God look good when he forgives me - the truth is that the condition of our heart in that case is selfish and sinful.

If we struggle and fight against sin - we will still sin from time to time - but in that case the condition of our heart is to serve and follow God. We can never follow all of His commands on our own - but the question that we need to ask is - what is the true desire of my heart. Is it self-serving and self-pleasing - or is it God serving and God pleasing?

Nothing that we can DO will ever disqualify us from the forgiveness of sins. God will forgive us of ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS - everyone sins - so what separates the righteous from the unrighteous on judegment day? The condition of the heart.

Wishful Thinking

I find it interesting that one of the primary charges brought before Pilate, against Jesus, by the religious leaders of his day in Luke 23:1-12 is that he was misleading the people.

While we know that it was actually the Pharisees and Priests that were leading the people astray by leading them to religion rather than to God - I can't help but think what it would be like today if it were against the Law to mislead people.

Unfortunately it isn't - that is why it is so important to spend time with God - listening to His voice so that we can be protected from being misled. We need to learn to recognize the voice of God and to listen to that voice as it leads us to the truth.

Random Ramblings

Well it's been a little while since I posted - and for that I apologize. I hope that you have been keeping up with your reading. It is so important to spend time in God's word. One of the reasons that I haven't posted is that most of the readings from Powered by 4 over the past week or so have been pretty straightforward. Oh - I have had thoughts that I felt I should post - but I just didn't get to it. If there was something that you are wondering about - feel free to post questions.

I guess another reason that I didn't post recently is that I have been a little consumed at home and at work - both at the church and at my contract engineering job. No excuses - just telling you like it is. It seems like there is so much going on.

I've been studying the book of Daniel in a men's biblestudy that I am a part of (talk about challenging and confusing - wow), I've been teaching on Love and Marriage as part of our FIREPROOF YOUR MARRIAGE series at church (fun and exciting), working a second job, and trying to raise up six kids. Life is crazy - but one thing that remains constant is our need for a solid foundation that comes from the Lord. If we don't have that - we will get swept away by the flood of life.

Today's Powered by 4 reading in Luke 22:14-30 included the institution of the Lord's Supper as well as the episode where the disciples begin arguing over who will be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Which is what I want to talk about a little.

Jesus basically says you are all going to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven because you have stuck with me through my trials on earth so don't worry about it - instead get out there and serve other people - just as I have served you.

It seems to me that Judas was present with Jesus when He made this statement. Was Judas included in the promise of sitting on thrones in Heaven judging the 12 tribes of Israel? People have often associated the 12 Apostles with twelve thrones judging 12 the 12 tribes. But Jesus doesn't say you will sit on 12 Thrones. He says you will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes.

I don't think Judas was included in that promise. Scripture makes it clear that in doing so - he was excluded from the blessings of God. I think that maybe it was one last warning to Judas to reconsider his actions. Jesus was talking about serving others out of love.

Never pass up an opportunity to do good for someone else. Never pass up an opportunity to help other people - to serve them with the gifts and talents that the Lord has given you. Don't be self-centered.

Life isn't about you or me. It is about living our life as a life of worship to the one that Created us.

Unmistakable

If the when Jesus returns He will be so unmistakable that he describes it like this - "Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other." in Luke 11:24 from today's reading in Luke 17:11-37. Why is it that so many people will be deceived by the Anti-Christ? I'm not sure - but I know that it will be true. So the lesson that we need to come away from here with is this - if someone else has to tell you that Christ has returned and urges you to come with them to see him - you can be guaranteed that it is not Christ.

When Christ returns - a couple of things that we can be sure of. It will be completely unexpected. Just as the flood was completely unexpected and the destruction of Sodom was unexpected. The other thing that we can be sure of is that if we are Christians - it will be as impossible for us to miss as a lightning bolt flashing across the sky on the darkest of nights.

The one thing that I do know is this - Christ is coming back again - our job is to be ready.

What's Faith Got to Do With It?

I must admit that today's reading in Luke 17:1-10 took me by surprise just a little bit. When I first read, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you" - my first thought was - WOW - that is the first major translation difference that I have seen in the English Standard Version (ESV). But when I went to the NLT and the NIV - the both read practically the same wam.

It's not that I hadn't read this before - but that sometimes scripture gets so ingrained in our minds that we completely skim over things thinking that we know what it says.

I think that most people are more familiar with a similar passage in Matthew 17 where Jesus says "if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." So why the difference? Is this a contradiction in the Gospels?

I doubt it. It is much more likely that the authors were relaying two separate instances where Jesus happened to teach on similar things. Remember that Jesus went from place to place teaching. I am sure that he adapted his teachings to fit his audience and his surroundings. Don't public speakers that travel around the Country do that today? Sure they do - that is what makes them such great speakers.

Besides that - whether it was a mountain, a mulberry tree, or a sycamore tree as some translations read - does it really matter. If any of the three got up and obeyed my command - wouldn't it be a mighty miracle regardless of what it was? Of course.

The point that Jesus was making has nothing to do with what kind of tree it was. It has to do with faith. Now I want to point out that Jesus was not accusing his disciples of having NO faith. They asked Jesus to increase their faith (notice they already had faith) - but Jesus responded by essentially saying - the size of your Faith doesn't matter - what matters is what is that Faith placed upon or in?

The disciples thought that they needed a bigger faith to do more faith to do bigger miracles - but our faith doesn't perform the miracles - it is the one that we place that Faith in that truly matters.

All the faith in the world that is misplaced will not accomplish anything - but the tiniest amount of Faith - placed in the right place - can accomplish anything.

Living out the Truth

How many times have I heard someone say something like - If only God would make it more clear - If God would prove it - If God would write it in the sky - Then I would become a Christian.

I can't tell you how many times I have sat and talked with people - presented them with the truth of the scriptures and the reason why we need to be forgiven and how that has been done through Jesus Christ - only to have them respond - yes, that makes sense - I'm just not ready to make a commitment yet.

What more do you need? How can it be made more clear?

Today's reading in Luke 16:18-31 proves that this is not a problem that we have just today. It was a common problem even in Jesus' day. The final verses of this passage read like this:

27And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers^[b]—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' 29But Abraham said, 'They have^(O) Moses and the Prophets;^(P) let them hear them.' 30And he said, 'No,^(Q) father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31He said to him, 'If they do not hear^(R) Moses and the Prophets,^(S) neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"

The fact of the matter is that someone has risen from the dead. And as predicted in Jesus' parable - even that is not enough to convince some people.

That being said - it does not free us from the obligation to spread and share the truth of the gospel with the people around us. I have attached a video story that brought me to tears. My challenge to all of you is this - how can you live out the love of Christ in your own life and impact the lives of the people around you?

It may make a difference - it may not - does it matter? Our job is to share the truth - it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict the people with regard to their sins and their need for a Savior. At some point, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Which side of the Chasm will you be standing on? Which side will your friends and family be standing on?

Why is this so hard?

Today's poweredby4 reading from Luke 13:22-35 brings to mind several questions.

First of all Jesus says "work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom". My first response to this is - why do we have to work hard? I can't earn my salvation - I can't earn my way into heaven - so why do I need to work hard? To me it seems so easy - I'm a sinner, Jesus wasn't - He died to pay the penalty for my sins - conquered death and now sits at the right hand of God offering a free gift of salvation to me - based upon the fact that he already paid for my sins. I don't have to do anything - It's already done for me.

And yet, I remember sitting and talking with a young man a few years ago - as I explained what he needed to do in order to enter into a relationship with Christ - he looked at me and said one of the saddest things I have ever heard - "I can't do it, I can't believe it - it's too easy".

So many people think that they can figure out a different or better way to get through the narrow door into God's Kingdom - that's why it is so difficult. Our human nature always wants to try to do it bigger and better. To make it harder than it really is.

If there was any other way for man to be saved other than through the blood of Jesus Christ - he wouldn't have had to come and die for me - but he did. Thank you Jesus.

The Burden of Religion

I love how Jesus stirs the pot in Luke 11:37-54. He starts by not washing his hands before dinner at the house of one of the Pharisees. Now before my good friend, O.C. Handwasher (That's Obsessive Compulsive Handwasher for those of you that care) over at The Dumping Ground think that Jesus was breaking all rules of common courtesy, I want you to understand that the hand washing that Jesus skipped was the PUBLIC, CEREMONIAL hand washing done by the Pharisees to prove how religious and clean they were to the rest of the world. It should in no way be thought that Jesus was a disgustingly dirty person in any way shape or form.

As the conversation around the dinner table progresses, Jesus starts to pronounce "WOE" upon the Pharisees and the religious leaders of his day. He accuses them of being RELIGIOUS but uncaring. He says, they do a good job at following the rules, but they are completely missing the point. The point of the Law was to bring people closer to God, but by embellishing the rules with their own set of ceremonial, unbearable religious demands, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were driving people away from God.

That is what is so unique about Christianity. It is not a religion - it is a relationship. A relationship with the One that created us. The one that was willing to step down into the depths of our depravity to rescue us from ourselves. Every other religion on earth - EVERY ONE - is about what you must DO in order to earn eternal security. Christianity is about what Jesus Christ has already DONE for us. Thank you Jesus.

No list of unbearable religious demands, simply a lifetime of trying to understand and become more like the greatest person that ever lived.

The Rumor Mill

Luke 8:40-56 brings to light an aspect of Jesus' ministry that I have always found to be a little curious. After Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead - he gave strict instructions to the parents to not tell anyone. Why? They house was surrounded by people that were mourning and all knew she was dead. Now they see her walking around alive and well - what are they gonna think happened?

Jesus was already a very popular man at this point in His ministry - as evidenced by the crowds surrounding him when Jairus came to request his help. And yet it was a common theme in Jesus' ministry for him to request that the people that had been healed tell know one - and yet Jesus' miracles weren't done in secret - many of them were done in public or in such a way that people were certain to notice.

One thing that I think of is that as we repeat stories - whether they are true or not - they tend to get bigger and bigger with time - perhaps Jesus was trying to limit this - knowing that it was going to happen anyway. Or perhaps, Jesus was trying to prevent the people that had been healed from being thrown into the spotlight.

The other thing that I think of as I try to reconcile this in my mind is that we as Christians are given the directive to go into all the world and make disciples of all men - one of the best ways to do that is to tell our own story - what Christ has done for us. How does that fit in with the directions that Christ gave people He healed during His earthly ministry to tell no one?

Food for thought I guess.

The Jesus we Need

Luke 7:18-35 is for me, a passage that brings to light one of the greatest struggles that people had with Jesus.

When Jesus came and began his ministry - John the Baptist recognized him as the Messiah. But later on when John is sitting in prison, and Jesus isn't necessarily doing the things that the Messiah was supposed to do - such as overthrow the Roman Empire and establish His own Kingdom - even John says - are you the one that we are all waiting for - or should we look for someone else?

This comes after Jesus has been teaching on such things as "LOVE YOUR ENEMY" (see chapter 6) and and has been doing such unMessiahish things as hanging out with Lepers, denouncing the Pharisees, and allowing a great prophet (who also happened to be his relative) sit in prison. Can we wonder at how people didn't recognize Him for who he was?

I can't tell you the number of times I hear things like "I don't believe in a God who..." - maybe that is because we think we know who God is supposed to be, what He's supposed to act like, and what He's supposed to do for us. When will we let go of our own preconceived ideas of what God is like and embrace the God who really is - the God that we need - not the God that we want.

Need I say more?

The Colts Rule - click here

A Question of Need

Today's passage of scripture is one of those that I would have loved to be there and seen first hand. Luke 5:17-26 relays the story of a time when Jesus was teaching and healing at the height of his popularity. The place where he was teaching was so packed that some people bringing a paralyzed man to be healed couldn't even get through the crowd. So they went up to the roof, dug through the clay / tile roof and lowered him into the midst of this crowd.

Can you imagine being in the crowd as the dust and dirt started falling into the crowd as this man's friends dug through the roof!! That would get some attention. Then to see this man lowered on his bed through the hole in the roof - what a sight. I can only imagine that the man must have been scared and holding on to the edge of his mat for all he was worth - maybe yelling at his friends to not drop him.

This man came to Jesus thinking he knew what he needed - he thought that he needed to be healed. But when he finally got to Jesus - Jesus looked at him and said - "Your sins are forgiven". Again, I'm just speculating here - but my guess is that isn't quite what this young man had in mind. My guess is that he may have been a little disappointed in Jesus' response to his effort to get to him. He may have been visibly disappointed.

Jesus surely knew what this man wanted - and yet he didn't respond by giving the man what he wanted - he gave him what he needed. What he needed is the same thing that we all need - forgiveness of our sins and the ability to enter into a personal relationship with our loving Heavenly Father.

God can meet all of our wants - Jesus proved this by healing the man as well - but He is more interested in meeting our NEEDS. God is more interested in our character and our eternal soul than He is in our physical desires and comfort. But I praise God for giving us good blessings and allowing us to live a life of comfort and for meeting so many of my desires - Thank you Lord. Amen.