Beating the Lukewarm Christian

As I'm reading through 2 Kings, I keep reading about kings who are either walking or not walking in the ways of their father David, and even read reminders to the Israelites about what happened in the desert (approximately 1400 BC). This keeps happening over and over as I'm reading. For example, 2 Kings 16 says that Ahaz (king in approximately 740 BC) did not follow in the ways of his father David (king in 1000 BC).

I sucked in history class. My excuse to my parents, my teachers, my peers and whoever else learned that I didn't do well was that I only cared about what was ahead and didn't think it was worth time to learn about what had already passed. The wars of the past were over and decided. I was living now in what the result was, so why did I care about the events that led to the result?

Based on what I'm seeing in Scripture, I think God would still show up today and ask us if we remember how He took us out of slavery and into the Promised Land? Of course, most of us are not Jewish, but I think the significance of the journey and the promise is for the entire body of Christ.

Let's look back at the years I mentioned in the first paragraph - 250 years after David's reign, God is still referring to him as "father" of the current king. Almost 700 years after God brought the Israelites through the desert, He's still pointing them back to it as a reminder that He is faithful and that He loves them. Do you know where your descendants were 250 years ago? 700 years ago?!

God wants us to look back at His sovereignty in our past to know that we can trust Him in our future. Interestingly, God doesn't just point us back to our past, but to the past of our fathers, our grandfathers and even further back than that. He wants us to know that He's been there before and He'll be there again.

That's a problem for me (as it has been for people all through history - the exact reason they needed to be reminded of it all through the Old Testament). My wife and I were looking at videos from our African safari honeymoon a couple nights ago - something we did less than two years ago, and it already feels like a dream. My memory has lost hold of the details and the moments in between the highlights. That's what happens in our walk with God. We forget about the details. I have to work hard to remember that when God asked me to move across the country, He helped meet my every need as I asked Him to. I remember the hard times and the times of struggle, but it's a lot more difficult to remember the times when God stepped in and opened doors. Even as I try to remember that God was helping me and answering prayer, it's hard to remember in what ways. I know that I am remembering some instances and forgetting others. Overall, most of my memory of the situation is just reminding myself that I knew at the time God was present and walking me through the situation.

Satan wants us to forget. He sends new people and new events into our stories to try to create forgetfulness and confusion. He wants our focus to be on something different. He wants to get us to a point where we, even for a moment, forget about the power of Christ, and try to do things on our own because it creates doubt and creates a barrier in our minds from the moments that God led us through difficulties. He wants us to be confused enough to depend on our own power to create change.

I was thinking about all of this in relation to Matthew 18:3 where Jesus tells us to have the faith of little children. What do children have differently than we have as adults that gives them that child-like faith that Jesus is pointing us toward? I think it's an inability to see and remember the faults of their parents and leaders. Why do little children cry for mommy and daddy every time something goes wrong? Because they know mommy and daddy have made it better in the past. They don't have any pride in their own abilities yet. They rely on their "perfect" parents to make everything better every time. It's not until they get older that they start to grow in pride and maybe even realize that their parents aren't as perfect as they had always thought that they start to make their own decisions and decide certain things their parents led them away from might be permissible or may even lead to some sort of enjoyable gain.

We don't need to get that way with God. His reminders throughout history show us that He's never let us down and that He has power over every situation. At what point do we start to put more trust in the doctor than we put in the Creator of the world? At what point do we decide that the temporary satisfaction of sexual immorality or alcohol and drugs is a better feeling than the Holy Spirit flowing through us? At what point do we decide that our tongues and the words we use can be shared for both cursing and loving? At what point do we start to walk in the things that we teach our children to stay away from?

We think that because we're older we have some sort of wisdom that allows us to partake in things that we don't trust our children to partake in. We forget that Paul had to write letters to the churches reminding them to stay away from the things that the culture around them was partaking in. We forget that the alcohol addiction that our relatives had ruined their marriage, or that the drug addiction led them to overdose. We forget that sexual relationships outside of marriage have caused harm to the people we love or separations of families. We forget when we've seen words and phrases cause division or pain, or when heard by a child, confusion and a loss of witness. We forget about the life of pride that lost everything, causing the pushing away of everything else. We may be older, but we're still the children of God. We still need to remember where God has been present in our past. We still need to look back and see where we may have had a golden calf moment or a desire to seek something out that wasn't God.

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus is telling us to be in a place where we don't live as if we have the power to avoid temptation. He's asking us to live a life that doesn't think we can take care of it on our own or that we have enough wisdom in an area to do it apart from God. And all throughout the Old Testament, God is pointing us back to moments in history that teach us how living as wise and independent adults was the beginning of downfalls.

Watch how young children act in response to their parents. I'd suggest watching children that you know and not just watching children at the park... that's just not a good idea. Watch where the child goes when something bad happens. Watch how the child includes mommy and daddy when they meet a new friend or experience something new. Watch how obedience is learned and tested, but then how it is installed and lived out. Is that how your life looks with God?

That's the relationship He wants from us. That's the relationship that keeps God at the forefront of our minds so Satan doesn't get a foothold. It's the relationship that keeps us from thinking we can play with temptation and beat it, but instead helps build a wall in front of it. A relationship that gets us across the monkey bars for the first time without a fear of falling.

Power of Intercessory Prayer

I've had a few moments in my life when I know that God woke me up from my sleep to intercede for either a person or a situation through prayer. Some of those times I knew exactly who I was praying for and the situation, other times I just knew that God wanted to hear from me.

It doesn't have that often, but I actually experienced this last night. There was a girl in my dream who I was never particularly close with, never really actually got along with, and who I haven't seen in over 10 years, but I woke up fairly instantly and felt the need to pray. I don't have any idea why, but I was obedient like I have been in the past and after praying felt right back into sleep.

Unlike last night, most of the situations or people that I've felt God ask me to pray for are close to me. And even though I know that God has called me to intercede in those situations, I'm often hesitant to ask others to intercede for me. When they announce the prayer teams at church, I typically decide I'm strong enough to battle it on my own and that I don't need to waste their time. When my friends ask me if they can pray for anything I typically tell them while thinking that it won't make a difference. I've never been able to understand why someone else interceding on my behalf would have any more power than my asking God directly. That's why this section of scripture I read last night was so profound to me.

In Acts 12, King Herod murders James the brother of John - one of the original 12 disciples. After murdering John and seeing that the Jews approved, he arrested Peter and threw him into prison with the intent to do the same to him. Verse 5 - "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."

That verse stands alone in the text. Verse 4 talks about how the prison was guarded and verse 6 talks about the result of their prayer. Without verse 5 there is no other reason stated for what is about to happen. We don't know if Peter was pleading with the Lord to be rescued, although I'm sure he was, but that's not what we're told. God specifically wanted this verse to tell us that the church was earnestly interceding for Peter as he was in prison.

In the following verses, Peter is laying on the ground bound by chains and guarded by two soldiers awaiting his trial the next day, where he would surely be murdered, when an angel appears to him and tells him to get up. His chains instantly fall off, and the angel leads him out of the prison, right passed the prison guards and out the city gate which opened on its own as they approached it. Herod and the soldiers didn't even find out until the next morning.

The power of the church called on God to intercede into Peter's situation. Although Peter was most likely asking for rescuing as well, it was the church that the passage credits for praying.

The church is the family of God. The sons and the daughters. When one person in a family stands tall against an injustice, some people may notice. When the entire family fights together, walls come down. God created us to be in community with each other - not just to live alongside each other, but to live for each other and to fight for each other.

Remember the battle of Jericho? God ended up bringing the walls down, but He asked for the entire army to show up. We aren't created to go into battle alone. We're created to go into battle as a family that loves one another as much as we love ourselves. God loves to bless obedience. Through obedience Isaac isn't killed, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego arne't burned in the furnace, Solomon is made to be the wisest person to ever live, Daniel closes the mouths of lions, Lazarus is raised from the dead, the bleeding woman is healed, the lame man can walk, the blind man can see, Rahab and her family are saved.... and probably a thousand other Biblical references to God blessing obedience.

Let's be the family God calls us to be. Let's fight for each other. Let's love each other and care to fight for each other as much as we care to fight for ourselves. When a family stands together in God's name, mountains are going to move.

The Seriousness of God's Wrath

There are some topics that never seem to find their way to the pulpit. I'm sure there's a fear of certain topics and what kind of response would result from a sermon focused on one of those topics. But, I just write blogs and I don't even know who reads them, so if what I write scares someone away, I'll be okay! I'm confident in the truth that I write about, and trust that God will use Biblical truths to lead people where He wants them to be.

Ever since I started reading the Bible I've always been confused how a loving God can command the Israelites to go into a town and kill every living thing, including women and children. Even Jesus told us that unless we approach Him as little children, we have no place in Heaven. Through Jesus, we know that God loves children immensely and He instructs us to protect them in every way we can. If Jesus is God and shares the same Spirit as God, then why do we see two completely different attitudes when it comes to sinners and children?

The answer is in the character of God. I can't even begin to explain the character of God through one little post, but we can touch on a couple little pieces.

• God is 100% free of sin and can not be approached by sin. That means that not one person, baby or elder can approach God. Romans 3:23 tells us; "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Through this verse and others, the Bible teaches us that we are born sinners. As soon as we have life, we are already destined for Hell. Nothing our parents do can help us escape that fault. The sin of Adam and Eve opened up the door to allow all of humanity to be affected by temptation and sin that separates us from God. This means that the babies and women that God commanded the Israelites to kill were not pure and blameless as we like to see most people through our worldly eyes, but they were just as guilty as the robbers, murderers, sexual immoral, and other transgressors of that time and our time. 

• God sent Jesus to bridge the gap. God wasn't able to be around sin, but loved the people that were covered in sin. Imagine someone who gags around poop and a baby that's covered in it. That person can love that baby more than anything, but until someone else comes and cleans the baby up, they aren't able to approach the child. Because of God's character, He wasn't able to cleanse us of our sin Himself, because He couldn't get that close to it, so He sent Jesus to clean us up. The only way that Jesus was able to provide a way for us to be clean was to die a sinless Man. So, God sent His Son to die for our sins because He loved us so much that He didn't want to be eternally separated from us. 

I think this also explains the phrase "the fear of God". We learn to fear God in a healthy way when we realize that he completely hates the sin in our lives. It's never permissible. It's never ok. It's never something that He can just accept as a mistake. It's never just a little booboo. Every time we sin, it's deserving of death... as powerful of death as killing off an entire city of babies because of it! That's hard to hear, but the God who loves us can not stand the evilness that lives in us when we are living in sin. The only solution we have and the only reason the New Testament is completely about love and is completely free of God commanding people to kill others is that fact that Jesus washed us clean. He died once and for all to wash us clean for ever. We now have the freedom to approach God as clean children, and to be seen by Him as forgiven, clean and pure. 

I'm thankful for the sacrifice Jesus paid and the love that God had for us that led to a way we could be with Him. There's nothing greater. 

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

It has always been one of the hardest questions for me to answer. For someone to ask this question, they're typically going through something where they may be lacking faith already, so to just tell them that God's plan is good even when we can't see it never feels like it's going to give them the enlightenment they're seeking.

I've asked the same question as I had friends pass away at young ages. I even had a friend pass away who I think was on the road to salvation but I don't think got there before their life was lost. It's always been hard for me to think about. What if I had watered that seed a little more? What if I had been a little more upfront about the saving grace of Jesus and the sorrowful eternity without Him?

I still don't know the answer and I may never, but I find hope and peace in John 9:3. In the verse prior, one of the disciples asked if a blind man they see along the road is blind due to his own sins or his parents. Once you understand that God has full control over everything, and you understand the scriptures of the Old Testament where sickness and punishment were brought on people for disobedience, the question isn't as crazy as it sounds.

Jesus responds, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

Although God can work and be present in the time between seconds, His plans happen in centuries and generations. For example, Jesus is called the Son of David even though there were TWENTY-EIGHT generations between David and Jesus. I've been trying to track down my family tree, because I'm interested in where I came from, and I think I've figured it out back SIX generations. I know nothing about that person other than a name and a birthday. So, when we look at where we are now and the things that are happening to us and around us, there's a really huge chance that God is at work in something now that's going to come to fruition long after we're gone.

Jesus tells His disciples that we aren't necessarily being punished when negative things happen, but they happen so that God can be known. If we were never ill, and nothing ever went wrong, God wouldn't ever have an opportunity to show His power. If the man in John 9 wasn't born blind, Jesus would have never been able to heal him and watch him share his faith in Christ to the Pharisees and his family.

It sucks, because like my friend who passed away, sometimes even as time passes, we look back and still can't see how God worked in that situation, but I've found everything else in the Bible to be true, so I'm going to choose to trust Him in those events too. His ways are greater than mine.

Waiting on Your Moment

I can't remember the last time I didn't feel like I was meant for more. A lot of that is probably due to my own actions, such as chasing the follies of earth rather than fighting for souls in eternity, but I also believe that God has something in store for me that I haven't stepped into yet because it's not the right time.

In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul dropped the ball and ended up keeping some choice cattle and a king alive after a battle where he was asked by the Lord to kill every living thing. God was angry with him and decided to choose a new king to take his place, so He sent Samuel to the family of Jesse in Bethlehem to choose one of his sons to be the future king. It's kind of a funny story, because Jesse sends 7 of his sons in front of Samuel, and the Lord says no to every single one. Samuel has to ask Jesse if he has any more sons, at which point he decides he better tell them about David, the youngest son who is out in the wilderness caring for the sheep.

Once Jesse was able to fetch David, God directs Samuel to anoint him, so Samuel anointed him with oil in front of his brothers, then left. He left. He came and gave David this awesome anointing, then just moved on and left David right there.

If I had just been anointed as the future king of Israel, I would expect to be in that role very soon. I would expect Samuel to tell me to pack my bags and follow him, but instead he leaves and David just goes back to hanging out with the sheep. That would be a little confusing. Samuel was a very well known prophet during that time, so Jesse and his family are probably very aware that he's on a mission from the Lord. I think they would have some sort of expectation for some immediate actions after the blessings poured out on David.

David most likely knows something is coming for him and is waiting in anticipation, but he doesn't know when it's going to happen. He might be expecting Samuel to come back and get him, but with every day that goes by probably doubts a little bit that his season is ever going to change.

This is my favorite part. Samuel doesn't have to make the introduction. He doesn't need to be the one to take David to the palace. Saul ends up with an evil spirit and when searching for a skilled musician to play relaxing music for him, one of his servants ends up recommending David. It wasn't Samuel, the person who knew David was supposed to be in a kingdom position, but God used someone else - someone new to the story.

David was never in a position where he would have ended up in the king's presence without God directing his steps. A shepherd belongs out in the hills with his sheep, living in solitude, constantly watching out for the safety of his animals. He wouldn't ever need to go to the city and meet the king or even be in a place where he might somehow run into the king by chance. There was no reason for the relationship to ever happen.

All of the time when I'm hopeful for something or anticipating God to move somewhere in my life, I consider what actions may need to take place for me to get there, but then immediately start to doubt when I can't connect the dots from where I am to where I expect/hope to go. The open doors that I see in front of me don't lead to the well that I'm hoping to reach. It's hard to remember that God can so easily bring something/someone new into my story.

Three things happened for David.

1. Saul was overcome with an evil spirit and needed someone to play him comforting music.
2. David had most likely been living in a lifestyle of nightly jam sessions, raising the roof for his sheep, practicing for this moment he didn't know was going to come.
3. One of Saul's servants had randomly heard David play and recommended him for the position.

The moments that God is going to use in our lives may not be extremely colorful or highlighted with trumpets and fireworks, but every moment counts for something and can be used for something. God has the ability to bring something new into our story and immediately change our circumstances.

I'm practicing my pastoral gifts, so here's another list of 3. Three things that I think we can do to create opportunities for a change in our stories.

1. Matthew 22:37 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind." 
2. Mark 12:31 - "Love your neighbor as yourself."
3. Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord"

Every moment. Every person. Every gift we're given. They are all opportunities for us or others - chase after them.

Maintaining Joy in Trials

A couple days ago I posted a picture of my car after a hail storm came out of the mountains throwing nearly tennis ball size hail down around my office. Every car in the parking lot experienced damage - at least 300 vehicles. Some people saw the destruction of their property and cried. Others jumped into action hoping that insurance would turn things around for them. Some just sat in disbelief, not wanting to admit that they lost something that they had given so much value to.

I've chosen joy. It definitely sucks to have something that you depend on get ruined. It sucks to have something that you've given value to, suddenly lose a lot of it without warning. I've learned though that being upset about this kind of thing doesn't help. Anger or frustration aren't going to fix my car. Even worse, anger and frustration aren't going to build up and into the people that God has surrounded me with. I can't be a good witness with that kind of attitude.

Over time God has shown me that His plan is always great. I can look back at times and see that although it sucked in the moment, the end result was great. For example - moving to Charleston and being homeless for a week - that was rough, but I ended up developing some of the greatest relationships I may ever have. Tonight I read about how King Saul had a similar experience.

In 1 Samuel 9, Saul's father sends him out on a trip to find some donkeys that had run away from them. Donkeys were a part of their way of life. Based on other stories in the Bible we know that people of this time often used donkeys to travel and get around. The same way we use our cars, the people of this time used donkeys. They would ride one, and use the others to transport the other things they needed to carry. Probably one for groceries and one for a change of clothes and maybe a tent if the grocery store was a long way away. We don't know how many donkeys Saul's father had, but even if I had a multitude of cars, I'd still be upset if I lost one. Saul and his father are most likely feeling some negative emotions as they try to figure out what they might do if they never find their donkeys. Their first choice is to put everything they have into trying to find the donkeys in case they can be found and returned to do their duties.

It turns out that Saul's search for the donkeys led him in the direction of Samuel (a prophet of that time). Saul had heard of Samuel and knew that he was a prophet, so hoped he could tell him which direction to go to find his donkeys. As soon as Samuel sees Saul, he already knows who Saul is and why he has come. At this point, Saul doesn't even know why he has really come!

When Saul finally reaches Samuel, he's invited to come eat with him and is told not to worry about his donkeys because they have been found safe. Saul thought that he had traveled to Samuel in order to find his lost donkeys, but in reality, God used Saul's donkeys to bring the two men together so something much greater could happen. God had asked Samuel to name Saul the first king of Israel.

From Saul's point of view, his whole trip was one that involved a very large burden and some negative emotions. He was probably fearful that the donkeys wouldn't be found, angry that they had run away, and maybe even financially scared of what they would do if they couldn't find them. How do you react when you misplace something of value? Do you ever lost a credit card, wallet, purse, or phone when you're running errands and start freaking out thinking you may have left it somewhere and you'll never see it again?

Would you react differently if you knew you'd find your wallet with $100 more dollars in it? What if the person that found your phone was going to be your future wife/husband?

God always has a plan for us, and because of His position in our lives as our loving Father we can trust that His plan will be beneficial to us even if it doesn't seem like it is at the time.

Living in the Light

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting light."

This is the verse just 3 verses prior to "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."

Time for a sports analogy!

If I want to be good at basketball, I'm going to practice and I'm going to give it all I have every time I practice. But, if I'm practicing by myself, who's going to be there to tell me if my shot can be improved? Who's going to be able to correct my footwork if I'm practicing moves below the basket? You can get pretty good at certain aspects of basketball by yourself, but even NBA players have a coach that helps keep them on a track. They need someone to correct them when they're wrong and remind them what work they can put in to keep getting better.

If I have a coach that I trust, I'm going to want to practice in front of him. I'm going to realize that the criticism and discipline that he forces on me actually makes me better and helps my game improve.

People who don't trust God, they choose to live in the darkness. They don't want people to see the mistakes they're making. They fear correction and run and hide from discipline.

People who trust God trust that living in the light is a beneficial place to be, even when our lives are filled with sin. Attempting to hide our sin is a sign of not trusting that God has power over it, and not trusting that God loves us through our mistakes, which He promises us that He does through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Living in the light is opening your life up to God to correct and lead you away from your sins. It's showing Him that you trust His discipline to take you to a place you can't get on your own. He's the Coach that can take you to the next level that  you were never able to attain on your own.

Hope in Samson

God had a lot of plans for Samson. I wrote yesterday about how even before Samson was born, God had met with his mother to tell her that he was going to be used by God.

You know what Samson did while he was being used by God?

Judges 15:4 - killed 300 foxes by starting them on fire in order to burn the Philistines crops

Judges 15:8 - "Viciously" kills many Philistines to get revenge for killing his wife and her father

Judges 15:15 - Picks up a donkey's jawbone and kills 1000 Philistines

Judges 16:1 - Spends the night with a prostitute

Judges 16:3 - Wakes up in the middle of the night and steals the doors from the city gates and Gaza

Judges 16:4 - most likely has relations with Delilah

Judges 16:6-14 - lies to Delilah multiple times about where his strength comes from

Judges 16:30 - Blindly collapses the Philistines temple, killing over 3000 people


I hope you don't ever feel like you're too far gone to be used by God! Don't ever feel like you've messed up too much for God to use you.

We don't know a whole lot about Samson that made him a good person, but he listened when God called. We're never going to be able to completely separate ourselves from sin, but we can make sure that we move when God asks us to. We can make sure that our ears are open and that our hearts are willing to hear God's call and worship His name when the opportunities come.

Seeking Confirmation

It's hard to get back into something after quitting. I had to take a break from blogging to study for an engineering exam I took last weekend, and I've also been out of the gym for a while... hopefully this is a sign that I'm about to be back to both soon!

I've been trying real hard lately to make sure that I'm praying throughout the day and including God in all my decisions. A lot of times that leads to questions of authenticity. I may feel God leading me one direction, or think that something I saw recently was a sign from the Lord to lead me toward some sort of action in my life. Sometimes I'll sit around and think about it for a while, trying to solve it on my own, when I'm not the one who has the answers.

In Judges 13, the mother of Solomon is approached by the Spirit of God to be told that she would be having a son and instructions on how to raise him as a Nazirite. When she tells her husband, Manoah, he has questions that she can't answer. (Similar to how I feel when God tells me to do something). Instead of just winging it as I try most of the time, Manoah prays and asks God to give him some clarity. Verse 9 says "God heard Manoah..." 

God isn't a father of confusion. He's a father that loves and cares. When He gives us direction and instruction, He wants us to have a full understanding of His desires and expectations. When He hears that Manoah needs a little more information, He returns to him and his wife to make sure they understand His requests. 

Let's make sure we're not walking forward with questions about what God is calling is toward and if we're in His will or not. If we're not sure, let's ask. He's omnipresent, so we know He's listening. He loves us with agape love, so we know that His love never fails. He exists outside of time, so He knows where we've been and He knows what's in our future and how to get us there. He has the answers when we don't. He makes a way through the wilderness, and He can help us avoid every stone, every root and every rough place. 

On a dangerous hike, why risk doing it alone when there's a guide available who has never lost?

God's Guidance and Counsel

How often do we wonder what is coming in our future or how to prepare for it? It's pretty much a daily struggle of mine to forget that I just need to walk forward in God's plan. I always think there's more that I have to do or some sign I'm missing. Asking myself if God would use me more if I was more outgoing with strangers or maybe if I was more involved in some sort of community.

The greatest comfort to me is knowing that God has a plan and that He's guiding me even when I can't see Him. Psalms 73:23-26 says:

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in Heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

David understood that even though he made his own decisions and was in an area of leadership where people came to him for advice and guidance, God was leading him through it. God had a hold of David's hand and was leading him through all of his choices and decisions the same way a father leads his young child through public places. A father doesn't let his child cross the road without holding his hand. When danger is near and choices are greater than what we can perceive, God guides us because His vision is clear.

David continues to mention that God is also his strength and portion. Just as our earthly fathers are stronger than us, God is present to fight our battles with an unmatched strength. Our confidence in Him should give us the freedom to move forward into any area that God is calling us to, knowing that His power is present in our lives if we're in His will. Just like our earthly fathers aren't able to guide us when we distance ourselves from them, God gives us the same freedom. Yet, if we stay close to our father, he will share his wisdom and guide us through any area of life that we allow.

Take Up Your Cross

Luke 9 says "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?"

We need to pick up our cross daily. It's not a one time thing. We don't just put our cross necklace, or WWJD bracelet on and call it good. We sin every day, and we are here to bring worship to God every day, so every day needs to be treated as something new. Every day we have the opportunity to worship by choosing to give that day to the Lord by sacrificing our selfish desires and choosing to pursue His desires.

If we're not pursuing the Lord's desires, we're losing. We may end up in a big house, with fancy cars with dinner dates at fancy restaurants, but if we turned away from God to gain it, then we're losing our life. We're choosing earthly pleasure over the reward of eternal life in Heaven. It's hard to grasp eternity and how glorious Heaven will be, so some people will turn away from God to enjoy what the world has to offer to them now, but they will be forfeiting themselves to an eternity in Hell.

Chosen out of a Crowd

We're in an era of mega churches. The Hartford Institute shows that there are over 1,300 non-Catholic churches in the United States with a weekly attendance larger than 1,000 people. The Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea claims more than 830,000 members. That's an extremely large number of people who all read the same book and follow the same Lord. At my church, I'm one out of thousands. Based on studies, I'm one out of close to a million people in my state that go to church on the weekend. More reasonably, I'm probably one of 100's of thousands of people that go, since there's studies that show people exaggerate how often they attend church.

Biblical historians assume there were probably close to 2 million Israelites who crossed the desert with Moses. There's some argument about the translations of the original text, but regardless of the actual amount, it was a very large amount. How did God choose Moses? In our churches, our country, or even our religion, how do we get the opportunity from God to serve Him in a large capacity. I think a majority of that answer is humility, but I think there's some information in Luke 8 as well.

Jesus had returned home to a welcome party and was immediately met by a man who had requested Jesus come to his house to help heal his daughter. Luke 8:42 says "As Jesus was on His way, the crowds almost crushed Him." There were so many people surrounding Jesus and touching Jesus that He was being pushed in on all sides, feeling crushed!

Here's the cool part - As Jesus was walking through this crowd, which I picture as the area right under the stage of a major concert, a woman who had been bleeding for years touches His cloak. Most likely, simultaneously with about 4-10 other people as He felt Himself getting crushed by people on all sides, YET He asks His disciples who just touched Him!!

Imagine walking through a mosh pit at the front of a concert with a friend and they grab you and ask you if you know who just touched them. First of all, I would think my friend was crazy and had possibly accidentally taken some drugs. Then, I would most likely ignore their very strange question and pretend it never happened. That question would just be too ridiculous for me to come up with an answer.

Peter must have trusted Jesus a little more, because He gives Him a real answer and tells Him that He's being pushed on all sides by people. Jesus responds, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

Now, recognize that Jesus has been traveling around healing people for a while. The word has spread and most of these people surrounding Him are probably there trying to get some sort of healing or wisdom. I think of this crowd as the one at one of these churches, or maybe even the entire church body. Why was it that when all of these people were there with faith that Jesus could do something to help them, it was the faith this woman had that caused her to receive healing without Jesus even acknowledging her presence until after He had healed her?! Lots of the other people touching Jesus are probably hoping for the same thing. They are approaching Him, expecting a healing or hoping for some sort of miracle in their lives, but the only power we know Jesus feel leave Him was when this one, very specific, woman touches Him.

I want to be that woman in my faith. Not that I want to stand out in public or do miraculous things that the world hears about, but I want to have such a strong faith in God that He chooses me to use. When there are so many other people attending church and worshiping God, I want my faith to stand out as strong. I want my faith in the power of Christ to be the faith that moves mountains and the faith that just believes in His power without needing to ever see it.

A Peace of Faith

I've been worrying a lot lately. I look into the future and there doesn't appear to be much promise there right now. I have some hopes and dreams for it, but I can't seem to make the dots connect to get there.

It was really good to read Luke tonight, and read through the story of Jesus rebuking the storm that came onto their ship as He was sleeping.

The disciples recognized a storm was coming and got really worried, and cried out for Jesus. They even went and woke Him from His sleep to let Him know they were all going to drown!

Jesus just woke up and told the storm to chill out, and it DID! Then asked the disciples where their faith was?

If I trust in the plan Jesus has, and the power that He has that lives in me through His Holy Spirit, then what is there to fear? What should I worry about if He already knows my future?

I trust that God's going  to lead me to where He wants me to be as long as I follow Him in the direction that He leads. The time to worry is when I'm not following where God is leading... that's when giant fish come and swallow you and spit you out on the beach! I'd rather just show up at the beach on my own!

Hide it Under a Bushel?

Luke 8 revisits the Parable of the seed that gets scattered on the ground, but then discusses how a lamp is not hidden when lit, but it's put on a light stand for everyone to see. The Holy Spirit is our light. It's not God's will for us to hide that or let it grow dim. He asks for us to live our lives in a way that allows everyone around us to see the Holy Spirit working and living in us. 

One of the biggest ways I've worked to do this in my life is to be more than honest about my activities and my beliefs. It's still very hard for me to just throw Jesus into a conversation, but if someone asks me what I'm doing on Wednesday and Friday nights, or Sunday mornings, I'm going to use that as an opportunity to tell them exactly what I'm doing! If someone just mentions doing something on Sunday, I make sure to let them know I will be busy at church in the morning. If someone asks me to do something Wednesday, I don't just tell them I'm busy, but I let them know I volunteer at my church's youth group, so they know what my priorities are. 

I don't want to hide what I believe, because it has the power to save. I may not be the best at drawing attention to my light from those who aren't looking, but I'm growing more and more comfortable with letting it shine as bright as I possibly can when people give me the opportunity to throw it into a conversation. 

I can't force people to read this blog, but I can make sure that I'm writing truth for anyone who may come to read it. Take the opportunities God gives you to let your light shine!

Possessing Our Land

I used to dream about living full time on a yacht so I could experience the majesty of the ocean every day. Once that passed I dreamed about living in a remote cabin in the woods where adventure was in my backyard and I could fish in any lake I wanted. My dreams often involved only me and pretty isolated locations.

Although I don't see that I would have ever pursued those dreams, I had written them off as things that may just need to wait until Heaven because my faith in God means I'm on earth for a purpose aside from self pleasure. Jesus didn't die and tell His disciples, go forth and enjoy your lives to the best of your ability. He didn't say, go forth and pursue pleasure in every way possible. He told them to go forth and make disciples of all nations.

How was I supposed to do that if I lived apart from all people?

As I've been reading through the Israelite's journey in finding their new home, my eyes have been opened to a lot of Scripture that never really hit me before, as I am also on a journey to make this new location my home. So, when I read Numbers 32, and saw how the Reubenites and Gadites approached Moses to ask if they could possess land that was not in the currently understood region of the Promised Land, it grabbed my attention. Everyone had been under the impression that the Promised Land was west of the Jordan, but these nations had seen land that they thought would be good for them so approached Moses to ask if they could settle east of the Jordan instead.

The problem here is that they are part of Israel, and God had meant for them to fight along the other tribes to take over the nations that were currently living throughout the Promised Land. So, Moses response was that it would be okay for them to possess the land west of the Jordan River, as long as they accompanied the rest of the tribes into Israel to fight for the rest of the land.

As I relate that to where God has us right now, I pull out that God is okay with where we choose to live and what we choose to do with some of our time, but that we still have to be available for our purpose. Although, we may not know what our future purpose is, we need to make sure that when it becomes known, that we are willing to put time and effort into it. I can have a big family and a farm in the mountains, but if I'm called to minister to a situation or people group in downtown Denver, I need to be willing to cross the interstate.

Gold and Pigs

I think I've mentioned before, but my daily readings are a little different than what I've done in the past. I read a little bit of the Old Testament, a little new, some of Psalms, and some of Proverbs every day. It's great, because by reading the other pieces at the same time it keeps me from needing to read 3 chapters in a row of Leviticus or Numbers... although, as I've shared over the past couple weeks, both of those books have some solid stuff in them!

It's been hard to get very much out of Proverbs this way, because I only get to read a verse or two at a time. Today was Proverbs 11:22. "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion."

There's been a huge movement over the last couple decades for women to not be viewed as objects. The problem with the fight is that some women are like the gold ring in the pig's snout and aren't fighting, but instead are letting themselves be the objects. 

It's so important as a woman to know that you are loved by God. That He's a Father that loves and cares for His children. Those feelings of love don't have to come from other men. God is strong, He loves you, and He has great things to say about you! As a gold ring, let God's rays of sun shine and reflect off of you. Don't let desire or men in today's society convince you that your ring belongs in the pig slop... God has His own plan for you. 

Where God Sends Us

I've been on quite a few mission's trips, and spent time praying about every single one of them. I remember talking to multiple people on various occasions about deciphering where and when God might want me to go in my ministry. More than once the response I got was, "What are you asking for? God has already told us to go out to the nations and this is your opportunity."

It never really felt like the right response, so I prayed through it every time anyway. So, tonight when I read Luke 4:25-27, it hit me that there was a reason I felt the need to pray. God's timing is not always our timing. Jesus was wise enough as a child to start is His ministry, but God had Him wait until He was 30 years old. 

Jesus says this in Luke, "I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed - only Naaman the Syrian."

Similarly, although we are surrounded by people who need Jesus right where we're at, He may be asking us and leading us to bring Jesus to people somewhere else. 

Even the right thing, at the wrong time, is the wrong thing. The right thing, in the wrong place, is the wrong thing. The only way we can know the right time and the right place is through discerning the Lord's guidance in the situation. 

What the Bible tells me about my Ancestors

Usually when I get to a genealogy in the Bible, I skim it over making sure I'm not missing any specific text and don't bother reading all of the names. I don't have enough Biblical knowledge to be able to connect most of them to anyone I've read about elsewhere in the Bible, so I just make sure I don't miss any context clues that might connect someone to a different story and then move on. I'm sure in those times a lot of people were more familiar with the families represented in some genealogies, but I get lost after the twelve tribes.

Today I decided to read through it though! It wasn't easy to skip when my whole reading out of Luke 3 today was the list of Jesus' ancestors, so I decided to read through it and see what names I recognized. Matthew had written a similar list, and there are some differences. It may be that one traces back through Mary or maybe no one really cared to know Joseph's lineage until Jesus showed up. Even with today's technology, I know it would be tough for me to go back more than 4 generations!

Many would actually point to the fact that many women in that day would remarry after their husbands died, and that the differences are due to Joseph's father possibly being in that category.

Regardless, there is a difference, but they both come together in the same place - King David. What got my attention in Luke that isn't taken into account in Matthew is the genealogy before Abraham. I believe that I'm most likely a descendant of Abraham, but if I'm not, I'm definitely a descendant of Noah. There aren't really many other choices since he was the father of the only other men who were on his boat during the flood.

A few names stuck out to me before Noah. Noah's grandfather was Methusaleh - who lived 969 years!!! He was ready to go home to the Lord. It's hard to believe that he didn't die wiser than Solomon. I definitely would have been asking him for advice anytime something came up. He was probably a great hunter/gatherer.

Noah's great-grandfather - Enoch. Enoch and Elijah were the only two people mentioned in the Bible that didn't die, but were instead just taken into Heaven.

I've thought previously about how cool it is that Abraham and Isaac may be my ancestors, but to know that the oldest man who ever lived, and a man that was so loved by God that he was taken into Heaven without dying are my ancestors is pretty special!

The Fruit of a Tree

John the Baptist came and started teaching the crowds about the Lord right before Jesus started His ministry. Some people were getting confused and thinking that John was the Messiah. He was pretty close because they were cousins! Mary actually visited John's mom Elizabeth while they were both pregnant and John jumped in her stomach at the presence of Jesus. At this time, John was attracting very large crowds of people, and they all wanted to get baptized by him, although he lets them know someone greater than he is coming to baptize them with fire and the Holy Spirit.

At one point John calls them a brood of vipers and asks them why they're coming to him. They tell him they want to be baptized, but John is a little leery so he gives them a little warning. In Luke 3, John warns all the people getting baptized that a true repentance leads to a tree that produces fruit.

The sensitivity of some churches today has led to baptisms without instruction. I hope that this is not leading people into a false sense of salvation, because clearly there is more to repentance and salvation than a baptism by water.

We are all trees. All planted by one Father in Heaven. Throughout our lives, we have the opportunity to take in good nutrients, water and sun in order to bear fruit. But, the only nutrients capable of bearing fruit come from the Lord. Those who do not commit themselves to God, have no ability to bear fruit. John tells the men that if they do not bear fruit their tree will be cut down. That means their life will be ended. There is no use in the Kingdom for a tree that does not bear fruit.

John is then asked some questions by individuals wondering what they need to do to produce fruit. The general response, prior to Jesus saying it Himself.... Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

A Talking Donkey

I've mentioned before how interested I am in the things that are not typically seen. I wonder what is going on around me with the angels and demons. How often attacks are fought off, and how easily I let them in. I wonder if I always have angels protecting me or if I'm alone at times. I wonder if I ask for more angelic presence, if God grants it. 

I think about angels when I'm singing worship songs and imagine them dancing around the throne of God, but I really wish I could see it. 

Then there are times when I end up being late for something because I couldn't find my keys, or something else keeps me from leaving on time, then I see an accident on my route to wherever I'm going and I question whether God had caused me to be late for protection. 

Balaam had a similar experience in Numbers 22 as he was riding his donkey to go see Balak. Balak had requested that Balaam come and curse the Israelites for him so that they would not be able to attack him and his people. God had told Balaam that He would not be cursing the Israelites, but directed him to go see Balak anyway since he had asked persistently. I guess God wanted to remind Balaam that he needed to only tell Balak whatever words He had given to him, so He sends an angel to block Balaam's path. The donkey sees the angel and tries to stop, but Balaam beats his donkey multiple times as he was not able to see the angel. 

At this point, God opens the mouth of the donkey! "What have I done to make you beat me these three times?"

Either Balaam is Dr. Doolittle or there were some details left out of the Bible, because I'm pretty sure I would have needed to start the conversation with questions about how my donkey had learned how to talk. Balaam just jumps right in though with a response, "You have made a fool of me. If I had my sword in hand, I would kill you right now!"

The dialogue continues a little bit, but then God opens Balaam's eyes so that he can see the angel. Balaam suddenly realizes that his donkey isn't crazy and that he should not have been beating it expecting it to act differently.

I think there are probably times when I think everything is going all wrong, when really God is ordaining them to go all right. I just want to have faith that everything that happens to me outside of my control is something that God is either creating or allowing to happen to push me in the direction He wants me to go. 

Creating a Home

One of the toughest parts of relocating to Denver has been our housing situation. Although we didn't have the nicest house, it was nice to have a place of our own where we could disconnect a little bit and relax in the quiet of our old neighborhood.

Now, as we're falling asleep to people talking outside, playing video games on the floor below us, and smoking weed in the room next to us, it's really tough to be content with where we are right now. It's been hard to not desire to go back to where we were. It's also tough to not take money from important parts of our budget, like retirement, savings, and overpaying student loans, in order to get a nicer apartment.

I don't know what God has for us here, and I'm not going to say it's a great house with property to have some animals, although that's what I want. His plan may be different, and we're okay with that. I find a lot of peace in seeing how God clears the road for the Israelites as they start to enter the Promised Land.

The Promised Land is their future home, but it's currently being occupied by other people. God has taken these people from one land and moved them to another, but the place He has in mind for them is already full of cities. Of course, having fortified cities and huge armies isn't really a hard task for God, so in Numbers 20 we start to see how He's going to empty the area so that the Israelites can make a home.

The area around Denver appears as if it's going to be our future home, but there's A LOT of people here! We believe God has called us here and led us here, so seeing how well God emptied the land for His people to live after He led them to the Promised Land gives me hope that He will provide a way for us as well. In current times, I don't expect He'll ask me to pick up a sword or go attack anyone, but I do find hope that when God leads us somewhere, He also creates a way for us to thrive there.

Leaving a Legacy

The families I spent time with in Charleston were some of the tightest knit families I've ever met in my life. I believe a lot of the reason for that is that the pastor and leader of our church showed us a great example of what it looks like to pass the baton to both children and grandchildren.

Ever since I was young I've been attracted to the guys around me who had tight knit families. I can't exactly explain why, but I always wanted to hang out with those guys and their families. I felt safer and more comfortable with them.

A lot of places in Scripture we're taught about fathers passing the baton to their sons. Abraham to Isaac. David to Solomon. And lesser known, but in my reading today, Aaron to Eleazor.

As a father, it seems like God's desire for us is to raise our children in the wisdom and knowledge that He has already blessed us with. To let them follow us and learn from us. To choose to spend time with them instead of apart from them. And, at times, even to value their growth over our own. We need to be selfless with our wives, but also selfless with our children.

In Numbers 20, God tells Aaron and Moses that they will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land, and tells them to go up on a mountain so that Aaron can pass his robe to Eleazor before he dies. At this point, all that is left for Aaron to do in his life is to pass things off to his son. God didn't just allow Aaron to die, then allow Eleazor to step up and take his place, but it was an ordeal that required solitude and time to be spent between the father and his son.

I'm sure Aaron had a lot to talk to Eleazor about before he died on that mountain. I doubt that he just took his robe off and fell to the ground. God arranged a situation where Aaron could tell Eleazor how important it is to follow God in all His commands, how important it is to lead well and to love well, and how proud he was to be his father. I'm sure they shared stories and talked about how good life had been to them both. I'm sure they embraced and kissed and told each other how much they loved each other.

I would think that it was probably a very important moment of Eleazor's life. A moment he probably thought back on pretty often. Probably even a moment that fed into some decisions that he made later in life.

I can think back to moments like that that I've had with my dad, my mom, and my grandparents. What probably seemed like the simplest little moments to them played a huge role in the person I grew up to be. I hope I can be the same to my baby girl!

God is Always Present

I'm seeing a lot of growth come from my obedience in reading and in this blog. The more often I find myself reading and thinking about the Word, the more I find that I'm thinking about God throughout the day, which leads to me communicating with God more throughout the day. Then, the more I communicate with Him, the closer I feel to Him, and the more I feel His presence. The more I feel His presence, the more I trust Him. And the more I trust Him, the more hope I find.

Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken."

It's so powerful to know that God is on my side, and feels so good to know with confidence that He considers me righteous. If I'm righteous, I must be forgiven. If forgiven, then redeemed.

If I choose to live as someone who is redeemed, then my life is no longer about me, but it's about what God wants to do through me.

If I follow God, as He directs me in His ways, then I can trust where I go, He's using me. Although those places may seem less than ideal to the life I would choose to live if my life were without Christ, I can celebrate in them knowing that they are purposeful in my life with Christ.

If I'm not a famous musician, NBA star, or my newest hobby - prospector, it's not a big deal. God didn't choose for me to be on that road. He had a different route He wanted me to be on that has taken me to Golden, CO where I'm soon to be a father, and spend a lot of time behind a desk although every part of me wants to be outside. I know He uses it. My day job is engineer, but my God job is Gospel spreader. I'm just undercover posing as an engineer.

PS - There is gold in these mountains, and I really want to find some.

Land of Milk and Honey

I'm just trusting that this is where God is taking us right now. First, talking us out of Charleston, wasn't easy, similar to getting the Israelites out of Egypt. We had to cross the Great Plains. I admit... it's not quite the Red Sea, but it was definitely an event. And now, we're in the land we felt called to, but we are not yet tasting the milk and honey that I hoped we would find here.

I'm encouraged by the message Joshua and Caleb gave to the Israelites in Numbers 14.

"The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

Joshua and Caleb trusted that God was leading them and that God had the power to give them the blessings of the land. Most of the other Israelites didn't believe, and therefore God would never allow them to set foot in the Promised Land.

Although there may be some roadblocks, God has the power to take us through them.

Since Moses and Aaron had been told by God to not enter the land yet, they were camping outside of it and waiting for where God told them to go next. Some of the Israelite men got restless and actually decided they were going to go take on a couple of the groups living in the land without waiting on God. God had been traveling with them in the Ark of the Covenant, but they didn't even bring it with them. Even though God had provided for them all the way through the desert, they still decided to try to rush things without waiting for God to give the OK.

God has a specific time for things and a specific way that He sometimes asks us to do things, and He desires for us to listen and follow Him in that, not because it's the only way He can do the things He wants to do, but because He gets worship out of our obedience.

Obedience is the path to blessing

Bold Like Caleb

In Numbers 13, Caleb and 11 other dudes, including Joshua, are sent to the Promised Land to scope it out and see what lies before them. They find some grapes, which must have been the greatest grapes ever because they get attention for like 4 verses! 

These guys come back and tell Moses and the Israelites that the land is truly flowing with milk and honey, but that it's filled with giants living in fortresses. 

I don't know how anyone else feels when they're standing next to someone that's the size of Lebron James or Dwight Howard, but that person wouldn't really be the first person I'd want to take on in a fight. Not only are the huge, but their cities are well protected with high walls, gates, archers, etc. I'd rather find the tribe of little guys and go after them first and most of the rest of Israel is on the same page as me!

Caleb though... Caleb understands God's power unlike almost everyone else in the assembly. As all these other guys are freaking out about the kind of people they might have to go up against... probably peeing their pants thinking about it, Caleb quiets everyone down and says "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

At this point, everyone in Israel is thinking about these other cities as the Russian in Rocky IV. They're tall, lean, mean, fighting machines. Only Caleb realizes that although they might look small like Rocky, they force behind their punch is greater than anything the giants could ever have on their side. 

Caleb is the man. And I'm thankful for his example in leading against the mold due to having such strong faith in his God. 

Slow Down... Listen

I was hoping the reading today would line up with what's been on my heart for the last couple days, but it didn't work out like that this time. Mark 13 does, in a way, parallel what I want to talk about though. Jesus talks about His second coming and how many people will be led astray before then. We need to be prepared and watch, because we don't know when or the time of day, but we need to be ready when He comes.

I think, just like we need to watch, we need to spend more time listening. So often my day gets so hectic from a world point of view, that any time I spend with God is me talking to Him. I'm asking for things or thanking for things. Maybe I'm even complaining about things. I forget how important it is to listen. How good is a relationship where someone just tells you about themselves all the time, and doesn't even slow down for a second to listen to any feedback. Personally, I run from those kind of relationships. It's too hard to be in that type of situation.

I was at church youth group tonight and a bunch of kids wanted to get up and share experiences they had from a retreat they were on last weekend. The most impacting moments weren't when the students were in worship or sharing about themselves, but it was when they were in a moment of quiet time, when they slowed down and listened to what God had to say to them. God had reminders for them to tell them how loved they were, how beautiful they were, and how He plans to use them. He had encouragement for some and even spoke to some for the first time. 

Even myself, as I attended a prayer night last night, finally remembered to take some time and listen after pouring my heart out to God, and got a little emotional when I clearly heard "I got this". The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Well... I'm thinking that must mean He's been cool for yesterday, today and the future, because  He didn't say "Thou shalt be under my protection and guidance". That would have been cool a few centuries ago. But, He told me He has it. It's under His control. This is His plan. It's not up to me. I don't have to figure it all out. I don't need to know all the solutions. I don't need to carry this burden (Matthew 11:28).

I think about when I've led groups of people on backpacking trips. The leader is expected to provide a safe and clear trail for those behind them. God is our leader, and has your life in His control. If you're following Him, then there's nothing to fear or worry about. Maybe there's an area of mud, but by time you get there it's going to have a plank across it to protect you. Maybe there's some thorns hanging over the trail, but by time you get there they're cut back. Maybe there's a snake, but by time you get there there's nothing to be seen. If we're following God closely, we're going to stay on that plank, within those thorns and away from the snake, but if we start to take our eyes off of the leader and try to do things on our own, we're going to miss the plank, walk through the thorns and come across the snake's new location. 

Cast your burdens on Jesus, and follow closely. He promises to lead us well. 

To the Nations

Mark 13:9-11 says "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the Gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit."

Every time I've read this in the past, my takeaway is that the Holy Spirit is going to be on my tongue during times of trouble if my faith and trust is in the Lord. If I end up getting in trouble, or even if I have a tough speech or presentation to give, I just need to trust that the Holy Spirit is going to give me the words I need to make it through. If I trust as if the words are already there, they always have been!

Today I read it a little differently though. That part still speaks to me the same way, and I think it's an area a lot of people need to learn to put faith into, but the middle verse stuck out to me today.

"And the Gospel must first be preached to all nations."

This is pretty much the great commission in one little sentence, but it's not the sentence that sticks out to me, but where it's written in the context of the chapter.

Jesus wasn't saying, fit the Gospel into your conversation when you're having fun eating dinner with your friends, playing football at the park and going fishing this weekend. That's all great, and we should find opportunities to plug Jesus into conversations whenever possible, but the context is different. It's more like, make sure you bring the name of Jesus up when people are beating you up, throwing rocks at you, making fun of you, calling you crazy, and making a mockery of you. Then expect to be thrown into jail. But even then, remember to bring up the name of Jesus and let the Holy Spirit speak through you!

It's RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE! There's no chance that Jesus is not telling us that preaching the Gospel to all the nations is going to result in some pretty wicked responses. The Gospel isn't something that will necessarily be taken well, and not something people will necessarily accept. But, regardless, the Holy Spirit is prepared to take us through those moments. There's no promise that it will be safe - only a promise that Jesus name will be made known.

The biggest thing I always want to know in my work, when playing sports, in my hobbies, or when leading people is what do I need to do to succeed? What's my next step? What is the end goal and what actions do I need to take right now to get there?

Well... I think these 3 verses tell us pretty clearly that the end goal is for the Gospel to be preached to all the nations and the step we need to take right now is to make the name of Jesus known wherever we are. Even if dropping the name of Jesus could potentially result in something negative - it's still the direction He's asking us to go. He doesn't just want us to do it, but promises to use it for His glory!

What is the Greatest Commandment?

In Mark 12:29, Jesus responds to a man who has just asked what the most important commandment is by saying "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

I think the fact that no person has ever been able to keep these two commandments is proof that God is real, because it's definitely proof that the devil is real. How hard can it be to score a 100% on a two problem test?

Yet, every time I put my own desires before God's desires, I get the first one wrong. Every time I use my gifts for selfish gain, I get it wrong again.

Every time I lie, or as I like to call it, "a little fib" to get something I want, I get #2 wrong. Every time I walk passed someone in need, wrong again. Every time my gain is more important than there's... wrong again.

Some really amazing, really devoted, really disciplined people have been able to get really close to living this out perfectly, but they didn't. It's impossible.

We can strive for it as much as we want. We can make it our full time job to seek after perfecting it, but we would still fall short. That's the blessing of Jesus though. Even when we fall short, He's available to stretch out His hand and pull us to the finish line. He fills the gap for us. He sees us coming up short and jumps into our mess in order to help us get to the Promised Land. We really just need to grab His hand - yet some people don't. Some people choose to live as if His hand isn't there for them. Some people choose to see His hand but decide they don't want to bridge the gap, or that they can do it on their own. They can't. I can't. You can't. Tom Brady can't. Michael Jordan can't. Billy Graham can't. Mother Theresa couldn't. Really great people... still couldn't do it.

All I want to say is TAKE HIS HAND.

The Fig Tree

In Mark 11, Jesus goes up to a fig tree hoping to find something to eat, but figs are not in season so he isn't able to find any but ends up cursing the tree. After a little time passes the disciples and Jesus go back passed the tree and see that it has withered. They're amazed and point it out to Jesus.

At this, Jesus responds and tells them "if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

I just really want to have this strong of belief in the power of Christ. With Jesus, money isn't an issue, relationships aren't an issue, physics is not an issue... it's so hard to do things on our own. I just want to ask for it in confidence, knowing that it's received.

Instilling Blind Faith

We found out last week that we're going to be having a baby girl! I'm starting to look at things and think about things differently already. One thing my wife pointed out to me earlier is that I'm really going to need to pay close attention to what I'm listening to on the radio.

There's almost a little culture shock involved with moving out here from the Bible Belt. In Charleston, most people knew how to look like Christians, and for the most part wanted people to see that side of them when in public. Denver is different, and is taking me back to what Wisconsin was like growing up.

We're going to be going to a park with a bunch of my coworkers on Sunday to "play volleyball". I was excited to play volleyball, but I'm starting to grow concerned that playing volleyball may just be an excuse to get together at the park and get wasted. A sign up sheet for what to bring made its way around and after 4 people decided to bring different kids of beer I decided to bring water. Well... turns out Coor's is close enough to water for most everyone but me. In Charleston the reaction would have probably involved some thoughts about how their grandma had told them to be like that at one point in time, but they had chosen a different path, so in the end it would end up being a very respectful response due to their understanding. Here, the response was more to make fun of the guy bringing water. Totally not a big deal to a 30 year old who has been getting made fun of for 15 years for wanting to be the guy not drinking alcohol, but definitely a reminder of the type of peer pressure that my daughter is going to have to go through at some point.

So, I think having that experience today really helped me read about Bartimaeus in Mark 10 through a different lens.

Bartimaeus was a blind man who happened to be sitting along the road to a city as Jesus and the disciples came through. He overheard someone say that it was Jesus and he began shouting, ", Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

The next verse says, "Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet..."

Bartimaeus is already in a very vulnerable position by not being able to see. I certainly wouldn't want to give anyone any reason to see what they could get away with doing to me if I was blind. I wouldn't want to stick out as different. I definitely wouldn't want to upset a crowd of people.

Bartimaeus didn't care though! "...but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Bartimaeus was sold out for Jesus. He knew Jesus was His path. He knew Jesus was the answer. He knew that Jesus was Lord. He wasn't going to hold back what he believed in because some people may have been offended by it. He wasn't going to hide his beliefs because some people didn't understand them. He was going to stand on the mountain and yell it out, because he wanted people to see how awesome his Lord was!

Jesus ends up stopping and telling the disciples to get the man. The man comes to Jesus and after being asked what he wants, he tells Jesus that he wants to see. Immediately, Jesus tells him his faith has healed him and his sight is restored.

I pray that as my daughter grows up and her peers or even people older than her start to try to lead her down paths of destruction, that she'll be wise enough to go harder for God. To yell Jesus louder. To make a scene for her King. Not to back down. Not to hide. Not to give in. We're living for the KING. Everyone else... temporary satisfaction.

Giving Everything to the Poor

As I was going into college I really didn't want to be one of those kids that went to college with no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was trying so hard to figure it out. I finally came up with the idea to go to school for Communication with hopes to end up in ministry someday. 

That decision didn't come easily though! I had good enough grades and had scored high enough on my ACT that I could have gone to almost any school for almost anything. It was definitely a blessing, but made it hard at the same time. I had heart that wanted to share the Gospel, but a mind that could get me to a place where I could financially support others who could share the Gospel. My final decision was based out of Mark 10 where a man comes up to Jesus and asks what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him a few of the ten commandments which the man says he's kept from his youth, but then Jesus drops the bomb! "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then, come follow me."

The man was very wealthy, so went away sad. The verse leads you to believe that the man was not willing to give up his possessions to follow Jesus. 

I was young. I didn't know myself very well. I was scared that if I made enough money to send others that I'd choose to use it on myself instead. I was scared that I would also choose money and possessions instead of the Man who I was basing my decisions around.

It turns out that God made some things very clear to me while I was in Communication's school and I learned that He had other plans for me. I learned a lot about myself and knew that Jesus was always going to come before those things in my life if I wanted Him to. 

First things first though! Debt is a killer.

The Same Mission

In Mark 9 the disciples approach Jesus and tattle on a man that was performing miracles in Jesus' name. He was not one of Jesus' disciples, so they expect Him to be a little upset about it, but instead He tells them it's not a big deal.

If we look at the Church today, we see a lot of different flocks of sheep being led in different ways by different dudes, but in the end, every Bible-centered church should have very close to the same mission. So whether you go to the Church of Christ, the Church on the Hill, or the Church of the Saint, we are all working together to bring glory to our Father. We may be under different leadership and we may be taught in different ways, but if the final product is leading people into a relationship with Christ... it doesn't matter what methods or teachings got the person there.

A couple years ago I went to dinner with a friend of mine who had almost gone into the priesthood and we started discussing the differences between my beliefs and his. Specifically, the Eucharist, and whether or not it truly transforms into Christ body when taken in communion. The Eucharist to him is a very important part of his worship because he believes that the connection he has with Christ is very great during that time because of the literal transformation of the elements as they are taken. It's important to me as well, but because I don't believe that the elements transform, some people of the Catholic faith would consider me to not be close to Christ because I am not taking Him into my body through the elements.

We talked a little more and I decided to see if we could agree on Jesus' greatest commandments and expectations for our ministry. We agreed that loving God with all we have and loving our neighbors as ourselves were important teachings, and also that our purpose was to spread the love and news of Christ to all people.

At the end of the day our beliefs on certain elements of the Christian faith may be very different, but we fight for the same cause. We share the same common goal. Someone that learns to love and forgive like Christ and gives their life to Him is accepted by Him whether they are taught by either one of us. As long as Christ and the power of the cross are taught in a Biblical way, He's going to be in the hearts and conversations of the people behind that Kingdom work.

Prayer and Fasting

In Mark 9 Jesus is approached by a man with a possessed son who tells Jesus that the disciples tried to help him but they were not able to. Jesus replies by saying "you unbelieving generation. How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

I can't believe how it would feel to have your friend and teacher say that about you. I'm sure He made a point with it though! Later on the disciples ask Him why they weren't able to help the boy and Jesus tells them that the kid of spirit that controlled the boy only comes out through prayer and fasting.

It's interesting that Jesus says "that kind" of spirit. It leads me to believe that there are other kinds of possessed spirits that would be removed in other ways.

Regardless, I think this is a prime example of how separated we are from Christ because of our sin. The disciples who were taught directly by Jesus and watched Him remove spirits probably hundreds of times were not able to get the demon out of this boy. We aren't able to do some things on our own, no matter how hard we try or how badly we want to, but Jesus has the power to do it every time.

I need to walk forward in humility. I want to understand better that no matter what I do, only Jesus is going to get me there in the end.

Guarding Our Minds

The Christian faith is mostly based in things that we cannot see. We cannot see the good things, which most of us wish we could see. But, we also aren't able to see the bad things. I think I like that better anyway!

In Mark 8, Jesus is telling the disciples that He's going to have to die and leave them. Peter tries to take Him aside and tell Him otherwise, but Jesus responds by saying "Get behind me Satan!"

We all know that Peter is not Satan. We know that if Satan was somehow living within Peter at that point in time, Jesus' response would have been a lot different.So, what I believe was happening is that Jesus understood that sinful thoughts were the root of Peter's response. All sin comes from Satan, so Jesus, in turn, tells Satan to get behind Him.

I think this is a really clear example of how easily we can become a catalyst for sin in our lives. Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends and a devoted follower. He had heard Jesus tell them multiple times how to live a good and sinless life, but yet in this moment, still allows himself to be a sinful vessel in an attack on Jesus. Without knowing it of course.

There's a chance that we're that vessel at times. Maybe we think we know the way God wants things to be and try to make those things happen without actually talking to God about them. It may be that Satan is leading us down a road that we think is right, in order for him to gain something that is wrong.

The same goes for when we are listening to the advice of someone else. They may think they have God's plans in mind, but God's plans don't always make the most sense. Who would have thought that the greatest prophet to ever live was only sent to die? How would Peter have ever known that allowing his Teacher to die was the right thing to do? God's ways are greater than ours though,

The conclusion is that sin is everywhere. Sometimes we're going to be a vessel for it without even knowing it. Sometimes our friends are going to be a vessel for it without knowing it and may give us leadership or advice out of sinful thoughts that no one can see through.

Jesus is the only way to break free from that sin and to purify our vessels to be filled with love. That's why it's a daily battle. Living for Jesus isn't a one time decision. It's a decision to sign up for a lifetime of service, spending every day in battle against the enemy, fighting for the freedom to share love to the people around us.

For God or Man

During my lifetime the Church has shown a general movement toward more biblically-based teaching and less second-hand doctrine. Although some denominations still focus strongly on doctrine, I believe the movement away from it has spawned from Mark 7. The Pharisees accuse Jesus and the disciples of not living according to the traditions of the elders because they didn't wash their hands before they ate. Jesus calls them out for thinking that an unbiblical tradition should be followed by all men and points them to Isaiah where the prophet says:

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."

Their have been a lot of Godly men that have been known to lead people astray. We cannot just trust a man of God because he's been put in a position of authority. Every Christian should read and understand the Bible for themselves in order to know what to believe when told by others. Nothing the Pope says can overrule what God has told us through His Word. Nothing our pastor says. Nothing Joseph Smith said. Nothing any man says has more power to it than what we read in the historical text that is sitting in every Christ-believing church today. The truths of the Bible are never ending, so anyone that speaks in disagreement to it will not lead people to a place that glorifies God.

Skin Disease - The Levites

It's so hard to read Leviticus every time I try. It's so many pages full of rules regarding offerings and the priests and which offerings are required for every specific instance. I just read two chapters of the Bible that pretty much only focus on irritations on the skin and whether or not the person with the irritation is clean or needs to be kept in confinement to determine whether or not they are unclean.

The first thing that comes to mind is "Thank God for Jesus!"

Aaron would have been so frustrated with me when I brought my two doves for my guilt offering and my cake without yeast as my sin offering and my spotless young ewe for my celebration offering. There's no way I could have kept track of all of those things! Plus, with the amount of sin in my life, my flock would have needed to have a very serious reproduction rate!

So, I'm very thankful that Jesus came in and took the place of the need to slaughter animals as offerings to God. It's much easier to just remember to give my first 10% every paycheck in order to give God the firstfruits of my labor. (PS. If it's the firstfruits, then it comes before taxes, otherwise it's the secondfruits)

When I read these areas of the text I have to sit around for a while asking myself and praying about how this could possibly be relevant to me today. Usually, I just tell myself how thankful I am that I don't need to bust out Leviticus every time I sin to figure out my offering, but instead can just repent through Christ. Today was a little different though. The text continued to refer to the depth of the skin irritation on whether or not it was clean or unclean. Then discussed a little bit about whether it had healed or not, and healed "white" (a scab) skin was considered clean.

I think the depth of the irritation is the depth of sin in our lives. Multiple times the text refers to white skin on the surface only as being clean. That white skin to me is the new skin over an area where a boil or a cut occurred. The skin is healing, therefore the person, although they sinned, is clean. The sin was not able to penetrate, but instead was forgiven and the person is clean.

The text also referred to irritations that were deeper than the top layer of skin. Sometimes those people had to go into confinement for 7 days to see whether or not the disease spread or became healed. I believe that this is referring to the times in our lives when we're caught up in sin. We aren't clean yet because we haven't asked for forgiveness and may still be living in the sin, but maybe it still hasn't completely pulled us away from God, so only time will tell whether or not we fall away or seek healing. After those 7 days, the priest needs to inspect the person again. If the disease has spread, the person is unclean, but if it is still there and not spread - back into solitary confinement. If the skin is white, the person is clean.

If the disease ends up growing from the depths of the skin and spreading into the skin of the whole body, that person is considered unclean and must stay outside the walls of the city in order to separate the clean from the unclean. These would be the people who fell into sin and allowed the sin that entered their lives to take over to the point where it leads them to death.

The great news in all of this is that even when we have a little disease or irritation on our skin, we can still be considered clean. Whether or not we had a disease and now have white skin, or we never had any skin issues at all - both are considered clean. There is no differentiation! One is not considered more clean than the other. The person without white skin was not given more freedoms or more love or more opportunities than the other person. That means that God sees us all the same - whether we have been striving for Christ-like perfection our whole lives, or if we came to Him with scars and scabs from our past - we all look the same to Him!

Don't be ashamed of the scabs and the scars. But, make sure that when disease strikes, you don't let it take over your whole body. Allow the scab to bring healing and remain clean inside the walls of the city.

Living with Integrity

When I was younger my goal was always to do whatever I needed to do to stay out of trouble, even though I was causing it. So, whether it was lying, hiding, cheating, etc., I did what I could to keep my trouble hidden so I wouldn't get punished.

This is something that came up the other day at youth group that has been on my mind since. I had a kid bragging about how he was keeping from getting punished by lying about his actions. I was that kid though, so I know that in the end your concern is that someone is going to find you out. You can't ever find peace when you live in a life of sin.

Proverbs 10:9 says "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out."

About the time that I got serious about my walk with the Lord and dedicated my life to Him, I decided I needed to start telling the truth. If I was truly going to believe that my Father in Heaven had the best plans for me, then I needed to trust that He would lead me into them regardless of the sin that He knew was in my life. I didn't need to stretch the truth in interviews, on my taxes, or when talking to potential girlfriends. If God's plan was for me to get the job, then I was going to get it by answering the interview questions as honestly as possible. Any lies may still result in me getting the job, but I'm sure that the job is going to go a lot better if I don't need to spend any time in God's discipline for my crooked steps.

A life of truth and honestly has been great. Like everyone who falls short of the glory of God... I still might exaggerate the size of the fish I catch, the distance I can jump, the ability I have to fight bad guys, and how cool I am, but I can truly see when I tell the truth that God blesses me in ways that I didn't see blessing before. Mostly, the truth is often a step of humility, and humility brings us closer to God as we understand that all things come from Him.

Seed Scattered

The  parable I read today was out of Mark 4. Jesus tells the disciples that the Word is like seeds scattered on the ground. Some on rocky ground, some in the thorns, some fell on the path, and some fell on good soil. The sun burned up the plants on rocky ground, the thorns overtook the plants where they were planted, the birds ate the seeds on the path, and the seeds in good soil flourished.

We are the ground. Usually I strive to be a rock, but this time I'm trying to be soft black soil! See... the rock is all about Jesus until things get tough, then they decide to go back to the way things were before. As I've been reading, I'm noticing that the Israelites are often like rocks as they travel through the desert. Every time Moses does something they don't expect, they start to turn away from God.

The seeds on the path never got a chance. Some people are so closed off to Christ that whatever seeds are planted in them are immediately lost to the things of the world. The ground needs to be tilled before the seeds can take root.

Lastly, no one wants to get thrown into thorns, but they are pretty similar to the rocks. Either way, that seed takes root, but then quickly dies out. If you're going to take root... if Jesus is going to be your life, then make sure you're in the good soil! I've talked about those things that make good soil before, but surround yourself with other people that are planted in good soil. Don't think that your seeds are planted in good soil if all the seeds around you are on rocks, paths and in thorns. You want to be in a field of good soil! Then, once your plant is ready to release it's own seeds, send them over to other areas where new soil has been tilled and made ready.

Read and strive to understand what the Bible says to stay in your good soil. Farmers don't plant crops they don't know how to maintain. Certain pests attack certain crops, certain diseases strike certain crops, and the farmer knows what to do when disease and pests start to show up. We need to know the same about how to keep our soil from becoming weakened. We need to make sure our soil keeps the nutrients to keep us growing.

Finally, talk to the Farmer. If you feel disease coming or there's a pest on you that's trying to eat your leaves or your fruit, you got to let God know! We're plants... we can only do so much, but the Farmer - He's got everything that we need to stay healthy and strong in our soil!