How tempting it is to settle with sin due to the fact that no one seemed to visibly get hurt right away. Wouldn’t it be nice if that was the way sin operated? These statements assume that the pain and sting of sin come immediately, they assume living a life of sin either has immediate consequences or none at all.

It’s a very dangerous assumption to make.

Living a life of sin eats away at you. It changes who you are, not instantaneously, but bit by bit. Satan’s goal is that you would be content with mediocrity, and as long as “no one gets hurt” you would continue to live a life with little to no spiritual growth.

And that’s what happens. Admit it.

You rarely meet someone who’s constantly justifying sin in one area of their life while at the same time seeing incredible spiritual growth in others.

It’s not easy to walk with the Lord, in fact your flesh will raise hell against it (pun intended). However, the perfection of Christ on the cross gives you everything you need to stand firm.

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. – Ephesians 4:17-24

There’s a national seafood chain called Joe’s Crab Shack which, among other things, is known for the message they paint on their buildings: “Free Crab Tomorrow!” Before you get too excited about it, let me just warn you, it’s nothing more than a brilliant play on words…when you come back tomorrow, it says the same thing. And by then, it’s not tomorrow anymore, it’s just today. “Tomorrow” never comes, and you always have to pay for your crab.

I thought of this as I was thinking through a powerful message found in the lines of a Switchfoot song. “This is your life, are you who you wanna be?” “Today is all you’ve got now, and today is all you’ll ever have.” These lines keep running through my head, and I’m realizing more and more just how true they really are.

This concept really hits home to me right now because, believe it or not, 2011 is almost over, and we have a new year starting in just a few weeks. Like many other Americans do, I am taking this time to think about where I am in life, where I really want to be, and how to get there, especially over the course of next year.

A year ago, I was doing the same thing. There were changes I wanted in my life…some small, some much bigger. Two of the smaller changes I wanted to make were that I wanted to start both journaling and working out on a daily basis. I know that the working out fizzled sometime in February. Looking at my journal, it survived longer, but my daily entries there died out in April. And some of the bigger changes? They are still there, waiting to be fully made. I’ve made some minor progress towards them, but not enough.

“This is your life, are you who you wanna be?” And the answer is no. So what am I going to do about it? Wait until January 1, set some new resolutions, and hope they last longer?

“Today is all you’ve got now, and today is all you’ll ever have.” If I wait until tomorrow, I’ll never make any changes. Today is all I have. Obviously, for more major changes, one day is not always enough. But one day is always enough to make that next step, that next incremental part of the major change.

What about you? “This is your life, are you who you wanna be?” If not, what are you going to do about it? “Today is all you’ve got now, and today is all you’ll ever have.” What can you do today to start becoming who you wanna be?

*Addendum* After posting this, some of the first words I heard coming through my car stereo were from another Switchfoot song.

“Today will soon be gone, like yesterday is gone, like history is gone…it’s going, going, gone.”

“Today is all you’ve got now, and today is all you ever have.” And we don’t have it long. Let’s make the most of it!

Colossians 3 talks a lot about putting on the the new self. A self renewed by God and being conformed into the image of Christ.

you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. Colossians 3:9b-10

It’s a tall order, luckily one you don’t have to fill. Many of us would rather pull ourselves up and start working on this whole “renewal process” but what we must realize is the renewing of our heart and mind can only be accomplished through the work of Christ.

Taking control of the situation is something I’m pretty good at. My personality comes with both strengths and weaknesses though. When I think about what it took to rescue me from sin it wasn’t through any action of my own. No matter how much I was determined to take control of the situation it wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

We must submit ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to do the renewing. In Christ alone our hope is found.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:2-4

I was thinking this morning about “Christ centered” trust. I also thought of calling it “Cross centered” trust but I’ll stick with Christ for now.

Life’s not always clear. The right decision to make isn’t always staring you in the face. So how do you trust God even when it seems the road in front of you is slightly murky?

Well it all comes down to what about God you’re placing your trust in. Now don’t take this too far because everything the Lord does is perfect and worthy of your praise and trust. But there will be times that you begin to doubt the path you’re on and that’s when Christ must become the center of your trust.

The truth is that we don’t always know exactly what to say or do. We pray and seek the Lord to show us the way. But there are times He puts us in holding patterns of waiting on Him. It’s in times like this we often become impatient or confused.

It’s very easy to begin to place your trust in the things God is giving you. It could be your job, your friendships, or your family. But these things are never guaranteed in your life.

The Lord deserves 110% of your trust based solely on the fact that He has saved you from yourself by the power of the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. You might have other issues that seem very daunting at the moment but in the end, when you’re really not sure about where you are or what to do, clear your mind, pray, and ask the Lord to remind you of your first love. Jesus Christ.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Sometimes it seems that the events of my life are routine, mundane, and unimportant. I feel as if I could never do anything to change the world, much less affect the Kingdom of God in any way. This feeling is increased by seeing people I consider giants in the faith, doing much more than I ever could.

Then I think about David. I am sure there were many times in his life when he was out in the field tending to his father’s sheep, and playing the harp wondering if what he was doing had any impact on the course of history. Why couldn’t he be out on the front lines of battle with his brothers? Occasionally he would have a bear or a lion come and attack the flock, and David would get excited and energized, and kill the attacking animal. Then the adrenaline would wear off and he would resume his normal duties of tending the flock as if nothing had happened.

David probably never knew that God was using those times of trial with the lions and bears to prepare him for attacking a giant who was threatening the flock of Israel. David was a nobody! He was from the tribe of Judah and the youngest of his father’s sons! How insignificant David must have felt at times!

But David was ready to serve God whenever action was necessary, and did so even in the little things. I think there are several things that establish David as an example in following God:

• He was faithful
• He was obedient
• He was ready and willing to stand up and take action when the time came

Even when things didn’t go right or he sinned, David was still considered an obedient servant and a man after God’s own heart. How convicted I am when I think about this. Sometimes I am sitting out in the field watching the sheep (metaphorically, not literally), which is not the most pleasant of pastimes, and wondering if what I am doing is worth it, or making a difference. I see my brothers and sisters go off and fight great and mighty battles for the Lord and regret I cannot follow.

Nevertheless, God honors these three things:

• Faithfulness
• Obedience
• Willingness to stand for truth, and righteousness.

So even when it seems like I am not doing much, I remember that God is preparing me for something great. It might not be something magnificent for the world to admire, maybe not even slaying a giant, but God will use it. No matter what you do, whether you are on the front lines of battle or tending to the flock, remember God has you there for a purpose, and will honor your faithfulness, obedience, and uncompromising stand for truth.

If you are following Christ’s lead, you are changing the world!

Let’s face it…our country badly needs God’s mercy and intervention. As the event website for “The Response” stated:

“America is in a state of crisis. Not just politically, financially or morally, but because we are a nation that has not honored God in our successes or humbly called on Him in our struggles.”

That is so true. America, as a general rule, has turned away from, ignored, and even opposed the very God that has so richly blessed it. Unfortunately, the American church, again as a general rule, has followed the rest of the nation.

Today however, there was a glimmer of hope. 30,000 people gathered from across the nation to repent and seek God’s face. Countless others participated in their homes and churches. This is exactly the kind of response that God asks for in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

“if My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

To have a such a large amount of Christians from around the entire nation actually obeying what we see here is exciting and gives us reason to hope.

However, here’s what I’m worried about. Today’s event, “The Response” is over now. If repentance, prayer, and seeking God’s face are seen as just part of a one-time event that is now over and done, it will do no lasting good. God wants humbling ourselves before him, praying, seeking his face, and turning from our wicked ways to define our lives. One day is not enough, it must be a lifestyle. Also, as impressive as the numbers of people that participated today were, if we are to believe the stats, it was at best .1% of the Christian populace. God want’s all of His people to have this lifestyle, not just a small percentage.

What we saw today was definitely a start. 1 day and 30,000 people is better than we’ve seen in a long time. But let’s make sure it doesn’t end there.

God is well able to intervene and save our nation, and according to 2 Chronicles 7:14, He’d like to, but it requires action on the part of His people. Let’s build on the foundation laid today and join the response…humbling ourselves, praying, seeking the face of God, and turning from our wicked ways!

When I sin, confession is the last thing I want to think about, because in my prideful mind, it only means I am admitting to defeat, and defeat is not something I want others to know I deal with. However, I do find myself confessing my sin to God, but is that enough? Did God intend, in the battle against sin, for me to keep my sin between me and God? This past week, I finished reading a book called “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and a concept he mentions pricked my heart. Below is an excerpt of his discussion of the necessity of confession.

Who can give us the certainty that, in the confession and the forgiveness of our sins, we are not dealing with ourselves, but with the living God? God gives us this certainty through our brother. Our brother breaks the circle of self-deception. A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light. But since the sin must come to light some time, it is better that it happens today between me and my brother, rather than on the last day in the piercing light of the final judgment. It is a mercy that we can confess our sins to a brother. Such grace spares us the terrors of the last judgement.

Why you must not confess your sins

Why does the devil not want you to confess your sin? Because the sin that has affected your mind and destroyed your being, will be able to continue it’s dirty work of destruction in your life. However, we have been redeemed to serve Christ, not to serve sin. (Romans 6:4-6) Therefore, if we are to live lives unto Christ,  we cannot afford to neglect the command of James 5:16 to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another…” because as Bonhoeffer says “As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light.” This has definitely proved true in my life. The unknown sins of my heart only have power when they are kept secretly in the corners of my heart, pampered and sheltered from the light of Christ and the compassion of my fellow brothers. When they are brought out into the light, however, they have no more power in my life, and the struggles I have with them are prayed over and freely acknowledged. I find a freedom that is not found in anything else. It lays my sin out in the open, like a writhing snake on the brink of death, and allows me to take an axe to it’s head with the help of a brother.

Freedom in confession

I am so thankful for brothers and Christian leaders who are open to me confessing my sins to them, so I might be free from the “ sin which so easily entangles us”. (Heb 12:1) If you do not already, I challenge you to find a brother or sister that is spiritually mature enough to pray for the areas that you struggle in and lift you up before the Lord. Someone who is strong in the areas you are weak. If you have been freed from sin, life is too short to remain in the clutches of that sin which will destroy.

A sermon series that has really helped me deal with sin is  ”How to kill sin“  by one of my favorite pastors, John Piper. You can find the three part sermon series here.

~ Nathan Hamilton

I heard recently from a friend that some one he knew had passed away. The young man who died was close to my age (19) and had been serving the Lord at a camp with his piers and friends. I was heart broken for the family and friends of this young man. Everything I have heard of him has been that he loved the Lord and lived life to Gods glory. His death is initially unexplainable. I am sure “Why God?” has been asked by many people in the last few days since his death. Why would God take someone so young and full of potential?

I was reading Psalm 116:15 this morning and was struck by the truth of Gods word as we sit and wonder at the ways and decisions of the our Heavenly Father. The verse says “precious in the sight of the Lord are the death of His saints.” While I sat there wondering I remembered the familiar line from an old song, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passin through”. Our Heavenly Father delights in calling those home who have believed on Him for eternal life. We are only here on this earth for a short time, some of us shorter than others. How blessed are those who go on to our home with Jesus sooner than expected?

Any time I have lost friends and family who are believers inevitably for me the question comes to my mind, why? Why was this one called home and I am here to stay for awhile longer? The subject of death is a long one, but this morning my heart was blessed to consider the aspect of joy that comes through the passing of someone who loves there Saviour Jesus and has tarried (as we are commanded to in the end of Matthew) here on earth.

Phil. 3:14 says “I (Paul) press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. Keep pressing towards the mark and let the death of a brother in Christ inspire you to press harder, remember life is a vapor and we are equipped with His word of Truth for a dying world.

But when you get into the true meaning of the word you find something very interesting. In philosophy ideology is defined as a system that derives ideas exclusively from sensation. The key with this definition is that it is very difficult for any person to experience two sensations which our minds comprehend as opposing emotions at once. When most people think of a loving God they feel differently than when they think of a just God.

This is not meant to point fingers at anyone who only focuses on God’s love, but remind each of us that narrowing God down to a single sensation is putting Him in a box in which He doesn’t belong and in which He doesn’t fit.

Christ defies any single sensation, and by doing so defies any ideology this world offers.

I have several friends in Dallas who attend The Village Church and they will admit that sometimes it seems like the cool place to hang out in Dallas which is something some people will see as a bad thing. I listen to their podcast every week and the coolest thing about the church is that no matter how “cool” they are the gospel is preached every Sunday. Chandler has a heart for his congregation and it comes out week after week in his sermons.

Chandler isn’t against your church appealing to others, but the intent behind the appeal is what he is concerned about.

“Set your mind on things above. Be brave. Be strong. You are a city on a hill.”

Those lyrics struck me. I had to pause and reflect for a moment. If I’m honest with myself, lately my mind has not been set on things above. This past week, my mind was mostly set on work, relationships, projects, music, and other details. My mind has been set on things below. Things that do not last. My mind has been set on my reputation, my accomplishments, my weaknesses. This focus on temporal things has robbed me of my joy. It has distracted me from many opportunities. How can I be a city on a hill if I’m thinking about myself instead of reflecting His light to others? How can I be brave if I’m insecure because I am not drawing upon the power of God? How can I be strong if I’m relying on my own finite efforts?

I’m so thankful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and God’s faithfulness in re-directing our thoughts. Today at church, I was reminded that Jesus was crushed for our iniquities and bore the wrath and judgment of the Father for our sake. It was a sobering reminder. Reflecting on this will drive all self-absorbed thoughts from our mind and bring us to a point of brokenness and worship. When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, and our mind is set on things above, we’ll have strength for our battles, and we’ll be better equipped to pour life into others.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ~ 1 John 3:16

Francis Chan is very honest in Chapter 3. Every leader must be willing to be vulnerable and when Chan talks about the relationship he had with his father it shows his willingness to take on that necessary vulnerability.

Even though this book was published several years ago it still speaks to things going on today. It was written to combat false teachings in the church using references mostly from the book of Jude. For those of you who haven’t studied Jude much (which was me until I read this book) this book will definitely help you gain a better understanding of its purpose.

This book is a pretty quick read, I think it took me 4-5 days to read through.

I would recommend this to anyone who isn’t familiar with the false teachings that are being presented from the pulpit today. The Truth War will definitely give you more ammo to fight for the gospel of Christ!

I give this book 6 stars and 3 thumbs up!

“Bloom where you’re planted.” We’ve all heard that phrase. This flower was definitely doing that. I’m not sure if anyone else has even seen that flower. The only way you can get to it is going into the parking lot of an abandoned restaurant. However, even though it was likely that nobody would ever see it, the flower kept on blooming.

It was a good challenge for me, and I’m sure it will be for you as well. It often feels like it’s not important for us to do our best if we aren’t in the spotlight, or if we aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary.

Ideally, the quality of our actions shouldn’t be dictated by who’s watching us, or even how important a task is. We should always be doing our best, no matter how mundane or unimportant the task is that we are engaged in, because we know Who’s watching us. It’s the little things that shape us and provide the foundation for the big things.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossions 3:23

 

“One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.” Luke 16:10

If you don’t have time to read the book, then just read the second chapter. It’s worth it. Francis Chan stirs you to action but takes a different approach than any I’ve ever seen.

“You might not finish reading this Chapter”. What kind of chapter title is that? It’s a good one!

It’s a great perspective to have. One that, if we let is soak in, will change the way we interact with the world and will bring glory to God.

In Romans 14:12, we are told that at the end of time we will have to give an account to our Judge about how we spent our time on earth. When we do, how will we explain all the moments wasted and opportunities that we have allowed to slip past? Probably one of the top phrases that Americans say is that we don’t have enough time. Think about this for a moment, in each day we will all have 24 hours (1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds). Hmm, seems to me that has been that way for hundreds and thousands of years. We have the same amount of time now as we did then.

Now we could delve into time management and details on careful planning, but right now I just want you to think of how you spend the “little moments” of your time. Take this time and contemplate what you have done in the last eight hours. You were probably working, eating, talking, texting, or any number of other things that you fill your day. What I want you to think specifically is the small moments, those five to fifteen minute windows of time where you are not doing anything really productive. Maybe it’s waiting for your gas to pump (and if you have a big car this could take a while!), driving to your friend’s house, or trying to amuse yourself while waiting for a dentist appointment.

Instead of allowing these moments to evaporate, why not plan in advance to take every moment and thought captive to the obedience of Christ? Ephesians 5:15- 16 states, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Cherish the time you spend waiting to pray to the Lord. When driving to a friend’s house, be praying for your friend’s school assignments, spiritual growth, and ministry. When going to the dentist, bring along your Bible or another insightful book to spend time growing in knowledge and wisdom. If you are a tech savvy person, bring along your Kindle or download a book to your iPhone. Another idea is to download sermons and podcasts and listen to those while you drive or workout.

As the old adage of Benjamin Franklin states, “Lost time is never found again.” Don’t let these small moments slip by! Be proactive in seizing each opportunity, no matter how small it is.

Probably because I was, and still am, the most stubborn child in the family. Regardless, my Dad has taught many people valuable lessons to live by. I’m not going to write down every single one but I’ll share a few today (side note: I think my Dad should write a book which would more fully encompass the wisdom God has given him).

Lesson 1: Be a man of character

Cliche? I don’t think so!

“Do the right thing” would be cliche. But character is something that our culture speaks little of and the words that often define a man of character are simply not in our regular vocabulary. Words like diligence, discretion, meekness, and thoroughness aren’t things you hear every day but are words my Dad pounded into my head day after day.

A man’s character is an outward display of his heart.

Lesson 2: Ask for forgiveness

This might surprise some of you but my Dad isn’t perfect.

I know, I know what a shock! But when it comes to asking for forgiveness my Dad lead by example. He would make mistakes, but for nearly every mistake I can recall I can also recall a father who would come to me and ask forgiveness for the mistake he made.

I didn’t always have a great relationship with my Dad. But I believe his admittance of his mistakes was one thing that caused my heart to turn toward him.

A true leader humbles himself and admits his mistakes.

Lesson 3: Give your sons responsibility

This one actually bugs me!

Life was a lot easier when Dad would just tell me what to do. Even if I ignored his council, at least I knew what I should be doing.

A few weeks ago my Dad and I were discussing a decision I had to make and we were disagreeing on the correct course of action to take. We talked for quite a bit and then all of the sudden Dad had to go, so he said “Luv ya son but I have to run” and hung up.

I was actually troubled all night because this was the first time in a long time that we hadn’t come to a conclusion on what I was supposed to do. So a few days later I tried to bring the discussion back up. My Dad’s response was “Son it’s ok, we disagree but you know how I stand and now you have to make a decision”. WHAT?!?!?!?! ??How am I supposed to make a decision when Dad and I haven’t come to an agreement on what that decision is? This isn’t the first time he has done this, but it’s becoming more regular and I’m not sure if I like it. In the end it’s what I need. Dad has raised me to be accountable to the Lord and now he’s treating me like it.

You can’t tell your son he’s an adult if you still treat him like a child.

The lessons I’ve learned from Dad could fill this entire blog for a whole year but most of yall won’t want to read more than 500 words so I’m gonna end this here.

Love you Dad!

{Crosspost from lukemacias.com}

“As long as we live in this world, we cannot be fully without temptation, for, as Job says, the life of man upon earth is a warfare. Therefore, every man should be well on guard against his temptations, and watch in prayer so that his spiritual enemy, who never sleeps but always goes about seeking whom he may devour, may find no time or place to deceive him.” Thomas a’ Kempis

As I read this in my morning devotions, I thought back to the past few years of my life. I’ve had some pretty big challenges that the Lord has brought me through, and He has taught me so much from these trials. However, these past few months have seemed like a bit of a respite. It has been a season of peace, rest, and joy. When we’re in the valley, it’s usually very clear to us what the enemy’s plan of attack is, and where we need to be on guard. We’re usually hypersensitive and in constant prayer. However, when we’re on the mountaintop, it’s easy to let our guard down and forget that there is still a battle raging for our souls. The temptations may not be as easily recognized. And yet we need to be ever watchful.

It is a good idea to regularly ask ourselves how the enemy is most likely to stumble or distract us. We need to remember that it is warfare and develop a counter attack. Scriptures says we are not ignorant of his devices. We need to know how to guard ourselves so we can stay focused on our purpose in this life.

I came across a scripture this week that intrigued me. Proverbs 18:10 – “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are safe.” That verse denotes warfare. It indicates urgency. But what are we safe from? Perhaps we are safe from the lies and traps of an enemy who wants to destroy our moral standards and reputation. Perhaps we are safe from and temptations of this world that will dull our passion for the Lord and hinder us from our purpose. I think the safety we find in the Lord is not just from an outside enemy, but also from fears and doubts within. The name of the Lord protects us from insecurity and a tainted self-image. When we come to the Lord and bask in His presence, our hearts are drawn to Him and we are safe from the sins that entangle us and bind us to this world. They do not need to reign in our lives and control us. When we spend time with the Lord and are conformed to His image, we are safe from laziness, criticism, selfishness, anger, or whatever else trips us up in our walk.

Whether you’re in a season of trial or a season of peace, recognize that you are still engaged in warfare, and be looking for ways that you can keep your focus clear and find refuge in Christ.

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. – 2 Timothy 2:4

Starting with Chapter 5 we’ll be answering questions submitted on facebook and twitter.

The first chapter was a little rough but we got more comfortable as the chapters went on. Hope you enjoy the book!

Mini review: Francis Chan does a great job discussing new ideas in this book and taking a different approach to some more common questions asked by Christians today. I’d definitely recommend reading along with us during the summer!

“Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” Acts 20:26-27

Ok honestly, how many of us can come close to living lives that embody this verse? Can you imagine having no guilt regarding your life for Christ?

Obedience is an act of the will and each of us has a decision to make. Paul lived a life of submission to God’s will and because of it he was able to stand before churches and claim innocence of their blood. Not because he was the angel gabriel in human form but because he never stopped declaring the purpose of God.

If that doesn’t challenge you to walk in obedience I don’t know what will….

We have to ask ourselves:

Are we living like the Lord could come back tomorrow?
Are we serving Him with the diligence that the gospel message deserves?
Do our lives reflect the knowledge that we have of Jesus Christ?

Are you living like today could be your last?

Anyway she posed this question to me. Where are you with your dream? It was an interesting question, I thought about it for a few minutes, and then responded “I think I’m living it.”.

She looked slightly skeptical at me which required me to further explain my response.

“Do you know what it feels like to know you are where the Lord wants you to be?” I asked.

“Yes” she responded.

“Well if that’s not living the dream for a Christian then I don’t know what is”.

Everything in my life isn’t perfect right now (not even close). I could give you several examples of how things aren’t going according to “my plan”. But what we have to ask ourselves is what is our dream?

As a follower of Jesus Christ our dream should be to be where He wants us to be. Yes that was a lot of “to be’s”.

Of course this is an over simplification, but think about it.

God’s got the details figured out, and you’ll find they fall into place over time. Not always in your planned order but they’ll fall into place none the less.

So when you’re thinking about where you are in your dream think about living day by day with the Lord. Remember His mercies are new every morning, and find joy in the fact that, through Christ, your dreams will be fulfilled.

How many of us live our lives as safe as we possibly can? Do we honestly think that by keeping ourselves safe we will be told “well done my good and faithful servant”?

We are called to radical obedience to our Lord and that means getting our hands dirty every now and then. Dirty doesn’t mean sinful, it means “taking action”. You are called to be light, and a candle that is lit in a bright room doesn’t affect much at all, but a candle that is lit in a room that is pitch black reveals so many different things people couldn’t see before.

My challenge to all of us today is to take that first step of faith and stand up on the balance beam. God will tell you where to go from there!

If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too more weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. C.S. Lewis

This first sermon impacted me in so many ways. I ended up sharing it with my family and dozens of friends within days of hearing it. I know most of you don’t expect to spend an hour on a blog post but this sermon is definitely worth watching!

If you don’t have time just bookmark this page and come back to it later.

God Bless,

You are sitting in a dark, cold prison cell rank with the stench of refuse, both human and vermin.  You have been here for ten months, not once absorbing the warmth of the sun, or feeling the graceful touch of the gentle wind. Instead, you have seen despair and disdain come in the form of ridicule, cursing, and beatings, which are applied not just from the hands of those men who beat you day after day, but from your thoughts which are overcome by the circumstances around you. You have not seen your precious family at all while in this cruel, dark place. Day after day men come to torture you, night after night you pour out your heart to the one that was tortured even more brutally for the sake of redeeming your soul, and begging for strength to live for one more day.  It is there that you find renewed hope, it is there that you find renewed grace, and it is there that you find the strength, and resolve to live for Christ and be a witness to your persecutors and your prison mates, even though you may never set your foot outside the walls of your prison again. You have found a hope that is only found in Christ, and are willing to share, preach, and even die for the sake of that hope. Your suffering has served as a catalyst that enables you to love, adore, and serve God, more than you did before!

Ok, now. Back to reality. Let’s pose a hard question to ourselves. In America, right now we do not face the threat of imprisonment for preaching the gospel. In fact, some of the most contrite, repentant, and devoted followers of Christ, can be found in the prison cells of our Justice system because of the preaching of Christ. We are not flagellated for speaking the truth about Christ, who He is, and what He came to do. We do not have authorities raiding our places of worship and imprisoning or killing people, then setting those Churches on fire. But yet, even though we do not face any of these things, we are the most stagnant Christians on the face of the earth. And by stagnant, I mean afraid, fearful, unwilling to share the gospel, self-absorbed instead of Christ absorbed, concerned about our well-being rather than the well-being of our neighbor who is destined for hell, and so consumed by the feeling that we need to do stuff that we forget God gave us stuff to do!  I say this, not because I myself am free from any of these things, but because they are faults found when the Holy Spirit opens the sin drenched doors of my heart, and shines the light of His perfection and Holiness in.

Is God’s grace not enough? Is his promise to be with us always, nullified because of our lack of unbelief, and boldness? What is the problem that we are facing? Jesus gives us a command in the form of a vivid illustration, which I believe will answer the question to our dilemma.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. – Luke 9:23-24

I think it is interesting that Jesus didn’t mention only a certain type of people here, but he said “If ANYONE desires to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross.” Notice also that he only gave two options. Either you follow Christ and be willing to suffer, or you don’t.

I receive a magazine from Voice of the Martyrs, mainly because it is a ministry that I support, but also because I want to be praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing persecution. In the February edition, there was a message from the director Tom White about persecution in Pakistan. A particularly convicting snippet caught my attention. It showed a Pakistani Woman singing “Even if they hang me, I will follow Jesus.”  I thought to myself, “Would I be willing to sing that, knowing at any moment, my hanging could be a reality?” The question that I should be asking is: does Christ call me to anything less? According to the scripture we saw above, the answer is no.

This is the answer to the dilemma we found earlier! Christ does not call us to anything less than giving our lives in devotion to him. We see such callousness in our hearts and our lives as believers today because of our devotion to our selves, our agenda, our time, our possessions, our feelings, our emotions, and yes even our sin, that we fail to see the power of cross at work in our lives.  Paul gave us a glimpse into his own life and how saw his relationship with Christ in Galatians 2:20. The verse reads:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

When we have this mindset, we will be willing to follow Christ no matter where it may lead us. Even if witnessing to someone may cause us physical abuse, preaching the gospel may lead to imprisonment, even if meeting together to worship causes each one of us to die, we should have a mind to follow Christ. Our death only leads to life, so what do we have to loose?

Other passages in scripture give us a clear understanding that we will experience suffering.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. – John 15:20

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. – 2 Tim 1:8

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  - 2Tim 2:3

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – 2 Tim 4:5

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5

In his book Desiring God, John Piper talks extensively on the issue of suffering and how instrumental it is to the expansion of Christianity.

It is not a fluke of history that the church expands and is strengthened by suffering and martyrdom. This is the way God means it to be. One the most powerful evidences that God intends to complete His saving purposes in the world by means of suffering is found in the book of Revelation. The setting is a vision of heaven where the souls of the martyrs cry out, ” How long, O Lord?”  In other words, when will history be complete and your purposes of salvation and judgment be accomplished? The answer is ominous for all of us who want to be a part of the completion of the great commission: “They were …told to rest a little longer, until the umber of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” Revelation 6:11

- John Piper “Desiring God” 2003 Edition Page 272-273

When we have so little to loose, and everything to gain, why do we back down from living our lives boldly and valiantly for Christ?  Maybe we are seeking the wrong things. Maybe our focus is on earthly things, not directed towards heaven, contrary to the command in Colossians 3:2.

When we fail to realize that the Christian life will not be easy, and fail to  accept the fact that Christ said we would suffer for his sake, we cannot realize the full joy of serving Christ. Maybe our suffering is financial, temporary, or emotional, or maybe it is physical, greatly impacts our lives and our families lives, and maybe even takes our life.

Am I advocating that we unwisely, and un-purposefully throw away our lives? I can give an resounding, and emphatic no. The Bible clearly teaches us the value of the human life, and how precious it is. But a granite mixture cannot become a bathroom vanity until it is mixed with the catalyst which makes it harden, and placed in a mold. In a similar way, we cannot become completely effective until we realize that following Christ may require us to endure hardships and suffering, and be willing to obey even so. Jim Elliot said it best when he wrote in his journal October 28, 1949:

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

James 4:6 explains, “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’” God in his perfect holiness cannot approve or condone sin; it is abhorrent in His sight. He loves us so much and knows how damaging pride can be in our lives. Pride can be one of the most subtle yet dangerous sins that we battle against. It can creep in undetected and affect our relationship with God and our fellowship with others. Charles Spurgeon cautions: “Pride may be set down as ‘the sin’ of human nature.”

Proverbs 16:5 states, “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to be detested by the Lord! An insightful perspective that C. J. Mahaney takes on pride is that it is contending for the supremacy of Christ. When we allow pride to control our lives, we are exalting ourselves above Christ and usurping the proper position He deserves in our hearts.

We also need to be careful about measuring ourselves against others’ behavior, as this can cultivate a holier-then-thou attitude. Instead our lives are measured against God’s righteous standards. In comparison, our lives are pitiful rags. It is only by Christ’s sacrifice that we are redeemed. Keep the perspective that all good things come from our generous Father. We have no reason to boast in ourselves.

In combating pride, the vital quality that we need to pursue is humility. A practical way to begin is to cultivate a spirit of servanthood. Matthew 20:25-27 states: ““You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Go out of your way to serve others, even if it is not your “job” to do so. Look for opportunities to put others before yourself, even in the littlest things.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s unpleasant story has a powerful ending. After seven years of dwelling in the backcountry, the Lord restored his sanity. As the result of God’s great work in his life, Nebuchadnezzar exalted and praised the Lord on High. He admitted what was true all along: that the Lord is truly the highest, everlasting, omnipotent Creator. The king was reestablished as ruler of Babylon but had learned a sobering lesson. “All those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”

I recently read through a debate on facebook in which the line was used “modesty is an issue of the heart”. Now this guy was using this in defense of what some were calling immodest behavior and trying to say that what is immodest to some might not be immodest to others because they have different hearts. It is actually a true statement but unfortunately for the guy who made it I don’t think he realizes that this condemns more people than it condones.

The best example I can think to support this is Matthew 5:21-23 & 27-28

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

You see it’s true that “modesty is an issue of the heart”. For some of you “modesty” is what you will deal with. But just insert whatever your weakness is and it will come down to a matter of the heart. We can’t use this to justify our weaknesses, instead it should cause us to realize that we are at even more fault than we previously thought.

Most if not all of you can say “I am not a murderer” and if God looked at only your actions then maybe He would agree with you, but unfortunately He looks at your heart and because we have all hated someone at some point in time it makes us all murderers. You see it’s true that “it’s a matter of the heart” but unfortunately that doesn’t make us more modest or any less of a murderer.

This is simply another reason for us to be grateful for the Grace of our Lord!

Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart. – Martin Luther

I won’t address specifics but if you read through you’ll get a great idea of what’s in the book.

First of all let’s clear up some misunderstandings about what love is.

It’s simple. Luckily we don’t serve a God of confusion.

Love does not mean asking questions without giving clear answers which are found in scripture

Love does not mean creating abstract “anomalies” out of misinterpretations of God’s word

Love isn’t removing all rebuke or sense of consequence from some one’s mind

Love isn’t replacing reality with a fantasy

Love isn’t coming to a “new understanding” of what truth is in order for it to be more inclusive

What is Love?

Love is the cross. It’s God sending His son down on earth to die a death which He did not deserve for the lives of sinners who could never pay Him back. Love is Jesus taking our place on the cross. Love is God’s desire to see the veil torn and restoration brought out between Himself and those whom He knows.

Love is the Holy Spirit who guides us daily to walk in communion with God. Love is God’s forgiveness which stretches as far as the east is from the west. Love is when you and I care more about others around us than we do ourselves, not because of how awesome we are, but because it’s what Christ has called us to do.

In the end that’s what it’s really all about. How does your Love for truth reflect your love for the lost? Well if you love truth than you talk about it, if you are passionate about the gospel than you tell people.

The Truth Project is a teaching series put out by focus on the family and in that series Dr. Del Tackett asks a phenomenal question.

Do you believe, that what you believe, is really real?

If your answer to this question is “yes” than it should show. If you really believe that what you believe is really real than people will notice something different about you.

An intellectual grasp of the truth will not show love to a dark and hurting world. Someone who knows the right things to say in prayer but has no heart for the gospel is not what is needed to give searching souls the right answer.

Just because you can beat an atheist in a debate doesn’t mean you’ve got the gospel nailed down. It’s not just knowledge of the truth that shows love for the lost. It’s a love for the reality of who God is, and all He has done for us.

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 6-7

“ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

During the ceremony I couldn’t help but think back on what Paul said in Philippians 1.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. Philippians 1:21-26

How many of us actually have this mindset? Do we fully recognize the glory that God has in store for His children, and the joy we will experience in His presence? Do we look at our time on earth as a chance to serve people for Christ?

Paul says “to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake”. What a legacy! Can any of us stand here today and say that for us to remain here on earth is better for others sake? It’s a good question to ask!

However, the love of God isn’t the point of this article. The point is that we were in no way worthy of Christ dying for us. But, although we were not worthy to of salvation before we were saved, we are called to “walk in a manner worthy” as a result of being saved.

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” –Colossians 1:10

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” – Ephesians 4:1-2

“For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you unto His own kingdom and glory.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

This whole idea of walking worthy of the calling that we’ve been called to, and even walking worthy of God, is an amazing idea. Many people get the idea that they can “get saved”, and that’s all that matters. For many, their life afterwards isn’t characterized by walking worthy as God has commanded. Instead, it’s a far too common sight to see people that walk in as unworthy of a manner as they feel they can get away with.

My challenge to myself, and all of us, is this: Are we walking worthy of God and His calling on our lives? Or are we trying to get away with as much “unworthiness” as we can while still calling ourselves followers of Christ?

I mean really busy. You get up in the morning and maybe you go to school which means you study at night, or maybe you work a full time job and are tired when you get home. There are so many things in life that keep us busy: putting gas in the car, feeding the dog, feeding the kids, cleaning the house, washing the car, balancing the check book and washing a load of clothes to name just a few.

It is so easy to always be busy and if you don’t have something to do you can always find something to do, right? Why is it that we are such busy people? Well I don’t aim to answer that question but I do have another one. Are you setting goals in your life?

Maybe you have and they could be something like when you lose so many lbs you’re going to celebrate or when you save enough money you will buy that car. Yes those are goals and perhaps worthy goals (I hope so because they have both been mine). It is important in life to make a habit of goal setting. I am talking about goals for your spiritual, physical and financial future. For the first time in my life this past New Years I set goals for the next two years. This is so important to my future because I’m the kind of person who always has ideas but never writes them down. So somehow they get lost in the shuffle of life and I look back one day and say to myself, Oh yea, I was going to do such and such a thing.

I constantly find myself wishing I had done this or that and never actually doing the things that count the most in the long term. I am talking about investing in the future. What are you doing that will make a difference in the lives of others or maybe I should say is what you’re doing going to count ten or even twenty years from now? How many times have you heard somebody say “you better write it down so you won’t forget it” ? I hear it quite a bit and I always smile and say oh I won’t forget. Then two days later when I get a call from the person I was supposed to take care of the problem with … yes you get the picture. So obviously if we write things down it is likely that we will be able to remember better the things we want to accomplish.

Paul encourages goal setting in Philippians 3:13-14:

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul challenges the Christian here to set for himself the highest goal that is pressing towards the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. What could be better than pursuing a life totally devoted to Christ and His glory? Paul was setting a goal for himself and shows us the importance of setting goals. You know yourself that if you just kind of bump along and don’t make a point of seeking God and reading His word you will get lax and lazy and forget or just not take the time.

Let me encourage you to write down the things that you want to accomplish in your life. Things that you want to see God accomplish through you and ways you can invest in others lives! Remember the promise that “He who has begun a good work in you will perfect it to the day of Jesus Christ.” Because unless you write them down you will most likely not accomplish the most you can and you will likely leave off the important life changing things that you really wish would happen.

This is a personal testimony of my life and what God is doing in it for His glory!

Look at what Jesus says about Paul when he was converted. “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.” Acts 9:15

We are vessels. A vessel is designed to transport something. The value of the vessel comes from what it holds. We carry about in our body the image of the living God. What a privilege to reflect God in heaven and represent His nature to others! We are ambassadors.

“He shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21

We are here on earth not to impress people with our good works and intelligence, but to be used for God’s kingdom. We’re here to pour out His life into others, to speak truth in love, and to bring words of comfort and hope to others.

And yet, we still tend to lose our focus, don’t we? It’s easy to get distracted by the vessel itself rather than what it contains. My vessel is too dusty, too stained, or uneven. I need to shine it up here, patch it up there, decorate it a bit more. We worry about what people think of us or compare ourselves with others.

Paul warned us about this in 2 Cor 10. He tells us that it is unwise for us to measure ourselves by ourselves and boast of things that are beyond our measure. Instead of focusing on ourselves and others, or boasting of our accomplishments or envying others for theirs, we should be focused on one thing: what is in the vessel. “But he that glories, let him glory in the Lord.” (2 Cor 10:17)

We should always be examining our hearts and striving to live holy lives, and it is valuable to look to others for inspiration and example, but we don’t want to lose track of our purpose. The more time we spend in the presence of God, the more our vessel will be filled with Him, and we’ll find ourselves being conformed to His image.

“If we’re incessantly engrossed with ourselves and our failures, we won’t have the faith or courage to lift one finger for the kingdom. We might work harder at adding onto our own kingdom and righteousness, but never his.” Elyse Fitzpatrick

Forgiveness is an extremely difficult emotion/action to take. It goes against our sin nature to forgive someone for something that caused us pain.

Driscoll does a very good job of keeping forgiveness in perceptive. He discusses the fact that not approving and enabling sin is NOT forgiveness though it is commonly disguised as such.

Forgiveness is an act which is counter cultural because it reflects the nature of God. God is the ultimate example of forgiveness! We have to realize that when we forgive someone we are not just doing something that makes us feel better about ourselves but we are accomplishing His work by our actions.

Reflect God in all that you do, it’s not easy, but it’s the standard we hold ourselves. We can’t accomplish anything but by the grace of God and it will take submission if you desire righteous acts to occur.

It’s imperative that we evaluate our lives today and discern what areas of our life could use a little more forgiveness.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Colossians 3:12-13

Just this morning I was visiting with Solomon. He had some great down-to-earth advice and shared this with me: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise.”

His words made me pause and think: I want to become wise. Sure, my chances were pretty good right then since I was chatting with the world’s wisest man, but what about the rest of my time? Who am I spending my time with? My conclusion: I spend most of my time with people I am like, not with “wiser” people who I want to become like. That’s a problem.

I play quite a bit of chess. When I was learning to play, one of the first things I figured out was that I wasn’t getting any better by merely playing the other eleven-year-olds. It was pretty comfortable. I actually won sometimes. I didn’t get better, though, until I started playing someone better than I was—my dad. I almost always lost, but from playing him I learned how to really play chess. Now when we play, I often win.

It’s the same with life. It may be comfortable spending time with people at our own maturity level. The problem is we won’t get much wiser. However, if we spend time with people wiser than we are, we’ll become wise like them. That’s what Solomon was saying.

How do we find men wiser than we are? There are a number of different ways. For me, one of the wisest men in my life is my dad. I spend a lot of time with him, and not just playing chess. Other wise men are godly mentors that God has given me. I ask them for advice frequently. I also spend a significant amount of time reading the writings and biographies of good men who lived their days wisely. When I do, it’s like having a good chat with them in the rocking chairs on the front porch. Through the biographies of these great men, I am able to think their thoughts after them, appropriating for myself the wisdom they left behind. I spent time with Dissy and Ronald because I wanted to be wise, like them.

Do you spend time with wise men?

“Two traitors within the garrison may do more hurt to it than two thousand besiegers without.” ~ Matthew Henry

The Bible warns us of perilous times that are coming. We are told of persecution of Christians from outside the church, but even more dangerous will be the corruption of Christians from within.

2 Timothy 3 lists some of the characteristics that will be evident in those times. Men who are traitors and false accusers, boasters and prideful, disobedient to parents and ungrateful. These people are marked by self-love, fulfilling their own lusts rather than serving others. They are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. They have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. We’re told to stay away from these people.

Have you seen any of these traits in the church? Perhaps before we start attaching a list of names to those attributes, we should look in the mirror and ask God if we resemble any of these characteristics? Is there anything that we value more than Christ? Is there anything we’re looking to for fulfillment instead of Christ? Are we making choices that grieve the Holy Spirit because it will ultimately lead to destruction in our lives? Are we living to gratify our own lusts, or do we desire to edify and serve others?

If we’re honest with ourselves, we would acknowledge the many temptations that so easily creep into our lives and choke out our fruit, distracting us from our goal. It’s easy to fall into the trap of talking the talk, but not really walking the walk and modeling our lives after Christ. That’s why we constantly need to be humbled and washed in the Word and drawn back to a proper focus.

“My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to thy word!” -Psalm 119:25

God is so faithful to refine us when we ask Him to. Ask him today to shine the light on your heart and reveal to you your sin. He said on the sermon on the mount,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” -Matthew 5:6

Let’s search our hearts and ask the Lord to strengthen our resolve. Let’s make sure we’re building character and healthy habits now to prepare for the perilous times that will come, when it will be even harder to maintain integrity in the midst of general corruption. Let’s not be complacent, but instead seek to root out anything that is not healthy in our lives. And let’s be proactive in encouraging our friends to do the same.

Remember, you will never know the fullness of Christ until you know the emptiness of everything else but Christ. ~ Spurgeon

Here’s the verse again:

Let no man despise you for your youth, but set the believers and example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. -1 Timothy 4:12

What I want to do is take a look at each of these 5 areas. Let’s be practical, without being too specific. It needs to be practical, as this is a very practical subject, yet my goal is not to tell you exactly how this is to look for you, but to challenge you to seek God about how this should look in your life.

In Speech: Our speech says a lot about us. Matthew 12:34 says that “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” So our speech should reflect who we are. Could someone tell from just listening to the words we say, or the topics we talk about, that we are a believer? In John 3:33, it says “He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way.” Is our conversation always earthly, or do we also talk about spiritual things?

In Conduct: This applies both to our actions, as well as our general lifestyle. Again, could someone tell from our lifestyle or the things we do that we are a believer?

In Love: Love is exclusively a Christian characteristic, because God is love, and Satan has no love. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)” Are our lives defined by love? We should be showing forth a love of God, a love of each other, and a love for the lost. Do we have this love in our lives?

In Faith: This may seem very obvious, but faith is essential in a Christian’s life. “And without faith it is impossible to please him. (Hebrews 11:6)” Our faith needs to be in God for our salvation, first and foremost, but also for different things in life. Do we have a life of strong and vibrant faith?

In Purity: Purity gives the idea of being unpolluted. This verse refers not only to physical purity here, but also much more. We should be pure in our thoughts, emotions, and lifestyle as well.

So my challenge is this… if a complete stranger looked at any or all of these areas of your life, what would they see? A typical American, or a model follower of Christ? Let’s keep striving for it to be the latter.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15

I watched this video by Francis Chan a few weeks ago and it was a timely reminder of how often we do everything but what we are told. We study, discuss, debate, and memorize, but never DO! The reason we study, discuss, and memorize is so that we can DO, so that we can follow after Christ.

If we truly believe in the grace of God then why are we not obeying His word? Now don’t start freaking out thinking I’m saying we should be perfect. But holiness is what we strive for! The closer we get to God the more we will live as an example of His character!

Saturday, I was humbled and inspired. All at the same time.

Humbled because I realized that I have not spread enough seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of those I meet on a daily basis, and inspired, because God chose to use me to do the thing I haven’t done enough of.

It suddenly dawned on me Saturday that my hair was getting longer than I normally keep it, and that if I was to retain the status of  ”clean cut”, and “professional”, something needed to be done. Normally my Mom cuts my hair, or I cut it myself. But since doing it myself normally ends up being a disaster, I decided to go to the barber, who can actually see the back of my head.

I do not intend at all to boast, but I really felt the Lord saying that I needed to witness to whoever cut my hair. Now you have to understand me. I am not the kind of guy who is outgoing. I really enjoy talking with people and learning more about them, but it is not something that comes naturally. So  you might say I have to work at it.

The Command to GO!

However, Jesus did not make excuses. He did not say “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” if you are an outgoing person, or if you really like talking with people. He simply said GO!

So I said, “Lord, if you want me to talk with that person and share the gospel of Christ with them, go before me and let your spirit prepare the way.” I ended up talking with a very interesting guy who has, in his words “seen it all man!”.

He told me about his life, and what he had been involved in. We discussed all the violence and sickening things he had seen, and how they affected him. In the middle of talking, I said “So in your great experience, what do you think this life amounts to?” We were then able to talk about his take on religion, I discovered he was a Catholic, and was able to plant the seed of the gospel in his life. I did not have time to go in great detail, or find out if he truly trusted in Christ, but I was able to plant those seeds.

Why we don’t spread seeds.

Sometimes we let the fear of man scare us from sharing the gospel with others. That can be fear of what others will think of us, fear of what that person will say, or do to us. It can be a fear that we won’t be able to say the right things, or answer their questions.

Did Jesus say we would be praised because of our witness for Jesus Christ? No because Jesus said “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” Luke 21:17. Did he promise that we would not face persecution. Actually he says just the opposite. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Tim 3:12

Then do we have any grounds to fear? The answers is emphatically, no. God has given us his Holy Spirit to guide us when we are speaking with people, and it is only his Spirit that can draw a sinful soul to Salvation in Christ anyway. So we should actually count it a privilege when he uses us to share the gospel.

Realizing the need.

In Matthew 13:4 Jesus shares the parable of the sower of seeds. The sower realized that he needed to sow in order to reap a harvest of grain. He couldn’t expect wheat to grow in a field in which wheat had never been sown, and similarly couldn’t expect to gather anything during harvest time if nothing was planted.

In the same manner, do we expect to reap a harvest of souls if no seed of the Gospel is planted? Granted, the Spirit is the one who draws those he has ordained to be his children, and only he can do that. But he has given us the responsibility to share the Gospel to those who may never hear otherwise.

So brothers, let’s go sow some seeds. Who’s with me?

My tendency is get involved in everything I hear of that’s a good cause but this is something that is definitely worth standing up for. Churches are hurting their members by not bringing human trafficking, abortion, and other evil practices in our culture to the forefront of Christian’s minds.

It’s imperative that we continue to stand up and speak out for those who are being abused and used. Satan is alive and well and we are called to be on the forefront of this battle.

I just donated $20 to Redeem the Shadows, you should consider doing so as well!

“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Psalm 31:8-9