Submit. Such a little word, but one that many people don't like to hear.
Why?
Submitting means I have to "yield to another; give up resistance; surrender." (Dictionary.com). Submitting means I have to put someone else's needs before my own. Submitting means I have to care about other people's feelings, needs, dreams, passions, goals. Submitting means that I not only care about other people, but I do whatever I can to make their lives better. Submitting means I put other people ahead of me. But let's face it, we're all selfish and when we have so much to figure out in our own lives, why in the world would we want to bother with what other people need?
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should not only look to your interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4
"I'm supposed to consider others better than me? But I'm so good at ______. Why should I have to consider others better than me? People don't treat me that way so why should I treat them that way? I have too much crap to deal with in my own life; I don't have time to find out what other people need, let alone try to meet their needs or help them."
Take a step back. "...look to your interests..." I still have to care about the things in my life that I'm able to do. I've been given gifts and abilities and certain things to be passionate about, and it's up to me to pursue those things. They're a gift from God and he expects me to use what he's given me. The problem comes when my interests are all I see. If I'm so focused on what I love doing and what I'm good at, I'm not even going to see the talents and passions of the people around me. And that's a problem.
"...but also to the interests of others..." As a follower of Jesus, my life needs to look like his life. Every story I read about Jesus points me to the fact that he cared about what other people were interested in. His life was about setting an example for us to follow. If I call myself a Christian, I had better look like Jesus in the way I treat people, the way I serve people, and the way I submit to people. If I don't do those things, I'm not really following Jesus. And that's a problem.
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
"Lay down my life. Hmm. Yeah I have some friends I could say I would lay down my life for, but some of the other people I know...they don't deserve to have me give up my life for them. They treated me like crap. They deserted me when I needed them most; they gave up on me; they lied to me; they said they would always be there, but now they're gone; they said they would do something for me, but let me down; they hurt me; they went behind my back; they refused to apologize; they__________. They don't deserve my forgiveness."
How many times have I given up on Jesus? How many times have I lied to him? How many times have I told him I would do something, but went back on my word? How many times have I hurt his heart? Do I really deserve his forgiveness?
"We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:10
I've been a pretty lousy friend to Jesus. But he still chose to sacrifice his life; to put my desperate need for salvation above his desire for comfort and ease. Even with all of my selfishness, pride, and lies he decided that I was worth dying for. He considers me his friend. He set the example by laying down his life for me. He forgives me when I hurt him. He forgives me when I walk away from him. He welcomes me back with open arms and wipes the tears from my eyes and says "I love you." Grace truly is amazing. It's not earned; I don't deserve it, I can't do anything to make it go away. God pours his grace out on me because he loves me. It's up to me to choose to do that for my friends. To choose to forgive, to choose to sacrifice and do whatever I can to make things right, even (especially) when I don't think they deserve it. Grace.
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:21
If I revere Christ, I must submit to my friends (and the people I don't like). I don't submit to someone for my benefit; I don't submit to them solely for their benefit; I submit to them because I revere my savior. I submit because I can't call myself a Christian and not follow Christ's example. He submitted; I must submit.
I don't always like submitting. I don't like dying to myself and giving up my selfishness. I don't like sacrificing my time and energy to do something for someone who hurt me or lied to me or made me feel inferior. I have a hard time being selfless. I have a hard time being like Jesus.
But when I spend time with Jesus, when I read his words, when I read about how he interacted with people, I start to realize I can't help but love him. I can't help but want to be like him. I can't look at the way he selflessly sacrificed everything for me then turn around and live a selfish life anymore. His humility is a wake up call. I want him to be pleased with the life I live.
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Reach
This world is broken. You are broken. I am broken. Our neighbors are broken, our enemies are broken, our churches are broken, our families are broken, our schools are broken, our political leaders are broken, our church leaders are broken, our friends are broken. Our world is broken.
A very long time ago, a man and his wife lived in a world that was not broken. They had everything they could ever need, but the temptation for more was too much for them. Two bites later, the world became a very broken place. The story that unfolds from that point in time is filled with brokenness. Murder, deception, greed, envy, selfishness, war, adultery, slavery, famine, drought, prostitution. The list goes on.
Then a man shows up on the scene. A man who had seen the world and its beautiful beginning, but had also seen it slowly fall apart. He came to save the world because his father had a relentless, unshakable love for the broken people living on this broken earth. The same God whose heart was grieved because he had created man (Genesis 6:6) couldn't bear to see the crown of his creation live such broken, hopeless lives any longer. The God of the universe sent his one and only son to reach out and heal the brokenness.
Jesus reached out to people over and over again. He searched out the lost, the hopeless, the lonely, the sick, the poor, the underprivileged, the over-privileged, the sinners, the confused, the searching, the ones who didn't know they were searching, the ones who thought they had it all together, the ones who knew they were missing something but didn't know what they were missing. He also reached out to the people who reached out to him.
"A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy." Matthew 8:3-4
Jesus was willing. Willing to put his needs aside and meet the needs of the people around him. Willing to spend time with the outcasts of society. Willing to sacrifice time and energy to build relationships with the lonely and rejected. He was willing to challenge leading religious leaders and show them what it really meant to follow God.
You know what is interesting? Jesus wants us to do the same.
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24
"Deny yourself." Those are difficult words. "Take up your cross." Also some difficult words. "Follow." One word, but so much hinges on it and what we decide to do when we hear it.
Peter once heard Jesus say "come" (which is pretty much the same as "follow") and almost ended up drowning. But you know what is really cool about that story? Peter followed, lost faith, reached out, and guess what Jesus did: "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." (Matthew 14:31) So when Jesus tells us to follow, we can rest in the promise that he will always be there to reach out and catch us when we lose faith.
So here we are in the midst of a broken world. But we're holding onto something that gives us hope for a brighter one. When we choose to trust in Jesus, we are made new. The old, broken life is gone. By the grace of Jesus we are saved and because of that we have no reason to boast. The only thing we really have the right to do is share the love, amazing grace, and new life we have received, because that is what Jesus did.
We need to reach out to the lonely because Jesus did. We must feed the hungry because Jesus did. We have to serve everyone because Jesus did and we are following his example. We can go to church every Sunday of our lives and claim to have faith, but if we never step outside the walls of our cozy church buildings and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty, build relationships with the lonely and meet the needs of the people around us, our faith is DEAD (James 2:26).
Jesus loved God and loved people. He showed his love for God by loving people. He showed his love for people by reaching out and meeting them where they were. He didn't tell them to get their lives on track before healing them. He didn't tell them to go get a job and make some money then decide they were cool enough to be seen with. He went to them. He met them at their level, took their hand and pulled them into a relationship that gave them life and life more abundantly.
So we are left with a choice. Live for ourselves, or live for others. Follow Jesus on a sometimes scary, but exhilarating, sacrificial, incredible journey of loving people and meeting needs and living for others or keep the amazing grace you were given to yourself and live a mediocre, probably less fulfilling life. Sound harsh? I don't think so. The times I have felt the most alive were the times I was serving others and meeting their needs. Following Jesus is the way to go.
Reach out. Take hold. Love.
"So reach out and welcome one another to God's glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!"
Romans 15:7
A very long time ago, a man and his wife lived in a world that was not broken. They had everything they could ever need, but the temptation for more was too much for them. Two bites later, the world became a very broken place. The story that unfolds from that point in time is filled with brokenness. Murder, deception, greed, envy, selfishness, war, adultery, slavery, famine, drought, prostitution. The list goes on.
Then a man shows up on the scene. A man who had seen the world and its beautiful beginning, but had also seen it slowly fall apart. He came to save the world because his father had a relentless, unshakable love for the broken people living on this broken earth. The same God whose heart was grieved because he had created man (Genesis 6:6) couldn't bear to see the crown of his creation live such broken, hopeless lives any longer. The God of the universe sent his one and only son to reach out and heal the brokenness.
Jesus reached out to people over and over again. He searched out the lost, the hopeless, the lonely, the sick, the poor, the underprivileged, the over-privileged, the sinners, the confused, the searching, the ones who didn't know they were searching, the ones who thought they had it all together, the ones who knew they were missing something but didn't know what they were missing. He also reached out to the people who reached out to him.
"A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy." Matthew 8:3-4
Jesus was willing. Willing to put his needs aside and meet the needs of the people around him. Willing to spend time with the outcasts of society. Willing to sacrifice time and energy to build relationships with the lonely and rejected. He was willing to challenge leading religious leaders and show them what it really meant to follow God.
You know what is interesting? Jesus wants us to do the same.
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24
"Deny yourself." Those are difficult words. "Take up your cross." Also some difficult words. "Follow." One word, but so much hinges on it and what we decide to do when we hear it.
Peter once heard Jesus say "come" (which is pretty much the same as "follow") and almost ended up drowning. But you know what is really cool about that story? Peter followed, lost faith, reached out, and guess what Jesus did: "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." (Matthew 14:31) So when Jesus tells us to follow, we can rest in the promise that he will always be there to reach out and catch us when we lose faith.
So here we are in the midst of a broken world. But we're holding onto something that gives us hope for a brighter one. When we choose to trust in Jesus, we are made new. The old, broken life is gone. By the grace of Jesus we are saved and because of that we have no reason to boast. The only thing we really have the right to do is share the love, amazing grace, and new life we have received, because that is what Jesus did.
We need to reach out to the lonely because Jesus did. We must feed the hungry because Jesus did. We have to serve everyone because Jesus did and we are following his example. We can go to church every Sunday of our lives and claim to have faith, but if we never step outside the walls of our cozy church buildings and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty, build relationships with the lonely and meet the needs of the people around us, our faith is DEAD (James 2:26).
Jesus loved God and loved people. He showed his love for God by loving people. He showed his love for people by reaching out and meeting them where they were. He didn't tell them to get their lives on track before healing them. He didn't tell them to go get a job and make some money then decide they were cool enough to be seen with. He went to them. He met them at their level, took their hand and pulled them into a relationship that gave them life and life more abundantly.
So we are left with a choice. Live for ourselves, or live for others. Follow Jesus on a sometimes scary, but exhilarating, sacrificial, incredible journey of loving people and meeting needs and living for others or keep the amazing grace you were given to yourself and live a mediocre, probably less fulfilling life. Sound harsh? I don't think so. The times I have felt the most alive were the times I was serving others and meeting their needs. Following Jesus is the way to go.
Reach out. Take hold. Love.
"So reach out and welcome one another to God's glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!"
Romans 15:7
Friday, August 1, 2008
Peru Reflection
Peru 2008. Ten days, 55 people, four airplanes, one bus, thousands of miles, one town, five houses, tons of dirt, one church and its passionate pastor, one man with a heart for the helpless, hundreds of hungry children, one incredible school, and countless memories. But if you were to ask anyone who went on the trip to describe it to you, they would have a hard time finding any words that capture the full essence of the experience. You would hear things like "it was an amazing experience" or "I miss the kids" or "the people were so nice" or "I wish we could go back." But none of those phrases really describe the trip or come close to communicating the depth of the experience.
In a world where the word "love" has become so commonplace it is easy to forget what love is or what it really looks like. But love seems to be the only word that really captures the essence of the Peru trip. The group that journeyed to Peru went with the intent of building houses and loving the people they met. They went to serve and give of themselves with no expectations of receiving anything in return. But God surprised them all by revealing himself to them through the smiles and hugs of children, the cups of Coke and Inca Kola handed out by the adults and the tears of thankful teenage soccer players. There is an incredible verse in 1 John that says that when we love each other, God's love is made complete in us. The team experienced a love that they had never experienced before. They experienced God's complete love through the selfless love of strangers.
It was through the love of the Peruvians that the Americans were able to see what really matters in life. They realized that material possessions do not bring true happiness. They gained a deeper understanding of faith through the faith of the children. Their Americanized view of love was pushed aside as they learned that love is all about putting someone else's needs above your own. Most of all though, the team learned that God can and will use anyone who is willing to take that first step.
In a world where the word "love" has become so commonplace it is easy to forget what love is or what it really looks like. But love seems to be the only word that really captures the essence of the Peru trip. The group that journeyed to Peru went with the intent of building houses and loving the people they met. They went to serve and give of themselves with no expectations of receiving anything in return. But God surprised them all by revealing himself to them through the smiles and hugs of children, the cups of Coke and Inca Kola handed out by the adults and the tears of thankful teenage soccer players. There is an incredible verse in 1 John that says that when we love each other, God's love is made complete in us. The team experienced a love that they had never experienced before. They experienced God's complete love through the selfless love of strangers.
It was through the love of the Peruvians that the Americans were able to see what really matters in life. They realized that material possessions do not bring true happiness. They gained a deeper understanding of faith through the faith of the children. Their Americanized view of love was pushed aside as they learned that love is all about putting someone else's needs above your own. Most of all though, the team learned that God can and will use anyone who is willing to take that first step.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Reason Enough
I'm tired of shaping my life around what is cool or popular.
Tired of being defined by what I have or who I'm friends with.
Tired of how people focus on themselves. Tired of how I focus on myself.
Tired of the way we treat each other.
Tired of being content with mediocrity.
Tired of worrying about money, school, relationships, the future.
Tired of seeing people leaving the church because of the church.
Tired of the way the church loses focus of what really matters.
Tired of gossip. Tired of rumors. Tired of the pain I see because of those things.
Tired of people being fake because they're afraid other people will think they are weak.
I'm tired.
But what am I doing to change the things that I'm tired of?
How do I stop shaping my life around what is cool or popular? Maybe I need to realize that Jesus cared less about the latest trends. Maybe it's time I realized that Jesus knew what was cool. Jesus knew people were cool because they were created in the image of God. That's reason enough to love people like Jesus did, whether or not I think they're cool.
Jesus once said "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot." (Luke 12:15) That's reason enough to stop letting what I have (or don't have) define me. Jesus defines my reason for living. End of story.
How do I stop focusing on me? Maybe it's time I took Jesus' words to heart and stopped just listening to them: "Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage." (Matt. 20:24) Jesus served. That's reason enough for me to serve.
I think once we begin to serve others, we'll realize that their needs are way more important than ours and we'll stop treating them like party-poopers who we seem to think are always raining on our little parades. "You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor." (James 3:17) Yeah it's hard work, but I think the end result is reason enough to treat people with honor and dignity. Throw some confetti for someone else's parade.
I often find myself settling for a life of mediocrity. Some days I follow God wholeheartedly, other days I don't. I don't like that. I know it's time I started following the Spirit inside me. "The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along." (1 Corinthians 2:10) Diving into the depths of God is definitely reason enough for me to stop being content with my lukewarm faith. God spits lukewarm people out of his mouth. I'd rather not be spit out of God's mouth...
Birds live in nests. Not exactly the safest home. Not really what I would consider 'home sweet home.' But then again, they don't really seem to worry about much. They have a home. They have food to eat. They have their little birdy families and birdy friends. Jesus loves birds, but: "...you count far more to him than birds." (Matt. 6:25) I have a home. I have food to eat. I have my little people family and people friends. Jesus loves birds, but I mean more to him than birds. I think that's reason enough to stop worrying.
Church isn't a building. Don't argue. Change your thinking. Church is people. Church is relationships. Instead of caring so much about the buildings, we should start caring about the people inside (and outside of) the building; the REAL church. Paul has some excellent advice on this topic: "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing." (1 Corinth. 12:25) People don't function too well when they are missing their eyes, or legs, or stomachs. I might be a great eye, but without you and your legs, I'm not going to be able to get to that hurting person I see....That's reason enough to become the BODY OF CHRIST; the church we're called to be. No need for stained glass windows and the newest projector...
"Did you hear about how so and so is dating that person?" "Don't tell anyone, but I heard from someone that so and so is really mean to people who shop at that store you like." Do we seriously have nothing better to talk about than the lives of the people around us? Do we really feel better about ourselves when we spread rumors and gossip? Here's a better idea: "Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don't talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn't fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect." (Ephesians 5:3) 'It doesn't fit our style.' I like the sound of that. Jesus has style. He likes to say good things about people and help them realize that they really do matter. That's reason enough for me to change my style. Jesus' style > my style.
Let's be real. Let's be honest. Let's be really honest. We're all human and we all make mistakes. We all trip and fall on our faces and look around to make sure no one saw us fall. But here's what I'm thinking. Maybe if we all started being honest with each other, we'd start to realize that we're tripping over the same things. And maybe once we realize we have this common problem of tripping over the same things, we'd start to talk about what we can do to stop tripping and bruising our faces. "Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived." (Galatians 6:1) Stoop down, reach out, share each other's burdens. Reason enough to be real and honest. Really? Honestly? Really honestly. Honestly real. I like the sound of that.
Tired of being defined by what I have or who I'm friends with.
Tired of how people focus on themselves. Tired of how I focus on myself.
Tired of the way we treat each other.
Tired of being content with mediocrity.
Tired of worrying about money, school, relationships, the future.
Tired of seeing people leaving the church because of the church.
Tired of the way the church loses focus of what really matters.
Tired of gossip. Tired of rumors. Tired of the pain I see because of those things.
Tired of people being fake because they're afraid other people will think they are weak.
I'm tired.
But what am I doing to change the things that I'm tired of?
How do I stop shaping my life around what is cool or popular? Maybe I need to realize that Jesus cared less about the latest trends. Maybe it's time I realized that Jesus knew what was cool. Jesus knew people were cool because they were created in the image of God. That's reason enough to love people like Jesus did, whether or not I think they're cool.
Jesus once said "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot." (Luke 12:15) That's reason enough to stop letting what I have (or don't have) define me. Jesus defines my reason for living. End of story.
How do I stop focusing on me? Maybe it's time I took Jesus' words to heart and stopped just listening to them: "Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage." (Matt. 20:24) Jesus served. That's reason enough for me to serve.
I think once we begin to serve others, we'll realize that their needs are way more important than ours and we'll stop treating them like party-poopers who we seem to think are always raining on our little parades. "You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor." (James 3:17) Yeah it's hard work, but I think the end result is reason enough to treat people with honor and dignity. Throw some confetti for someone else's parade.
I often find myself settling for a life of mediocrity. Some days I follow God wholeheartedly, other days I don't. I don't like that. I know it's time I started following the Spirit inside me. "The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along." (1 Corinthians 2:10) Diving into the depths of God is definitely reason enough for me to stop being content with my lukewarm faith. God spits lukewarm people out of his mouth. I'd rather not be spit out of God's mouth...
Birds live in nests. Not exactly the safest home. Not really what I would consider 'home sweet home.' But then again, they don't really seem to worry about much. They have a home. They have food to eat. They have their little birdy families and birdy friends. Jesus loves birds, but: "...you count far more to him than birds." (Matt. 6:25) I have a home. I have food to eat. I have my little people family and people friends. Jesus loves birds, but I mean more to him than birds. I think that's reason enough to stop worrying.
Church isn't a building. Don't argue. Change your thinking. Church is people. Church is relationships. Instead of caring so much about the buildings, we should start caring about the people inside (and outside of) the building; the REAL church. Paul has some excellent advice on this topic: "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing." (1 Corinth. 12:25) People don't function too well when they are missing their eyes, or legs, or stomachs. I might be a great eye, but without you and your legs, I'm not going to be able to get to that hurting person I see....That's reason enough to become the BODY OF CHRIST; the church we're called to be. No need for stained glass windows and the newest projector...
"Did you hear about how so and so is dating that person?" "Don't tell anyone, but I heard from someone that so and so is really mean to people who shop at that store you like." Do we seriously have nothing better to talk about than the lives of the people around us? Do we really feel better about ourselves when we spread rumors and gossip? Here's a better idea: "Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don't talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn't fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect." (Ephesians 5:3) 'It doesn't fit our style.' I like the sound of that. Jesus has style. He likes to say good things about people and help them realize that they really do matter. That's reason enough for me to change my style. Jesus' style > my style.
Let's be real. Let's be honest. Let's be really honest. We're all human and we all make mistakes. We all trip and fall on our faces and look around to make sure no one saw us fall. But here's what I'm thinking. Maybe if we all started being honest with each other, we'd start to realize that we're tripping over the same things. And maybe once we realize we have this common problem of tripping over the same things, we'd start to talk about what we can do to stop tripping and bruising our faces. "Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived." (Galatians 6:1) Stoop down, reach out, share each other's burdens. Reason enough to be real and honest. Really? Honestly? Really honestly. Honestly real. I like the sound of that.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Aware
What are you aware of right now? It could be many different things. It could be things around you; things like people talking, cars honking, music, light bouncing off the objects around you. It could be things about yourself; things like your stomach growling, the uncomfortable feeling in your leg because it is falling asleep, those annoying hiccups that you've had for the past ten minutes...
There's a good chance that there are endlessly more things going on than you are aware of. You're breathing aren't you? But until just now when I mentioned it, you probably weren't really aware of it. Your heart is beating. But there's a good chance you weren't aware of it until I said something about it.
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. " - Psalm 139:7-10
God is present. You probably weren't aware of that until I mentioned it. There's a good chance most of you have heard that verse before and you know that God is always present, but how often are you aware of it? There's quite a big difference between knowing something is true and being aware of it. You know you're always breathing, but as soon as you become aware of it you start to focus on it. You know that your heart is beating, but there's a good chance you're not always aware of it until something makes you focus on it. After a long run it's almost impossible for you to be unaware of the fact that your heart is beating and that you are breathing.
Moses was going through the motions of life when one day he became very aware of the presence of God. He was out tending his flock when he discovered a bush that was on fire, but not burning up. I'm pretty sure we would all be drawn to something like that. As Moses approached the bush, God called out to him from within the bush.
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." - Exodus 3:5
The place where you are standing is holy ground. Holy dirt? Holy sand? How is ground holy?
"I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy."
- Leviticus 11:44
God is holy. And in Psalm 139 we realize that God's presence is everywhere. If God is holy, his presence must be holy, and since God's holy presence is everywhere, the ground Moses was standing on had to be holy. Now think about this for a second. If God is present everywhere, all the time, I think it only makes sense to come to the conclusion that any ground we stand on is holy ground. It took God telling Moses that the ground was holy for him to realize it. Moses had probably walked on that same patch of ground multiple times, never once having an awareness of how holy it was.
We can't escape the presence of God. Depth can't keep him away, height can't distance us, we could sail across the sea but we still won't be able to escape his presence. Even in the brilliance of the dawn, he is there, shining and declaring his holiness. The problem is that we are rarely aware of it.
It's kind of like a sunrise. Most of us are hardly ever up early enough to see the sunrise, but it's always there. By the time you get up, the sun has already made it's grand entrance and all you notice is that it's there in the sky like it is every other day. But think back to a time when you were awake to see the sunrise. When you first look out at the sky it's dark, but as you watch you can see colors begin to appear over the horizon. They get brighter and clearer as you watch. Then there is that awe inspiring moment where the sun breaks the horizon line and the earth is drenched in it's brilliant golden light.
I want to be aware of God's presence. I want to make an effort to open my eyes and see past the mundane things in life and realize that God's holy presence really is everywhere. I want to be so aware of his holiness that I change the way I live. I want to be holy because he is holy and I want nothing more than to be like him. I want people to be aware of God's presence when they are around me because I live with such an awareness of his presence that it radiates from me.
And I want desperately for you to want the same thing. I want you to open your eyes and realize that you were created for so much more than going through the motions of life. I want you to live with an awareness that God is holy and that he is present in even the most mundane times of your life.
"God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive..." - Genesis 2:7 (The Message)
Allow God to fill you with his breath; the breath of life. We were formed from the dirt, but God's holy breath of life fills our lungs. It makes us come alive. Are you aware of it?
There's a good chance that there are endlessly more things going on than you are aware of. You're breathing aren't you? But until just now when I mentioned it, you probably weren't really aware of it. Your heart is beating. But there's a good chance you weren't aware of it until I said something about it.
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. " - Psalm 139:7-10
God is present. You probably weren't aware of that until I mentioned it. There's a good chance most of you have heard that verse before and you know that God is always present, but how often are you aware of it? There's quite a big difference between knowing something is true and being aware of it. You know you're always breathing, but as soon as you become aware of it you start to focus on it. You know that your heart is beating, but there's a good chance you're not always aware of it until something makes you focus on it. After a long run it's almost impossible for you to be unaware of the fact that your heart is beating and that you are breathing.
Moses was going through the motions of life when one day he became very aware of the presence of God. He was out tending his flock when he discovered a bush that was on fire, but not burning up. I'm pretty sure we would all be drawn to something like that. As Moses approached the bush, God called out to him from within the bush.
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." - Exodus 3:5
The place where you are standing is holy ground. Holy dirt? Holy sand? How is ground holy?
"I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy."
- Leviticus 11:44
God is holy. And in Psalm 139 we realize that God's presence is everywhere. If God is holy, his presence must be holy, and since God's holy presence is everywhere, the ground Moses was standing on had to be holy. Now think about this for a second. If God is present everywhere, all the time, I think it only makes sense to come to the conclusion that any ground we stand on is holy ground. It took God telling Moses that the ground was holy for him to realize it. Moses had probably walked on that same patch of ground multiple times, never once having an awareness of how holy it was.
We can't escape the presence of God. Depth can't keep him away, height can't distance us, we could sail across the sea but we still won't be able to escape his presence. Even in the brilliance of the dawn, he is there, shining and declaring his holiness. The problem is that we are rarely aware of it.
It's kind of like a sunrise. Most of us are hardly ever up early enough to see the sunrise, but it's always there. By the time you get up, the sun has already made it's grand entrance and all you notice is that it's there in the sky like it is every other day. But think back to a time when you were awake to see the sunrise. When you first look out at the sky it's dark, but as you watch you can see colors begin to appear over the horizon. They get brighter and clearer as you watch. Then there is that awe inspiring moment where the sun breaks the horizon line and the earth is drenched in it's brilliant golden light.
I want to be aware of God's presence. I want to make an effort to open my eyes and see past the mundane things in life and realize that God's holy presence really is everywhere. I want to be so aware of his holiness that I change the way I live. I want to be holy because he is holy and I want nothing more than to be like him. I want people to be aware of God's presence when they are around me because I live with such an awareness of his presence that it radiates from me.
And I want desperately for you to want the same thing. I want you to open your eyes and realize that you were created for so much more than going through the motions of life. I want you to live with an awareness that God is holy and that he is present in even the most mundane times of your life.
"God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive..." - Genesis 2:7 (The Message)
Allow God to fill you with his breath; the breath of life. We were formed from the dirt, but God's holy breath of life fills our lungs. It makes us come alive. Are you aware of it?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Fears and Failures
I have a lot of regrets. I've made a lot of mistakes; choices I wish I could go back and redo, words I wish I could take back, actions that hurt people instead of built them up. I also have a hard time letting go of those mistakes. I hang onto things and play them over and over and over in my head and for some reason I cling to them.
Maybe I cling to them so tightly because it's easier to hold onto things than it is to let go. Maybe I hold on because the future is unpredictable and the past, well that already happened and it doesn't scare me as much as the unknown of tomorrow. Maybe I hold on because I'm scared of losing the good memories that are intertwined with the mistakes and shortcomings. Maybe the reason I cling so tightly is because I'm afraid of making the same mistakes again so I think that if I hold onto them, I'll be able to remind myself NOT to make the same mistake again.
So I cling. I hold on for dear life to my mistakes and failures. Not because I feel better about myself (far from it), but like I said before, there is a sort of 'comfort' in the past because it's what I know. I guess I often feel that when I focus on the future, I realize how many things I could mess up and it scares me. So instead of letting go of my past mistakes and embracing the future with open arms, I hold onto what I know.
But there's no way I can live the life God calls me to live if I don't let go of my mistakes. I believe whole heartedly in the price Jesus paid on the cross and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that he has forgiven me for my mistakes, but I have a hard time forgiving myself. So I find myself asking God for forgiveness over and over, but I know deep down inside he's not the one withholding forgiveness; I'm the one whose having a hard time letting go. I also find it a lot easier to forgive other people than to forgive myself. I'm trying to learn to forgive myself for my mistakes, but it's a long process.
My youth pastor gave a sermon a few months ago about God's love and he talked a lot about Hosea and his love for the prostitute, Gomer (what an unfortunate name). God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute and love her to show Israel how strong his love was for them. So Hosea marries Gomer, but Gomer has a hard time accepting his love. She let her past define her. She couldn't let go of her mistakes. She felt like she didn't deserve to be loved by Hosea, so she keeps leaving him to return to her former way of life. But Hosea won't take no for an answer. He goes and buys her back and loves her even though she doesn't think she's worthy.
We can't have the same mindset as Gomer. We can't say "Well that's who I was yesterday and the day before and the day before that, so I'll always be like that. It's just the way things are."
We can't dwell on the past. We can't let our mistakes dictate our futures. I've made mistakes, I've hurt people, I've said things I wish I could take back, but holding onto those mistakes keeps me from being able to take hold of what God has in store for me. It keeps me from becoming the person I was created to be.
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24
So I am learning to let go. Every day I have to make a conscious decision to put off my old self and mistakes and put on the new self that God has so graciously extended to me. I have made mistakes, but I'm called to live a holy, righteous life and that requires letting go and taking hold of what God has in store for me. The future scares me, but I'm learning to let go and cling to the fact that God knows what he's doing; He's got a plan (Jeremiah 29:11).
"So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender"
- Hillsong United
Maybe I cling to them so tightly because it's easier to hold onto things than it is to let go. Maybe I hold on because the future is unpredictable and the past, well that already happened and it doesn't scare me as much as the unknown of tomorrow. Maybe I hold on because I'm scared of losing the good memories that are intertwined with the mistakes and shortcomings. Maybe the reason I cling so tightly is because I'm afraid of making the same mistakes again so I think that if I hold onto them, I'll be able to remind myself NOT to make the same mistake again.
So I cling. I hold on for dear life to my mistakes and failures. Not because I feel better about myself (far from it), but like I said before, there is a sort of 'comfort' in the past because it's what I know. I guess I often feel that when I focus on the future, I realize how many things I could mess up and it scares me. So instead of letting go of my past mistakes and embracing the future with open arms, I hold onto what I know.
But there's no way I can live the life God calls me to live if I don't let go of my mistakes. I believe whole heartedly in the price Jesus paid on the cross and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that he has forgiven me for my mistakes, but I have a hard time forgiving myself. So I find myself asking God for forgiveness over and over, but I know deep down inside he's not the one withholding forgiveness; I'm the one whose having a hard time letting go. I also find it a lot easier to forgive other people than to forgive myself. I'm trying to learn to forgive myself for my mistakes, but it's a long process.
My youth pastor gave a sermon a few months ago about God's love and he talked a lot about Hosea and his love for the prostitute, Gomer (what an unfortunate name). God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute and love her to show Israel how strong his love was for them. So Hosea marries Gomer, but Gomer has a hard time accepting his love. She let her past define her. She couldn't let go of her mistakes. She felt like she didn't deserve to be loved by Hosea, so she keeps leaving him to return to her former way of life. But Hosea won't take no for an answer. He goes and buys her back and loves her even though she doesn't think she's worthy.
We can't have the same mindset as Gomer. We can't say "Well that's who I was yesterday and the day before and the day before that, so I'll always be like that. It's just the way things are."
We can't dwell on the past. We can't let our mistakes dictate our futures. I've made mistakes, I've hurt people, I've said things I wish I could take back, but holding onto those mistakes keeps me from being able to take hold of what God has in store for me. It keeps me from becoming the person I was created to be.
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24
So I am learning to let go. Every day I have to make a conscious decision to put off my old self and mistakes and put on the new self that God has so graciously extended to me. I have made mistakes, but I'm called to live a holy, righteous life and that requires letting go and taking hold of what God has in store for me. The future scares me, but I'm learning to let go and cling to the fact that God knows what he's doing; He's got a plan (Jeremiah 29:11).
"So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender"
- Hillsong United
Monday, May 12, 2008
Beginning
Everything and everyone has a beginning. You had a beginning. I had a beginning. Your next door neighbor had a beginning. The world had a beginning.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
~ Genesis 1:1 (NIV)
“First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see...” ~ Genesis 1:1 (the Message)
What better place to start the story of our journey than the beginning? I love how the Message version uses the phrase “first this.” It implies that there is more to come. There’s more to the story, but for anything to happen there has to be a beginning, a starting point, an event that gets the ball rolling.
“...God created...” What a beautiful phrase. Try to wrap your mind around that. He starts by creating the earth. In verse 2 of Genesis 1, we read that the earth is formless and empty and that darkness covered the surface of the deep. And right there in the midst of the darkness, God is found.
"...the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
God is there hovering over the deep, dark water and the first thing he does is create light. All he does is speak and light fills the heavens. He then separates the light from the darkness. God looks at the light and he sees that it is good. Light and darkness; day and night; day 1.
Day 2: water and sky. “And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.’ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse ‘sky.’” Genesis 1:6-8 There was a lot of water. God spoke and the water separated into two sections: one above an empty expanse, the other below. The one above is sky and the one below is the oceans.
Day 3: land, seas, and plants God told the water to gather and it did. Seas are created. God told dry land to appear and it did. Land is created. God told the land to produce plants that would produce seeds. Plants appeared on the land and God saw that it was good.
Day 4: sun, moon and stars. God spoke and the heavens were filled with stars and galaxies. He created the sun (the greater light) to govern the day and the moon (the lesser light) to govern the night. End of day four.
Day 5: sea creatures and birds. God created the sky and seas first, so he fills them with creatures before the land. The water and sky teemed with living creatures. God gave them his blessing and told them to be fruitful and multiply.
Day 6: land animals and us. The land is filled with creatures that crawl, slither, gallop, hop and climb. God looks at his creation and is pleased with what he sees. But something is missing. Someone is missing.
Us.
God finishes his creation by making man in his image. Sunsets, stars, and the moon are amazing. Zebras, dolphins, eagles, tigers, porcupines, and turtles are amazing. But humans are the only things created in the image of God. The end of the sixth day came and God looked at all he had made and saw that it was “very good.” We had a good beginning. “First this...”
But we strayed from where we started. We made a mess of things. We tried to do things our way and all of a sudden things were different. There was separation where there was supposed to be communion. Discord where there was once harmony.
But it’s only the beginning. There’s more to the story. A story that is still being written. A journey that is still being taken. A beginning that has not reached its end. Join me as we take this journey together.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
~ Genesis 1:1 (NIV)
“First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see...” ~ Genesis 1:1 (the Message)
What better place to start the story of our journey than the beginning? I love how the Message version uses the phrase “first this.” It implies that there is more to come. There’s more to the story, but for anything to happen there has to be a beginning, a starting point, an event that gets the ball rolling.
“...God created...” What a beautiful phrase. Try to wrap your mind around that. He starts by creating the earth. In verse 2 of Genesis 1, we read that the earth is formless and empty and that darkness covered the surface of the deep. And right there in the midst of the darkness, God is found.
"...the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
God is there hovering over the deep, dark water and the first thing he does is create light. All he does is speak and light fills the heavens. He then separates the light from the darkness. God looks at the light and he sees that it is good. Light and darkness; day and night; day 1.
Day 2: water and sky. “And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.’ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse ‘sky.’” Genesis 1:6-8 There was a lot of water. God spoke and the water separated into two sections: one above an empty expanse, the other below. The one above is sky and the one below is the oceans.
Day 3: land, seas, and plants God told the water to gather and it did. Seas are created. God told dry land to appear and it did. Land is created. God told the land to produce plants that would produce seeds. Plants appeared on the land and God saw that it was good.
Day 4: sun, moon and stars. God spoke and the heavens were filled with stars and galaxies. He created the sun (the greater light) to govern the day and the moon (the lesser light) to govern the night. End of day four.
Day 5: sea creatures and birds. God created the sky and seas first, so he fills them with creatures before the land. The water and sky teemed with living creatures. God gave them his blessing and told them to be fruitful and multiply.
Day 6: land animals and us. The land is filled with creatures that crawl, slither, gallop, hop and climb. God looks at his creation and is pleased with what he sees. But something is missing. Someone is missing.
Us.
God finishes his creation by making man in his image. Sunsets, stars, and the moon are amazing. Zebras, dolphins, eagles, tigers, porcupines, and turtles are amazing. But humans are the only things created in the image of God. The end of the sixth day came and God looked at all he had made and saw that it was “very good.” We had a good beginning. “First this...”
But we strayed from where we started. We made a mess of things. We tried to do things our way and all of a sudden things were different. There was separation where there was supposed to be communion. Discord where there was once harmony.
But it’s only the beginning. There’s more to the story. A story that is still being written. A journey that is still being taken. A beginning that has not reached its end. Join me as we take this journey together.
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