This made me chuckle. Goes out to my son, Sam and his good friend Gavin
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Forgiven yet confess
As I have said many times, the Christian life is a life in tension because we are saved but not yet able to find true relief and peace this side of heaven. Tonight's 2 Bible verse will illustrate my point.
Colossians 3:13
"bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive."
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse of from all unrighteousness."
So we are a forgiven people yet we must confess our sins? That is a huge tension in the Christian life and something that we must contend with on a daily basis. Simply put we must be broken and repentant before the God who has already forgiven us and shown us grace and mercy.
It is amazing and beautiful to know and live in the fact that when we give our lives to Jesus and have faith and trust in His death in our place, we now stand forgiven and holy before God. We now can live a confident life in Jesus knowing that even though we are not perfect and will continue to sin and struggle with our flesh, we will someday stand before God forgiven and welcomed into heaven as a child of the King. Being forgiven and being seen by God the Father as His holy child is something that the Christian must never forget. This will then drive us to take this amazing news and go and tell the world.
But being forgiven and standing before God as holy and blameless does not mean that we are done and perfect. We still sin and fall and that means we must continually confess our sin to God and be a broken and repentant man before Him. Sometime I would love to write about true repentance but for my point tonight we need to understand that we must confess our sins continually and with a brokenness that needs Jesus to forgive us at that moment. That means that every time we sin even if it is the little white lie, we need to confess and be broken and repentant about that sin before God.
Colossians 3:13
"bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive."
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse of from all unrighteousness."
So we are a forgiven people yet we must confess our sins? That is a huge tension in the Christian life and something that we must contend with on a daily basis. Simply put we must be broken and repentant before the God who has already forgiven us and shown us grace and mercy.
It is amazing and beautiful to know and live in the fact that when we give our lives to Jesus and have faith and trust in His death in our place, we now stand forgiven and holy before God. We now can live a confident life in Jesus knowing that even though we are not perfect and will continue to sin and struggle with our flesh, we will someday stand before God forgiven and welcomed into heaven as a child of the King. Being forgiven and being seen by God the Father as His holy child is something that the Christian must never forget. This will then drive us to take this amazing news and go and tell the world.
But being forgiven and standing before God as holy and blameless does not mean that we are done and perfect. We still sin and fall and that means we must continually confess our sin to God and be a broken and repentant man before Him. Sometime I would love to write about true repentance but for my point tonight we need to understand that we must confess our sins continually and with a brokenness that needs Jesus to forgive us at that moment. That means that every time we sin even if it is the little white lie, we need to confess and be broken and repentant about that sin before God.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
A New Hope
In preparing for my ministry with the church in York, I have began to fall in love with the book of 1 Peter. In preparing for my first sermon, God has shown me a lot of who He is, what that means for me, and how I should then respond. What I would like to share tonight is part of the sermon I am going to preach this coming Sunday morning. I have stated that I will not share sermon's on my blog that I have either preached or will preach in the future. But because I know that those who read this will not be there this coming week, and also because of the busy and fast pace of my life this week, this will help me formulate thoughts in my head as I prepare.
It only takes 5 small verse to start the letter that Peter wrote to the church to show and tell 3 amazing truths and principles. 1 Peter 1:1-5 teaches us 3 facts that every Christian should know and respond to in their lives.
So what did God do for us? God in His foreknowledge chose us for the work of His sanctifying Spirit to be cleansed in the blood of Jesus for a life that is a new birth. God loved us and knew us completely before we ever existed. This in itself is an amazing truth and a great comfort for us during this life. God chose us to this new birth because He foreknew us. Most Christian will get hung up on the part about God choosing and forget about the part that God loved us first and foremost before we ever existed. This means before we could ever do anything good or any act of praise God intimately loved us. God then in this foreknowledge and love for us sent His Son Jesus to die so that His blood could be sprinkled over us and make us clean and pure in His sight. Again what an amazing God we have that before we even existed He had a plan to redeem us and make us a holy creature in His sight. Then to top it off with what God did for us, He gives us the Holy Spirit to work our sanctification to lead us to live lives growing and maturing before God. And this is all called the new birth. Wow God did a lot for us and what an amazing God we have who did all this for us in His foreknowledge and His choosing.
What does it mean than that God did these things for us?So what does this new birth do for us in life? First the new birth gives us a living hope. This living hope is certain, sure, real, and secure. It is not a hope that is deceptive, empty, fake, or false. This is the kind of hope that will get us through life's circumstances no matter what they are. The persecution we face, trials of a broken world, or just a life that is not perfect, cannot stop this living hope. The new birth also gives us an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade because it is hidden in heaven and protected by God. God shields the inheritance from this broken world and from the devil so that is a secure and safe prize waiting for us in the life of salvation in God. God also not only shields the inheritance from the world, He also shields His children and those who have experienced the new birth in Him. I also love how Peter ends His greetings to start the letter because when he says grace and peace (shalom) he is reminding his readers that those who experience this new birth in God also have this grace and peace from God for a life that is as strangers in this world.
How should we then respond to this new life of hope and inheritance in Jesus? I see that the text points out 3 human responses to this new life and blessing from God. The first response is how Peter responds in verse 3 when he praised God and explodes in doxology. Peter praises God for 11 different things over the next 3 verse starting with God as the Father of Jesus and all of the amazing aspects and gifts that having God not only as Jesus' Father but also our Father. Peter praises God for living hope, the resurrection of Jesus, shielding His children, and the revealing of Jesus among other things. Praise must be the first response of us. The second response is highlighted by Peter early in verse 5 when he talks faith. The new birth must brood a faith in God who foreknew us and loved us and sent His son to purify us. Salvation is by faith alone, shown by a life of obedience. Peter highlights this 3rd response when he says that we were chosen for obedience in Jesus. So a believer in Jesus, someone who has experienced this new birth that was given by God and then gets to experience all the blessings that that means would respond by praise, faith, and obedience. Is that how we respond to the work that God does for us and blessings He gives us?
It only takes 5 small verse to start the letter that Peter wrote to the church to show and tell 3 amazing truths and principles. 1 Peter 1:1-5 teaches us 3 facts that every Christian should know and respond to in their lives.
So what did God do for us? God in His foreknowledge chose us for the work of His sanctifying Spirit to be cleansed in the blood of Jesus for a life that is a new birth. God loved us and knew us completely before we ever existed. This in itself is an amazing truth and a great comfort for us during this life. God chose us to this new birth because He foreknew us. Most Christian will get hung up on the part about God choosing and forget about the part that God loved us first and foremost before we ever existed. This means before we could ever do anything good or any act of praise God intimately loved us. God then in this foreknowledge and love for us sent His Son Jesus to die so that His blood could be sprinkled over us and make us clean and pure in His sight. Again what an amazing God we have that before we even existed He had a plan to redeem us and make us a holy creature in His sight. Then to top it off with what God did for us, He gives us the Holy Spirit to work our sanctification to lead us to live lives growing and maturing before God. And this is all called the new birth. Wow God did a lot for us and what an amazing God we have who did all this for us in His foreknowledge and His choosing.
What does it mean than that God did these things for us?So what does this new birth do for us in life? First the new birth gives us a living hope. This living hope is certain, sure, real, and secure. It is not a hope that is deceptive, empty, fake, or false. This is the kind of hope that will get us through life's circumstances no matter what they are. The persecution we face, trials of a broken world, or just a life that is not perfect, cannot stop this living hope. The new birth also gives us an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade because it is hidden in heaven and protected by God. God shields the inheritance from this broken world and from the devil so that is a secure and safe prize waiting for us in the life of salvation in God. God also not only shields the inheritance from the world, He also shields His children and those who have experienced the new birth in Him. I also love how Peter ends His greetings to start the letter because when he says grace and peace (shalom) he is reminding his readers that those who experience this new birth in God also have this grace and peace from God for a life that is as strangers in this world.
How should we then respond to this new life of hope and inheritance in Jesus? I see that the text points out 3 human responses to this new life and blessing from God. The first response is how Peter responds in verse 3 when he praised God and explodes in doxology. Peter praises God for 11 different things over the next 3 verse starting with God as the Father of Jesus and all of the amazing aspects and gifts that having God not only as Jesus' Father but also our Father. Peter praises God for living hope, the resurrection of Jesus, shielding His children, and the revealing of Jesus among other things. Praise must be the first response of us. The second response is highlighted by Peter early in verse 5 when he talks faith. The new birth must brood a faith in God who foreknew us and loved us and sent His son to purify us. Salvation is by faith alone, shown by a life of obedience. Peter highlights this 3rd response when he says that we were chosen for obedience in Jesus. So a believer in Jesus, someone who has experienced this new birth that was given by God and then gets to experience all the blessings that that means would respond by praise, faith, and obedience. Is that how we respond to the work that God does for us and blessings He gives us?
Sunday, February 23, 2014
God's Guidance for Life
Today's topic and thoughts come right from the point in my life that I need them most. For those who know me, I have been chasing seminary for a few years now and still am having thoughts about going to Boston this fall. Then there is also the pursuit of an active paid formal ministry in the church, that I have been actively running after for over a year now. Then comes my ministry in March with a very neat and friendly church family in York. At this point in my life and the life of my beloved and 4 "little me's" I definitely need the guidance of God in my life. So as I have been pondering this, reading about it, and praying over God's leading my my life I have come up with, with much help from others, that God gives us guidance in 4 big and important ways.
God guides us first by His Word. What is the most plain and strait forward way we can understand what God wants from us and our lives and actions? Through His words in the Bible. In the Bible God gives us commands on how to live. God tells us what sin is and what worship looks like. Jesus in Matthew gives us the Sermon on the Mount so that not only is our actions in check but also our hearts. God in the Bible lets us know what idolatry is and tells us plainly what the Christian life should look like. God says this is right and that is wrong. God lets us know point blank that the job of the human race is to live to bring praise and glory to their Creator. That is also the point of the Christian life shown in the Bible, to give worship and praise to our Savior Jesus and to go multiply ourselves by telling others what Jesus did for us. So the first guide to the daily life and what each day means for us the Bible.
The second way God guides us is by wisdom. God gives us a brain and experience for a reason. God also shows us by His word what wisdom is in each circumstance. God gives us the book of Job so we have wisdom in suffering. He gives us Proverbs so we can have wisdom in action. He gives us the Psalms to see wisdom in prayer. Song of Solomon so we can see wisdom in love. And Ecclesiastes to see wisdom in joy. God gives us the brain and wisdom in life so that we will have understanding in decision moments. God gives us wisdom so we know when to get help and more understanding about something in life because we need help. God gives us wisdom because that is how He best gives help to His children to walk a Christian life upright and wise even to the world. A wise life and the wisdom that God gives us, peppers the Bible everywhere and using our brain without fear is another gift from God in His guidance in life.
The third way God can guide us is by the support and help of friends and others in our life. God not only designed the the church for a community feel, but He also made humans social creatures for a reason. God also gives us a brain so we know when we need help and guidance. I know in my life alone I need help and guidance when it comes to areas like finances, hunting, politics, science, preaching, and working on my car. And that is just to name a few areas that when I have decisions to make I need incite and impute in my life. I have also discovered that in areas that I need guidance in, God has places men and women in my life that can give me a better understanding or impute that will guide me better than I could ever do on my own. What people has God placed in our lives that will help guide us? People, leaders, and friends are an amazing resource for guidance as we search what God is calling us to not only do daily but also with bigger decisions.
The fourth way I find that God gives guidance in our lives and leads us is through the Holy Spirit. Following the Holy Spirit though does not mean that we cannot move or make a decisions unless the Spirit gives us a sign in the sky. Sorry we are not Gideon or Paul, they were exceptions and we are normal. This also does not mean then that we use the Spirit like a dart board and just stab at the "right" guide. What following the Spirit means is we pray and listen to the ways He guides and directs us. We follow or allow God to give us peace when the way seems clear. And we also do not grieve the Spirit by our decisions either. Listening to the Spirit guide and direct us can be through friends, wisdom, or a path that stretches or strengthens our faith. No matter what, following the Spirit and His guidance means then that as long as we do not sin and worship ourselves with our decisions, He will walk with us and be our guide even if we make the "wrong" decisions. For example, if I would chose the "wrong" decisions and go to the wrong church, it is not a sinful act and even though I did not go the way God intended, His grace in my life and the work of following the Holy Spirit will cover my mistake and guide me into new paths for Him. The Spirit in our lives is the greatest gift and tool that God gives us as we follow His guidance.
No matter whether we make a "wrong" or "right" decision as we follow God and His guide, His grace and love for us will lead us and be with us as we walk in the life He calls. Just please do not grieve the Holy Spirit by sinning in the decisions because yes God grace will cover the sinful choice, but God will still have to punish us like a loving Father.
God guides us first by His Word. What is the most plain and strait forward way we can understand what God wants from us and our lives and actions? Through His words in the Bible. In the Bible God gives us commands on how to live. God tells us what sin is and what worship looks like. Jesus in Matthew gives us the Sermon on the Mount so that not only is our actions in check but also our hearts. God in the Bible lets us know what idolatry is and tells us plainly what the Christian life should look like. God says this is right and that is wrong. God lets us know point blank that the job of the human race is to live to bring praise and glory to their Creator. That is also the point of the Christian life shown in the Bible, to give worship and praise to our Savior Jesus and to go multiply ourselves by telling others what Jesus did for us. So the first guide to the daily life and what each day means for us the Bible.
The second way God guides us is by wisdom. God gives us a brain and experience for a reason. God also shows us by His word what wisdom is in each circumstance. God gives us the book of Job so we have wisdom in suffering. He gives us Proverbs so we can have wisdom in action. He gives us the Psalms to see wisdom in prayer. Song of Solomon so we can see wisdom in love. And Ecclesiastes to see wisdom in joy. God gives us the brain and wisdom in life so that we will have understanding in decision moments. God gives us wisdom so we know when to get help and more understanding about something in life because we need help. God gives us wisdom because that is how He best gives help to His children to walk a Christian life upright and wise even to the world. A wise life and the wisdom that God gives us, peppers the Bible everywhere and using our brain without fear is another gift from God in His guidance in life.
The third way God can guide us is by the support and help of friends and others in our life. God not only designed the the church for a community feel, but He also made humans social creatures for a reason. God also gives us a brain so we know when we need help and guidance. I know in my life alone I need help and guidance when it comes to areas like finances, hunting, politics, science, preaching, and working on my car. And that is just to name a few areas that when I have decisions to make I need incite and impute in my life. I have also discovered that in areas that I need guidance in, God has places men and women in my life that can give me a better understanding or impute that will guide me better than I could ever do on my own. What people has God placed in our lives that will help guide us? People, leaders, and friends are an amazing resource for guidance as we search what God is calling us to not only do daily but also with bigger decisions.
The fourth way I find that God gives guidance in our lives and leads us is through the Holy Spirit. Following the Holy Spirit though does not mean that we cannot move or make a decisions unless the Spirit gives us a sign in the sky. Sorry we are not Gideon or Paul, they were exceptions and we are normal. This also does not mean then that we use the Spirit like a dart board and just stab at the "right" guide. What following the Spirit means is we pray and listen to the ways He guides and directs us. We follow or allow God to give us peace when the way seems clear. And we also do not grieve the Spirit by our decisions either. Listening to the Spirit guide and direct us can be through friends, wisdom, or a path that stretches or strengthens our faith. No matter what, following the Spirit and His guidance means then that as long as we do not sin and worship ourselves with our decisions, He will walk with us and be our guide even if we make the "wrong" decisions. For example, if I would chose the "wrong" decisions and go to the wrong church, it is not a sinful act and even though I did not go the way God intended, His grace in my life and the work of following the Holy Spirit will cover my mistake and guide me into new paths for Him. The Spirit in our lives is the greatest gift and tool that God gives us as we follow His guidance.
No matter whether we make a "wrong" or "right" decision as we follow God and His guide, His grace and love for us will lead us and be with us as we walk in the life He calls. Just please do not grieve the Holy Spirit by sinning in the decisions because yes God grace will cover the sinful choice, but God will still have to punish us like a loving Father.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Jesus Yoke
Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
We all have our thoughts about Jesus' yoke of burden and what that means for us. I am reminded by this picture though and the verse above it that Jesus yoke is not something we have to bear alone. Just like in this picture the older ox (with the bigger horns on the left) is walking with and training the younger ox what the job is. So too Jesus walks with us as we together with Him bear the yoke of the Christian life. Jesus is walking right next to us, in the yoke with us, teaching us and guiding us. Only will the younger ox learn by walking step in step and mirroring the mature older ox. Just the same with us. We need to mirror Jesus and walk step in step with Him and then the yoke and burden it is pulling will be easy. So next time you think about the Christian life, or as I affectionately call it the Jesus lover life, remember that the yoke of burden is easier when we are step in step, mirroring the ox, Jesus, beside us in the yoke.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
We all have our thoughts about Jesus' yoke of burden and what that means for us. I am reminded by this picture though and the verse above it that Jesus yoke is not something we have to bear alone. Just like in this picture the older ox (with the bigger horns on the left) is walking with and training the younger ox what the job is. So too Jesus walks with us as we together with Him bear the yoke of the Christian life. Jesus is walking right next to us, in the yoke with us, teaching us and guiding us. Only will the younger ox learn by walking step in step and mirroring the mature older ox. Just the same with us. We need to mirror Jesus and walk step in step with Him and then the yoke and burden it is pulling will be easy. So next time you think about the Christian life, or as I affectionately call it the Jesus lover life, remember that the yoke of burden is easier when we are step in step, mirroring the ox, Jesus, beside us in the yoke.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Free Slave
A few verses that God has shown me over the last week have illustrated another tension in the Christian life that I think I have needed to be reminded of.
Romans 6:18
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Romans 6:22
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
1 Peter 2:16
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover up of evil; live as servants of God.
So we are free but yet at the same time we are slaves. That is very interesting, challenging, and important to think and pray about. I will not take the length to give a full explanation of what I think all this means but I believe it has a few very important things to remind us of.
Being free means first as Romans says we are free from the bondage of sin. This also means that we are free from the bondage to the flesh and the sin of being a dead person. We are free from our old self, the ball and chain that the life of a dead person brings. We are free from the bondage of this world and free from the deep seated desire in us to call this world home and settle in for a long stay. We are free from making our selves happy and having happiness as the only pursuit in this life. We are free from the desire and passion in ourselves for our own good at all cost and the drive of self. Being free sets us free in many ways and gives us an ultimate freedom that a person not in Jesus could have.
*Even though we are free we still struggle with sin and the tension of this life which was looked at in my last post*
But this freedom in Jesus does come with a cost and that cost is being a slave as Romans and 1 Peter highlight. So what does it mean that we are slaves to righteousness and servants of God? Simply put this means we are now captive and slaves to our love, desire, and passion for Jesus. Having become slaves we now lives lives that are in love with the person who set us free and that is Jesus. We then live to serve Him and work for His mission. We live lives that are in love with Him and we become slaves to that love of Jesus so our lives are then centered around a life of service and holiness for Jesus. We become slaves and servants to our passions and pursuit of Jesus. Our life is full of works and acts of service and love in honor of Jesus. We join and are a part of Jesus' bride, which is visibly His church. We spend time talking with Jesus and spend time reading His words and commands to us. In a life of slave love to Jesus we follow His commands and continually live as a broken repentant person knowing that we continually need Jesus to set us free from our sin struggle and tension. We are free with Jesus but now become slaves to the love and desire and want of Him.
This is the amazing tension of the Christian life and it is a great reminder for us as we wake up each day trying to follow and honor God with our words and actions. We are free but at the same time should be slaves. Amen
Romans 6:18
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Romans 6:22
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
1 Peter 2:16
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover up of evil; live as servants of God.
So we are free but yet at the same time we are slaves. That is very interesting, challenging, and important to think and pray about. I will not take the length to give a full explanation of what I think all this means but I believe it has a few very important things to remind us of.
Being free means first as Romans says we are free from the bondage of sin. This also means that we are free from the bondage to the flesh and the sin of being a dead person. We are free from our old self, the ball and chain that the life of a dead person brings. We are free from the bondage of this world and free from the deep seated desire in us to call this world home and settle in for a long stay. We are free from making our selves happy and having happiness as the only pursuit in this life. We are free from the desire and passion in ourselves for our own good at all cost and the drive of self. Being free sets us free in many ways and gives us an ultimate freedom that a person not in Jesus could have.
*Even though we are free we still struggle with sin and the tension of this life which was looked at in my last post*
But this freedom in Jesus does come with a cost and that cost is being a slave as Romans and 1 Peter highlight. So what does it mean that we are slaves to righteousness and servants of God? Simply put this means we are now captive and slaves to our love, desire, and passion for Jesus. Having become slaves we now lives lives that are in love with the person who set us free and that is Jesus. We then live to serve Him and work for His mission. We live lives that are in love with Him and we become slaves to that love of Jesus so our lives are then centered around a life of service and holiness for Jesus. We become slaves and servants to our passions and pursuit of Jesus. Our life is full of works and acts of service and love in honor of Jesus. We join and are a part of Jesus' bride, which is visibly His church. We spend time talking with Jesus and spend time reading His words and commands to us. In a life of slave love to Jesus we follow His commands and continually live as a broken repentant person knowing that we continually need Jesus to set us free from our sin struggle and tension. We are free with Jesus but now become slaves to the love and desire and want of Him.
This is the amazing tension of the Christian life and it is a great reminder for us as we wake up each day trying to follow and honor God with our words and actions. We are free but at the same time should be slaves. Amen
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Struggle with Sin
Tonight I want to take a look at 2 different verses from the book of Romans that are only a mere chapter apart. These verse pinpoint a struggle that every Christian has and after I show the struggle I would like to point out the only 2 solutions that I know of in this battle.
Romans 6:2
By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?
Romans 7:19
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing.
So these verses highlight the fact that as Christians we have a battle with sin. As the first verse shows us that when we accept Christ as our Savior and begin a life of faith and love in Him we die to our sin. This simply put means that we are set free from sin. We are no longer have a ball and chain around our neck called sin and the death because of this sin. Christ in His death for us and because of His life of holy perfect righteousness has set us free from the bond of sin.
But, the second text from Romans reminds us though that even when we are set free from sin we still have to deal with it. This verse simply put shows us we still yield to the power of sin and still have a bent to sin. So even when Jesus frees us from the bond of sin we still live a life in the flesh this side of eternity. A life in the flesh still has passion and desires that are contrary to God and will cause us to sin. Even when Jesus frees us we can not escape sin. We still struggle and deal with temptation and giving in and sinning as a result. We battle the sin every day in our lives and still yield to it continually.
So what do we do about this struggle with sin even after we are free and how do we deal with this tension in our lives as we face temptation? I have two simple yet very challenging solutions.
#1- Keep on keeping on. Simply put do not give up on this battle and lose the tension. Once you do not feel the tension in your life of the struggle with sin, sin has conquered you and temptation might not even exist in your life anymore because you have gone back to a life of sin and its bondage. We must as lovers of Jesus keep fighting the battle and running from temptation. So my first solution to this struggle is do not give up. Remember and take hope in the fact Jesus is preparing a place someday where this battle will be over and we will never deal with sin again.
Solution #2- Repent, Repent, Repent and when need be repent again. We all sin and even after being free from sin by Jesus we will still sin and sin and sin and sin when we do not want to because it feels good. The only solution I know for sin, this side of heaven, in our lives is to repent when we do sin and miss the mark. We need first to repent to God and become a broken person before Him crying out in our desperate situations of daily need to win the battle against sin. Then we need to repent and show a brokenness to the party that we hurt with our sin. Sometime later I would love to explore a fuller picture of repentance and what it all means, but repentance is something that every lover of Jesus needs in their daily life. And in the struggle and tension against sin we need to repent and repent continually and turn from our sin way and walk in righteousness.
So we all have a struggle, battle, and tension in our lives with sin and we yield to it continually even though Jesus has given us freedom from sin. So keep on keeping on and repent, repent, and repent again. And tomorrow when we all wake up, repeat those same steps again because remember someday for those who love Jesus, He will get rid of the sin tension once and for all. Amen
Romans 6:2
By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?
Romans 7:19
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing.
So these verses highlight the fact that as Christians we have a battle with sin. As the first verse shows us that when we accept Christ as our Savior and begin a life of faith and love in Him we die to our sin. This simply put means that we are set free from sin. We are no longer have a ball and chain around our neck called sin and the death because of this sin. Christ in His death for us and because of His life of holy perfect righteousness has set us free from the bond of sin.
But, the second text from Romans reminds us though that even when we are set free from sin we still have to deal with it. This verse simply put shows us we still yield to the power of sin and still have a bent to sin. So even when Jesus frees us from the bond of sin we still live a life in the flesh this side of eternity. A life in the flesh still has passion and desires that are contrary to God and will cause us to sin. Even when Jesus frees us we can not escape sin. We still struggle and deal with temptation and giving in and sinning as a result. We battle the sin every day in our lives and still yield to it continually.
So what do we do about this struggle with sin even after we are free and how do we deal with this tension in our lives as we face temptation? I have two simple yet very challenging solutions.
#1- Keep on keeping on. Simply put do not give up on this battle and lose the tension. Once you do not feel the tension in your life of the struggle with sin, sin has conquered you and temptation might not even exist in your life anymore because you have gone back to a life of sin and its bondage. We must as lovers of Jesus keep fighting the battle and running from temptation. So my first solution to this struggle is do not give up. Remember and take hope in the fact Jesus is preparing a place someday where this battle will be over and we will never deal with sin again.
Solution #2- Repent, Repent, Repent and when need be repent again. We all sin and even after being free from sin by Jesus we will still sin and sin and sin and sin when we do not want to because it feels good. The only solution I know for sin, this side of heaven, in our lives is to repent when we do sin and miss the mark. We need first to repent to God and become a broken person before Him crying out in our desperate situations of daily need to win the battle against sin. Then we need to repent and show a brokenness to the party that we hurt with our sin. Sometime later I would love to explore a fuller picture of repentance and what it all means, but repentance is something that every lover of Jesus needs in their daily life. And in the struggle and tension against sin we need to repent and repent continually and turn from our sin way and walk in righteousness.
So we all have a struggle, battle, and tension in our lives with sin and we yield to it continually even though Jesus has given us freedom from sin. So keep on keeping on and repent, repent, and repent again. And tomorrow when we all wake up, repeat those same steps again because remember someday for those who love Jesus, He will get rid of the sin tension once and for all. Amen
Monday, February 17, 2014
Should I get paid to blog?
This is a question that I have been thinking about for a few weeks now. Most of the blogs I read have advertisements on the webpage that usually relate to or are connected to the person writing the blog or the web address that the blog is on. With the thought that some day God might call me into ministry and the need for more income, even if it is a small amount, might be helpful to my family and ministry. I want to lay out a few arguments for each side and maybe as others read this they also can shed some light on this tension I am having, even though it is small. For advertising or against it, is the question.
For-Writing takes time. When I am writing one of these blogs I might spend anywhere from 10 minutes to sometimes 45 minutes. That means that yes I am doing something I enjoy and have a desire and passion to do but I am also taking away time from others things that I might be able to do. When I am writing this right now I could be spending some alone time with my wife, I could be reading my Bible or a good spiritual book, or I could be working on class work. So when I write this blog it is definitely a time commitment.
Against- But I am writing for fun and enjoyment and out of a desire to expose the things God is teaching and showing me. This means that even though there is a time commitment and there are things I could also be doing, writing is something that is important to me and is definitely a way that I can steward a gift and (maybe) talent in my life to His glory. When I am writing my blog and jotting down my thoughts for enjoyment it is like playing in a sport, or riding my bike, or any of a list of activities that I do just for fun and never get paid to do.
For- Others benefit from the writing I do and God given knowledge I have been given through the Bible. writing this blog is also like writing a book, which some book writers have done by turning some of there blogs into a book. Writing this blog is also like a teaching time that a speak, who gets paid, uses his time for. So God has given me knowledge and talent that others can benefit from and as Paul reminds us, we should not muzzle an ox as it treads out the grain. This means, and I truly believe it, a Pastor should get paid for his service and poured out knowledge in the church. And this blog could fall under that category.
Against- But you are not a professional and have much still to learn. This point is very valid. I am no John Piper, Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, or even Randy Pelton. I am not a true Pastor yet and just another member of laity. I am not person special in the church on a broad scale and have studied many years to gain my understanding. My writing has even exposed some of the false understanding that I have and through my writing I have even discovered areas that I need much growth in. Getting paid to write would put me in a position and give me a power that I do not deserve and have many years to grow into.
For- But my family could use the extra support as I raise 4 children to love God and the church. I am looking to follow where God leads me and that could possibly into full-time ministry for God in His church. This means that I will never have a large income and could always use extra opportunities from God at making extra money to support and raise my family. I want my children to grow to love the church as much as I do and not dislike the church because they always had to sacrifice fun times in life for the church. Getting paid to write in the future and even now would give me some extra cash to help raise my children to love God and His church.
Against- But writing a blog is not truly a job that requires a set schedule with people to serve. This means that I could stop blogging when ever it become s a burden or a distraction for my family and in my life. Again this relates my blog to playing a sport, like my indoor soccer years which I gave up because of family life. So why should I get paid for something that can come and go in my life and something I could pick and write for awhile and then let sit and come back to weeks later. Blog has become more of a hobby and an activity that I do unlike a job, so why should a hobby get someone paid?
I am not sure what the verdict is and I know that even writing about it, will not solve the small dilemma in my life. My ultimate goal though through all of this is that God be glorified and Jesus be shown in my writing of this blog, whether I make a few extra dollars or not.
For-Writing takes time. When I am writing one of these blogs I might spend anywhere from 10 minutes to sometimes 45 minutes. That means that yes I am doing something I enjoy and have a desire and passion to do but I am also taking away time from others things that I might be able to do. When I am writing this right now I could be spending some alone time with my wife, I could be reading my Bible or a good spiritual book, or I could be working on class work. So when I write this blog it is definitely a time commitment.
Against- But I am writing for fun and enjoyment and out of a desire to expose the things God is teaching and showing me. This means that even though there is a time commitment and there are things I could also be doing, writing is something that is important to me and is definitely a way that I can steward a gift and (maybe) talent in my life to His glory. When I am writing my blog and jotting down my thoughts for enjoyment it is like playing in a sport, or riding my bike, or any of a list of activities that I do just for fun and never get paid to do.
For- Others benefit from the writing I do and God given knowledge I have been given through the Bible. writing this blog is also like writing a book, which some book writers have done by turning some of there blogs into a book. Writing this blog is also like a teaching time that a speak, who gets paid, uses his time for. So God has given me knowledge and talent that others can benefit from and as Paul reminds us, we should not muzzle an ox as it treads out the grain. This means, and I truly believe it, a Pastor should get paid for his service and poured out knowledge in the church. And this blog could fall under that category.
Against- But you are not a professional and have much still to learn. This point is very valid. I am no John Piper, Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, or even Randy Pelton. I am not a true Pastor yet and just another member of laity. I am not person special in the church on a broad scale and have studied many years to gain my understanding. My writing has even exposed some of the false understanding that I have and through my writing I have even discovered areas that I need much growth in. Getting paid to write would put me in a position and give me a power that I do not deserve and have many years to grow into.
For- But my family could use the extra support as I raise 4 children to love God and the church. I am looking to follow where God leads me and that could possibly into full-time ministry for God in His church. This means that I will never have a large income and could always use extra opportunities from God at making extra money to support and raise my family. I want my children to grow to love the church as much as I do and not dislike the church because they always had to sacrifice fun times in life for the church. Getting paid to write in the future and even now would give me some extra cash to help raise my children to love God and His church.
Against- But writing a blog is not truly a job that requires a set schedule with people to serve. This means that I could stop blogging when ever it become s a burden or a distraction for my family and in my life. Again this relates my blog to playing a sport, like my indoor soccer years which I gave up because of family life. So why should I get paid for something that can come and go in my life and something I could pick and write for awhile and then let sit and come back to weeks later. Blog has become more of a hobby and an activity that I do unlike a job, so why should a hobby get someone paid?
I am not sure what the verdict is and I know that even writing about it, will not solve the small dilemma in my life. My ultimate goal though through all of this is that God be glorified and Jesus be shown in my writing of this blog, whether I make a few extra dollars or not.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Top 5 Lies Christians Believe
My wife recommended that I read this funny yet challenging blog/article. It made me think so I would like to take a few sentences and respond to it and maybe enlighten and help others to think also. Here is the blog link:
http://www.faithit.com/top-5-lies-christians-believe/#.Uv0Uyd7wVCI.email
So here is my response lie by lie.
1)You do not really need the church
This lie is simple to defunct. Paul tells us plainly in 1st Corinthians that we as Christians are part of a body with many parts and many roles. If I am an an ear or a mouth, I cannot function as the other parts of the body and need those parts to be a full true Christian. The New Testament also has more than 20 "one another" commands that are by God commanded to be preformed in the church family so that the church may grow and spread God's reputation to the world. God designed the Christian to live in a community where he or she can grow, mature, care, love, share, explore, and discover what it means to be a "little Christ". The church is necessary and command in the Bible which is the foundation of the Christian life. I would say to anyone that unless you are connected to a church family how could you ever say you are a Christian because Jesus came, lives, and died for the church, which is mutually His bride.
2)To be a Christian you just need to be "good" and act "nice"
This argument does not make sense to me because the Christian life is scandalous. The cross and the story if the gospel is not good or nice and calls for a life that is more than just nice or good. To be nice and good is what the culture wants but not Jesus. Jesus is about radical abandonment of what the culture wants and a life that goes against the grain. Jesus was rejected by the world and to live as a "little Christ" a person must be the same. Sin and death is not good and nice and to preach and let the world know they need Jesus, they need to know about their sin and pending death. The a person must understand that they need Jesus to cover them in His blood so that a holy righteous Father is satisfied. Then a life that relies on the Spirit to live in the midst of tension and struggle with overcoming sin and temptation. Being a Christian is not about being good or nice, it is about spreading the reputation of God far and wide and showing others Jesus in our lives.
3)God does not care about your small things
God is love. God loves His adopted family. Just like a loving father cares about the needs, wants, passions, and desires of their children; a Holy and perfect Father cares even more for our situations and "small things". God is also sovereign and in total and complete control of all situations and circumstances. As Romans reminds us God has the best in mind for those who love Him and are His children. Trust and faith are foundational aspects of the Christian life so a faith and trust in God and His complete and total control of every aspect. To be a "little Christ" one must have faith, like Jesus, that the loving Father has everything even the little things in control and has our best in mind in that control.
4)Only pastors can lead
This is a tough lie for me because I desire and pursue being a Pastor who leads God's church for Him. Yes, the New Testament makes it clear that Pastor's and Elders one day will be answerable to God for the state of the church's they lead and how spiritually strong or weak that church was. But when people think of Pastors they think that only formal paid people can lead. This is a lie. I have learned over the last few years that anyone can lead in the church and also in the family of God. God calls us all to be on a mission for Him, whether we are Pastors or are just a plumber. Anyone can make an impact for God and lead and inspire others to make the same impact for Him.
5)God just wants you to be happy
Was Jesus happy all the time? Was Jesus life always pleasant and full of fun and joy? When we are Christians we are "little Christ" which means we are to be like our Savior. This means when we are like Jesus sometimes life will be about suffering and pain as we follow the will of God. Jesus call us to go make disciples of the world and the world rejected Jesus, so they will reject us as we preach the gospel. Being rejected by the world and even some of our friends is not happy. And this is just one example of how life as a Christian will not always be happy. Life in Christ though will be joyful as we realize what God through Jesus has done for us, is doing with us, and will do for us one say. We as Christians are to be full of joy even when we are not happy. That is the difference.
http://www.faithit.com/top-5-lies-christians-believe/#.Uv0Uyd7wVCI.email
So here is my response lie by lie.
1)You do not really need the church
This lie is simple to defunct. Paul tells us plainly in 1st Corinthians that we as Christians are part of a body with many parts and many roles. If I am an an ear or a mouth, I cannot function as the other parts of the body and need those parts to be a full true Christian. The New Testament also has more than 20 "one another" commands that are by God commanded to be preformed in the church family so that the church may grow and spread God's reputation to the world. God designed the Christian to live in a community where he or she can grow, mature, care, love, share, explore, and discover what it means to be a "little Christ". The church is necessary and command in the Bible which is the foundation of the Christian life. I would say to anyone that unless you are connected to a church family how could you ever say you are a Christian because Jesus came, lives, and died for the church, which is mutually His bride.
2)To be a Christian you just need to be "good" and act "nice"
This argument does not make sense to me because the Christian life is scandalous. The cross and the story if the gospel is not good or nice and calls for a life that is more than just nice or good. To be nice and good is what the culture wants but not Jesus. Jesus is about radical abandonment of what the culture wants and a life that goes against the grain. Jesus was rejected by the world and to live as a "little Christ" a person must be the same. Sin and death is not good and nice and to preach and let the world know they need Jesus, they need to know about their sin and pending death. The a person must understand that they need Jesus to cover them in His blood so that a holy righteous Father is satisfied. Then a life that relies on the Spirit to live in the midst of tension and struggle with overcoming sin and temptation. Being a Christian is not about being good or nice, it is about spreading the reputation of God far and wide and showing others Jesus in our lives.
3)God does not care about your small things
God is love. God loves His adopted family. Just like a loving father cares about the needs, wants, passions, and desires of their children; a Holy and perfect Father cares even more for our situations and "small things". God is also sovereign and in total and complete control of all situations and circumstances. As Romans reminds us God has the best in mind for those who love Him and are His children. Trust and faith are foundational aspects of the Christian life so a faith and trust in God and His complete and total control of every aspect. To be a "little Christ" one must have faith, like Jesus, that the loving Father has everything even the little things in control and has our best in mind in that control.
4)Only pastors can lead
This is a tough lie for me because I desire and pursue being a Pastor who leads God's church for Him. Yes, the New Testament makes it clear that Pastor's and Elders one day will be answerable to God for the state of the church's they lead and how spiritually strong or weak that church was. But when people think of Pastors they think that only formal paid people can lead. This is a lie. I have learned over the last few years that anyone can lead in the church and also in the family of God. God calls us all to be on a mission for Him, whether we are Pastors or are just a plumber. Anyone can make an impact for God and lead and inspire others to make the same impact for Him.
5)God just wants you to be happy
Was Jesus happy all the time? Was Jesus life always pleasant and full of fun and joy? When we are Christians we are "little Christ" which means we are to be like our Savior. This means when we are like Jesus sometimes life will be about suffering and pain as we follow the will of God. Jesus call us to go make disciples of the world and the world rejected Jesus, so they will reject us as we preach the gospel. Being rejected by the world and even some of our friends is not happy. And this is just one example of how life as a Christian will not always be happy. Life in Christ though will be joyful as we realize what God through Jesus has done for us, is doing with us, and will do for us one say. We as Christians are to be full of joy even when we are not happy. That is the difference.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Gospel Qualities
I was asked a question today as I was filling out scholarship information so I wanted to share that with you tonight along with my answers.
What qualities make someone a good minister of the gospel and why?
I believe there are many qualities of a good minister of the gospel, too many in fact to list and make this a short answer rather than a book. But I also think there are 5 key qualities that not only make a good minister of the gospel but also impact the gospel that is being ministered. They are as follows.
Humility- The gospel is not about us and not designed for out glory. The gospel is about God and His plan which was carried out through Jesus, His son, with the serviced of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So a minister of the gospel must not have pride and must have a humble realization that they are serving a sovereign and holy God. Jesus is the greatest example of a minister of the gospel and the gospel is because of Him and Jesus was the most humble and gracious person on earth. The minister of the gospel must be humble enough to direct others to Jesus and show them His power that changes lives. They must also be humble enough to realize it is about Jesus and not about them and be full of all ever time God uses them to save or care for someone else with the gospel. The minister of the gospel cannot do anything until they are humble enough to let God use them to spread His message of Jesus and the cross. Humility must be the foundation and cornerstone of the minister caring out the gospel in action and deed for God.
Courage- 1 Peter reminds us that Jesus was rejected by the world. This means fro those who stand with Jesus and tell others about this amazing man and story (the gospel) the world will reject us also. That means it takes courage to go into the world and make disciples and tell others what Jesus and God have and do for us. A minister of the gospel will be rejected and persecuted continually in the world, so courage is needed. A minister of the gospel inside the church will have to stand against sin and Satan as they equip and live around other fallen but saved humans. This stand for truth and living in a world of sin, even with brothers and sister in Christ, must take courage.
Hope- The gospel changes us as people into a people of hope. The gospel itself gives us hope in the future in that there is a place of perfection and eternal bliss that when this life is over we have hope in God. But hope is also give in the moment in that now God is for us and showers grace and mercy on us each day in every moment and circumstance. When we have hope because of the gospel it affects our heart and is an outward sign of the gospel in action. To be a minister of the gospel than one must have hope that the gospel will change and impact others the same it impacted us.
Joy- Jesus in the midst of suffering was still filled with joy. Paul commands us to rejoice in the Lord through all circumstances in life. So joy must be a part of gospel ministry. If the person ministering the gospel does not have joy, no one he is ministering to will first want any part the that gospel and secondly those around his ministry will not want to be around a person not full of joy. Joy is another outward sign of a heart for the gospel.
Love- The gospel is a love story between God and mankind through His Son Jesus. So how can the person ministering and living out the gospel not have love also? Not only must a gospel minister have love in his life he must minister through and with love. Love must flow from his lips not only to those inside the church but also outside of the church. Love must flow from his actions with what he is doing in ministry for the church but also to the world. Love is a quality that when the world see, they see Jesus and the gospel in action. Love must be a foundation of not only the gospel but also the works of the gospel.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Be My Valentine #5
Gentlemen, do we know what romance is? Romance is important for the marriage covenant and our relationship with our beloved. Here is the dictionary definition of romance; to court or woo romantically; treat with ardor or chivalrousness. So is that a verb and action that is part of your every day life for your wife? Here is a good Biblical picture of romance from the the 6th chapter of Song of Solomon.
You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,
You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,
lovely as Jerusalem,
majestic as troops with banners.
5 Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is alone.
7 Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
8 Sixty queens there may be,
and eighty concubines,
and virgins beyond number;
9 but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines praised her.
So men, we need to let our wives know they are special and not just because they make us feel good. We need to make sure they know they are a gift from God. They need to hear from us the awesome things they do. They need to know verbally and by our actions that they are important to us and our lives. Look how much attention to detail we see in these verses. He makes sure she knows he is blessed because of her and that she means the world to him. So do we show our wives by our actions and words that they are the world to us and not just another person?
We need to make sure that romance is not just a word we know but an action that we do for our wives. We can appreciate them, help them, desire them, keep the external foxes and the internal faxes out but if we do not romance our wives then it does not all matter. We need to spend time with them. We need to spend money on them, even if it is a little. We need to encourage them and praise them. We need to serve them through our actions. And we need to physically touch them with only a romantic desire in mind not just sex. Men we need to shower our wives with love and truly, deeply, romance them. Why? Becasue God calls us to it from the text in the Song of Solomon. And because if we love them in the covenant of love, we need to love them in all the ways they know and desire.
We need to make sure that romance is not just a word we know but an action that we do for our wives. We can appreciate them, help them, desire them, keep the external foxes and the internal faxes out but if we do not romance our wives then it does not all matter. We need to spend time with them. We need to spend money on them, even if it is a little. We need to encourage them and praise them. We need to serve them through our actions. And we need to physically touch them with only a romantic desire in mind not just sex. Men we need to shower our wives with love and truly, deeply, romance them. Why? Becasue God calls us to it from the text in the Song of Solomon. And because if we love them in the covenant of love, we need to love them in all the ways they know and desire.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Be My Valentine #4
Song of Songs 2:15
"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom."
Gentlemen, I have tried to lay out over the last few days that if we truly say we love, care, and treasure our wives and the covenant we've made with them there are certain things that we must do and truths that we must understand. I have made clear that our covenants are a treasure from God and our wives, a gift that God has given us, His most beautiful creation and uniquest design. Knowing this there are certain ways we must act and things that we must do intentionally. Yesterday I listed and explained some external "foxes" that will eat away and destroy our marriage. Today I want to highlight and show some internal "foxes" from our own lives that we must be aware of so that they will not destroy and create a horrible marriage covenant.
Little fox #1- Selfishness- This is the most important problem that we need to be aware of that is internal. Husbands we are called by God to follow Jesus example in His relationship to the church in how we should be with our wives. Just like Jesus, we should be sacrificial with everything we are, giving all of ourselves to our wives and putting them first before anything we want or desire. Selfishness is the first thing that will divide and destroy our covenants. It will separate and put a rift between us and our wives. Only when we are selfless and sacrificial can we truly know love and say that we understand it. True love is sacrificial and others focus. We need to ask about our wives, what are her passions, what does she like, what drives her, what are her needs? These are the questions that should be asked so that selfishness is stopped before it ever takes a bite out of the covenant root.
Little Fox #2- Pride- So what matter most to us, husbands? Pride is rooted in selfishness and flows from it. The little fox of pride will help show and reveal a deeper problem so when we see the fox of pride we know there is serious root problems in our marriage. Yes, God calls the husbands to be leaders in the home but that does not give us a place to rule with an iron fist. I know that men are not always right and know everything. I will say without hesitation that my wife is right at least half the time which means that at best I am right only half the time. God created women to be different which gives them an understanding for other things in life that men do not know or understand. Rather than putting down our wives we should be tapping into the gift that God has given us in how He created the women of this world. Is it really worth destroying another creation of God just to say we are right? What does our beloved know better than we do? What passions and knowledge has God given her that could be helpful for the family? What type of personality has God created in her? What unique gifts has he given to her? Asking these questions can stop the pride from blossoming into a ugly sinful plant that will kill the marriage.
Little Fox #3- Lust- this little fox is obvious. If we are admiring other women and gazing at the beauty that is not ours we will destroy the beauty and grace we have at home. So let me just get this out there to state it. Porn is wrong and a sin and it will destroy your marriage and life in a single minute. But also admiring and engaging in the good looks of other women is just as wrong. Yes, God created women to show off his beauty and creative side but that does not means we can ponder, gawk, and stare at it. Lust can also be called flirting, friending, and having special relationships with someone of the opposite sex. Your wife must be the most intimate and closest person in life and you must tell her everything and she must be able to ask you anything. So here are some questions that we should ask about our wives to stop the lust from running around the vineyard. How has God given my beloved beauty in unique features? What makes her cute and attractive? What does she do and say that makes her sexy? How does she turn you on? Ask yourself some of these questions and realize that if we stop lusting I guarantee our wives will turn us on in only a single minute....I will put my money where my mouth is on that one. Stop lusting after something else and I have no doubt she will turn you on. That is how God designed and created it to work.
Little Fox #4- Malice- Malice is a state of the heart. It is a description of a heart that is ugly, vile, and just down right sinful. 1 Peter connects malice with deceit, envy, hypocrisy, and all kinds of slander. Whereas 1 Corinthians says a heart that is true and full of love is connected to patience, kindness, not proud, not envious, not boastful, not rude, not angry, not self seeking, and the heart of love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. So what kind of heart do we have if we truly want to protect and keep our covenant? Malice is a great way to find out if we need to have a heart change and readjust with God how we are viewing our marriage and wives. So what do you say about your wife when she is not there? What do you tell others about your wife? How do you view and what do you think about her? Asking these questions will show you if the little fox of malice has begun to nibble at your marriage vineyard.
Little Fox #5- Idols- This little fox is not obvious. But it is a huge ugly fire breathing fox that we must stomp out. Let me try and say this clearly, our wives must not be the most important thing in our lives. Jesus must be our all and all. We must live, die, breath, worship, and praise Jesus above all. Jesus must be first and the true only love of our lives. We must never compromise Jesus for our wives or anything else. When our wives come before Jesus our marriage is failed and done. If we as men want to truly have an amazing, deep, full, creative, and wonderful marriage; Jesus must be our first priority and service. Loving Jesus will let our marriage blossom. We must not let our wives or marriage come before Jesus and our love for Him. So here are some questions to think about and help discover whether we have a heart idol issue in the form of our wives and marriage. How do our wives hurt us when it comes to loving Jesus? How can my wife strengthen and encourage my walk with God? Does my wife allow and help me find true full repentance? Do we pray with, talking about, and study God and Jesus together? Does my marriage drive me to Jesus or away from Him? If there is only one line to remember this whole week this is the one. OUR COVENANT WITH OUR BELOVED MUST DRIVE US TO JESUS AND STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD OR SOMETHING IS WRONG.
Gentlemen, I have tried over the last 3 days to lay out some things that we must be aware of and deal with if we are truly going to have an amazing and God honoring marriage. I pray that they have taught you as much as I have learned as I have written them down and exposed them. Tomorrow I want to take a look at romance and the fun that it can be.
"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom."
Gentlemen, I have tried to lay out over the last few days that if we truly say we love, care, and treasure our wives and the covenant we've made with them there are certain things that we must do and truths that we must understand. I have made clear that our covenants are a treasure from God and our wives, a gift that God has given us, His most beautiful creation and uniquest design. Knowing this there are certain ways we must act and things that we must do intentionally. Yesterday I listed and explained some external "foxes" that will eat away and destroy our marriage. Today I want to highlight and show some internal "foxes" from our own lives that we must be aware of so that they will not destroy and create a horrible marriage covenant.
Little fox #1- Selfishness- This is the most important problem that we need to be aware of that is internal. Husbands we are called by God to follow Jesus example in His relationship to the church in how we should be with our wives. Just like Jesus, we should be sacrificial with everything we are, giving all of ourselves to our wives and putting them first before anything we want or desire. Selfishness is the first thing that will divide and destroy our covenants. It will separate and put a rift between us and our wives. Only when we are selfless and sacrificial can we truly know love and say that we understand it. True love is sacrificial and others focus. We need to ask about our wives, what are her passions, what does she like, what drives her, what are her needs? These are the questions that should be asked so that selfishness is stopped before it ever takes a bite out of the covenant root.
Little Fox #2- Pride- So what matter most to us, husbands? Pride is rooted in selfishness and flows from it. The little fox of pride will help show and reveal a deeper problem so when we see the fox of pride we know there is serious root problems in our marriage. Yes, God calls the husbands to be leaders in the home but that does not give us a place to rule with an iron fist. I know that men are not always right and know everything. I will say without hesitation that my wife is right at least half the time which means that at best I am right only half the time. God created women to be different which gives them an understanding for other things in life that men do not know or understand. Rather than putting down our wives we should be tapping into the gift that God has given us in how He created the women of this world. Is it really worth destroying another creation of God just to say we are right? What does our beloved know better than we do? What passions and knowledge has God given her that could be helpful for the family? What type of personality has God created in her? What unique gifts has he given to her? Asking these questions can stop the pride from blossoming into a ugly sinful plant that will kill the marriage.
Little Fox #3- Lust- this little fox is obvious. If we are admiring other women and gazing at the beauty that is not ours we will destroy the beauty and grace we have at home. So let me just get this out there to state it. Porn is wrong and a sin and it will destroy your marriage and life in a single minute. But also admiring and engaging in the good looks of other women is just as wrong. Yes, God created women to show off his beauty and creative side but that does not means we can ponder, gawk, and stare at it. Lust can also be called flirting, friending, and having special relationships with someone of the opposite sex. Your wife must be the most intimate and closest person in life and you must tell her everything and she must be able to ask you anything. So here are some questions that we should ask about our wives to stop the lust from running around the vineyard. How has God given my beloved beauty in unique features? What makes her cute and attractive? What does she do and say that makes her sexy? How does she turn you on? Ask yourself some of these questions and realize that if we stop lusting I guarantee our wives will turn us on in only a single minute....I will put my money where my mouth is on that one. Stop lusting after something else and I have no doubt she will turn you on. That is how God designed and created it to work.
Little Fox #4- Malice- Malice is a state of the heart. It is a description of a heart that is ugly, vile, and just down right sinful. 1 Peter connects malice with deceit, envy, hypocrisy, and all kinds of slander. Whereas 1 Corinthians says a heart that is true and full of love is connected to patience, kindness, not proud, not envious, not boastful, not rude, not angry, not self seeking, and the heart of love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. So what kind of heart do we have if we truly want to protect and keep our covenant? Malice is a great way to find out if we need to have a heart change and readjust with God how we are viewing our marriage and wives. So what do you say about your wife when she is not there? What do you tell others about your wife? How do you view and what do you think about her? Asking these questions will show you if the little fox of malice has begun to nibble at your marriage vineyard.
Little Fox #5- Idols- This little fox is not obvious. But it is a huge ugly fire breathing fox that we must stomp out. Let me try and say this clearly, our wives must not be the most important thing in our lives. Jesus must be our all and all. We must live, die, breath, worship, and praise Jesus above all. Jesus must be first and the true only love of our lives. We must never compromise Jesus for our wives or anything else. When our wives come before Jesus our marriage is failed and done. If we as men want to truly have an amazing, deep, full, creative, and wonderful marriage; Jesus must be our first priority and service. Loving Jesus will let our marriage blossom. We must not let our wives or marriage come before Jesus and our love for Him. So here are some questions to think about and help discover whether we have a heart idol issue in the form of our wives and marriage. How do our wives hurt us when it comes to loving Jesus? How can my wife strengthen and encourage my walk with God? Does my wife allow and help me find true full repentance? Do we pray with, talking about, and study God and Jesus together? Does my marriage drive me to Jesus or away from Him? If there is only one line to remember this whole week this is the one. OUR COVENANT WITH OUR BELOVED MUST DRIVE US TO JESUS AND STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD OR SOMETHING IS WRONG.
Gentlemen, I have tried over the last 3 days to lay out some things that we must be aware of and deal with if we are truly going to have an amazing and God honoring marriage. I pray that they have taught you as much as I have learned as I have written them down and exposed them. Tomorrow I want to take a look at romance and the fun that it can be.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Be My Valentine #3
Song of Solomon 2:15
"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom."
Is your love and marriage covenant in beautiful full bloom? If it is not I bet you have the little foxes that are chewing away the root and killing your love and covenant. Last night I started to take a look at some little foxes that are on the outside of the covenant that can kill and destroy love and marriage. Gentlemen, even though many of these foxes from last night and more tonight are always not about us, it is our job as men after God to look out for and kill the little foxes before they take affect. Tonight I want to take a look at 8 more little foxes that can kill our covenants before we even know it. Tomorrow I will look at some internal little foxes. So here is the list I have been convicted about
Little Fox #3-Parents/Family- Genesis reminds us that we are to leave our father and mother and cleave to our wives. This means that your wife had better be first in your life in all choices, decisions, and actions. Yes, we are to honor our father and mother but this does not mean that they take precedence over our wives. When we disagree with and even fight with our wives do we run to mommy and daddy? If so that is wrong. We are then putting them before our wives and before our covenants. We need to make it a priority that we place our wives first and foremost in our lives and that she know she comes before our parents and other family so she knows her most important place.
Little Fox #4- Money- This little fox can be a big time killer. Money is all around our lives and money is like a spider web in the fact it is connected to so much. Money comes and goes but the covenant we made with our wives is forever. We should love our wives when there is no money and when there is a ton of money. When money is short, she can comfort and support us and then when money is a lot she can enjoy it with you. If money is a problem we are then called to figure out ways to take the importance off of money and put the importance back into the covenant. Men we need to take the focus off of this little fox and put our eyes back on God and our beloveds.
Little Fox #5-Church- This little fox can be tricky in that we are called to serve and love God but that the church must also have its own place in our lives. We are to love the church but our true love first in this world should be our wives. God created marriage and the covenant before He designed and called the church. That should be the guide for us in the order of importance in our lives. We should partner with our wives in serving in the church together and enjoy the church with them and not place the church before them. The church must come after our wives not before them. Let God bless your service in His church because you first loved His beautiful gift and creation, also known as your wife.
Now I would like to mention a few more little foxes and highlight a thing or to about them.
Little Fox #6- Entertainment- Do you enjoy entertainment together or does it replace her? Do you share dates and fun times out and watching tv and movies together or has the tv replaced her in your life? Do you communicate together and talk or do you just sit in front of the iphone, computer, or tv? These are important questions that can shine the light on this little fox hiding in the bushes.
Little Fox #7- Friends- Do you have mutual friends that strengthen, grow, and nurture your covenant? Or does she have her friends and you have your friends? What do your friends do for you marriage or how do they ruin it and affect it? Think about that.
Little Fox #8- Health- So when she gets sick do you take care of her? Who takes care of the kids when they are sick? If she was to get injured or have a terminal illness would your covenant stand the test? If any of these questions are a problem you have a little fox chewing on your marriage and love root.
Little Fox #9- Goals- Do you have goals together? Or are the goals you have in life all about you? We should be striving together to grow and succeed in life and the joy that God can bring. We should be looking forward to achieving the goals that we desire together and not allow our lives to separate and grow apart in any way.
Little Fox #10- Security- This little fox can be a big challenge because we desire security and comfort in life. We chase after this feeling and emotion so this little fox can not only come from an external force outside of ourselves but this little fox can also be an internal force from within us as we chase and find security in this life. We should be only finding our peace in our covenant and getting the only security we need in our beloved. Stomp on this tempting little fox before he bites.
Here are some little foxes and problems that can creep up and destroy our marriage covenant and love. What other foxes did I miss? Tomorrow I want to spend a few words on some internal foxes that we have to stop from inside of ourselves.
"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom."
Is your love and marriage covenant in beautiful full bloom? If it is not I bet you have the little foxes that are chewing away the root and killing your love and covenant. Last night I started to take a look at some little foxes that are on the outside of the covenant that can kill and destroy love and marriage. Gentlemen, even though many of these foxes from last night and more tonight are always not about us, it is our job as men after God to look out for and kill the little foxes before they take affect. Tonight I want to take a look at 8 more little foxes that can kill our covenants before we even know it. Tomorrow I will look at some internal little foxes. So here is the list I have been convicted about
Little Fox #3-Parents/Family- Genesis reminds us that we are to leave our father and mother and cleave to our wives. This means that your wife had better be first in your life in all choices, decisions, and actions. Yes, we are to honor our father and mother but this does not mean that they take precedence over our wives. When we disagree with and even fight with our wives do we run to mommy and daddy? If so that is wrong. We are then putting them before our wives and before our covenants. We need to make it a priority that we place our wives first and foremost in our lives and that she know she comes before our parents and other family so she knows her most important place.
Little Fox #4- Money- This little fox can be a big time killer. Money is all around our lives and money is like a spider web in the fact it is connected to so much. Money comes and goes but the covenant we made with our wives is forever. We should love our wives when there is no money and when there is a ton of money. When money is short, she can comfort and support us and then when money is a lot she can enjoy it with you. If money is a problem we are then called to figure out ways to take the importance off of money and put the importance back into the covenant. Men we need to take the focus off of this little fox and put our eyes back on God and our beloveds.
Little Fox #5-Church- This little fox can be tricky in that we are called to serve and love God but that the church must also have its own place in our lives. We are to love the church but our true love first in this world should be our wives. God created marriage and the covenant before He designed and called the church. That should be the guide for us in the order of importance in our lives. We should partner with our wives in serving in the church together and enjoy the church with them and not place the church before them. The church must come after our wives not before them. Let God bless your service in His church because you first loved His beautiful gift and creation, also known as your wife.
Now I would like to mention a few more little foxes and highlight a thing or to about them.
Little Fox #6- Entertainment- Do you enjoy entertainment together or does it replace her? Do you share dates and fun times out and watching tv and movies together or has the tv replaced her in your life? Do you communicate together and talk or do you just sit in front of the iphone, computer, or tv? These are important questions that can shine the light on this little fox hiding in the bushes.
Little Fox #7- Friends- Do you have mutual friends that strengthen, grow, and nurture your covenant? Or does she have her friends and you have your friends? What do your friends do for you marriage or how do they ruin it and affect it? Think about that.
Little Fox #8- Health- So when she gets sick do you take care of her? Who takes care of the kids when they are sick? If she was to get injured or have a terminal illness would your covenant stand the test? If any of these questions are a problem you have a little fox chewing on your marriage and love root.
Little Fox #9- Goals- Do you have goals together? Or are the goals you have in life all about you? We should be striving together to grow and succeed in life and the joy that God can bring. We should be looking forward to achieving the goals that we desire together and not allow our lives to separate and grow apart in any way.
Little Fox #10- Security- This little fox can be a big challenge because we desire security and comfort in life. We chase after this feeling and emotion so this little fox can not only come from an external force outside of ourselves but this little fox can also be an internal force from within us as we chase and find security in this life. We should be only finding our peace in our covenant and getting the only security we need in our beloved. Stomp on this tempting little fox before he bites.
Here are some little foxes and problems that can creep up and destroy our marriage covenant and love. What other foxes did I miss? Tomorrow I want to spend a few words on some internal foxes that we have to stop from inside of ourselves.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Be My Valentine #2
Gentlemen for those of you who read yesterday's post and felt conviction I can understand because God was showing me today that I am writing about things like that but I still have much to learn about what I write. Today's post will punch us again in the stomach so read and be ready like I will to be convicted by God and His call for us as His chosen men and husbands. I am going to spend the next 2 days looking at some important verses from Song of Solomon.
Song of Solomon 2:14-15
"My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom."
These 2 simple verses can teach us a lot of Biblical truths and important aspects of a Godly honoring and caring man. The first thing I have to ask is, do you compliment your wife on everything amazing about her that God has created? This women you made a covenant with is a beautiful unique creation and masterpiece of God. Do you realize that? God has designed her with amazing care and creativity. God crafted her after His inner peace and holiness and then after He designed her, He gave her to you as His daughter and gift to care for and protect. These verses remind us men that we need to compliment and admire the beauty that God has created in her. Does your beloved have a sweet voice? Does she have rich deep full eyes of compassion? Is she an amazing cook? Does she raise and guide your children worthy and honoring of God? Does she listen, respect and follow you? How has God created an amazing gift for you in your wife? I guarantee that God has created a masterpiece in your wife, so you need to let her know what you admire and love about her. Compliment her, tell her, show her, remind her, make sure that your beloved knows the aspects about her that are truly awesome and compliment her all the time. Point #1
I want to cover point #2 over the next 2 days so I will break it up into halves. So what are the foxes mentioned in the second part of these verses? A wise Pastor highlighted this text to me a few years ago and explained the important truths about these little foxes eating the vine. In the time period that this text was written, vineyards were a rich source of wealth and important for the cultural life of the Jewish people. So a farmer had to keep an eye out for anything that might come in and eat his crops or vines. A modern day example of this is the groundhog eating our pea and strawberry plants. Solomon was using the vineyard metaphor for the love between him and his wife. He was saying was that he needed to keep an eye out for the foxes or problems that would sneak in and kill and eat away at the love in his marriage. So that is the question, what eats away and kills the love in our marriage?
Men, it is our job, from this text and many others, to keep a watch out and protect the love in our marriage. If our marriages fall apart or there is problems I have no doubt that God will first hold us, the men, responsible for the failures. So we need to watch for the foxes that would kill our marriage. So lets take a look for a moment at some of the external foxes in our lives that can and will destroy our love.
#1- Our jobs. Point blank what comes first in our lives says a lot about who we are as men of God. God had better come first in your life but after Him, it had better be your wife not your job. She had better know that she is first and her love is the most important physical thing in this life. Your job is a big hungry fox that will destroy your love and covenant in a single bite.
#2- Kids. What comes first, the kids or the covenant? The Bible says the covenant with our beloved comes first followed by the multiplying of children. So your covenant with her has to be first and stay first. Children can consume so much of our time and energy but they will grow up and move out and then what happens? The kids are a deep love of our lives and will always hold a special place but they should never be before the covenant we made with our better half.
Here are 2 visible external foxes that can eat away at the covenant love in our marriages. You might have know them but maybe you never thought about them that way. Tomorrow I want to take a look at a few more external foxes that us men had better know about and be aware of so that we can keep them away from eating the vineyards of our marriage and the hearts of our valentines.
Song of Solomon 2:14-15
"My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom."
These 2 simple verses can teach us a lot of Biblical truths and important aspects of a Godly honoring and caring man. The first thing I have to ask is, do you compliment your wife on everything amazing about her that God has created? This women you made a covenant with is a beautiful unique creation and masterpiece of God. Do you realize that? God has designed her with amazing care and creativity. God crafted her after His inner peace and holiness and then after He designed her, He gave her to you as His daughter and gift to care for and protect. These verses remind us men that we need to compliment and admire the beauty that God has created in her. Does your beloved have a sweet voice? Does she have rich deep full eyes of compassion? Is she an amazing cook? Does she raise and guide your children worthy and honoring of God? Does she listen, respect and follow you? How has God created an amazing gift for you in your wife? I guarantee that God has created a masterpiece in your wife, so you need to let her know what you admire and love about her. Compliment her, tell her, show her, remind her, make sure that your beloved knows the aspects about her that are truly awesome and compliment her all the time. Point #1
I want to cover point #2 over the next 2 days so I will break it up into halves. So what are the foxes mentioned in the second part of these verses? A wise Pastor highlighted this text to me a few years ago and explained the important truths about these little foxes eating the vine. In the time period that this text was written, vineyards were a rich source of wealth and important for the cultural life of the Jewish people. So a farmer had to keep an eye out for anything that might come in and eat his crops or vines. A modern day example of this is the groundhog eating our pea and strawberry plants. Solomon was using the vineyard metaphor for the love between him and his wife. He was saying was that he needed to keep an eye out for the foxes or problems that would sneak in and kill and eat away at the love in his marriage. So that is the question, what eats away and kills the love in our marriage?
Men, it is our job, from this text and many others, to keep a watch out and protect the love in our marriage. If our marriages fall apart or there is problems I have no doubt that God will first hold us, the men, responsible for the failures. So we need to watch for the foxes that would kill our marriage. So lets take a look for a moment at some of the external foxes in our lives that can and will destroy our love.
#1- Our jobs. Point blank what comes first in our lives says a lot about who we are as men of God. God had better come first in your life but after Him, it had better be your wife not your job. She had better know that she is first and her love is the most important physical thing in this life. Your job is a big hungry fox that will destroy your love and covenant in a single bite.
#2- Kids. What comes first, the kids or the covenant? The Bible says the covenant with our beloved comes first followed by the multiplying of children. So your covenant with her has to be first and stay first. Children can consume so much of our time and energy but they will grow up and move out and then what happens? The kids are a deep love of our lives and will always hold a special place but they should never be before the covenant we made with our better half.
Here are 2 visible external foxes that can eat away at the covenant love in our marriages. You might have know them but maybe you never thought about them that way. Tomorrow I want to take a look at a few more external foxes that us men had better know about and be aware of so that we can keep them away from eating the vineyards of our marriage and the hearts of our valentines.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Be My Valentine #1
We are less than a week away from Valentine's Day so I wanted to write a few posts, 6 to be exact, about what is required of a husband in marriage. Gentlemen, these next 6 posts are for you, read them because every word I am going to write I am not only writing for others but I am also writing them to myself as a reminder and a challenge to what it means to be a Godly man, husband, friend, and lover to my beloved. And ladies if you read this, get your husbands to read it too and then talk about whether he is doing his job in light of the Bible and role model of Jesus. So here's my first post:
Proverbs 5 states,
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be captivated by her love.
Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress?
Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife?
So what do these verses have to do with being a Godly husband and man to your wife?
First these verses tell us that our wife is to be our only women in everything there is. This means that we are not to look at, wonder about, lust after, or deeply friend another women outside of our marriage covenant. We as husbands made a covenant with our wives before God so we better keep that covenant with our eyes, minds, mouths, hearts, and souls. We are united with our better halves which means they are ours and we are theirs with everything we are. This means we are not to look at another women, talk deeply and intimately with another women and any relationship with have with another women our wives had better know about and approve of.
The second thing these verses teach us is that our wives are our standard of beauty. This means, to borrow from another wise man, if your wife is blond, you're into blonds, if your wife is curvy, you are into curvy, if your wife is older, you are into older, if your wife is a good cook and great looking in an apron, you are into good food with a hot apron. Our wives must be the standard with which we find beauty and that is the line. Husbands are to love the way their wives look in the morning at the start of the day, in the night at the end of the day, and in the middle just after the kids have made a mess of her hair. Our wives better be the basis for which we as husband know what beauty is.
A third thing that these verses teach me, is that my wife better be the most pleasurable person to me. This first means that physically I must find the most pleasure in her looks, touch, feel, smell, taste, and everything that will physically bring pleasure to me. But is also means that my beloved must also be the place that I find the most pleasure in my life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually (outside of God, who is always my greatest joy and pleasure and pursuit). She must be the person who can drive my emotions to the highest form. She must be the person that sets my mind ablaze with conversation and thoughts. She must be the person in my life that drives me spiritually, challenges me spiritually, and that I am one with spiritually. My wife must be my greatest joy in this life with all that she is and does with me.
So have we made a true covenant with our wives and have we truly kept this covenant at all levels?
Proverbs 5 states,
So what do these verses have to do with being a Godly husband and man to your wife?
First these verses tell us that our wife is to be our only women in everything there is. This means that we are not to look at, wonder about, lust after, or deeply friend another women outside of our marriage covenant. We as husbands made a covenant with our wives before God so we better keep that covenant with our eyes, minds, mouths, hearts, and souls. We are united with our better halves which means they are ours and we are theirs with everything we are. This means we are not to look at another women, talk deeply and intimately with another women and any relationship with have with another women our wives had better know about and approve of.
The second thing these verses teach us is that our wives are our standard of beauty. This means, to borrow from another wise man, if your wife is blond, you're into blonds, if your wife is curvy, you are into curvy, if your wife is older, you are into older, if your wife is a good cook and great looking in an apron, you are into good food with a hot apron. Our wives must be the standard with which we find beauty and that is the line. Husbands are to love the way their wives look in the morning at the start of the day, in the night at the end of the day, and in the middle just after the kids have made a mess of her hair. Our wives better be the basis for which we as husband know what beauty is.
A third thing that these verses teach me, is that my wife better be the most pleasurable person to me. This first means that physically I must find the most pleasure in her looks, touch, feel, smell, taste, and everything that will physically bring pleasure to me. But is also means that my beloved must also be the place that I find the most pleasure in my life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually (outside of God, who is always my greatest joy and pleasure and pursuit). She must be the person who can drive my emotions to the highest form. She must be the person that sets my mind ablaze with conversation and thoughts. She must be the person in my life that drives me spiritually, challenges me spiritually, and that I am one with spiritually. My wife must be my greatest joy in this life with all that she is and does with me.
So have we made a true covenant with our wives and have we truly kept this covenant at all levels?
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Is the Christian life easy?
Why does it seem that once we start to love Jesus more and more life seems to get harder and harder. I recently read a blog that gave a list of the ways that life when we love Jesus becomes harder. Here is the list;
- We are set free from sin yet continue to yield to it (Rom. 6:2; Rom. 7:19)
- We are saints yet sinners (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 John 1:8)
- We have peace yet are to strive for peace (Eph. 2:14; Col. 3:15)
- We have been saved yet are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Eph. 2:8; Phil. 2:12)
- We are beautiful yet wretched (Song of Sol. 4:1; Rom. 7:24)
- We have been given rest yet are to labor to enter that rest (Matt. 11:28; Heb. 4:11)
- We are forgiven yet continue to need to confess sin (Col. 3:13; 1 John 1:9)
- We know the love of Christ yet this love surpasses our knowledge (Ps. 89:1; Eph. 3:19)
- We have died to sin yet must continue to flee from it (Rom. 6:2; 1 Cor. 6:18)
- We are new yet we are not what we shall be (John 3:3; 1 John 3:2)
- We have seen Him yet have not seen him (Eph. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:8)
- We have all knowledge yet are to increase in knowing Him (1 John 2:20; 2 Pet. 3:18)
- We are a new creation yet battle the old self (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 6:6)
- We have joy yet we are commanded to rejoice (Gal. 5:22; Phil. 4:4)
- We have been set free yet are slaves (Rom. 6:18; Rom. 6:22)
- We are fallen creatures and yet sons of God (Rom. 3:12; Gal. 4:6)
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
The Shepherds Reputation
Psalms 23:3
"He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake"
This is a verse that most of us memorized as kids in Sunday School and is also part of one of the most famous passages of Scripture, the 23rd Psalm. But I have discovered that this simple sentence contains a full course of God's truth and teaching. There are 3 important things from this simple sentence that I would like to take a look at tonight and remind us of the importance of our Shepherd.
1)"He leads me". God guides us in our Christian walk if we can just look at and listen to Him. God through Jesus is the great shepherd and truly cares and loves His sheep. God through Jesus has made a covenant with us and through that relationship cares deeply and is committed to our well being. If we truly look and listen to Jesus, He has our best and spiritual heart in mind with every decisions and path He sets before us. Now I am not saying that God will speak audibly to us and give us a direct revelation on what we are supposed to do but God guides us. God gave us His word, His bride, and His world to help lead and refine us. Jesus is our guide in this life and if we let Him will bring us whole into the next life with no regrets. But the fact is we miss Jesus leading and guiding all the time because of our sin nature, the distractions of this world, and the influence of Satan. Jesus is still there though caring, loving, and nurturing us, waiting for us to get back on His path and follow the life He has called us to. Next time we feel lost and at a loss for what to do or where to turn, I bet Jesus is there waiting to lead us if we only stop and go to His word and find His path again. Jesus is the Perfect Shepherd so let Him lead.
2)"paths of righteousness" Jesus leads us only ever in paths that are right. Righteousness means doing what is right, in the sense of meeting all obligations and displaying all relevant forms of virtue, goodwill, and Biblical truth.So what happens when our paths and life get off of the righteousness track? It is not because of Jesus that we fell off the wrong path, it is because of us. Jesus will lead us perfectly and never cause us to stumble, trip up, or commit an act of sin. We do all that by ourselves. So next time when we find that life and the course that is being laid out is wrong and not right, find out what shepherd we are following. I guarantee that it is not Jesus the perfect Shepherd that is being followed. Jesus only ever leads us in the right directions and in the paths to our growth and betterment and righteousness.
3)"for His name sake". Here is the crux of the matter. Why does Jesus lead us faithfully and direct us perfectly into the paths of righteousness? The answer might surprise us because Jesus does all that not for us but for Himself. God cares first and foremost about His own glory and reputation. So that is why Jesus leads us as the Great Shepherd, for His own reputation and spreading of His fame. God's first passion is for Himself and in His amazing choosing and grace, He uses us in this passion. Wow! God uses me to worship and spread His reputation and that is the bottom line of Him leading me. We tend to get caught up too much in ourselves and think it is about us. We even think that about the cross sometimes, that it was about me and what Jesus did for me. That is correct to say but at the bottom line of the cross is the reputation of God and the spread of His glory. And this is why Jesus leads us in paths of righteousness, to spread His fame, glory, majesty, and reputation. So when we are not being led by Jesus and going our own way we might not be sinning but we are sinning because we are stopping the reputation of our Savior from being spread.
So the simple question is, "Are we spreading the reputation of Jesus by following His leading in our lives?"
"He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake"
This is a verse that most of us memorized as kids in Sunday School and is also part of one of the most famous passages of Scripture, the 23rd Psalm. But I have discovered that this simple sentence contains a full course of God's truth and teaching. There are 3 important things from this simple sentence that I would like to take a look at tonight and remind us of the importance of our Shepherd.
1)"He leads me". God guides us in our Christian walk if we can just look at and listen to Him. God through Jesus is the great shepherd and truly cares and loves His sheep. God through Jesus has made a covenant with us and through that relationship cares deeply and is committed to our well being. If we truly look and listen to Jesus, He has our best and spiritual heart in mind with every decisions and path He sets before us. Now I am not saying that God will speak audibly to us and give us a direct revelation on what we are supposed to do but God guides us. God gave us His word, His bride, and His world to help lead and refine us. Jesus is our guide in this life and if we let Him will bring us whole into the next life with no regrets. But the fact is we miss Jesus leading and guiding all the time because of our sin nature, the distractions of this world, and the influence of Satan. Jesus is still there though caring, loving, and nurturing us, waiting for us to get back on His path and follow the life He has called us to. Next time we feel lost and at a loss for what to do or where to turn, I bet Jesus is there waiting to lead us if we only stop and go to His word and find His path again. Jesus is the Perfect Shepherd so let Him lead.
2)"paths of righteousness" Jesus leads us only ever in paths that are right. Righteousness means doing what is right, in the sense of meeting all obligations and displaying all relevant forms of virtue, goodwill, and Biblical truth.So what happens when our paths and life get off of the righteousness track? It is not because of Jesus that we fell off the wrong path, it is because of us. Jesus will lead us perfectly and never cause us to stumble, trip up, or commit an act of sin. We do all that by ourselves. So next time when we find that life and the course that is being laid out is wrong and not right, find out what shepherd we are following. I guarantee that it is not Jesus the perfect Shepherd that is being followed. Jesus only ever leads us in the right directions and in the paths to our growth and betterment and righteousness.
3)"for His name sake". Here is the crux of the matter. Why does Jesus lead us faithfully and direct us perfectly into the paths of righteousness? The answer might surprise us because Jesus does all that not for us but for Himself. God cares first and foremost about His own glory and reputation. So that is why Jesus leads us as the Great Shepherd, for His own reputation and spreading of His fame. God's first passion is for Himself and in His amazing choosing and grace, He uses us in this passion. Wow! God uses me to worship and spread His reputation and that is the bottom line of Him leading me. We tend to get caught up too much in ourselves and think it is about us. We even think that about the cross sometimes, that it was about me and what Jesus did for me. That is correct to say but at the bottom line of the cross is the reputation of God and the spread of His glory. And this is why Jesus leads us in paths of righteousness, to spread His fame, glory, majesty, and reputation. So when we are not being led by Jesus and going our own way we might not be sinning but we are sinning because we are stopping the reputation of our Savior from being spread.
So the simple question is, "Are we spreading the reputation of Jesus by following His leading in our lives?"
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Friends with Benefits- Finale
So here it is for now. My final post in a four part series on having your best friend be your spouse. Next week I want to take a look at what a husband should be doing for his wife in a series of valentine post leading up to the holiday. But tonight I want to spend a few minutes looking over again what having our best friends be our lovers means.
So what if having your best friend be your spouse was not about you but them? In the first post called friends with benefits I took a look at a few questions that can illustrate this point. Here they are again.
1) What are her needs, wants, desire, and passions?
2) How can I cultivate our friendship and grow together?
3) How can I be a better friend to her?
4) What should I be prayer for her more about?
5) How can I pursue her and make sure she knows it?
6) What activities can we do together that she would enjoy?
These questions show a point that a lot of the time we forget, which is is marriage is not about me and my needs but the other person. Marriage is about a life of generosity, love, selflessness, compassion, and joy in the other person. Now let me use the Bible to show my point even deeper.
Matthew 10:39
"Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
When we love Jesus we are called to sacrifice our lives for Him and put what Jesus desires first as first in our life. When we love Jesus we are called to lose our life in Him. This truth also plays into marriage when we are called to sacrifices our lives for the betterment of the other person. We are to put them first in word and deed.We are called to lose our lives by pouring it out into our spouse and best friend.
1 Corinthians 13:7
"Love protects, love trusts, love hopes, love perseveres"
When we truly love the other person as our best friend we are then called to protect them at all cost, not only bodily but also emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. We are also called by God to trust in them, hope in them, and preserver with them through life's challenges, heartaches, and even sins.
Proverbs 10:12
"love covers all wrongs"
When we truly love the other person and our best friend in the covenant relationship of marriage, we are called to forgive the other person no matter what. Loving someone and cherishing does not make the other person perfect, they are still going to sin and sometimes hurt us, but loving them calls us to forgive and move beyond the sin and hurt. We are to love the faithfully and without wrong and understand that this side of heaven no one is perfect and we are called to love them anyway.
Now I know none of these verses deal with the marriage relationship but I believe they illustrate a Biblical truth. And that truth is the fact our lives are not our own and we live to the glory of God and the love of others before ourselves. We are called by God to be selfless people who cherish others in our lives and put them before ourselves and our own needs. What better place to show this as an example than in the marriage relationship with our best friend. God has designed the marriage for His glory and to illustrate His truths so we should use marriage to love the other person and show the love that Jesus sacrificially gave the world. Think about the 7 questions again and understand that when they are truly answered we are always putting the other person before us.
1) What are her needs, wants, desire, and passions?
2) How can I cultivate our friendship and grow together?
3) How can I be a better friend to her?
4) What should I be prayer for her more about?
5) How can I pursue her and make sure she knows it?
6) What activities can we do together that she would enjoy?
7) How can we glorify God more together and preach the gospel through our relationship?
So what if having your best friend be your spouse was not about you but them? In the first post called friends with benefits I took a look at a few questions that can illustrate this point. Here they are again.
1) What are her needs, wants, desire, and passions?
2) How can I cultivate our friendship and grow together?
3) How can I be a better friend to her?
4) What should I be prayer for her more about?
5) How can I pursue her and make sure she knows it?
6) What activities can we do together that she would enjoy?
These questions show a point that a lot of the time we forget, which is is marriage is not about me and my needs but the other person. Marriage is about a life of generosity, love, selflessness, compassion, and joy in the other person. Now let me use the Bible to show my point even deeper.
Matthew 10:39
"Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
When we love Jesus we are called to sacrifice our lives for Him and put what Jesus desires first as first in our life. When we love Jesus we are called to lose our life in Him. This truth also plays into marriage when we are called to sacrifices our lives for the betterment of the other person. We are to put them first in word and deed.We are called to lose our lives by pouring it out into our spouse and best friend.
1 Corinthians 13:7
"Love protects, love trusts, love hopes, love perseveres"
When we truly love the other person as our best friend we are then called to protect them at all cost, not only bodily but also emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. We are also called by God to trust in them, hope in them, and preserver with them through life's challenges, heartaches, and even sins.
Proverbs 10:12
"love covers all wrongs"
When we truly love the other person and our best friend in the covenant relationship of marriage, we are called to forgive the other person no matter what. Loving someone and cherishing does not make the other person perfect, they are still going to sin and sometimes hurt us, but loving them calls us to forgive and move beyond the sin and hurt. We are to love the faithfully and without wrong and understand that this side of heaven no one is perfect and we are called to love them anyway.
Now I know none of these verses deal with the marriage relationship but I believe they illustrate a Biblical truth. And that truth is the fact our lives are not our own and we live to the glory of God and the love of others before ourselves. We are called by God to be selfless people who cherish others in our lives and put them before ourselves and our own needs. What better place to show this as an example than in the marriage relationship with our best friend. God has designed the marriage for His glory and to illustrate His truths so we should use marriage to love the other person and show the love that Jesus sacrificially gave the world. Think about the 7 questions again and understand that when they are truly answered we are always putting the other person before us.
1) What are her needs, wants, desire, and passions?
2) How can I cultivate our friendship and grow together?
3) How can I be a better friend to her?
4) What should I be prayer for her more about?
5) How can I pursue her and make sure she knows it?
6) What activities can we do together that she would enjoy?
7) How can we glorify God more together and preach the gospel through our relationship?
Saturday, February 1, 2014
You were Dead
Ephesians 2:1
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sin,"
My beloved and I are currently doing a book study together and the last chapter pointed out a very important truth that we sometimes forget. It asks the question, "but are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil?". This question is the 8th questions asked from the Heidelberg catechism. It brings up a good point, when the answer to the question is "yes". Let me explain the point.
When were are born we are DOA. This means that when we are physically born to our parents were are already dead on arrival. As Ephesians tells us we are dead in our sins and the state of our being is spiritually dead. When I mean dead I mean we are totally in our entire being dead or depraved. This means first that we are dead through and through, our entire head, heart, and our will. Our entire being with no exception is dead in its state. This also means that we are unable to do anything righteous because our good is not from faith and in love of God but out of a selfish sinful desire. This is our beginning state and the Bible continually reminds us of this fact to make a point. We are dead and without hope in and of ourselves and it is only because of God and what He did and does that gives us any hope from escaping death permanently.
We were dead, but God made us alive through the Spirit. The Catechism states after the yes to questions #8, "unless we are born again by the Spirit of God". So we were dead but with the power of the Spirit we are born again and made alive and find the hope we needed in God. This means that our state of being must change to go from dead to alive. We must take a turn and repent and have a born again life change. As 1 Peter reminds us we must be holy now because God our Savior is holy. The Holy Spirit gives us a breath of life and then gives us a desire for Jesus and a love for Him. We now have a heart change and our life must match this heart change. Our state of being must change from dead in sin and the love of it, to a new birth and a love for Jesus and what glories and praises Him.
We were dead But God made us alive and gives us a new life in Him with a new hope for life in Him. We must not forget this fact so that we can live a life of joy and gratitude to God for what He does for us. And we must not also forget this so that it drives us in earnest to tell others in our lives who are currently dead, of the joy and life that is waiting for them in Jesus. Let the Spirit use our lives to bring the knowledge of His new life to others.
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sin,"
My beloved and I are currently doing a book study together and the last chapter pointed out a very important truth that we sometimes forget. It asks the question, "but are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil?". This question is the 8th questions asked from the Heidelberg catechism. It brings up a good point, when the answer to the question is "yes". Let me explain the point.
When were are born we are DOA. This means that when we are physically born to our parents were are already dead on arrival. As Ephesians tells us we are dead in our sins and the state of our being is spiritually dead. When I mean dead I mean we are totally in our entire being dead or depraved. This means first that we are dead through and through, our entire head, heart, and our will. Our entire being with no exception is dead in its state. This also means that we are unable to do anything righteous because our good is not from faith and in love of God but out of a selfish sinful desire. This is our beginning state and the Bible continually reminds us of this fact to make a point. We are dead and without hope in and of ourselves and it is only because of God and what He did and does that gives us any hope from escaping death permanently.
We were dead, but God made us alive through the Spirit. The Catechism states after the yes to questions #8, "unless we are born again by the Spirit of God". So we were dead but with the power of the Spirit we are born again and made alive and find the hope we needed in God. This means that our state of being must change to go from dead to alive. We must take a turn and repent and have a born again life change. As 1 Peter reminds us we must be holy now because God our Savior is holy. The Holy Spirit gives us a breath of life and then gives us a desire for Jesus and a love for Him. We now have a heart change and our life must match this heart change. Our state of being must change from dead in sin and the love of it, to a new birth and a love for Jesus and what glories and praises Him.
We were dead But God made us alive and gives us a new life in Him with a new hope for life in Him. We must not forget this fact so that we can live a life of joy and gratitude to God for what He does for us. And we must not also forget this so that it drives us in earnest to tell others in our lives who are currently dead, of the joy and life that is waiting for them in Jesus. Let the Spirit use our lives to bring the knowledge of His new life to others.
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