I have been recently thinking about the ordinary Christian life. Many times we read about the radical Christian life, the missional Christian life, the fulfilled Christian life, or even the emotional Christian life. Ordinary is defined in the dictionary as; to be expected or usual. This got me thinking about my life everyday as a Christian. Here is a list of things that I have come up with that should be a part of ever day, which means this list is things I should expect everyday or should be a usual part of my day as a Christian.
Trust Christ
repent of my sin
read God's Word
abide in Jesus
love God
die to self
take up my cross and follow the Spirit
love my neighbor
proclaim the Gospel to myself along with family, friends, neighbors
Now many times we think of these things as radical for life. While they are radical for the world around us to see, they should not be radical for our lives daily. Radical in the dictionary has extreme in the definition. This list should not be extreme for our lives each day, this list should be expected for our lives each day. That means everyday I should be living the ordinary Christian life at work, at home, with my family, and in my community. Are you an ordinary Christian?
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
An enemy of my enemy is a friend
"You have enemies? Good, that means you stood up for something, sometime in your life." ~Winston Churchill
"The supreme art of war is to subdue your enemy without fighting."~ Sun Tzu
"In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." ~ Martin Luther King JR
I read over all of these quotes recently and felt the power in the words. I never thought in my wildest dreams that there would be feelings inside me in ministry where I felt like I was trying to love an enemy. Each human being before they know Jesus and He draws them to Himself, are by nature enemies of the Cross. So when we reach out as the church into the lost and broken world we are reaching out to our enemies and presenting them with the good news of Salvation. So I knew that ministry would be a big part reaching the enemy for Jesus and loving the enemy for the sake of God. But I never thought that I would feel like those I am called to experience the "one anothers" with would feel like an enemy. Now, I am not saying it is their fault they feel like an enemy. I know the feelings inside me have come as a part of how I have acted and sinned in my still broken nature. And I know these people are not trying to act like enemies of mine (or at least I pray they are not). But Satan has filled my broken heart with feelings of depression and sadness and thoughts that they feel like an enemy. Whether it is the silence, the strong push back for things I stood for, or even the art of war, I hate the feelings of enemies.
But good has come from these feelings. They have driven me to my knees in prayer. I have found that these feelings go away when I pray for the feelings and people. I have been reminded that it is not for these people I do what I do. I have felt the conviction of the Spirit and the Words of Scripture saturate me with the truth it is the glory of God alone that matters. I have been reminded the more I read the Bible that "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him", not satisfaction in these feelings or people. God has show me I need to be zealous for Him and Him alone. God as reminded me now, a year in, that I minster for Him alone. And when He gets the glory it impact others whether they feel like an enemy or a friend.
"The supreme art of war is to subdue your enemy without fighting."~ Sun Tzu
"In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." ~ Martin Luther King JR
I read over all of these quotes recently and felt the power in the words. I never thought in my wildest dreams that there would be feelings inside me in ministry where I felt like I was trying to love an enemy. Each human being before they know Jesus and He draws them to Himself, are by nature enemies of the Cross. So when we reach out as the church into the lost and broken world we are reaching out to our enemies and presenting them with the good news of Salvation. So I knew that ministry would be a big part reaching the enemy for Jesus and loving the enemy for the sake of God. But I never thought that I would feel like those I am called to experience the "one anothers" with would feel like an enemy. Now, I am not saying it is their fault they feel like an enemy. I know the feelings inside me have come as a part of how I have acted and sinned in my still broken nature. And I know these people are not trying to act like enemies of mine (or at least I pray they are not). But Satan has filled my broken heart with feelings of depression and sadness and thoughts that they feel like an enemy. Whether it is the silence, the strong push back for things I stood for, or even the art of war, I hate the feelings of enemies.
But good has come from these feelings. They have driven me to my knees in prayer. I have found that these feelings go away when I pray for the feelings and people. I have been reminded that it is not for these people I do what I do. I have felt the conviction of the Spirit and the Words of Scripture saturate me with the truth it is the glory of God alone that matters. I have been reminded the more I read the Bible that "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him", not satisfaction in these feelings or people. God has show me I need to be zealous for Him and Him alone. God as reminded me now, a year in, that I minster for Him alone. And when He gets the glory it impact others whether they feel like an enemy or a friend.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Avenger
The Webster's dictionary defines avenge as; to take vengeance for or on behalf of, to exact satisfaction for a wrong by punishing the wrongdoer. In Numbers 35, God gives instructions for His people to have cities of refuge. The cities of refuge were a place for a person to go if they killed someone. The relative or avenger of the dead person would then go to the city where it was decided if the killer did it by accident or actually murder an innocent person. The avenger then would either leave because the killer was innocent and the death was an accident or the avenger would kill the murderer in vengeance for his relative that was murder. The avenger then would be cleared of the death of the murderer because he was getting vengeance and avenging his innocent relative that had been murder.
I am a comic book/movie junky and nerd. I love myself a good comic book. I love spending 2 hours watching a good comic book movie (has to be a marvel movie though to be good). I love watching the hero's save the day and rescuing the innocent people. My favorite comic book movie is "The Avengers". In that movie, Tony Stark as Ironman gives one of the best lines in the movie. He is talking face to face with the villain when all odds seem against the heroes. He tells the villain that the combined heroes should be called Avengers because they have come to get vengeance for the innocents of earth.
Why do we ultimately have heroes and the hero mindset desire in our culture? Because everyone knows we need a hero, someone who will get vengeance for us because we are innocent or at least we think we are. Did you know every hero is just a shadow of the greatest Hero?. Even the avenger rule in Numbers 35 is a shadow for the greatest Hero. And here is the greatest kicker in the whole shadow and foretaste thought from not only Numbers 35 but the rest of the OT. The greatest Hero is not only the Avenger but also the only Innocent. Jesus Christ is the greatest hero there is. Jesus Christ is the perfect complete and only true avenger. But Jesus is also the innocent who pays the price as the avenger for us. Wow what a truly beautiful picture and truth we can hold on to and enjoy.
So next time you watch a hero movie, realize it is just humans desiring to know and have the hero in their lives. And realize we already have the perfect Hero and Avenger living and dying for us, we do not need a Captain America to save our day, WE HAVE JESUS!
I am a comic book/movie junky and nerd. I love myself a good comic book. I love spending 2 hours watching a good comic book movie (has to be a marvel movie though to be good). I love watching the hero's save the day and rescuing the innocent people. My favorite comic book movie is "The Avengers". In that movie, Tony Stark as Ironman gives one of the best lines in the movie. He is talking face to face with the villain when all odds seem against the heroes. He tells the villain that the combined heroes should be called Avengers because they have come to get vengeance for the innocents of earth.
Why do we ultimately have heroes and the hero mindset desire in our culture? Because everyone knows we need a hero, someone who will get vengeance for us because we are innocent or at least we think we are. Did you know every hero is just a shadow of the greatest Hero?. Even the avenger rule in Numbers 35 is a shadow for the greatest Hero. And here is the greatest kicker in the whole shadow and foretaste thought from not only Numbers 35 but the rest of the OT. The greatest Hero is not only the Avenger but also the only Innocent. Jesus Christ is the greatest hero there is. Jesus Christ is the perfect complete and only true avenger. But Jesus is also the innocent who pays the price as the avenger for us. Wow what a truly beautiful picture and truth we can hold on to and enjoy.
So next time you watch a hero movie, realize it is just humans desiring to know and have the hero in their lives. And realize we already have the perfect Hero and Avenger living and dying for us, we do not need a Captain America to save our day, WE HAVE JESUS!
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Ouch
Today I read 3 more chapters from Numbers. I looked ahead and realized that tomorrow will be the last day reading in the book. On March 1st I will begin to read Joshua, which means that the book of Deuteronomy will be read through in less then 10 days. Wow that is fast but I am covering the whole Bible in one year, so I should have expected that some books would be read through fast. This fast pace made me go back and think through what I have been reading over the last few days. I think my favorite section reading in Numbers was when Balaam's donkey started to talk. As a kid, I always wished that maybe, my pets or even a wild animal would talk to me. I used to imagine me and my superhero animal friends communicating and saving the day. But in Numbers, a real live animal talks. A donkey talks to it's owner. When this donkey talks it is in the middle of a longer narrative where the prophet Balaam from Peor comes and instead of cursing Israel, God commands and he blesses Israel. When I was younger and immature, I wished like my superhero animal friends, that I was Balaam and I got to bless God's people and hear a donkey talk to me.
But now as an adult, I am thankful to God I am not Balaam. In my reading today, Balaam meets his demise as he is put to the sword and killed because he is a false prophet who tricks God's people into sleeping with and fornicating with the Midianite women (remember Phinehas from the other day's post). So, Balaam is actually a bad guy, not one of God's chosen people, who God uses to bless His people one time. God uses Balaam, a bad guy who ends in hell, to do His will. Glad I am not Balaam. But it challenges me in realizing that God uses both His chosen people and those He choses not to save for His work. That begs to ask me the question, is God using me because I am one of His or because I not one of His and He is using me anyway? That asks me another question then, how does my life, faith, words, and actions speak to my relationship with God? God does the saving. God does the using of people for His will. So does my life and fruit show that I am one of His , that He is using? We do not want to be like Balaam and be used by God but end up being put to eternal death by our sinful unrepentant life of folly.
But now as an adult, I am thankful to God I am not Balaam. In my reading today, Balaam meets his demise as he is put to the sword and killed because he is a false prophet who tricks God's people into sleeping with and fornicating with the Midianite women (remember Phinehas from the other day's post). So, Balaam is actually a bad guy, not one of God's chosen people, who God uses to bless His people one time. God uses Balaam, a bad guy who ends in hell, to do His will. Glad I am not Balaam. But it challenges me in realizing that God uses both His chosen people and those He choses not to save for His work. That begs to ask me the question, is God using me because I am one of His or because I not one of His and He is using me anyway? That asks me another question then, how does my life, faith, words, and actions speak to my relationship with God? God does the saving. God does the using of people for His will. So does my life and fruit show that I am one of His , that He is using? We do not want to be like Balaam and be used by God but end up being put to eternal death by our sinful unrepentant life of folly.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Out with the Old in with the New
I can get some serious heart burn if I do not pay attention. I discovered this a few years ago while I was eating a large pizza, drink a gallon of tea, and watching a football game on the couch. I could not sleep that night as the burn kicked in and I got some serious stomach pain and even lost some of my voice the next day. So I know now that I have to watch what I eat, how much of some things I eat, and the fact that if I do not take care of myself, the heart burn kicks in and the Tums tablets struggle to help me feel good.
As I have been reading through the Torah to start the calendar year and specifically the Old Covenant from Exodus through Deuteronomy, I have been thinking about my hear burn. My hear burn is like my sin. I love pizza and Turkey Hill tea. Just like I love the world and the stuff of the world. But getting pizza and tea inside me creates bad feelings and pain deep within. The world takes my already sin nature and does the same thing. The world stirs my sin and makes it much worse to the point I feel guilt, remorse, and even sorrow over the sin I commit against God and others. So the heart burn is like my sin.
The Tums tablets are like the Old Covenant. The tums give me temporary relief. The tums mask the true problem and calm my stomach down for a little. The tums do not fix the problem they just help alleviate it for a few hours. The Old Covenant is the same way. It was temporary relief for the people. It gave them a break from the wrath of God because the animals took it. The Old Covenant masked the problem and truly did not fix the sin issue to the core.
So for me to truly fix my heart burn and be healthy, I need to make a diet and lifestyle change. I need to stop eating greasy and spicy food. I need to get more sleep and stop drinking so much tea and coffee. This would all be a lifestyle change that would fix my hear burn permanently (unless I reverted back to pizza and tea). This life style change is like the New Covenant. The New covenant with Jesus fixes the sin problem. The New Covenant circumcises our hearts and gives us a new nature that does not like to sin or enjoy the sinful world. The New Covenant is the permanent fix to the problem that Tums or Old Covenant could not fix. The New Covenant is so much better and I am so blessed to be a recipient of the New Covenant.
Are you grateful for the New Covenant in Jesus and does your life show this life style change?
As I have been reading through the Torah to start the calendar year and specifically the Old Covenant from Exodus through Deuteronomy, I have been thinking about my hear burn. My hear burn is like my sin. I love pizza and Turkey Hill tea. Just like I love the world and the stuff of the world. But getting pizza and tea inside me creates bad feelings and pain deep within. The world takes my already sin nature and does the same thing. The world stirs my sin and makes it much worse to the point I feel guilt, remorse, and even sorrow over the sin I commit against God and others. So the heart burn is like my sin.
The Tums tablets are like the Old Covenant. The tums give me temporary relief. The tums mask the true problem and calm my stomach down for a little. The tums do not fix the problem they just help alleviate it for a few hours. The Old Covenant is the same way. It was temporary relief for the people. It gave them a break from the wrath of God because the animals took it. The Old Covenant masked the problem and truly did not fix the sin issue to the core.
So for me to truly fix my heart burn and be healthy, I need to make a diet and lifestyle change. I need to stop eating greasy and spicy food. I need to get more sleep and stop drinking so much tea and coffee. This would all be a lifestyle change that would fix my hear burn permanently (unless I reverted back to pizza and tea). This life style change is like the New Covenant. The New covenant with Jesus fixes the sin problem. The New Covenant circumcises our hearts and gives us a new nature that does not like to sin or enjoy the sinful world. The New Covenant is the permanent fix to the problem that Tums or Old Covenant could not fix. The New Covenant is so much better and I am so blessed to be a recipient of the New Covenant.
Are you grateful for the New Covenant in Jesus and does your life show this life style change?
Monday, February 16, 2015
Phinehas and the verb
My kids love the Disney show Phineas and Ferb. I will admit, I enjoy watching the show with them when I can. The musical numbers or Perry the Platypus or the inventions they make up, all draw me into watching it. I find the show interesting because it is 2 brothers trying to get the most they can out of summer. When I was younger, all I wanted to do in the summer was sit around and play video games or go to the pool. But these brothers are trying to get the most out of each day because they know that summer only last so long before School starts again. I find it interesting to, the cartoon design of each of the characters. Ferb's head looks like a sideways T and Candace there sister, well her head has a long neck so it kind of looks like a backwards P. Phineas' head is a triangle but if you tilt your head a little while watching it you could also say it looks like the tip of an arrow or spear.
Now, you might be asking, what does this kids TV show have to do with Scripture or anything from the Bible. Let me explain. Today I was reading again from Numbers. In Numbers 25, Phinehas the son of the High Priest kills a sinner with a spear. See God did not want His people to be inter-marrying with the sinful idolatrous world around them. But the Hebrews forgot this so the men of Israel started to have sex and marry the Midianite women. Oh no! God was not happy and He brought about a plague and started to judge the people because of the sin of these men. Well, one day as Moses and the priests were weeping at the entrance to the Tabernacle, a Hebrew man walks right by them and takes a Midianite women into his tent. Well Phinehas sees this, is zealous for the glory of God and follows them into the tent and drives a spear through both the man and the women. God makes a special covenant with Phinehas because he is so zealous for the glory and honor of God, that he went and killed a sinner and the women.
For starters I find it interesting that Phineas' head looks like the tip of a spear and Phinehas killed someone by thrusting a spear through them. But I also find a better connection that is the point of my writing. Phineas is all about and zealous to get the most joy and fulfillment out of his summer. While Phinehas is zealous for the glory of God and His honor. Both of these Phineas/Phinehas are zealous for something. The question begins then are we the Phineas who is zealous for our own pleasure and joy or are we Phinehas who is most zealous for God and His joy and glory? Here are a few questions to help you know what you are zealous about.
Do you speak up when you hear God put down or do you hide?
Do you openly talk about God or do you join the negative dirty talk?
Do you give to God sacrificially or do you spend more money on yourself?
Do you use Saturday for your enjoyment only or does it set you up for God on Sunday?
Would you rather sleep or read your Bible?
Are you lazy or do you take care of the blessings God has given you?
Do you read the Bible with your kids or do you yell at them because they get in the way?
Are you broken and weeping over the glory and honor of God being diminished in your life?
Being zealous is not just an adjective, it is also a verb as you are active in pursing and pushing the honor and glory of God, not only in your life first, but also in the lives of your brothers and sisters around you that have missed or trampled it.
Now, you might be asking, what does this kids TV show have to do with Scripture or anything from the Bible. Let me explain. Today I was reading again from Numbers. In Numbers 25, Phinehas the son of the High Priest kills a sinner with a spear. See God did not want His people to be inter-marrying with the sinful idolatrous world around them. But the Hebrews forgot this so the men of Israel started to have sex and marry the Midianite women. Oh no! God was not happy and He brought about a plague and started to judge the people because of the sin of these men. Well, one day as Moses and the priests were weeping at the entrance to the Tabernacle, a Hebrew man walks right by them and takes a Midianite women into his tent. Well Phinehas sees this, is zealous for the glory of God and follows them into the tent and drives a spear through both the man and the women. God makes a special covenant with Phinehas because he is so zealous for the glory and honor of God, that he went and killed a sinner and the women.
For starters I find it interesting that Phineas' head looks like the tip of a spear and Phinehas killed someone by thrusting a spear through them. But I also find a better connection that is the point of my writing. Phineas is all about and zealous to get the most joy and fulfillment out of his summer. While Phinehas is zealous for the glory of God and His honor. Both of these Phineas/Phinehas are zealous for something. The question begins then are we the Phineas who is zealous for our own pleasure and joy or are we Phinehas who is most zealous for God and His joy and glory? Here are a few questions to help you know what you are zealous about.
Do you speak up when you hear God put down or do you hide?
Do you openly talk about God or do you join the negative dirty talk?
Do you give to God sacrificially or do you spend more money on yourself?
Do you use Saturday for your enjoyment only or does it set you up for God on Sunday?
Would you rather sleep or read your Bible?
Are you lazy or do you take care of the blessings God has given you?
Do you read the Bible with your kids or do you yell at them because they get in the way?
Are you broken and weeping over the glory and honor of God being diminished in your life?
Being zealous is not just an adjective, it is also a verb as you are active in pursing and pushing the honor and glory of God, not only in your life first, but also in the lives of your brothers and sisters around you that have missed or trampled it.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Walk by Faith
Ministry is tough. I find myself asking God daily, "are you sure this is what you want me to do? Are you sure I am qualified to lead a church? Are you sure you trust me to shepherd your sheep?" God typically answer with a simple reply, "walk by faith in me, obey what my will of desire is for you, and just do it!" I have find myself relating to a song by Jeremy Camp that I love and I wanted to share the lyrics today since I find myself singing it over and over again and reminding myself of the truth.
Would I believe you when you would say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day
Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
Help me to win my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With one breath You make me new
Your grace covers all I do
Well I'm broken- but I still see Your face
Well You've spoken- pouring Your words of grace
Well hallelujah, hallelu
(I will walk by faith)
Well hallelujah, hallelu
(I will walk by faith)
I will walk, I will walk, I will walk by faith
I will, I will, I will walk by faith
Would I believe you when you would say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day
Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
Help me to win my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With one breath You make me new
Your grace covers all I do
Well I'm broken- but I still see Your face
Well You've spoken- pouring Your words of grace
Well hallelujah, hallelu
(I will walk by faith)
Well hallelujah, hallelu
(I will walk by faith)
I will walk, I will walk, I will walk by faith
I will, I will, I will walk by faith
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)