Psalm 73... If you don't want the fruit of sin in your life, stay out of sin's orchard

 This psalm writer is asking God why are the unrighteous people flourishing and those that are pursuing holiness are having a hard time.

Sometimes I even find myself asking these questions; because I see people in my everyday life who do not pursue Christ but have been blessed with wealth. But I guess wealth can also be a curse at times.

Life App: The wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death and the rewards for the good suddenly take on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, what seemed worthless now lasts forever.

v. 25-26 are very popular verses and two that I really love:

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

We need to understand those two verses and live our lives by them. God is the only thing that satisfies; He is ultimately the only thing that keeps us going. Once we truly find our identity and satisfaction in Christ then we will be truly happy and everything else will fall into place.

The pursuit of holiness is not easy. It is very tough and draining. But we must be obedient. Much of our greatest rewards and results of our obedience will be seen in heaven. By this being the way God works, He continues to show us that it’s not about us humans but about Him–God.

One day those that pursue happiness and the things of this world will fall away (1 John 2:15-17). Those that pursue holiness will see how awesome God is and how He truly knows best. God wants us to bear the fruit of the Spirit not the fruits of sin. Therefore, we must spend time with the Spirit. The cool thing is that the Spirit lives in us and He’s with us at all times. As long as we continue to feed it with the Word and other “spiritual snacks”, like Christian books and music, then we will be able to stand strong in the Spirit because it’s not starving. Our flesh will be starving because it has been ignored so that the Spirit in us can gain strength to fight and make war.

Life App: Don’t let your life’s goals be so unreal that you awaken too late and miss the reality of God’s truth. Happiness and hope can be a reality but only when they are based on God, not on riches. Because reality is in God, we should get as close to Him as we can in order to be realistic about life.

This advice is not saying don’t dream big. It’s saying to talk with God about your dreams and aspirations and the two of you make plans on how to get it done. Or, rather God tells you how He’s going to have you get it done. God desires that we do great and big things for His glory and not our own. Once we live our lives with that mindset, great things can be accomplished for the Gospel.

The Gospel is the thing that should be the adrenaline rush in our lives, relationships, jobs, etc.

Satisfaction and pleasure solely come from Christ. Pursue Christ!

12.14.12. May We Never Forget

I have been glued to the TV as many Americans have been since last Friday morning. For some reason, this tragedy has hit me hard. No, I haven't been crying my eyes out all day everyday in mourning over the loss of 20 young lives and 7 (yes, I included the killer's mom) adult lives. But to an extent this tragedy hits home. I'm not from CT or a teacher or a parent. But I have been a teacher in a first grade classroom; I taught PE to elementary kids. I did that my last two years of high school. During those two years of PEPI (Physical Education Pupil Instructor) I was responsible for those students during my hour or so being in charge of them for their PE period everyday or every other day depending on their elective schedule. I naturally have a protective nature and would have done just as the 6 heroines in Sandy Hook Elementary did. In the elementary building at EWA the two classrooms I taught in were the first on the right and on the left. Had some psycho came into the school, he or she would have had easy access to the students that I taught, including when I could have been in there with them. Kids have a very close place in my heart. I am broken over this tragedy and am praying for the families and community involved.

But I don't want to end this post on such a sad note. There is hope in the middle of this madness. Jesus Christ is only where this hope can be found. Did you know that America is ranked third out of the whole world as far as percentages in the number of lost people? This tragedy shows how desperate America is for the Gospel. I know that God will use this for His glory. Does it make sense? Clearly it does not. But those 20 kids are with Him. They get to celebrate Christmas with the "birthday boy" Himself.

Brothers & sisters in Christ, pray. Pray for the families. Pray for the other students, teachers and staff at Sandy Hook. Pray for Newtown, CT. Pray for our legislatures and representatives who will be making some tough decisions as far as gun control. I know this may sound so small, but the sermon at my church this past weekend was ironically about prayer. And no, my pastor did not plan it that way. God did. Prayer is our biggest tool. It is direct communication with God. I know that if we as a body come together to pray (since most of us cannot make a pilgrimage to CT) God will answer us and He will provide healing for all the hurting hearts in this tragedy.

Use this as an opportunity for the Gospel. America needs the Gospel. This was our wake-up call.

Think Twice, Before Suicide

Video I made that deals with suicide... and how it is never necessary and everyone needs to think twice before they consider it. Life is too beautiful to end it before it's truly your time to go...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IVzT-6WyUQ&feature=g-upl

Take risks, have adventures, & make the most of each day

"If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good." -Ecclesiastes 11:3-6

I've been studying through Ecclesiastes since the beginning of the summer. These were the verses I spent time studying today. God has really taught me a lot through this book and these verses have extreme relevance in everyday living, especially in my life right now.

Solomon tells us that life is absolutely uncertain. We are not promised anything. But we can know and trust the Creator who is ultimately and always in complete control. We must not wait for perfect conditions in life to do everything. We must take risks.

I'm graduating in 7 months. Whoa! I have to let that sink in for a moment. I know God wants me to give my summer to SWO. SWO13 is my immediate post-MC plans. And after that I'm drawing a blank right now. Only the good Lord knows what's gonna happen and right now He's telling me to be obedient and go back to SWO and then trust Him and what He's gonna direct me to do after the summer.

God's ways are much higher than our ways. Solomon reiterates that in v.5. We must trust God. Do I? Yep. He has proved Himself to me many times that now I know to simply trust Him.

v. 6 sticks out to me. I like to keep busy most of the time- unless like today it was storming all day and I needed a mental health day and literally slept til 5pm! Solomon tells us to "sow our seed in the morning" that means a 9-5 job (or whatever your full time job schedule looks like) and "withhold not your hand in the evening" so keep busy after work. Why? "For ou do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good."

Solomon tells us to keep busy because only good will ultimately come from it. I don't think God wants us working 2+ jobs but He wants us to make the most of our time. Parents, spend time investing in your kids after work. Kids, spend time learning from your folks and deepening friendships for the Gospel. And don't waste evenings watching TV all them. Spend time with God or find a hobby you can use for His glory.

Life App: We need a spirit of trust and adventure facing life's risks and opportunities with God-directed enthusiasm and faith.

Quality Time... not just a "Quiet Time"

"We have adopted a Christianity consumed with little devotional thoughts from God for the day, supplemented by teaching in the church filled with entertaining stories and trite opinions on how to be a better person and live a better life in the twenty-first century." ~David Platt, Radical 

This is a very true statement. In America today, Christians have busy lives. Being busy I don't think is a sin in itself. Busyness that causes us to be distracted from our relationship with God and place idols in front of Him is what is sin. Many people have a daily quiet time in which they read a little devotional book or a chapter in the Bible to spend some time with God and may say a prayer for a few minutes. But honestly, is that truly enough spiritual food for our souls?

I mean think about it... physically we are to eat 3 big meals a day, or 6 small meals a day in order to survive on a healthy diet. And eating is something 99.9% of the human population take seriously. What about feeding ourselves spiritually? Do we chew on God's Word in big chunks 3 times a day? Or do we take time to talk to Him a few minutes every few hours or so? I'm not trying to make you think that we need to have a daily check list for our relationship with God or that there are certain rituals that we must do in order to gain acceptance. But what I am saying is that we really need to take a close, in-depth look into how important God and our relationship with Him is to us.

God is available to us 24/7/365 (366 on leap year ;) ). But how often do we make ourselves available to Him? We always want God to be there for us, and no doubt He is, but we never want to be there for Him. God made us for Him. He didn't make us for us. Most of us believe that if we give God 5-10 minutes a day then we are doing Him a favor. That's not the case. In fact, we need to spend time with God (whether it's by reading the Bible, praying, listening to a podcast, personal worship, etc) many times a day. And I just gave multiple options for us to use/do.

Find things that work for you. I enjoy reading the Bible, journaling about what I learned, praying, listening to a podcast, reading a faith-based book, and listening to Christian music as ways of spending time with God each day and feeding my soul so that the Holy Spirit will be strengthened in me to fight and make war against my sinful nature.

"If you and I are going to penetrate our culture and the cultures of the world with the Gospel, we desperately need minds saturated with God's Word." ~David Platt, Radical

Jesus + Nothing = Everything

"I have a confession to make: I'm addicted to the Gospel. It burns inside of me. And it seems to get hotter every day. I can't stop thinking about it, talking about it, writing about it, reading about it, wrestling with it, reveling in it, standing on it, and thanking God for it. For better or for worse, my focus has become myopic. My passion has become singular. Lesser things don't distract me as easily. I'm not anxious as I used to be. I don't fret over things as much. I'm more relaxed. What others think of me (either good or bad) doesn't matter as much as it used to. I'm enjoying life more. The pressure's off. I'm beginning to understand the length and breadth of the freedom Jesus purchased for me. I'm beginning to realize that the Gospel is way more radical, offensive, liberating, shocking, and counter-intuitive than any of us realize. And that's beginning to be okay with me."   ~Tullian Tchividjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything

This quote was revealed to me today in my Sunday School class today at church. It rocked me. The Gospel is something that I have prayed becomes my passion. It is after all the thing that gives me life. Jesus and what He did for me, you and everyone else gives us all life if we accept it as a gift from Him. The Gospel is what our lives should be lived for. Not a car, house, fat bank account, etc. There is no American Dream in the Bible. But Christ did promise to give us a fulfilling life and through Him that life can be lived to its fullest (John 10:10).

Many people don't want to live for Jesus because it requires us to reject ourselves and everything that we want  (Luke 9:23-27; 14:25-33). But honestly, when we live life our way, are we truly satisfied? Have we REALLY attained that level of true happiness? Chances are, your answer is no. Life is not about you, it's not about me, it's not about our economy or gas prices. It's about Jesus.

"You were created by Jesus, for Jesus. And you know that that gives you? Purpose." ~Brody Holloway

Walk the walk

Colossians 1:10

“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

ESV: “so as” the wisdom and understanding (v.9) would then lead to changed lives, for it would enable Christians “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord”. “to walk” is a Jewish metaphor for conducting or behaving oneself. It corresponds to the Hebrew term halak. The rabbis had an entire al tradition, later written down, called Hlakah, that guided them in their behavior. As a former rabbi, Paul calls believers “to walk” not according to oral traditions of Judaism but in a way that is fully pleasing to the Lord JC. Although Christians are completely justified from the moment of initial saving faith, they are not fully sanctified and they can do things that either please or displease God each day. Every good work is here viewed as the fruit of salvation in the life of a Christian, not as a prerequisite for entering a relationship with Christ. Paul’s reference to bearing fruit…and increasing brings to mind the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-9, 13-20). The seed sown on the good soil bore fruit 30, 60 and 100 fold.

What does it mean to please God? Following the 10 commandments? Well, yeah. I mean those are good “rules to live by” but I mean that’s not all that God wants us to do. Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord is what pleases God. Conforming to the image of His Son on a daily basis is what pleases Him. Bearing fruit in every good work is about not just saying you know Jesus but actually living Jesus. Living Jesus is not easy, especially in this day in time. But as believers we are called to do it. So pull yourself up by the bootstrap and be like Nike and just do it. Increasing in the knowledge of God just means to pursue Christ and pursue Him hard. He’s pursuing you hard, so you should do the same for Him.