Lazy Saturdays

I love a lazy Saturday. It's that time when you get to sit back, stay in your PJ's, eat a late breakfast, savor a cup of coffee, and just enjoy time spent with family (Well, some of us at least). In this crazy world that doesn't happen too often, does it?

We got a chance to take advantage of one such opportunity and, for whatever reason, we decided to watch the Veggie Tales version of the story of Jonah. It seems like people tend to gravitate toward the story of Jonah (or Noah and the Ark or Daniel in the lion's den). We paint a scene of Noah collecting animals two by two in the baby nursery. We describe Daniel cuddled up with some lions in a well-lit cave. Jonah (in the movie we watched) ends up hanging out in the belly of the whale with a worm that sells Persian rugs and some gospel choir angels. Laissez le bon temps rouler, n'est-ce pas?

There's a problem with that perspective, though. Isabella reminded me of that very distinctly. The movie progressed through the story line and eventually got to the part where Jonah had disobeyed God, run to a boat, and sailed in the opposite direction. And God called up a storm to blow in and stop Jonah in his disobedience. As easy as that is to type, it is not easy to watch, at least as far as Isabella was concerned. She became immediately scared to the point of tears and ran to me for consolation. Convinced it was a "bad part" and it was "scary," she didn't want to watch anymore. I understand that. It is scary when you think about it. A storm on the sea is one of the most helpless positions a person can find themselves in, especially when it's a direct result of disobedience to God.

Anyway, I calmed her down and reassured her that it wasn't so bad - God did and does have everything under control. What else is a dad to do? Be brutally honest and tell her that she really ought to be scared? Well, sure, but not yet. My dad handbook says to wait until she's at least five for something like that...

While I didn't go into the technical details, we did have a talk about how Jonah had a bad attitude and disobeyed God and the consequences of his actions. That's something that she can understand, being a typical (almost) four year old and having her own issues with consequences for a bad attitude and disobedience.

But the whole scene reminded me that the story of Jonah is not a children's story. As funny as "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" are, it's not fun and games to disobey God. In the case of Noah, as cute as all the animals are, that is a story of global annihilation as a direct result of sin. There is nothing sweet about the story in any stretch of the imagination. Daniel didn't just waltz into the lion's den and play for a while before camping out with his new pets. He fully expected to be mauled by lions into a gory and violent death for his faithfulness to the One True God.

These are not just feel good tales of adventure with a silly song or two thrown in for kicks. These are incredibly serious stories about the war that we fight every day against our sinful flesh, about the serious consequences of fallen man living in a broken world in seemingly perpetual disobedience to God. Jonah is just the example, but I fear that the church today does not take obedience to God seriously. I fear that, more often than not, we downplay the biblical accounts of sin and its consequences to the point that they're just a cute story about a whale and a guy who doesn't listen to God but wasn't really that bad of a person.

NO! Jonah brazenly disobeyed God and ran in exactly the opposite direction to avoid the task that God had called on him to do. Even when he does get to Ninevah, Jonah wasn't thrilled about telling them about the second chance that God was giving them. Jonah had a terrible attitude because he hated the people of Ninevah. Even when they repent and God spares them in the end, Jonah gets mad at God for doing what He said He would do in the first place. He wanted them dead! He wanted them dead without any hope for a right relationship with God! What?! That's not the Jonah we teach our kids in Sunday School!

And yet, how often do I walk away from reading the Holy Scriptures, a revelation directly from God for life and godliness, and treat it the same way? How often do I read the account of Paul suffering for the sake of the gospel and write it off as something cool that Paul did but that I would never have to do? We don't take obedience to God seriously.

I just wonder if it will take something catastrophic to make us figure it out.

---

That you might know Christ,

Desperate

Often when I'm getting dressed in the morning I turn on Pandora. Most of those occasions I pick a station that has Kari Jobe, Mandi Mapes, Meredith Andrews, Shane and Shane or ... (there are so many to choose from...) - the point is that I gravitate toward artists whose focus is intentional worship. It helps me start my day with the right mindset...anyway, for some reason I changed it up the other morning and started my Grits/Lecrae station. (Maybe I was feeling tired and needed some beats to perk me up a bit?)


One of the first songs that came up was 'Desperate' by Lecrae. Have you heard it? No? Okay, even if you've heard it before, watch the video below.

I had never heard that song before. Man, did it strike a chord in me! I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel exactly the way that Lecrae describes. I feel the deep shame that only sin can bring. My sins feel like a burden. They slow me down and discourage me. I get paranoid thinking other people know what I've done and are secretly condemning me for it.


We all feel that way at times in our lives, don't we? We're human and therefore sinful by nature.


I'll be honest (as I'm prone to do here) - if the song stopped at 1:00 or so, I don't know what I'd do. It's depressing to think about having no rescue from this world of sin and shame. All doubts aside, even if you don't believe in God or accept the Bible as Truth or want anything to do with 'that religious stuff,' we all have to admit that we know when we've done wrong. Even if we want to deny or justify the wrong we do in some way, we still know it's wrong. Because God made us in His image. And anything we do that doesn't fit that image is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. We know there's an edge or corner that doesn't belong, even if we don't know (or want to admit) exactly why.


Thankfully, however, the song doesn't end after a minute. Lecrae so poetically echoes the voices of David and Paul from Psalm 51 and Romans 7, respectively.


So many times since then I have been reminded of that song and encouraged at the thought of the cross, of Christ and his sacrifice for me. Sometimes I just sit in awe of the grace that God has shown. Some people say that God is mean for punishing sin - what kind of loving God would do that kind of thing? My answer is two-fold. First, God is justified in treating sin the way that he does because he is holy. Second (perhaps more importantly?), God is, in fact, extremely kind and loving. Need proof?


He made a way where there was no way.


Not only does he have wrath against sin that must be satisfied, but he poured out that wrath on himself in order to be satisfied.


The Judge stepped down from the bench and took our place as the defendant.


Praise God! He has shown us grace so that when we sin against him, it doesn't have to be counted against us! He has shown us mercy so that when we sin against him, it's already paid for!


Don't live in sin. That says the cross doesn't matter.
But don't live in shame, either. That says the cross wasn't enough.

Mandates

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8


I learned recently that there are two kinds of command, a mandate and a prohibition. Mandates are the "do's". Prohibitions are the "don'ts". The fourth commandment, the Sabbath one quoted, is a mandate. In fact, with the fifth commandment (honor your father and mother), there are only two mandates in all ten of the Commandments.


I was thinking about that idea, of mandates and such, and something occurred to me. Prohibitions are easy to follow.
Don't murder.
Don't give false testimony.
Don't rollerblade without pads and a helmet.
I tend to gravitate toward them because it is easier to gauge whether I have measured up to the task. If I'm really honest, I must admit it's also easier to judge whether other people have lived up to it, too. Maybe that's why the Pharisees liked the rules so much?


Mandates, however, are much harder to follow because I never know how much is enough. The person who gives the mandate could always require more of me, could always decide there are further expectations of the previously mentioned mandate.


Jesus says, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
I think, "But how much loving do they really need? Can I love them once and be finished? Maybe twice? Just in case the first time wasn't loving enough?"
The disciples asked the same thing. You probably do, too.


I realized something else, though, and herein lies the key to figuring out mandates. Maybe all ten of the commandments are mandates at their core. I mean, prohibitions really just keep us from doing things. They alter our external behavior. But mandates, those are the ones that really get at the heart of the issue - namely, our hearts. They alter our internal attitude. When viewed that way, it's easy to say don't commit murder. But Jesus was right, hating your brother is the same thing because the attitude is the same in both scenarios.


So often I tend toward the legalistic approach of doing, doing, doing. The problem is, these Ten Commandments are merely the minimum. They could all be rewritten in the form of a mandate, specifically a mandate that is of such a high standard that I could never do enough. I can never live up to the expectation that God has for holiness.


It's crucial then to remember two things - futility and grace. Futility looks at the commands of God and honestly says, "I have no chance." The mature Christian must realize the gripping reality of his hopelessness before God. But grace! Grace allows us the freedom to follow the mandates of God and offers us the forgiveness to fail. And fail we will.


That's why Jesus came. Because it was such a futile effort to live up to the standard which God has set for us. Jesus lived a holy life, according to all the "law" of God, not just because we couldn't but so that we didn't have to. Not only did He live the life we couldn't live but He died the death that we deserved. All so that we could be brought back to a right relationship with God.


This grace truly is amazing. This grace is so overwhelming, so lavish, so above and beyond anything we could have hoped or expected that the only response is worship.


How could it lead to anything else?

Despair

This morning I felt an overwhelming burden of sin and guilt and shame, which seemed to just come out of nowhere, but almost brought me to my knees in hopelessness and despair.


Ever feel that way?


If that's not the enemy attacking, then I don't know what is. He wants to bring me to that point of despair. He wants me to give up the fight. He wants me to stop trusting God to take care of everything. I forget sometimes that He's already provided everything I need.


In light of those feelings, I did what I wish I did every time I feel tempted to despair, I opened up the Word. This is what greeted me.

"The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me." Psalm 7:8

David is confident before the Lord. He's confident that God will protect him from his enemies and he's even confident to request God's judgment. But how is he able to be so confident in the face of wrath and judgment from the holy God?


It struck me like a ton of bricks. I was reminded that it's not my righteousness or integrity. And it never has been. It's the righteousness that Christ lived out for me during His time on earth and that very righteousness was placed on me through His blood which was shed on the cross.


It was such an encouragement to me, being reminded in such a fresh way of the work Christ has done on my behalf. But it was also such a convicting thing to think about - this work was not done so that I could keep it to myself. Christ died so that I might live and in His last words on earth, He commanded that I share this good news with everyone.


So, I challenge you not to settle for just "fire insurance." Christ's sacrifice means way more than that. Tell your friends and family. Tell your neighbors and coworkers. Tell the world.


As Penn Jillette has so famously said, "How much do you have to hate a person not to tell them?"

Pride

What do you take pride in? Where are you the strongest? The nations of the ancient Middle East, the ones prophesied against and about in the Old Testament, found their strength in sea and sword, trade and religion, even personal beauty.


I suppose its not any different today. Perhaps the most prevalent and debilitating vice, at the heart of every war, sex scandal, or child abuse story, is the issue of pride. Mankind is so proud. We think we're better than everyone else, even God, and we attempt to assert that power over countries, cities, people and even ourselves. Even at the heart of the fall of Satan and man was a pride which said, "I can be god of my own life." I know I think that way sometimes...


It seems there really is "nothing new under the sun," as Solomon puts it...


So, I was reading through Ezekiel and all of his prophecies against the many nations surrounding Israel (and even Israel themselves at times), and all of the sudden it hits me. The picture that Ezekiel describes, the reason why the nations are to be held accountable to God, is not really any different than the world today. It's old news, so to speak.


Here's what rings true over and above everything else. God is better. And stronger. And truer. God is all, and no matter how much we may think we have under control, we don't. And we never will. If anything, Ezekiel should put us in our place, the whole book should humble us quite a bit.


Over and over God says to Ezekiel, "Then they will know that I am the Lord God." (There are more references than I can list here. Go read the book and underline every time that phrase comes up. It's overwhelming!)


But why? Why does God say that so much? Because Ezekiel didn't get it the first time? No, I don't think so. I think God is extremely emphasizing (though maybe not so extremely considering how slow I am to understand this) that He is God! Over all! And we are not! Over anything!


So, what do you take pride in?


Is it your physical beauty?
Is it your personal strength?
Is it your religious piety?
Is it your skills and abilities?


I've heard it referred to as time, talents, and treasures. Or passion, possession, position, and power. Whatever you want to call it, the question is this:

What is taking priority in your life and in your heart over and above God?

More importantly, how are you using the gifts of God to further His kingdom and spread His gospel?


You can be a great singer, or athlete, or educator, or photographer, or preacher, or actor, or student, or businessperson, or whatever it is that you do. You can be passionate about things that are in this world, things that bring joy and excitement to people.


But the gifts of God should not result in pride in our accomplishment alone. Rather, they should produce humility before an awesome God. When we come to realize that rather than destroy us in our sin He made a way for us to be rescued from our sin, it brings humility of the deepest kind. When we truly grasp the depth of our sin and trespass against the Holy God, it brings gut-wrenching conviction. When we really get a hold of that idea, it radically changes how we think so that instead of seeking stuff from God we seek out what we can give back to God. 


So, this thing you're proud of? Is it something that you use to glorify God and proclaim His Truth to the world? Or are you using it to glorify yourself instead, to be the god of your own life?


God gave each of us good gifts to glorify Himself and I'd say it's high time we started living that way.

Big

What characteristics of God do you take for granted?

As I was reading through Jeremiah this morning, I came across this verse and it just grabbed my attention.

"I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me?" Jeremiah 30:21

A few observations.  

God is so undeservedly gracious to us. In addition to that, God makes Himself so accessible to us. He says in His Word that we may "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." What a personal God we have!

This verse is also an incredible reminder of the fact that we can do nothing to earn our salvation - it is God who draws us to Himself. Honestly, if it depended on me coming to God or being "good enough," I would never come to God for salvation or be saved from my sin in the first place.  I'm entirely too selfish and prideful.

At the same time though, because of how easy it is to access our Father and how extravagant His grace is, I'm convicted of how small I tend to make God. Whether we're experiencing the mountain or enduring the valley, we tend to make much of our selves and our needs - it's all about us, right? As a result, we severely underestimate who God is and what God is capable of doing. It's not that we can actually limit God in reality, but it's almost like we put Him in this box so that we can understand Him better and then forget that God never fit into that box in the first place. No, not even the smallest facet of God can be contained in such a way!

Praise Him for His bigness! Praise Him for His fearful and awe-instilling size! Were our God able to be stuffed into a box, only to be pulled out when we had exhausted all other resources or wanted something from Him like some cosmic genie in a bottle, we would serve a small and incapable God indeed!

How glad it makes me to read this morning the words of Jeremiah and to be challenged to expand my understanding of the big-ness of God and to have an appropriate fear before Him. How convicting it is to me to think about how much I presume of God - as if I deserve anything other than the hell He saved me from.  I'm praying that today I live in the confidence of Christ's blood.  But I'm also praying that today I live with a healthy fear of the God I serve, who says to Jeremiah "who would dare of himself to approach Me?"

Satisfaction

There's a verse that's been bouncing around in my head lately, so much so that it's taken over a good portion of my thoughts.  Let me share it with you and expand a little about what the Lord has been teaching me through this verse.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" Psalm 34:8

Basically, I've been asking myself the question, "What is my satisfaction based upon?"


Some days I feel like I've learned so much during my time with the Lord that my heart will burst for want of sharing it with someone.  I get this feeling inside that everything is okay because God is vibrantly showing me Truth in His Word.  I feel truly satisfied in my relationship with God.  I feel like I really do "taste and see that the Lord is good."


Some days, however, it's all I can do to read my Bible.  Those days I feel like I've let sin get between me and God, that my relationship with Him is hindered because I didn't "get" as much out of my time with Him, and I don't feel satisfied in my relationship with God.  Basically, I'm not tasting or seeing much of anything at all.


The problem is, my relationship with God is not based on my effort...
or how much I'm learning...
or how good I feel like I'm doing...


Jesus already perfectly paid the price that God required on the cross.  I can't add anything to His sacrifice to make it any more complete.  No matter how satisfied (or not) that I feel about my walk with the Lord, God is satisfied with me.  In His eyes I'm redeemed.  My relationship with God is no longer as a hopeless sinner before a righteous judge but as an heir and a son before a gracious Father.


I guess what I'm trying to preach to myself is this:


Quit trying to do what Christ has already done.  No work (regardless of intention) can make God any more or less satisfied with you than He is already.  Don't measure your walk with the Lord by how well you've done. Instead, honestly seek to "taste and see that the Lord is good" and follow where He leads.


And if you have a "bad day" (I know I will), well...isn't that what faith in Christ is all about?  Rest in God's grace and praise Him for second chances.

Restored

"...rend the heavens..."

So, I got a bit behind reading through the Old Testament on my journey through the Scriptures this year.  This week (Fall Break!) I've been playing catch-up.


(Note to self - in reading through Isaiah a lot of things really stuck out to me.  I need to make sure I go back and really do some in depth study of some of the themes there - it's a great book!)


Today, I've been thinking and meditating on Isaiah 64:1-4.

"Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence - as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil - to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!"

I don't know about you, but that gets me right in my soul.  Isaiah has all this bad stuff going on - judgment, wrath, punishment - and right here near the end (and woven throughout the book, as well) is this passionately worded picture of the fact that God has made a way to redeem His people and is coming back to restore everything to how He intended.  I get chills just thinking about it!  I found it quite refreshing today to ponder the sovereignty of God in this life (amidst all the terrible things that happen), and even how God is sovereign when it comes to the end of this life.


Don't forget about God's future promise in the midst of your present trials.  He has it all under control - past, present, and future.  All we have to worry about is trusting and obeying God (a huge task in and of itself) and He'll take care of the rest.

Suffering

*Note: I started writing this a month or so ago and am just now getting around to editing and posting it.  School got a little in the way (sorry).  There is good news, though - the gospel is relevant regardless of time, place or circumstance. Read on.*

.........

In my journey through the books of the Bible (I'm almost done!), often I find that I'm reading a passage from the Old Testament that directly relates to the passage in the New Testament that I'm also reading.  I know they all relate together, ultimately pointing to Christ, but I guess my point is that sometimes it's so obvious that even someone as dense as me can see it.

Today is one of those days.

I happened to be in the book of Job and the book of Luke at the moment.  Job, of course, is all about suffering.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Often, like Job, we have no idea…specifically.  Job touches on this himself, but at the end of the day we all face difficulties in life and it has everything to do with the sovereignty of God and His will for our lives.  I struggle with this idea constantly.

The redeemed part of me is completely okay with saying that God is sovereign, He does as He pleases, He knows what's best for us, and we may suffer but it's only for a little while because eventually we'll be in heaven and see the real purpose behind it all.

"Easy for you to say," my sinful, selfish side says.  The human side of me struggles with and fights against the same ideas that people have struggled with and fought against since the Fall - "I'm not that bad, why should I have to suffer, that guy over there is so much more sinful than I am!"

Back to my reading for today (and the point).  Job questions and struggles and fights with the idea of suffering, tries to maintain his integrity before God, eventually is rebuked by God and restored back to his former good health.  Contrast that with Jesus, specifically his statement in chapter 17 verse 25 of Luke:

"But first he [the Son of Man] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."

Must?  Jesus just said must - you mean, like, it's a requirement?  Yes, actually.  This verse…man...it just works at me.  Here I am, bee-boppin' along, agreeing with Job and empathizing with his struggles, feeling justified in my own questions and difficulties and…BAM!

Jesus puts it all on the table.  The Son of Man must suffer.  If Jesus had to suffer to fix this broken world, to bring us back into right relationship with the Father - what does that say about our own suffering?  I would submit that we must also suffer.  I would even go so far as to seriously question our lack of suffering.  I've even said as much in a previous post.

I heard it said recently that American Christians don't suffer because they aren't worthy of suffering, they aren't worthy of the persecution that Christians all over the world face every day.  How convicting!  Am I honestly willing (not just saying it because it sounds good) to suffer for Christ?  Am I willing to lay aside my personal preferences, my comforts, my stuff, my very life so that Christ can be glorified?  Am I willing even to set aside my pride and reputation, risking ridicule and mockery to share Christ with unbelievers that I encounter on a daily basis?

I have to admit, much to my shame, that I often fail in this area.  Often, I would not be considered worthy to suffer for Christ.  All too often my own comfort, pride, and reputation take priority over sharing the rich blessing of God's grace and the eternal reality of God's wrath with every person that I meet.

The take away?  Pray for me.  I want to live in a way that results in suffering for Christ.

I'll pray the same for you.

Praiseworthy

"The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise." Proverbs 27:21

It strikes me just now, reading this verse for it seems like the hundredth time - I think I may just now be understanding part of it's meaning and for once might have peered momentarily into the depths of understanding this passage.

Crucibles and furnaces test the quality of these precious metals, and even make it possible to refine them into something better. True. That part is probably obvious. Am I so dense as to have missed the second part for so long?? I probably am, and need the humbling enough to admit it in public.

Check out that second part: "...a man is tested by his praise." What?! How do I test the quality of a man? I examine the things that he praises. How do I refine a man into a better man? I change the things he praises.

The man in this story, of course, is me. It's you. None of us can escape the implications here.

How obvious! How simple! Why haven't I seen this all along?

Do I praise the things of this world or the things of God? Do I praise the temporary or the eternal? Praise implies value, and what I value in my life, what I spend time pursuing, what I talk about and read about and sing about and think about - those are the things that I'm praising and those are the things that I'm telling anyone who's watching that I'm praising.

Am I a man after God's own heart or the world's own heart? Easy - do I praise and value God with my whole heart or do I praise and value the things of this world instead? Do I spend more time reading Facebook or God's Word? Do I spend more time gossiping about people or praying for them? Do I spend more time at work or communing with God?

You get my meaning. Somewhere along the way we lost our perspective. We got so caught up trying to build our little kingdoms here on earth that we forgot our original task of preparing for the Kingdom to come ("Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...")

One final verse:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

What are you and I pursuing and is what we're pursuing truly praiseworthy? What needs to change in our hearts and minds to make this verse true in our lives?

Free To Be Me

I was finishing up Judges the other day, and the last verse of chapter 21 not only stood out to me - it struck me as a good theme for entirety of the book.

"In those days, there was no king in Israel.  Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."  Judges 21:25

If you aren't familiar with Judges, the short version is this:  the Israelites would do evil in the sight of the Lord, they were then taken captive or invaded by the enemy, then they cried out to God for deliverance, then a judge came and helped them out, then they had peace for a while, and then the process was repeated all over again.  The first time you read a cycle you kind of feel for the Israelites a little bit.  The sixth time through, not only is it redundant, but you're almost screaming at the page - "Why don't you get it already?!"  The Israelites can be pretty dense at times.


The reason this particular verse stood out to me, I think, is because I started wondering how many times that would be said about my own life.  How often, were there a book of Jacob, would there be a verse that said, "And Jacob did what was right in his own eyes."  It scares me, really.  Every day, probably every hour and minute, I do what I want, when I want to do it.  And the way I choose isn't always the way God expects from a follower of His.


I am realizing more and more that while I laugh to myself at how silly and dense the Israelites were at times, I can be just as silly and dense - if not more so.  Lessons like these are hard to learn because they strike at the core of the issue, my pride.  In order to truly work on being more like Christ in this area, I must first swallow my pride and admit my fault.  It is also lessons like these that make me glad for verses like Romans 8:29: 

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (emphasis added)

God is daily working to conform me to the image of his Son.  It is a work in progress and I am not nearly there.   It is a long road to travel toward Christ's completed work of sanctification in our lives, but the good news is that we are in it together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, if you catch me being like the Israelites, you have my complete permission to give me a gentle reproach - in the form of an all-out head-knocking, if necessary...

Consistency

This post is a tribute to my amazing wife.  If you have met her, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  If you haven't, well...let's just say you are really missing out.  She's awesome. For real.


Last night we were talking about a lot of things, life choices and parenting being the top two.  (*News flash: parenting = the hardest and most rewarding thing we've ever done)


As we talked, this idea of consistency kept coming up.  Whether it's how consistently you live your life and make your choices or how consistently you stick to the boundaries that you've set for your children, it seems like everything in life comes down to how consistent you are.


For me, it has been especially apparent in the Old Testament as I have read about how the Israelites were to consistently live up to the standard of the law.  In parenting, we've seen time and again how consistency (or lack thereof) can make or break a child.  In life, people watch you whether you know it or not and they see plain as day whether you live life consistently or hypocritically.


The problem, however, comes in the fact that we are sinful human beings.  We can try our whole lives to be consistent, to live up to the standard that God has called us to, and we will always fail.  The Bible is clear - "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  Our strength is never going to be enough because we were sinful from the moment of our birth.


Back to the discussion from last night.  The feelings of difficulty in living this life can get overwhelming if you think too much about it, maybe even to the point of despair.


"I try to be consistent but keep failing - so, why bother?!"


Ever felt that way?  I know I have.


Back to my wonderful bride.  I woke up this morning to a note.  Handwritten.  From her :)

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  Psalm 73:26

Thank you, Beth (and the psalmist), for the reminder that if we are in Christ it is not our strength by which we live, but Christ's in us.  It is not our works by which we're made righteous, it is Christ's work in us.


It's true.  We can never be consistent in and of ourselves.


BUT, Christ in us?  He is our strength and our portion forever!  He is our righteousness.  He is our consistency.


Live today in gratitude and praise to God that we can be consistent - through Christ.

A Heart Issue

Let me just preface today's entry by saying that I have discovered a new love for the Old Testament.  Ever since I started reading through the whole Bible this year, I've grown to look forward to reading each passage from the Old Testament.  For me, it's because every page points forward to the Savior, every passage speaks of the hope we have in Christ.  It's a beautiful picture of what God has had in mind for us all along.


There I go rambling...


Deuteronomy 9 and 10 were part of my reading this morning and they spoke volumes.  Here's my favorite verse, from chapter 10 verse 16:

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn."

It's a graphic picture, I know, but I think Moses got it exactly right.  He perfectly captures a striking truth for me today.  The CEV says, "Remember your agreement with the Lord..."  Moses knew that his audience would understand exactly what he meant when he used the word 'circumcise.'  They would immediately think back to God's arrangement with Abraham.  They would be instantly reminded of the physical representation of covenant relationship with God.


The great thing is that while we don't physically signify our covenant with God, this still continues to hold true today.  Set apart your heart to be in covenant relationship with the Lord.  But, how do we do that?  Verse 12 gives some pointers:

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commands and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?"

This passage reminds me of Micah 6:8 quite a bit, but regardless it's a calling to live a life set apart.  Fear the Lord.  Walk in His ways.  Love Him.  Serve Him.  Keep His commands.


Is it going to be easy to do?  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  Just like the real procedure has pain associated with it, for God to do a circumcision work in your heart will be painful.  We all have sin that we have to confront and deal with and God will have to cut it out of our lives through His redeeming work.  Don't forget the end of this verse, though.  "...for your good."  This whole process is for our good, for our benefit.  Ultimately, it's for the glory of God the Father.  As painful as it may be, in the end it's worth it all.


So, the take away is this:


Quit being stubborn.  We have a heart issue that needs to be taken care of.