Bloody Hands

"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God."

~ Acts 20:26-27

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Have you ever gotten the impression that someone was telling you something that sounded like you had heard it before?

Well, that was this passage for me just recently. I knew what Paul was saying sounded familiar, it really resonated in my heart like something I had even felt conviction about before. But I just couldn't place it. So I went searching. I probably went the long way about it (manually flipping through passages rather than consulting a reference source) but I finally found the reference - Ezekiel 33, where God places Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel.

So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. {Ezekiel 33:7-9}

This is probably one of the most frightening passages to me in all of the Bible.

It is true that this passage applied directly to Ezekiel. But Paul shows here that it applies to him and by extension it also applies to the modern follower of Jesus. It is saddening to think about people who are confronted with the truth of the gospel, yet still reject it for some reason or another. I find myself praying often for people in that category. But it is also incredibly convicting to think about the times I could have spoken the truth and shared my faith, my reason for living and hoping, but didn't. Aside from the fact that I disobeyed God by not responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, their condemnation before God is at least in part laid at my feet. If they never believe in Jesus for salvation, at the judgment day God will look to them and ask, "Did you not observe my creation? Did you not see evidence of me there?"

But He will also look to me and say, "Weren't you my watchman? Why did you say nothing?"

Of course, the Holy Spirit works in the heart and draws people to salvation - you won't be held responsible for something that's not even your responsibility in the first place. But we must preach. We must share. We must call people out of the darkness and into the light. It's the very DNA of who we are as Christians.

The last words (and last words are so important, aren't they?) of the Lord Jesus before He left this earth were that we were to be His witnesses throughout the entire earth.

And if we don't?

Their blood is on our hands.

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.

Hearing Voices

A while back Isabella went to a birthday party for one of her babysitter's friends. After class I went to pick her up. When I walked in the door, I greeted everyone and Isabella said, "Daddy!" and immediately ran to me.


Now, that wouldn't normally strike me as blog-worthy except for the fact that she had not seen me come in. It could have been anyone arriving at their apartment and greeting everyone, let alone me. One of the girls there said something, however, that has resonated with me ever since:


"Aw! She recognizes her daddy's voice."


It's true. She does. Out of a crowd, she would know my voice over anyone else's. Were she blindfolded and forced to choose between multiple dads all calling for her to "Come here, darlin'! Come to Daddy!", she would choose correctly every time. Why is that?


Because she knows my voice.


Taken a step further, we also know the voice of our Father, don't we? We know His call like my daughter knows mine. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." The question is, and this is the hard part, do we listen? Do we answer? Do we come when He calls?


Here is the rest of that verse in its context:

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Obviously Jesus is speaking about His followers - they know Him, they hear His voice, they answer Him and they follow Him. The implication of these verses though, that is what convicts me more than anything. Verse 26 says it all, and it just grabs at me: "but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep."


What do sheep do? They listen to their shepherd. They follow his voice.


So, if I am not listening to and following the voice of my Good Shepherd, then doesn't that mean that I am not behaving as one of His sheep? If I am not listening to His voice, then whose voice am I listening to? What shepherd am I putting in place of Him?


In short, what I'm trying to say is this: The voice that you listen to is what you have made god over your life, whether you realize it or not. The voice that you follow is the one you have allowed to reign on the throne of your life.


What is it? Is it your image or your reputation or your peers or yourself? Does the identity you find in your skills and abilities hold more sway than the identity you have in Christ? Honestly, most of the time what sits on the throne of my life is me. I sit there, all high and mighty, looking down on the people around me. I condescendingly peer down and judge people for all the sins I can see (or even think I can see) in their life, completely ignoring the trash in my own life...or even worse - justifying it.


The very heart of my sin, of anyone's sin, is pride. It's the control that I try to assert in place of submitting to God. It's the self-justification I try to apply instead of being justified by God. And those are just the things that I battle with. I'm sure you have your own.


Ultimately, I have to ask: what do I do with this kind of thought? Do I walk away from a passage like this questioning my salvation, worried that I won't be allowed into heaven because I listen to myself more than God? No, the end of the passage makes it clear - His sheep can never be snatched from His hand. Once we are a part of God's flock, we are permanently a part of God's flock. This is not a passage that should produce doubt.


No, the take away is this - do I have the eternal life that Jesus offers? Once I have it, how do I know, listen to, and follow the Good Shepherd's voice?


Getting the eternal life that Jesus offers - that's the easy part.


The hard part is answering the other question. That's the part that takes a lifetime. How do I learn to hear my Shepherd's voice? And once I know what it sounds like, how do I train my ear to listen to it and my feet to follow? In a word, the Bible. God has spoken, extensively. He inspired godly men to write the words that we now have today and which we call the Bible. Is it a how-to manual? No. Is it a self-help book? Not at all. Will it answer every question you ever have about life and faith? Not explicitly.


But it is trustworthy. It is without error. It is authoritative.


So, open up the Word. Get in the habit of reading it consistently. Write down your thoughts and questions as you read. Find someone that you trust who is a step ahead of you in life and ask them to help you in the process, ask them questions about what you read, ask them to help you figure out how it applies to your life. It's difficult and it's work, but in the end you'll find yourself recognizing more easily, listening more closely, and following more quickly the voice of your Father in heaven.


And even better, you'll find that you run into His arms every chance that you get.

But God

Perhaps my two favorite words in the whole Bible are "But God."


These two words are used together hundreds of times throughout the Bible, but I was reminded of one of my favorite passages in Scripture while working on another post. For this entry, however, I just want to post the passage Scripture. It's a little bit lengthy as far as quoted passages go, but...well, here. I'll let the passage speak for itself.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our traspasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph. 2:1-9

Just a reminder today of the power and sufficiency of the gospel.


Live and trust in Christ alone.


He is our only hope.

The Flood

Have you heard the story of the two men building a house? One builds on the rock and the other on the sand? It's here if you haven't read it. Go check it out. I'll be here when you get back.


Did you read it? Good.


A few things strike me as interesting in this parable.


The righteous man. He builds the foundation of his house on the rock. I can almost see the listeners nodding their approval - this man knows what he's doing! As a result, the storm and flood do not prevail against him.


The unrighteous man. He builds the foundation of his house on the sand. The crowds probably laughed and shook their heads, knowing how dimwitted this man was behaving. As expected, the storm and flood easily prevail.


The flood. Notice that it still came, even in view of the righteousness of the first man. The passage says "when" the flood comes, not "if." The indication here is that the flood is coming, the trials will happen, we will face troubles and persecution for the sake of Christ. Your righteousness (or lack thereof) will not stop the storm. This is because the storm is not the point. The point is the God who is Lord over the storm. He is the One in whom we place our trust. He is the One for Whom we are faithful.


The question is: Will you be found righteous or unrighteous when the storm comes? Will you be found faithful, having diligently prepared for the storm? Or will the crowds laugh at you too, easily recognizing that you have been building on the wrong foundation this whole time?


Don't be surprised when you give in to trials and temptation if all along you have not been diligent to build a solid foundation on the Lord and the principles of His Word. What else do you think will happen when the storm comes?


And don't be surprised either when you withstand the storm and make it through temptation or trials if you have been faithful all along. That's the benefit of being faithful. Just make sure your response is one of praise to the Father for being your strength, rather than pride in yourself for standing firm. You couldn't have stood firm without the Rock on which you stood.

Wisdom

I've been thinking a lot over the years about wisdom, but especially lately. Being married and having a family really puts things into perspective. I want to lead my wife well and I want to teach my children how to live for Christ - and all of that takes much wisdom.

The Proverbs are full of wisdom sayings. The rest of the Bible speaks repeatedly of wisdom as well, using examples and making strong statements in much the same way as the Proverbs. If the Bible spends so much time talking about being wise, then it seems obvious that this should be a common pursuit among all Christ followers.

I know for myself that this is a constant struggle. I ask myself what is the wisest decision in a situation, if what I just did was wise, or if people think me wise. I know that the opinion of others' doesn't matter more than that of Christ, but it sure is a helpful indicator of how I'm doing in my attempts to be like Him.

All that thinking aloud aside, I came across this verse a while back that really captures the heart of wisdom, it's James 3:17:

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."

It's a high standard to be sure, and it certainly indicates that I have a long way to go before I'm anywhere near the expectation that God has of me regarding wisdom. But, I gotta be honest - I like a good list! And this absolutely helps me think about how I am dealing with my family and friends, and even strangers in line in front of me at the bookstore. It's also, if I'm even more honest, an incredibly humbling list because there's no way I can do any of it in my own strength. That's why Christ came - because we couldn't save ourselves with our own efforts. And that's why living our faith is such a process - the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to mold us more and more into the image of Christ, including growth in the area of wisdom.

So, that's my prayer for you (and me) today - that God would give us wisdom from above that we may glorify Him first and most. That the gospel of Christ would be made known to the world through our life and witness, and even through our wisdom.

I AM

I don't know about you, but lately the stresses of life have really been weighing on me. So much so, that even my quiet time has suffered. Honestly, for the last couple of weeks my mornings have been dry, weary, and...well, work. I have felt like I was trudging along trying to stay consistent but not seeing any results. To be completely honest, at times I've felt discouraged in my walk with God, almost to the point of giving up...almost.


Ever been there?


But I choose to stay faithful, even if I do feel a bit discouraged, because God calls me to be faithful regardless of how I feel, or how busy I am or anything else.


All that said, I was reading in Matthew 14 and I am so thankful for my faithfulness because God showed me something that I had never seen before. He made clearer a passage that I thought I had understood reasonably well. It's the passage where Jesus walks on water. To give a little bit of context, right before this event Jesus feeds the 5000 and then goes up on the mountain for some alone time and prayer. Then He decides to come down and walks on the water to the disciples who have gone on ahead in the boat. They're terrified, because a storm has begun and they're thinking they see a ghost, but Jesus says something curious to them in verse 27:

"But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.'"

The Holy Spirit just grabbed my attention there. "It is I" is a weird phrasing and all the other versions say the same thing, so I did some digging to find out exactly what Jesus was saying.


What I found was like discovering high definition television for the first time after a lifetime of silent black and white films.


Here's another translation:

"Have courage; I AM. Don't be afraid."

The surface-level meaning ("It's me.") is literally Jesus identifying Himself. Beneath that however, the implication of Jesus' words is clear. The disciples understood it. Peter certainly understood it.


I AM.


Jesus didn't casually say to His disciples, "Hey guys, remember me? It's Jesus. We've been hanging out for a while now. There's no need to be afraid!" That really wouldn't have calmed anyone down. Though he was identifying himself, Jesus was also (not so subtly) saying, "I AM Yahweh, God over creation and God over you. In me all things find their being, even the wind and the waves. You have no reason whatsoever to fear."


Seen in this light, it easily explains why the disciples were so quickly calmed of their fears. Or why Peter so quickly believed he could walk on water if Jesus asked him to do so. Or why they respond at the end of this whole story by worshiping Jesus, saying "truly you are the Son of God." They knew that He was in control and they were reminded that they could trust Him.



Jesus says the same thing to us that He said to the disciples and it's so comforting.



In life...and in death - I AM.
In joy...and in sorrow - I AM.
In success...and in failure - I AM.


But it's also incredibly convicting.


When the storms of life are bearing down on you, who do you put your trust in?
When the past is haunting you or the future seems uncertain, who do you put your faith in?


Do you trust other people? They will eventually disappoint you.
Do you have faith in yourself and your own strength? You will eventually fail.


But God never fails or disappoints.
He shows up, time and again, stepping over all of our junk, and whispers ever so gently in our ears,


I AM.
It is finished.
Trust in me.


And so I rest in that truth. I know that in the good and in the bad (from my perspective) is still what's best for me from God's perspective. Does it mean that I understand it all? No. Does it mean things don't hurt? No. It simply means that I'm part of something greater than myself. It means that I follow a God who is bigger than my circumstances and sees farther than my perspective. He is worthy of my trust and my faith and my worship.

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.*

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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?

In The Secret

I had a few moments this morning before starting a busy day and decided to grab a cup of coffee from our local Starbucks.  Walking out, coffee in hand, I had everything I have to do today, this week, even this next month running through my head.  Long story short, I was distracted.


Getting in the car though, I happened to look up and seen the sun, ever so slowly rising through the clouds, greeting me as it does every day, and a song came to mind that I hadn't sung in ages.

"In the secret, In the quiet place, in the stillness you are there.  In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait, only for you, 'cause I want to know you more." 

The words just hit me and I think the reason is that God was gently reminding me that my day isn't about the stuff I get accomplished or the to-do list items I check off, it's about Him.  It's never been about me, no matter how hard I try to make it so.


And so I ask myself, "What are my priorities today?"
"Am I not just waiting for, but seeking out opportunities to tell other people about how He's affected my life and how they can know Him as well?"
"Who is most important in my life today?  God or myself?"


When we get into the hustle and bustle of 'today', we must not forget to lift up the name of the One who gave it to us in the first place.  Jesus told us so perfectly in Matthew 6 what our first priority should be.  "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..."

Worship

I watched a man worship tonight.


Really, truly, whole-heartedly worship.


Actually, it was two men.  The first I've had the privilege of getting to know over the past two years.  We've been in small group together, we've been to Paris together, He loves the Lord and leads his family well.  Basically, he's awesome.  The other I've only gotten to observe from afar.  He is a man of few words, but when he says something it is from God.  If I didn't have my Dad, he would definitely be on my top five 'Guys I Want To Be Like When I Grow Up' list.


Long story short, I was standing in the sanctuary tonight and there was a song in the music set that I hadn't heard before.  Believe me when I say this - I love new songs.  They get me out of my comfort zone a bit.  They make me think about the lyrics and really examine my heart as I worship.


So as I stood and contemplated, I had the joy of watching the first guy pour his soul passionately into his worship as he sang and played electric guitar.  It was an awesome display of his love for God overflowing out of his love for music - and it was for no one other than the Father.


On the other side of the stage was the second guy.  While his mouth may not be filled with words, his fingers spoke volumes.  Playing the bass guitar during that song wasn't just playing an instrument - it became an overwhelmingly expressive shout of praise to God.  I don't know that I can even put words to it.  He lost himself in his praises and I know with everything in me that the entirety of what he was doing up there was for the glory of God.


I couldn't help but smile to myself and praise my God and Father, my Lord and Savior, for such a beautiful picture of worship.  The Lord reminded me tonight of the purity of genuine worship before Him and the truth that Jesus spoke in John 4:

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 

Beautiful

We went to a "send off" party this afternoon for some friends of ours. Turns out, it was actually a surprise wedding! Through it all, I couldn't get the imagery of the bride of Christ out of my mind. As beautiful as the bride was, the Church is that much more beautiful to Christ.


In fact, the song 'Beautiful' by MercyMe comes to mind every time we go to a wedding, as I think through the idea that Christ was willing to face "death, even death on a cross" for our sake.  For me, the wedding this afternoon was yet another incredible reminder that Christ didn't just save us from our sins (though that would be enough) - we were adopted and made beautiful by the blood of Christ.  Where our sins would condemn us to eternity without God, there He stands, our Father, calling His children beautiful through the work of Jesus on the cross.

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us..." Galatians 3:13

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."  2 Corinthians 5:17

Paul says later in 2 Corinthians that Christ "became sin" so that we could become "the righteousness of God."  There has been a miraculous work done for our sakes, one that I still can't get my head around, but it was done nevertheless.  It will never cease to amaze me that this redemption work was done to restore and renew our relationship with God.  It will perpetually put a smile on my face and a song in my heart that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."


I think ultimately what I'm trying to say is that you are valuable to God.  You matter to Him.  No matter what you face in life, no matter what anyone says, God cherishes you.  Come to Jesus.  Let Him wash away the stains of sin and clothe you in garments of white.  Let Him whisper in your ear, the gentle reminder that:

"You're beautiful.  You are treasured.  You are sacred.  You are His." 

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.