A Resolution

This year, after reading the entire Bible last year, I decided to go more slowly and try to dig in more to what I'm reading. I'll read a Proverb or Psalm a day in addition to a chapter from the New Testament each day. Where else is there for me to start than Matthew, right? So, reading in my quiet time this morning, these verses stood out to me in a way I hadn't thought about before:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:36-38

I am convicted, while thinking about these verses in particular, that I must figure out a way to live out my faith on a daily basis. It is such a waste if I don't apply the lessons I learn as God leads me through life. I also thought I would do well to share them. We all need accountability to hold us to the task, even when it gets tough. That said, maybe these thoughts can "spur you on" or maybe you can just hold me accountable. Either way...


The first thing that hit me in this passage is that, just like Jesus, I must have compassion for the crowds. I must care deeply (in the gut, as the Greek refers to it) for them and their eternal security. This is the motivation which will drive me to do whatever it takes to be sure they know the Truth of God's good news. As Jesus saw them, so must I also see them - with love, as lost sheep without a shepherd, in desperate need for a Savior.


Second, I must labor. Jesus said the laborers are few, but he also said to go make disciples. The reason there are so few laborers is that there are so few willing to actually go and labor. I must fulfill this commission from my Lord for it is the primary task which I have been given. Whether that takes place in my city, my state, my nation or the world - this is my goal: that all men might know that Jesus Christ is Lord and glorify the Father in heaven.


Finally, I must pray. I must pray for the strength to fulfill the task. I must pray for fertile ground when I share. I must pray for other laborers in the fields alongside me. I must pray - for without it I have no strength. Prayer for the Christian is as bread for the body, without it we starve. It is as fresh wind on a hot day, without it we are stifled. It is essential to the Christian's walk with Christ. I must not neglect the discipline of prayer.


What are some areas you could work on? Are you like me and need a swift kick in the tail to keep working to fulfill the Great Commission? How can I hold you accountable?

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.

Colors

Have you ever been somewhere when someone said something absolutely awkward and unexpected?




I know I have.  And a couple of times that person was me, so I know all too well what that is like.  I don't know what's more painful - having to suffer through the awkwardness of the moment or realizing you're the person who caused it all in the first place.


This very thing happened to me the other day, though (thankfully) it was while I was driving with Isabella.  In fact, we were the only people who present.


I was scanning through radio stations and stopped on a station playing "Someone Like You" by Adele.  I commented to Isabella that it was a really good song (her voice is incredible!) and we continued driving, listening all the while. About halfway through the first chorus Isabella asked a question that (insert awkward moment here) blew me away,

"Is she black?"

Umm...what??  Where did she learn that?  I can promise it's not from me and Beth - we love people of all races and proudly have friends from all over the spectrum of race, nationality, and culture.  Regardless, this is what I (and countless others, I'm sure) refer to as a "teachable moment."


So, we talked.  For a long time.  About how there are all varieties of people, from all over the world.  They have different skin color, language, culture, personal experiences.  All things that make them unique and beautiful and wonderful.


But they all have one thing in common.


God loves them.
He made them in His image.
He sent His beloved Son to die for them.
He wants them to worship Him with all of their lives.
And He commissioned us to tell them.


I don't know about you, but talking with my daughter about the gospel was even better than the song playing in the background.  I hope we have many more like it.




Starting a new thing on this post - question of the day. Leave your comments in the space below!


QOTD: What interesting or deep questions have your children asked you?  How did you respond? If you don't have kids, what questions did you ask your parents?  How did they respond?

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.

Glorious

I took some time to go back through a lot of pictures that I've taken over the past few years. I've always had this fascination with the sky. It's just plain beautiful. So, a lot of pictures I have are of various skies that, when I looked, just took my breath away for one reason or another.


As I'm sitting here thinking about it, though, I'm reminded that God created it all! He made it so that the sky would have the particular make-up it required to be unique every single day. I'm reminded that this same Creative Genius made each human on earth. We also, are unique. Each in our own personalities, looks, desires, and gifts. I can easily see why God stopped at the end of each day of creation and said, "It is good!"


Today is a short post because I just wanted to post some pictures of the majesty of God's creation - which points directly to the glorious presence of God in this world.


Thank you, Father, for creating such a magnificent world.

Mississippi College at Sunrise

Calm Before the Storm

Mississippi Sunset

My Girls

Paris Lights

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?