"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." Jeremiah 29:12-13 (the Message)
This week has been crazy, I really don't know how to put it other than that. Yesterday, I had only one thing on my plate, to make sure we can get the Super Bowl played in "the Refuge," our youth room, for our youth Super Bowl party Sunday. That's kind of hard when you don't have cable or satellite. Well, neither do we, my wife and I got unplugged from cable and satellite about a year ago, and that's been a blessing, however, I can't write about that here, I'll talk about that one later. What my wife and I do have is an antenna and a digital TV box. We get about 20 channels, but only about 5 worth watching, however, one of those channels is what the Super Bowl is on, so I simply unplugged everything at the house and brought it up to the church, thinking, plug it all up just the same and it will work, WRONG! I took the antenna up on the roof, and we got 20 channels just no NBC (Super Bowl Channel). So I moved the blooming antenna all over the church grounds trying to find an NBC signal. I was about to lose hope, when all the sudden, as I was walking around outside, holding the antenna box up with a 7 foot stick over my head, I heard it connect. I was so excited, I had found it. There it was NBC coming in pretty clear. So I leaned the stick and antenna up against the church building to go get something to mark the spot with. While I was inside the wind blew it down, at first I thought no problem just pick it back up, so I did, the same spot, the same everything, but no signal. I still have no clue what happened. So, I searched for another hour, that would make almost 3 hours, I had been searching. So, with no luck, I finally gave up, and I was walking around with the antenna to take it inside. I was really frustrated, and really didn't understand, why it didn't work. I had no idea what I was going to do, I have all these teenagers coming to watch the game, but there was no way to watch it. So, as I got to the window to put it back inside, I lowered the stick down to take the antenna off, when all the sudden, with the antenna at my waist, NBC came on the TV. I had found it, after searching crazily for hours, walking on the roof, walking around the building with a stick and an antenna box, I had finally found it.
You know there were several moments, I thought about giving up, and calling for help, but I was to prideful. I'm all man at times, what can I say? But after searching long and hard I found it. The scriptures tell us if we search for God with all our heart, wanting Him more than anything else, we will not be disappointed for we will find God. So often I think we just expect God to be there, we expect God to do things for us, but there are times when all the sudden, God seems distant, He seems so far away from you. And so often this is not because God took His eyes off us, but because we took our eyes off Him. God forgive us for that! The Father says, pray and look, look with everything you got and you will find me. I will be behind the scenes of your life, bringing it all together as only I can. He may seem absent, but He's not. He promises us that He is with us, even till the end of the age.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Looking for Yourself?
I had another moment in my Bible reading the other day that just made think about life differently. I came across a familiar verse in the book of Matthew. Verses 38-39 say..."And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." Every morning, I read from the Message, its a modern day translation of the Bible, that helps me just to grasp the meaning a little better, it renders these verses as "If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me." As you can see it puts a little twist to it, but the integrity of message is still there, and for me, it takes these familiar verses and helps me to think outside the box on what Jesus might have for me.
I do have several friends that try to find themselves, they try to find meaning to their lives outside the realm of God. I will also admit that I have too, I have tried to find meaning to my life from a lot of different angles. But only one works. You have to view life from the advantage point of the Creator God. God created us all, don't believe me, read Psalm 139, and He created us for a purpose. He longs for us to live for Him and point others to Him. To be obedient to what He has called us to in His scriptures. The Message nails an awesome thought, if your number one concern is you, who you are, your identity, you will get very frustrated trying to find yourself. Why, because you are forever changing. The world is forever changing, therefore you, as part of that world will change. But, if you are a believer, the scripture says, that you are not of this world. Does that mean we are not to change? Absolutely not, we are to constantly be changing ourselves into a sharper image of Christ, the big word for that is sanctification. However, we do not change directions, we are always moving forward not backwards or just being stagnant.
The Message continues to say "But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me." There it is, the secret to happiness. There it is, the secret to life. Just look to God. When we look to God, He reveals to us the path we are to follow. Proverbs 3:5-6 says...
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track."
I love that, and it is so true, seek out God and you will find Him (Jer. 29:13). And God will also take you on a journey in which He will reveal to you exactly who you are, and why you are here on this earth?
I do have several friends that try to find themselves, they try to find meaning to their lives outside the realm of God. I will also admit that I have too, I have tried to find meaning to my life from a lot of different angles. But only one works. You have to view life from the advantage point of the Creator God. God created us all, don't believe me, read Psalm 139, and He created us for a purpose. He longs for us to live for Him and point others to Him. To be obedient to what He has called us to in His scriptures. The Message nails an awesome thought, if your number one concern is you, who you are, your identity, you will get very frustrated trying to find yourself. Why, because you are forever changing. The world is forever changing, therefore you, as part of that world will change. But, if you are a believer, the scripture says, that you are not of this world. Does that mean we are not to change? Absolutely not, we are to constantly be changing ourselves into a sharper image of Christ, the big word for that is sanctification. However, we do not change directions, we are always moving forward not backwards or just being stagnant.
The Message continues to say "But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me." There it is, the secret to happiness. There it is, the secret to life. Just look to God. When we look to God, He reveals to us the path we are to follow. Proverbs 3:5-6 says...
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track."
I love that, and it is so true, seek out God and you will find Him (Jer. 29:13). And God will also take you on a journey in which He will reveal to you exactly who you are, and why you are here on this earth?
Friday, January 23, 2009
Lessons From Being Dad
I love being a Dad. Its a lot of fun, but its also the greatest challenge I have ever faced. To think Biblically about my role as Elijah and Cooper's father, means that I have an example. God is the Ultimate Father, and He set the standard. I once had a seminary professor, who challenged me to think of it in a new light. He said something like, "you being the father in the home, will be the clearest picture a young child can have of God." Wow, that's a heavy thought. I can remember growing up in a divorced home, and there would be months in which I didn't hear from my dad. I can truly remember talking about God in my home, yet He seemed so distant like my dad. I don't want my kids to ever go through that. I want to be there for my kids when they need me, and when they don't.
Over the last several weeks, Elijah, my soon to be a big three year old, has not been sleeping well. He's had a cough and has just been a little restless, especially around 3am. Last week, Elijah came into my room around 3 and said, "daddy come to my bed." I was out of it, but somehow made it into Elijah's room and climbed into his bed. At first, I admit, this was the last place I wanted to be. I wanted to sleep, and Elijah was tired, but just couldn't get asleep. So, I'm laying there, thinking, hurry up kid... please go to sleep. About that time Elijah turned and looked me in the eye, he was obviously tired, his eyes were half closed, and in that moment where he was looking in my eyes he said four words that changed everything. Elijah whispered in a serious voice, "Dad, I love you." It melted my heart, there was no other place I wanted to be. I just wanted to be there and hold my son. It was such an incredible moment that just made me feel amazing. And as I sat there and held my son, my mind went back to the seminary professor, who said, I'd be the clearest picture my children will ever have of God, and instead of thinking, "man... I'm good," I was humbled. I was humbled, because I knew for the first time, what God feels when one of His children just stops and becomes still in his presence and says, "Father, I love You." And also, I knew it had been way to long since the last time, I just sat back and let God be Father, and tell him how much I truly loved Him.
Over the last several weeks, Elijah, my soon to be a big three year old, has not been sleeping well. He's had a cough and has just been a little restless, especially around 3am. Last week, Elijah came into my room around 3 and said, "daddy come to my bed." I was out of it, but somehow made it into Elijah's room and climbed into his bed. At first, I admit, this was the last place I wanted to be. I wanted to sleep, and Elijah was tired, but just couldn't get asleep. So, I'm laying there, thinking, hurry up kid... please go to sleep. About that time Elijah turned and looked me in the eye, he was obviously tired, his eyes were half closed, and in that moment where he was looking in my eyes he said four words that changed everything. Elijah whispered in a serious voice, "Dad, I love you." It melted my heart, there was no other place I wanted to be. I just wanted to be there and hold my son. It was such an incredible moment that just made me feel amazing. And as I sat there and held my son, my mind went back to the seminary professor, who said, I'd be the clearest picture my children will ever have of God, and instead of thinking, "man... I'm good," I was humbled. I was humbled, because I knew for the first time, what God feels when one of His children just stops and becomes still in his presence and says, "Father, I love You." And also, I knew it had been way to long since the last time, I just sat back and let God be Father, and tell him how much I truly loved Him.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Treasuring the Word
"You're blessed when you stay on course,
walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You're blessed when you follow his directions,
doing your best to find him.
That's right—you don't go off on your own;
you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
now You expect us to live it." Psalm 119:1-4 (the Message)
One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 119. It is a huge chapter that is all about God's Word and the blessings that come from treasuring it in your heart. I think I could chew on these four verse all day long. I look at the first thought here and think, true, I am happy and blessed when I stay the course that God gives us. The course that he give us through trusting and leaning on Him (Prov. 3:5-6) It is a power thought how he says "walking steadily on the road revealed by God." I had to do some research on what he is saying here to get the full impact of this verse. The psalmist is talking about an habitual pattern of living. The word "steadily" refers to being firmly fixed, in regular rhythm, free from change or variation. You know so often I can honestly not describe my life like that. I o my best to walk with God, but often, I question the path He lays out and try to change directions or make a small variation in what I know He wants me to do. And its true when I do this, the happiness seems to be squeezed out of life. God simply asks us to "walk straight" with Him, to not live outside the boundaries that He has set for us in the Word. Well, how are we to live this way. Its simple its obedience, which can only easily be done, when we treasure His Word in our heart. The psalmist knew the blessing that came from walking with God because He treasured the Word. He loved to spend time in it and meditate on it. This is the key to obedience and the blessing and happiness that only God can give. Simply: Treasure God and His Word.
walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You're blessed when you follow his directions,
doing your best to find him.
That's right—you don't go off on your own;
you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
now You expect us to live it." Psalm 119:1-4 (the Message)
One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 119. It is a huge chapter that is all about God's Word and the blessings that come from treasuring it in your heart. I think I could chew on these four verse all day long. I look at the first thought here and think, true, I am happy and blessed when I stay the course that God gives us. The course that he give us through trusting and leaning on Him (Prov. 3:5-6) It is a power thought how he says "walking steadily on the road revealed by God." I had to do some research on what he is saying here to get the full impact of this verse. The psalmist is talking about an habitual pattern of living. The word "steadily" refers to being firmly fixed, in regular rhythm, free from change or variation. You know so often I can honestly not describe my life like that. I o my best to walk with God, but often, I question the path He lays out and try to change directions or make a small variation in what I know He wants me to do. And its true when I do this, the happiness seems to be squeezed out of life. God simply asks us to "walk straight" with Him, to not live outside the boundaries that He has set for us in the Word. Well, how are we to live this way. Its simple its obedience, which can only easily be done, when we treasure His Word in our heart. The psalmist knew the blessing that came from walking with God because He treasured the Word. He loved to spend time in it and meditate on it. This is the key to obedience and the blessing and happiness that only God can give. Simply: Treasure God and His Word.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Learning to be Content
Matt 5:5 "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." (the Message)
I have been reading a lot of the Message recently, and I have really been enjoying a fresh perspective on familiar passages. I have finally reached the Sermon on the Mount, and the Message does an incredible job of making it applicable to today. Verse 5 penetrated my heart, and has been with me for over a week now. I keep coming back to it, knowing that God is speaking to me through it in a powerful way. He says you are "blessed", meaning happy or fortunate in the Greek. Usually those two do go hand in hand. I personally love the translation "happy." There is so much truth here... "You're blessed (or happy) when you're content with just who you are- no more, no less." You know, working with teenagers I see this all the time, the students who are totally content with who they are, they are the happiest. I can also speak from personal experience, I find great joy in being myself, uniquely made by God, but that wasn't always the case. For years I struggled with being content, and it wasn't till I found myself living in a mud hut in Africa with nothing but a few pair of clothes and my Bible, that I began to become content with who it was that God created me to be. I think its true that most people struggle with being "content". This is probably because to be content we have to be satisfied. That's something Americans struggle with. We live in a world of constant change. Everything around us is changing. We crave for it. We want the newest stuff, and I believe that hunger for something bigger and better often grows in our hearts for ourselves. We think if we can just have a little more money or a little more popularity we would become happy, but as we have seen happiness has nothing to do with this. True happiness, the Abundant Life that Jesus promises us, is the most joyful life possible for us. And Jesus says, you want to be happy, be satisfied with who I created you to be. Don't try to be someone you are not.
I love the second part of the verse..."That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." It's humbling to think of how good God is to me. It's really humbling, because, if I see myself as God does, I don't deserve it. I don't deserve a wife that loves me like my Joy does. I don't deserve two incredible boys that think the world of me. These are things that can not be bought and God says, "they are yours, enjoy them!" I also can't help but think of the greatest gift of all, salvation. It also can't be bought, it's a gift, and so Jesus is saying you will never truly appreciate the gift you have been given, until you stop craving everything of the world, and be content in who you are in Christ. And who are we in Christ? Who are we who have accepted Christ as Lord of our lives?
John 1:12 We are God's children.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 We have been bought with a price and belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27 We are members of Christ's body.
Ephesians 1:3-8 We have been chosen by God and adopted as His children.
Colossians 1:13-14 We have been redeemed and forgiven of all our sins.
Colossians 2:9-10 We am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16 We have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1-2 We are free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 We are assured that God works for our good in all circumstances. Romans 8:31-39 We are free from any condemnation brought against us and we cannot be separated from the love of God.
Philippians 3:20 We are citizens of heaven.
1 Corinthians 3:16 We are God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17 We are ministers of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:10 We are God's workmanship.
And the Bible says so much more!! Why should we ever crave anything else? We have all we need in him, including the greatest joy anyone could possible experience.
I have been reading a lot of the Message recently, and I have really been enjoying a fresh perspective on familiar passages. I have finally reached the Sermon on the Mount, and the Message does an incredible job of making it applicable to today. Verse 5 penetrated my heart, and has been with me for over a week now. I keep coming back to it, knowing that God is speaking to me through it in a powerful way. He says you are "blessed", meaning happy or fortunate in the Greek. Usually those two do go hand in hand. I personally love the translation "happy." There is so much truth here... "You're blessed (or happy) when you're content with just who you are- no more, no less." You know, working with teenagers I see this all the time, the students who are totally content with who they are, they are the happiest. I can also speak from personal experience, I find great joy in being myself, uniquely made by God, but that wasn't always the case. For years I struggled with being content, and it wasn't till I found myself living in a mud hut in Africa with nothing but a few pair of clothes and my Bible, that I began to become content with who it was that God created me to be. I think its true that most people struggle with being "content". This is probably because to be content we have to be satisfied. That's something Americans struggle with. We live in a world of constant change. Everything around us is changing. We crave for it. We want the newest stuff, and I believe that hunger for something bigger and better often grows in our hearts for ourselves. We think if we can just have a little more money or a little more popularity we would become happy, but as we have seen happiness has nothing to do with this. True happiness, the Abundant Life that Jesus promises us, is the most joyful life possible for us. And Jesus says, you want to be happy, be satisfied with who I created you to be. Don't try to be someone you are not.
I love the second part of the verse..."That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." It's humbling to think of how good God is to me. It's really humbling, because, if I see myself as God does, I don't deserve it. I don't deserve a wife that loves me like my Joy does. I don't deserve two incredible boys that think the world of me. These are things that can not be bought and God says, "they are yours, enjoy them!" I also can't help but think of the greatest gift of all, salvation. It also can't be bought, it's a gift, and so Jesus is saying you will never truly appreciate the gift you have been given, until you stop craving everything of the world, and be content in who you are in Christ. And who are we in Christ? Who are we who have accepted Christ as Lord of our lives?
John 1:12 We are God's children.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 We have been bought with a price and belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27 We are members of Christ's body.
Ephesians 1:3-8 We have been chosen by God and adopted as His children.
Colossians 1:13-14 We have been redeemed and forgiven of all our sins.
Colossians 2:9-10 We am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16 We have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1-2 We are free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 We are assured that God works for our good in all circumstances. Romans 8:31-39 We are free from any condemnation brought against us and we cannot be separated from the love of God.
Philippians 3:20 We are citizens of heaven.
1 Corinthians 3:16 We are God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17 We are ministers of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:10 We are God's workmanship.
And the Bible says so much more!! Why should we ever crave anything else? We have all we need in him, including the greatest joy anyone could possible experience.
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