So I died to the law--so that I might live for God!

There is a famous song by Philips, Craig & Dean called "Crucified with Christ" and it is one of my favorite songs.  In fact, as I am writing this blog on this mild September 16th, 2013 morning I am listening to that song on my iTunes.  It is one of my favorite songs because it reminds me that the whole purpose of my life is to live for God.  "For I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live."  You see Jesus died for us and yet we have the blessing to live each day of our life in the confidence that we don't have to die for our sins:  Christ already paid the price!

I suppose and wonder if that wasn't what was going on in Paul's head when he wrote his letter to the church in Galatia: "But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law.  Would that mean Christ has led us into sin?  Absolutely not!" (Galatians 2: 17 NLT)  You see Paul is trying to help the people in Galatia understand that the law is not the end all of being a Christian.  We can assume that like most Christians at the time, the church in Galatia had the laws of Moses which were going to tell them how to live their life each day (what to do and when to do it, etc...) and they had created their own laws which guided them to doing the right things.  However, the struggled when the tried to put all of that under the umbrella of faith they had in Christ: it would not.  Paul knows this and is trying to set them straight. 

Simply stated, Paul says, 'the law is rubbish, good, but rubbish.'  In fact, the law would find us guilty and if the law was truly the means of our faith: well, Jesus would not have needed to die [would he?] (Galatians 3:2-4 NLT)  But Jesus did die to set us apart from the law and free from the shackles of sin that so easily hold us back.  Therefore our faith must be kept in Him.

At the time of writing this blog, I will have been looking for full-time employment for close to 2 months without too much success.  When you are searching for full-time work you begin to put your faith in things that are of the world (the law) and not of God. This ironically allows my prayers every day to be and opportunity for me to say, "Lord thank you for the opportunities to discover you anew today."  Do you see where I am going with this?  The law makes me a sinner, but thank God I am crucified with Christ and live!  This comes more to light when I read Galatians 3: 5 NLT "I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law?  Of course not!  It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ."  Circumstances change, jobs change, people change, laws change, etc.... but one thing will always remain true: Christ died so that we may live!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!

When you look back at your life, what have you done? When you think about the future, what will you do?  You see, one aspect of accepting the Gospel message means understanding that your life will change; so, put your faith not in the law (in the world), but in the one whose life and sacrifice set the stage for your to daily commit your life to His.

I always get a sort of uplifted and excited feeling each time Philip, Craig & Dean sing "to die is to truly gain!"  I wonder why that is?

Making His Glory Brighter!

"In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.  He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy."  (Romans 9: 22 - 23 NLT)

So I have been thinking about the place where the law and faith meet and if you read my last post, law and faith come together in the work of Jesus Christ.  To that end, "what does this all mean?  Even though the Gentiles (that's you and me) were not trying to follow God's standards, they were made right with God.  And it was by faith that this took place." (Romans 9:30 NLT)  Paul goes on from Romans 9:30 to talk about that while the law could have held the Gentile's back, it was actually the law that was the stumbling block to the Jews.  You see, the Jews tried to live out all parts of the law, thinking that it was their duty in faith, but Paul reminds the Jews that without faith the law means nothing.  "I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble a rock that makes them fall.  But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." (Romans 9:33 NLT)

Here is where it gets really good!  Paul's ultimate desire was that the people of Israel would be saved and he said that the people of Israel are trying to be saved by their own means: trying to keep the laws.  "For Moses writes that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.  But faith's way of getting right with God says, 'Don't say in your heart, 'Who will go up to heaven' (to bring Christ down to earth).  And don't say, 'Who will go down to the place of the dead' (to bring Christ back to life again)." (Romans 10: 5-7 NLT)  You see, it is not our place to work out the details of the law because Jesus' sacrifice on the cross overcame and fulfilled the law.  "In fact, it says, 'The message is very close at hand; it is on [our] lips and in [our] heart.'" (Romans 10: 7 NLT)

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

The message that is close at hand and rests upon our lips and heart is the message of Jesus Christ and the work that He has been doing in our lives: that is a story worth telling the world.  "And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your mouth that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10: 8-9 NLT)  We each are saved by the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ and when we acknowledge that this redemption is better than the law: in fact it is bigger than the law, it is by faith, then we allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our life to shine out the brighter and tell the world whose glory we live for.

God has shown us....being made right.

I was doing some reading in my Bile and I was reading Romans 2: 25 - 3:31.  If you have read this passage of scripture you will be reminded that Paul is talking to the church in Rome about the value the Jewish people have placed on simply being Jewish as enough of a reason to be considered Christians.

Paul tells the Jews: "The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God's law."

Now Paul goes on to talk about the fact that following Jesus means obeying the laws of God otherwise it means nothing, but then Paul makes an important twist in what we read in Romans 3: 19-20:

"Obviously, the law applies to those whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.  For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands.  The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

As I read this passage from Romans, I was struck with the thought that laws do not tell us what to do and how to do it, they simply point out to us all that we have done wrong (i.e. they highlight to us the reasons for having laws in the first place).  You see, the religious rulers at that time were so focused on following the letter of the law: it consumed their life.  However, Paul points out and says in so many words: "Ha, good luck with following the law.  We are all sinful people!"

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"Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others?  No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin."  Romans 3: 9 NIV



 

So, what does this mean for us today?  Are we then stuck in the place of simply knowing that we are sinful people and that the law in a way is meant to keep us down?  NO!!!!!!

 

According to Romans 3: 23 - 26 God has redeemed us from our sin!!

 

"For everyone has sinned: we all fall short

of God's glorious standard.  Yet, God, with undeserved kindness,

declares that we are righteous.  He did this through Christ Jesus

when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.  For God

presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin.  People

are made right with God when they believe that Jesus

sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held

back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,

for he was looking ahead and including them in what

he would do in this present time.

God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for

he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners

to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus."

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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!

 

We are made right through the work of Jesus Christ.  God sacrificing his son paid the ultimate price that no devotion to the law could ever bring us.  What is further intriguing is that this sacrifice was paid for our future.  Our lives would then seem predetermined to have sin already erased!  Praise God!  So, God has shown us the way to be made right and it is through his son: Jesus Christ!







Joy: It has to come from somewhere.....

I volunteered to teach in one of the adult Sunday School classes on June 9, 2013; so I was given by the regular teacher for that class the books she uses to prepare and then teach the class with.  I was surprised as I got to reading the material becasue the lesson was based on Isaiah 12: 1-6

1 "You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away,

and you comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God

is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

4 And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord,

call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing praises

to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known

in all the earth. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."

This passage of scriputre and the accompanying lesson materials I was given to teach were all about Joy.  As I was reading these materials I thought, "Well, how do you teach about Joy?"  Joy is something that you just have, how do you examine it?  Joy will be different for different people: how can you come up with some overarching lesson that could possibly touch on each unique experience?  The topic of Joy feels like a large whale, there is so much to see or things you could say.

I wrestled with all of these questions unable to get any answers until I read the following story in David C. Cook's Bible Lesson Commentary: The Essential Study Companion for Every Disciple.  Which included lessons/commentary from September 2012 - August 2013.  As I read the following story from that book and I will admit that I did not get all the direct answers I was looking for, but I was set on the path to find them.

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     The image can be almost too familiar, even cliche: "Light in the midst of darkness." Nevertheless, this important theme shines throughout Scripture--from creation, with God's "Let there be light" (Gen. 1: 3), to the concluding future promise of a new Jerusalem with no need of lamp or sun, for the "Lord God giveth them light" (Rev. 22:5).

     So why is it that believers can be so slow to look for God's light of "salvation" (Isa. 12:2) in the midst of darkness?  Why do they often resemble foolish mariners, thinking they've become familiar enough with the sea that they should be able to navigate their tiny ships of faith through life's stormy waters themselves?

     "Who needs a lighthouse?" some believers boast.  "I know where I'm headed!" others retort.  But what is their tune when those dark clouds of despair and driving storms of personal tragedy start tossing them around like pieces of paper on the turbulent waves of life?  Think about it: How would we react if we saw a lighthouse's brilliant shaft slice through such darkness?  Most of us would rightly expect estatic relief and joy.  If ever there was a case of the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel," this would be it!

     So, what is it that we're looking for?  The believers' final destination is eternal glory with God.  And the guiding light is the promise of salvation found in His Word (see Isa. 12: 2-3).  Mature spiritual vision has to be developed in order to be consistently joyful in difficulites.  But it begins with a first glance from the mayhem around us and up to the horizon, especially toward the shores of God's new world.  There's no doubt that Isaiah saw such "excellent things" (v. 5) and urged God's people to proclaim them in "all the earth."

(Emphasis added)

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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.....

Joy comes from within you, each of us in our own lives feel joy differently.  What I intially failed to comprehend in my own life is that when you think about Joy: don't think about Joy (an ironic statement I know), but think about where Joy comes from: Joy has to come from somewhere!  Appreciate the struggles you went through, the trials you faced because then you understand what it means to offer God Joy because in the end it was God who saw you through it all: like a lighthouse.

Trial by Fire - That's a good thing!

Peter in his letter to the church's in the northern part of Asia Minor wrote a message that might have seemed weird to a church that was under constant persecution for their faith.  Peter writes to encourage them and this is what we read from 1 Peter 1: 6 - 7

"These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold,

which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved

genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when

Jesus Christ is revealed."

1 Peter 1: 6 - 7 NIV

I was talking with a good friend the other day and we were discussing that we both felt like we were in a transition point in our lives.  (What makes this story more amazing is the friend I am referring to is close to 60.)  So, it was comforting for me to connect with a kindred spirit that was going through the same thing that I was going through.  The results from our conversation ring around in my mind and written out go something like this:

Your life is a story and the chapters are still being written.  In fact, you will come to points in your life when one chapter will have to end and the next will have to begin.  (You ever seen a chapter book with no chapters?)  Through that transition from one chapter to the next, you are presented with an opportunity to rekindle the fire that comes only through Jesus Christ into your life and then surrender the transition and the next chapter being written in your life to His (God's) will.  Furthermore, there is a realization that you will not be holding the pen to write the story.  While it is your story, God is the author and we are called to surrender everything to Him.  I write that again: SURRENDER EVERYTHING TO HIM!

This comes back to 1 Peter 1: 6-7 when we realize that a trial by fire is not something that anyone wants for their life.  Change can feel like a trial by fire, but what was it that Peter told the people in Asia Minor: "faith...refined by fire-may be proved genuine."

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.....

When Jesus Christ is revealed we want our faith to have stood the trial by fire and what comes wrapped in change is the surrendering of your life to God's will.  All of that may not be easy for some of us: let's state that off the top.  The thought of a trial by fire doesn't sound like something we would want to go through; however a trial by fire is a good thing.  Why?  Well, our faith, refined by fire will be "proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  In the end, if it all ends with Jesus Christ, then it will all work out for His will, praise, glory and honor and that should be what my life as a Christian desires.  I don't know about you, but a trail by fire that results in being closer to Jesus Christ is a great thing.

"It is I, don't be afraid." - John 6:20 NIV

"When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,

where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum.

By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.

A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.

When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,

they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water;

and they were terrifed. But he said to them,

'It is I; don't be afraid.'"

John 6: 16-20 NIV

"It is I; don't be afraid:" from a story that most might have read a million times in there Bible, this particular phrase stuck out to me.  You see, recent events in the community I live have caused a bit of confusion and have rattled a few to the core of who they are.  In fact, recent events not just in the community but in our nation have caused some to ask: "Why would God let this happen?"  Well, never fear Jesus says to us: "It is I: don't be afraid."

As I read these simple words one morning during my devotional time, it brought a sense of encouragment and strength.  My prayer turned from "Why" to "Thank you."  Now that may seem like a weird switch to some people, but...

...SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:  the disciples in our story from John were in a tough situation and they might have been asking: "O Lord, why did we get into the boat?" or "Lord, why did this storm come?"  They were caught up in their situation when here comes Jesus, walking on the water, coming through the trial and tribulation they felt in their hearts, minds and bodies and he says: "Here I am, don't be afraid."  In simple terms, "What are you worried about?"

God is still God and will always be God through all things!  Lets repeat that....God is still God and will always be God THROUGH ALL THINGS!

Now that is something to think about.

"Amazing Grace"

There is a book that I keep on my church office desk called "Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories" by Robert J. Morgan.  It is a fascinating book that tells the stories behind some of the famous hymns we sing today.  In the end, the stories of what the hymn-writer was thinking or experienced when he or she wrote their now-famous hymn(s) seem to bring those old songs back to life.

In a recent worship service at my church, we sang "Amazing Grace."  (Talk about an old hymn.)  Many members of the congregation were excited to be singing this 'oldy-but-goody,' and it makes me wonder, what is the story behind this great classic hymn-song that has proven the test of time and will stand the test of time for many many more years.  What follows is an excerpt taken from Mr. Morgan's book:

"It's hard to shake off a mother's influence.  John Newton's earliest memories were of his godly mother who, despite fragile health, devoted herself to nurturing his soul.  At her kneed he memorized Bible passages and hymns.  Though she died when he was about seven, he later recalled her tearful prayers for him.

After her death, John alternated between boarding school and the high seas, wanting to live a good life but nonetheless falling deeper and deeper into sin.  Pressed into service with the British Navy, he deserted, was captured, and after two days of suspense, was flogged.  His subsequent thoughts vacillated between murder and suicide.  'I was capable of anything,' he recalled.

More voyages, dangers, toils, and snares followed.  It was a life unrivaled in fiction.  Then, on the night of March 9, 1748, John, 23, was jolted awake by a brutal storm that descended too suddenly for the crew to foresee.  The next day, in great peril, he cried to the Lord.  He later wrote, 'That tenth of March is a day much remembered by me; and I have never suffered it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748--the Lord came from on high and delievered me out of deep waters.'

Morgan goes on to write:  "Here are some things you may not know about Newton's most famous hymn [Amazing Grace].  His title for it wasn't originally 'Amazing Grace' but 'Faith's Review and Expectation.'  And here's a nearly forgotten verse that Newton added near the end of 'Amazing Grace.' Try singing it for yourself"

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine;

But God, Who called me here below, shall be forever mine.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT - Where are your rocky seas?  There may be things that today we call "solid places" and yet when we look back on what makes them 'solid,' we realize that they were born out of turmoil: crazy isn't it!?

"Be Still" not as easy as we think...or is it?

"Be still, and know that I am God; I [God] will be exalted among the nations, I [God] will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

I mentioned in my last post that this was my 'life verse:' the verse I will go to when I need a reality check on living life.  Psalm 46:10 seems to frame a lot of the struggles that I have in my life.

For example, one of the spiritual disciplines that I practice in my life is meditation coupled with prayer (in short terms, I have a devotional time everyday).  My devotional time is meant to be a time for me to focus my mind on what truly matters in this world: Christ and giving everything (and I mean everything) to Him: my hopes, my dreams, my worries, my to-do lists, my feelings, etc.... So I will sit down in my recliner and first take some time to quiet down my mind and focus on an image: currenlty it is a picture of a cross.  I will then take some time to just pray to God about who God is: He is Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End, etc...and I will offer a prayer to the tune of "God, I love you and trust you with my life."  Then, after I have focused my mind on the One who is always focused on me, I will God's Word  (currently I am reading out of the book of Luke).  After I am done reading, I will first pray about what I have read: what challenged me, what new thing did I learn, how did God's Word make me feel today, etc...and then take some time to pray for those on my prayer list: family, friends, church family, etc...  After that, I end with praying The Lord's Prayer and then simply say Amen.

Now, that all might seem too simple or too complicated depending on who you are.  Either way, and think about this (Something To Think About) : "Is having this kind of daily devotional time too hard or too easy?"

Lets through the wrench into your thoughts: consider this...

I went through a time when I was trying out a different devotional time during the day.  You see, I usually have my devotional time in the morning, but I went through a period when I tried to have my devotions in evening instead.  (Simply stated: having my devotions in the evening didn't work, but if having your devotions in the evening works for you: then great.  All I'm saying is that it was not for me.)  So when I changed my devotion time and found out it didn't work, it ended up being hard to change it back.  (I am now pleased to report that I am back to my regular devotional time and that things are going well.)

What I am getting at is that all of the various spiritual disciplines are great, but one can get tied to the routine of the discipline instead of the reason for the routine.  You catch my drift?

I love the first part of Psalm 46:10 (the 'being still' part), but I missed the last part "[God] is exalted among the nations and [God] is exalted in the earth.  IT'S ALL ABOUT GOD!!!!

Our struggle with spiritual disciplines and their easyness or hardness is not about wether they are too hard or too easy: the struggle is found in our willingness to say that the spiritual discipline is about finding God.

Prayer Box / "Be Still"

In a recent Youth Sunday School lesson I was teaching, we somehow got on to the subject of Prayer Boxes.  (Don't ask me how we got there.)  I explained very simply that a prayer box in ancient times was a way for the Israelites to keep certain verses close to them at all times: literally, they were tied to their heads and arms.  Some were even attached to the door posts of their homes.  (Historical theologians help me out, I know there was a particular verse that was written down and put in those prayer boxes, but I can't remember which one.)  Anyhow, as I quickly talked about prayer boxes, one of the youth asked me, "What would you put in your prayer box?"

I quickly answered: "Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;"  In fact, if you were to ask me what my 'life verse' was: thats it!

You know, recently I was watching the news and the breaking story were the explosions that occured towards the finish line at the Boston Marathon.  While this tragedy causes us to stop and consider just how precious life is, I was struck by piece of news reporting that seemed to go by unmentioned and even appeared to be glanced over at the time.

You see, the ancher man cut to a live interview in progress.  There was a doctor at one of the local Boston hospitals giving an update on the medical situation. When asked, 'How was the staff a the hospital dealing with the crisis' the doctor calmly answered 'We have trained for these kinds of events and everyone was doing just what there training had taught them to do.'

After the live feed concluded, the anchorman went on interview some other contacts the news agency had at various governmental offices: all in an attempt to 'calm the public.'  As I thought about this it occured to me: knowing that the people on the ground were doing what there training had taught them to do, was a comfort to me.  In the end, all the news anchor got from any of the people he interviewed was 'Well, we can't speculate at this time.'  ?????????

I know this will sound weird, but think about it: the idea that the people who were directly involved in the recovery process and who were doing what there training was doing seemed more comforting than experts in offices who couldn't tell me anything.

"Be still, and know that I am God;" this is a verse that I want as I go through my 'training' to stay with me.  No religious expert could say anything to me that would be greater than the fact that God wants me to always remember to "Be Still!"

Don't get me wrong, my 'training' doesn't stop with that one verse, quite the contrary, I am always 'in training.'

Is it not comforting at those times when things are going crazy and we don't know where to turn and we can only 'speculate' on the events going on around us, isn't it nice to know that there will be that one thing that will always be there with us?

God is always with us and He loves us very much.

Something to Think About.

"Something to Think About" Debute posting

When thinking of things to blog about, I am taken back to my 3rd year at Huntington University in Huntington, IN.  In-between studying and practicing as a Music major and trying to keep up on the social scene, I was also a CMC.  CMC stood for 'Campus Ministries Coordinator.'  Part of being a CMC was hosting weekly Bible Studies as well as being available for questions of a 'spiritual' nature.  While I thought I was ready for the 'spiritual converstaions,' what became apparent was that being a CMC was more about "building relationships."

"Building relationship:" now there is a word that I heard a lot in college.  Although building relationship is not something done just in college: it's something we do all our lives.  In fact, building relationships is something that I hope to do with this blog.  If you as the reader deem my thoughts worthy of reading, then we have begun to 'build a relationship.'  Remember however that the building is never done because you never know what is being built.

Back to my time as a CMC.... so, in order to help 'build relationships' with the guys in the dormitory, I would post a weekly article in the bathroom stalls (where else are you going to have someones completely undivided attention) that I called "Something to Think About."  It was my attempt to help put scripture in front of the guys and then apply that scripture to something that might have been going on in their lives.  The results were mixed, but in the end the whole process of creating the article each week spurred in me the discipline of being creative as well as keeping up with the spiritual practices of prayer, study and meditation.

So, here we are, at the beginning of building a relationship that will grow and develop and turn into something that will be bigger than we could imagine.  Check back each week, for "Something to Think About!"