Posts Tagged ‘ Lifestyle ’

Expecting the Messiah

I would like, firstly, to offer a reminder to check out Proverbial Thought. Wisdom is always helpful, and especially so during a busy holiday season!

Secondly, happy first week of Advent! Regardless of whether you practice celebrating Advent, we must always remember the importance of the coming of our Lord, which leads to the post:

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:21-38

I have fallen in with several different crowds in my life. Before this gets out of hand, I mean within Christianity. One of those crowds with which my history is long and varied is those expecting the soon return of Jesus Christ. I recently have been hearing people, due largely to last year’s predictions of the rapture and the coming of the “Mayan prediction” of December 21, 2012, being the end of the world (bunk), mocking people who expect His soon coming.

These people doing the mocking are mostly Christian.

Here is some food for thought about expecting Jesus:

Is it really so silly?

There was another time when many people were calling for the coming of the Savior, and many others mocked them. It was easy with so many other religions and pseudo-Saviors popping up to save the day … and failing. Some expecting the Messiah claimed God had revealed to them that His Messiah was coming soon. Others were astute enough from years of dedicated prayer and fasting to recognize what was going on around them.

And those few were right.

The story above relates how to elderly people were eagerly waiting for the coming Messiah. When others may have laughed, they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was coming.

I am pretty sure, however, that few laughed. In fact, when we consider the thousands that later followed Jesus, there were many people who expected a Messiah. In this story, it says Anna “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Do you realize that many of those who heard this may not have even been alive, let alone remembered this, by the time Jesus began His ministry 30 years later?!

Sometimes, God speaks through the craziest things

Many people today eagerly await the returning King of kings. This is good!

Sure, there are problems with some people claiming to know the date. Some people flat-out deny Christ’s return. Some people say it is not really that important.

Sometimes, we disregard a truth because of where it comes from.

Joseph and Mary easily could have disregarded what was being said about their infant son, but I am pretty sure their dreams and visions from only the previous six to nine months were vividly fresh in their minds. They were seeing an impossible baby being born to verify the visions and dreams! These prophecies were becoming run of the mill for them, by now!

Perhaps that is our problem.

How many Christians today regularly fast and pray? How often do you set aside time for seeking God through prayer and listening for Him?

Jesus could be coming this month (even as you read this). How could we know if we are not daily seeking time to talk with God. We do not believe in miracles or spiritual gifts, so why should we expect His return to be soon.

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
Philippians 3:17-4:1

This Christmas, and always, expect the Messiah to return soon. He may not, but we should live as though He is coming tonight but may wait another thousand years. Of course, we must praise Him always!

2012
12/04
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Funny, eh?

I can not remember where I found this, but I had to share it:

FUNNY ISN’T IT?

  • Funny how a $10.00 bill looks so big when you take it to church, but so small when you take it to the mall.
  • Funny how big an hour serving God looks and how small 60 minutes are when spent playing golf, fishing or shopping.
  • Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church, but how short they are when watching a movie.
  • Funny how we get thrilled when a football game goes into overtime, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time.
  • Funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Bible and how easy it is to read 200-300 pages of a best-selling novel.
  • Funny how we believe what newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.
  • Funny how people scramble to get a front seat at any game, but scramble to get a back seat at church service.
  • Funny how we cannot fit a gospel meeting into our schedule with yearly planner but we can schedule for other events at a moment’s notice.
  • Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks to fit a church event into our schedule, but can adjust it for a social event at the last minute.
  • Funny how much difficulty some have learning a simple gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and explain gossip about someone else.
  • Funny how we can’t think of anything to say when we pray, and don’t have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
  • Funny how we are so quick to take direction from a total stranger when we are lost, but are hesitant to take God’s direction to be found.
  • Funny how people are so consumed with what others think about them rather than what God thinks about them.
  • Funny how so many churchgoers sing “Standing on the Promises” but all they do is sit on the premises.
  • Funny how people think that they can get more accomplished in a lifetime without God than in an hour with Him.
  • Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven, provided they don’t have to believe, or to think, or to say, or to do anything.

Funny how we all need to read this.

2012
09/27
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The Core Values: Engrossed Existence

Here is another friendly reminder to head over to Proverbial Thought for today’s devotional thought from Proverbs!

We now continue our look at the Four Core Facts and the Four Core Values, having examined the desperate pursuit of God, diligent prayer, and a consecrated heart.  If you are interested in a more in-depth look at the Core Facts and the Core Values, look up my wonderful youth pastor, Jesse Bollinger, at Fervent Youth.

As I said before, all of the Core Facts and Values flow together. The Values are useless without the truth of the Facts. Without a desperate pursuit of God bathed in diligent prayer creating a consecrated heart, we play a dangerous game with the fourth Core Value:

A Focused Life

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified . . . For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7

Why would I say we play a dangerous game with a focused life without the Core Facts and Values?

Perhaps you have heard that line that goes something like “Those who believe in nothing will fall for anything.” People can devote their lives to just about anything out there (read the tabloids, news, and/or history books).

Some people even dedicate their lives to God without considering the possibility that God will come collect. Then they are surprised at what God wants.

It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider his vows
Proverbs 20:25

This is why we need a foundation based on the reality of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God, and a value-system based on the truth revealed in the Bible.

FOCUS!

Have you noticed how easy it is to be distracted? Humans have always found a way to distract themselves, but Modern Man has really excelled in this area.

We have access to an entire world in ways barely imaginable 100 years ago, from cars to trains to airplanes.

We have access to an entire world through the internet.

We have access to endless entertainment through books, movies, television, video games, sports, the internet, and various other entertainment-industry options too numerous to list here.

We have access to friends and family any time of the night or day around the world through telephones, cellular phones, e-mail, Facebook, the internet (noticing a theme?), and so many other things.

We have more than enough to distract us, and we have even made it possible to stop using our own imagination.

But what do the most successful people in our world have in common?

Focus.

Their lives are dedicated to one major thing (which can include many smaller things, but usually related things), and they do not let anything get in the way of their dreams and goals.

They each have a focused life.

This is basically what God has called all who would follow Him to do. Be focused.

On what?

The answer comes in a rebuke of Peter by Jesus:

“You must follow me.”

We have to focus our lives on Jesus.

However, I will take this a step further.

There are a lot of people who claim to follow Jesus, and they show up to church regularly, tithe, donate, and volunteer.

They live good lives.

While their lives are engrossed in Jesus, I would posit that their entire existence is not engrossed in Jesus. (See the title of the post worked in there?!)

In truth, these people (and even many people engrossed in following Jesus can succumb to this) are distracted by serving.

How do we know when we get distracted by service?

One of two things is usually what happens:

  1. We are not going where Jesus is going. We find ourselves in the church building all the time, or at church functions, and we know everyone we see or know someone who knows that person well and we are all Christian. We rarely encounter anyone who is hurting, mourning, in desperate need, or stuck in sin (of which we are aware).
  2. We are exactly where Jesus is, but we are “pulling a Martha“. Sometimes, we are so busy serving Jesus that we forget about actually serving others, and we are surrounded by people who really need Jesus.

The Problem and Solution

We are not fully engrossed in following Jesus. That is just the way it is.

This is where the other values come in. To be fully engrossed we must desperately pursue God by reading the Bible, learning what it means through teachings and fellowship, and seeking where God is working. To effectively pursue God, we must be in constant communication with Him through diligent prayer, and this helps us grow in a desire to study the Bible and find where God is going. As we pray and study, we find our hearts are growing ever more consecrated to God, and our desire to seek Him and talk with Him grows. The more consecrated our hearts become for God, the more we find our life being focused on God.

The only other step is that we must put it all into practice.We must be with those who are hurting and in need. We must show love and grace. We must forgive ALL people.

We must effectually become like Jesus Christ.

Our focus in life must be to be completely engrossed in living and loving like Jesus, pushing aside distractions and pushing on in faith, grace, and love.

Next week, I will briefly discuss The Core Mission.

What are your thoughts? How are you doing?

2012
09/25
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The Core Values: Cardiac Consecration

Here is your regular, friendly reminder to head over to Proverbial Thought for today’s devotional thought from Proverbs!

We now continue our look at the Four Core Facts and the Four Core Values, having examined the desperate pursuit of God and diligent prayer.  If you are interested in a more in-depth look at the Core Facts and the Core Values, look up my wonderful youth pastor, Jesse Bollinger, at Fervent Youth.

As I said before, all of the Core Facts and Values flow together. The Values are useless without the truth of the Facts. Without a desperate pursuit of God bathed in diligent prayer, there is little need for the third Core Value:

A Consecrated Heart

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8, NIV

This requirement of a person seems simple enough. To put it in overly simplistic terms, we are required to do good, be forgiving, and live life honestly … with God.

Why are these so difficult, then?

To do good, to act justly, often means to think of others before yourself and to sacrifice.

To be forgiving, to love mercy, often means showing love, grace, and, yes, forgiveness to those you feel are least deserving … or to whom you would rather not.

To live life honestly, to walk humbly, often means realizing you do not understand this world or yourself as well as you think. It always means realizing you are someone in need of a Savior.

These are the beginning steps to having a consecrated heart.

But what is the first step?

Why not start with what it really means to have a consecrated heart …

From Merriam-Webster:

1
: to induct (a person) into a permanent office with a religious rite; especially: to ordain to the office of bishop
2
a: to make or declare sacred; especially:to devote irrevocably to the worship of God by a solemn ceremony
b:to effect the liturgical transubstantiation of (eucharistic bread and wine)
c: to devote to a purpose with or as if with deep solemnity or dedication
3
: to make inviolable or venerable <principles consecrated by the weight of history>
I especially like definition 2a. In fact, the second definition is the whole point.

In fact, this may help sum up this post pretty quickly.

Having a consecrated heart simply means that you declare your heart sacred, that you set aside your heart to be devoted completely to worshiping God.

Simple, yes? Declare your heart as God’s own.

For it to really mean anything, as stated before, it requires the Core Facts and the other Core Values.

You need faith that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was necessary for your salvation. Without this knowledge, you can consecrate your heart to anything. It happens all around our world every day. Look at all of the religions, numbers of gods, lack of gods (and God), and every other belief, including in the self. Apart from God, we can do nothing, especially save ourselves from condemnation. (A simple, quick explanation: No God = No humans, thus we can do nothing without God.)

You need to have a desperation to know God, which comes from a desire to know truth. (Many seek truth, but not all seek to know truth.)

We grow more desperate to know God through diligent prayer. At the same time, diligent prayer usually grows out of a desperation. (Kind of like wanting to talk to that boy or that girl on the phone at all times of the day or night, because you can not seem to get enough. You find yourself falling ever more in love the more the two of you talk. You know what I mean 😉 .) With the desperate pursuit of God and diligent prayer, it can often be a chicken-or-the-egg dilemma. It always depends on the person, the circumstances, and the ways of God.

When you believe something so strongly, you dedicate your life to it. That is what a consecrated heart is. It is praying “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, NIV)

And it leads to the fourth Core Value: A Focused Life

What do you believe? Why? What do you spend your time doing and with whom and about what do you talk? To what have you dedicated your life?

Why?

2012
09/18
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The Core Values: Diligent Dialogue

Here is your friendly reminder to head over to Proverbial Thought for today’s devotional thought from the wisdom book!

Last month we looked at the Four Core Facts, and this last week we looked at the first Core Value, the desperate pursuit of God.  If you are interested in a more in-depth look at the Core Facts and the Core Values, look up my wonderful youth pastor, Jesse Bollinger, at Fervent Youth. Today’s entry also

Now for the second Core Value:

Diligent Prayer

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 5:16

Jesus demonstrated diligent prayer. At one point, Jesus had to drive out a demon because His Disciples could not. When asked why they could not do it, Jesus “said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’”

Jesus did not simply mean “if you fast and pray you can cast out all demons.” Jesus was saying it takes a life dedicated to prayer and fasting, to seeking out the will of God, to get to know God intimately.

I knew this man who once taught a group of us (and some of them told me this was in no way a new teaching of his) that the biggest reason we see so few miracles in the Church anymore is because of a lack of dedicated prayer and fasting within the Church. I have come to see how true this is.

Where is the love?

I have heard the excuses. Perhaps you have, too.

    • I am too busy to pray.
    • I am a person of action, not prayer.
    • When all else fails, pray.
    • God knows my thoughts, anyway.

I am too busy to pray

I have covered the topic of prayer before here and here.

I am a person of action, not prayer

Perhaps you have also heard the line “Without God, you are doomed to fail.” Why should God bless your work if you do not talk with Him about it? Why should He help you if you do not want to include Him from the beginning?

(He still can work through you, of course. Balaam is a great example of that!)

Perhaps they fail, because God has not been involved from the beginning! Is it really that important to you if you have not included God the entire time, as in from the beginning?

Why do we tend to wait until the last second to include God, to talk to Him about what is happening?

Does that work with kids? Ask most parents and teachers: you ask a child to do something once, there is no guarantee they will think to do it again later (which is why children need to be constantly reminded to clean their rooms, feed the dog, take out the trash, brush their teeth, or a myriad of other things).

How does this relate?

As humans, we seem to expect people to listen to us and do what we want and think the way we think … WHEN WE NEVER SAY ANYTHING! (We may never stop talking, but we rarely say anything.)

Why should God help us if we are not sharing with Him? He may know what we are thinking, but if we hold it back is that not like saying “Butt out!” That is a far cry from “I love you!”

Love the Lord your God

As I have said before, all of the Core points work together. We should pray, because we love God so much that we are desperately chasing Him.

Imagine getting your dream job. If you never talked with your boss, would you last long? (Unless, of course, you are self-employed)

(Ready for a tired argument that is oh, so true?)

Try being a friend, a husband, or a wife without ever communicating. It will never last. Your friend or spouse (or even you) will complain about not being loved … or even liked.

If you claim to love God, you should talk with Him.

Notice how I worded that:

We must talk with God.

Some time in the future I will share some of my own story on prayer, but the most important thing I have learned is that prayer is a conversation.

Conversations go two ways. To be diligent in prayer, we must be able to listen at least as much as we talk.

Therefore, we must learn to praise and petition, to read and to listen.

Diligent prayer means to first ask God to help us, to change us, to grow us.

Diligent prayer means to study the Bible to know what God has said.

Diligent prayer means to share our troubles.

Diligent prayer means to hear our teachers.

Diligent prayer means to tell God how great He is.

Diligent prayer means being quiet before our God.

Diligent prayer means listening … all the time.

Notice the first word: It takes diligence. This means practice, dedication, and passion.

If you are desperate for God, you will want to talk with Him and make very crazy requests.

Fall in love with God. Talk with Him. Often withdraw quiet places to be with Him.

See amazing things in your life.

Next week I will tackle the third Core Value: A Consecrated Heart

Thoughts? Concerns? Questions?

2012
09/11
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The Core Values: Desperate Pursuit

Here is your regular reminder to head over to Proverbial Thought for today’s devotional thought from the wisdom book!

One thing I ask of the LORD,  this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD  all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD  and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4

Last month we looked at The Four Core Facts: Jesus’ death on the cross, the despair of the Disciples, the change in their willingness to suffer and die for the Gospel, and the conversion of Paul. (Here is another reminder that if you are interested in a more in-depth look at these points and the Core Values, look up my wonderful youth pastor, Jesse Bollinger, at Fervent Youth.)

This is all well and good, but it is not enough to know these things. To quote an often used and out of context verse (including out of context here!), “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Even demons believe God exists, that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus and the Disciples lived and died for Truth.

How can we do better than demons?

The Core Values, as with the Core Facts, grow out of each other. Therefore, today’s post will hit slightly on each of the other areas. Here is our first:

Desperate Pursuit of God

Believing and knowing requires action. How can we get to where we sincerely and honestly pray Psalm 27:4?

First is what every good Jewish boy and girl understood growing up: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

How do we get there?

It can be tough loving God with all that you are when you are constantly reminded of your past, of how you may have fallen short, or even because of your pride.

As Paul said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

But forgetting can be difficult. We get so focused on it, and so many times it feels like the harder we try to forget the more imprinted it becomes in our memory. (I will get back to this in the next Core Value)

We must learn what Jesus meant when He said “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).

As I have said time and again to our youth group, one of my favorite definitions of hate is “misdirected love,” or, as in this instance, “exponentially more love toward another.”

We need to get to a point where we desire to be with God so much that it is almost as if we hate our family and friends. This of course is impossible, because the closer we draw to God the more we will love others!

But this is what it takes. We have to focus so much on who God is that God is all we seem to think about throughout the day.

In my life, it took selling/donating most of my possessions and leaving home. I knew movies, things, and even some people were getting in the way of my relationship with God. It eventually led to ending an engagement to be married, losing my job, and going from Illinois to Arizona. It was kind of “go to the land I will show you” like Abram (Abraham) received from God in Genesis 12.

It is different for every person, but the key is that it takes an unbridled passion for God. It is like wanting that new toy, that new phone, that new car, that new dress, those shoes, that girl, that boy, that man, that woman, that home.

The only difference is that our desire becomes focused on learning about and falling in love with the Creator of the Universe and Lover of Humanity.

Why do you think the Bible refers to marriage so often when talking about God and us?

Next week is the second of the Core Values: Diligent Prayer

What thoughts do you have? How have you demonstrated a desperate pursuit of God in your life? What have I left out that you feel needs to be added?

2012
09/04
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Quickie Prayers

A while ago I wrote about praying for others. In my devotional time as of late, I have been reading from 1 Timothy and Nehemiah, and on the same day they talked of prayer … just in different ways.

Pray for others!

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1, NIV) Paul continues by discussing for whom we should pray and a few other items I may discuss in the future, but the focus of today, I remind you, is on prayer.

Sometimes it can be difficult to remember to pray for others later, and we may not have time to offer a “great” prayer for someone. We might even forget to pray for our elected officials and church leaders. I think there is a good way to pray quickly.

Nehemiah’s example

I heard a sermon on Nehemiah several years ago by a man who is being installed as the District Superintendent of the Northwest Illinois (NWIL) district of the Church of the Nazarene, Scott Sherwood.

In chapter two and verses four and five, he read these words: “The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.'”

Pastor Scott’s message had little to do with prayer that day, but he made the observation that Nehemiah prayed to God has he spoke. There was not time to go find a quiet place and pray that God would allow the king to hear his request. It was then or never! He made his request to the king his simultaneous quickie prayer to God.

We need to remember that our entire life cannot consist entirely of quickie prayers. We need times of dedicated prayer to truly thrive. Quickie prayers are most effective when sustained by the wisdom and closeness to God that comes from times of personal prayer in a quiet (as quiet as you are able to find) place. That being said …

When we are talking with friends in passing or we do not wish to interrupt something important or just do not have time to stop, these quickie prayers can be just the answer.

It can look something like this:

“Oh, hi! I haven’t seen you in a while! What’s going on?”
“Well, my mom just got admitted to the hospital for cancer.”
“I am so sorry! I will keep you in my prayers, and, God, please watch over this family.”
^—This is the prayer!

… or …

[you see your friend in another car at the stop light]
“Where are you going?”
“I have a job interview!”
“Stay calm and strong! God is with you!” <—Here is this prayer!

… or even …

“I got the job!”
“Praise God!” <—Yep, this is a prayer!

The point is this: as you are giving the encouragement or praise, you are offering it to God as you speak.

I reiterate here that this is a simple way to pray for someone (and not be a liar when you say you will pray and later forget) that can be done so easily, but we also need that bedrock of personal prayer time.

I have gotten in the habit of just talking with God throughout the day about everything (yes, sometimes out loud), but that is yet another topic for another post!

2012
06/19
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Proverbial Thoughts and Thinking

I have had a really busy month with travelling around, homework, a wedding, and all manner of other things!

You know what … I am on vacation!

So, for today, you can head on over to my contribution at Proverbial Thought (http://proverbialthought.com).

The topic today is about the importance of Bible study and knowing the Word of God. Another passage that goes well with this is 2 Corinthians 10:5. The only way to take every thought captive to be firmly rooted in the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer.

I think it is time we all work on building the callouses on our knees as we read our Bibles!

2012
06/12
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 05/06/2012

Interestingly enough, today’s post was prepared before I went on the Men’s Retreat and before I prepared this last week’s posting.

I wrote this poem the same day I received my work evaluation at Sign*A*Rama. This was also a month before I lost that job, and I still think God played a role in my losing that job. (I also take responsibility for my own faults) This is a poem about living for God and not this world.

ultimate evaluation

at work we get evaluations

usually to recap how we’re doing

sometimes we get promotions

sometimes we go packing

the evaluation we need to work for

won’t be seen until we’re fired from life

this evaluation comes from the Lord

will we spend eternity in darkness or light

as we work towards this holy end

we need to ensure we are good with God

when we reach this ultimate evaluation

have we been living for the Blood

Taken from deeper words for God from a simple man of Godby daniel m  klem, page 57.

2012
05/06
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Who quotes from Philemon?!

The other day my wife was looking for a card for her Secret Sister at church. They were able to grow a little closer to each other over the months before the big reveal … last night, as of this posting. Her Sister has been through some tough emotional times, as of late, so she wanted the card to express love, joy, and encouragement. I helped her look, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that it had a quote from Philemon. I told her “You have to get that one. Who quotes from Philemon?!” It was also a beautiful card that expressed the intent. But it got me into thinking that perhaps my little series over the previous three weeks is not quite over, so I am going to quote from Philemon.

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Philemon 6-11

For starters, how do we understand “every good thing we have in Christ”? It is by actively sharing our faith. I recently re-readTortured for Christby Richard Wurmbrand. People who are persecuted for their faith get caught primarily through witnessing to others. They also understood the peace and joy of Christ in any circumstance.

This leads to the next question: What is the best way to be active in sharing your faith?

See my previous posts (here, here, and here, as well as my re-blog of someone else’s post) for more detail, but I think I can sum it up in a few sentences.

We must live by a standard above that of this world. We must be willing to share in not only the joys of others but also the pains, trials, and difficulties of others. We must be willing to die for others in the hope that they will know the truth. Of course, we must tell others the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and all that this message entails. (Grace, love, forgiveness, and peace indeed are prominent, but there are also commands and warnings)

But I cannot tell you to do this. Christianity is not about just following a bunch of rules. Following Jesus is not about just praying and being nice. “Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do . . .”

It takes a commitment, a desire to know and love and grow in the knowledge of and love of God. “. . . yet I appeal to you on the basis of love.”

I have seen people throughout the church bicker and complain about each other and those outside of the Church. I have seen people throughout the church refuse to forgive and hold grudges. I have seen people throughout the church hate.

What good is using the authority of Christ to command if it could cause more sin and push more people away from God.

I can tell you until I am blue in the face that you need to forgive, love, and help others, but if you do not have that love in you it will never work.

Instead, I plead with you:

Seek God. Ask for the love of Christ to grow within you. Ask for the peace of Christ to grow within you. Ask for the grace of Christ to grow within you.

Only then will you be able to love others as they need. Only then will you be able to bring others to Christ.

2012
03/27
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