There are a lot of circumstances in life that bring a lot of pain. Pain that makes you weaker than the flu. Pain that turns your stomach, hurts your heart, and brings you to your knees. Loneliness is the only word that describes your feelings, even when supported by good people. I think we all have experienced different levels of pain, some much more extreme than others. Death is one, but I believe the worst kind of pain is that of betrayal. We see all kinds of different levels of betrayal in life. You see them in friendships, in love relationships, in marriage, with co-workers, with teammates, and in leadership. It leaves scars, unforgiveness, and bitterness. It brings you to a place of brokenness and grief with uncertainty of the future. This is the place that makes you or breaks you...
Here's a promise: Your grief will turn to joy! Jesus came to save the broken, the people in need! I think sometimes we forget how much Jesus experienced. He was betrayed by one of His disciples. Mark 14:34 Jesus says, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," because He knew what was about to happen. Jesus knows what you are going through. Kenny Luck says, "Leave room for the miraculous God that, with ease, creates and calls into being things which do not previously exist. You keep your eyes on Him and when your eyes and heart tell you 'it's over', just remember everyone said that on Friday and then Sunday came. He specializes in resurrection from the dead because when the dead rises, God gets all the credit." Your Sunday is approaching. Your test is happening and Jesus wants to know if you will stand firm when everything has collapsed around you. Do you trust Him? "Stand firm, and you will win life" (Luke 21:19). "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9). "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Your rescue is coming, hold on!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Fall
It's quick and easy to fall into sin. There's that brief moment to react to circumstances in our lives, and if we get it wrong it can cause a downward spiral into destruction. There's that saying that says it takes years to build up character and only a moment to tear it down. That is very true. That is why it is so important to stand firm in Christ and have the truth of the Gospel embedded in your heart.
Sex sells. You see it everywhere! Companies that have nothing to do with females, have women in loose clothing advertising their products. It is something that we will never get away from. For guys, the temptation of women has been around since the beginning. Just take a look in Genesis. Genesis 3:6 shows that Adam had an opportunity in the garden right after Eve fell into temptation. He had the opportunity to follow what God said and obey, or eat the fruit that Eve gave him. There was a moment in the garden where Adam had to choose. This moment played a pivotal part in humanity as Adam followed after a woman instead of the truth of Christ. Man has been chasing after woman ever since and it is something that we will constantly have to battle. It is so easy to get distracted and carried away from the plans that God has for you if your focus is on the opposite sex and not on God first. Don't allow yourself to be consumed by someone to the point of compromising your relationship with God. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." When your relationships are God honoring, He blesses you in incredible ways.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Paralyzed
What do you do when you feel paralyzed in your circumstances? What do you say to someone who is going through the worst season of their life? When life happens, times can get extremely tough. For those who have a daily relationship with Christ, thoughts of doubt that He is in control may creep in. The encouraging reality is that even when we are not faithful, He is always faithful. He will get you through. He always delivers. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of those comfort verses which says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." The reality behind that verse was that the Israelites still had to suffer for 70 years before they were delivered. You think their faith was tested? Or how about Noah. Do you know that it took him 120 years to build the ark. Imagine what his thoughts were after 2 years without the frame even completed, but he just kept pressing on.
In Matthew 14, Peter was the only one that wasn't paralyzed by Jesus walking on the water. When Jesus asked Him to come, he wasn't paralyzed by fear, distractions, or discouragement. God has you in this season for a reason. Don't let it paralyze you from doing the things that God wants you to do. Trusting God may be the hardest and most challenging thing to do right now but just keep going. Just keep your eyes on Him because the moment you take them off Him, you'll sink.
Again in Luke 22 at the Last Supper, there is another incredible encounter with Peter and Jesus. Right before Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him three times, Jesus said that He has prayed for him. In fact, He says in verse 32, "But I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith may not fail. And WHEN you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." How is this encouraging? Jesus knew that Peter was going to fall, but He also knew that Peter was going to rise back up. Jesus knew that Peter's going down would not be a staying down. We know this because Jesus said 'when', not 'if'. God knows you are struggling. He wants you to trust Him, even though you feel hopeless.
In Matthew 14, Peter was the only one that wasn't paralyzed by Jesus walking on the water. When Jesus asked Him to come, he wasn't paralyzed by fear, distractions, or discouragement. God has you in this season for a reason. Don't let it paralyze you from doing the things that God wants you to do. Trusting God may be the hardest and most challenging thing to do right now but just keep going. Just keep your eyes on Him because the moment you take them off Him, you'll sink.
Again in Luke 22 at the Last Supper, there is another incredible encounter with Peter and Jesus. Right before Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him three times, Jesus said that He has prayed for him. In fact, He says in verse 32, "But I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith may not fail. And WHEN you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." How is this encouraging? Jesus knew that Peter was going to fall, but He also knew that Peter was going to rise back up. Jesus knew that Peter's going down would not be a staying down. We know this because Jesus said 'when', not 'if'. God knows you are struggling. He wants you to trust Him, even though you feel hopeless.
If you haven't heard a Word from God yet, keep praying, keep trusting, keep believing. Your time will come, don't waste it. God is preparing you for something great. Perry Noble says, "Before God wants to do something through you, He wants to do something great in you." Don't stay paralyzed. Get out of the boat and walk towards Him. Keep your eyes focused on the promise and have faith. God is preparing you for something great!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Invisible Children
You are about to read something that I hope will turn you into a critical thinker. If you were to ask someone about Joseph Kony today, they would most likely be able to tell you who he is (if not, you clearly don't know how to use Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube). The Invisible Children** non-profit organization released a video of him and his evil actions that has seen millions of views in less than three days. This video is all over my Facebook news feed and re-tweeted by people I follow on Twitter. I watched it and was deeply saddened. If you're like me, you are emotionally drawn to anything that has a sad story. The problem is, we often jump on the bandwagon of stories or organizations that speak of a 'good' cause without researching them. The bigger problem is, we don't get this fired up about spreading the name of Jesus.
We have also seen that evil isn't stopped by killing particular people (Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, etc, etc). Evil exists because Satan exists. Evil is a spirit. However, evil is reduced when people pray. When was the last time you prayed for an evil person such as Kony? If God's grace is for everyone, why won't most Christians pray for Kony's salvation?
Maybe it's time for you to use this Kony exposure as an opportunity to relate it to the Gospel with someone. Maybe it's a chance for you to talk about grace and love. Maybe it's a chance for you to pray for those who don't know Christ. Maybe it's a chance for you to realize the importance of giving your time and finances to a church and/or a non-profit that makes Jesus famous. Maybe it's time for you to use your social media account as an opportunity to be an example for Christ. Maybe it's time for you to stop hiding behind your social media account and live it! The choice is yours...
FYI
**The producer of this Kony film quoted the government and said that the government won't get involved unless it compromised the United States financial interests. So it's about money...Did you know that non-profts are rated on a 4-star scale? They are rated on a finance report and by accountability and transparency. It's important to know the impact that non-profits are making and where the money is actually going. You might want to research somebody before you give your money away. Although Invisible Children is a great cause, only 31% of your donation actually goes into charity work. The rest of the 69% goes to film making, travel expenses, and salaries. Just something to think about.**
We have also seen that evil isn't stopped by killing particular people (Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, etc, etc). Evil exists because Satan exists. Evil is a spirit. However, evil is reduced when people pray. When was the last time you prayed for an evil person such as Kony? If God's grace is for everyone, why won't most Christians pray for Kony's salvation?
Maybe it's time for you to use this Kony exposure as an opportunity to relate it to the Gospel with someone. Maybe it's a chance for you to talk about grace and love. Maybe it's a chance for you to pray for those who don't know Christ. Maybe it's a chance for you to realize the importance of giving your time and finances to a church and/or a non-profit that makes Jesus famous. Maybe it's time for you to use your social media account as an opportunity to be an example for Christ. Maybe it's time for you to stop hiding behind your social media account and live it! The choice is yours...
FYI
**The producer of this Kony film quoted the government and said that the government won't get involved unless it compromised the United States financial interests. So it's about money...Did you know that non-profts are rated on a 4-star scale? They are rated on a finance report and by accountability and transparency. It's important to know the impact that non-profits are making and where the money is actually going. You might want to research somebody before you give your money away. Although Invisible Children is a great cause, only 31% of your donation actually goes into charity work. The rest of the 69% goes to film making, travel expenses, and salaries. Just something to think about.**
Friday, March 2, 2012
Amazed vs. Transformed
I've been reading through the Gospels a lot lately studying the life of the disciples and the ministry of Jesus. I keep noticing the reaction of people in different cities as Jesus taught or performed various miracles. It often says that 'people were overwhelmed with amazement' or that 'they were amazed at His teaching because His words had authority'. The things that Jesus was doing were incredible. He was doing the impossible and He left people in awe, sometimes resulting in praise. Then God laid this thought on my heart. Am I amazed by Him or am I being transformed by Him?
The difference between those two thoughts are crucial to our faith. It is the difference between head knowledge and heart change. It could be the difference to where you spend eternity. Jesus wants us to be amazed by Him because He is worthy...because He created everything. We should constantly be amazed by the things He does in our lives daily. The people we encounter, the opportunities that lay in front of us, and the emotions we experience are all because of Jesus' amazing love and grace. The question to ask yourself is, does it impact you enough to change you? Meaning, is your heart and mind transformed to bring God glory in everything you do, say, and think?
The response to the things that Jesus did was amazement. These people however, are simply amazed. Their lifestyle doesn't change. We go to a sporting event and Shaun White amazes us with his perfect 100 at the Winter X Games (Perfect 100: AmAzInG). We go to concerts and Jonny Greenwood amazes us with his guitar solo's (The Best of Jonny). We even might watch some illusionist who "wow's" us on stage or on television (I still don't understand this...). The fact is, many people and things amaze us, especially the work of Christ, but is it simply just amazing to you or does it change your life?
The difference between those two thoughts are crucial to our faith. It is the difference between head knowledge and heart change. It could be the difference to where you spend eternity. Jesus wants us to be amazed by Him because He is worthy...because He created everything. We should constantly be amazed by the things He does in our lives daily. The people we encounter, the opportunities that lay in front of us, and the emotions we experience are all because of Jesus' amazing love and grace. The question to ask yourself is, does it impact you enough to change you? Meaning, is your heart and mind transformed to bring God glory in everything you do, say, and think?
The response to the things that Jesus did was amazement. These people however, are simply amazed. Their lifestyle doesn't change. We go to a sporting event and Shaun White amazes us with his perfect 100 at the Winter X Games (Perfect 100: AmAzInG). We go to concerts and Jonny Greenwood amazes us with his guitar solo's (The Best of Jonny). We even might watch some illusionist who "wow's" us on stage or on television (I still don't understand this...). The fact is, many people and things amaze us, especially the work of Christ, but is it simply just amazing to you or does it change your life?
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