Rock Solid Addendum

We recently finished a series called “Rock Solid” addressing the subject of developing rock solid faith.

We spent 4 weeks discussing “Faith Stealing Experiences” that WILL come into our lives and how to be ready for them and be strong through them coming out the other side of the battle victorious.

Our first week we addressed that faith is trust, not some weird super-spiritual thing. We also looked at the importance of faith and all that it accomplishes in our life and the world around us. We also saw that the non-Christian world and the spiritual forces of wickedness are not only going to not support and encourage our faith, but will down right assault and undermine it.

So, the first step in “Rock Solid” faith is to be alert and on guard. Recognize how important our faith is and don’t take it lightly. Remember we live in a world system that will try to at best twist and distort your faith and at worst steal and destroy your faith.

The next step we looked at was the importance of saturating our lives with the knowledge of God’s word.

We saw that faith comes by hearing the message, and if we want strong faith in Christ then we must be hearing His message over and above the message of the world.

Our lives are constantly bombarded with secular messages in commercials, books, movies, tv shows, magazines, radio, internet, and people we’re around. It’s important that we make the time to fill ourselves up with the truth of God’s word. If we are diligent to do this we will find ourselves having stronger faith in what God says than in what the world says.

The next (third) step we addressed was the importance of putting the Bible into practice. It’s not good enough to know what it says. We must do what it says. If all we have is knowledge of what the Bible says then all we have is an intellectual philosophical argument, but if we do what the Bible says we will experience God in the process and this strengthens our faith even more.

By doing what the Bible says we are cooperating with God and what He wants to do in our lives and through our lives in the world around us. These cooperative efforts (obeying what the Bible says) produce experiences with God that out weighs any intellectual philosophical argument. We should always use the Bible to help us interpret and analyze our experience, because it is the measuring stick of truth by which we measure and evaluate all information and experiences of life, but having the experience solidifies all the more what you believe. You may not know all the answers to every question and mystery regarding God and the Bible, but you will know that you believe and whom you believe in, because you will have knowledge of the parts you understand and the experience of working with God Himself and seeing Him do great things.

We said the last step (fourth) is to filter all that we hear (learn) and experience through the filter of God’s word and our experiences with God. We learned that we must not believe just anything we hear or experience. We learned that there is deception out there. There are things that sound and feel like the real thing, but are a deception.

We must not have a double standard in our filtering. We cannot give favor and merit to the non-Christian scientific community when their theories have many unanswered questions, but look with disgust and consider Christian Faith foolish and naive because there may be mysteries or questions that we don’t have answers for, yet. We must be fair on how we evaluate, measure, and filter.

We learned that everyone is a person of faith, even the atheist, because faith is trust and we are all going to put our trust, faith, into someone or something. The question is not do I have faith, but rather where do I choose to put and grow my faith/trust? Will it be in what man can do and understand or will it be in what God can do (has done) and understand? I know people well enough to know that no matter how smart they are they will never scratch the surface of the intelligence of God.

We also saw that there is a cost, no matter where I choose to place my faith, be it in God and the work of Jesus Christ or in man and what he understands and has achieved, either way it will cost me… everything!

To live life God’s way and get His results it will cost me everything in this life, but I will gain so much more for all eternity.

To live life the worlds way and get all that it has to offer it will cost me everything in this life and in the life to come. I may gain everything the world has to offer, but I will loose it all and so much more for all eternity.

There is a choice to be made and make it we shall. Where will we put our trust/faith?

Now the addendum:

After all that we learned I was disappointed because there was one more key ingredient to “Rock Solid” faith that I didn’t get to address due to time issues.

So, here it is… Community/Fellowship. I know, some of you are like, “oh no, here goes Mike on his soap box again” and others of you are thinking, “that’s it? I read this whole stupid thing to have you tell me I need fellowship/community?”

Before you stop reading let me tell you, you cannot over emphasize the importance of community/fellowship. It is a key reason my faith is so strong today.

When I am weak others are strong. There is strength in numbers. We can do more and know more together than we can alone.

Community provides things I don’t like to do on my own, like holding myself accountable to do the things I should do and not do the things I shouldn’t do.

Community/fellowship provides alternative viewpoints that can help us better answer those questions we struggle with.

Community/fellowship provides encouragement in those times we would feel weak, weary, and want to quit.

Community/fellowship provides prayer support. Not only do we sometimes fall short in our prayer life and their prayers help fill the holes, but even when we are faithful in our prayer life there is strength in numbers. Our prayers may accomplish much on our own, but they accomplish so much more when coupled with the prayers of others.

Community/fellowship provides growth opportunities as I learn to serve, think about, and help others as well as learn to get along with people that are different than me and resolve conflict. As I learn to live life outside of just me, when life includes more than just what I want and prefer, I begin to live life to the full. As I share life with others, our good times and bad times, life is so much fuller than it would be if I lived a self-centered self-absorbed life where all I live for is me.

Lastly, Community/Fellowship provides fun/refreshment. We all need times to just chill out with good people that we know love us and just have fun; Fun that is constructive, not destructive. We need others to spur us to get out of our depressive funks, to pull us out of those isolationist tendencies.

I hope it’s clear that God knew what He was saying when He said, “Two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9) and “Do not give up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25).

The truth is, we cannot do this alone… not faith and not life. We need one another. Together we are stronger. Together we are “Rock Solid”.

What on earth am I here for?

It seems that I am regularly talking to people who are confused about which step to take next.

Life is full of decisions and even as Christians the buffet of choices can be a bit overwhelming.

We pray and ask God to show us the next step and sometimes we feel He shows us, sometimes we feel like He’s withholding from us, and other times we feel He spoke but then circumstances get weird and we begin to second guess and question whether we really heard from God.

This little post isn’t meant to answer the question “How does God speak to us” and “how can we be sure it’s God”, but rather a different issue, but one that is of vital importance if we are ever going to get this “following God” thing right.

It has to do with our launch pad or starting point of decision making.

You see, most of us find ourselves in a situation where we are asking God to guide us and show us His will, but then we start weighing the options; Which choice has greater “earthly” benefit?

We all make decisions based on natural reason. Reason was given to us to operate on a daily basis, but if we are walking with Jesus then we have to be open to Him leading us in ways that don’t make sense. That’s where life moves from natural to supernatural, from just life to Life-to-the-Full.

Most of us look at a situation and say… Hmm, I should go to this school, because it offers this or that, or I should work at this job, because it pays more or has good benefits, or that couldn’t be God because it’s not a sure thing, it’s not a guarantee, or it doesn’t pay as much.

Here is where we miss it. We are asking the wrong question(s).

Do we really think God moves us to a place just to become informed, make money, get benefits, or because it’s a sure thing?

God’s ways, purposes, and plans are much higher than that.

What on earth am I hear for? NOT to get educated, NOT to make money, NOT to get good benefits, NOT to have it all and do it all. Material, Intellectual, and Ego gain are not high priority on God’s list.

Each of these (excluding unhealthy pride/ego) are a byproduct of following Jesus, but they are not THE POINT.

I don’t go to work to make money; I go to be a witness/missionary. God didn’t give me this job to make money or even make a living, He gave it to me as my mission and in doing it I will make money/a living.

God can send you anywhere to make money and get educated. In fact, He can do both these things without the aid of any man, so if we’re going to get better at this “following God” thing, then we must clear our vision from those things that are obstructing the view.

Jesus said, “31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34

We are not to be trying to play God and figure it all out. We’re not to be trying to make sense of it all. That is great if we do understand and can see how it all works together and how it will work out, but we must learn to trust God and know that often times He leads us in ways we would never reason out for ourselves, because He is God and He knows factors that we do not.

We can trust that He is always desiring what is best for us, so though He plays outside the box of what we can understand in natural reason, we can understand one thing for certain… He loves us and wants what’s best for us and He knows what is best for us better than we do.

Jesus said that our launch pad for decision making is NOT earthly concerns/gain. Nor is our launch pad for decision making to be one based on worry (trying to be in control and figure it all out).

Instead THE launch pad for ALL decision making is “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

There you go! That is it!!!! That’s is why we are here!!!!! This is the starting point of my decision making process!

I should pray and ask God where He wants me to God, what He wants me to do, and then watch… not to see which choice has greater earthly benefit from what I can see and understand, but rather to see which choice God is moving in.

Where do I see Him more at work? Where do I see my life having the biggest impact for His kingdom? Where do I see myself growing in Christ the most? Where do I see my life shining the biggest light for Jesus? Where do I see myself compromising, getting distracted, settling, or getting involved in a lifestyle or behavior that is not right in God’s eyes?

When we get our eyes on the things of this world as factors in our decision making we can miss what God wants. That is what the non-Christian world chases after and lives for. That is their ambition and priority. Not so for the Christ Follower.

In fact, Jesus warns us how the earthly things (though they are not evil or wrong in and of themselves) can blind us to God’s best or choke out God’s guidance in our life.

“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” Luke 8:14 and “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Mark 4:19

Jesus said that the direction or message is given, but it is choked out, not heard, not clearly seen or understood, because of an earthly focus. As we get our focus on the worries of this life, riches, pleasures, and the desires for other things we get distracted or worse blinded and cannot see or hear clearly what God is saying and wanting to do.

So, let me say it this way…

You are NOT here on earth to build an earthly kingdom, for yourself or someone else. You are here to build an eternal kingdom.

The issue that gets so many Christians side tracked and confused on what God is leading them to do is that they get caught up in “seeking first their kingdom or the worlds kingdom and their happiness and provision and pleasure” instead of “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

We don’t have to worry about chasing after/pursuing those things because Jesus makes it clear that all these things will be taken care of and given to us if we make our first priority His kingdom and His righteousness.

So, there you go. What launch pad are you starting your decision making process from… “What’s in it for me?” or “What’s in it for God?” Do I put my trust in what I can figure out and understand and make happen and control, or will I put my trust in God, even when his infinite wisdom and purpose doesn’t fit in my finite understanding, reason, and plans.

Only one launch pad is the right one. Only one launch pad will produce the results and kind of life that Scripture describes for the believer.

What will you choose? How will you look at things (from God’s perspective or earth bound perspectives)? How will you reason out situations? What approach with capture your heart and mind? What will you be caught up in?

Intolerance

I was speaking on the subject of faith and I said, “It’s time to be intolerant…”

Everything I spoke after those five words was irrelevant for a young man who literally got up and walked out.

What did I have to say? What did I mean by using that word? None of that mattered.

The fact was I offended this person by using that word. In his mind, no matter what I said, what he heard me say was the word “Hate”. He heard me telling people to hate others.

Now, this couldn’t be further from the truth, but let me just say, that for those who heard me use the word “Intolerance” or “Intolerant” and thought I was teaching people to “hate”, I truly apologize and want to make clear that is not what I was saying at all.

Tolerance is a buzz word in our society, especially in the politically correct arena and in that arena “Intolerant” is equal to “hate”, so anyone from that background would’ve heard me say “hate”, and I am sorry.

I won’t change the that culture or their view of that word, but for clarification, the use of the word that I was trying to communicate is as follows…

Intolerant - Not enduring
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

There are other usages of the word that are very negative, but what I was trying to communicate was that we as Christians should not passively endure and accept the worlds influences and opinions that would lead us to compromise on the message or practice of Christian beliefs, nor should we embrace said contradicting behaviors or philosophies, nor should we sit by passively doing nothing while special interest groups and anti-Christian people groups strip away our American rights to free speech and freedom of religion.

I was speaking to the fact that this non-Christian world is not a supporter of our faith and it’s teachings and in fact will try to influence us away from them. The world’s philosophies and lifestyles undermine and smack against our Christian faith.

I don’t apologize for the truth of God’s word that there is a right and there is a wrong and we should not confuse the two, and woe to those who do, but I do apologize for coming across as communicating something that is not a part of my faith or the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t teach the hatred of anyone. He teaches the hatred of sin, not the sinner, but the sin, and not just because it’s wrong morally, but because it is destructive both to the ones committing the sin and to those who are connected to the perpetrator. There is always a ripple effect that causes the destructive forces of sin to overflow from the life of the perpetrator into the lives of those around him/her.

As Christians we should not sit by enduring passively letting these behaviors go on without a word being said, not just because they are wrong, but because they are destructive.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, God loves us all and Jesus died for us all and I know this for a fact personally because I am a receiver of this great Grace, not because of me, but in spite of me. By God’s great love, He has forgiven this wretch and made me an object of His forgiveness, mercy, and favor.

God doesn’t love me more than anyone else. He doesn’t love the Christian more than the non-Christian. He can just do more in the life of the faithful Christian because the faithful Christian is cooperating with Him instead of engaging in destructive behaviors working against God (note: I said “Faithful” Christian).

God loves all people in this world and just like the woman caught in the act of adultery Jesus speaks to us the same words, “…neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11

And just as Jesus came into the world to “destroy the works of the devil” (1John 3:8) so too have we been sent on this same mission (John 20:21)

Drawing The Line

One of the hardest things in the world to do is “be in the world, but not of it”.

As a follower of Jesus for the last 19 years it’s been a constant struggle to find balance with the role of all that this world has to offer while living faithfully and whole-heartedly for Jesus.

It’s easy to see why so many people turn to legalism to combat compromise, because it’s so easy to settle with the extremes. It’s so easy to just say, “abstain” instead of exercise discipline and live in balance or moderation.

All this said the real thing weighing on my heart is the fact that as Christians, sooner or later we will have to draw the line. We will have to choose what, where, how, how far, and so on. We’ll have to take a stand on what is acceptable, right, pure, enough, honoring to the Lord, and true to Biblical standards and we’ll have to take a stand on what is unacceptable, wrong, impure, not-enough, dishonoring to God, and compromising to Biblical Standards.

As a Christian who deeply loves Jesus and passionately desires to live for and please Him I am finding myself in a battle.

I see this world constantly trying to woo me, constantly trying to win my attention and affection. I feel it’s pull and hear it’s rational behind every argument to justify compromise, but in my heart I can not accept. I must draw the line.

I know there will be many who don’t see eye to eye with where I draw my line. I know that many think of me as quite liberal because I tend to be pretty flexible about personal convictions that do not directly/clearly contradict or disobey scripture. I tend to have a “Redemptive” approach to the things of this world, taking that which was meant for evil and using it for good, but even that we must be careful with. There are obvious things that are beyond redemption, just like the devil.

I’m regularly challenged by Psalm 106:35-39 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. 36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. 39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

I want to break it down a little.

35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
How have we mingled? Mingling can’t be wrong, because how else are we to reach them, but it’s the next part that gets us, “Adopted”. How have we adopted their customs? What customs have we adopted that contradict scripture (regarding family, relationships, pleasure, wealth, entertainment, morality, speech, attitudes, church, spiritual disciplines, etc.)?

36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
What idols of the culture/world have we worshiped? Remember, worship isn’t singing songs to the idol or bowing down to a statue. True worship is a life lived to pursue or gain; it’s a lifestyle. If we look at our calendar or checkbook we may be surprised to see what our lifestyle proves that we truly live for, what we pursue most, spend our lives on.

37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
How many Christians have joined the world in sacrificing their children/family for personal gain or gratification. No, we may not be shedding blood, but we are still contributing to the harm of our children’s spiritual, behavioral, social, and other developments.

38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.
Regardless of the fact that we’ve not killed our children physically, many are certainly contributing to their spiritual death and the negative ripple effects from that child’s life into the lives of others as they engage in unhealthy behaviors and attitudes.

While each child will ultimately grow up and be held accountable by God and man for their personal choices, the scripture is clear that God will hold us parents responsible too.

39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
Our misbehaviors are not seen as okay in the eyes of God, they defile us.

Defile is a word we don’t use much. It means to be ruined, spoiled, violated, tainted, made unclean, impure, or polluted.

We make our lives spoiled (unusable) by engaging in compromise. Imagine pitcher of lemonade with one drop of dog pee in it. Would you drink it? How many drops of dog pee are too many? Where do you draw the line on when the lemonade is polluted and undrinkable?

Where do you draw the line? I don’t have the answer for everything, but I do know that for a long time as a baby Christian I was always asking the question: “How close to sin can I get before I actually sin?” but I never found the answer. Then one day God convicted me and told me I was asking the wrong question. The question is not, “How close can I get to sin before I actually sin?” but rather, “How close can I get to God in this and every area of my life?”

Because we are in a constant state of transformation with the final goal being like Jesus, I believe the line is constantly moving, not back and forth (that means we are floundering and sometimes pulling away from God) but rather constantly and consistently toward Jesus.

I believe there is a clear right and wrong on many things and there are other issues that are more gray, but in it all the key issue is our heart.

Is our heart open to God bringing the change He wants to bring into our life? Is our hearts desire to please, love, honor, and pursue God? Is He my number one ambition and pursuit? Do I worship (live for) Him or do I say “I believe/love Jesus”, but really still chase after the things of this world?

I don’t want to be a prostitute in the eyes of God. Prostitution is not just sex for hire; it is the selling of ones self for anything that is immoral, base, unworthy, lowly, or ungodly.

I don’t want to sell my soul, my family, or my family’s souls for material gain, physical gratification, or anything else that this temporary world has to offer.

Outside The Box

So, I was putting my kids to bed after our prayers and Bible reading and they bombarded me with all their spiritual questions like they always do (so they can stay up later) and we got onto the discussion of why God answered my prayers for a certain situation one way, but then didn’t answer them the same way in a similar situation, but instead answered the prayer in a completely different way.

It made me think about the series we are doing at church right now through the Christmas season, called “Ordinary”. We’re looking at the fact that God is in the business of taking ordinary people and circumstance and doing extraordinary things. In other words, God loves to “play outside the box.”

We all have a box, a set of boundaries and parameters that limit who God is and how God works. We all have this understanding and list of expectations of what we think God is like, how He would or would not do things, and so on. What I have found is that God likes to frequently do things outside of the parameters of what I know, understand, and am comfortable with. He loves to break out of the limitations and restrictions I tend to place on Him in my life and the world. The question is… Why? Does he just do it because He can? Is He a show off? Is there a reason for it? Yes. I’ll explain, but before I do, let me prove first that God likes to play outside the box.

1Corinthians 1:20, 27-31 20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

If ever it’s taught that God likes to work out of the box it is here in this scripture. Why? Partly to “show off”, to display His greatness, power, and wisdom, partly because He can and wants to so that our lives can be better, and partly because He wants us to see we can’t do it on our own, we need Him, and He alone is the answer.

We see all these things here, plus in other scriptures that reference God’s miracles as “signs and wonders”. What is a sign? It’s a message that “shows off” something good about a thing or place to get your attention so you’ll partake. It’s not the real thing, but it points you to the real thing.

God frequently defies our natural logic, understanding, comfort zone, and ways of doing things.

He calms storms with a word. He walks on water and enables others to do so. He casts demons out of people with a word. He made a lame man walk with a word. He healed a blind man by putting mud made of spit and dirt on the guys eyes. He enabled one disciple to survive boiling vats of oil without any harm, while He led another to lay down his life and be crucified for the faith. He provided for His servant through ravens. He cause a jar of oil to not run out for a very long time. He made an ax head float. He had His servant marry a prostitute. He had His servant lay naked for years on one side, only to tell him to flip and do it on the other side for a while. He used a pagan king to execute His judgment. He parted the Red Sea so His people could pass through on dry ground. He caused a virgin to be pregnant without the involvement of a man. He established His rule as King of the universe by entering our world as a humble servant and sacrifice.

Here’s another example of God playing out of the box.

Job 33:14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it.

As I understand this scripture, it’s not that God doesn’t talk/speak, it’s that He doesn’t do it the same way each time and thus many don’t hear Him, perceive Him speaking, or get the message.

Again we see God playing outside the box, not wanting to be stuck in the limitations of what we can fathom, understand, or are comfortable with.

Why?

Partly because of all we addressed earlier, but another reason is because God wants us to not only stand in awe of Him, but also trust Him and be passionate about Him.

God doesn’t want to have a formula that we just go through and begin to take Him for granted. God doesn’t want us to think we’ve got Him all figured out. He wants us to stay in a place of love, awe, trust, and dependence. He doesn’t want us to get stagnant and loose our passion for Him.

God is a person, not a vending machine. We have a tenancy to forget that, and so our “prayer lives” typically become the approach to the machine and the deposit of the money and the pressing of the buttons to get what we want.

God wants our “prayer lives” to be a conversation, and our lifestyle to be in “relationships” with Him. Yes, He wants to bless us and do things for us, in us, and through us, but in the context of relationship, not ritual or mechanism. And when God does do “His thing” in our lives He wants to do it His way and He wants us to trust Him that His way is the BEST way. It will be bigger and better than anything that we could do on or own or ask Him to do for us, but our way.

As I look back over my life of following Jesus I first have to say thank you to God for all the times He DIDN’T answer my prayers the way I wanted Him to. I thought I knew, but man I didn’t have a clue. Praise God He answered my prayers His way. Secondly I have to say that it is in those experiences of God answering my prayers His way that I’ve experienced the great adventure and joy of following Jesus. This things is so much bigger and more amazing and more awesome than we understand.

So, we may not always understand, or be comfortable, but we can always trust and follow knowing that God loves to play outside the box impressing His people and the world, wooing our hearts, and making this relationship the most exciting thing in the Universe for all eternity!

Missing The Promise

As we enter into the Christmas Season we talk about so many different aspects of the coming of the promised Savior of the world, the Messiah (Christ), God in the flesh.

We talk about God’s love being demonstrated. We talk about the humility of God, the Grace of God, the purpose of His coming, and many other things.

One thing that we often touch on, but never really address is… How could the Jewish people miss the very promise they were waiting for so eagerly? When they have the same prophetic scriptures (the Old Testament) that we have, when they made it their custom for each male to memorize the Scriptures by a certain age, and when they had religious leaders who studied the scriptures daily and taught them regularly, how could they not recognize their God in the flesh? How could they not recognize the manifestation of the promise that they clung to so tightly?

The Jewish nation was regularly, due to their unfaithfulness to God, overcome by foreign kingdoms. At the time of Christ’s coming they were occupied by the Roman Empire. They were praying for, believing for, and eagerly watching for the coming of their King, Messiah/Christ, and Savior. Yet, when He came not only did they not recognize Him (the Promise of God manifest), but they rejected Him and killed Him. Why?

I believe that the reason is very similar to why we often times fail to recognize God’s blessings (in the various forms they come in) in our life.

I don’t think the issue is ignorance. Most people of God know enough to know there is a promise, to ask and believe for the promise, and to watch for it.

I don’t think the issue is lack of adherence to religion. Most people of God who take it serious are faithful in their attending worship services at least and maybe studying scripture, praying, etc.

I think the issue is a few things…

1) I think the biggest thing is they put God in a box. They limited how God would fulfill His promise to how they thought He should fulfill it. They limited God’s promise to their narrow understanding of what it was. They had a picture in their minds of what and how and when it didn’t line up with that, rather than saying, “We missed it, we’re wrong! This is it!” they rejected the real thing and said, “This isn’t it. We’ll wait until God gets it right, until it’s the way and how we think it should be.”

How often do we limit God’s blessings/promises in our lives? How often do we end up rejecting that manifest blessing/promise, thus resisting God and His work in our life, in order to hold out for something in the method and form we think it should be.

2) I think they were proud and thus stiff-necked, about what they thought they knew. They were inflexible, unteachable, and unwilling to admit they were wrong or didn’t understand and then change.

This unwillingness to be shaped and molded, this unwillingness to be teachable and recognize that we don’t know it all, and even what we think we know may only be a small fragment of a much larger picture that will require us to change some things as we gain a more fuller understanding, this unwillingness to change when we’re wrong or when God wants to work outside the box of what we understand, what is convenient, and what is comfortable is sin and robs us and others of God’s best, His blessings/promises as He sees best to give them.

3) I think they were too busy with their own agenda. The were so busied with practicing a dead religion/covenant that God said was over, that they had no time to work with God in this new thing He was doing.

How often do we cling to dead things that are not producing? Maybe they worked in the past, but they aren’t today. How often do we cling to things because it’s what we know or prefer and are comfortable with? How often are we busied by the things of this world, even by religious activities, that we aren’t available to work with God on what He is doing? Thus we go about doing something for God rather than with God, spending our time, money, and energy in things that He’s not even a part of.

4) We know they were living a less than wholly devoted life to the Lord. Jesus regularly referred to them as hypocrites. We know they taught and practice one thing publicly, but privately they lived out something different. It’s not that they didn’t believe in God, but they didn’t walk in the Fear/Honor of God.

This lack of integrity in their faith/spirituality placed them at odds with God rather than coworkers and friends with God. This half-hearted approach to walking with God left them in a place where they had false security, thinking they were right with God, thinking they knew, when in fact they were neither right with God or right in what they thought they knew.

A lack of integrity in our walk with God puts us in the same position. We can lie to others and deceive them, we can even lie to and deceive ourselves, but we can never lie to and deceive God. He knows what we do and say in all places, not just church and around certain believers. He knows what we really think and feel in spite of what front we may put up to cover it.

5) They didn’t have that authentic, intimate, and passionate relationship with God and because they didn’t walk with God faithfully everyday, they were not in the position to really hear from Him and recognize His activity, what He was up to, and in fact they didn’t even recognize Him. They went through all the right motions, but what they had was a substitute for the real thing. They had religion and ritual, but they missed the whole point of this creation… relationship with God.

Relationship isn’t easy and to have a happy, healthy, passionate, and thriving relationship it takes work, investment, and sacrifice. It is for these reasons that many settle for less in their earthly marriage relationships and it’s why many Christians settle for less in their spiritual relationship with God. We think it requires to much from us, we think it costs to much, we want something and don’t want to give it up (we’re selfish). But the fact is, lack of quality relationship with God is probably the key reason we are robbed of God’s best in our life. It’s probably the key reason we don’t hear from God and experience God like He says He wants us to and that we should.

I realize that all 5 of these issues are connected and overlap; yet each one is a specific issue that we must take to heart and take to God.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to become confident in where I am and miss where God wants to take me. I don’t want to become cemented in what little I know and miss the more God wants to teach me. I don’t want to be praying for the blessings/promises of God and then miss them when He gives them to me. I don’t want to think I’m all right with God, but in reality be in a disjointed or even broken relationship with Him.

I want to become all God made me to be. I want to experience all God has for me to experience. I want to walk with God, know God, know His ways, and work with Him in what He is doing and how He is doing it, breaking free from my natural standard of living and break into a supernatural way of life.

One Life To Live

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 39:4-6 4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah
6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

Psalm 144:4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

In May of this year (2008), not far from my house, there was a car accident in which 2 teenage boys were killed and a third seriously injured while goofing around with friends.

Yesterday, 11/18/2008, a 26 year old woman, mother of two, was killed in a car accident on ice.

Not to long ago a young mother, in her 30’s, died of cancer.

We live in a broken world that doesn’t work right, the way God created it to. We now have death, disease, deformities, and depravity of every kind (moral and physical). Life here on earth is fragile and fleeting.

My compulsion in sharing is not so much to address the bad things of this broken world, but rather to emphasize the reality that we all have only one life to live and we should live it well and wisely.

Whether we live 18 years or 80 years, the fact is we are all going to die and the time here on earth we do have is relatively short in the light of eternity.

I want to encourage us to live life to the full. Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best.

I want to encourage us to live with eternity in our view. Don’t waste your life living and striving for things that are of no value eternally.

Keep life, the good and the bad, in perspective. It can always be better, it can always be worse, but the truth is that neither matter because this world is not our home, it is not where we will spend the majority of our existence.

I want to encourage us to live a life that is meaningful and one that God can bless and take pleasure in, one that stores up for us much reward/treasure in the next life.

I want to encourage us to live a life that doesn’t leave people guessing about our eternal destination.

I know so many people that go to church, claim a belief, but by their lifestyle cause you to wonder what they really believed. Where was their heart? What did they truly believe and live for? If actions speak louder than words, then many weren’t living up to the claims of their mouth. If actions speak louder than words, then they were telling us by their lifestyle a whole different set of values and beliefs than they were saying with their mouth.

It is these kind of people that make funerals so hard. Complete Godless heathens aren’t hard. Faithful Christians aren’t hard. It’s the wishy washy, lukewarm, double minded, half-hearted, and hypocritical that make things very difficult. You believe and hope for the best, but there is always that gnawing ache in your mind and heart that makes you struggle with the question, “Where did they end up?”

Let’s live in such a way that when our day does come to leave this world and all that is in it behind, let’s be able to look back with no regrets. Let’s be able to look back and know our life counted for something more than just living as a selfish consumer. Let’s be able to look back and see that we made a contribution to the world, an eternal contribution. Let’s be able to here that commendation, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

We all have one life to live. Let’s make it count. Let’s give it our BEST shot.

Lastly, let’s keep in mind that this is true of every person around us to. This life is fragile and sooner or later each of those people will also leave this world. Are they ready? Are we doing what we can, in word and deed (lifestyle), to reach these people for eternity? Are we giving them every reason we can in word and deed to turn to the only one who can give them that guaranteed future of life, peace, love, and bliss? Or are we giving them another excuse of why this whole God, Jesus, Heaven, and Hell thing is just bunk and shouldn’t be followed?

“If it were true, wouldn’t the Christians really live it?”

Many people find the proof that the Bible is true is that we faithfully live it, and in their minds the proof that it’s no big deal and just a fairytale or waste of time is that we, who claim to believe it, don’t live like we do, we don’t live like it’s all true.

Live your one life for God’s approval, to be a reason not an excuse for people to follow or not follow Jesus, and determine to settle for nothing less than your life being all God made you to be, experiencing life to the full and making your life count having maximum impact.