Have you ever been so dedicated to something it became your identity? Sarah has said before that she feels like she's "Jeff's wife" or "Jakob's mom," because her identity is so wrapped up in those roles, and although she's really great at both of those roles, it's not the whole of who she is. Sometimes someone's career becomes who they are to people. Some may become that by choice (like a doctor who insists you call him doctor even if he's not your doctor) and some are pigeon holed by others. I've felt like to some people, I'm a pastor more so than being Jeff. These people tend to be the most surprised by things that I do, because they see me as a pastor. They have a preconceived notion of what that should mean, and I don't always fit the mold. But I am grateful to be a pastor, and I don't mind it being how people see me, so long as they see me that way due to my actions, not my title. Having this job doesn't make me much of a pastor; I still need to be a pastor, doing pastoral things.
Another part of my identity is that I am a Christian. I want being a Christian at the forefront of my identity. Now, I can do nothing further about being a child of God. That matter of identity was wrapped up when I placed my faith in Jesus Christ. John 1:12-13 says, "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God". So being a child of God is taken care of through the work of Jesus Christ and my faith in Him. It rests on His saving work and power. What rests on me is whether I choose to live out a Christian life or not. People will not identify me as a Christian simply because I placed my faith in Jesus a long time ago. Unless I live out what it means to be a Christian, they will have no idea. If I lived out my faith years ago but have sat still for several years, they will not know. I need to keep on keeping on in my faith. I need to press forward.
Philippians 3:12-14 says, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
We need the dedication Paul had in our faith. We need to never be content with what we have already done, but be motivated and dedicated to moving forward and making greater strides for Christ. He didn't call any of us to sit and reminisce about what we've done. He's called us all to a race, and we should run. When we run towards Christ and the things that He wants of us, people will know we are Christians. It will become an intrinsic part of our identity.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
don't just know
Do you, like me, know a lot of things that you cannot explain? I may remember the how-to but have forgotten the how-come on a lot of things. I know that if I rig up a peppermint mento to fall into my dad's Diet Coke the next time he opens one, it will be funny. But I cannot explain to you why that happens. I just know it works and enjoy the thought of it working all over the ones I love.
There are times in our faith that we just know something works or that something is true. We cannot really explain why, but we just know. I mentioned Sunday that when I read the note Dave sent over about Sunday's message, I just knew it was true, but it took me a long time to figure out why. I think that process is important. I think it's important to study to a point of being able to correctly explain what we know is true. Sometimes it's okay to just know, but when it comes to our faith, it's important to know, to know why, and to know how to explain it. If someone asks you why you're a Christian, what are you going to say? Do you know why you believe what you believe, or do you just know it to be true?
There are times in our faith that we just know something works or that something is true. We cannot really explain why, but we just know. I mentioned Sunday that when I read the note Dave sent over about Sunday's message, I just knew it was true, but it took me a long time to figure out why. I think that process is important. I think it's important to study to a point of being able to correctly explain what we know is true. Sometimes it's okay to just know, but when it comes to our faith, it's important to know, to know why, and to know how to explain it. If someone asks you why you're a Christian, what are you going to say? Do you know why you believe what you believe, or do you just know it to be true?
Thursday, March 6, 2014
be useful
There is a passage of Scripture that I have heard butchered numerous times, to the point that I now cringe when I hear someone begin talking about it from fear they will do the same. The passage is in Revelations 3, when Jesus is talking to Laodicea. Here's what Jesus says:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Here's what we've been told: God would rather have us far away from Him, deep in sin (cold) than to be wishy washy. We're told we should either be on fire for God or completely cold to Him. What is happening here is people are translating the Bible using an American colloquial understanding of the words, rather than actually studying what it is saying.
Here's some context: the water in Laodicea was lukewarm or tepid. It wasn't hot. It wasn't cold. It wasn't particularly drinkable, because lukewarm water isn't satisfying. You could use it, but you wouldn't be pleased. You could not, however, use it medicinally, because it just wasn't hot enough. In contrast, Hierapolis had very hot springs, and Colossae had very cold springs. The hot water was very useful for medicinal or healing purposes, and the cold water was very useful for drinking or refreshing purposes. Unlike lukewarm water, hot and cold serve a purpose. Jesus is telling them that they are not serving a purpose: they neither bring healing or a refreshing spirit to those they meet. They weren't useful at all.
In your walk with God right now, are you hot or cold? Do you bring God's healing Word to people in need? Are you compassionately available to those in pain? Or maybe you are a refreshing spirit, one where people feel like they've met with God or been to church after talking with you? Do you bring joy to people's lives? Maybe you do both, and that's great, too. But if you were to examine yourself, do you tend to do neither? Do you bring nothing to the table? That's being a lukewarm Christian, and that is what is unpalatable to Jesus. Don't just skate by; be useful.
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Here's what we've been told: God would rather have us far away from Him, deep in sin (cold) than to be wishy washy. We're told we should either be on fire for God or completely cold to Him. What is happening here is people are translating the Bible using an American colloquial understanding of the words, rather than actually studying what it is saying.
Here's some context: the water in Laodicea was lukewarm or tepid. It wasn't hot. It wasn't cold. It wasn't particularly drinkable, because lukewarm water isn't satisfying. You could use it, but you wouldn't be pleased. You could not, however, use it medicinally, because it just wasn't hot enough. In contrast, Hierapolis had very hot springs, and Colossae had very cold springs. The hot water was very useful for medicinal or healing purposes, and the cold water was very useful for drinking or refreshing purposes. Unlike lukewarm water, hot and cold serve a purpose. Jesus is telling them that they are not serving a purpose: they neither bring healing or a refreshing spirit to those they meet. They weren't useful at all.
In your walk with God right now, are you hot or cold? Do you bring God's healing Word to people in need? Are you compassionately available to those in pain? Or maybe you are a refreshing spirit, one where people feel like they've met with God or been to church after talking with you? Do you bring joy to people's lives? Maybe you do both, and that's great, too. But if you were to examine yourself, do you tend to do neither? Do you bring nothing to the table? That's being a lukewarm Christian, and that is what is unpalatable to Jesus. Don't just skate by; be useful.
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