I'm grateful

It's been a pretty big Summer for our family.  Big seasons can mean big stress, and this was no exception.  Granted, much of it was good stress, but even too much good stress can wear a guy out.  Summer started in a  big way with Jaxon's being born just three days into it.  He's wonderful, and we're so grateful to have him.  I was sure we'd only have one kid, because Jakob's pregnancy was very difficult on Sarah, and she was pretty sure she'd only ever have the one.  She decided it would be good to have a second, and as feared, it was a terrible pregnancy once again, but the ends justify the means in this case.

Two weeks after Jaxon's birth, I got on a bus with 29 awesome students and leaders and headed to Louisville.  It was an amazing trip, even if my heart was half at home, and my mind was occupied with thinking about the next big thing.  We were supposed to close on our house on July 18, which was one week after I would return from this trip.  Of course, as many of you who own homes know, it never goes as planned.  Then we were supposed to close on July 25, but again, it didn't happen.  Finally, we were to close on July 31, the last day on our lease, but again, it didn't happen.  The builder/seller was gracious in allowing us to move in that day, anyway, a full week before closing.  We ended up closing on August 7 on a home that was built as though we had given the builder every detail of everything we needed and wanted in a home.  God worked in ways we didn't expect, including ways that frustrated us greatly.  He worked through the government's incompetence - apparently even that is redeemable - and a builder who doesn't know us.  All along he spoke to us through our realtor, who is a good Christian of great faith, that we thought we just happen to get.  We look back now, just a few weeks later, and we see how God was orchestrating everything, and we are grateful for what He did.  We also feel a little sheepish about the times we got frustrated and began to doubt.

If you were in church at KCC on Sunday, then you know something big happened at work for me.  It was announced on Sunday that I am the new associate pastor here, which means additional responsibilities, work, and trust (much of which has been in place for months anyway).  Most of you found out Sunday.  I've known for a while and have been excited but haven't been able to talk to many about it.  But for me it was also a frustrating process, even though it didn't take too long overall.  I talked to Dave about my frustrations a month ago, and he explained that he sees that I'm a microwave guy.  I want things done in 30 seconds or less, and when they are not, I get frustrated, I begin to doubt and get scared.  I don't sit quietly in waiting very well for very long.  He's right.

Now it is the end of Summer as far kids in school and their parents go (that's us now!).  As I look back over the Summer, I am grateful for Jaxon, our home, and my promotion.  That seems like it should be obvious.  But I'm also grateful for the hiccups, speed bumps, twists and turns.  With the house and the promotion, I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn patience and faith at different levels.  I'm glad that the house buying process was so frustrating and strange, because it shows God's hand clearly.  I'm glad for the testing of my faith there, because it gave me an opportunity to stand tall in my faith and not lose faith in exchange for worry, which I'm glad to say that I did.

You know what else I'm grateful for?  I'm not going anywhere for a long time.  In case you missed the subtle hints, I thought I'd tell you that.  I just bought a house.  I wouldn't have done that without seeking God and being confident that we'd be here a long time.  My job is changing and expanding in ways that will allow me to grow, recognize that I have grown, and use the gifts I'm passionate about using.  I'm grateful I don't have to leave a church that I love to experience this.  Most youth pastors have to leave a church to grow into a new position.  I'm grateful that the leaders at KCC see where I can grow, change, and be used here.  I am grateful that I'm not seen as just the goofy youth guy, at least by those leading the church.  Sure, I am the goofy youth guy whenever I can be, but to them I'm also a pastor capable of more than pranks, funny videos, and jokes. But don't worry.  Just because I'm capable of more doesn't mean I'll forsake my roots.  I've got a funny video coming you won't want to miss.

don't long for Egypt

"4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

Numbers 11 begins with the words, "And the people complained..."  About what were they complaining?  Well, they didn't like how God was miraculously providing a food for them that no other person had tasted and none have tasted since.  They didn't like it, because it was all they had to eat all of the time.  They wanted to eat meat, which I understand.  They wanted different fruits, vegetables, and spices, because they had had their fill of manna and coriander.  They longed for better days, like when they were in Egypt.  Food was free there, apparently, and there was great variety.  But in their ungratefulness, they forgot that nothing was free in Egypt, and nothing was better. They forgot about oppression, slavery, beatings, and even some being killed.  Because they missed something as insignificant as this food or that food, they forgot the hell in which they lived and from which had been supernaturally set free by a God that loved them.  It's striking to read and consider, and it seems they were so dumb for missing God's obvious goodness.

I've missed Egypt before, though.  I haven't missed the country, because I've never been there, but I've missed times, places, and people from which God has delivered me.  I guess I forget exactly what I'm supposed to be grateful for sometimes, and I miss other times.  I see other speaking in the same way.  Maybe you miss having that boyfriend or girlfriend who was not good for you and overall made you miserable. God set you free, but you long to go back.  Maybe you miss a job that made better money, but you never saw your family or church.  God set you free, but you long to go back.  You miss your buddies, but with them you only ever acted foolishly and sinfully.  God set you free, but you long to go back.  Some just flat out miss their sins, which were destroying them and pulling them further and further from God.  God set you free, but you long to go back.  We've all been set free from something if we are in Christ, but some cannot be content with their freedom.

Do not long for Egypt.  We romanticize the good old days.  They're probably not as good as you remembered.  What may seem free and pleasant now was torturous and terrible for you back then and would be again today.  Live in the freedom God has given. Live where you are now.  Stop looking backwards and plow forward for God, for you family, for your church, and for yourself.

you're ready to start

I had a professor in seminary named Dr. Butler. On the first day of the first class I had with him, he made a statement that changed the way I looked at being ready to serve God. He said, “If God called you to preach two years ago, and you haven’t started, because you’re waiting till you finish school, you’re already two years late. He didn’t call you to be ready to preach. He called you to preach.” It was an interesting point. I had always thought that one should finish being trained before following God’s call on his life, whether it was vocational or in a volunteer role. But what Dr. Butler said made a lot of sense, especially when you read the Bible. I think God calls a lot of people to do a lot of great things for Him, but often times, we wait till we feel adequately ready. We go to school, conferences, seminars, small groups, etc, trying to prepare ourselves to do what He has called us to do. Sometimes we spend more time getting ready to be obedient than actually being obedient, which could be called delayed obedience.  My mom and dad always said that delayed obedience is disobedience, and now that I'm a parent, I completely agree.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t pursue perfecting your calling, because I think you should. And I’m also not saying that you should start out at the same level you plan to be at when you’ve finished training. But if God calls you to do something, start doing it. I was reminded of this premise when reading Ezra 3. God’s plan was for the people to build a temple in Jerusalem where they could eventually perform sacrifices to Him, but He had already called them to observe the feasts and sacrifices. They started well before the temple was ready, because God expected obedience. They didn’t even start building the temple until the 2nd year of their inhabitation, but they observed God’s ordinances all along. They weren’t going to wait till they were ready to start obeying Him.  You're ready to start, so start.

If God called you to do something, do it! God called you, He’s equipped you, and He’s waiting to use you.  If you haven’t started, you’re already behind.  Take it from my friend Tim.

 

He sought me

Music is powerful.  It can stir up a number of emotions, whether we are just reacting to the words we're hearing or remembering another time a particular song may bring us back to.  There are some songs that make most people happy that stir up frustration and anger in me, because they are tied to a bad time in my life.  When I hear the songs that were on Christian radio when Sarah was in the hospital after our accident, I begin to feel very sad without thinking about it.  Music can also bring us great joy, as it has for me lately.

We'll be having our mission trip recap service on August 24, so you'll probably hear more about this and other things, but the worship was so engaging again this year.  I felt like we were escorted into God's presence, and we stayed there through the end of each service.  We learned a new song this year called "In Tenderness," which is by the same people who wrote "Made Alive."  This one is a little slower than "Made Alive," but the words stirred up so much joy and humility.  I was so grateful for God choosing to seek me, but I was humbled when I considered how dirty I must have looked when He came for me.  God is our adoptive Father, as we read in Ephesians 1 and Galatians 4.  We aren't born into His family.  We are born into sin, with the Devil sitting in the position of father (John 8:44).  But then God seeks us out, and if we will allow Him, adopts us into His family.  That's a cool thing about adoption and something I have talked about with several adopted kids who feel weird about being adopted: your parents chose to seek you out and at great cost to themselves make you their children.  God has done the same, at great cost to Himself, making us His children.  He sought us, when - just as orphaned babies needing adoption- we were incapable of seeking Him.

Please check out this song.  Focus on the words.  Close your eyes if you need to in order to focus, because the words are so powerful and true.  You'll be hearing it again on August 24, so this will help give you a jump start on learning the words, so you don't feel awkward trying to learn a new song in church.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kpXqd8pGFw

Pray for us next week

We leave Monday for Louisville. Many of you have been so generous financially leading up to the trip, so first I want to say thank you. Thank you for caring about our teenagers. Not every church does, and I'm so proud and grateful to be a part of a church like ours that does care.

We will leave at 7:00 AM Monday morning, and we'll return very late Friday, possibly into Saturday morning. Please be praying for us even now. Pray for safety, that we would positively impact the community we are serving, that we would boldly share the Gospel when given the opportunity, and that we would be moved and changed by God while we're away. After the trip, please continue to pray for us, that we would be steadfast in the decisions we made for God while we were gone.

Thank you so much for your compassion, generosity, and your prayers. Feel free to send us a note of encouragement, whether to an individual or to the whole group to rebelyouth@mykcc.org.

keep on track

I am easily distracted.  The busier I am or the more pressing a task is becoming, the more likely I am to be distracted by something else.  I can find hundreds of things to do instead of writing this blog post when it comes down to needing to do it.  But if I had a paper or other homework due on Monday, and the blog post isn't due to Joyce until Thursday, I'd be likely to work on the blog post.  It's happened before several times.  My office is turned upside down right now, because I decided to spend time yesterday trying to figure out why one phone line doesn't work in my office while the other one does.  Of course, I'm incredibly busy right now.  The mission trip is less than three weeks away, I won't be in the office next week, because Sarah's having a baby, and I'm trying to get stuff done in advance for children's and youth as a result.  But I spent at least an hour trying to figure out something that really doesn't matter.  Why?  Probably because it was less stressful and not as difficult as staying on track.

Distractions occur in all areas of life, including in our spiritual life.  Partially because it is easier to focus on things of little cost to us - the sins of other people, little projects we can do for God, good things we have done - than it is to focus on Jesus and what changes He wants us to make.  That's a hard thing to do.  The Bible says it's hard to do, because when we come close to and focus on Jesus, it'll shine His light into our lives, and we'll become aware of what needs to change.  But it's still something we have to do.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about laying aside our weights and sins in an effort to run well.  The next verse (Hebrews 12:2) tells us how we do that: "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."  We look at Him, see what He was able to give up in pursuing us, so that we are more able to give things up to pursue Him.  We have to keep on track with this.  When we look away and begin to focus on peripheral things, it's easy to stumble and fall away from the task.  But if we keep on track, we will be able to stay on the path towards holy living and spare ourselves from falling away into sin and foolishness.

weights and sins

Sometimes living the Christian life is pared down to what we can do and what we cannot do.  We look for Divine dos and don'ts and try to stick to them, so either so we don't get into trouble with God or so we can make Him happy.  It is definitely okay to see out what the Bible says not to do and avoid it, but overall, this isn't a healthy Christian lifestyle.  When we approach life this way, we consume things that may not be good for us just because the Bible doesn't specifically say not to.  That's like eating anything you see, so long as it isn't labeled poison.  Sometimes things aren't labeled bad for us but still are, both spiritually and physically.

What the Bible actually tells us to do is to not consume or carry anything that will slow us down, whether it is a sin or not.  Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."  So we must first understand what race it is God has called us to do, and then we must get rid of anything that keeps us from running that race well.  Sin is an obvious problem and is mentioned, but so are weights.  Weights can be anything.  Dating the wrong person can be a weight. Even if that person is another Christian, if they would keep you from your God-given race, they'll weigh you down.  The wrong school, career, or house can be a weight.  They may tie us down somewhere God hasn't intended us to run.  If we are to run with excellence, we must shed the weights.  Some runners may train with weights on their ankles and wrists, but when it comes to race day, you won't see competitive runners wearing them.  They get rid of all excess weight, so they can run as fast and as far as they can.

Here's the thing about weights: they aren't sins in and of themselves, so they can be harder to spot.  But God commands us to lay aside our weights, so we can run, so when we fail to do so, they do become sins for us.  The really hard part is that, like our sins, sometimes we just love our weights and want to hold onto them.  We find safety, comfort, and fulfillment from them sometimes.  But we have been promised those things in God if we follow Him.  So lay them aside.

What's weighing you down or holding you back from being who God wants you to be today?

it's always new. keep reading.

I have read Proverbs a lot.  It's probably my most-read book of the Bible.  It's either that or Genesis, which I usually read in January every year before scaling back to more modest Bible reading goals.  What I like about Proverbs is that it feels pretty disjointed.  If I were reading a story that was that scattered, I would be frustrated, but I like the constant flow of small pieces wisdom.  It gives me an opportunity to feel like I'm reading a new passage every time I read it.

I encourage you to keep reading your Bible (because the Bible says you should, of course).  Even though you've heard and read it all before, keep reading.  There's always something new.  The Holy Spirit is in you as a believer, and He will always reveal something to you for you from the Bible.  Sometimes He reveals one big thing.  Other times, He reveals several things.

Even though I've read Proverbs countless times in my life, I still have a lot of things to think and journal about.  This is what my quiet time has looked like recently.  I make lists of things God is saying and a corresponding list of what it should mean to me.



 

So what are you reading?

let the last time be the last time

One  thing I have noticed in my own life is how difficult it is to quit doing something you have done for years.  I quit drinking pop some time in March, but it didn't go away easily.  I originally gave it up for 2 weeks as part of a challenge to raise money for ActiveWater, but I realized I had a problem with it, so I decided to quit for good.  I did have very little pop recently, because I was out of water and needed to drink something, and I didn't like it.  It was my first reaction as I took a drink.  I thought it was gross and strange, which is really strange to me.  But then on Tuesday at small group, Dr. Pepper was put right in front of me, and I really wanted it.  I knew I didn't like pop the last time I took a drink, but I was used to liking it, and I wanted it.  So I took a drink, and I immediately thought that it was gross again.  And you know what?  I'll probably be tempted to drink it again and end up taking a drink, and I'll probably end up thinking it's gross again.  This may be a lifetime cycle for me.

It reminds me of sinning, especially when it's a sin you've grown accustom to.  You can quit sinning the same sin several times.  You can even get to a point of disgust with it.  You can fool yourself into continuing indefinitely with one simple thought: "Okay, I swear this is the last time."  You can also keep lapsing back into it by only remembering the very short-term pleasure it brought and forgetting your disgust and saying, "I'll just do it a little bit, just this one time, and then I'll go back to quitting."  How many times have you told yourself right before sinning that this will be the last time?  In comparison, how many times has it turned out to truly be the last time?  We allow ourselves to sin, and when the next opportunity comes up, we often tell ourselves the same lies again, and we tend to fall for it again and again.  This is the last time.

It's kind of a crazy if you think about it.  Why do you think about making this the last time?  Probably because the Holy Spirit is convicting you, shouting to you, "NO!  Don't do that again!"  So you tell yourself (and Him) that it's okay, this will be the last time.  What you're really saying is, "Please be quiet.  I want to sin."  You blow off the Holy Spirit's convicting you, and you proceed.  I know how this goes.  I've been through this.  But then I felt the conviction turned up a notch when I said, "This will be the last time," once.  Because I felt like God's response was, "No, let last time be the last time."

That's now what I tell myself when I am tempted to sin.  It's not a fool proof method, because I am strongly a fool, and I fail, but it works a lot more often than giving myself one last sinful hurrah after one last sinful hurrah. So what sin or sins did you already do one last time?  Keep them in the past.  Let the last time be the last time.

leave behind the chains

What's your favorite TV theme?  I've always liked the intro to the Office.  Jakob also really likes that one.  When he was a baby, we could play it when he was crying, and he would immediately stop.  It was magical.  I ended up putting it on my phone for emergencies and long car trips.

We've had a theme song in this current series on spiritual warfare.  By now, you've probably noticed that you've sung the words, "break every chain," numerous times.  Jesus breaks the chains of bondage in our lives and sets us free.  It's something we should never tire of singing and celebrating.  If we are walking in freedom - not to do whatever we want, but freedom from sin - then we should excitedly be singing of the One who has set us free.  Sometimes we don't feel like celebrating, though, because we don't feel very free. I think the primary reason we don't feel free is that we tend to carry around the chains from which we've been set free.  They're broken.  They have no power over us. We just like them too much to leave them behind.  We tell ourselves that we can't help ourselves.  It's just who we are.  We're only human after all.  But the reality is that, in Christ, we always have the freedom to choose not to sin.  We have the power to leave behind the chains.  Hebrews 12 tells us to set them aside, so we can run well the race set before us.  Jesus also says in John 8 that although you were once slaves to sin, but you are no more, because when the Son sets you free, you really are free from it.  And finally, we're told in 1 Corinthians 10 that God will always make it possible for us to walk away from temptation.

The chains are not holding us.  It may just be that we're holding the chains. Leave behind the chains.  Walk in freedom.  "There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain."

I will leave you with these lyrics from the OC Supertones, from their song "Go Your Way."  They have spoken to me in times when I was stuck in false freedom, choosing sinful bondage over freedom in Christ. "What I thought of as my freedom was a prison without walls. I held on tightly to the shackles that I hate, but this wasn't freedom at all... I thought that I'd gone too far.  Then I heard You call my name.  Return to me child.   I am eager to forgive, but leave behind the chains."

identity and dedication

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.

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?

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.

and the gender is...

As many of you know, Sarah is expecting our second child.  That child will be born at the end of June.  Many of you may even know the gender by now, as we publicly announced it in youth group on Sunday.  But many of you probably don't know, because we may not be friends on Facebook (what's up with that, anyway?), and you may not be related to anyone in the youth group that was there.  So I want to tell you what we're having, but I'm really dragging it out.  That's my style.

The Selphs will be having a boy!  His name is Jaxon, and we cannot wait for him to get here.

how's your mind?

"Just hold still!  This will be much easier if you just cooperate!"  I feel like my mom, doctors, dentists, and nurses have had to say that to me for the last 30+ years when trying to get a needle anywhere near me.  I'm not one for needles, I suppose.  They thought it was a good idea to stick a needle in me and leave medicine behind or come out with blood, and I thought it would be better to die a slow, painful death.  We saw the situation differently.

How you view a situation will change your attitude and behavior in the situation.  Where your mind is at is very important, and just as I said Sunday that our actions will reveal our level of love, our actions will also reveal where our mind is.  A harmonious person works towards harmony.  An acrimonious person will work towards hostility, whether consciously or subconsciously.  That's why the Bible says so much about the human mind and our thoughts.  Getting our minds right is crucial to getting our lifestyle right.  How is your mind?  I know I need to check mine.

press on

One verse that I said hundreds of times as a child was Philippians 3:14.  It was the motto for the kids program I attended at church, and we would say it every Wednesday from my third grade year through my sixth grade year.

"I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:14

I know the verse well.  I can say it without looking it up.  It's in my head.  But I don't often think about what it means.  I think we tend to do that as Christians.  "Yeah, yeah, I know.  I've heard this before," is a common attitude.  Since we have heard things before, we tune out when they come up again without even considering whether or not we have accomplished anything.  It's funny that I would do that to this verse, though, because the point of this verse is the opposite of that attitude.

This verse is about constant pursuit of the prize.  We are trying to win something here.  We are to be like athletes in that we repetitiously go through the same exercises in order to perfect our techniques.  Just Ray Allen has taken thousands upon thousands of 3-point shots and can make one with higher probability than any other basketball player (and by the way, he still takes thousands and thousands of shots, despite his already being great), we are to do the same spiritual practices over and over and over again, seeking to get better and better at our calling to be Christ like.  So what if you've read the Bible through 20 times?  You keep reading your Bible.  So you've prayed?  You keep praying.  You've led several friends to the Lord?  That's great!  Keep studying and learning and getting better at doing it, so you can do it more and more.

This is how we win the prize.  What prize?  Standing before Christ and hearing Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."  What will He say to you?  Press on.  Press towards that calling.  Practice your faith with tenacity.

O Come All Ye Faithful

O come, let us adore Him.  This phrase is repeated several times throughout the song.  We sing it every year, but do we mean it or even know what it means?  It can take different meanings depending on its context.  I adore my wife Sarah.  You probably know that by now.  In this sense, I love and admire her, and I am devoted to her.  And while we can and should love, admire, and be devoted to Jesus, there is a separate meaning that is perhaps more appropriate for the way we ought to adore Him: to worship and honor as God.

So how do we go about doing that?  Worship might initially sound like the easier part of the equation.  Just show up at church and sing when it’s time to sing!  Although that is part of worship, that is not the whole of it.  Did you know that listening (or preaching) a message on God’s Word is worship?  Did you know that giving an offering is worship?  Did you know that reading your Bible is worship?  Did you know that living your life in a way that honors God on a daily basis is worship? Well, in case you didn’t know, each of those things is true.

Worship involves honoring, so the actual easiest way to answer this question is to figure out what it means to honor God. To honor someone is to give him proper respect due to who he is and/or due to the position he may hold.  So to honor God is to acknowledge His position in our lives.  God is supreme.  He is over all, because He was before all.  .  God is God, and we are not.  Therefore we ought to live in deference to His will.  When we honor God, we do so by living the life He created us to live, by behaving in the way He has called us to behave, by seeking Him first, by loving others before ourselves, and so forth.  We honor God by bringing Him glory, and we can only bring Him glory when we are following Him.

Romans 11:33-12:2:  “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We honor by praising, by seeking, by following, by obeying, by giving, by blessing, by serving, and by living.  Do you honor God?  In what ways do you best honor God?  In what areas of your life do you find honoring God to be most difficult?  How can you be more intentional about bringing honor God (at home, at work, at school, at church)?

the Mighty God

            You probably shouldn’t tell my mom this, but I really liked a lot of the music she listened to in the car, especially around Christmas time.  If she finds out, she’ll never let me tease her about it again.  But I really did enjoy a lot of it, including Steve Green’s Christmas music.  One song in particular stands in my memory, so much so that it has cost me points on a Bible verse test in Bible college.  He did a song called, “Messiah Medley,” and in it, he sang words to verses, including Isaiah 9:6.  He repeats the last two names the Messiah would be called, and so did I.  Here's the song:

            Isaiah is talking about the Jewish Messiah that would be coming, and he is listing what He should be called.  Today, I want to focus on His being called the Mighty God.  Here in the midst of a list of titles is perhaps one of the most significant terms in all of the Old Testament.  I would venture to say that this list is read as a whole, with little thought given to the individual titles, but they are distinctly separate roles, and each one is important for understanding who Jesus was, and who He was predicted to be.

            Deuteronomy 6:4 is the beginning of the Shema, a key Scripture to the Jewish faith, and it is often used to explain why Jesus just couldn’t be God.  ““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”  God was defining Himself and distinguishing His true nature from the nature of the false gods in polytheistic societies.  He was one. He was the real deal, the end of the line, the one and only.  He didn’t outsource various jobs to other deities, because He was it.  And so God is one.  If God is one, how then could Jesus also be God?

            Well, there are various things we could discuss, including that the word for God in that text is “Elohim,” –im being the ending used for singular plurality in Hebrew.  It is one God, but contained within is some plurality (like the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit).  This is one God, yet He exists in 3 persons, as we know now.  In John 1, Jesus is identified as God (In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.)  To a Jewish person, this is heresy.  Jesus cannot be God, because God is one.  At best, He could be the Messiah, but that’s not the same as being God.  This is the pushback I have received from Jewish friends.

            But being the Messiah is the same as being God.  His name would be called the Mighty God!  In Isaiah 7, God would give us a sign when a virgin would conceive, and His name would mean God with us!  Isaiah wasn’t really being that mysterious with his prophecy.  He wasn’t beating around the bush.  He plainly states that when the Messiah comes, He would be God.  And Jesus did, and He was, and He still is.

Which name(s) from Isaiah 9:6 best describes who Jesus is to you right now?

 If you understand that He is the Mighty God, the Father from everlasting to everlasting, how does that change the way you celebrate Him, especially around Christmas?  Is there awe and reverence in your celebration?

Christmas is really about God coming to earth to rescue us.  How can you make that reality a better part of your Christmas celebration?

The Grinch: Gifts, Gifts, Gifts, and Maybe Christmas

We know the Grinch is the bad guy throughout most of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” but sometimes the bad guy is right in point he makes, if not in the way he goes about making it.  For some – and I would venture to say many – Christmas is becoming more and more about gifts.  I have to get the best gifts.  I have to be remembered for giving the best gifts.  I have to get the best deal on my gifts, so I can tweet that out and brag about it.  Gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts.  But it’s cool, because even though we spend an excessive amount of time on buying, giving, and swapping Christmas gifts, we take 5 minutes to read Luke 2 or let Linus do it when we watch the Peanuts Christmas Special.  So it’s not like we have totally written Jesus off; we’ve just marginalized Him.

Now, I’m not against gifts.  I, in fact, love to get gifts, and I love to give gifts.  Some would say that gift giving and receiving is my love language.  I believe that they are important and a valuable way to show love to each other.  I also think that if we’re not careful, gifts become an idol, knocking Jesus from His rightful place as the center of our Christmas attention.  An idol is anything that you place before God in such a way that it dictates the way you act.

I do think that presents take God’s place.  They become what we value.  Our attitude at the end of the Christmas day may hinge on what we did and did not get.  Our heart is stirred, either in joy or disappointment.  I’ve certainly been there, pouting because my gift(s) wasn’t what I expected or hoped for.  I’ve thought, “If you really knew me or cared about me, you wouldn’t have gotten me that.”  But no matter how bad that gift may have been (and it probably really wasn’t that bad), it really didn’t change anything.  My heart said the world was ending, when in reality, I had all I would ever need in that moment, and I do right now as I write this.

Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

So where’s your treasure?  What moves you?  Gifts?  Or the God of this world born as a little Jewish baby with one purpose: to hang on a cross to pay your penalty?  What do you think this season is about?

where is the love?

The norm in society is to be absolutely right, while considering those that disagree with you to be absolutely wrong/stupid/fake/heathen/whatever other demeaning insult you feel like using.  This trend is never more prevalent than during political elections, although our current congress has blessed many with the opportunity to keep up the caustic speech.  What is sad to me is that this sort of speaking has infiltrated the church, and it is on full display today, and it will stay there through the end of the year.

Holidays are a time of joy and laughter, decorations, celebrations, anger, and judgment.  Somehow they all get thrown in the same bag.  Today kicks off the holiday/argumentative season, with Christians disagreeing with what position to hold on Halloween.  We'll move into Christmas, and we'll be given the opportunity to be upset with how someone wishes us well.  Happy holidays (which means happy holy days, incidentally) seems to be the most offensive phrase in America today.  So that'll be setting people off soon, too.  And people will take to the safest venues for saying the most offensive things without fear of getting smacked: Facebook and Twitter.  Hard positions will be taken, back-and-forth jabbing will take place, friends will become enemies, and Christ will be ashamed.

But if you are right, and you are just refusing to bend on the truth, how could Christ ever be offended with you?  Well. I think we're doing the right things the wrong way a lot of times, and we use the wrong venues.  Facebook probably isn't the best place to try to convert people to your way of thinking, because it lacks context, tone of voice, and non-verbal cues that let people know you're not attacking them.  And when you speak the truth, but you do not speak the truth in love (as Ephesians 4:15 suggests), what you say is utterly useless.  You could be saying the greatest things on this earth, but without love, you're just making noise.  Want to have meaning and credibility?  Go love some people before you try to pick their decisions apart.  Look them in the eyes.  It will probably change the way you speak to them.