by Caleb Gordon | Sep 13, 2016
Am I the only person who has ever felt like God, sometimes, is really not pleased with who I am as a person? Am I the only one who has ever thought, “Does God even really like me?”
Let’s be honest. Sometimes my motives and my thoughts in general can be downright shady.
When I sit and think on stuff like this, my theological brain kicks in and says stuff like, “Come on Caleb, Jesus died on the cross to forgive you from your sins, so therefore you know He LOVES you,” which I think is where most of us are.
We understand that He has forgiven us and that He loves us. I think we look at His relationship with us the way we have a relationship with our children. We love our children. We’re willing to die for kids, but there are moments where we are just rung out from how annoying our children can be.
I’ve heard my parents say to me when I was a kid, “I love you, but I really don’t like you right now,” so what happens with that is we project that onto God. He loves us, but sometimes He just does not like us – or so we think.
How in the world could God take delight in someone who is as messed up as I am?
Like I said, when I allow my brain to start walking these routes I tend to get a tad bit distraught. But this is why it’s important that we have an anchor in life. An anchor that keeps us from drifting into rocks of life.
I want you to read this…
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:3-11).
I want you to think about the idea of adoption. When parents decide to adopt they do their homework. They find out everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
It’s not different with God. He’s done His “homework” on you, so to speak. He’s seen you at your worst. Your sin does not shock or freak Him out. He knows all of the nasty stuff you’ve ever done, and even after all of that, He still chose you.
“Before the foundation of the world” He saw who you would become. He knew you, and HE WANTED YOU! He knew me and wanted me! And here is the thing, we did not just get enough grace to be squeeze past the heavenly guards, by the skin of our teeth. NOPE! Read the text.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.”
So God LAVISHED His Grace upon us. He KNEW what He was doing. He had a plan. There was no mistake in this. He knew what He was getting into and jumped in with BOTH FEET! God did this on purpose! He chose you! He chose me! That is why the Scriptures says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Those of us who are in Christ are FREE! We are clean! We are BLAMELESS!
In Him we have OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE!
So I want you to take heart. You are not just loved by God. HE LIKES YOU! He really likes you! This should cause in you a desire to RUN TO HIM. You are a chosen BLAMELESS KID! Blameless kids run to their Father!
You are cherished.
by Caleb Gordon | Aug 16, 2016
Sometimes it’s hard to stand up for what you really believe in. The pressure that so many of us are under is really taxing sometimes. Have you ever had a moment where you knew what you needed to do in a certain circumstance, but you just did not want to experience the awkwardness of rocking the boat?
I have had several of those moments. For example, a group of guys at the office were talking about women inappropriately. Instead of me standing up for the right thing and either walking away or saying something to stop the conversation, I just laughed and quietly approved of the conversation by my silence.
I think we all have had those moments
Recently I read Daniel 1:3-8. Talk about pressure! The KING was offering something to Daniel, and it was pretty awesome. Amazing food and incredible wine. Think of it. The President of the United States offers you as part of your salary, an amazing daily food. You never had to pay for your food…it was just GIVEN to you. The government paid for all of your meals. Sweet deal, right?? Well, there is a catch. All the money that the government used pay for food helped fund Planned Parenthood. Could you stand up for what’s right? Could you refuse the food and go buy your own stuff?
That’s what Daniel did. He could have had the choice of the finest foods but refused them, because they were offered to idols and he would have condemned his conscious and defiled himself. SO he refused. He stood up for what he knew was right! He chose God over comfort.
As we walk through our day, we need to look at our lives with these lenses on. We need to be willing to stand up for our convictions, even when it’s not easy. You will ultimately have God’s blessing in your life, even when it feels and seems like things are going south.
Jesus is more than enough.
by Caleb Gordon | Aug 1, 2016
This last weekend I sat down and watched Napoleon Dynamite with my family. My kids love this movie. It’s a huge family favorite in my house! Uncle Rico is one we like to giggle at quite often. Actually, we downright laugh at his character.
There is a clip where Uncle Rico and Kip are sitting on the front porch eating steak and talking about the past. Uncle Rico is talking about his high school football career, and if the coach had just put him in he would have gone pro, and he’d be soaking up life in a hot tub with his soul mate.
Then he looks at Kip and says, “I bet I could throw this football over those mountains.”
He then picks up Kip’s steak and launches it at Napoleon’s face and knocks him off his bike. It’s just a funny clip.
But I got to thinking about it. We as men do that so often, we look at the younger us and think, “I could have done this, I could have done that, if things had just been different.” Sometimes that is a dangerous thing, because we’re not present. We get so distracted with what we could have been that we just simply do nothing with who we presently are.
Phil. 3:13-14 says, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
That is straight to the point. Have you ever not done what is needed in the present because you were too focused on what could have been or what you thought it should have been?
Looking back every once in a while is good thing to help us remember, but if we become too focused on who we used to be, we can’t run towards the prize that God has for us in the future.
In short, don’t be like Uncle Rico.
Press forward into the prize of Jesus Christ!
by Caleb Gordon | Jul 11, 2016
I have come to realize that the more we attempt to make it look like we have life figured out, the more exhausting life becomes.
So many times, as you and I walk through life, we come across difficulties and hard times. We stumble through trenches of heartache and depression, and rather than looking for help, we wall ourselves off in the hopes of fixing it ourselves.
I think the main reason this happens to so many of us is because the culture in which we live has fed us the lie that we need to have our life together. Don’t be a bother to people around you; don’t be a drain, so, therefore, when someone asks ‘How are you doing?’ We reply with ‘I’m doing just fine.’ In reality, though, we are on the brink of a breakdown.
The fact is that most of us really don’t have our life together. We just attempt to manage it well, and managing life only works for so long. Eventually you’re going to break, and that’s going to get really messy, and almost all of the time, there is going to be collateral damage.
Being open about who we really are is often times what we need more than anything. But, sadly, when we attempt to be open, sometimes that is met with other types of walls. I’ve seen it, and I’ve done it. I have been the wall builder and the one standing on the other side of the wall. Both sides are extremely lonely.
What we need more than anything is to be a part of a community, an authentic community, where we are allowed to be open about our lives, allowed to show that we can be and have been a little messy. We need grace. We need space to repent. We need people who are willing to love us even when we are not lovable. Why? Because Jesus has shown us an incredible amount of grace, so therefore, we need to be willing to do the same thing with one another.
When we keep quiet about our struggles, our health is compromised. Don’t believe me? Check this out:
“For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long” (Psalm 32:3).
We need to be in a place where it’s OK NOT to be OK, but also be willing not to stay in that place. Be willing to move towards redemption. That’s what the Gospel is. REDEMPTION.
We, the church, are a body of believers that has been given a mandate from God to help people see the light of the Gospel of Christ. So when people come in our doors we need more than ever to help them understand that they don’t have to be perfect, but that they need to look to the ONE who is perfect, because when we do that and we rest in him we can be perfect too.
So my challenge for all of us is stop managing our lives and just simply land in a community that will be willing to come along side you and love you even when you can’t be loved.
by Caleb Gordon | Jun 1, 2016
Our culture is craving leadership. Every area and every section of our culture is looking for leadership.
The bad thing is that many times we have men and women who are in leadership positions that really have no clue what it means to be a leader. Just because you have a title does not mean you are cut out to be a leader.
I think we all need to understand something first. There is a battle going on right now between the person you currently are and the person you could potentially become. The battle exists is excellence vs. mediocrity. And in our culture, there are many who say just learn to live with mediocrity. Don’t strive too hard because life’s short, just do stuff that makes you happy because life is all about being happy, right?
That is a lie! Life is not about being happy! Life is about finding and having a purpose! We were all created to have purpose, to have meaning! I can promise you this, once you do find purpose and you move to that next level of purpose, you’ll find some happiness, but the sum total game is not about happiness!
Here are three ways I think we all can become better leaders and find that purpose!
1. Attitude is everything.
Having the right attitude is the most important aspect of all. I know so many people who have such a negative outlooks on so many things, and everything is doom and gloom. These people have what I like to call the Eeyore complex. When given a project, task or mission they look at it as the glass is half empty. This never helps anything.
Nine times out of 10, that attitude completes things and make the air in that environment toxic. Attitude is everything. We need more people who have an attitude of joy! I love being around people that are joyful. You do too! That person that looks a trial or problem with optimism, even when it’s not a pleasant task.
Everyone has problems and trials in their life. What would it look like if we all started looking at those ‘problems’ like they were a gift! Yes I said gift! A gift to help mold and shape you into someone better!
Look at this:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
I do understand that there are moments when the joy is not there, but I think when we strive to find that joy in all areas of our life that’s when things change!
2. Dreams are good, but goals are better.
I’m all for people “having dreams,” but in all reality, just having a dream never changed the world. Putting legs on that dream is what brings things to life. Setting and achieving goals is how we transform and change the world.
We need more goal setters. We need more goal achievers. Having a goal in your life truly gives you purpose. Figure out what brings you to life and start there!
3. Write your goals down.
A goal is just a DREAM until you write it down. Put your vision on paper and start to focus on that. When your mission is visible to you and you can see and read it out loud, there is a strange activating agent that happens when you have your goals on paper! What you focus on is what you become.
If you say things like: ‘I’m just an angry person, I’m just genetically inclined to be fat, ‘ you start to become that person, because you’ve made that agreement with yourself. STOP THAT! Make agreements with yourself that are beneficial. Make agreements that really tell the truth. ‘I’m a child of the THE KING.’ ‘I am actually worth something.’ Those agreements change stuff! I honestly think these three things can revolutionize your life!
As I said in the beginning, there is a battle, and only you can determine the path you’re going to walk on. Are you going to give into the path of mediocrity or are you going to strive for excellence?