by Amy Spear | Sep 27, 2017
Sometimes in life, we go down a road that we know is slippery. A path we know good and well God has not called us to! Yet, we choose to pursue it. We test the waters. We linger a little too long. We start down the path, ignoring the whisper from the Holy Spirit, warning us of the consequences that are to come, and we keep on walking. Why do we insist on gambling with God, promising ourselves we won’t end up the way He says we will?
The Israelites did the exact same thing in 1 Samuel 8. Let’s see how they fared with their gamble against God:
The Israelites ask their priest Samuel,
“You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights” (1 Sam. 8:6-9).
The Israelites wanted a king, just like all the other nations around them. Yet, they were called to be different than the other nations. God chose them to be set apart, different from everyone else. They were the nation that was to reveal God to the world.
Yet, they kept asking and pursuing the wrong path.
God warned them of all the things that would happen if they chose to disobey, putting their trust in anyone else. The king they asked for would do nothing but take from them! Take their sons, take their daughters, take their fields and vineyards, take a tenth of their grain, take their cattle, take a tenth of their flocks, take, Take, TAKE (vs. 10-18).
Idols are funny that way. They can’t do anything but take, because they have no power to give.
“But the people refused to listen to Samuel” (vs 19).
So God tells Samuel to give the people what they wanted. Let them pursue the path He sternly warned them against!
Wow! Does that scare anybody else but me?! God allowing the Israelites to have what they want because of their stubborn pursuit of “it”.
Sometimes, God gives us what we continue to ask for because of our own persistence. He doesn’t force His ways upon us. We must follow Him wholeheartedly and willingly. And if we won’t, then He will let us make our own foolish choice.
When we put our trust in anything other than God our Father, we will follow idols and things that will only take from us too! Take our Hope, take our Love, take our Peace, take our Grace, take His presence, take, Take, TAKE!
Eventually, we realize we can give no more. There is nothing left in us. The path that once looked so inviting, so promising, has now taken everything it could! We desperately need to be filled! We long for someone to give us what we can’t give ourselves!
God is the only one who can fill us and give what our souls truly desire. Give us what we don’t deserve. Give us everything He is. Give us back our hope, joy and peace. Give us… Himself!
Let us not be like the Israelites! Don’t dismiss the warnings you hear. Heed God’s calling to choose a different path. Chose the path He has laid out for you. One that leads you straight into the giving arms of your Father!
by Ginger Gann | Sep 26, 2017
Have you been in a circumstance where no matter which way you turn, it’s still hard? You are trapped, caught, stuck “between a rock and a hard place,” and it’s extremely uncomfortable!
This old idiom confirms any circumstance where you face equal unsatisfactory options for an outcome. Basically meaning… you’re in a no-win situation, my friend.
No-win situations stink!
Especially stinky, when your situation produces hard consequences, not of your own making. When you are required to pay a harsh penalty for someone else’s selfish, immoral or illegal choices –this just seems wrong, doesn’t it?
Nevertheless, you may find yourself today right in the middle of a hard place, a really hard place… where you can lose. It. all!
Now what?
The Bible tells a story in Luke 18. I’m sure you’ve heard it. It’s the one about the young rich man.
We listen to this sermon, or read these familiar verses –nod our heads. Then, we label this wise resource, placing it in the “love of money” folder. We keep it handy, in case we should ever find ourselves with more money than we can use. Our brain retains the message, yet misses the point entirely.
We’d be wise to pull out this folder, dust it off and take a second look –because this lesson is about so much more.
This rich young man asks Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus tells him, “…keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus gives him the short list:
- you shall not murder
- you shall not commit adultery
- you shall not steal
- you shall not give false testimony
- honor your father and mother
- love your neighbor as yourself
Score!
Looks like the young rich man is a shoo-in for the pearly gates, since he has kept all these rules his entire life. And as a result, this guy is way up on the corporate ladder. He receives a good wage for his efforts. He is responsible with his money. Pays his bills. Helps his neighbor(s). He goes to church. Gives his tithes. Serves as a Deacon. He has a good sense of humor. A man of great reputation. His credit score is pristine. His 401K, life insurance, a burial plan are well ordered. He has a growing college fund for his three kids. His personal gym provides means to stay physically fit. He adores and cares for his beautiful wife. He never forgets to walk his golden retriever, named Lucky.
Life is good –right?
Knowing these things about himself, really his next question for Jesus is more of a lure for affirmation, as he fishes for a complement –a nod and a pat on the back from the big boss.
So that’s it then, Jesus? I’m good to go – right… all. the. way?
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one more thing you need to do. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
Boom! There it is. Did you hear the thud! This guy just fell hard (from a lofty position) right down in between a rock and a hard place.
We don’t know why Jesus requires this sacrifice from the man. Perhaps Jesus wants to prepare him for something he will face on the road ahead. Maybe it is a matter of wasted talent. Jesus wants to put to better use elsewhere. Maybe Jesus just wants to spend more time with the guy, and the wealth is distracting. We don’t know.
The rich guy doesn’t understand either. I’m sorry –what Jesus? I’m not sure I heard you correctly?
You want to take away everything I’ve worked for? You want to wipe away all my dreams, my vision, and my life plan. MY identity?
The Bible says, the young rich man went away, sad, sorrowful, grieving. That is just too much to lose.
Thanks, but no thanks, Jesus.
One thing for sure, this lesson is not about money.
It’s about reality’s raspy whisper saying, “Moving forward from this is utterly impossible!”
It’s about the huge lump of fear lodged tightly in your throat, at the very thought of it.
This is a lesson about giving up your “everything.”
Here’s the part we seem to always skim over.
In our brokenness, shock, anger, disappointment, bitterness and depression we just “go away sad.” We don’t wait around long enough to hear the answer to the question our heart cries. “You want to take my ‘everything’, Jesus?”
No Sir, I truly do not, but the thief does.
No Sir, I will not … but the drunk driver will.
No Sir, not I, but the diagnosis…
No Sir, but the tornado…
No, but the accident…
No, but the …
Here’s the point.
We will all get caught! There is a rock and a hard place with our name on it.
But the hardest place of all isn’t when you’re stuck in the reality of your greatest fear. The hard place is when you miss the truth about the only rock that can break you free from it (Psalm 18:2).
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this (situation) IS impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).
You see, the rich guy missed it too! It’s not about money, but it surely is about wise investments. It’s about where you deposit your faith. Where are you storing your treasure? Who you trust with your “Now what?”
If you want to insure your assets, if you want to prevent losing “everything,” then set up a living irrevocable trust fund. May I suggest you consider Jesus as your Trustee? I hear he gives great returns on investment.
Guaranteed! (Matt. 6:19-21)
by Angela Sanders | Sep 14, 2017
When the kids were little, I made a mental list of all the things I wanted to teach them. I thought about writing them down so I wouldn’t miss anything, but honestly didn’t think I had the time. I convinced myself they’d learn everything they needed to know simply by watching and listening to me as they grew.
Now that they’re grown and gone, it seems I have nothing but time to sit and think about what I did and didn’t do, what I did and didn’t say, and how often I fell short.
What’s more, I have a sneaking suspicion I overestimated the amount of attention being paid to my solo performance and left too much unspoken. Now that the spotlight has dimmed, I offer my children this list of spiritual truths, a post-script to the love letter life I tried to live in their presence, for handy reference in the years ahead. I pray it fills gaps, lends clarity and spares moms who are still on stage the ache of lonely second-guessing once the curtain drops.
My dearest children,
God loves you! I would say He loves you even more than I do—actually, I think I have said that—but I don’t want to mislead you by suggesting my love can even begin to compare to God’s or that God loves in degrees like people do.
No, when it comes to love, God is in a class by Himself. He is love, perfect and unchanging. In service to His own glory, He doesn’t dole Himself out in measured response to who we are or what we do, but instead offers grace, mercy, and belonging, regardless of these things, to any and all who will accept it through His Son Jesus.
You might find that idea a little off-putting at first—we all like to think we’re special, after all—assuming its truth somehow reduces you to a nameless face in the throng of those whom He loves, but that’s just not true. God knows you. He knew you before you were even aware of being alive. He knows the number of hairs on your head and how you spend your days. He knows your very thoughts.
And He loves you anyway.
He loves you not because of who you are or what you’ve done—sinners all, none of us deserve His love—but to prove to the world Who He is, the only One worthy of worship and praise, so He might receive the recognition He deserves for His glory, or divine perfection. To that end, God gives us His very Self, loving us first, completely, unconditionally and without favoritism.
No, God’s love for you isn’t really about you at all. It’s about Him, but there’s comfort in that.
Think about it for a minute.
God will never stop being God, so He’ll never stop loving you. It just won’t happen. No matter what happens, you can count on God’s love. It’s constant.
God’s love is free. You didn’t earn it, so you don’t have to worry about losing it.
God’s love is enough. You don’t need more, so you don’t have to go looking for it.
God’s love doesn’t change. The choices you make might steal your joy, make it hard to pray and cause you to doubt your relationship with God, but they will not change Who God is or His love for you. You’re free to worship Him in confidence instead of fear.
God loves you as much as He loves anyone else. Technically, that makes you His favorite, so you’ve nothing left to prove. You’re free to enjoy being whom He made you to be and to focus on fulfilling His purpose for your individual life.
Listen, I wish with all my heart the amount of affection and devotion I’m capable of mustering could bring you the same, peace, comfort and security that God’s perfect love affords, but it can’t.
The truth is God loves you better than I do, so keep putting your faith and trust in Him.
by Caleb Moore | Sep 12, 2017
Many years ago I saw the popular Christian speaker Louie Giglio perform a sermon illustration that I thought was rather impactful. As a young youth minister, I was quick to take something that was helpful and use it in my own sermons.
The illustration involved Louie taking a long mirror and discussing how we were created to reflect God. He would talk of how Adam and Eve perfectly reflected God to the rest of the world.
I used this illustration on several occasions. Often times, I ended up blinding half the congregation as the bright stage lights would reflect off the mirror directly into the pupil of some unsuspecting kid. I could just hear the lawsuits coming as a parent described my actions that exploded the retina of little Johnny with the power of a thousand suns.
In spite of the possible legal ramifications I continued using the mirror illustration in sermons. The dramatic turning point arrived when I would take a rock, and pretend to pluck it from some invisible tree, illustrating Eve taking the forbidden fruit. This followed with a swift swing of my arm which shattered the mirror, leaving the audience gasping in shock.
It was a great way to show the damage of sin. It was an even greater way to slice your hand open on broken glass. I still hold the record at one Christian camp for being the speaker who bled the most on the stage.
The last time I performed this illustration several fingers were deeply lacerated by broken shards of glass. I did my best to conceal the ever-growing flow of blood racing down my hand onto the floor from the youth pastors and students in the congregation, but those in the worship band behind me quietly requested a medic because they were certain I would collapse at any moment. That evening I gave one of the fastest alter calls in history and quickly made my way off the stage with most people never realizing I had injured my hand.
It’s a shame that such a good illustration comes at such a high risk of dismemberment because it says so much about why we exist. Though the image gets broken because of sin, our duty to reflect God never changes. Our ability to be imagers was tarnished but our purpose to reflect God to others still remains. You can still do what you were created to do.
However, instead of walking through the garden being the crystal clear imagers that God created us to be, we walk through valleys that loom with the shadow of death. We walk through pain and sorrow, heartache and loss. Yet in spite of our change in topography, our role as imagers remains.
What do you reflect? Do your personal aspirations reflect the kingdom of your choosing? Or are you learning to look more Jesus?
So many people struggle with doubt and depression, worn out from attempting to build their own kingdom. Something within them compels them to build, so they punch the clock one more time and drag themselves through a day that offers little-to-no reward, always wondering why the kingdom they are building doesn’t satisfy. The answer is simple; it’s the wrong kingdom you are building.
Others are not depressed at all. They strive at the chance to keep building. They set a goal, reach it and then press on harder to the next prize. Yet apart from building the right kingdom we build nothing but sand castles that are washed away by the coming tide. And the tide always comes.
Few people are remembered for more than a generation after they pass. Even those we once held dear, their names become something we only mention quietly at holiday gatherings. It is likely that my great-great-grandkids will know little or nothing about me.
So unless I am a part of building God’s eternal kingdom, whatever I build is futile. My prayer is that as you grow, people will see less and less of you and more of God and His sanctuary of Grace.
by Aaron Hanzel | Sep 11, 2017
“A bit of green mixed into the soft blue sky. Not too much, just enough that the eye is able to be teased by its depth,” the painter thinks to himself.
He glances over his canvas at the majesty of the mountain range before him. His eyes dart left to right in small bursts, passionately diagnosing the mountain’s character. Each switchback, sharp drop and robust peak spoke to the artist of which the mountain was. This view…was beautiful.
The painter would complete his work. Sell the painting, give it as a gift or perhaps donate it to a museum. That painting would be viewed and appreciated by many. Observers would say aloud:
- “Wow! That’s beautiful. What splendor.”
- “I’d love to go there some day.”
- “Can you imagine how long this must have taken him to paint this?”
- “When I’m sad or depressed, this always makes me feel better.”
- “A unique and subjective interpretation of the same thing. How wonderful!”
Dangers of a one-dimensional Gospel
That human response is one of the many reasons I love film, photography and visual art. It’s also one of the reasons I love the Gospel. Beauty and divine beauty working in the hearts of God’s creation.
There are, however, times that I lean toward those experiences rather than the truth those two beauties hold.
For example, when I see the Gospel at work through people and only appreciating that aspect of it, I can lose sight of what the Gospel is as it stands alone.
The Gospel is amazing as it is active in people’s lives. But it’s amazing even before that.
The Gospel is not 8.5″ x 11″
The Gospel reflects the Creator of all things. It’s purifying! It’s soul redeeming! It’s beyond definitive form or dimensions! It’s vast and timeless! It cuts into sin! It is miraculous and terrifying! It’s the good news, and it’s healing! The Gospel isn’t just subjective, its objective too.
The painter sees the mountain as a single side, of the single angle, of the single point in time. An observation obscured by the limitations he must place upon himself in order to capture any of the mountain’s beauty.
The mountain is massive and covers miles of height and width. It doesn’t fit into an 8.5″ x 11″ flat parchment. Yet we can be distracted by only what it does for us or only what it does for others. Instead of the actual scope of its true splendor, we focus on what we want to see. Paul dealt with this particular subject when writing to the Galatians.
Paul’s view of the Gospel
Paul shares his heartbreak over the Galatians abandoning the Gospel for anything other than what is truth-divine. Paul starts with the Gospel, then pursues people:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:6-8).
See Paul’s amazement at their actions! See his view of the Gospel! Paul was a man who cared more for people than I may ever grasp, and he speaks to them not about what he’s seen the Gospel do in their lives, but speaks about how holy the Gospel is. He starts by telling them, “Are you out of your mind!? You want to leave grace? You want to leave Jesus Christ!?”
He tells them of how the Gospel is not formed by men or even angels. If either of them tell you otherwise, tell them to go to the bad place!
The Gospel conviction
Do I do that? Am I completely dumbfounded when I hear of the opposition to the Gospel? The flesh is at odds with the Spirit, causing my knee-jerk reaction to consider such opposition as “normal.”
When considering the majesty of Jesus Christ’s Gospel, such a holy vastness cannot be obtained without the Gospel itself. I am not capable of seeing the mountain from every angle all at once. Therefore, how can I truly see its beauty? I am not capable of valuing the Gospel any more than what the Lord sees fit of which to bless me. Only a view larger and wider than 8.5″ x 11” is possible through Christ.
The Challenge
Brothers and sisters, I urge you, in the name of our Christ, be astonished! The only way to properly value the Gospel of salvation is through Him who made it. Pray the Lord blesses you and pray also that the eyes of your heart open even wider still. There is no limitation except that which the Lord has placed upon himself! There is no experience that which the Spirit may not exhale into existence! There is no other way to the beauty that we were made for than Jesus Christ! Be astonished!
by Ryan Smith | Sep 7, 2017
“Where are you?”
As the evening breeze sent leaves cascading from the fig tree, Adam and Eve were still. They were silent. They knew. But what did they know?
I find it interesting that after sin entered the world, the first verbal response from God was a question.
Not a statement. Not an exclamation. A question.
Not only was it a question, it was a seemingly simple question. But it was not a simple question, and it required more than a simple answer.
We know Adam and Eve’s attempt to hide did not befuddle God. He knew exactly where they were. What He sought was their understanding of a greater reality that had taken place – one that extended beyond the surface taste of fruit.
He was asking them to consider a deeper reality.
Continually in the Scriptures, we are told God looks at the inside of a person, not the outside. What he sees as urgent (the heart), we see as secondary. What we see as urgent (the task or emotion), he sees as secondary.
We are invested in the outside and urgent while He is investing in the inside and gradual.
The problem with a question is that it bids us to slow down, consider, and respond. Questions are invitations to conversation. They open us to multiple perspectives, challenges, and things yet to be considered.
What God delineates, he exclaims. He is the Author, Sustainer and Completer of all. There is no invitation for others to participate. He has exclaimed much.
But when it comes to matters of the heart and understanding our true human condition, God does not relate to us as much in exclamations as in questions. Who do you say I am? Why do you call me good? Who told you you were naked?
I believe God asks questions because a question takes a step with someone else into a deeper space. A question is an act of love. God asks questions of us because we are not prone to wander into deeper spaces on our own. We like more shallow waters.
Like God, we have a voice. It’s part of being made in His image.
Social media has given us an amplifier for that voice. So what is being amplified? Do our voices ring more with questions or exclamations? Are we seeking to broaden our understanding and perspective or simply make ours more widely known?
We are an exceedingly voyeuristic culture, but there seems to be one area our curiosity has yet to lead us: deeper inside ourselves. Particularly, we have lost the intimacy of reflection, introspection and evaluation. These aren’t popular terms, but they’re godly terms.
Even more than that, they’re godly tools.
One of the reasons we don’t like reflection, introspection, and evaluation is that the deeper we dig into ourselves, the more we find pride, sin, selfishness and confusion about the world. The deeper we go, the more we discover God is right.
There is a reason Jesus spoke in parables and commended those who asked deeper questions of others and themselves. In fact, there is a reason Jesus mainly responded to surface-level questions with deeper questions: Jesus takes people deeper.
When God asks, “Where are you?” he is asking a greater question than “How are you feeling?” He’s asking about your soul.
The reason God asked a question of Adam is that He was calling him deeper – to an evaluation, understanding and conversation about his pride, his sin and his heart.
Adam made an exclamation in response. He was not willing to follow God deeper.
I often wonder how often I am more preoccupied with the selfish exclamations of my mouth than the godly questions of my heart. I don’t want to ask God why I am angry; I just want to be angry. I don’t want to ask God about deep and lasting love; I just want to feel deep and lasting love. I don’t want to ask another person about their perspective and reasoning; I just want to rapid-fire back at their words.
We’ve lost the ability to look deeper – into the heart. The problem is that’s where God is. And that’s where God is calling each of us.
Let me ask; are you willing to follow God there? Are you willing to ask the questions about yourself in light of the Gospel and face the answers God presents?
Are you willing to ask God to reveal your heart to you? Are you willing to listen if it involves turning down the noise of the world or taking the time to hear God speak through His Word?
Would you ask God about the dark corners of your heart even if it means he may use uncomfortable truths to bring them to light?
God loves you too much to pretend you were meant for shallow waters. God is looking at your heart and inviting you to that deeper place. Will you meet him there?
Where are you?