As you can see I have changed some aspects of my blog. Yeh, I didn't really need to, but sometimes change is a good thing. I am praying that these changes will challenge you to want to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ.
Paul, a great Christ-follower, wasn't concerned about what others thought of him or any praise of men. Paul was solely concerned with knowing Christ more. Why? It's simple: Paul not only understood the sacrifice that Christ had made for him, but he also realized that the ONLY response to that sacrifice was a life sold out for Christ.
Take time right now to read Philippians 3:1-15. Really, open your Bible and read those 15 verses.
You just read that Paul didn't even consider his own heritage something worth having. He counted it all as "rubbish" (ESV). It was worthless, something that should be thrown in the trash and never seen of again. That is EXACTLY what Paul thought of the stuff that could have gained him prestige and honor.
No, instead, he was striving for the knowledge of, comprehension of and application of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. Paul wanted to know what enabled him to be a Christ-follower as he came to know that it was simply by grace through faith that he had what he did have and knew where his eternity would be spent.
Last week I was asked about why people weren't coming to church. My answer: ultimately it is not about the excuses we give, it is ultimately about the fact that we don't appreciate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, we don't want to know Him more, and show Him how much what He did for us means to us!
So what does this mean for me?
Well, you must decide whether or not you truly, deeply, honestly appreciate the sacrifice Christ made for you and the home He is making for you right now. If it is important and does mean something to you, then you will count everything as loss to know Christ. You will be setting aside yourself (your goals, dreams, passions, desires, and wants) to get to know Christ more.
"But what does that look like in my life?" It will find you:
> In church for Sunday school, worship service, Bible study, and small groups
> In the Word of God on a daily basis
> In prayer seeking out the will of God in every matter
> In praise for ALL that He has done for you
> In search of opportunities to share the love and hope of Christ
> In love with God so much so that you are overflowing with JOY
Well, there it is. There is what we are to be about. As Paul said, "press on toward the prize. . ." (Phil. 3:14). Press on and know HIM more!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Trusting In God's Silence
Read: John 11:1-10
Can you believe that? Jesus, knowing about Lazarus being sick, doesn't immediately respond! What kind of God is He? Doesn't He care? I mean, isn't Jesus the one that said, "cast all your care upon Him, for He careth for you?" Didn't Jesus weep as He looked over Jerusalem? Isn't He the one that healed the lame, the blind, and many others? Why wouldn't Jesus immediately head toward Bethany? Or why, didn't He just heal Lazarus from where He was? He did it for the centurion in Matthew 8?
So, why did Jesus stay two more days? Was it because He didn't care? NO! Jesus reminds us of His reason in verse 4: "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it" (John 11:4).
Oswald Chambers says this, in regards to this passage: "Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning? . . . Think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? . . . His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvellous understanding of Himself. . . . If God has given you a silence, praise Him, He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes."
Even Solomon understood that sometimes there is a need for silence, when he said, "There is . . . a time to be silent" (Eccl. 3:1,7). There are times, in God's sovereignty that silence is necessary for us. The reason we don't like it, is simply because we are not used to silence. We are a people consumed and overwhelmed with noise. Just think about what it is like when there is a "moment of silence" somewhere. What do you usually do after a few seconds? You do what most people do, they start looking around. Why? Because we are uncomfortable with silence.
And yet, within God's plan for our lives are times of silence. Times when trusting in His silence is difficult but necessary.
A.W. Tozer, in his book, In the Pursuit of God, says this about silence: "Whoever will listen will hear the speaking Heaven. This is definitely not the hour when men take kindly to an exhortation to listen, for listening is not today a part of popular religion. We are at the opposite end of the pole from there. Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God. But we may take heart. To a people caught in the tempest of the last great conflict God says, 'Be still, and know that I am God,' (Psalm 46:10) and still He says it, as if He means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence."
God wants our activity, but we need His silence!
Can you believe that? Jesus, knowing about Lazarus being sick, doesn't immediately respond! What kind of God is He? Doesn't He care? I mean, isn't Jesus the one that said, "cast all your care upon Him, for He careth for you?" Didn't Jesus weep as He looked over Jerusalem? Isn't He the one that healed the lame, the blind, and many others? Why wouldn't Jesus immediately head toward Bethany? Or why, didn't He just heal Lazarus from where He was? He did it for the centurion in Matthew 8?
So, why did Jesus stay two more days? Was it because He didn't care? NO! Jesus reminds us of His reason in verse 4: "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it" (John 11:4).
Oswald Chambers says this, in regards to this passage: "Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning? . . . Think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? . . . His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvellous understanding of Himself. . . . If God has given you a silence, praise Him, He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes."
Even Solomon understood that sometimes there is a need for silence, when he said, "There is . . . a time to be silent" (Eccl. 3:1,7). There are times, in God's sovereignty that silence is necessary for us. The reason we don't like it, is simply because we are not used to silence. We are a people consumed and overwhelmed with noise. Just think about what it is like when there is a "moment of silence" somewhere. What do you usually do after a few seconds? You do what most people do, they start looking around. Why? Because we are uncomfortable with silence.
And yet, within God's plan for our lives are times of silence. Times when trusting in His silence is difficult but necessary.
A.W. Tozer, in his book, In the Pursuit of God, says this about silence: "Whoever will listen will hear the speaking Heaven. This is definitely not the hour when men take kindly to an exhortation to listen, for listening is not today a part of popular religion. We are at the opposite end of the pole from there. Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God. But we may take heart. To a people caught in the tempest of the last great conflict God says, 'Be still, and know that I am God,' (Psalm 46:10) and still He says it, as if He means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence."
God wants our activity, but we need His silence!
Friday, May 7, 2010
What Are You Chasing After?
In Ecclesiastes 1:14, Solomon says, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Why did he say that everything is “a chasing after the wind?” Why was everything futile activity? Does that mean that I can do whatever I want and not be concerned with obedience to the will of God? Not so fast!
If you keep reading in Ecclesiastes you will find that Solomon was talking more about the motive for what was being done than what was actually being done. Listen to his conclusion: “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, [25] for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? [26] To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Eccl. 2:24-26).
Solomon’s conclusion is simply stated that to truly be happy, one must enjoy and be content with the provision of God. Solomon’s conclusion is restated by Paul in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Both Solomon and Paul realized that life is not about what they wanted. It was about what God wanted. It was about and still is about what God wants.
So why did Solomon say everything was meaningless? The answer is simple: because everything was being pursued for personal gain. Man has always had a desire for self-gratification and self-satisfaction. We are a society consumed with personal and instant fulfillment. John put it this way: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – come not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
The truth is, that we live in a “me” dominated society. It was in Solomon’s day, Paul’s day and even today in 2010. So how do we keep ourselves from falling into the “everything is meaningless” cycle?
We heed and obey the words of Paul mentioned earlier in Colossians 3:17. Our daily desire should be to bring glory to God in whatever we are doing. Whether it is mowing the yard, running errands, spending time with family, or resting on the couch, we should be doing ALL things to make God pleased.
I close with these words from Brother Lawrence, a cook in a 17th-century monastery: “One’s depth of spirituality does not depend on changing things you do but rather changing your motive – doing for God what you ordinarily do for yourself.”
If you keep reading in Ecclesiastes you will find that Solomon was talking more about the motive for what was being done than what was actually being done. Listen to his conclusion: “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, [25] for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? [26] To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Eccl. 2:24-26).
Solomon’s conclusion is simply stated that to truly be happy, one must enjoy and be content with the provision of God. Solomon’s conclusion is restated by Paul in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Both Solomon and Paul realized that life is not about what they wanted. It was about what God wanted. It was about and still is about what God wants.
So why did Solomon say everything was meaningless? The answer is simple: because everything was being pursued for personal gain. Man has always had a desire for self-gratification and self-satisfaction. We are a society consumed with personal and instant fulfillment. John put it this way: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – come not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
The truth is, that we live in a “me” dominated society. It was in Solomon’s day, Paul’s day and even today in 2010. So how do we keep ourselves from falling into the “everything is meaningless” cycle?
We heed and obey the words of Paul mentioned earlier in Colossians 3:17. Our daily desire should be to bring glory to God in whatever we are doing. Whether it is mowing the yard, running errands, spending time with family, or resting on the couch, we should be doing ALL things to make God pleased.
I close with these words from Brother Lawrence, a cook in a 17th-century monastery: “One’s depth of spirituality does not depend on changing things you do but rather changing your motive – doing for God what you ordinarily do for yourself.”
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