Things That I Think About

1. How to break inhibitions in myself and become more expressive and creative.

2. How to love more creatively.

3. How to become unconventional in my relationship with God without becoming unbiblical.

4. The fact that time spent judging others is time lost enjoying them, serving them, and loving their beautiful personality.

5. How to become more confrontational with unbelievers without departing from a real and beautiful love for them that shakes their world.

6. Should I keep a balance between walking in absolute freedom that Christ's love for me brings without caring whether or not fruit is produced or should I be concerned with the fact that my sometime lack of love for Christ indicates a missing of how precious He is?

7. How can I see God as bigger and myself and others' opinions of me as insignificant?

8. How can I get this computer and entertainment in general out of my life forever?

Things I Want to Say to Students at Liberty University

I have a few messages I wish I'd heard when I was attending Liberty:

1. Strive to grow in Christ. It's easy to assume that because you're going to convocation three times a week, church on Sundays, and prayer groups on Tuesdays, that you're growing spiritually. There is a BIG difference between doing spiritual activities and growing in Christ. Growing in Christ is hard work. It means spending time in prayer and in the word. It means fasting. It means being broken over sin. It means dying to yourself daily. It is not hanging out with Christian people or talking about Christian things or listening to Christian music or going to church at every opportunity. It is SO EASY to look at all the spiritual activities you're doing and think that you are growing in your relationship with Christ! Don't be deceived! It is so easy to go to church, prayer meetings, worship services, etc. and not even know Jesus Christ! Labor to know Christ! Wrestle with God just like Jacob did! Don't let Him go until He blesses you!

2. There is a real world out there past the Arby's restaurant and the Sonic. You study things in your theology classes, your GNED classes, Creation Studies classes, etc. and you hear about the people who believe different things from you. But until you're out there and you meet these people it's easy to let them be lumped into a huge massive group of faces you've never seen. Don't slip into the trap of focusing on their ideas and their arguments and their thoughts while missing their humanity. One day you're going to be in the "real" world and you will not be surrounded by people who believe Jesus is the only way or that human life begins at conception or that God created the world or that the Bible is true. When you meet these people you might be intimidated because they DO know a lot! They have arguments of their own. They are real flesh and blood people. People who want to be loved and cared for and acknowledged rather than steam-rolled over with arguments. And if Jesus is not more real to you than arguments and propositions and doctrines, you might get scared. That's why message number one is so important. Don't just know ABOUT Jesus Christ. KNOW Him. Open yourself and let Him start living His life out in you. Then you will go and love and serve and humbly point others to Him as the most precious thing in all the world.

3. Do uncomfortable acts of service. It's easy to be a "Christian" at Liberty. It costs you next to nothing. Nobody looks at you funny or asks why you're so obsessed with religion. Almost everyone there goes to church and convocation and knows a lot of worship music and uses big spiritual words like "compassion" and "mercy" and "grace". It costs nothing to be a "Christian" at Liberty. But a real Christian life is always costly. Christianity is more than going to church and having Chris Tomlin on your ipod and reading Christian books and watching Christian movies. Appearing to walk with Christ is easy. Walking with Him in reality is hard. It's going to cost you earthly comfort. Of course we are not saved by works or by anything that we do, but when a person sees how beautiful the cross of Christ is, they naturally forsake smaller pleasures for eternal ones, Christ-sized ones. So be uncomfortable. Pursue uncomfortability. People didn't find Christ living the cushy, pleasurable life while He was on earth, you won't find find Him by living that way yourself. Christ chose the path of costly love. It cost Him greatly. You have no idea how greatly it cost Him. It cost Him everything. So walk after Him. If you want to find Christ you must walk the paths that He chose. The greatest blessings in eternity lie waiting for those who take the lowest, most humble paths in this world. So do that. Do uncomfortable things. Loosen your grip on this world. Hold onto Christ.

4. Don't turn your political views or your knowledge of God into a way to get right with God. For a lot of my Christian life I have struggled with using my knowledge OF God as a claim that I know Him personally. I was using reading and studying theology and knowing the right books and the right authors and praying a certain way and reading so much of the Bible as my means of getting right with God. Simply, theology was my god. If I knew things that other people didn't I felt smug and I often looked down on them for not being as wise and well-read as I was. That's all crap. You don't get right with God by knowing the right things or saying the right things or reading the right books or anything like that. You get right with God by Jesus Christ dying for you. THAT is the only thing that matters. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is Christianity. Christ took my sins on Himself and gave me His righteousness in its place. Don't gather all the "right" knowledge of God and miss the realization that Christ really did die for people who simply put their faith in Him and believe that His sacrifice was enough. And when you realize that He died FOR YOU, nothing else really matters. Don't complicate your heart and mind with a lot of other stuff. Certainly, you should study, certainly, you should have good theology and go to church and pray; but don't let those things turn into your justification or you'll be in serious trouble on judgement day.

Sinking Sands

Korea is much different from the US. In the US, I had this real sense of stability and security. True, people leave the US to live abroad all the time, but I didn't know any of them. Things were constant. The same routine day in and day out. Adults usually work the same job for years and years on end. The church remains mostly the same. One's classmates remain mostly the same. There is no threat of war or, except in a few areas, natural disaster. I felt relatively safe in the US. The few things in my life that were unpredictable were small enough that I didn't really care about them.

When I came to Korea, all that was pulled out from under me. My life here changes. In big ways. And frequently. I've been put into a community that is very diverse and is constantly changing shape on me. People come and people go. The HICF (Hanbit International Christian Fellowship) I go to now is very different from the one I found when I got here. Our worship leader has changed, our sunday school program has been done away with, our Bible study location has changed, and now our Bible study *leader* has changed. There are very few things that really are constant in my life here. And tonight one of the things I'd really taken for granted, I had to say goodbye to. It's rough. I am a creature of routine and predictability and habit. I don't adapt at the drop of a hat. It takes time. Life in Korea has been difficult because the change is truly relentless. I have had to learn to take things as they come and accept change as something that's unavoidable.

Something that God is teaching me is to give up trying to maintain the status quo. One thing is unchanging. Only one. And that is God. My life needs to be held loosely. I can't grasp onto something and refuse to let it go because it will inevitably fail me and bring frustration and depression. God brought me to Korea to get the status quo off of His throne. Like I said before, change here is relentless. It's like God keeps throwing things at me telling me to deal with it, move on, and keep holding onto Christ. When one holds onto Christ, change, rather than bringing discouragement and depression, brings exhilaration and joy. Oh to walk with Him through all the shifting worlds is better to live in a world that seems secure without His sweet presence! Sometimes God stills the storm, and sometimes He stills the heart of His child in the midst of the storm. I prefer the latter.

Cutting a Hand

Brothers and sisters, I need you to pray for me. Usually when I say that I'm in some sort of depression or discouragement. This time, I'm on the verge of adventure, excitement, and change mingled with what will be a great pain for a while. This week I drew the conclusion that my computer, for most of my life, has been an idol in my heart. When I don't have other things to do, I get on the computer. Even when I remove most of the "interesting" features of a computer I somehow still get stuck on here. I guess I love the convenience of it. I've had a personal computer for most of my life. In fact, I can't really remember the last time I had no access to a personal computer. It's shaped the way I think even. Sometimes when I'm out and about a thought will come to me and I'll think "What a great facebook status that would be." or "I should write a blog entry about that concept." or after a long day at work, "Man, I can't wait to get back and crash with a good movie or TV show on my computer." It's an incredibly versatile invention. You can watch movies, play games, engage in socializing, plan a trip, find all sorts of random, useless information, read a book, and on and on and on. It plays so much to my "instant gratification" mindset. It gives me what I want when I want it.

So anyway, I realized what God wants me to do with this hunk of plastic and metal. Ever see the movie 127 Hours? It's about a guy named Aron Ralston who goes canyon climbing out in Utah. He gets to Blue John Canyon on Saturday. As he's climbing down a tight squeeze between two rock walls, an extremely heavy boulder gives way and falls a short way with him and then comes down pinning his right hand between it and the canyon wall. Over the next 4 days or so, Ralston tries many and various means to get his arm unstuck. On the last day, he comes to the conclusion that if he's going to survive he needs to take drastic measures. He breaks both of his arm bones and uses a dull pocket knife to cut his hand off. He's rescued; but barely. That's what I'm going to do with this computer. Just slice it off. There's a whole life out there that I've missed for a long time because my world centers around this electronic machine. There's a Savior to be known, a salvation to be reveled in, a crown to be won, and bunches and bunches of people to love and serve. So I say it's time. Be off with you, piece of crap. You've robbed me too long and too dearly already.

I can hear the questions coming. How will you stay in touch with your friends and family from back home? Does this mean no more emails or facebook or Skype or overseas communication in any form? No. It doesn't mean this. I'll still have my iPod. I'm getting wireless internet at my house soon. Then I can voice Skype, facebook, and email with my loved ones. They won't be able to see me as I don't have a camera on my iPod, but that's an inconvenience I'm prepared to deal with.

So why do I ask for prayer? Well, cutting out an idol doesn't automatically produce intimacy with Christ. It puts me under the fountain of blessing but God still has to turn that fountain on. There will be a great deal of pain. Most of my life, I've had a computer supporting me, giving me entertainment, taking my mind off of problems in my life, etc. Cutting that off isn't going to be a thrill ride most days. It's going to be hard and painful and frustrating and boring many days. Pray that doing this would rain down such a blessing of intimacy with Christ that I literally wouldn't know what to do with all my joy. And if He doesn't do that, pray that I would bear this patiently, persevering and walking with Christ daily. So yeah. Pray for me. Thanks, everyone!

Please Come Home

A mother and her daughter lived in a little village outside of Rio de Janeiro. They didn't have a lot of money. Their floor was dirt. The mother scratched a living by knitting and repairing worn out clothes. And the mother's greatest fear was that one day, her daughter, who was very, very beautiful, would leave home and go to Rio de Janeiro to get a life for herself. The mother knew what would happen to her if she did that.

Well one day the mother came home from work. Her daughter was gone. There was a note left that read "I have gone to Rio de Janeiro to make a life for myself." The mother knew what was going to happen. So the mother took all the money that she'd managed to save. She went to the bus station and bought a ticket to Rio de Janeiro. When she got there she went into a photo shop and spent a great deal of her money making pictures of herself.

The mother found a place to stay for a while and for the next few weeks she went all over the city. She visited every nightclub, bar, disco-tech, and hotel where she thought her daughter might be. And she left a picture of herself every place she went to look. Eventually she ran out of money and went home.

One night, the daughter was walking down the stairs of a hotel. She was with a man. She had become a prostitute. And as the daughter walked down the stairs, she felt like she was dying inside. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw with horror that she seemed to have aged fifteen years. Her image looked so tired and beaten down and haggard. But then something caught her eye on the side of the mirror. She went over to look closer and was astonished to see a picture of her mother. She picked it up and cleaned it off and then turned it over. On the back, she read these words: "I don't care what you have done. I don't care what you have become. Please come home."

Man. Woman. If you are out there and you are sick to death of yourself and your life, if you are worn out and beaten down and so discouraged that discouraged doesn't even begin to describe how you feel inside. If you feel like you are dying, listen to this. The message God wants you to hear is "I don't care what you have done. I don't care what you have become. Please come home." If you cannot keep going this way and you are more lonely than you ever thought possible. If you are considering ending your life. If you think there is no HOPE for you, LISTEN! COME TO JESUS! He is SUCH a MIGHTY SAVIOR! "...the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out." He is MIGHTY to save! Come to Him! Trust in Him! And He will save you from everything you need saving from.

Pursue Christ

What is the Christian life about? In the end, what does it all come down to? Going to church? Saying your prayers? Having a quiet time? Serving and loving both Christians and non-Christians? None of these is the answer. The Christian life isn't even primarily about being forgiven or sanctified or going to heaven! These are all very important things... but they're not the point of Christianity. Let me ask you a question that will direct you to what I believe is the right answer; WHY do you need forgiveness? What does it achieve? What was God aiming at in offering forgiveness to anyone who believes? I'm forgiven... so what... now I can sin more than ever because I'm forgiven?! NO! You were saved FOR GOD!

Brothers and sisters, the point of salvation isn't to make you good people! It's not a bargaining chip God put down to get you to behave yourself! Jesus didn't die to make you respectable and make you get your life together! The point of EVERYTHING is knowing Jesus Christ! How much do you desire Christ? To what lengths are you willing to go to know Him? Is your pursuit sluggish or lazy? Or is it your all-consuming passion? Do you think that Jesus Christ is "pretty cool" or does the very thought of Him make your heart start beating faster?

Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God, this kind of desire can't be produced in the human heart... any more than a person with dead taste-buds can determinedly sit down to a jar of honey and say "This is GOING TO taste sweet to me!" So what do you do if you DON'T feel this intense yearning and desire for Christ?! This almost brought me to tears recently! What do I do if Jesus Christ isn't deeply desirable to me?! Do I despair? Do I try to blame-shift? Do I just sit down and cry? Or do I pray?

Friends, let this note be a catalyst to pray like you've never prayed before! God is highly, highly honored by this prayer because it calls Him to move his sovereign fingers to fulfill a promise He made to you. "I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Beg with God. Don't put on a show. He'll see right through it. As you're praying, don't try to produce desire in your heart. Just read. Trust God to speak to you. And if He doesn't speak right away, don't despair. God is not obligated to move at your whim. He is God. You are not. Your praying is not a bargaining chip to get God to move. When He moves it will be a gracious, beautiful gift. Maybe it will take a day... or a month... or a year... or ten years. Don't... give... up! Devote yourself to prayer and Scripture. And see how precious He can become. He is worthy to be pursued!

A Losing War... Won For Us

I just thought of a parallel between the story of David and Goliath and the gospel. If anyone doesn't know this story, I'll relate it briefly.

David, a teenager who tends his father's sheep, is sent by his father to check up on his brothers who are away at war. David gets there and finds that Goliath, a giant on the Philistine side, has been taunting Israel for several weeks, waiting for a champion to come and face off with him. The deal is that if someone kills Goliath, the rest of the Philistines will surrender and become slaves of the Israelites. Goliath is a powerful guy. Stands about 9 feet tall. The Israelite army is petrified. Nobody is willing to go and fight this guy. Anyway, David gets there and sees this happening and says "I'll kill this guy. He's defying the armies of God. God will hand him over to me." So Saul, somewhat reluctantly, lets David go off and face Goliath. David uses a slingshot and strikes Goliath on the forehead, knocking him out. Then David takes Goliath's sword and cuts off the giant's head.

What struck me as an awesome parallel between this story and the gospel is this: the armies of God do not accomplish the central victory themselves. The whole battle is determined by two champions facing off. Praise be to God I don't have to worry about killing Satan myself! That victory is secured! The army doesn't look very impressive in this story! So I don't have to worry when I don't look very impressive myself. After Goliath is killed, the Philistines flee. This shows the attitude of a Christian's warfare. Sure there is some conflict between the armies but it's all in the attitude of the victory having been won already!

An illustration that John Piper used that I truly love is of being in a hospital. Imagine you're lying behind the curtains in a hospital bed and in the enclosure next to you you hear blood-curdling screams and agonies. It makes all the difference in the world whether you're in the oncology unit or the maternity ward. Brothers and sisters, we are in the maternity ward. All the sufferings, pains and inconveniences we deal with are not the pangs of death, but of life. The victory was won at the cross! Christ suffered the worst of the pain! And by His stripes we are healed. Praise God!

"Wow... That would buy a whole lot of..."

There's an episode of the Simpsons that just crossed my mind that I think has some parallels with how I perceive my salvation. It's just this one line from the episode that stood out to me. I don't remember what episode it is but Bart has just received a great deal of money and he's seeing an ad about a sale on burgers or burritos or something. Let's just say he's received $500. He looks bug-eyed at the ad and then says something along the lines of "Wow... $500... That would buy a whole lot of burgers!"

What I see in light of the gospel is this... I have a whole boatload of riches in Christ. More than I even dreamed existed in the world... but I have the mind of a fool or a child. Sometimes all I can see is "Wow. There is a lot of forgiveness for lust, overeating, and laziness in there." I'm missing the point when I think like this. Just like Bart would be an idiot to spend $500 on burgers. Burgers are too small an item to consider spending $500 on! Forgiveness for lust, overeating, and laziness are too small to consider spending the riches of Christ on! Bart should be thinking of much bigger things to spend his $500 on! I should be thinking of much more significant, beautiful, awesome pleasures (i.e. the pleasures of knowing Christ Himself) to enjoy through the blood of Christ! I know the analogy breaks down but it's just a thought. When you see forgiveness as the epitome of what salvation is all about, you miss the main point. Forgiveness is not an end in itself! You are forgiven so that you can actually know God! That's what salvation is all about! Jesus died to take away all the obstacles from you having a personal relationship with God that wouldn't end in the eternal destruction of your soul! If you're not enjoying that personal relationship you've missed the whole aim and purpose of your salvation.

Atonement Q & A

Call me weird but I love Christian rap. It's like listening to a 5 minute sermon and it's so packed full of truth that it's ridiculous. Anyway, here's one of my favorite songs. This one explains the very center of Christianity, the gospel itself. How does it do it? By defining theological terms that many people may not know. This is like a massive pile of dry leaves and wood to throw on the fire of your joy!

Verse 1


Who is God? God is the universe’s Creator

And Sustainer plus the only Savior, there is no one greater

He's triune, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, absolute

Loving, sovereign and righteous are a few of His attributes

How do we know this? Well, we know this from the Bible

Where God has revealed Himself- anything else is just an idol

What’s the Bible about? Man’s complete ruin in sin

And what God has done in Christ to bring us to Him again

What is sin? Sin is the breaking of God’s law

Plus our condition, which means from birth we all got flaws

What’s the result? The result is by nature we’re God’s enemies

And must pay the penalty unless God provides the remedy

What the remedy? The remedy is the cross of Christ

Where He suffered all the stripes for the lawless type

I’ve been rescued by the Lamb, I’m convinced that He’s risen

And blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven!


Chorus


Just fall back, and with the eyes of faith

Behold the beauty of surprising grace

Because the Lamb has died, third day He had to rise

He’s magnified- God’s wrath is satisfied


Just fall back- there’s an atonement now

The cross of Christ is holy ground

Because the Lamb has died, third day He had to rise

He’s magnified- God’s wrath is satisfied


Verse 2


Regeneration- the Holy Spirit’s true work in His love

To the elect, who receive new birth from above

Expiation- expiation means God’s removed my filthiness

The old testament type was the goat into the wilderness

Redemption- we’ve been freed from slavery to sin

And His very own blood is the price He paid, my friend

Propitiation- Propitiation means since the Lamb has died

His work is finished- God’s wrath is satisfied

Adoption- adoption means God is now my Father

I got the hottest Poppa and by the Spirit holler Abba

Reconciliation means there’s no more enmity

God is now a friend to me, we’re no longer enemies

Justification- God declares us righteous

Sanctification- we’re being made into His likeness

Glorification- that’s what happens at the finish

When God conforms believers perfectly to Christ’s image!


Chorus


Verse 3


God’s grace is magnificent, He slayed His innocent

Son- through faith and repentance we get the benefits

What is faith? Faith is a gift from God- when we receive this

We trust and treasure the person and finished work of Jesus

Repentance? Repentance is turning from your sin

And trusting Christ as the Spirit cleanses you within

What is grace? Oh, grace is unmerited favor

Our inheritance major ‘cause we cherish the Savior

Right, and if I may quote again, we were doomed with Satan

But believers get Jesus’ righteousness through imputation

Imputation? God takes Jesus’ righteousness amount

Through faith He credits it into the Christian’s account

Anything else? Well, I guess this overview must suffice

But none of this is possible apart from union with Christ

And finally, once you know the ways of the Lord than the

only thing that you can say is Soli Deo Gloria!


Chorus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RUciHVpCbw

Victorious Living

Saint! Do you hear the call of Jesus Christ? Do you know the power that you have at your disposal?! Rather... do you know the Power that has YOU at His disposal?! How dare we go out there and live with a defeatist mindset! The kingdom of Jesus Christ is going to win through to absolute victory! You are plugged into a powerhouse of grace through Jesus Christ! The question is not "Can I handle indwelling sin in my life?" but "Can indwelling sin handle the Spirit who dwells in me?"! The Christian life isn't about coping and surviving! The Christian life is about smashing sin to bits and treading on Satan's head! Our Captain has gone before us and He does NOT give us just enough grace to survive for the day! Don't sit around worrying about bad things that may happen to you or about mistakes you might make! Go out and face your very worst fears! It's more appropriate if the things you fear are themselves afraid of you! They can't handle you who are in Christ! They don't have the resources to weather the storm! This. Is. WAR! YOU HAVE A SOVEREIGN GOD ON YOUR SIDE!!! He will give you absolute victory! And when you fall and sin and make big mistakes DON'T EVER DESPAIR! Never despair! Not under any circumstance! Despair and frustration are NOT part of the Christian life! Repentance is! Repent and move on! Don't look back! Yours is the victory in Christ! Just as He walked on Satan's head, so you will too! You fight! Fight hard! Fight brutally! Fight with everything you have in you! Smash in the skulls of your enemies! They will NOT win! Their attempts to gain ultimate control over you are futile! Get out of your comfort zone! Fail in a truly epic fashion! But even more powerfully BELIEVE! "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And THIS is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4) You are free to fail big time! You are free to make a dreadful mess! DON'T let your mess discourage you though! God is bigger than your mess! He loves you because of His Son! Not because you don't make messes! "No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins?" Beat sin to death with your faith! It's a painful, grueling, uphill battle to believe sometimes but by God's grace you will fight to the end! NEVER despair though! No matter what you have done! No matter what you may do in the future! Never despair! Never ever! Ever! Not in a thousand years! Not in a million lifetimes! Not even a little! Never despair! The Christian life is summed up in one word... hope. Hope against everything that says to despair and you will be brought safely into the grand kingdom of your Father! "Fear not, little sheep. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

I Don't Know What to Call This

Just have to get some thoughts off my chest. I need prayer, friends. I mean that. I. NEED. prayer. Things can't stay like this. So much of my walk with Christ is ME doing things. That's not how Christianity works. In Islam and Buddhism and all the other religions that I know about, it's all about people doing things to reach God and all about people obeying the right commands or measuring up to the divine standard. In short, non-Christians feel the burden lies on them. ONLY in Christianity is God the first mover. It's a supernatural religion. It's not about me doing something, it's about God doing something. I can't meet God's requirements until God moves in me. I can't attain to a divine standard until God makes the first move. I'm incapable. It's not possible. "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength" is not merely a command to obey God. It is a command to cherish God. To want God more than anything else. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Does not mean "Do good things for your neighbor, grumbling and complaining all the while." It means to desire the good of all men with earnestness. I don't just sin. I am a sinner. My heart is wrong. For my heart to be fixed, God has to intervene. A person cannot perform open-heart surgery on themselves so neither can I change my heart. God has to remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. Until He does, I'm in violation of His law.

All this to say that, while I believe I'm saved (because I have faith that Christ died for my sins and that God is working sanctification in me), I need prayer for more sanctification. So. Many. of my desires are still WRONG! I can't honestly say that God's commandments are not burdensome. Something is WRONG! I need to not just obey God but to LOVE obeying Him! I need to not just do kind things for others; I need to LOVE showing kindness. I need to LOVE showing patience and grace and compassion. I need to HATE sin. There is still a part of me that likes sin and that is NOT making war on it! Or that is making war but not NEARLY as intensely as I need to be. I don't love God with my whole heart! There are times when I CAN'T say "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside you." The wonder of salvation is so often lost on me. I see the glory of some important things but I miss the glory on so many, many more.

Romans 5 says that "hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit..." This isn't talking about the end of a chain of logic. This is talking about an experience. An experience I lack so often. Sometimes it surfaces but it needs to be more consistent and more deeply felt. Romans 8 says that "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." Again, that's not talking about a deduction from logic. That's talking about an experience. An experience I lack. The Holy Spirit, a being completely apart from me, needs to testify to my spirit before I can enjoy this reality. I don't see the glory of God being my Father. So often I live under the bondage of fear. And that's not okay. It's not okay for a child of God to be living that way! Jesus died to remove me from the service of fear. My service to God and to others MUST be born of love. Not fear. That's the defining characteristic of Christ-followers. Love. Unrelenting love. Deep love. Abandoned love. Love in the face of all hatred and things that would normally cause fear. I don't love people that way. Not yet. So please pray for me.

Thoughts on Day 10,227

Well it's my 28th birthday tomorrow. 28 years. 10,227 days (including leap days). Nearly 2,000 worship services I imagine. Twelve years of grade school. A bit more than 4 years of college. Almost a solid year of living abroad here in Korea. 28 birthdays. It's not that many when you think about it. 28. I've lived a grand total of 10,227 days but only 28 have been days when people celebrated my entrance into the world. That means 10,199 days that were NOT my birthday. What do we celebrate when we celebrate a birthday? Is it not a celebration of the non-birthday days? If someone does nothing for the 364 unbirthdays, would there be much to celebrate on the 365th? I don't think so. A birthday is a time when thankfulness and joy are shown for what the person has done on their unbirthdays.

As I reach my 28th birthday, I look both forward and back. When I look back, I see frustrations, disappointments, regrets, and trouble AND joy, sweetness, rest, and providence. I've missed many opportunities to shine the greatness of the gospel of the glory of Christ. Many instances where I wish I could change myself or open my eyes to something I'd forgotten about; but also forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, compassion, and good gifts from my Father's loving hand to mine. I see failures in my life but I see the faithfulness of God. I see unrighteousness in myself but I also see that the righteousness of Christ is mine by faith. And I see disappointments that made God's providence that much sweeter when it came to fruition.

Looking forward I see, perhaps, another 26,000 days. One of my goals for this coming year is to instill an eternal mindset deeper into me. I want those 26,000 days that may or may not lie ahead of me to be spent gathering as much treasure as I possibly can for day 26,001. When I hit that date, I'll realize the fulness of how precious Jesus Christ is and I don't want to weep for a life that was wasted. The day when I cross that last, great river is coming. I want to be riveted by that thought day in and day out until it's time for me to plunge into those waters. I want to face death with the confidence that Jesus Christ is mine and that I am His. I want to see death coming and smile a big smile knowing the beauty of what lies on that other shore. I want to be able to say with Paul "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." I want to count all things as rubbish that I may know Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

So for the next 26,000 days, I want to forget what's behind me and press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. As I reach day 10,227 I want to ask my God for help in living for Him every remaining day that I wear this mortal body. Pray for me, friends. I need it.

One Single Moment

Something that has appeared increasingly sweet to me in the past month is justification. "...he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." It says that in John 5:24. Take that in... "...he who BELIEVES... has passed from death into life." A fraction of a second. Such a miniscule amount of time passes between unbelief and belief. A fraction of a second. One second you are alienated from God; the next second, you are embraced as a child. One second. Justification happens instantaneously. The second you put your trust in Jesus Christ, your eternity has just shifted. A second is all it takes. One second, you're stumbling in darkness; the next second you see the light. One second you're headed straight for the punishment you've earned, the next second, you're headed towards eternal blessing and greater joy than you could ever imagine in the deep recesses of your heart. One second, the verdict in heaven read "guilty", the next second, it read "acquitted". In a single, minuscule, seemingly insignificant second, the eternal destiny of a precious human soul has been changed.

And every life is connected. Other eternities shift when one does. We live out our days amidst so much seeming insignificance and drudgery but our lives are part of a chain reaction that is forever changing the face of reality. Every action or inaction we do or don't do is impacting a thousand processes at work in the world today. Eternities are being molded and shaped by every word we speak, every look we have on our face, and every act of service and love we do. Eternities. are being. molded. When you go to church, you are impacting this world in some way. When you say a harmful word, you are impacting eternity for the worse. When you speak well and glorify God, you are impacting peoples' eternities for the better! Every moment of your life, you're impacting the lives and destinies of others.

Pretty sobering, huh? Let this affect how you live your life today. Then come back and tell me some stories. :-)

Learning the Music

I sit in a darkened valley. The sweet smell of the flowers pervades the air. The distant rush of sweet, mountain waters fills my ears. The heat is palpable. Behind me stands my Instructor. Twenty years I've been here practicing. Twenty years of frustration and discouragement. Twenty years trying to get it right but stumbling over the simple notes of this melody. What tune is it? Is a piece penned by Beethoven? A composition by Mozart? A symphony by Liszt or Salieri? No. You know this piece. Everyone knows it. Mary Had a Little Lamb.

I know. You don't need to say anything! I know it's pathetic that I'm still messing up this ridiculously easy tune. I've had twenty years to get discouraged with myself. Twenty years to realize how truly daft I am. My opinion of myself couldn't be much lower. The only thing is...

It's Him. He's been here those twenty years with me. There have been times where I've been ready to quit trying. In fact, there have been times when I've actually thrown in the towel. "No sense in keeping this up," I say. "You've seen how slow I am to learn and how easy I am to forget. Come on, Teacher! Let's part ways! There are other, more talented students you could be teaching. You're much too important and your gifts are too great to be wasted on a dunce like me!" But he says no...

"Come on, Wes. Just sit down. Let's NOT part ways. And of course there are other more talented students than you out there! I'm glad you realize that. But what does that have to do with anything? You see, when I finally get YOU to play, that's going to make me look GREAT! Besides... I know you... you want to play. You want to improve. So come on back and try again."

And as I delicately put my hands on the keys again, I feel Him lean in and put His hands on my shoulders. I feel the hot wave of breath on the hair near my ear. "Someday, Wes... someday we'll stun the angelic choirs with the music you play. Someday. Just keep practicing."

My Paraphrase of Luke 6:20-38

Please. Don't take the following as Scripture. These words that you're about to read are not 7 times refined by fire or sifted like grain to get rid of chaff. They are not worth thousands of coins of gold and silver and they should not be treated as solid food for the hungry stomach. If the Bible is God's letter to you, the following is me trying to describe the gist of what that letter says. That said, I hope what follows will edify, challenge, and encourage you.

Jesus looked around at the multitude of His followers and said "Contrary to what the world may tell you, you should be happier than anyone else if you're poor and you recognize it. Poor in spirit, poor in resources, poor in ability, just generally poor. Why is this? Because you're the ones who will inherit the eternal kingdom! If you've got a ravening spiritual appetite, you should be inextinguishably happy because I'm going to feed you the best food you've ever tasted! If you're crying over your wretched condition right now, take heart because you'll be rolling over laughing in just a little while longer! And I don't mean the shallow, vapid kind of laugh you hear coming from people who are amused with stupid little trifles! I mean the kind of laugh you hear coming from people who have been through a lot when something indescribably great happens! And if people hate you right now... if you're being treated as the scum of the earth and nobody shows you any love or respect... if you're being taken advantage of and looked at as foolish or stupid or offensive or evil because you belong to me... well, let's just say the day is coming when you will realize how fortunate you were to be treated this way. Special treasures will be given to those who suffer for kingdom of God. So when you're insulted and belittled and hated and teased and ruthlessly attacked, either through words or physically, jump up and down with joy. You don't realize how great what you're going to get in eternity is because of these things! You'll be getting the same prize that other "great" servants got! Think of it... you'll get the same reward as Moses and Elijah and the other famous guys!

"But now, let's look at the flip side. If you're rich in spirit and able to handle life yourself and perform well in this life, watch out because you'll be defenseless when you face the great Judge. You're enjoying life now but the day is coming when everything is going to flip on its head. If you think you're doing just fine without God and you're satisfied right now, be careful. You're full now but the day is coming when you'll be ravenously hungry and there will be no food. You're laughing now but you'll eventually have many things to cry about. If everyone is congratulating you and looks up to and admires you, remember that they treat God's enemies the same way. If nobody has any complaints about you and you're liked by many people, that means you're not living according to what God says you need to live by.

"Here are some guidelines for living in the eternal kingdom. Remember, you're going to be swimming upstream against the current. What I'm about to tell you to do, the world is going to say is stupid and dangerous. Here's the deal though. You need to love your enemies. People are going to hate you when you do what I tell you to do. You're not going to be popular or well liked. They hated Me so they'll hate you also! You need to love them in return! You need to do good things for them and bless them and pray for them! Even in the midst of them doing bad things to you and cursing you and mistreating you and taking advantage of you! If someone spits on you, look for ways to serve them! If someone robs you and takes something of great earthly value, don't let them get away with just that! Give them something else also! This will show them that you have a greater treasure than these puny things. Maybe it will even wet their appetite for those things that really matter! If someone takes what belongs to you, don't sue them or try to get even with them or even ask for the item back. Hold your earthly possessions lightly but grab hold onto Me! In summary, treat everyone you meet as you wish they would treat you.

"If you only love your friends and family, what good is that to you? That doesn't make you any different from the rest of sinful humanity. If you only do good things for those who treat you well, what good is that to you? That's the way God's enemies live. If you lend money or goods to others knowing that you will receive it back, what's the point? Sinners do the exact same thing. Here's how I want you to live though! Love those who want to kill you... those who hate what you say and how you live! Do good to them! Lend to everyone and don't expect a dime back! If you do that, your reward will be greater than you could ever begin to imagine in your wildest dreams! THAT is how your heavenly Father loves! That's how I love! You're all ungrateful, backstabbing, wicked people! You trample My glory! You desecrate that which is pure and holy and you are careless and apathetic about matters of eternal importance... But I love you... I'm going to practice what I preach... I freely give you Myself... My righteousness, My glory, My sinless perfection... I give you My best in the face of your worst! I... love... you! In the face of such love and compassion and grace... I will make you merciful and loving... just... like... Me.

For My Unbelieving Friends

Dear friend,

My heart is burdened for you to know the Truth! Burdened because your eternity hangs on it! When you die it will be too late and there will be no second chance! I beg you to just read this note and think on these things and, if you so wish, ask questions! Ask anything because there is an answer for you no matter what your question is! I implore you to consider these things because they are the only eternal truth! The grass withers and flowers fade away but God's word will never fail and never become irrelevant! Friend, eternity is a long, long time. Longer than the human mind can grasp. It's too big for us! Compared to this life, it's like the Himalayan Mountains being compared to the bumps and ridges on an orange peel. Please read. Just consider. Ask questions. Think things through. Ask God to grant faith in these words. There is no greater joy available to you than to know the Truth! Your best day in this life is absolute shit compared to the joys that God offers you in knowing Him. Sorry if my use of that curse offended you but that's literally what the joys of this life are compared to what God offers you.

Truth #1: God is so kind to you. Look at your life. You have breath in your lungs. You have the food that you need to keep on living. And not just ANY food but unless you're living in a third world country, you have access to some REALLY NICE food! You have a roof over your head. You have friends. You live in a country where crime is under control and you can say and think what you want to. Your body continues to function! Do you know how many different processes are at work in your physical body right now? Do you know how many of them are absolutely vital to your continued existence? If one of these faltered even for a second you would die on the spot. Your very existence is a gift from God's hand to yours. You don't earn the function of your organs. You don't earn your ability to work, make money, and buy food. God graciously has granted your body to work and He graciously continues giving your body what it needs to keep going. Do you have any great memories in your life? You didn't earn them. You didn't work hard to get the friends you have. God, in His great kindness, brought them to you. You have all 5 of your senses. You can see and hear and smell and taste and touch! All of these are gifts. God is not under any obligation to do any of these things for you. If God takes them away you have no right to complain because you did nothing to earn them. Your whole life you've been completely dependent on God keeping you that way. He could change anything at any second and you have no right to argue with God that it's wrong of Him to change it. He gave you life and knit you together inside your mother so He has every right to decide when you die. It could be right after reading this note. It could be in 20 minutes. It could be in 20 years. God decides when you die. You have no say in it. James 1:17 says "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." God has been and continues to be VERY kind to you. Not because you've earned it but just because He is kind and gracious.

Truth #2: You haven't responded to God's kindness adequately. You've acted as though you had some right to good things. You've loved the gifts more than the Father who gave them to you. If someone asked you "What makes you a good person?" you would probably reply that you never killed anyone, stole anything, told any BIG lies. You're not a rapist or a dishonest stockbroker or a burglar. You've never sold any drugs or strung out a teenage girl. You've never kidnapped anyone and demanded a ransom. Morally, you're in pretty good shape you think. Do you notice any pattern in these answers? I do. They're all about how you've treated other people. They're all about your relationship to other human beings. Not one of these qualifications has anything to do with God. If God used this standard to evaluate people, we'd all be pretty much okay. Of course, we all have to admit we've failed at one time or another to love other people the way that God requires of us. But the point of all this is that God does NOT use this standard to judge people! Jesus said the greatest commandment (the most important one) is to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. (Matthew 22:35-38) Have you done that? God is the most precious, most beautiful, most powerful, fearful, awe-inspiring, radiant, magnificent, perfect, righteous, just, holy, compassionate, loving, kind entity in existence! Have you treated Him as such? Has your entire life been a symphony of worship and praise to Him only? If you want to earn heaven by working, that's what your going to have to do. You can't let one single, solitary moment escape you without giving God the absolute maximum amount of glory and worship you possibly can. And once you DO put forth this amount of work you can't have a single ounce of pride. You must be completely humble to come into God's presence. Pride is a sin that God hates. And even if you were able to live that way from this moment forward you'd still have the problem of your previous life and the moments gone by that you've failed to worship and love Him adequately. All of this to say... you. have. not. loved. God. as. He. deserves.

Truth #3: God hates sin. What is sin? Sin is anything that does NOT magnify the greatness of God. God. is. everything. Romans 11:36 makes it clear. God is the center of everything. If it's not making God look more to be desired and loved and wanted it's wicked in the highest degree. God created you to make Him look great. Now you might think that's vain and self-centered but think about it for a second. If God really is perfect and holy and beautiful and desirable and holy and majestic and all the other superlatives that God is, doesn't that make Him the only one who DESERVES to be made much of? Wouldn't it be unkind of God to keep you from valuing that which is supremely valuable? So God is kind and gracious to hate everything that doesn't make Him look like what He really is! Isaiah 43:7 says that everything was created for God's glory! So if it's not doing its job, it's wicked! God can't stand sin. Sin is disgusting to Him. Picture a 4 or 5 year old splashing around in a pool of blood and pus and vomit and urine and motor oil and other disgusting things, holding a switchblade in his hand and physically threatening any adult who comes along to take him out of it all. He's bleeding everywhere and throwing up but he loves it. That's you when you're not worshipping God with everything in you. Sin. disgusts. God. Loving anything more than you love God is wicked beyond description.

Truth #4: One day, you're going to stand before God to have your life set up against the divine standard. God is a just judge. Maybe you're saying "Oh but I think God is loving and kind and He wouldn't sentence me to any real punishment. You've already emphasized how loving and kind God is and now you're contradicting yourself by saying He's going to punish sinners with hell." Picture this... you're married and you've got 3 children and a dog. You live in a nice house and have a couple good cars. One night you come home and a horrible sight meets your eyes. Your front door has been broken down. You come inside and your spouse is lying facedown in a pool of their own blood. You come in further and find two of your children have been violently attacked and sexually abused. Their throats have been cut. You fall to your knees, overwhelmed at what you're seeing but you hear some soft noises coming from another room. You walk in just in time to see your last child being murdered. You manage to subdue the attacker but your child is dead. A year later you're standing in the courtroom as the only eyewitness to this crime. You watch as the judge calls the defendant to her bench and you listen with horror as she says, "Don't worry. I'm a kind, gracious, loving, compassionate judge. I don't believe in giving punishment. Just pay this small fine and I'll let you go. I will acquit you." The very quality you're relying on to keep you from punishment (i.e. God's goodness) is the VERY quality that will condemn you. The fact of the matter is that if you haven't lived every second in humble adoration, worship, and love of God, you're going to stand condemned. Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." Maybe you'll face that judge in 10 years. Maybe in 20 years. Maybe after you finish reading this note. Remember, you have no guarantee of tomorrow. Death could come literally any second. But you will face the righteous Judge of all the earth. He knows all things. He sees all things. He hears all things. He has seen every thought that passed through your mind. Nothing is hidden from Him to whom you must give an account.

Truth #5: God loves you and has made a way for you to be found not guilty at the judgement. God has every right to simply cast you into hell. You have no grounds for a defense. You have no argument that will persuade God to acquit you. You are guilty before Him. BUT, as I said earlier, He is kind. He offers forgiveness to ANYONE who wants it. There is no sin so great that He cannot forgive it and grant you an acquittal at the judgement. Jesus Christ. God came into human history about 2,000 years ago in the form of a man named Jesus Christ. Jesus loved His Father with everything in Him the 30 odd years of His earthly life. Never once did He waver. He never slackened in His service to the Father. He did not break a single commandment at any time during His entire life. Not one deviation. Not one sin. Not one moment of pride. He raged against sin His entire life but He loved people at the same time. He lived the perfect life. After about 3 years of ministry, though, He was crucified. Who crucified Him? Some people say it was the Jews. Some say it was the Romans. Some say you and I crucified Him because He took sin on Himself and was punished for all of those who would have faith in His subsitutionary death. But, ultimately, Isaiah 53 makes it clear that GOD was the One who killed Him. Because He wanted to make a way back in for sinners. God couldn't ignore sin because He was just. But He COULD transfer sin and punish another in our place if they freely offered themselves as Jesus did. Jesus died for all who would believe and put their faith in Him. If you want forgiveness today, it's yours. Freely granted. No strings attached. No monkey business. You want mercy? You want to walk into death without any fear or apprehension or worry about what comes after? Just grab on to Jesus!

Truth #6: All you have to do is believe. Put your sin on the table. Be upfront and honest with God. If you don't remember every little thing you've said or thought or done, don't worry about it. You're not trying to earn God's forgiveness by recalling everything. Just fling yourself entirely on His mercy. Then believe. "And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Acts 2:21). If you don't believe, for God's sake don't just give up! If you don't believe, pray for belief! Ask questions! Labor in prayer! Beg God to grant you belief! EVERYTHING hangs on it! Don't rest! Don't slacken your grip! Don't take it easy! Press your whole being into your pursuit of real faith!

If this note speaks to you, PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me. Post a comment. Send a message. Call me. Email me. I want to show you the love of Christ and that's a large part of why I've written this note. I'm here for you if you're ever discouraged or convicted or afraid! Sometimes you have a long process to work through before you come to real faith and I want to be there for you if you're working through a lot. Know that I'm praying for you. May God bless you richly with eyes to see the greatness and the beauty of Jesus Christ!

Your Friend,

Wes

Gracious Works

What is the relationship between grace and works? Will everyone be equal in heaven? Or will some receive greater blessing than others? I've listened to both sides of this question. Some are adamant that grace is the great "leveller" under which nobody is greater than anyone else. Such preaching is sweet to our soul because it means God won't love some of the "great" Christians like Whitfield or Spurgeon. They are not "better" than us or more loved of God than us. On the other side, it definitely seems like Christ preaches that those who make greater sacrifices will receive greater blessing. Those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly. When Christ is asked to reserve the two seats at His right and left hand He intimately links such a request to suffering.

So what's the answer? Are we equal under grace? Or do some receive greater rewards than others? I believe the answer is both. We are equal. We all desperately need saving. We are wicked beyond comprehension and need a Savior to rescue us from sin. BUT, we do NOT all work with the same level of intensity after salvation has been wrapped around us. Once again, think of us as cups. Some of us are big, some are small, some are mere thimbles. That's how we're all different. Varying sizes. BUT the same beverage is poured into us. Namely, the love of Christ. It's not that some of us are more loved or less loved than others but that we can more completely understand that love. That love is more or less precious to us. Some of us have relatively easy lives here on earth. We don't suffer martyrdom or vicious lies being told about us. Our faith in Christ is real but the greatest thing we suffer for it is a more cramped financial lifestyle and the struggle to pray and pursue God every day. On the other side of the camp we have people like Jim Elliott, Nate Saint, Haralan Popov, and Richard Wurmbrandt who payed a very high cost for their faith in Christ. Now these men were not more loved by God but they had a more dreadful time living for Him than we do. The worse our experience in this life, the more we treasure the love of God. The more poverty we have in this world, the more we'll treasure the riches we have in the next. The drier the desert, the more desired the Promised Land. We're all loved by God and we're all deeply indebted with a debt that we can't ever pay off but we're NOT all undergoing equal suffering for our faith in Christ.

So if you want to receive blessing in greater amounts in the next life, pursue the more difficult path in this life. Blessing is linked to suffering. You won't be more loved by God, but you'll treasure that love more. You can be a HUGE cup or a thimble. The choice is up to you by the grace of God.

I accept that there may be a LOT of disagreement with this note. I'm not even sure it's all theologically intact. So I welcome any thoughts or feedback. Thanks, guys!

Maximum Work, Maximum Punishment

Just think about the insanity that was Jesus Christ being crucified.

First, look at the obedience of Jesus Christ. He was perfect. Not one single time did He lose track of His life purpose. Not one single error in His thinking. He didn't hold any false doctrine about God. Neither did His heart separate thinking from feeling. He never let His joy be determined by His situation. His joy in God was the result of painstakingly thought out theology. Not once did He look lustfully upon a woman. Not once did He wish He could kill His enemies. He was never angry without cause. He never erred in His keeping of the 10 commandments. He never coveted something that belonged to His neighbor. He was never frustrated when He didn't get His way. He never once in His entire life complained to God. He never took God for granted. He spent as much time as He could in prayer but He did not neglect practical obedience to His Father. He never prayed to the neglect of His day to day duties of loving His people, healing their infirmities, or preaching the Word to them. Not once. His record was the only one unblemished in the entire history of humanity. BUT He didn't slip into pride as a result of it. He was remarkably humble and easy to approach. This man was like no other. There was no slipping, no disobedience, no shortcuts taken in His ministry. He didn't cut corners to get to the "spiritual results" faster. He didn't neglect anyone who came to Him for grace and love. Neither did He let anyone escape His anger when they had sinned. He never downplayed sin or encouraged someone whose actions were NOT to be encouraged! He was angry with others but not at the expense of graciously showing them their mistakes. All of this to say, Jesus Christ did not sin even one time. He. Was. Perfect. Unblemished. Whole. Devoid of sin. Completely righteous in every possible way.

Now flip everything around. Pretend that everything I just said was the complete opposite of reality. That's the punishment Jesus received. Here's how God looked at Him as He hung on the cross:

A thief. A liar. A drunkard. A man who showed no mercy. A man who hated everyone who crossed his path. A man guilty of rape, murder, incest, sodomy. A porn addict. An alcoholic. A person who never controlled his temper but allowed it to flare for no reason at all. A man who beat his wife. A man who rapes his children and then kills them. A guy that beats his dog and laughs as those who need his protection starve to death. A corrupt judge who takes bribes. A man who organized mass exterminations and laughed as his victims begged for mercy. A man who sleeps with different hookers every night. A man who is warned that there is a judgement but scoffs and threatens the one who warned him. An atheist. Someone who has twisted desires and doesn't hesitate to fulfill them. A serial killer. Someone who gets a sexual charge from physically injuring others and then violating their dead corpses.

I'm talking about the One whose gifts are infinite. Who willingly subjected Himself to death for YOUR sins. He's getting hit with licks deserved by religious hypocrites. He's in the fiery pit as if He was a wicked liar with twisted desires.

He's the source of all godly pleasure but he's being treated as if He's a child molester. HOW CAN HE BE TREATED THIS WAY! NOBODY deserved glory EXCEPT for Him! And HE'S getting all the shit that should have fallen on YOU and ME! He put forth the maximum work. He never slacked in doing righteousness but He's getting punished like one who never slacked in doing UNrighteousness! He is PERFECT in love and wisdom but He's being punished like he constructed the corrupt justice system! Like he's selling crack and pot and seducing teenage girls or looking at the most vile, abusive porn on the internet when he's not out performing violent sexual acts on the general populace!

When you look at the cross with these eyes you see how NUTS it is! I mean seriously! What. the. HELL! Christ suffered more in those 6 hours than anyone EVER will in hell! Let this cause you to weep over your sin and worship the One who put it away forever! He was NOT obligated to show you mercy! He wasn't obligated to do ANY of this! Nor does He do it to control you. He simply does it because. He. Loves. You. "Nobody takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own accord."

Glasses

People are like goblets. They are full of various beverages. Some are full of sports or entertainment. They can't wait until the season starts and their team has its first game or until the season finale of their favorite show! Others have love in them. The desire for romance. If they're single, they can't wait to be in a relationship! If they're in a relationship, they can't wait to be with their beloved. Some are filled with ambition. They're so excited about their future and they can't wait until they get their first big job. Some have loftier things in them like philosophy or religion. They love studying great thinkers and making conjectures about the nature of reality and of God. Most people are full of SOMETHING. On a rare occasion, you may come across someone who is empty. It's not usual. We feel that part of what makes us human is that we are full of something. A goblet is made to contain liquid. Humans are meant to be full of something that they believe is truly great.

What kind of people does God use? God uses those who are empty. They realize that they have nothing. They realize that no liquid seems to be quite great enough to be filled with. They are empty. They are in anguish of spirit because they are empty.

But being empty isn't enough. Paul makes it plain that God primarily uses those who are weak and small. But just because you are weak and small doesn't mean you will be used of God! If a cup is empty, it is a great shame! Because it's true! God DID create us to be filled with something. Realizing that nothing the world has to offer is quite up to par is wise; but simply remaining empty and weak and broken isn't enough. You have to come before Christ in your emptiness, begging Him to fill you with His Spirit. People weren't meant to be filled with someTHING; they were meant to be filled with someONE.

So if you're full of something this world has to offer, EMPTY YOURSELF! If you're empty... praise God! But know that emptiness is not enough. No benefit is garnered by simply being empty. You MUST be filled with the right beverage. So praise God if you're empty, but don't be satisfied being empty. Nobody enjoys anything about an empty cup. Come before the One who is willing to put into your heart "rivers of living water." Come. Drink. Be filled.

Selection from Foxe's Book of Martyrs

"Trajan likewise commanded the martyrdom of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch. This holy man was the person whom, when an infant, Christ took into his arms, and showed to his disciples, as one that would be a pattern of humility and innocence. He received the gospel afterward from St. John the Evangelist, and was exceedingly zealous in his mission. He boldly vindicated the faith of Christ before the emperor, for which he was cast into prison, and tormented in a most cruel manner. After being dreadfully scourged, he was compelled to hold fire in his hands, and, at the same time, papers clipped in oil were put to his sides, and set on fire. His flesh was then torn with red hot pincers, and at last he was despatched by being torn to pieces by wild beasts."

The world is not worthy of such.

Think Big!

Romans 8:28. What a verse. Do you realize what this verse means?! This is, in my opinion, God's greatest promise for His children hands down. The sad thing is that most believers don't take advantage of this promise! We leave weakly and cautiously, fearful that we will inflict more pain on ourselves and more shame on God's glory than we can stomach. We live weak, sheltered, protected, cautious, small lives. Romans 8:28 is an a-bomb that should blow all that right out of the water! It's kind of like God is saying "STOP BEING CAREFUL! Think big!" Romans 8:28 frees us to make monumental errors in our pursuit of bringing God greater glory. Maybe you blow literally everything you have on God. Imagine emptying your bank account, mortgaging your house, selling all your assets, and moving back in with your parents and then giving the money to a missions organization. What if your parents won't take you in? What if this rash decision leaves you homeless? What if you can't afford 3 meals a day anymore and you find yourself taking up residence in a homeless shelter? No doubt, this would be counted as a pretty big mistake. God wants you to have the food you need to do His will. He wants you to have a roof over your head to protect you from the elements. Your His child and maybe you've just thrown away what He intended as your provision. BUT don't forget Romans 8:28. Is God up there scratching His head thinking, "What is WRONG with that guy?!"? No! No doubt, He is rejoicing! "Yes! He gets the gospel! He understands how much worship I deserve!"

Look at the story of Jesus at Mary, Martha, and Lazarus' house. Mary takes this pound of VERY expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus feet and wipes them with her hair. Now when it says "very costly perfume" don't make the mistake of thinking this was like "Eternity for Women" by Calvin Klein (running at $40/ bottle at Amazon) or "Ralph Lauren Blue for Women" (running at about $50/ bottle at Amazon). Judas says it could have been sold for 300 denarii. Now how much was a denarius? Well a denarius was about a days' wages. How much money do you make in a day? In my current job I make about $60 every day. You can do the math. Now maybe you make a bit more than I do or a bit less. But if I were to work 300 days, the amount I earn would be about $18,000. It's more than likely that this was Mary and Martha's savings. One day they wouldn't be able to work anymore. They would need something to live on. And here Mary is pouring everything they've got on Jesus feet. She's doing this because, in her mind, Jesus is worth more than the perfume.

How does Jesus respond to this kind of love? Does He scratch His head and say "Mary. Mary, Mary, Mary. I gave you that to take care of yourself after you can't work anymore. That was really stupid. Why would you do that? There's other ways you can show me your love. You didn't have to go and do that and cripple yourself financially for the future. I thought you were smarter than that."? No! He is happy! He honors her! I think God was thrilled in that moment. "YES! She trusts Me to provide for her! She gets how valuable My Son is! She knows that I'm not going to leave her high and dry for pouring out her life savings!" God is honored. Jesus is thrilled. Mary is trusting. What a beautiful picture. Romans 8:28 wasn't written yet but Mary's heart knew the reality of God's kindness and compassion.

I think one lesson we can learn from this story is that we need to be less concerned with what will happen as a result of our sacrifices and more concerned with showing love for and captivation with Jesus Christ. When you get the gospel, you stop being afraid of making gigantic mistakes and you start seeing the glory of God as more important than your personal enjoyment and comfort in life. So sometimes I think it's good to just throw caution to the wind and think "What is the hugest way that I can show my love for God today?" and then do it.

Don't Get Bogged Down!

Something amazing occurred to me this week! Simple obedience leads to unimaginable glory! Look at the story of Matthew's calling. Jesus says "Follow me." So Matthew gets up from the tax booth and obeys. Nothing seems so amazing about that. It seems like the most commonplace event in the history of the universe! No glory, no pomp, no "WOW! Look at that guy! He's FOLLOWING!" That's near the very beginning of the New Testament. Now flip ahead to Revelation 21:14, near the end of the New Testament. The wall of the Heavenly City has 12 foundation stones... and Matthew's name is on one of them. What the heck?! How did we get from "Follow me," to Matthew's name being written on a foundational block of the insanely glorious, eternal city?!?! All He did was obey. That's what we must do! Now maybe we won't get our name written on Heaven like Matthew did but I know one thing... God doesn't love Matthew more than He loves you. And it wasn't because of Matthew that he got up and obeyed Jesus. Matthew, Paul, Peter, John, you, me, and everyone need the saving blood of Jesus to get us into heaven. So who knows where your obedience will lead. But I know it's somewhere glorious! So don't get bogged down by how mundane life seems sometimes! Glory starts in the everyday.

Breaking Point

I believe there comes a point in the life of every believer when they must either break with the world or break with God. I think I am coming to that point in my life. I feel the Spirit of God drawing me to deep commitment. Radical commitment. Dangerous commitment. Real love. Reading through 2 Corinthians today reaffirmed to me that if I am indeed a new creation as 5:17 describes me, I must break with the old creation. Now maybe I won't die in some God forsaken rainforest as Jim Elliot and Nate Saint did. Maybe I won't serve a 13-year sentence of torture, hard labor, and imprisonment as Haralan Popov did. Maybe I won't even live outside the US. I don't know. But what I do know is that I need to be more concerned with the approval of God in my life than I do with the approval of men. I need to be open to these things if that's what God is calling me to. I need to love. The love of Christ compels me.

I urge you to decide where you stand on the truth of Scripture. If the Bible is true, we must all pour ourselves out for the glory of God and live to Him. If it's false, we need to stop going to church, stop reading Christian books, and stop singing praise music. If Christ is not alive, Christianity is a dead religion and only fools pursue Him. If Christ is alive, we must see the world as crucified to us and us to the world. I know that Christ has risen from the dead. So I am choosing to abandon my previous way of thinking and living. I've seen and heard things that I cannot explain apart from this reality. The reality is that Jesus Christ died for sins, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven to prepare an eternal inheritance for us and intercede on our behalf. I have to let that truth affect how I spend money, what job I take, what person I marry, and everything that I say, think, and do. I am not my own. I was bought at a price.

Anyway, I feel like I'm kinda rambling. I just needed to throw this out there. Please consider it prayerfully.

A Dare

How long has it been since you just let the simple pleasures carry you away? So often I complicate things with my grandiose ideas. It's been ages since I simply contemplated a single glorious truth without inserting it into a system of ideas to see how it plays out in my worldview. For instance, instead of delighting in the simple fact that I am alive and that I am loved of God I spend so much time thinking about doctrinal systems and the complex dimensions of the gospel I miss the purer, simpler, more glorious truths. If you know me you know that I sometimes complain that it's so hard to get knowledge to transfer from my head to my heart. But I'm realizing tonight that that problem is partly my own fault. Haven't you noticed that things that make you feel real happiness are such simple things? People don't read philosophy books to feel good! They go outside on a warm day! They eat ice cream with friends! They read novels on rainy days! They drink hot chocolate when it's snowing! The simpler the "idea", the easier it is to transfer it into your heart. I just had a thought. Tell me what you think. I'm going to dare myself to do something I've never done before. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I think it'll make me much happier as I attempt to do this. I'm going to make war on my cognitive approach to faith in God. Aggressively make war. I'm going to try and catch myself as I approach doctrine as a thing to be understood and fitted into a system of beliefs rather than simply enjoyed. First, I'll try it for just a day. Then I'll see where it goes from there. You can feel free to try it too. Let me know how it goes for you!

Needed: A Friend

"What kind of friend?" you ask.

"The kind who doesn't lean too far towards God's mercy to the neglect of reminding me of His holiness."

"Why do you need a friend like that?"

"Because FAR too often I take seriously God's mercy and forgiveness but forget His holiness. I forget that I'm plugged into the power source of the universe and that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...' is more than a cliche. I content myself with living a weak, frustrated, discouraged life when God has given me more reasons than I can count to be holy, not just in Christ but practically holy through the outworking of the Holy Spirit. I get muddled down and I complain and I grow frustrated with myself and I forget to make war on the sins I see so clearly in my thinking. Because I tend to see myself as a victim far more than I do a perpetrator of my sins. Because I unintentionally blur the lines between making a decision and falling prey to the temptations I encounter. Because when Jesus said 'I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly...' He wasn't just talking in metaphors or cliches and He wasn't speaking to a select group of people who alone can have this so-called 'abundant life'. Because I live weakly when I could be living with strength. Because Romans tells me that 'those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life...' Because infinite joy is at my fingertips (all I have to do is give the slightest effort to grab ahold) but I so often succumb to the bitter sting of inertia and laziness."

"And how would a friend help with that?"

"They'd sometimes get in my face when I'm discouraged! Tell me to stop thinking like this and maybe, God forbid, have some faith that the gospel REALLY is my sufficiency. Give me reminders once in a while that it's NOT glorifying to God to sit around and pout about my weaknesses when God has graciously enabled me to fight against them! To call me out when I make a bad decision without realizing it! To remind me that while God is in control of my life, that is NO cause to sit back and let come what may! Remind me that God and I are partners and that He is greatly glorified when I take the reigns and take action myself!"

Mission Accomplished

"Here's a controversial subject

That tends to divide.

For years it's had Christians

Lining up on both sides.

By God's grace I'll address this

Without pride.

The question concerns those

For whom Christ died.

Was He trying to save

Everybody worldwide?

Was He trying to make

The entire world His bride?

Does man's unbelief

Keep the Savior's hands tied?

Biblically, each of these

Must be denied.

It's true, Jesus gave up

His life for His bride

But His bride is the elect

To whom His death is applied

If on Judgement Day you see

That you can't hide

Because of your sin, God's

Wrath on you abides

And hell is the place you

Eternally reside

That means your wrath from God

Hasn't been satisfied.

But we believe His mission

Was accomplished when He died.

But how the cross relates to those in hell?

Well, they be sayin:

Lord knows He tried!

Lord knows He tried!

Yeah, that's what they be sayin!

Can't be sayin' that He tried

But I'm sayin' did He try and fail?

Or did He succeed?

Is there gonna be one drop of the Savior's blood in vain?

Naw, perish the thought. The Lamb will receive the reward for His sufferings.

Triune God! Father, Son, and Spirit, Three and yet One

Working as a unit to get things done.

Our salvation began in eternity past

God certainly has to bring all His purpose to pass.

A triune, eternal bond, no one could ever sever

When it comes to the church

Pepe how they work together!

The Father foreknew first

The Son came to earth to die

The Holy Spirit gives the new birth

The Father elects them

The Son pays their debt and protects them

The Spirit is the One who resurrects them

The Father chooses them

The Son gets bruised for them

The Spirit renews and produces fruit in them

Everybody's not elect

The Father decides

And it's only the elect

In whom the Spirit resides

The Father and the Spirit

Completely unified

But when it comes to Christ and those in hell,

Well they be sayin':

Lord knows He tried!

Lord knows He tried!

So if we can agree that the election of the Father is NOT universal

And the regeneration of the Holy Spirit is NOT universal

Why would the atonement of the Son be universal?

That would put the Persons of the Trinity completely at odds with One Another.

But the Triune God is completely unified.

My third and final verse

Here's the situation

Just a couple more things for your consideration

If saving everybody was why Christ came in history

With so many in hell, we'd have to say He failed miserably.

So many think He only came to make it possible.

Let's follow this solution

To a conclusion that's logical.

What about those who were already in the grave?

The old testament wicked, condemned as depraved?

Did He die for them? Come on! Behave!

But worst of all you're saying the cross by itself doesn't save.

That WE must do something to give the cross its power

That means at the end of the day, the glory's ours.

That man-centered thinking is not recommended

The cross will save all for whom it was intended.

Because for the elect God's wrath was satisfied

Still, when it comes to those in hell,

Well, they be sayin':

Lord knows He tried!

Lord knows He tried!

Look, at the end of the day, this is about giving God the maximum amount of glory.

We proclaim a cross that actually saves. Not "makes salvation possible," but actually saves.

Matthew 1:21 "His name shall be called Jesus because He will save His people from their sins." Not "might save them." Not "try to save." No, He will actually save them. It's a definite atonement. And yo, this ain't controversy for the sake of controversy or theological nitpicking. Salvation is of the Lord. To Him belongs all the glory. Soli Deo Gloria. But let's get into the text. See what the Scripture has to say about this. Lord, thank you for the cross."

--Shai Linne

The Knittedness of the Heart of God

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." --Romans 5:6-8

For the first time I recognizing that there's an implication in verse 7 that most people just read right through without realizing it. It's true that someone will die, on a very rare occasion, for a righteous man. You don't hear about it very much. Now when a person lays their life down for another there are 3 possible reasons, indeed three distinct types of love.

1) The one who sacrifices (We'll call him 'A') loves what the one he dies for ('B') represents.

2) A sees that dying for B is the right thing to do.

3) A loves B.

Number one is a bodyguard. B has pledged his love to the system that A loves. In this case, A loves the values; not the person. You also see in this situation that there is a distinct disconnectedness in the sacrifice. It's not a person dying for a person. It's a person dying for principles. This is a very sterile idea. There is passion but not the deep, connected passion that exists in the third possible reason.

In number two, A has values of his own. He sees that B is in danger and knows that sacrificing his life for B is the morally/philosophically responsible path of action. This is even more sterile than number one. There is no passion for B. There is no passion for B and A's shared principles. There is only passion for some disconnected principles that simply exist.

In number three, A has a deep, profound love for B. Not because of anything B has said or done. Not because of what B represents. Not because of any external factors. B is dear to A's heart. Like a family member or a best friend. Not a bodyguard or a member of security personnel.

Now which one is Romans 5:7 talking about? Did Christ die for us because He loves what we have pledged ourselves to? Did He die simply because it was "the right thing to do"? Or did He die for the sheer fact that He loves us? Let's examine each option and then see what Scripture says.

Number one is absolute heresy in this situation. For what we have pledged ourselves to is destruction, sin, and death. Everything that we, in our flesh, hold dear is detestable in the sight of God. It is certainly not number one.

Number two is worthy of some consideration. This might be the conclusion one draws if they see people as victims of sin rather than perpetrators. As a matter of fact, verse 6, at surface value, seems to paint this picture. We were without strength. Victims at sin's merciless attacks. We could no longer hold it off and so Christ died for us because He could not simply stand by and see us destroyed by our enemy. So is this the case? Well I'm not going to go into it (I could write a long series of notes.) but to say people are merely victims of sin is a vast oversimplification. Numerous Scriptures emphasize man's PERSONAL guilt in sin. In one sense, we are victims, but in another sense, we are perpetrators. We must recognize the blood-guilt that David confesses in Psalm 51. We have despised the glory of God. We have been at war with Him. We are personally responsible and one day we will be called to give an account for our earthly lives. Ezekiel 18:20, Luke 10:27, and James 1:23-25 clearly show that man has responsibilities in his relationship to God. It follows, then, that Christ was not at ALL bound to die for us. As a matter of fact, with man's personal responsibility in view, God, if He is truly good, is bound to do the OPPOSITE of what He chose to do. The morally right thing to do is to punish those who violate the law and despised the glory of God. Imagine that you come home one day and every person living at your house has been murdered in cold blood. What's more, the attacker is in the very process of killing the one you love most. The police come. He is arrested. Months later, you are in the courtroom witnessing his trial. The judge smiles down at him and simply says "Don't worry. I am a kind, gracious, loving judge. I pardon you. You can go home." Would you not say that this judge is FAR, FAR, FAR, FAR, UNBELIEVABLY MORE WICKED than that murderer ever was. God's righteousness BINDS Him to punish the sinner. So it is NOT number 2 because man is personally responsible in this situation.

Now we come to the last possibility. Christ died because He loved US. This is it. Verse 8 says so. "But God demonstrates His own love TOWARD US in that while we were still sinners..." It does not say "God demonstrates His own love toward what we represent..." or "God demonstrates His own love toward morality..." His love is toward US.

Now look at the price paid; Jesus Christ, the very Son of God. Look again at the three types of love again. 1) Love of shared principles, 2) Love of morality, 3) Love of a person. What love is shared between the Father and the Son? We're talking about Trinity-level love here! There is rock-solid, cement-like love between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are so knitted together in love that Moses wrote "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" in Deuteronomy 6:4. Which one but number 3 could possibly be enough to qualify as "oneness"? Look at the juxtaposition. The Trinity has the same love for His children as it does for the Son Himself. Ponder that! Drink that in! Consider the DEEP knittedness of the Heart of God to you, His child!

Meditations for ADD

It's interesting that so many of the core concepts of the gospel are simple, monosyllabic words. I think it would be interesting to see the effect that a day of meditating on each single word would have:

1. God
2. Fall
3. Sin
4. Wrath
5. Save
6. Christ
7. Cross
8. Grace
9. Faith
10. Hope
11. Love

Cyclical Sin

I'm about 101% positive that every believer has dealt with this at one time or another. You know. How you get stuck in a cycle of sin and repentance? You sin, you feel bad about it, you repent, it goes pretty good for awhile, then you sin again, again you feel bad, you repent a second time, it goes good, you sin, get struck by guilt, repent, and on and on and on and on and on. Until you've completely lost count of how many times you've sinned, felt conviction, repented, and fallen again. You don't even know if it's in the hundreds or the thousands of times. It's horribly discouraging. Every time you fail, your repentances seem to be weaker and weaker and weaker. Every time you fail you think "Well, I'm one layer of ice down. Who knows when everything's going to crack and then God will get REALLY angry with me!" This drives you to run from God because you fear His anger. The words your parents said to you as a kid come back to haunt you. "Well, sorry just isn't enough anymore!" they said after you made a mess of things for the 10th time that week, that day or that hour. It's a perfectly natural idea. You're simply carrying what you know about your earthly father and thinking about your heavenly Father the same way. Our brains are built to find comparisons between things and it seems a natural one.

BUT "You thought that I was altogether like you," says God. Meaning... what? That God is NOT altogether like we are. The thing of it is that we don't believe the gospel. That's why we grow horribly discouraged. That's why we get stuck in these cycles! We don't understand that our relationship with God has been fundamentally changed through the gospel! "Someday, God's going to get tired of my sin and do away with me!" we think foolishly. "He's only got so much patience! I can tell that it's starting to run low. I can almost see Him up there drumming his fingers and looking unimpressed. It won't be long now! He's going to unleash His fury on me! He's going to give me my due rewards! He's not going to take any more of this crap! I'd better stop! He knows by now that my repentances aren't genuine enough!"

STOP THINKING LIKE THIS!!!

JUST STOP!

This way of thinking is a lie straight out of the pit of hell itself! It's DEMONIC! Satan himself spawned this way of thinking and he takes GREAT delight in getting believers to think that it's the truth because it seems to be righteous to think this way!

So what IS the truth, you ask?

"I love you. You need to understand that I have put you in My Son. You are in Him. You cannot get out of Him. You. are. in. My. Son. You cannot be plucked out of My hand. You cannot fall out of My hand. You can't even climb out of My hand. You're there for good. I've made a covenant with you. This covenant doesn't rest at all on your behavior. It has nothing to do with your performance. If you do something monumental for Me it doesn't make you MORE in the covenant than anyone else. If you fail to do anything of any importance for Me it does not make you any LESS in the covenant than anyone else. It's a document. It's signed. It's a left brain concept; not right brain. You are secure. 'What does the covenant rest on then?' you ask? Well it's quite simple. The covenant rests on Me. Everything is up to Me. Every. last. little. detail. hangs. on. ME! And the best news of all is that I have already done everything necessary to fulfill the covenant. I put you in my Son who died for all of your sins. I died for all of these cycles you get caught in. They're history. Gone. Vamoose. As far as the East is from the West. All my wrath was poured out at the cross. The wrath of all of Me. Father. Son. Spirit. We're completely satisfied now. All of the wrath is gone! I have nothing but mercy, grace, and love for you now. You can fall into your cycles. I'm going to save you from them too. One day you'll be like me. That's another clause in the covenant. Part of my job is to make you like Myself. I promise. One day, there will be no more cycles. No more failure, conviction, or repentance. I'll see to that. Just keep on pursuing Me. I know you will. I've put the desire in your heart. So if you're struggling and discouraged, DON'T be! You're in my Son and could no more exhaust my patience than you could drain all the oceans of the world with a thimble. And even that is a poor, dim, inadequate picture of how great my mercy is. I love you. Always and forever."