Take a deep breath.
The prisoners were divided into three groups. The fit became slaves. The excessively unfortunate were kept for "medical experimentation." Most were sent to the gas chambers.
They had come packed like cattle in trains. No place to use the restroom. No place to be sick. No place to move the corpses of the people who had fallen over dead on the way. After days of wallowing in their own filth, they entered the camp.
Children were ripped from their mothers' arms. Families were separated. Best friends were separated. Husbands and wives were separated.
They were told they were going to be de-loused. They were going to get a shower.
They piled into the large concrete boxes. The doors slammed shut behind them. Zyklon B pesticide rushed through the vents.
They cried. They screamed. They clamored. The weakest died first. They became the first steps in the staircase of people.
The slaves were sent in to detangle the bodies. They always found them in a neat pyramid.
If you visit Auschwitz today, you can see fingerprints, engraved forever on the solid concrete ceiling.
They literally tried to claw their way out for that one last gasp of air. They climbed on top of each other to stay above the gas, to get that one last gasp of air.
I have bad days. I have really lousy days. I have days when I don't know how I'm going to deal with what's coming. But you know what else I have?
Air.
Take a deep breath.
"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" -Psalm 150:6
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
One House, One Church, One Family
My dad has been teaching a class on the book of John at my congregation the last several weeks. I'm not actually in the class, but living in his house I get all his brilliant insights anyway. Which is rather cool. :)
Anyways, he brought up something about John 14:2 that I had never realized. The King James Version translates this verse as "In my Father's house are many mansions" and the New American Standard says "many dwelling places." However, the most accurate translation is that of the NIV and a few other versions: "many rooms." There are a lot of rooms in our Father's house, but it's one house.
I'd never thought about that before, and I really like the idea. Your house is where you feel the safest. Your family lives in your house. I like the idea of all the saved in Heaven eating around one gigantically long dinner table. That's just a really beautiful image to me. But as I thought harder about it, it really got me thinking about relationships within the church. Earth is all about getting ready to go to Heaven, right? Well, could I live in the same house as the entire church? Or even my entire congregation? Do I have that familial relationship? Are we all that close?
If you have a minute (and if you have the time to sit and read this, I know you have a minute), go to Acts 2 and read the whole chapter. This is a HUGE chapter. You have the Holy Spirit coming on the Apostles, Peter preaching the first gospel sermon, and the part we're going to look more closely at right now: the first description of the behavior of the Lord's church. Take a look back at verses 44-47a:
"And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of hear
praising God and having favor with all the people."
How do we get to be as close enough to share a house? What happens when we are that close? Let's examine the early church to find out.
They were together. Not "the kids were over there" and "the adults were over here" and "the young families were over there." They were together.
Don't get me wrong. I think it's great to have activities that help us bond with people in our age groups that are dealing with similar situations to ours. That's valuable. But if I'm a teenager and I only know the youth group, that's an issue. I'm missing out on the wisdom they have to offer. I know I personally need to work on that, and I'd be willing to bet a lot of teens do. However, in the same way, if I'm an adult and I don't know any of the teens, that's just as much of an issue. Far too often teens get a bad rep for not connecting with the rest of the congregation, but adults don't make any effort to know the teens. (Alright. Getting off my soap box.) Whatever is keeping the church apart, whether it be age or difference of opinion or simply different life situations, we can't let that get in the way. We have to be together.
They had all things in common. I love this part. Look back at the second part of verse 44 and 45: they "had all things in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need." The idea here is, "If you need it, it's yours." If I have a truck and somebody needs it, he doesn't even have to ask. It's his truck too. Unfortunately, we live in an extremely selfish society. In a world so full of "me", it's hard to hand over our possessions or even our time to somebody else that willingly. Could you babysit for a family at your church and not even expect payment? It's something to think about. We don't just have to give to the Lord's work; we have to give of our means to each other.
They were together in their worship. Take a look at verse 46: they were "day by day continuing with one mind in the temple." I'll never forget an illustration a Bible class teacher gave me in seventh grade. He drew a triangle on the board, labeling one point as God and the other two as Christians. Then he moved both of the "Christians" closer to "God," and this movement inevitably brought them closer to each other. The same is true in the real church. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembly of the saints, because it encourages us. If we're not attending worship, we're getting farther and farther away from God and consequently, farther from each other.
They were sincere in their fellowship. Still verse 46: "Breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart." They sincerely enjoyed being together. When was the last time you faked your way through a conversation with a brother or sister you didn't really want to have to talk to? I'm extremely guilty of this, and I need to work at it. 1 Peter 1:22 tells us that since we've been obedient and purified ourselves for love, we need to fervently love one another from the heart. FROM THE HEART! This fake love stuff isn't going to cut it. We have to really, earnestly love every one of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if we don't quite click with them. Even if they annoy us. We need to get over that. We have to SINCERELY love one another. And not only that, but we get to fellowship! What better way to grow closer? (Note: it doesn't say "potluck to potluck"-- it says "house to house." Just a thought!)
The community noticed. Here's the kicker: all this isn't normal human behavior. That's why God mentioned it in His Word in the first place. It's not normal to be this unified, to be this generous, to be this loving. It's not normal for people to be this close. That's why they gained "favor with all the people." Something clicked with the people around them. They realized something was different, and they liked it. Not surprisingly, the next part of the verse reads, "And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." By simply treating each other the way God wanted them to, the early Christians successfully evangelized.
It's a beautiful image, isn't it? Sharing everything, sincerely loving, eating together, worshipping together, doing everything together. A family. If we do all these things on earth... how much greater will it be in Heaven?
<3
Anyways, he brought up something about John 14:2 that I had never realized. The King James Version translates this verse as "In my Father's house are many mansions" and the New American Standard says "many dwelling places." However, the most accurate translation is that of the NIV and a few other versions: "many rooms." There are a lot of rooms in our Father's house, but it's one house.
I'd never thought about that before, and I really like the idea. Your house is where you feel the safest. Your family lives in your house. I like the idea of all the saved in Heaven eating around one gigantically long dinner table. That's just a really beautiful image to me. But as I thought harder about it, it really got me thinking about relationships within the church. Earth is all about getting ready to go to Heaven, right? Well, could I live in the same house as the entire church? Or even my entire congregation? Do I have that familial relationship? Are we all that close?
If you have a minute (and if you have the time to sit and read this, I know you have a minute), go to Acts 2 and read the whole chapter. This is a HUGE chapter. You have the Holy Spirit coming on the Apostles, Peter preaching the first gospel sermon, and the part we're going to look more closely at right now: the first description of the behavior of the Lord's church. Take a look back at verses 44-47a:
"And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of hear
praising God and having favor with all the people."
How do we get to be as close enough to share a house? What happens when we are that close? Let's examine the early church to find out.
They were together. Not "the kids were over there" and "the adults were over here" and "the young families were over there." They were together.
Don't get me wrong. I think it's great to have activities that help us bond with people in our age groups that are dealing with similar situations to ours. That's valuable. But if I'm a teenager and I only know the youth group, that's an issue. I'm missing out on the wisdom they have to offer. I know I personally need to work on that, and I'd be willing to bet a lot of teens do. However, in the same way, if I'm an adult and I don't know any of the teens, that's just as much of an issue. Far too often teens get a bad rep for not connecting with the rest of the congregation, but adults don't make any effort to know the teens. (Alright. Getting off my soap box.) Whatever is keeping the church apart, whether it be age or difference of opinion or simply different life situations, we can't let that get in the way. We have to be together.
They had all things in common. I love this part. Look back at the second part of verse 44 and 45: they "had all things in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need." The idea here is, "If you need it, it's yours." If I have a truck and somebody needs it, he doesn't even have to ask. It's his truck too. Unfortunately, we live in an extremely selfish society. In a world so full of "me", it's hard to hand over our possessions or even our time to somebody else that willingly. Could you babysit for a family at your church and not even expect payment? It's something to think about. We don't just have to give to the Lord's work; we have to give of our means to each other.
They were together in their worship. Take a look at verse 46: they were "day by day continuing with one mind in the temple." I'll never forget an illustration a Bible class teacher gave me in seventh grade. He drew a triangle on the board, labeling one point as God and the other two as Christians. Then he moved both of the "Christians" closer to "God," and this movement inevitably brought them closer to each other. The same is true in the real church. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembly of the saints, because it encourages us. If we're not attending worship, we're getting farther and farther away from God and consequently, farther from each other.
They were sincere in their fellowship. Still verse 46: "Breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart." They sincerely enjoyed being together. When was the last time you faked your way through a conversation with a brother or sister you didn't really want to have to talk to? I'm extremely guilty of this, and I need to work at it. 1 Peter 1:22 tells us that since we've been obedient and purified ourselves for love, we need to fervently love one another from the heart. FROM THE HEART! This fake love stuff isn't going to cut it. We have to really, earnestly love every one of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if we don't quite click with them. Even if they annoy us. We need to get over that. We have to SINCERELY love one another. And not only that, but we get to fellowship! What better way to grow closer? (Note: it doesn't say "potluck to potluck"-- it says "house to house." Just a thought!)
The community noticed. Here's the kicker: all this isn't normal human behavior. That's why God mentioned it in His Word in the first place. It's not normal to be this unified, to be this generous, to be this loving. It's not normal for people to be this close. That's why they gained "favor with all the people." Something clicked with the people around them. They realized something was different, and they liked it. Not surprisingly, the next part of the verse reads, "And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." By simply treating each other the way God wanted them to, the early Christians successfully evangelized.
It's a beautiful image, isn't it? Sharing everything, sincerely loving, eating together, worshipping together, doing everything together. A family. If we do all these things on earth... how much greater will it be in Heaven?
<3
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Before I start...
NOTE #1-- First and foremost, I would like to address the fact that I post on my more general blog, Write For Your Life, more often than this one. I don't want anyone to think that I take that one more seriously than this one or think it's more important. My other blog is for rambling my random thoughts about life, and as a result I don't put NEARLY as much time and thought into it. This one, on the other hand (along with CFYC) requires much more thought and time on my part, because I'm actually trying to make a point and teach people something. So as a result I don't post as often, but these tend to be much higher quality. Just to clarify.
NOTE #2-- I have an immense case of writer's block at the moment, but I'm going to keep posting once a week! I WILL! So here's my post for the week, repeated from KatharosNOW. It's not as deep into the Scriptures as I would like, but it's better than nothing. There is better stuff coming, I promise! Thanks for reading, bloggers. Much love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you’re an American citizen, you probably know the three basic rights guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence. Maybe (like me) you’ve even had to memorize this for history class: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.” Okay, before you get bored with history and tune me out, think about this: God offered us these rights and so much more over two thousand years ago! Take a look.
God offers us LIFE. The Declaration of Independence guarantees that the government will protect our existence, but the Lord offers us so much more than that! On the one hand, being a Christian gives you a much fuller life on earth. If we let Him take control, God will give us freedoms that make life unimaginably wonderful (but I’m going to touch on that a little later). However, without God we’re spiritually dead in our sins, and only accepting His gift of life can fix that. Take a look at Ephesians 2:4-5. Paul writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” Not only this, but our Father offers us eternal life with Him if we obey Him. In Revelation 2:10, Jesus tells us, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of LIFE.” I don’t know about you, but I want that crown!
God offers us LIBERTY. Not only are we dead without God, but we’re also slaves: slaves to ourselves, slaves to our sinful nature, slaves to worldliness. The good news is that God wants nothing more than to set us free. I encourage you to go and read all of Romans 6, because it’s an extremely powerful chapter, but right here I’m just going to hit the high points. Check out verses 16-18: “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Unlike before, however, we’re not slaves against our will. James the Lord’s brother describes himself as a “bond-servant of God” at the beginning of his letter. A bond-servant was someone who willingly gave himself into another’s service. Plus, God promises us so much freedom. With Him, we can be free from worry (Matthew 6:25-34), and although we feel sorrow at sin, we can take hold of a “repentance without regret, leading to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10). Slavery to God is no slavery at all; it’s unbeatable, indescribable freedom.
God offers us HAPPINESS. That’s right—not just the pursuit. Only in God can we find TRUE happiness. When you get the time, you ought to read the book of Ecclesiastes all the way through—it’s all about how Solomon looked for happiness in nearly every earthly pursuit you can think of, and just couldn’t find it. You might want to take a look at Psalm 1 too; again, I’m just going to hit high points here. This psalm talks about the blessings that come to one “whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Now, this doesn’t mean that we’ll get everything we want materially, but we will be successful spiritually, and that’s what brings us true happiness.
The thing about rights is that you don’t have to take advantage of them. Thousands upon thousands of people don’t take advantage of the freedom to worship God in this country. Some people don’t take advantage of the right to vote. That’s kind of the defining factor of a right: it’s a choice. Once it’s forced upon you, it’s tyranny instead of freedom.
It’s the same thing with God. He’s got a lot of wonderful rights to offer you, but in the end it’s your right. So what’re you going to choose?
Choose life. Choose liberty. Choose happiness.
NOTE #1-- First and foremost, I would like to address the fact that I post on my more general blog, Write For Your Life, more often than this one. I don't want anyone to think that I take that one more seriously than this one or think it's more important. My other blog is for rambling my random thoughts about life, and as a result I don't put NEARLY as much time and thought into it. This one, on the other hand (along with CFYC) requires much more thought and time on my part, because I'm actually trying to make a point and teach people something. So as a result I don't post as often, but these tend to be much higher quality. Just to clarify.
NOTE #2-- I have an immense case of writer's block at the moment, but I'm going to keep posting once a week! I WILL! So here's my post for the week, repeated from KatharosNOW. It's not as deep into the Scriptures as I would like, but it's better than nothing. There is better stuff coming, I promise! Thanks for reading, bloggers. Much love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you’re an American citizen, you probably know the three basic rights guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence. Maybe (like me) you’ve even had to memorize this for history class: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.” Okay, before you get bored with history and tune me out, think about this: God offered us these rights and so much more over two thousand years ago! Take a look.
God offers us LIFE. The Declaration of Independence guarantees that the government will protect our existence, but the Lord offers us so much more than that! On the one hand, being a Christian gives you a much fuller life on earth. If we let Him take control, God will give us freedoms that make life unimaginably wonderful (but I’m going to touch on that a little later). However, without God we’re spiritually dead in our sins, and only accepting His gift of life can fix that. Take a look at Ephesians 2:4-5. Paul writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” Not only this, but our Father offers us eternal life with Him if we obey Him. In Revelation 2:10, Jesus tells us, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of LIFE.” I don’t know about you, but I want that crown!
God offers us LIBERTY. Not only are we dead without God, but we’re also slaves: slaves to ourselves, slaves to our sinful nature, slaves to worldliness. The good news is that God wants nothing more than to set us free. I encourage you to go and read all of Romans 6, because it’s an extremely powerful chapter, but right here I’m just going to hit the high points. Check out verses 16-18: “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Unlike before, however, we’re not slaves against our will. James the Lord’s brother describes himself as a “bond-servant of God” at the beginning of his letter. A bond-servant was someone who willingly gave himself into another’s service. Plus, God promises us so much freedom. With Him, we can be free from worry (Matthew 6:25-34), and although we feel sorrow at sin, we can take hold of a “repentance without regret, leading to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10). Slavery to God is no slavery at all; it’s unbeatable, indescribable freedom.
God offers us HAPPINESS. That’s right—not just the pursuit. Only in God can we find TRUE happiness. When you get the time, you ought to read the book of Ecclesiastes all the way through—it’s all about how Solomon looked for happiness in nearly every earthly pursuit you can think of, and just couldn’t find it. You might want to take a look at Psalm 1 too; again, I’m just going to hit high points here. This psalm talks about the blessings that come to one “whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Now, this doesn’t mean that we’ll get everything we want materially, but we will be successful spiritually, and that’s what brings us true happiness.
The thing about rights is that you don’t have to take advantage of them. Thousands upon thousands of people don’t take advantage of the freedom to worship God in this country. Some people don’t take advantage of the right to vote. That’s kind of the defining factor of a right: it’s a choice. Once it’s forced upon you, it’s tyranny instead of freedom.
It’s the same thing with God. He’s got a lot of wonderful rights to offer you, but in the end it’s your right. So what’re you going to choose?
Choose life. Choose liberty. Choose happiness.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Why Worry?
I’ll admit, I’m something of a worrywart.
As a junior in high school, I’d say I’m at a decently unsettling point in my life. After all, in a few years, I’ll be headed off into that black abyss the rest of the world calls “adult life.” That’s a little disconcerting. I’m faced with a ton of decisions right now that will strongly affect the rest of my life. That’s reasonable cause for worry, right?
Wrong.
Let’s take a look at Matthew 6:25-34 to see what we can find out about worry from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. If you want to go ahead and read through the whole passage, that’d be great.
First, to worry is to have a flawed perspective.
I know I only told you to read part of the chapter, but oftentimes we have to look at a passage’s context to find out why the speaker is saying what he’s saying. The first thing that tips us off to look at the context in this section is the very first words of verse 25: “For this reason I say to you…” For what reason? Gotta look at the context! So let’s check out the verses above it. In verses 19 through 24, Jesus is talking about having the proper perspective on wealth. First He tells us that our treasure should be in Heaven, not on earth, but then he goes into this weird analogy about our eyes: “So then if you eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Again, look at the context! Jesus is saying that if you focus on God, your whole life will be in order, but if that focus is blocked and “darkened” by wealth, your life will be a wreck. Verse 24 is the kicker: “You cannot serve God and wealth.”
So what on earth does this have to do with worry? Verse 25: “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink.” See how He names material things? Worry is focusing on wealth, on the material things of this life. And if we focus on wealth, we’re not focusing on God.
Second, to worry is to doubt God.
After talking about the splendor of the lilies of the field, Jesus says, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!” Throughout the Bible faith is contrasted with doubt. We see it in the account of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:31). We see it in the book of James (James 1:6). What else is worry but doubt in God? If you really believe that the supreme God of the universe, the God who spoke the entire world into existence, the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who rescued His people again and again, is on your side and is taking care of you, are you going to worry? Of course not! The only reasonable explanation is that you don’t trust God’s power or willingness to take care of you. Plus, we know that faith can move mountains (Mark 11:23), and according to Jesus, worry is useless (vs. 27 of our passage). I’d rather have faith, wouldn’t you?
Third, to worry is to be like the world.
Look at verses 31 and 32: “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things.” Keep in mind Jesus is talking to Jewish people. The Gentiles were the world, and the Jews generally despised them as barbarians. If there was one thing you didn’t want to be compared to, it was a Gentile. In the same way, we are told countless times throughout God’s word that we are not to be like the world. So, if worry is worldly, we don’t need to be a part of it! Earlier in this same sermon, Jesus talks about being salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). In this world of chaos, how greatly could we stand out simply by remaining calm and not worrying? What an awesome way to be an example to the world around us!
So… if we’re not supposed to worry, what are we supposed to do? Jesus doesn’t leave us hanging. He gives us the much better alternative: “But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (33). It all goes back to keeping the proper perspective; if we focus on God and obey Him, that’s all that really matters. He will cause everything else to fall into place.
As a junior in high school, I’d say I’m at a decently unsettling point in my life. After all, in a few years, I’ll be headed off into that black abyss the rest of the world calls “adult life.” That’s a little disconcerting. I’m faced with a ton of decisions right now that will strongly affect the rest of my life. That’s reasonable cause for worry, right?
Wrong.
Let’s take a look at Matthew 6:25-34 to see what we can find out about worry from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. If you want to go ahead and read through the whole passage, that’d be great.
First, to worry is to have a flawed perspective.
I know I only told you to read part of the chapter, but oftentimes we have to look at a passage’s context to find out why the speaker is saying what he’s saying. The first thing that tips us off to look at the context in this section is the very first words of verse 25: “For this reason I say to you…” For what reason? Gotta look at the context! So let’s check out the verses above it. In verses 19 through 24, Jesus is talking about having the proper perspective on wealth. First He tells us that our treasure should be in Heaven, not on earth, but then he goes into this weird analogy about our eyes: “So then if you eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Again, look at the context! Jesus is saying that if you focus on God, your whole life will be in order, but if that focus is blocked and “darkened” by wealth, your life will be a wreck. Verse 24 is the kicker: “You cannot serve God and wealth.”
So what on earth does this have to do with worry? Verse 25: “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink.” See how He names material things? Worry is focusing on wealth, on the material things of this life. And if we focus on wealth, we’re not focusing on God.
Second, to worry is to doubt God.
After talking about the splendor of the lilies of the field, Jesus says, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!” Throughout the Bible faith is contrasted with doubt. We see it in the account of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:31). We see it in the book of James (James 1:6). What else is worry but doubt in God? If you really believe that the supreme God of the universe, the God who spoke the entire world into existence, the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who rescued His people again and again, is on your side and is taking care of you, are you going to worry? Of course not! The only reasonable explanation is that you don’t trust God’s power or willingness to take care of you. Plus, we know that faith can move mountains (Mark 11:23), and according to Jesus, worry is useless (vs. 27 of our passage). I’d rather have faith, wouldn’t you?
Third, to worry is to be like the world.
Look at verses 31 and 32: “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things.” Keep in mind Jesus is talking to Jewish people. The Gentiles were the world, and the Jews generally despised them as barbarians. If there was one thing you didn’t want to be compared to, it was a Gentile. In the same way, we are told countless times throughout God’s word that we are not to be like the world. So, if worry is worldly, we don’t need to be a part of it! Earlier in this same sermon, Jesus talks about being salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). In this world of chaos, how greatly could we stand out simply by remaining calm and not worrying? What an awesome way to be an example to the world around us!
So… if we’re not supposed to worry, what are we supposed to do? Jesus doesn’t leave us hanging. He gives us the much better alternative: “But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (33). It all goes back to keeping the proper perspective; if we focus on God and obey Him, that’s all that really matters. He will cause everything else to fall into place.
Friday, January 28, 2011
He Took His Life in His Hands
For the last month or so at my congregation, we've been studying the book of 1 Samuel. I'm a little bit of a keyword fanatic-- I love finding key words and marking them in my Bible. One that's popped up everywhere is "hand." I've seen everything from "the hand of the LORD" to David simply reaching his hand into a stream to pick up five smooth stones. But one use of the word "hand" has really struck me: the idea of taking one's life in one's hands.
Take a look at 1 Samuel 19. (No, really, go read it. That'd be great). At this point, King Saul is waffling back and forth between wanting to kill David, seeing him as his rival, or respecting him. At the moment, he's livid, so his son Jonathan, David's best friend, is going in to defend the future king. Now that we've got some background, take a look at verses 4 and 5:
"Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?"
This is important. Want me to prove it? Other key words in the book include "king", "servant", "LORD", "hear", "speak", and "deliver." Yeah. There are 5 key words in these two verses. When that many key words are clustered together, it's like God highlighting an important point. "He took his life in his hands." Let's quickly take a look at what exactly what "taking your life in your hands" is and what it can do.
Taking your life in your hands involves action. Look at the very first part: "He took his life in his hands and struck the Philistine." This Philistine was, of course, Goliath. If you have another minute or two to spare, go back to Chapter 17 and read the account of David and Goliath, particularly verse 26. Outraged, David exclaims, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" This guy has been terrorizing the Israelite armies all day. Nobody's stepping up, and yet David, who is still a very young man, doesn't hesitate. He's ready to go fight him right off the bat.
Taking your life in your hands involves trusting God. David never saw "taking his life in his hands" as taking CONTROL of his life. He knew it was all in God's hands. Check out verses 45 through 47 of Chapter 17. David in calling out Goliath uses "the LORD" four times and "God" twice! And look at the way he uses it: "I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts" (45), "the LORD will deliver you up into my hands" (46), "the battle is the LORD's" (47). David had no trust in himself, but he knew God had more power than he could possibly imagine. Because of this, God was able to use David's life to bless others. Jumping back to Chapter 19, we see that through David, "the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel" (5). It's kind of ironic; by taking his life in his hands, David was putting his life in God's hands.
Taking your life in your hands garners respect. Right after David slays Goliath in Chapter 17, Saul asks his commander Abner whose son David is (verse 55). Right away, he's interested. In Chapter 18, we find out that "David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war" (5). David took the opportunity to do something great for God, and as a result, he gained some favor with the king and prospered. (It wasn't until Saul began to see David as a threat to his own power that he began to hate him.) Even in Chapter 19, when Saul wants to kill David, Jonathan's reminder of this great deed of David's changes his mind, if only for a little while. Verse 6 tells us, "Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, 'As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.'" When you're courageous and take the initiative to be great for God, the people around you can't help but respect you, even those that hate you!
Naturally, we can learn a lot from looking at this side of "taking your life in your hands." However, I'm not quite telling you the whole story yet. Flip over to Chapter 28 and read the whole thing through. Saul is, of course, sinning by consulting the medium at Endor, and that's usually what we focus on. But what was the medium's response to the entire situation? Take a look at verse 21: "Behold, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hands and have listened to your words which you spoke to me."
So there must be a bad way to take your life in your hands. This woman was sinning, and she knew it. Before she calls up Samuel for Saul (whose identity is yet unknown to her), she hesitates, saying, "You know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?" (9). However, being reassured of that she will not be punished, she goes through with it.
Both David and the medium took their lives in their hands. Both took some sort of action. However, where David put his trust in God, the medium put her trust in Saul. While David received respect from both God and men for his actions, the medium had to carry out her action in secret, and the Lord certainly wouldn't have applauded her actions.
So, dear Reader, it's up to you. Life is full of opportunities. You can trust God, or you can trust yourself. You can live a life of spiritual glory, or you can live a life of shame. Your life is in your hands. What will you do with it?
Take a look at 1 Samuel 19. (No, really, go read it. That'd be great). At this point, King Saul is waffling back and forth between wanting to kill David, seeing him as his rival, or respecting him. At the moment, he's livid, so his son Jonathan, David's best friend, is going in to defend the future king. Now that we've got some background, take a look at verses 4 and 5:
"Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?"
This is important. Want me to prove it? Other key words in the book include "king", "servant", "LORD", "hear", "speak", and "deliver." Yeah. There are 5 key words in these two verses. When that many key words are clustered together, it's like God highlighting an important point. "He took his life in his hands." Let's quickly take a look at what exactly what "taking your life in your hands" is and what it can do.
Taking your life in your hands involves action. Look at the very first part: "He took his life in his hands and struck the Philistine." This Philistine was, of course, Goliath. If you have another minute or two to spare, go back to Chapter 17 and read the account of David and Goliath, particularly verse 26. Outraged, David exclaims, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" This guy has been terrorizing the Israelite armies all day. Nobody's stepping up, and yet David, who is still a very young man, doesn't hesitate. He's ready to go fight him right off the bat.
Taking your life in your hands involves trusting God. David never saw "taking his life in his hands" as taking CONTROL of his life. He knew it was all in God's hands. Check out verses 45 through 47 of Chapter 17. David in calling out Goliath uses "the LORD" four times and "God" twice! And look at the way he uses it: "I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts" (45), "the LORD will deliver you up into my hands" (46), "the battle is the LORD's" (47). David had no trust in himself, but he knew God had more power than he could possibly imagine. Because of this, God was able to use David's life to bless others. Jumping back to Chapter 19, we see that through David, "the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel" (5). It's kind of ironic; by taking his life in his hands, David was putting his life in God's hands.
Taking your life in your hands garners respect. Right after David slays Goliath in Chapter 17, Saul asks his commander Abner whose son David is (verse 55). Right away, he's interested. In Chapter 18, we find out that "David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war" (5). David took the opportunity to do something great for God, and as a result, he gained some favor with the king and prospered. (It wasn't until Saul began to see David as a threat to his own power that he began to hate him.) Even in Chapter 19, when Saul wants to kill David, Jonathan's reminder of this great deed of David's changes his mind, if only for a little while. Verse 6 tells us, "Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, 'As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.'" When you're courageous and take the initiative to be great for God, the people around you can't help but respect you, even those that hate you!
Naturally, we can learn a lot from looking at this side of "taking your life in your hands." However, I'm not quite telling you the whole story yet. Flip over to Chapter 28 and read the whole thing through. Saul is, of course, sinning by consulting the medium at Endor, and that's usually what we focus on. But what was the medium's response to the entire situation? Take a look at verse 21: "Behold, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hands and have listened to your words which you spoke to me."
So there must be a bad way to take your life in your hands. This woman was sinning, and she knew it. Before she calls up Samuel for Saul (whose identity is yet unknown to her), she hesitates, saying, "You know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?" (9). However, being reassured of that she will not be punished, she goes through with it.
Both David and the medium took their lives in their hands. Both took some sort of action. However, where David put his trust in God, the medium put her trust in Saul. While David received respect from both God and men for his actions, the medium had to carry out her action in secret, and the Lord certainly wouldn't have applauded her actions.
So, dear Reader, it's up to you. Life is full of opportunities. You can trust God, or you can trust yourself. You can live a life of spiritual glory, or you can live a life of shame. Your life is in your hands. What will you do with it?
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Ultimate Blood Donor
Oooohhhh goodness guys. I am so terrible. I promise, promise, PROMISE that I will be posting more regularly. This is a CFYC repeat... but I promise we're going to stop having those! We're gonna have new stuff! Soon! :) <3
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A few weeks ago, I donated blood for the first time. Donating is a really cool experience, and much more rewarding than I thought it would be. There’s something about knowing you’ve saved a life that gives you an incredible feeling. I highly recommend it. However, that’s not the important part. What’s important is that the more I looked into what blood does in our bodies and what donated blood can do for the recipient, the more I appreciated just how beautiful Jesus’ sacrifice for us was and is. (The way God interweaves His design for creation with His plans never ceases to amaze me!) God could have planned to save us any way He liked, but He chose to do it through blood. Looking at a few different functions of blood in our bodies can give us an incredible perspective of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
Blood gives us what we need. Of course, the circulation of blood through our hearts and veins is what keeps us alive, but why? The answer is a little protein called hemoglobin. Oxygen molecules bind to hemoglobin, which carries them in the blood stream to the rest of our bodies’ cells so that they can function. The point is that blood keeps us alive by giving us what we need to survive. Jesus’ blood does the exact same thing for us spiritually. We are imperfect and incomplete people, and without him we are dying in our own sin. Take a look at Colossians 2:13: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.” We’re dead without Christ, but when we follow Him, he gives us what we need: forgiveness. Through this forgiveness, we are able to stay alive spiritually.
Blood cleanses. Our blood doesn’t just supply the things we need; it takes away the things we don’t. Plasma, the liquid part of the blood, carries waste products such as carbon dioxide to outlets where they can be flushed out of our bodies so we can stay healthy. This is just as important as supplying our needs. A body can have everything it needs to survive, but if it retains harmful waste products, it will still be in danger. The influence of Christ’s blood on our lives, too, causes us to flush out the spiritually detrimental aspects of our thoughts and actions. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature,” and James 1:21 says that by “putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness,” we can “in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save [our] souls.” This complete change, this removal of the bad, is essential if we are to stay spiritually healthy. According to 1 John 1:6-7, “If we say that we have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light, as He Himself, is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” If we go on sinning willfully, Jesus’ blood does us no good, but if we repent of the sin problems in our lives and strive to fix them, He will continue to remove our transgressions.
Blood protects. A third major function of the blood is to fight off invader diseases in the body. White blood cells literally fight a small-scale war in our bodies in order to protect us from pathogens and other intruders. Jesus’ blood also offers us an immense amount of protection spiritually. He protects us from the Devil (2 Thessalonians 3:3), from anxiety (Philippians 4:7), and of course, from eternal death (Romans 6:23). Of course, white blood cells are physical and can therefore fail us, but Jesus is steadfast and sure. As long as we are entrusting ourselves completely to Him, He will not fail to save us (2 Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 13:5-6).
When I gave blood, I had to answer a few questions to make sure my blood was pure enough to be able to help the person who received it. (On a side note, I find it interesting that most of the things that make our physical blood impure, like STDs, result from sinful actions… coincidence?) Jesus’ blood was the purest blood there ever was (Hebrews 9:14). After all, if Jesus’ blood was just as impure as the blood of those who needed it, how could it be of any help to us? However, just as my healthy blood will help someone with a disease or another need, Jesus’ blood is able to save our spiritual lives.
Finally the moment of truth came. I sat down in the big reclined chair, and within minutes they were sucking my blood. I was shocked. It didn’t hurt at all. That, my friends, is where my analogy falls apart. Jesus went through more pain in the course of a few hours than most of us will go through in our entire lives, all to give us His incredible, perfect, life-giving blood. He didn’t have to do it. He could have given up on us. He could have decided we weren’t worth it, but that’s not what He did. He gives life to any dying man or woman who wants it. Jesus Christ is the ultimate blood donor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few weeks ago, I donated blood for the first time. Donating is a really cool experience, and much more rewarding than I thought it would be. There’s something about knowing you’ve saved a life that gives you an incredible feeling. I highly recommend it. However, that’s not the important part. What’s important is that the more I looked into what blood does in our bodies and what donated blood can do for the recipient, the more I appreciated just how beautiful Jesus’ sacrifice for us was and is. (The way God interweaves His design for creation with His plans never ceases to amaze me!) God could have planned to save us any way He liked, but He chose to do it through blood. Looking at a few different functions of blood in our bodies can give us an incredible perspective of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
Blood gives us what we need. Of course, the circulation of blood through our hearts and veins is what keeps us alive, but why? The answer is a little protein called hemoglobin. Oxygen molecules bind to hemoglobin, which carries them in the blood stream to the rest of our bodies’ cells so that they can function. The point is that blood keeps us alive by giving us what we need to survive. Jesus’ blood does the exact same thing for us spiritually. We are imperfect and incomplete people, and without him we are dying in our own sin. Take a look at Colossians 2:13: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.” We’re dead without Christ, but when we follow Him, he gives us what we need: forgiveness. Through this forgiveness, we are able to stay alive spiritually.
Blood cleanses. Our blood doesn’t just supply the things we need; it takes away the things we don’t. Plasma, the liquid part of the blood, carries waste products such as carbon dioxide to outlets where they can be flushed out of our bodies so we can stay healthy. This is just as important as supplying our needs. A body can have everything it needs to survive, but if it retains harmful waste products, it will still be in danger. The influence of Christ’s blood on our lives, too, causes us to flush out the spiritually detrimental aspects of our thoughts and actions. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature,” and James 1:21 says that by “putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness,” we can “in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save [our] souls.” This complete change, this removal of the bad, is essential if we are to stay spiritually healthy. According to 1 John 1:6-7, “If we say that we have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light, as He Himself, is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” If we go on sinning willfully, Jesus’ blood does us no good, but if we repent of the sin problems in our lives and strive to fix them, He will continue to remove our transgressions.
Blood protects. A third major function of the blood is to fight off invader diseases in the body. White blood cells literally fight a small-scale war in our bodies in order to protect us from pathogens and other intruders. Jesus’ blood also offers us an immense amount of protection spiritually. He protects us from the Devil (2 Thessalonians 3:3), from anxiety (Philippians 4:7), and of course, from eternal death (Romans 6:23). Of course, white blood cells are physical and can therefore fail us, but Jesus is steadfast and sure. As long as we are entrusting ourselves completely to Him, He will not fail to save us (2 Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 13:5-6).
When I gave blood, I had to answer a few questions to make sure my blood was pure enough to be able to help the person who received it. (On a side note, I find it interesting that most of the things that make our physical blood impure, like STDs, result from sinful actions… coincidence?) Jesus’ blood was the purest blood there ever was (Hebrews 9:14). After all, if Jesus’ blood was just as impure as the blood of those who needed it, how could it be of any help to us? However, just as my healthy blood will help someone with a disease or another need, Jesus’ blood is able to save our spiritual lives.
Finally the moment of truth came. I sat down in the big reclined chair, and within minutes they were sucking my blood. I was shocked. It didn’t hurt at all. That, my friends, is where my analogy falls apart. Jesus went through more pain in the course of a few hours than most of us will go through in our entire lives, all to give us His incredible, perfect, life-giving blood. He didn’t have to do it. He could have given up on us. He could have decided we weren’t worth it, but that’s not what He did. He gives life to any dying man or woman who wants it. Jesus Christ is the ultimate blood donor.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Crossroad
Man... I gotta post on here more often.
Here's the scoop-- I often have articles on both Come Fill Your Cup and KatharosNOW... check em out if you get some time!
Also, I have an article in the upcoming December issue of THINK magazine (issued by Focus Press), which you can buy in Barnes and Noble Bookstores! Thanks for reading. Hope I can be of some help to you.
This is a poem I wrote. I got the idea from a C.S. Lewis quote about how if we're not pointing someone to Heaven we're pointing them the other way... we can't be neutral. I don't remember the exact quote, but that was the gist. It's not great but it's not bad and I think it gets the point across. Enjoy!
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Travelers choose between two roads in life:
One purely pleasure, one with some strife.
One road is narrow, and the other is wide
And you, Christian, you must help them decide.
These sad, empty pleasures soon lead to despair,
Yet many still travel that road, unaware,
Not knowing the narrow–harsh and hard though it seems–
At its end holds a treasure beyond mortal dreams.
The Signpost is clear, and yet many ignore
The fate that their easier road has in store,
But there you stand, Christian. Will you let them be?
Will they go to their deaths, or will you make them see?
Can you stand in silence, and watch them walk on,
When their chance at Life will quickly be gone?
Or will you shine your light on the Sign’s saving words,
Screaming the truth in hopes to be heard?
Remember this truth, for they won’t be here long:
If you don’t point them right, you are pointing them wrong.
~green eyes :)
Here's the scoop-- I often have articles on both Come Fill Your Cup and KatharosNOW... check em out if you get some time!
Also, I have an article in the upcoming December issue of THINK magazine (issued by Focus Press), which you can buy in Barnes and Noble Bookstores! Thanks for reading. Hope I can be of some help to you.
This is a poem I wrote. I got the idea from a C.S. Lewis quote about how if we're not pointing someone to Heaven we're pointing them the other way... we can't be neutral. I don't remember the exact quote, but that was the gist. It's not great but it's not bad and I think it gets the point across. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Travelers choose between two roads in life:
One purely pleasure, one with some strife.
One road is narrow, and the other is wide
And you, Christian, you must help them decide.
These sad, empty pleasures soon lead to despair,
Yet many still travel that road, unaware,
Not knowing the narrow–harsh and hard though it seems–
At its end holds a treasure beyond mortal dreams.
The Signpost is clear, and yet many ignore
The fate that their easier road has in store,
But there you stand, Christian. Will you let them be?
Will they go to their deaths, or will you make them see?
Can you stand in silence, and watch them walk on,
When their chance at Life will quickly be gone?
Or will you shine your light on the Sign’s saving words,
Screaming the truth in hopes to be heard?
Remember this truth, for they won’t be here long:
If you don’t point them right, you are pointing them wrong.
~green eyes :)
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