Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Prepare Yourself

Throughout our lives we are constantly being prepared for something.  Before we are Christians we are built to long for more.  Our eternal souls sense a need that our finite bodies cannot fill.  And thus we're being prepared to understand a genuine need for redemption and salvation.  After we are saved, we are a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) and are being prepared for His use.  And this is where it gets interesting...

God's purpose for our lives supersedes everything else.  We know that to be true in our minds.  It makes sense, but sometimes it's harder for our hearts to follow.  The biggest part of preparation comes in knowing and understanding that we cannot do it on our own (Romans 7:18) because of the nature which we fight against.  It is only through the strength of Christ (Phillipians 4:13) and the renewal and changing of our minds (Romans 12:2) that we are able to shed what is left of our earthly nature and cling to what is Christ (Galatians 5:16-17).

I'm sure none of these things are new to most Christians.  Many of the things with which we struggle in our walk with Christ aren't the more complex theological ideas.  They are the most basic of concepts that elude us daily resulting in a gradual decay of our relationships that cause the most turmoil.  

So why do I tell you all of this?  Because I believe there are moments in life (and they can happen as often as needed - but must happen as often as is necessary) where we must refocus on Christ.  It begins and ends as only you and God - nothing more, nothing less.  We often cling to people because they give us a sense of satisfaction and security.  This is a good thing.  It's the kind of fellowship we were meant to have.  However, at some point, those relationships begin to try and fill a void that only God can adequately satisfy.  Therefore, the relationships (both with God and with the person) suffer because they begin to develop into something they were not meant to be, each role distorted because we assign them poorly.

This is my challenge for you:  Remove everything from your life that you hold onto, anything that may keep you from experiencing God.  Open your hand and release them to God.  Let him put back into your life everything He wants to be there as He sees fit instead of clinging to things that you want - regardless of how good you think they may be for you or how good they may appear to be.  Sometimes it's not a matter of good and bad, but rather a matter of timing.  God's time is not like ours.  Your time will come if you stay on the path that God has intended for you (Romans 8:28; Proverbs 3:5; James 1:16-17).

Execute it.  
execute |ˈeksiˌkyoōt|
verb [ trans. ]
1 carry out or put into effect (a plan, order, or course of action).
2 carry out a sentence of death.
I like this because it's a play on words.  hahaha

We are called to follow through with God's plan for our lives through meditating on His Word (Psalm 119:9-16; Phillipians 4:8-9; Joshua 1:8; II Timothy 2:15; I Timothy 4:15) and through constant prayer and supplication (James 1:5-8; Romans 12:12; Luke 18:1; James 5:16-18; I John 5:14-15).  You execute what God wants you to do in your life through devoting your heart and mind wholly to Him.

We are also called to die to self, or execute the flesh (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:2-6; Galatians 5:25; I Peter 2:24).  This is the only way we can hope to overcome sin and temptation.  Please understand that it is also a process (Phillipians 2:12-13) and is something that we must always work towards.

Christ's message was very simple, but we complicate it every day by seeking to build things upon a foundation of basic principles of which we are lacking.  The fact that it is possible to point out individual struggles with a great deal of accuracy and efficiency shows awareness of the temptations we face.  It's encouraging because awareness of sin is brought upon by the work of the Holy Spirit.  This shows a great deal of spiritual growth or conviction.  However, after being called by the spirit, this is where there must be action.  All that is necessary must now be done.  It's the only thing left.  

It's time to return to just "you and God", forgetting everything else.  A truly fulfilled relationship with another person cannot be achieved until we are in line with what God wants.  Perfection is not required in order to have an effective relationship.  Relationships are not about perfection.  It simply means that, by looking to other people for that strength and security, we take our focus off of God.  And regardless of how legit a person is, can be, might be or how awesome and good they may seem... it doesn't necessarily mean that they are supposed to take a prominent role in our lives.  Only God can decide that, and when we try and force them into our lives it takes away from our view of what God wants (spiritual discernment).  In this, a sense of independence within God's will and plan is developed.  It's not easy, particularly the part where you have to go back to the basics, but ultimately it's something everyone should do from time to time.  And don't worry about the struggles you face.  Always remember three things:  

1.  You are never temped beyond what you can bear (I Corinthians 10:13).
2.  Perseverance through trials results in a forging of sorts that completes you (James 1:2-4).
3.  God's grace is sufficient for you as His strength is made perfect through your weakness.  (I Cor. 12:9-10)

Many times we pray to God for things with the expectations that He will provide these things by naturally endowing us with these attributes.  Instead it may come as a trial through which we are forged into what He wants us to be.  In most cases we are our own worst enemy.  This can result in either the erosion of our joy because we look inwardly for answers and ultimately fail because the temptation and sin breaks us, or it can result in a dependence on God that leads to strength (and a more profound relationship)  because we have rely on Him for the answers that we seek.

Get in your bible.  Do what needs to be done.  Your mind will be molded and your heart will follow.  Again, know that we are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that our mind, once deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), is being made new in Christ as He renews us entirely.  We call this process sanctification.  Begin working out your salvation today.  

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Knowing Your Heart

We often seek diligently to understand ourselves, in essence, to know our hearts.  The bible teaches that no man knows his heart and that it is "deceitful above all thing" (Jeremiah 17:9).  It is out of our depraved heart that issues forth our actions (Matthew 15:18,19; 12:34,35).  We assume, sometimes quite arrogantly, that a better understanding of oneself will in some way diminish or circumvent the corruption of our heart due to sin.  The greatest lie is the one we tell ourself (I Corinthians 3:18-21).

What is the "heart"?  For the longest time I believed the heart to be the emotions and the mind to be the intellect.  For me, there was was consolation in finding balance between the two.  This is based on my conceptual understanding brought about by our culture.  When we speak of the heart we speak of an emotional response, for the heart is the seat of the emotion in our society.  Likewise, when we refer to the mind we generally associate it with understanding or knowledge.  I was mistakenly under the impression that balance of heart and mind meant that neither ruled over me.  However, if sin has tainted the very core of my being, thus making me filthy, then all of me is affected - both heart and mind.  No amount of balance will ever restore what a sinful nature has taken away.  Consider this:

"The reins, kidneys, were thought by the Hebrews to be the seat of the emotions (cf. Prov 23:16, Ps 16:7; 73:21, Job 19:27).  The heart (Heb leb) was thought to be the seat of the understanding (cf. 5:21).  Thus, when it is said that Jehovah "tries" (i.e. tests or examines) the reins and the heart, it means He is cognizant of man's emotions and affections as well as his purposes and thoughts (cf. 17:10; 20:12, Ps. 7:9; 26:2)." (excerpt from commentary of Jeremiah 17)
- Liberty Bible Commentary

If the heart is linked to understanding, then it is just as much about the mind as it is about the emotion.  And regardless of your understanding of where the seat of the emotion, understanding, intellect, etc., lies,  we all will eventually find our wisdom will never lead to truth.  Whether it's self-discovery or the existence of man, our wisdom will eventually come up null and void.  We require God's wisdom (I Corinthians 1:18-31, I Corinthians 2:6-16, Job 38).  When you begin to consider that what you're reading in the bible as the "heart" refers both to emotion and intellect, basically representing the entirety of man's hidden self, it changes a great deal about what those passages mean.

I don't believe that these concepts are particularly difficult to understand.  Instead, they are hard to accept because we have simply never considered (or cared) what this means to our perception of what the heart is and the subsequent effect it has on our way of thinking.  We want to believe we are right and that we may continue to do things our way.  When you begin to consider that what you're reading in the bible as the "heart" refers both to emotion and intellect, basically representing the entirety of man's hidden self, it radically changes your understanding of what is written.  Every part of you is tainted (Genesis 3:6, Isaiah 64:6, Matthew 7:17-18).  You are totally (not utterly) depraved (Jeremiah 17:9, Genesis 6:5, Romans 3:9-18).  The answer is not finding balance between the part of you that is tainted and the part that has been set aside for God (Galatians 6:15).  It's about the complete renewal of yourself.  God doesn't want the things you have.  He wants to take you and make you completely new! (2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:5,7, Romans 6:4)

Only God truly knows the heart of a man (Jeremiah 17:10).  He alone knows our purpose and the source of our intentions (Hebrews 4:13).  Despite what sometimes may appear to be the best of intentions, this is the miserable reality we face:  that all attempts to "discover ourselves" apart from God are ultimately futile.  And in our vain attempt to ratify mistakes and make sound decisions without God at the helm, we often seek to "add" God to our lives rather than surrendering all we are to Him.  Without the renewal that the bible speaks of so clearly, we have no hope of knowing ourselves, much less of knowing God.

So what is the answer?

Quite simply, the bible teaches that we should seek God (Acts 17:26-28).   It is one of the most basic and simple principles of the bible, but yet the one we disregard with the most regularity (Isaiah 53:6).  Our tendency is to run away from God, not to Him.  Therefore, we have to be reminded regularly of the things to which we devote ourselves.  This is not accomplished through following a list of "do's" and "don't's" as the Pharisees taught.  Instead, it is about the nature of God.  For example, most of us would say we don't lie because "the bible says not to".  Instead, we don't lie because God is truth.  Lying would then be in direct opposition to the nature of God.  Anything that is direct opposition with God's nature is sin.  This can be applied to an endless number of scenarios.  It also destroys many of the "grey areas" that exist when people suggest "the bible doesn't say anything specifically about that".

For Christians.  The realization that we must "die to self" (Galatians 2:20) should alone be enough for us to know that understand the true essence of who we are who we will be is ultimately impossible apart from God.  We constantly wish to focus internally for answers when there are none to be found in us.  Furthermore, "soul searching" is inadequate when seeking to understand the human heart because of the effect of sin on our minds.  God created us!  Why should we seek answers in anyone or anything else but Him?  Add to this the stark reality that we can never understand our true intentions without God, and we are left with little hope of ever making the right choices and acquiring what God has intended for us.

This is difficult because it changes our focus from learning the do's and don't's to learning about God and seeking Him (Ephesians 2:17-21).   I would suggest that the more we know about God, as it is revealed to us through His Word, His Son, His Spirit, and His creation, the more we can securely stand on what we should do and where are heart is.  Furthermore, as we rely less on ourselves and more on God for provision, the logic behind our reasoning becomes God's wisdom rather than our own.  The world will teach you to take care of yourself first, while God teaches to rely on Him for everything (Proverbs 3:5, 2 Peter 1:3, Philippians 4:13; 4:19, Lamentations 3:22, Numbers 23:19, Romans 8:32).  I would encourage those of you who have already made the commitment to follow Christ to honor this commitment by seeking Him.  Many of you feel empty and lonely, as thought God has gone away from you, when in reality it is you who have moved from Him.  By not seeking Him you have alienated yourself from the grace He wishes to give to you - understanding, joy, and more.

For non-Christians.  Please know that I don't expect you to understand much of this (I Corinthians 2:14-16).  I realize that much of this seems foolish to you, and expectedly so (I Corinthians 1:20-25).  I can promise you that the wisdom of men will fail you.  Ultimately, you will be left bitter and empty on the fallen words of those who cannot be as true to you as your Creator.  Ask yourself what it is that you're missing and why all the answers elude you.  Stop looking at other Christians who are poor mirrors of God's image and those who are self-serving ignorers of God, instead choosing to seek truth rather than excuses.  I believe you'll find there is far more to this Christianity and the Jesus they worship than what you originally believed.  And if you ever choose to seek those answers, let me know.  I'd be happy to help.  :-)

Recommended Reading:
Job 38
Acts 17
I Corinthians 1 & 2

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Grace and Mercy

For the longest time many of us have used the terms "grace" and "mercy" without much thought for what they mean.  Most of us think to ourselves "We're saved, right?  Problem solved."  So we lead ourselves to believe that these words have done their job and thus mean very little to us because we no longer choose to consider them.  Or do we not consider them because we genuinely don't understand what they mean?

As sinners we find ourselves in obvious need of both mercy and grace (Ephesians 2:8, 9) because of the condition in which we exist - dead in our sins (Romans 3:23).  Without these things, we would be without hope.  Mercy is extended to us to save us from the immediate punishment for sin, which is death by the way (Romans 6:23), and grace exteneds to us the gift of salvation that we may choose to accept or deny (John 1:12; 3:16; 6:35).  These are concepts which any sinner, once aware of their situation and subsequent choice to choose hope and follow Christ, readily appreciates.  It's this choice that I challenge you to accept today if you have not already.

Perhaps you've already accepted this challenge and made the choice to follow Christ.  What about afterwards?  Once you've been given this mercy and grace, is it over?  Most Christians act as though it is.  We use grace like a "get out of jail free" card (that's a Monopoly reference for those of you lucky enough to have played the game), most often dismissing grace entirely until we need it.   This is not a recent problem.  Paul had to address this among the early church (Romans 6).  The same problem exists today in the form of denying the power of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4).  It's amazing how many Christians blindly forfeit the power and merit that can be given them due to their own ignorance and nearsightedness.  As a generation of little faith, we say we accept what Christ has to offer but reject the message Christ brought to us.  One has to ask if this is possible.

In addressing unbelief, please understand that God's will is sovereign (Daniel 4:25; 5:35, I Timothy 6:15, Revelation 4:11).  He does not need you.  He, in His sovereignty, seeks to involve you by establishing a relationship with you.  Ultimately, His will is done.  We see throughout the old testament how God uses those with evil minds and intentions, most infamously the Babylonians, to accomplish His will.  Because of God's all-powerful nature, we are meaningless without His favor (remember that word, favor.  It will be important later).  Our worth comes in His decision to sustain us and seek to reconcile us to Him, thus allowing us a relationship with Him.  Apart from God we are nothing and we have no hope.  Consider what evolution would teach - that we are pure chance and that morality is a condition instead of the providential will of a divine Creator.  This is just one example of many.  But this is the hope and the grace that God offers you - if you surrender your life to Him and believe in His Son, Jesus, He will save you (Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9).  To deny this would mean you are not serving your purpose.  You are missing out on a life full of eternal meaning and purpose.

In addressing fellow Christians, if you are not considering all the things that grace affords you, you are acting foolishly.  Once coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, it is not over.  God is certainly not finished with you, and what He blesses you with He does so in grace.  So many of us, particularly in our youth, are astonishingly nearsighted.  We don't have much care for tomorrow, much less next week. It has been said that "youth is wasted on the young" (George Bernard Shaw).  Only in maturity of mind that we can look back and genuinely witness the irrational nature of our youth.  And whether this is result of our society or the consequence of our own depravity (or such things stemming from this), it is nonetheless one of the poisonous things that corrupts the way we think.  Solomon warns of a day that will come in which the pleasures of life are gone and bids us to follow God from our youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1).  You are missing out on the great things of faith.

But this is where it really gets interesting.  We tend to think of mercy, grace, and forgiveness as interchangeable or combined in some fashion.  That is neither correct nor adequate when sharing our faith with others.  What if you were asked what those words mean? Can you define them?  Do you know what they are and what they do?  Are they not important enough to learn?

Here's some other self-searching questions that I hope blow your mind like they did mine:
If these concepts are basic and fundamental to my faith and the process of salvation and I lack the capacity to define them, how effective of a witness am I?  Furthermore, how do I know that I'm saved if I have no idea what salvation looks like?  Because I prayed a prayer at some point? Because I go to church?  How do I share it with others?  There is security in understanding your faith and salvation, for both you and the ones you impact.

Like it or not, people are watching you and often look to you for answers.  We are called by Christ to share the gospel with everyone (Matthew 28:16-20), but it's nearly impossible to share this with a lost world when you don't understand it.

I don't believe that the majority of Christians do this knowingly or willingly.  The scary part is that we are all but completely unaware of what is happening.  This is a side effect of a genuine lack of understanding when it comes to God's Word, which leads to a poor relationship with Him.  The beginning of correction in this area would be to consult God's Word often, allowing Him to reshape your mind.  A mentor of mine, and the man that really sparked my attention to this topic, defined grace very well in a message he sent out a few months ago:

"Simply stated, grace is God's unmerited favor.  It is God giving us something we don't deserve.  It is different than mercy.  Mercy is not receiving the punishment we deserve.  Mercy removes the negative results.  Forgiveness is more related to mercy than it is grace.  To forgive means to 'let something go'.  God through His mercy let's us go from the punishment due to us as a result of sin.
Grace is more positive than that.  Grace is something we receive.  God's grace makes us more than a conqueror over the things of this world.  It transforms us to be more like Jesus Christ.  It enables us to overcome our sin.  It gives life to the dead soul, quickens our spirit, sanctifies us, beautifies us, strengthens us, enlightens us, equips us, it spurs us on toward holy living.  It teaches us to say "NO" to ungodly desires and "YES" to the Lord.  It takes sinful creatures and turns them into glorified saints!  That's what makes grace so amazing"
Steve Willis, Pastor, First Baptist Church Kenova
(Romans 8:37, Romans 3:24, Titus 3:7, 2 Corinthians 12:9)

As we grow in Christ, our need for this grace doesn't decrease.  Quite the contrary, it increases.  As we rely on God we depend more and more on His provision for our lives - His grace.  Something every Christian will have to deal with is the realization of their own depravity and what that means in their struggle to be like Christ - to be image bearers of God.  You cannot overcome it alone.  It is not good enough to simply rely on yourself and your own strength.  Whereas that may seem to sustain you for a while, it will only last a short time.

Part of understand faith and grace is the insistence on relying on a greater power than yourself, God's power.  As has been the way of man, we seek to separate ourselves from God further and further in a vain attempt to have our way and do what we want.  Left to our own devices, we run away from God, not to Him.  He must call us to Him.  The unfortunate part are the dire consequences brought about by such actions.  It doesn't happen all at once.  It happens through a series of unfortunate events that generate consequences that lead to worse situations.  Just like the things of God will prosper us as we remain in His will, remaining in opposition to God will have the opposite effect.  We gradually decline to a place of chaos.

Please don't misunderstand me.  I'm not looking to chastise you.  I leave that for God, for He chastens those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6, Romans 3:19).  I simply see the growing need for a generation that is dedicated to seeking God and ridding their minds of the plague that ensnares it.  In addition to the enabling power of faith, I simply want to save you the trouble of being "course corrected".  For those of you that follow Christ, He will direct your paths.  If you have truly given Him your life then you belong to Him and He dwells in you.  Do not expect Him to sit back and continually grant you mercy while you sin against Him.  We know from the old testament that God is patient and slow to anger.  We see this shown perfectly in how He deals with His chosen nation, Israel.  The moment of chastening is coming for you if you are not being the image bearers of God you were called to be, just as it did for the Israelites.

There is good news.  God has a plan for every single one of you, plans with your best interest in mind (Jeremiah 29:11).  I cannot relate to you in adequate terms everything this means.  No precise plan can account for the individual relationship you all can have with God.  It is His plan for you; not for anyone else and certainly not for me.  For those of you who have not taken this step to follow God, I urge you to do so.  To the ones that I call brothers and sisters in Christ, our adventure is far from over.  It's time to take hold of your faith - to begin to saturate your mind with God's word and let him sanctify you.  It is only through relinquishing control to Him that you can ever truly experience everything God has in store for you.  It's time that you began doing the things that draw you closer to Him.

Recommended Reading:
Proverbs 16
Titus 3
James 3
2 Timothy 3

Getting Started

It's been a long time since I've done anything like this.  Like listening to vintage music or returning to an old book, I've observed that I have the same story to tell, but from a different perspective.  Although I have been known to voice my opinions and perspectives quite unapologetically, I typically keep my thoughts to myself except when speaking to those with whom I share a relationship.

I want any person that reads my blog to understand three things about me:

1.  I am not an unbiased writer.  If you believe anything passionately it's my experience that it is impossible to remain unbiased because your beliefs affect you so radically.  As a bible-believing Christian, my starting point is God's Word.  I believe it passionately and wholly.  Please understand that this does not mean I have everything right.  Although I pursue truth very diligently, there are still those upon whom I rely upon very heavily for insight, guidance, and for correction.  The bible speaks of many truths plainly and simply.  Others have yet to be revealed to us.  Therefore, my writing shall remain potently and unapologetically affected by my relationship with Jesus Christ.  I seek in all things to be the image bearer of God I was meant to be.

2.  I am a musician and educator by trade.  Most of what I say will be heavily referenced because, quite simply, I lack the expertise to speak professionally towards many of the topics to which I will refer.  My understanding of them is limited to what has been conveyed to me by other professionals, trusted people of thought, and through sources that I will gladly reference for you to consult.  Anything that is not referenced, while it may be profound, is offered up solely as my perspective on the topic as I speak from experience.

3.  I don't have all the answers.  Many times it will only be a perspective or way of thinking which I present.  I gladly welcome all constructive input, particularly from people who are studied and seek truth as I do.  It is my hope that you will have something to say, or at least think about, after reading my post.  Please offer your thoughts with the same careful selection that I hope my posts convey.  I do not seek to offend anyone.  However, please know as you read that you may come upon topics, thoughts, etc., that truly upset you.  If this does happen, please stop to consider why.  Even in offense we can stand to learn something.  It is also one of the ways we strengthen our belief or change it entirely.  Most of us carry beliefs that are completely contrary to truth, hindering our spiritual growth because they are poison to our minds.  Because of our nature, we are readily defensive when something we believe is called into question.  Should you be offended while reading, please know that was not my intention, but a side effect.  Search yourself and be ready to share your thoughts in a constructive way.

All that having been said, here goes nothing...

It was once said to me that people "like to soak up what I say".  Whether or not that is true, I have noticed that what we say (or write in this particular instance) is very important, regardless of who we are or what we may be.  Whereas these words become exponentially more effective when we begin "living out" what we say, the words themselves take life in people's minds as they read.  I want to confront people with thought, that they may consider important things that have been neglected.  The battlefield is our mind - and it is one we are steadily losing.  It is time to take back our minds from the lies and neglect that have ensnared our lives.

Now more than any other time in history we have the opportunity to be heard.  So what are you saying? Many months ago I made a vow to try and impact those with whom I come into contact - every single person.  Whereas I realize cannot affect every person, engaging everyone in some way will allow me to affect those who I have been given the opportunity to impact.  God has someone else in mind for the others - maybe you.  However, because I cannot know one from the other (who I can impact and who I cannot) my resolve will remain the same.  This blog is one way to do this.

Thank you for reading my blog and taking the time to consider my purposes for writing.  Hopefully I will hear a great deal more from you, and we can go down this road together.

~ Jeremy