Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus
What if Jesus treated us as we treated Him? Would we still be in love with Him? Would we be willing to sacrifice anything, much less everything, to follow someone who treated us as we treat Jesus? Relationships are two way streets, and our relationship with Christ often teeters dangerously close to dysfunctional.
Photo courtesy of Alex Bruda
Ours is a relationship that is heavily one-sided, yet He continues to love us still. Do you ever wonder why? [Read more…] about Relationship Check
Why are we here? What is God’s will for me? What should I do with my life? We’ve all asked some form of this question repeatedly throughout our lives. It wasn’t always this way in the church. There was a time when people knew exactly why they were here and what they were supposed to be doing with their time on the planet.
There was no consternation as to which vocation to pursue. The early believers understood the message of Christ clearly, and it’s this very message that the church at large, and the Western church in particular, has so muddled over the past couple hundred years. [Read more…] about Your Life’s Mission
I had the privilege of listening to author Mike Breen speak this past Sunday. He touched on something that aligned well with the things we discuss here, so I wanted to expand on it a bit today. The statement he made was that the Bible is essentially about two things: Relationship and Representation. The relationship aspect applies to how God relates to us and how we relate back to Him. Representation refers to how we are the image bearers of God to our world.
Put in terms I often use here, representation is synonymous with reflecting God to others. The Bible is a large book and we generally think it complex; however when you break it down to these two concepts, it truly becomes very simple. [Read more…] about The Message of the Bible
On her 2005 album, “If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something”, Rebecca St. James wrote a beautiful song entitled “Lest I Forget”. The song’s melody is at once haunting and peaceful. I have often used the song to enter into a state of contemplative worship. The words are both simple and powerful.
I sit in silence here
I’m filled with wonder once again
I’m overwhelmed by Your beautiful love
Now I, I’m falling to my knees, so grateful for the grace You give
The love I need I’ve found in you
I recently wrote about finding some time to just sit in silence (see “Taking Time to Breathe”). This is such an important discipline, to shut out all distractions and focus solely on the Lord. When was the last time you simply marveled at the wonder of God? The Creator of the universe has chosen to collaborate in writing the history of the world with the likes of you and me. He has redeemed us from the life we deserve and instead has promised us eternal life in Him. We consistently rebel against Him, fall repeatedly into the same temptations and yet He is always eager to welcome us back into His arms. No other love on earth can match the amazing love our Father has for us. Take some time to think on His wonder, His love, and His glory. I guarantee it will drive you to your knees in awe. God has provided everything we will ever need in the person of Jesus Christ.
Lord, You wept tears of blood for me
You hung in agony so deep
Carried my sin away for good
It is a newer tradition in my household to watch the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” on Good Friday each year. Put aside the controversy that surrounded the film and more recently its producer, and concentrate on the depiction of suffering that Christ endured for us. It is so difficult to watch. Who would do such a thing for the life of someone not yet even born? Jesus would have known that I might spend my whole life rebelling against Him, yet He chose to sacrifice His life for mine, just for the chance that I could one day experience His love. He wept tears in my place and withstood torture that I can scarcely imagine. He did this so I might live. His only motivation was a love so outrageous that I will never fully comprehend it.
Lest I forget
All of your goodness
The blood you have shed
The cross I now remember
Lest I forget
I don’t ever want to take for granted what He did for me. I never want to lose the wonder of His love and mercy, and I refuse to overlook the price He paid. Our busy world affords us little opportunity to slow down and ponder the majesty of God. It is important to the health of our soul and our relationship with Christ that we do so. In all of our hurry we must take some time to get alone with Him and reflect on His glory and remember exactly what He went through on our behalf. It’s not a feel good story that is often articulated from our pulpits. There are far easier passages of Scripture on which to meditate and study. Without the reality of the cross though, nothing else would matter. Everything hinges on the sacrifice of Jesus for an undeserving world. We must always keep His life and death at the forefront of our minds. I could never repay what He has done for me. All I can do is obey Him and follow the instructions He gave. Nothing I can do will ever be enough to return the love He lavished on me. He died for me, so I am compelled to live for Him. I will always vividly remember the cross… lest I forget.
How long has it been since you have marveled at the hand of God on your life? It seems we spend far more time beating ourselves up over things we could have done and opportunities we failed to seize, as opposed to taking the time to reflect on all that God has done for us and through us. We lose our self worth because we fail to recognize how much we are valued. We compare ourselves to others instead of understanding who we are in the eyes of Jesus. Each of us is significant; every one of us matters. We all have a role to play in the life that has been entrusted to us, but it is up to us to recognize it.
When we were small, God was there. Angels danced in celebration when we were born, and the eyes of God beamed in anticipation of all we might become for His glory. He watched over our growth and development while calling out to us all along the way. He slayed the monsters under our beds and held us steady as we rode a bicycle for the first time. It was He who healed us when we fell and dried the tears from our eyes when no one else was around. With each passing year, it was He who molded us, forming us into the person He designed us to become.
As teenagers, He watched over us through everything. He saw the things we did that we should not be doing, yet continued to love and call out to us. When we took the wheel of a car for the first time, He was there to protect and instruct us. When we had our hearts broken, He was there to put the pieces back together again. He was the friend we could always talk to regardless of the circumstances. He was the constant gardener, pruning the rough edges and shaping us into the person who would best serve His Kingdom.
As adults, God is still there. He is there when we embark on a career and face challenges and temptations we have never known. God is there when we commit our hand in marriage and He is there when we face the struggle of being alone. He sees our heartaches and He knows our pain. He longs to wrap us in His arms and give shelter from all the damage the world inflicts upon us. His voice still beckons us to follow and to find a life greater than we have ever imagined, one lived for His Kingdom and His glory. He has never forgotten the person He created us to be, yet He allows us to go another way if we should choose. He waits patiently, following close behind, longing for the moment we will return. He is our provider and our comfort. He is our constant help in trouble.
When all is said and done and we breathe our last, if we have been faithful to love and follow Him, we will meet Him face to face. At last we will truly understand the enormity of His love. We will marvel at His utter beauty and holiness. God has always been there, yet we have known Him only in glimpses and pieces of the truth. When we gaze upon His glory, we will look back and see that He has always been with us and wonder how we could have so often missed that fact. He is our redeemer, He is our Creator. In the end He will be our sustainer. Take some time to marvel at his love and worship Him as Lord of your life. He is always by your side; recognize His presence today and rest in His love.