Getting out of bed in the morning can be a challenge or a gift. I have thankfully gotten to the place where I wake without an alarm clock, because I’m certain that the sound they make is akin to something of a demonic nature. Regardless of whether we waken to the sound of a buzzer, a rooster or simply to the sounds of the day, that moment provides us the opportunity to spend some time alone with God. We can choose to roll over and grab ten more minutes of sleep or eagerly embrace the chance to commune with the One who gave us life. I long excused my surly attitude in the early hours by simply saying that I was not a morning person. I still prefer late nights, but the practice of rising before dawn and enjoying some time with God has softened my interactions with others in the morning. [Read more…] about Starting the Day off Right
mission
The Resurrection
This is my favorite day of the year. People gather at sunrise singing and rejoicing that Jesus has risen from the dead. The excitement is just as real today as it was 2,000 years ago. What must it have been like to see the empty tomb, the large stone that had sealed it, tossed aside? It all came together on that day. Everything Jesus had been teaching suddenly made sense. He had said He would rise again on the third day, and now He had. The angels in Heaven rejoiced and sang; the people on earth were in awe and full of excitement. For followers of Christ today, we celebrate the ultimate victory secured by our Savior. Jesus didn’t just defeat sin on the cross; He defeated death by rising again.
Just as the angel told Mary to go tell the disciples, the message still resonates today. This is truly the good news! The death of Christ paid for our forgiveness; His resurrection bought life eternal for all those who believe and follow Him. His death brought sorrow, His resurrection brings joy. Instead of a life that ends in death we can now look forward to healing. Our entire faith is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By rising again, He provided the way for us to be born again. It was one thing for Him to sacrifice Himself for our sins, but by rising from the grave He defeated death and provide an escape for us as well. When Christ left this world He promised to go and prepare a place for us. Because of Him, we too will defeat death and spend eternity in His presence.
Today is a day to celebrate. For followers of Jesus, this day should kick off a season of renewed enthusiasm for, and commitment to, the mission of Jesus. He defeated death and returned to Heaven so that His Spirit might go with each of us in all we endeavor to do in His name. When we feed the hungry and shelter the homeless, He is there. When we visit the sick and those in prison, He is there. Death could not hold the Son of God; that power is now available to each of us who follow Him. Don’t waste what has been given to you; in His strength, seize every opportunity to reflect the glory of God to everyone you meet. Take a genuine interest in their lives and be the hands and feet of Jesus. This is why He died, so that we might live a life that overflows with His love.
Don’t make the mistake of considering Easter just another holiday. Recognize the significance of what this day means; it is the single most pivotal day in the entire history of humanity. Satan was defeated and he no longer has any power over us. Jesus has overcome, and through Him, we too can surmount any obstacle. Nothing is bigger than death and death no longer poses a challenge. We are free to run and tell the world about His love and His mercy. Rejoice in His resurrection; rejoice in what He has done in your own life. Revel in the thought of spending eternity with Him.
This is the day that Jesus set himself apart from anyone else that ever lived. No one else ever raised themselves from the dead. No one who has ever died and come back to life has avoided death again at a later time. Only Jesus can claim either of these achievements. In so doing, He proved He was who He said He was – the only Son of God.
The Music of Your Life
Music has always played a significant role in our society, and it has long impacted my own life. Lyrics can lift you up or bring you low; differing chords and notes can cause your mind to soar or your eyes to weep. The simple notes of a piano can invade your deepest thoughts, while the soaring wail of a guitar can pierce your soul. Beyond the strains of melody, the lyrical message of a song can move you to action or trap you in despair. Perhaps nothing has a greater influence on our mood than a song we hear on the radio or find playing in our head.
One of the most revered songwriters of the past forty years or so was John Lennon. Many people took his words almost as a gospel for their lives. Sadly, too many of us can relate to the lyrics of his 1981 song, “Watching the Wheels”. Take a look at a few lines:
“People say I’m lazy dreaming my life away”
“I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll”
“I tell them there’s no hurry
I’m just sitting here doing time”
When I was younger, I remember relishing the words of this song. They seemed to depict such an easy going life, one without cares or worry. For followers of Jesus, however, these words are poison. They speak of a lackadaisical life, a life focused on ease and comfort. While I’m certain there are times in each of our lives when we just want to stop all the motion around us and play spectator for awhile, this is not an option if we are seriously committed to carrying out the mission of Christ. Contrast Lennon’s words with those of a more recent talented songwriter, Matthew West:
“I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions”
This should be the cry of every heart that loves Jesus. We should never be content with sitting still and “watching the world go by”. Jesus called us to be people of action. His first word of what has come to be known as the great commission was, “Go”. Jesus never commanded His followers to sit still and do nothing. He commanded them to be busy doing the same work that they had seen Him doing. We are not called to be assimilated into the culture of our day; we are called to be different and to reflect the love of Christ to a dark and bitter world. We have all been created with different gifts and passions so that we might share the message of Jesus with everyone we encounter. If we are content to simply go through the motions, we will never experience the power of God in our lives and the world will be deprived of the song we have been given to sing.
Recently I have been very moved by the lyrics of another young songwriter named Josh Wilson. Here are some words from his song, “I Refuse”:
“I don’t want to live like I don’t care.
I don’t want to say another empty prayer.
Oh, I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse.”
I want those words to be the prayer of my life. I never want to take a pass on the things God has given me to do. As followers of Jesus we should always seek to be proactive in carrying out the mission of Christ. We already have our marching orders, it is our duty to carry them out and follow through.
What will be the song of your life? Will you be content to simply watch the world pass by in front of your eyes or will you refuse to leave the work to someone else and throw yourself into the great adventure of following Jesus? At the end of your life will you stand before God with the music of His love bursting from deep within or will you, in the words of Emerson, die with the music still in you? We all must choose to live life either as a passive spectator or an active participant being the hands and feet of Jesus. The choice is simple, the implementation is not. Don’t be content with going through the motions and simply watching the wheels go ‘round and ‘round; refuse to be idle and wait for someone else to do what God has given you to do. Share the song He has given you while there is still time to let your life sing. May the love of Jesus resonate loudly from deep within your soul; let this be the music of your life.
Developing Zeal
Recently I wrote a post on being zealous for God, and a reader asked how one goes about getting this zeal. It’s a great question that I thought would be worth exploring further. Zeal is not something that can be artificially manufactured. It can be fanned into a flame by many sources, but the seed of it is organic and must rise up from within you. For the purpose of our discussion, that seed is a love for Jesus and a desire to serve Him. If we truly want to serve Him above all else, we have the makings of a zealous person. The question then becomes how to fan our innermost desire into a consuming passion that engulfs us in our daily lives. There are many facets to the answer, and certainly the “how” will vary somewhat given each individual personality; I’ve put together some ideas below that have been useful in my own life.
• Get to know the character of God. Nothing develops zeal faster than learning about who God is. Reading the Bible with the intention of getting to know Him and seeing the way He has worked through history allows us to see how truly Awesome and Holy He is. Most of us tend to read the Bible to try and find out how it applies to our own lives. Ultimately, however, the Bible is not a book about us; it’s the story of God and His love for those He created. Like any relationship, if we don’t spend time learning about the other person, we will soon become disinterested. Don’t be content to learn all you know about God from a Sunday morning sermon. Dig in and discover the character of your Creator. Learn what drives Him, what angers Him and what inspires Him. Pray constantly, talking to Him as you would your closest friend. God is not afraid of your questions, your honesty, or your anger. He longs for you to learn more about Him and is a patient teacher. Ask Him to reveal His very essence to you and never stop praying and reading to learn more about who He is.
• Read inspiring material. It cannot be overstated how great an influence reading has on your mind. If we read depressing material, we will find ourselves discouraged even if we have no actual reason to feel that way. If we read books that teach concepts contrary to the teaching of Christ, we will find our minds consumed with those thoughts rather than thoughts of God. It is nearly impossible to be zealous for God if your mind is not consistently and wholly focused on Him. By reading inspiring articles and books, words that are uplifting and point to Jesus, you will find yourself developing a positive attitude; someone with a positive attitude is far more likely to see possibilities. When we begin to dream of what is possible, we become inspired to take action. Taking action is what zeal is all about; we cannot help but move.
• Be intentional with what you allow to influence you. Just as reading has a profound influence on your life, so too does what you listen to, what you watch, and those with whom you associate. Music is powerful and can easily lift one to the heights of worship; on the flip side it can bring you to the depths of despair. We need to guard against anything that leads our thoughts away from God. This isn’t a statement against any particular type of music, but rather just a warning to take notice of how certain songs affect you. The same can be said for television and movies. The windows are the eyes of the soul, so be careful what you feed your innermost being. In our modern age, we are bombarded with images at an unprecedented rate every day. Most of the images are not designed to draw us closer to God, and many of them will do the exact opposite. To be zealous we must keep our hearts and minds clean and focused on Christ. In the same way, those with whom you associate hold great influence over you. We must be intentional in choosing our friends. If we surround ourselves with those who are intent on pursuing what the world has to offer, we will find ourselves carried along for the ride. Instead, choose to associate with those who are seeking God, with people who are passionately pursuing Jesus. Hanging out with zealous people will develop zeal in your own life in a somewhat passive manner because zeal is highly contagious!
• Become active in causes that are close to the heart of God. As you learn more about the character of God, immerse yourself in causes that work towards fulfilling His mission on earth. Jesus said to care for the poor, so get involved with ministries and organizations that work to alleviate hunger and poverty. Since God detests injustice, become an advocate for the oppressed. As you give yourself to become the hands and feet of Jesus, your character will align with God’s. As your heart begins to beat in rhythm with His, you will be consumed with desiring Him more and more. This is where passion is born. This is the seed of zealousness.
The ideas listed above are far from exhaustive, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on developing zeal for God. What have been the turning points in your life, the “a-ha moments” that pushed you deeper in your relationship with Him? It is through the sharing of ideas that we will all grow closer to our Lord. Let me know how these suggestions work for you, and let’s pray for one another that we might all grow in our zeal for the One who gave His life so that we might live. Seek Jesus only and always and you will discover your own passion and zeal for following Him.
Zealous for God
We read much in scripture about zeal. In Psalm 69, David speaks of the zeal of God consuming him despite all the calamities that were being inflicted upon him. Psalm 119 finds the author literally worn out by his zeal; he is exhausted by a righteous anger over those who have forsaken the teachings of the Lord. In the New Testament, Paul writes in Galatians that it is good to be zealous for the right things (Galatians 4:18).
The book of Titus states that God’s people will be zealous to do good works. Finally, in the book of Revelation, Jesus Himself tells us to be zealous and repent. Different versions of the Bible translate the word zealous as earnest, eager or committed. The point is that we should diligently strive to do the good works that Christ has given us to do.