Standards

   In this day and age we all seem to have very high standards. Some people will not buy off brand versions of food or technology. Some people will not associate with others that they deem lower than themselves. Some people demand a lot and think they are entitled to it.

   You may be thinking, "I'm not that bad." Let's see if you are correct. You are in charge of choosing the next CEO of a major company. There are many choices but the company has narrowed them down to 3 options. First there is a man who is well built. He looks tough and will not take no for an answer. You know he will push the company to new heights because he will push his employees. And, if anyone steps out of line he will get rid of them and find someone better. 

   Next there is a man who is smaller, leaner, and wearing glasses. This man graduated from Harvard. He excelled in all of his classes and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He is also up with the times and is very tech savvy. You know this man will help push the company into not only the 21st century but the 22nd too. He will keep on helping the company grow so it will not fall behind other companies.

   Finally, the board has chosen a wildcard. This man is only 25 years old. His previous employment included a grocery bagger. Then he created his own company, which was doing very well. You also note that the company he created donates some of its profits to charity. You wonder why this man was chosen in the top three. He definitely doesn't have as much experience as the other two men.
   Who would you choose? Before you make an official decision let me remind you of a Bible story. In 1 Samuel 16:1-13 we find the account of Samuel choosing the next king of Israel. Samuel saw 7 of Jesse's sons and he thought all of them would be chosen because of experience, stature, etc. But, God didn't choose any of them because God looks at the heart. God cares about choosing leaders who care. He wants leaders who will help his flock grow. He wants leaders who will be good role models. He wants leaders who walk with him.
   Now, back to the CEO choice, who would you choose? Who do you think God would choose? We never know who God would choose but we must remember that God looks at the heart. He wants people who care about Him and about others, just as the great commandment calls us to do. According to God's standards a Shepherd boy can be king, a murderer can be the leader of Israel, a tax collector can become a disciple, and a carpenter can be the savior of the world. Each of these men were chosen by God to make a difference. They were not chosen because of their stature, experience, or knowledge. They were chosen because of their hearts.
   Imagine what God could do with you if you followed him with all your heart? Could you become a CEO that makes a difference in the world? Could you become a pro athlete that gives God the glory? Could you become a missionary that reaches the lost? God is searching for people who have a heart for him, do you have a heart for him? Will God choose you to make a difference because of your heart for him? And, if he does, will you be willing to listen to the call?

   Acts 2:38-39 and James 4:8
   Image from here.

Got Passion? An Easter Blog

   "He has risen." If you go to church and you heard that more than likely you would reply with: "he has risen indeed." That's a great saying but I wonder if it has become common place.
   I'm not saying it isn't great to remember that Jesus has risen. What I am saying is I think that we do not have the passion we used to have when we say it. Think about when you were a child, or when you first became a Christian. When you heard "he has risen," how did you reply? Did you say "he has risen indeed" very quietly or like you were bored? No! I'm pretty sure you would have jumped up in your seat, if it was appropriate, and yelled "HE HAS RISEN INDEED!"
   Why do I say that you would have yelled it? I say that because when we first become Christian we have a fire for God. We have been saved from our sin. And, we have been saved in a most unexpected way. God came down to take our sin. He showed us love in the most unconditional way. Shouldn't we shout that to the world?!
   But, as time goes on, we take it for granted. "Oh, yes I know Jesus rose from the dead. I know pretty much all I need to know about him. No, I don't feel I am called to go places to share about him. Someone else can do that, I don't want to risk my neck." Rather than sharing the greatest story of love ever told we sit back. We become lukewarm, selfish, and hypocritical. Then we wonder why people don't want to hear about Jesus.
   We have a chance to share the good news. We should want to share this news with everyone! This isn't just a story from history. It is a story that is continuing on and that we get to be a part of. That's why we should have a passion for sharing this news. We should be yelling in church and everywhere "HE HAS RISEN INDEED!" We should be willing to tell others about him no matter the cost because he paid the ultimate price for us.
   So, do you still have a passion for Christ? Are you sharing the good news of the gospel? If not, what can you do to share the gospel? 

   Mark 16:5-7, Matthew 6:21, 1 Corinthians 10:31

   Image found here.

God of Wrath and Love

   I have learned a lot over my lifetime. I have learned that it is not a good idea to put your hand on the stove when it's hot, learned that one the hard way. I have learned that adulting is hard; enjoy childhood while you can, children/college students. I have also learned that I don't know everything, especially when it comes to God.
   I have asked a lot of questions about God. Some I have learned the answers to, others I have not. One question I have asked is: why does God seem different in the Old Testament? He is about love in the New Testament and death in the Old, why is that? Believe it or not, after struggling with that, and after study at LBC, I have an answer.
   It is important to note before we go on that many people ask this question because of the fact that the Bible says that God doesn't change (Heb.13.8). If God doesn't change then why is Jesus all about love and acceptance?
   I'm glad you asked ;) It is true that God does not change, no matter how different he seems in the Old Testament as compared to the New Testament. However, God does change the way he deals with us. That may seem close to changing, but God's personality is still the same.
   Think of it this way: at the beginning of the world, God gave Adam and Eve one commandment. They were not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If they ate, the consequence would be death (Gen.2.16-17). You know the rest of the story: Adam and Eve ate of the tree and they died immediately, right? Wrong! God could have killed Adam and Eve right away because they disobeyed. Not only that, but sin entered the world then. God cannot look upon sin; therefore, God could no longer walk with Adam and Eve. God showed love to Adam and Eve by not killing them immediately.
   One part of God that I think we don't emphasize enough is that God is a God of wrath. He cannot be with anything unholy. When sin entered the world, God could have left us all alone to die; but, because of his love, he did not. He had a chosen people who were to be a light to the world: the Israelites.
   The Israelites did an amazing job at spreading the good news and everyone was saved. Ha, just making sure you are still paying attention. The Israelites were given commandments. In the end, they did not follow those commandments, continued to sin, and fell away from God. But, before that happened, they had strong Godly leaders, like Moses and Joshua, that led them in God's ways. During that time, God told Joshua every time the Israelites defeated a city that everything was to be destroyed. That meant that the gold, animals, men, women, and children were to be killed. Hold up, isn't God a loving God? Why would he make the Israelites kill everything?
   God knew that if the Israelites would keep those people alive the Israelites would fall into sin. That's great that God is taking care of His people, but why doesn't he care about those other people, the ones who were killed? God did care about those people. Israel's job was to be a light to the world. Do you think that the people in the towns the Israelites destroyed never heard of the miracles and victories the Israelites had? They did, in fact many times the cities joined with other cities to defeat the Israelites; but they were no match for God. These people in these cities were sinners, could they have repented? Would God have accepted them?
   The Bible gives us a few examples of people who joined the Israelites because they repented. In Joshua 2, we read the story about how Rahab helped the spies. After she helped them, she asked to join them because she heard of the miracles that occurred and knew God was with them. Rahab did something that the other people in Jericho did not do: she repented. She did not run from God, but ran to him and, because of that, she and her family joined the Israelites. I could go on with examples of people like Samson who turned from God but at the end turned back, Ruth who stayed with Naomi though it meant hardship, and even the whole city of Nineveh who turned from their evil ways. All of them repented and followed God. God accepted them because he is a God of love and he doesn't want any to perish. But, God cannot look on sin which is why he is also a God of wrath.
   Now you may be saying, "didn't the Israelites sin too? How could God look upon them?" The Israelites presented sacrifices to God. The only way that God could be with them is by a sacrifice of atonement that happened once each year (Lev.16 [specifically verse 34 if you don't want to read about how the sacrifice was made]). The reason why the sacrifice had to be made is because God sacrificed a lamb to make clothes for Adam and Eve. The blood of the lamb covered their sin. Sound familiar? It should because, I don't know about you but, I am so thankful that I don't have to sacrifice animals today because Jesus died for my sins. The Old Testament pointed to Jesus. The law was made to prove that we cannot make it to heaven on our own. We need Jesus to take our sin away. That's why Jesus came in and talked about love; because that's what Jesus came to share: God's love.
   So, do you realize that God is a God of love and wrath? Do you see that God has never changed? Do you believe that Jesus died as atonement for your sins?

   For more information on God being a God of wrath and love check out this blog.

   Image from here.

Holding Grudges

   Have you ever made a promise you didn't keep? Did anyone ever break a promise to you? It doesn't matter if it is a small promise or a big one, when a promise is broken so is trust. Many times people remember when someone does not keep a promise. But as Christians what are we called to do?

   We are called to forgive those who wrong us. But many times we have a grudge against the person who broke the promise. Sometimes we try to forget those broken promises but we keep it in the back of our mind what that person did.
   When we hold grudges like that it is like a filing cabinet. Way back, at my church, a little skit was put on. An old lady came walking down the aisle with a huge filing cabinet. She interacted with the pastor and we found out that this lady had kept a record of everyone who ever wronged her. She kept holding grudges against those people because she didn't want to get burned.
   Imagine if you were to keep a record of all the wrongs anyone has committed against you. How big would your filing cabinet be? I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to carry that cabinet around. In fact, carrying that around doesn't do any good. It doesn't keep those who wronged us in chains, it just keeps us in chains. We are the one who carries around the anger, resentment, and hate. Meanwhile that person who wronged us may not even know what he did.
   Instead of having a huge filing cabinet what we need to have just one page in a file folder that says: Jesus' love paid it all. And has the words of Ephesians 4:31-31.
   So do you carry around a filing cabinet? What can you do to get rid of those grudges? Will you choose to remember that all is forgiven in Jesus?

   Mark 11:25, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:21-22
   Image from here. 

What God can Do with Your Flower Pot?

Picture a pot,
What is missing in it, is a lot.
There isn't a sign,
Of dirt worth a dime.
In the pot is a flower,
That doesn't look like it has much power.
What can God do with that?

Picture a pot,
That does have a lot.
The dirt is overflowing,
So much so, it could do with some mowing.
In this pot there are many plants
They look like they could just dance.
What can God do with this flower pot?

God is so awesome,
He can make everything blossom.
If a pot is filled with void,
Should it be destroyed?
If a pot has a lot,
It can still turn to rot.
What should God do with these flower pots?

   We were made by an awesome God. We were created with certain abilities, thoughts, and desires. Every person has a void in them when they are born. We try to fill that void in many ways whether that be food, TV, drugs, or sex. We look for happiness on this earth but we cannot find it. We are born like the empty pot that isn't flourishing at all.
   Sometimes people are alright with filling their flower pot with the nothingness of this world. They make choices to fill their flower pot with food, tv, drugs, etc. They think they know what is best for them. It is their way or the highway. It is look out for number one. It is I am holier than you.
God can't do much with either of these flower pots until the flower pot realizes that it needs someone to take care of it. For the empty pot, God can fill it up with his love, mercy, and grace. He can help the flower in that pot grow and flourish until it seems like the pot will burst.
   For the full flower pot, God can tame the wild flower in that pot. He can take out all of the bad weeds that have grown there like food, money, drugs, etc. He can take away some of the dirt that says I know better than others. He can make that person realize that, that person's ideas that are incorrect and clean up that person's sins. Once that happens, the flower in the pot can also grow and flourish until it seems like the pot will burst.
   Now, you may be saying what will happen to the pot if the flower gets too big because the person grows with God a lot. Well, God is a great gardener. He knows what is best for each plant in his garden. If a plant gets to the point where it needs to be moved in order to grow more, God can move that plant to a new pot or a garden. He has an amazing plan for each of us, we just need to be humble and willing enough to say "God, let your will be done."
   So, will you be a person who has a void in your heart, always searching for a way to fill the void? Will you be the person who thinks you know it all and make the choice to follow your own selfish desires? Or, will you be the person who says "I will follow you God, no matter where you take me?"

   Luke 10:27, 2 Peter 3:18, Ecclesiastes 3:1
   Image from here.

Are You a Lifeguard or a Pool Monitor?

   Imagine you see a pool where children are splashing, playing, and having fun. You smell sunscreen and chlorine. There is laughter all around. You lie down and just as you begin to relax you hear screams and splashing. You get up quickly and look at the pool. There is a child splashing in the deep end. The child is screaming when it comes up out of the water. And, when the child goes under the water, you see bubbles. You realize the child is drowning.

   Frantically you look around and locate the lifeguard. You run over to the lifeguard and ask the lifeguard why he isn’t helping the child. The lifeguard looks down at you and says “oh, I’m not a lifeguard I am just a pool monitor. I’m supposed to let a person who is drowning know that he or she is drowning.” The lifeguard looks down at the child and says “hey, you are drowning.”

   Your mouth drops and you cannot believe what you are hearing. You grab the life saver from the pool monitor and throw it to the child. You are hoping that she would have the sense to grab it and save her life.This situation is a metaphor. Obviously if you see someone drowning you are going to try and do whatever you can to save that person. But, if you see someone who does not know Christ and is going down the wrong path are you going to be willing to say to them “you are not saved?” That’s all well and good if you are willing to do that but you need to take another step too.

   The pool monitor just sat there and told the girl she was drowning but that was not enough. Christians can walk around looking at the world and say “you are not saved.” But, if we do not tell them how to be saved are we actually saving them? Are we following the great commission?

   In the story you throw the life saver to the child. Thus, you are telling the child how to save herself. At that point you hope that the child will grab onto the only thing that can save her. When witnessing to the lost we can tell them how to save themselves but then we just need to hop that they will choose to accept that salvation. That’s not where our job stops though.

   Let’s say that child decided to grab onto the life saver. Would you just walk away from that child after she grabbed that? No, you would make sure she was okay. You would find her parents and make sure they understood what happened. As Christians, after someone accepts Christ, we need to come alongside that person and help her in her walk with God. This may mean we stay in contact, make sure she is alright, answer questions, and help her find someone who she can trust to help her in her walk with God.

   Our job does not end when that person accepts Christ; in fact that is only the beginning. If we are willing to help that person accept Christ we should be willing to help that person in her walk with Christ too.

   So are you willing to save the lost? After those people accept Christ are you willing to come alongside them and help them in their walk with Christ?

   Romans 10:9, Mark 16:15-16, Hebrews 10:24-25

The Justice of Judgement Vs. The Gift of Grace

   Imagine you enter a courtroom. At first you wonder why you are here. You go to sit down in one of the chairs but the bailiff comes and puts you on the stand. You wonder why he would take you there and tell him you have done nothing wrong. The judge comes in and, after you are sworn in, he asks you “why should you be set free?” You say you “haven’t done anything wrong.” But, the judge asks you again “why should you be set free?”

   You rub your head and figure you should play along. You begin to list off some of your accomplishments. Some of those may be you volunteered many places, you gave money to charities, you were kind to animals, and so on. The judge says “so you should be set free because you did those things?” You nod your head and say “yes.”

   The judge then asks you “why shouldn’t you be set free?” You shrug your shoulders because you cannot think of anything. The judge then lists off your short comings. Those may be you lied many times, gossiped, stole something, or many other things. Then he asks you “should you be let go for doing these things?” You do not answer. The judge asks you to wait and the bailiff takes you off the stand.

   Another man comes in the room. The bailiff puts him on the stand; and, after being sworn in, the judge asks the man “why should you be set free?” The man replies “I should not be set free.” The judge says “why shouldn’t you be set free?” The man looks down “I am a sinner. I am a liar, thief, and a murderer. I do not deserve life.” You wonder what is going to happen to this man. The judge looks at a list that was on his podium. Suddenly the man on the stand burns bright and his suit turns white. The judge says to the man “you have been set free because you have been washed clean by the blood of the lamb.” The man is taken off the stand.

   The bailiff takes you back up to the stand. Then the judge asks you “now, do you deserve to be set free?”
   Many people have the idea that if they do more good than bad they will get into heaven. Meanwhile, in the Bible it clearly states that there is only one way to heaven. And, that is through knowing Jesus Christ as your personal savior. If you do not know him one day you will be at the throne of judgement. Then it doesn't matter how much good you have done because God is holy and blameless; and anyone that is not blameless (in other words those who have sinned) will not be in heaven unless they have put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

   So, what would you have said at the beginning of this story when the judge asked you: “why do you deserve to be set free?” Would you have figured out any reason why you should not have been set free? Are you focused too much on what you, or others, have done wrong rather than the grace by which we are all set free? Do you know if you are washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ?

   Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:16

The Greatest Love

   While I was student teaching at Lancaster County Christian School every day they have a verse of the day. On Valentine’s Day the verse was John 15:13 which says “greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends(some translations say brother).” Because I was working with first graders, I figured I would need to discuss this verse a little more.

   I asked the students what they thought this verse meant. They said it was talking about love but they could not get much more out of it. I decided to flesh out the verse a little more. I started off with saying we use the word love a lot. We say “I love cheese curls,” and “I love my mom.” Is that the same kind of love? They said yes and no. We did a bit of a history lesson and I told them that the Bible was written in many languages, one of them was Greek. In Greek there are five different words for love.

   I said do you love your brother/sister? Some students said yes, others said no. I then went into would you die for your brother? Many students said no.

   Next we talked about the greatest commandment and the second greatest commandment. We are to love God and love others. I talked about to love others we need to be nice to them and forgive them.

We then discussed what Jesus did for us. Jesus had agape love for us (back to the Greek words). His love for us was unconditional. Jesus forgave us of our sins and took away our guilt. He was willing to die for us before we were even on this earth. While we may not be willing to die for our family members or a complete stranger, Jesus was. This got the students thinking about what love really is.

   Why am I telling you all of this? It is because I want you to think about if you really know what love is. So many songs are written about love. But, many people do not actually know what love is. Real love isn’t the love you have for cheese curls or temporary things. Real love is unconditional. I should not have to buy someone’s love and, if I do, then that person will never really love me.

   Also, though we may never be asked to lay down our lives for anyone we need to think about what Jesus would do. As we grow in Christ we must stop thinking about the things of this world and start thinking about eternity. What can we do to help others in eternity? We can follow the Great Commission and love others by saving them from death. We need to tell others the good news so that none may perish but that all would feel the love of Jesus and have eternal life.

   So, do you actually know what love is? Are you willing to show others the unconditional love that Christ has shown us?

   Mark 12:29-31, Luke 6:35, Matthew 28:16-20

Becoming Numb to It

   There was another robbery on Main Street. Someone was killed in another car crash. ISIS attacked another big city. And, on and on it goes. Do you ever feel like you are beginning to become numb to everything going on in the world? I know I have felt that way. It is like everywhere I turn some horrible thing happened. More and more sin is occurring and the American culture is going down the toilet.

   Christians are also starting to slip. It only takes a few times for us to do the same sin over and over again before it becomes a habit. That sin may not even be a blatant one. It may be a sin of omission where we look the other way and don’t do what we know we should do.

   Another issue with becoming numb to things is we become numb to the Bible and people who are preaching the Bible. If you are like me you have been in the church for many years. You have heard the same Bible stories over and over again that you know them by heart. You may even think you don’t have much more to learn from the Bible. If you have reached that point I am sorry to say you will probably be knocked off your feet soon enough. (Because, if you are not growing and learning more about God then you cease to be of help to your fellow man. On top of that, you are admitting that God isn’t God. If we knew everything about him then we wouldn’t need to worship him).

   One other point I want to make in this is the fact that it is more difficult for the entertainment industry to entertain people. Why is this? It is because we become numb to certain things. We want new and more exciting things. But, there is a danger to wanting this. First we can see where the entertainment industry is today. There are sex scenes, violent acts, and many more gruesome things on television. And then we wonder why there is so much violence in the world; and why it is so difficult to teach children in general.

   How can we stop the numbness? We need to have childlike faith. Every time I reread a book of the Bible, or any book, I find something new. Children are curious and want to learn, if they have a curiosity for learning fostered in them. We need to try and learn new things about God in order to grow closer to him. And, when it comes to the world, we need to put ourselves in others shoes. Many times we don’t really care about something unless it affects us. But, if we think about how we would feel if that was our family member who died; or, if we just lost our home. How different do you think the world would be?

   Above all else, we must lean on God during these difficult times. I don’t know exactly what will happen tomorrow, or next year. But, I do know that if I lean on God everything will be alright.

   So, have you become numb to sin in your life or the world? What are you going to do in order to counteract the numbness? Have you lost your childlike curiosity? Are you going to lean on God no matter what may happen tomorrow?

   1 John 3:6-10, Matthew 18:3, Proverbs 3:5-6

Truth Versus Grace

   Imagine this happened to you: one day you are in church. Suddenly a couple comes in who you haven’t seen before. The pastor greets the couple just like any visitor at the church. You go to sit in your normal seat and try not to stare at them too much. You want to make them feel welcome but you don’t know what to say.

   A few weeks pass and the couple is still coming to church. They have become increasingly involved in the church. You are glad that they want to be involved in furthering God’s kingdom. But, the couple is also becoming more touchy feely in church. They have begun holding hands and putting their arms around each other’s shoulders.

   Normally, you would not have much of a problem with this; except for the fact that the couple is lesbian. You are on the council at church and it has come up that something needs to be done about how physical this couple is getting. The problem is your church is a non-denominational church and there is no membership. You do not want to kick this couple out of church; but you know that they are outwardly sinning.

   Rather than state your opinion at the council meeting. You just sit and listen to the other people talk. It seems like most people fall in two courts. One is that the couple should be kicked out because they are not repenting of their sin. The other is that we are all sinners and we are all in the church. So, we should let them stay in the church. More arguments are thrown back and forth; but you start to realize that the arguments come down to two key components truth and grace.

   If the church leans too much on the truth side then everyone may as well leave the church because they are all sinners. But, if the church leans too much on grace then everyone would be in the church. That is good because everyone could hear about Christ; but then the church would not be the church. It would just be a club. You are not quite sure what the church’s answer should be; but you know the church cannot lean too much on the grace or truth side otherwise they are not following Jesus’ example.

   This is a problem many churches are facing today. And, many churches do pick a side: truth or grace. But, what those churches do not realize is that they are essentially splitting Jesus Christ down the middle. If Christ is our example we will do our best to follow him. But, if we choose only one aspect of him to follow then we aren’t really following him.

   Churches must have a proper balance between truth and grace. Above all we must remember that everyone sins; and that, to God, all sin is equal. The issue is that people have made some sins seem worse than others. And, some sins are more visible than others. For example, people may know someone who murdered a person; but they may not know that a person who gossips to everyone.

   One final thing I want to say about this topic. Some people may say that a gay person is not repenting of sin so that person should not be allowed in the church. You do not know that person at all. You do not know what that person is going through. And, if that person is kicked out of the church then that person may never hear the gospel message. Now you may say some gay people know what they are doing is wrong. But, who are you to say that? And, if you push them away how are they ever going to change?

   So, which side do you lean on when it comes to this argument? Do you need to find more of a balance of truth and grace when it comes to the way you look at certain sins?

   1 John 1:8-10, Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians 10:13

   Disclaimer: Please do not try to misunderstand what I am saying here. I am just saying that people tend to blow this argument way out of proportion; and I am upset that this argument has destroyed so many churches, families, and people. I tried to keep my opinion hidden a little in here and state the facts. I also have to give credit to one of my professors at Lancaster Bible College for the little scenario at the top of this blog.