“Therefore I also… do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him…” – Ephesians 1:15a, 16-17
When we were little children, we were taught to pray with our eyes closed. Probably good advice, since children are so easily distracted by things around them- like the incredibly loud breathing of a sibling, for instance. But how many of us bring that mentality into our adult spiritual life? Are we praying with our spiritual eyes closed? More than that, are we trying to understand God’s Word with blinders on?
I often catch myself skimming the Scriptures, hoping to find a little nugget that can stimulate a thought for the day. A little Chicken Soup for the Soul™ if you will. I often come to God’s Word with a “what have you got for me today” mentality. As if I should be rewarded for simply making the time to read the Bible or pray. “Okay, Bible, you’ve got 15 minutes, show me some magic.” Don’t judge. I know there are other people out there who can relate.
Christians regularly forget the true power to which they have access. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us and can awaken our spirit to understand the deep things of God. The trouble is, often, that we have our eyes set on other things. There are trivialities stealing our gaze from the Lord. We wonder why the reading of His word seems stale and empty, when we our constantly interrupting our focus, thinking about some to-do list or some self-seeking agenda. Oh how hard it is to put all of ourselves aside and allow our eyes to be opened to God and closed to everything else! It seems nearly impossible in this day and age to shut out the noise and block out all the images grasping for our attention, but it isn’t. Not with the mighty power of God.
We need to be disciplined when we pray and when we read the Scriptures, if we expect God to reveal His truth to us. There is nothing wrong with writing a list of prayer requests to gather our thoughts. I find that writing out my prayers holds my focus and helps me to stay on point. It may also be helpful to keep a journal to write down different things we pick up from reading the scriptures. I often look back to notes that I’ve taken in the past and find real insight that God provided that may not have made total sense at the time. God desires for our eyes to be set on Him, and if we approach Him deliberately with that intention, then He will reward us. So many people want to know God’s will and His calling on their life, but they don’t turn their eyes from distracting things and onto the Lord. They often forget to silence their phones in church. I guess there are other calls that are just as important as the one the Lord has placed on our life. These same people find it hard to follow Jesus’ teachings, but they have no problem “following” their favorite celebrities online.
The truth of God is staring us right in the face. Are we just looking past it? We have access to the Living Word of a Loving Savior in our hands. Are we turning a blind eye to it? As Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus, let us pray the same: that our eyes would be opened to understand God’s calling on our lives, our undeserved inheritance, and His amazing power.
“… the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe…” - Ephesians 1:18-19a
BCC_L4C
Geoff
Listen to this entire episode @ http://thealtarlife.com/lastweek.html
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A PREDESTINED POSITION OF PRAISE- Ephesians 1:1-14
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:11-12
God Predestined because it Pleased Him.
He Purposed, so now we Praise Him.
We were Chosen. We are now His Children.
We were Adopted and thereby, Accepted in the Beloved.
Try to fathom the complexity of predestination... Now think about the idea of free will… Did your head explode? If it didn’t, then let’s go ahead and attempt to take these passages at face value. (We’ll leave free will for another time.)
We were chosen by God to be His children through adoption. It is not because we were so cute, nor were we so incredibly gifted that He wanted us to be His first pick for dodge ball. He chose us simply because of His grace and love for us as His creation. We were created for His good pleasure. When we sinned as a race, it drove a wedge between a Holy God and a now unholy people. God would not allow His people to be lost to the enemy. He knew that when given the choice, man would give in to sin’s temptation. He was heart-broken, of course, but He was not at all surprised by Adam and Eve’s actions. God had a plan: A plan that would make a people with a predilection for sin able to be welcomed into His kingdom and proclaimed blameless. That plan involved sending His Beloved Son as a man to take the sins of the entire world on His shoulders, and judging that very sin in the death of His Son.
Sin must be dealt with. It is not simply thrown aside and overlooked, because sin puts enmity between God and man. God needed to deal with sin once and for all. Thankfully, Jesus was willing to feel the sting of death, and more importantly, the crushing weight of God’s holy wrath so that we wouldn’t have to. Did we have anything to do with this amazing plan? Absolutely NOT! Did He do this because we deserved it? Child, please. (That doesn’t really work, does it?) But the plan wasn’t completed. God showed His power over both sin and death by raising Jesus from the dead! We were chosen by God, Saved by Jesus, and sealed by the Holy Spirit so that we may be the praise of His glory.
He Purchased, so now we are His Possession.
We’ve been Redeemed and we receive His Riches.
We’ve trusted in His Salvation.
We’ve been Sealed by the Holy Spirit.
We are His, and for that same reason, all the Praise is His.
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14
BE COOL CATS. LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
God Predestined because it Pleased Him.
He Purposed, so now we Praise Him.
We were Chosen. We are now His Children.
We were Adopted and thereby, Accepted in the Beloved.
Try to fathom the complexity of predestination... Now think about the idea of free will… Did your head explode? If it didn’t, then let’s go ahead and attempt to take these passages at face value. (We’ll leave free will for another time.)
We were chosen by God to be His children through adoption. It is not because we were so cute, nor were we so incredibly gifted that He wanted us to be His first pick for dodge ball. He chose us simply because of His grace and love for us as His creation. We were created for His good pleasure. When we sinned as a race, it drove a wedge between a Holy God and a now unholy people. God would not allow His people to be lost to the enemy. He knew that when given the choice, man would give in to sin’s temptation. He was heart-broken, of course, but He was not at all surprised by Adam and Eve’s actions. God had a plan: A plan that would make a people with a predilection for sin able to be welcomed into His kingdom and proclaimed blameless. That plan involved sending His Beloved Son as a man to take the sins of the entire world on His shoulders, and judging that very sin in the death of His Son.
Sin must be dealt with. It is not simply thrown aside and overlooked, because sin puts enmity between God and man. God needed to deal with sin once and for all. Thankfully, Jesus was willing to feel the sting of death, and more importantly, the crushing weight of God’s holy wrath so that we wouldn’t have to. Did we have anything to do with this amazing plan? Absolutely NOT! Did He do this because we deserved it? Child, please. (That doesn’t really work, does it?) But the plan wasn’t completed. God showed His power over both sin and death by raising Jesus from the dead! We were chosen by God, Saved by Jesus, and sealed by the Holy Spirit so that we may be the praise of His glory.
He Purchased, so now we are His Possession.
We’ve been Redeemed and we receive His Riches.
We’ve trusted in His Salvation.
We’ve been Sealed by the Holy Spirit.
We are His, and for that same reason, all the Praise is His.
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14
BE COOL CATS. LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
Saturday, December 31, 2011
ARMY OF A FEW- A Spotlight on Gideon, Part 2
And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who [are] with you [are] too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' – Judges 7:2
Gideon was probably not voted “Most Likely to Succeed” in his high school yearbook. In fact, more often than not, God chooses to use the “Class Clowns” or “Slackers” to do His will. It is truly amazing how God can use the implausible to do the impossible. But when dealing with mankind a problem can arise- the problem of pride. With Gideon, God chose someone who thought he had nothing to offer. But not everyone feels that way, and God knows that, which is why He proceeded to preempt any trace of a prideful attitude before it could gain a foothold.
We are so grateful when God uses us to do His work, even when we have no capabilities in and of ourselves. But there is something innate in all of us, which we need to guard against. The more we are used, and the more impressive the accomplishment, the more we forget that God is the One who actually did the work. We see the results, we get the “Thank You” cards, and we even receive some mild praise for a job well done. That’s where we get into trouble. We start to read our own press clippings. We start to believe that we had something to do with it because God used us as His instrument to accomplish His will. Would a hammer or saw get kudos for its contribution to a completed project? That would be ridiculous! This is why it is even more outrageous when we seek to claim what rightfully belongs to the Lord: THE GLORY.
God knows the thoughts and intents within a man’s heart. He knows that as soon as we are able accomplish something by God’s grace, we will quickly forget who empowered us to do it in the first place. God does not NEED us to do anything for Him. Instead, He chooses to use us in order to demonstrate His power to the world, and as a result we are blessed. In the story of Gideon, God takes an army and shrinks it down to 300 men. ONLY 300 MEN!!! To go up against “all the people of the East… as numerous as locusts; and their camels [were] without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.” How would you feel about those odds? We can quote all the verses we want about how God is on our side, which is completely true, but c’mon, put yourself in Gideon’s shoes! It seemed, by all accounts, to be an impossible feat for them to overthrow the enemy. And in reality, it was. That’s the point.
You could have all the Green Berets and Navy Seals you want. You would still never be able to overcome the enemy in this situation. It doesn’t matter how qualified you think you are. There is nothing in us that can overcome the odds stacked against us. That’s where God comes in. He provides the tools and the strength to use them in order to accomplish His purposes. You may be in a situation where it seems that God is stripping away your sense of accomplishment; maybe you feel like you don’t get enough credit. Perhaps you feel Him pushing you beyond your comforts and into something that may appear too hard for you. Chances are He is! Why would we think any differently? It’s His M.O. (Modus operandi) Just look at the Scriptures! If God has given you the opportunity to do something amazing, do it for HIM! Don’t try to take the glory from the One who deserves it all.
“…God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty… that no flesh should glory in His presence.” – 1 Corinthians 1:27b, 29
“For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few." – 1 Samuel 14:6b
BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
Friday, November 18, 2011
UNUSUAL SUSPECT- A Spotlight on Gideon
So he (Gideon) said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan [is] the weakest in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father's house. And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." – Judges 6:15-16
Have you ever felt under qualified? Well, you’re in good company. The story of Gideon is an encouragement for those who feel like nobodies. It’s also a great reminder about how God uses nobodies to do amazing things. You can go down the list of people in the Bible who God chose to use in spite of their perceived shortcomings. While we may think that we have nothing to offer Him, God sees things differently.
Think of David, who was anointed to be the King of Israel at 17 years old. His own family thought so little of him, that while Jesse presented his sons to Samuel as potential candidates to be the next King, David was left out in the field guarding the sheep. His brothers mocked at the idea that he could defeat Goliath, but David understood that he didn’t need the strength on his own because God would do the work. Sometimes God even takes His chosen leaders through difficulty to weed out any flaws in their character. I think of the story of Moses. Originally Moses tried to become the deliverer of Israel by his own hand, but he ended up fleeing to the wilderness after killing an Egyptian. We get into trouble when we decide that we’re going to fill God in on how qualified we are to do this or that. We think that WE should be up there teaching or leading worship, as though God would be missing out on something special if He overlooked us. That is the mindset we are trained to have in this world. We are so self involved. We walk around as though our natural body odor permeates with hints of eucalyptus and honey extract, while in actuality it more closely resembles the stench of an Italian hoagie.
God could’ve just as easily elevated Moses to be the next Pharaoh, and then he would have had the authority to set the children of Israel free. But instead, He chose to work in a different way. He didn’t want the great and powerful Moses to lead His people; He wanted the man who had spent the last 40 years of life leading sheep in the wilderness to eventually lead HIS sheep through the wilderness. God used that experience in Moses’ life to change his view of himself. He went from thinking “I’m the guy,” to “Why me?” In the same way, Gideon responded to God’s call with a “Why me?” The reason God chose Gideon is because he was an unlikely hero. God loves to use the person that no one would expect. That way He is glorified and His glory is evident to all. Gideon had such a low opinion of himself that he asked God to give him a sign, thinking that God must have chosen the wrong man. Don’t we do the exact same thing? “God, if you really want me to do this, then ______.” Sound familiar? “God, I can’t share Your love with this person because I don’t know all the answers.” In other words, we say “I’m not capable; You must’ve gotten it wrong.” If you feel like God made a mistake when He picked you, DON’T! God does not make mistakes!
God has placed a calling on all of our lives. We need to realize that it is not because we have some talent or skill that God needs in order to fulfill His purposes. In fact, we may have no ability in and of ourselves to even remotely accomplish our calling. But don’t be discouraged, because God is in the business of making something out of nothing. He chooses to use the unqualified to do quality work for His Kingdom.
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty…” - 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
Have you ever felt under qualified? Well, you’re in good company. The story of Gideon is an encouragement for those who feel like nobodies. It’s also a great reminder about how God uses nobodies to do amazing things. You can go down the list of people in the Bible who God chose to use in spite of their perceived shortcomings. While we may think that we have nothing to offer Him, God sees things differently.
Think of David, who was anointed to be the King of Israel at 17 years old. His own family thought so little of him, that while Jesse presented his sons to Samuel as potential candidates to be the next King, David was left out in the field guarding the sheep. His brothers mocked at the idea that he could defeat Goliath, but David understood that he didn’t need the strength on his own because God would do the work. Sometimes God even takes His chosen leaders through difficulty to weed out any flaws in their character. I think of the story of Moses. Originally Moses tried to become the deliverer of Israel by his own hand, but he ended up fleeing to the wilderness after killing an Egyptian. We get into trouble when we decide that we’re going to fill God in on how qualified we are to do this or that. We think that WE should be up there teaching or leading worship, as though God would be missing out on something special if He overlooked us. That is the mindset we are trained to have in this world. We are so self involved. We walk around as though our natural body odor permeates with hints of eucalyptus and honey extract, while in actuality it more closely resembles the stench of an Italian hoagie.
God could’ve just as easily elevated Moses to be the next Pharaoh, and then he would have had the authority to set the children of Israel free. But instead, He chose to work in a different way. He didn’t want the great and powerful Moses to lead His people; He wanted the man who had spent the last 40 years of life leading sheep in the wilderness to eventually lead HIS sheep through the wilderness. God used that experience in Moses’ life to change his view of himself. He went from thinking “I’m the guy,” to “Why me?” In the same way, Gideon responded to God’s call with a “Why me?” The reason God chose Gideon is because he was an unlikely hero. God loves to use the person that no one would expect. That way He is glorified and His glory is evident to all. Gideon had such a low opinion of himself that he asked God to give him a sign, thinking that God must have chosen the wrong man. Don’t we do the exact same thing? “God, if you really want me to do this, then ______.” Sound familiar? “God, I can’t share Your love with this person because I don’t know all the answers.” In other words, we say “I’m not capable; You must’ve gotten it wrong.” If you feel like God made a mistake when He picked you, DON’T! God does not make mistakes!
God has placed a calling on all of our lives. We need to realize that it is not because we have some talent or skill that God needs in order to fulfill His purposes. In fact, we may have no ability in and of ourselves to even remotely accomplish our calling. But don’t be discouraged, because God is in the business of making something out of nothing. He chooses to use the unqualified to do quality work for His Kingdom.
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty…” - 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
Monday, November 7, 2011
THE FORSAKEN SERVANT- 2 Timothy 4:9-18
“Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica--Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia… At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me.” – 2 Timothy 4:9-10, 16a
As we take one final look at 2 Timothy, we are challenged by a harsh reality. Living a radical life of service to Jesus means that we may make enemies. Not only that, but even our close friends may abandon us once they realize the depth of our commitment to Jesus. Nominal Christians scatter when someone decides to go “all-in” for the Kingdom. This truth can often be the hardest obstacle to overcome when faced with the decision to step up in faith and fulfill your calling. We are influenced by our friends, and especially by our friends’ opinions. Are you willing to be seen in a negative light because of your commitment to the truth?
Even heroes of the faith went through times of abandonment. You’d think that people would always be flocking to these great men but it wasn’t the case, especially when they shared the truth of costly discipleship. Every time they shared something that wasn’t pleasant to the listeners, they risked losing their entire audience. But that didn’t deter them. They were eager to share the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Their commitment made them wildly unpopular among anyone who was unwilling to surrender their lives to Jesus. That’s why we see such a watering down of the truth in the church today. No one wants to be “controversial” for fear of hurting church attendance. It’s probably at the top of our “church to-do list,” which is funny, seeing as it didn’t seem that important to Jesus. In the end of John 6, Jesus shared some hard truths and His followers were not too happy about it. The result is one of the saddest verses in the Bible, John 6:66. “From that [time] many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” Even Jesus was abandoned when He got to the “crux” of what He was put on earth to do. When Jesus was arrested, Mark 14:50 tells us, “Then they all forsook Him and fled.” Can you believe that? The same men who shared in His ministry for 3 years, even performed miracles alongside Him, were unable to stick by Him when He needed them the most!
You may encounter this type of rejection when people see that you’re willing to “lay your life down” in order to fulfill the calling on your life. Don’t be surprised by how often you get “BRO-ed” by people who think you should use logic over leading. Paul was one of the most logically illogical people in the Bible. He was willing to be stoned and left for dead, if it meant that he was fulfilling his service to Jesus. I’m sure many of his friends thought he was nuts when he got up, wiped the blood and dust off, and headed back into the city that had just tried to kill him- but it didn’t matter to Paul. What mattered most was that Jesus was standing with Him when he preached, and was chained with him in jail. He knew that he was taking hold of that very thing that Jesus had planned for him when He confronted him on that Damascus road.
Paul’s friends found this world too intoxicating to resist, and what a huge temptation it is for us to shrug off our calling to rather enjoy the creature comforts provided by this world. But there is something far better in store for us. Moses knew it, which is why it says in Hebrews 11 that he “forsook” the comforts of Egypt in order to embrace his calling, “…choosing rather to suffer affliction… than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Instead of worrying about being forsaken by the world for our committed belief in Jesus, let’s forsake the fickle embrace of this world for the promise of unconditional acceptance in the next.
“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve [me] for His heavenly kingdom. To Him [be] glory forever and ever. Amen!” – 2 Timothy 4:17-18
BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
As we take one final look at 2 Timothy, we are challenged by a harsh reality. Living a radical life of service to Jesus means that we may make enemies. Not only that, but even our close friends may abandon us once they realize the depth of our commitment to Jesus. Nominal Christians scatter when someone decides to go “all-in” for the Kingdom. This truth can often be the hardest obstacle to overcome when faced with the decision to step up in faith and fulfill your calling. We are influenced by our friends, and especially by our friends’ opinions. Are you willing to be seen in a negative light because of your commitment to the truth?
Even heroes of the faith went through times of abandonment. You’d think that people would always be flocking to these great men but it wasn’t the case, especially when they shared the truth of costly discipleship. Every time they shared something that wasn’t pleasant to the listeners, they risked losing their entire audience. But that didn’t deter them. They were eager to share the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Their commitment made them wildly unpopular among anyone who was unwilling to surrender their lives to Jesus. That’s why we see such a watering down of the truth in the church today. No one wants to be “controversial” for fear of hurting church attendance. It’s probably at the top of our “church to-do list,” which is funny, seeing as it didn’t seem that important to Jesus. In the end of John 6, Jesus shared some hard truths and His followers were not too happy about it. The result is one of the saddest verses in the Bible, John 6:66. “From that [time] many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” Even Jesus was abandoned when He got to the “crux” of what He was put on earth to do. When Jesus was arrested, Mark 14:50 tells us, “Then they all forsook Him and fled.” Can you believe that? The same men who shared in His ministry for 3 years, even performed miracles alongside Him, were unable to stick by Him when He needed them the most!
You may encounter this type of rejection when people see that you’re willing to “lay your life down” in order to fulfill the calling on your life. Don’t be surprised by how often you get “BRO-ed” by people who think you should use logic over leading. Paul was one of the most logically illogical people in the Bible. He was willing to be stoned and left for dead, if it meant that he was fulfilling his service to Jesus. I’m sure many of his friends thought he was nuts when he got up, wiped the blood and dust off, and headed back into the city that had just tried to kill him- but it didn’t matter to Paul. What mattered most was that Jesus was standing with Him when he preached, and was chained with him in jail. He knew that he was taking hold of that very thing that Jesus had planned for him when He confronted him on that Damascus road.
Paul’s friends found this world too intoxicating to resist, and what a huge temptation it is for us to shrug off our calling to rather enjoy the creature comforts provided by this world. But there is something far better in store for us. Moses knew it, which is why it says in Hebrews 11 that he “forsook” the comforts of Egypt in order to embrace his calling, “…choosing rather to suffer affliction… than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Instead of worrying about being forsaken by the world for our committed belief in Jesus, let’s forsake the fickle embrace of this world for the promise of unconditional acceptance in the next.
“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve [me] for His heavenly kingdom. To Him [be] glory forever and ever. Amen!” – 2 Timothy 4:17-18
BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
Friday, October 28, 2011
THE FINISH LINE OF A SERVANT- 2 Timothy 4:6-8
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” - 2 Timothy 4:6-7
Would you compete if you had no desire to win? I always found it frustrating as a young athlete when people said, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.” (Everyone who knows me just spit out their mouthful of Oreo O’s from laughter at the idea of me being an athlete) If there are no winners or losers then why keep score? Why even play? I understand now why I was taught that as a kid, but at the same time, I think we too often take that approach in our Christian walk.
We live a life of lowered expectations. The overall attitude of our culture has become, “At least I tried. So what if my effort stunk.” Think about it, we now have spell-check so you don’t need to learn how to spell anymore. Calculators are allowed in school, so kids don’t even need to learn how to solve math problems. You no longer have to put in the time and effort necessary to succeed because EVERYONE is a winner! If you want to buy something, don’t wait to save, put it on a credit card. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat right and exercise, have expensive surgery instead. But with God it’s different. He uses time and trial to mold us into the people we need to be so that we can accomplish what He has for us. Unfortunately people would rather sign up for a marathon just to get the t-shirt then actually spend time training and put forth the effort to finish the race. I know I would most likely start off in the front of the pack and then gradually fade into the background, until finally I pull a “hammy” stretching for the last bag of potato chips at the nearest snack stand.
A recurring theme in the book of 2 Timothy is determination. Through thick and thin, in the midst of a barrage of obstacles and distractions, a servant is called to run hard and finish well. We looked previously about how to train our bodies for the race, but now the race has begun and we need to be in it to win it! There are heavenly rewards for all who commit themselves to the race. Not just to say, “I participated” but to be able to say like Paul, that we ran well, that we finished the race. There are plenty of reasons why we would quit. There are snares that trip us up, not to mention the physical and mental toll that such an intense activity can take on body and mind. But what you do when you fall is the key to victory. Where you look to find strength when you’re weary is what provides the motivation needed to overcome those hurdles.
The problem is that we don’t expect to fall. So when it happens, we throw in the towel. It becomes a mountain that we can’t climb. We think that God is our coach on the sidelines screaming at us for losing focus and making a bone-headed mistake, when in reality, that’s the enemy. He loves to kick dirt in our face while we’re down for the count. The truth is that Jesus is standing at the finish line waiting for us, cheering us on! He is there so that when it gets tough we can draw our strength from, and fix our eyes on, Him. Hebrews 12:1-2 says “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” God is glorified in our victory because He has given it to us. He gives us the strength to cross that finish line. And when we do, He is there, holding us up with one hand and holding our crown in the other.
“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:8
BE COOL CATS. LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
Would you compete if you had no desire to win? I always found it frustrating as a young athlete when people said, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.” (Everyone who knows me just spit out their mouthful of Oreo O’s from laughter at the idea of me being an athlete) If there are no winners or losers then why keep score? Why even play? I understand now why I was taught that as a kid, but at the same time, I think we too often take that approach in our Christian walk.
We live a life of lowered expectations. The overall attitude of our culture has become, “At least I tried. So what if my effort stunk.” Think about it, we now have spell-check so you don’t need to learn how to spell anymore. Calculators are allowed in school, so kids don’t even need to learn how to solve math problems. You no longer have to put in the time and effort necessary to succeed because EVERYONE is a winner! If you want to buy something, don’t wait to save, put it on a credit card. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat right and exercise, have expensive surgery instead. But with God it’s different. He uses time and trial to mold us into the people we need to be so that we can accomplish what He has for us. Unfortunately people would rather sign up for a marathon just to get the t-shirt then actually spend time training and put forth the effort to finish the race. I know I would most likely start off in the front of the pack and then gradually fade into the background, until finally I pull a “hammy” stretching for the last bag of potato chips at the nearest snack stand.
A recurring theme in the book of 2 Timothy is determination. Through thick and thin, in the midst of a barrage of obstacles and distractions, a servant is called to run hard and finish well. We looked previously about how to train our bodies for the race, but now the race has begun and we need to be in it to win it! There are heavenly rewards for all who commit themselves to the race. Not just to say, “I participated” but to be able to say like Paul, that we ran well, that we finished the race. There are plenty of reasons why we would quit. There are snares that trip us up, not to mention the physical and mental toll that such an intense activity can take on body and mind. But what you do when you fall is the key to victory. Where you look to find strength when you’re weary is what provides the motivation needed to overcome those hurdles.
The problem is that we don’t expect to fall. So when it happens, we throw in the towel. It becomes a mountain that we can’t climb. We think that God is our coach on the sidelines screaming at us for losing focus and making a bone-headed mistake, when in reality, that’s the enemy. He loves to kick dirt in our face while we’re down for the count. The truth is that Jesus is standing at the finish line waiting for us, cheering us on! He is there so that when it gets tough we can draw our strength from, and fix our eyes on, Him. Hebrews 12:1-2 says “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” God is glorified in our victory because He has given it to us. He gives us the strength to cross that finish line. And when we do, He is there, holding us up with one hand and holding our crown in the other.
“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:8
BE COOL CATS. LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
Monday, October 24, 2011
THE UNCOMPROMISING SERVANT- 2 Timothy 3:16-4:5
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, [because] they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn [their] ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” – 2 Timothy 4:3-5
"What is truth?" Pilate asked as he stood before Jesus. Jesus didn’t answer Pilate, but His response can be found in John 14:6 when He declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus Christ is the only way to God, the only truth to live by, and the only one who gives eternal life. Say that to someone nowadays, and you’ll be called an intolerant, narrow-minded fundamentalist. Whether people want to admit it, Jesus Christ is the most controversial figure of all time. There is no neutral position when it comes to Jesus.
As Christians we’ve become more worried about offending people than speaking the truth because we’ve been told that it’s irrelevant, hate speech. Instead of calling sin what it is, we sugarcoat it. (By the way, I’m great at this. I majored in the vernacular of making my sin sound as inoffensive as possible.) We say things like, “I fell into sin.” Oh I’m sorry, is sin a big hole that we don’t see and then, OOPS! OH NO! I’m in sin! That doesn’t happen, but it sure feels a lot better thinking that it does. No, on the contrary, we choose to sin. In fact, we often design the blueprints, and hire the contractors to dig the hole before we “fall” into it.
The truth is, and this convicts me as I write it, that we decide for that moment that the pleasure of sin is better than what God has for us. Harsh words. So harsh in fact, that we often come up with pet names for sin to soften the blow. Have you noticed that adultery is now known as “moral failure?” Wait, isn’t all sin essentially moral failure? Jesus said that we commit adultery when we lust. Doesn’t that make us all adulterers? If we’re all in the same boat, then why do we feel the need to water-down God’s Word by using politically correct, socially acceptable terminology in regards to sin? Answer- we don’t want people to feel bad about themselves. Instead we’ve allowed a moralistic gospel to creep in to the church. Are we supposed to live morally or godly? If any of us were moral successes, would we still need the blood of Jesus? When we interchange those terms we downplay the need for confession and repentance. If an ungodly person can behave in a moral way, is that the same as repenting from sin and accepting Jesus into your heart?
We are all sinners who desperately need a Savior. How can people turn from their sin if they don’t think they have a sin problem? The law was created to make people aware of their sin so that they could confess and repent. By compromising the truth of God’s Word we are in effect hurting people rather than helping them. People are told that they are generally good and that as long as they live a moral life then God is happy. But, uh oh, here comes the big, bad “fundamentalist” who thinks God’s Word should be taken “literally.” I bet he’s coming to wreck our fun and tell us that we need to repent or something. We call the gospel the Good News but it’s only good if people first know the Bad News. Mankind is sinful and the wages of sin is death. The culture doesn’t want to hear bad news, but it’s essential if they’re to receive the Best News of all. God made a way for us to be saved! But there’s only ONE WAY. And that message cannot be compromised.
“Preach the word! Be ready in season [and] out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” – 2 Timothy 4:2
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
"What is truth?" Pilate asked as he stood before Jesus. Jesus didn’t answer Pilate, but His response can be found in John 14:6 when He declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus Christ is the only way to God, the only truth to live by, and the only one who gives eternal life. Say that to someone nowadays, and you’ll be called an intolerant, narrow-minded fundamentalist. Whether people want to admit it, Jesus Christ is the most controversial figure of all time. There is no neutral position when it comes to Jesus.
As Christians we’ve become more worried about offending people than speaking the truth because we’ve been told that it’s irrelevant, hate speech. Instead of calling sin what it is, we sugarcoat it. (By the way, I’m great at this. I majored in the vernacular of making my sin sound as inoffensive as possible.) We say things like, “I fell into sin.” Oh I’m sorry, is sin a big hole that we don’t see and then, OOPS! OH NO! I’m in sin! That doesn’t happen, but it sure feels a lot better thinking that it does. No, on the contrary, we choose to sin. In fact, we often design the blueprints, and hire the contractors to dig the hole before we “fall” into it.
The truth is, and this convicts me as I write it, that we decide for that moment that the pleasure of sin is better than what God has for us. Harsh words. So harsh in fact, that we often come up with pet names for sin to soften the blow. Have you noticed that adultery is now known as “moral failure?” Wait, isn’t all sin essentially moral failure? Jesus said that we commit adultery when we lust. Doesn’t that make us all adulterers? If we’re all in the same boat, then why do we feel the need to water-down God’s Word by using politically correct, socially acceptable terminology in regards to sin? Answer- we don’t want people to feel bad about themselves. Instead we’ve allowed a moralistic gospel to creep in to the church. Are we supposed to live morally or godly? If any of us were moral successes, would we still need the blood of Jesus? When we interchange those terms we downplay the need for confession and repentance. If an ungodly person can behave in a moral way, is that the same as repenting from sin and accepting Jesus into your heart?
We are all sinners who desperately need a Savior. How can people turn from their sin if they don’t think they have a sin problem? The law was created to make people aware of their sin so that they could confess and repent. By compromising the truth of God’s Word we are in effect hurting people rather than helping them. People are told that they are generally good and that as long as they live a moral life then God is happy. But, uh oh, here comes the big, bad “fundamentalist” who thinks God’s Word should be taken “literally.” I bet he’s coming to wreck our fun and tell us that we need to repent or something. We call the gospel the Good News but it’s only good if people first know the Bad News. Mankind is sinful and the wages of sin is death. The culture doesn’t want to hear bad news, but it’s essential if they’re to receive the Best News of all. God made a way for us to be saved! But there’s only ONE WAY. And that message cannot be compromised.
“Preach the word! Be ready in season [and] out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” – 2 Timothy 4:2
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
