What to do

Questions, fears, commitments, naysayers, complex situations, all these things are coming up and will most likely come up for the rest of life. So what do we do, what do we as followers of Christ do in the face of uncertainty? Do we just give up and retreat into a hole, filling our lives with meaningless junk that numbs the pain of the fear of going forward, or do we lash our violently and act as if we are the only ones with the right answer with no room for creativity or interpretation? I find myself so often in these two places when life happens. I want to know what Jesus would do and say in these situations and the great thing is that he gives me the answers and the solutions to these things, Him. How is that so profoundly simple but so complex that it is scary? My will is such a problem in my life that I find myself only thinking of me and what is in front of me and not thinking about what Jesus has in store for the situation. He is the activator of all things. When he says jump, we must say how high, when he says go, we must say how far, and when he says give it up, we must say okay. This is what he promises us

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mathew 11)

So we rush to this and say yes, yes, yes!!! Take it all away from me; I do not want it any more!!! Oh, only if it were that simple. I can remember the times so vividly when I have participated in the ritual of surrendering only to realize that my will still plays such a strong part in this whole process. So what to do? What I have found is that to have a full and total identity in Jesus means that we have to die a horrible death to our will and so many times it is not as a whole but in many, many little pieces. I long for the day that I can truly come to Jesus and lay down my junk with no strings attached, but I still found myself bound to so many things that I have not confessed or forgiven. This walk with Jesus is in essence a bloody one if we are going to give up our life for His way and many times a shameful process if we are going to live for Him and not for ourselves. Oh I wish to die a thousand deaths to myself that I may live one second in His identity and authority. What to do is to be dead and abandoned, His will, not mine. I truly desire to be a slave to righteousness and holiness. Make me like You Jesus
jj

!?change?!

I am beginning to see myself more and more in a distinctly different light these days. I have always prided myself in being different even when I was being the same. Fooling myself for years I have acted as if I have been different from my peers when really all I have been doing is playing their game and saying to myself that I am different. I had good intentions but that is not good enough. But now I find myself in a different frame of mind that I am different than a lot of my friends that I used to be around and this time it is not a bad thing.

So I look to the source of this change and there is only one thing that I can see... scripture. I figured that if I was going to have “sola scriptura” (scripture alone) tattooed on my arm then I better start living like it. Now I have to say that it started well before the tattoo was there and now it is great looking back. I think we should value Holy Spirit inspired hindsight because that is where he teaches us about ourselves and how we relate to others and how we are or are not like Jesus. But I determined a long time ago that I was going to take scripture literally, meaning that scripture applies to me right here and right now through the things it says just like it did to the original audience, the only thing that has changed is the culture and the audience. This revolutionized my way of living. Now I look at the Bible and ask these questions, what is it about?, what is it saying to the original audience?, and what is it saying to me? When I ask these three questions then it is really hard not to take the time needed to properly dive into God’s word with the energy and fervor that I should. This is hard because the Bible is living and it begins to shape me and mold me. This is what the author of Hebrews says about scripture,

12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

This explains it all. God’s word is going to cut us and purge us and tell us who we are supposed to be and how we are to get there. Some might think that this is a stifling thing because they view the Bible as a thing that is all rules. That is so not true. It is the freeing grace that we need that tells us that Jesus became the substitute for our sin and relieved any penalty that we would have to pay with his death. The Bible is about Jesus. From beginning to end it is all about this great redemptive story of an amazing God and his limitless love for an unruly people

So by now you may be saying that how are you different than your friends and how have you changed? This is it; I see so many of my peers, acquaintances, and friends following man made doctrine, philosophies, and theories instead of scripture. Many of these things claim to be like scripture but are only loosely associated with it. Please we must start and end with the word of God. It is our sole authority as followers of Christ. So many times we just use it as a rulebook or a guidepost instead of our livelihood and sustenance. We have got to get back to it. It has the answers and permits creativity that our culture longs for. Scripture contains everything that we need to know the heart of Jesus. Let it change you.

love and serve

jj

the morning after

Sometimes I really do not know how to get my point across and it frustrates me. I argue with someone and I feel like it goes nowhere so I just don’t want to talk anymore. I do not know what to think about the way that I act. Do you ever wish that you could say what you mean and mean what you say? This is yet another way in which I need to turn to the likeness of Jesus. The guy could flat out communicate with people. I am afraid that I try to make things too complicated so that I can win or so that I will seem smart but in fact I am confused, scared, and hurt.

So I turn to the place where I know I can go for the answers and the Bible is pretty clear about my problem.

3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

I am always looking to the other person’s problem instead of inspecting my shortcomings. Don’t get me wrong there are going to be times when you are right and the other person needs to know that but this still leads us to do that in a humble way. Humble way?!! As I write those words I am perplexed myself. How do you point somebody’s shortcomings out in a humble way when we are always taught to be the best and leave the rest? Jesus tells us clearly here that it is all about introspection. What is going on in you dirty, skanky heart?

This is my problem. I no longer take deep breath and dive into the depths of my sin but instead I hastily rush in to fix everybody else’s sin to the point that it is detrimental to the way that I deal with things. If Jesus is going to permeate my life then I must realize he has to permeate through the bad as well as the good. I have to be willing to let him move me to remove the junk in my life and not just be a moral crusader who is always pointing out the wrong doings of others in attempts to make myself feel better. I am selfish and depraved and in need of Jesus.

Let’s all live like we are in need of Jesus

I found it is the best place to be

love and serve

jj

awww, do i have to?

this paragraph stimulated me this morning. it comes from today in my utmost for His highest by oswald chambers. here is what it says

"Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart - Jesus Christ, not religion. But woe is me if after seein Him i still will not obey. Jesus will never insist that I obey, but if i don't, I have already begun to singn the death certificate of the Son of God in my soul. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say, 'I will not obey,' He will never insist. But when I do this, I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It makes no difference to God's grace what and abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But woe is me is I refuse the light."

so where does obedience play in to our walk with Christ. i have heard so many times that God is a gentleman and does not press himself on you and i was so confused because i know that he pursues with a burning passion but i guess that was really on the right track. pursuing and pressing are two different things. God desires our obedience to come from our love and affection not from our obligation. that is why he asks peter if he loves him, then feed his sheep. he did not say by feeding my sheep you will show me that you love me. everything that we do must stem from our love for Jesus. he did not come and die out of obligation to God the Father rather he did it out of his love for the Father and his love for us. but on the other hand a love that is not followed with a devotion to Jesus is empty. there are so many people today screaming that love is the only way and their love turns into tolerance. people are willing to scream love but they are not willing to scream devotion to the one who loved them first. Jesus has got to be at the forefront of all we say, do, and represent. love Jesus, surrender to him, love people
love and serve
jj

more than

well it is late. i have a headache. cant sleep. and i just figured out that you can have a top 24. that is neat. something that i have been pondering and speaking on this week is the concept that we are more than conquerors through the love and power of Jesus Christ. this still boggles my mind. if paul would have said that we were just conquerors i think that i could have understood it better but he says more than, this means that we are more than capable of overcoming any obstacle in our way when we let the power of Jesus Christ rule our lives. wow. this power that conquered death and hell itself is available to us who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and love him and obey him. this info really comes in handy when you have no money, friends, hope, or peace. when your parents wont quit fighting or when you do not think that your spouse is being faithful. it is handy when the world around us seems so chaotic, wars and famine, corrupt politicians, and it seems like there is no end in sight. now because we are conquerors it does not mean that things are going to be easy, there is going to be turmoil. there are going to be trials, but we all possess the power to make it through victoriously through our relationship with Jesus. now i listened to a sermon this week that got me thinking about this even more, and my boy mark driscoll was preaching on how Jesus was fully man and fully God and yet did not rely on his deity to sustain him on the earth rather he used this power that paul refers to in romans 8:37, and through the abscence of sin and the unity with the Holy Spirit he was able and willing to do all of the things that he did here on earth without relying on his powers of deity. this is the doctrine of Christus Exemplar or Christ the Example. now i am not saying that i understand all of this but i am trying to wrap my feeble mind around it and understand the power that i possess as a follower of Christ. i am more than a conqueror. i can face what comes my way. through obedience to Jesus out of love and devotion and a union with the Holy Spirit, i can face life and its problems, big and small. Jesus was my example and endured what we have to endure. there is nothing that he has not gone through that we are faced with. i hope that i can cling to this promise. hope you have some thoughts
loveandserve
jj

my sacrifice

In the last chapter of the second book of Samuel we find and interesting story that kind of wraps up the two book intensive story of Samuel and Kind David. Now I have to confess that I have preached on the this chapter a few times and I have only taken it at face value and not done a real in-depth study to see what was really going on. I mainly focused on the last eight verses of the chapter, but the previous 17 verses really lead up to and culminate on those verses.
Here is the story: the pride of David's heart was stirred to take a census of his people for the sake of his own well being. As soon as he had done this he knew that it was wrong, and in verse ten it states that his heart was struck, struck with the pang of conviction, then he immediately repented (funny how that works huh?). The prophet Gad then presents him with three options that the Lord has spoken to him as punishment for his pride; three years of famine, three months of fleeing from his enemies, or three days of pestilence or plague. David chose the three days of plague, God carried out the punishment, and in three days 70,000 men died. Gad then came back to David and told him to go and raise an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. So he complied and when they got to Araunah's place he was just falling all over himself that the king would be there. David explained the visit and Araunah offered all the materials, the wood and the oxen, for the sacrifice at no charge at all. I want you to pay close attention to how David replies to this kind gesture. 2Sa 24:24, "But the king said to Araunah, 'No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver."
WOW!!! Here is King David, ruler of God's people, who can have anything that he wants at a whim. I imagine that the offering of Araunah was to some point expected in a sense but no, David refused the free gift because he realized the importance of a sacrifice, he understood the concept that it was supposed to cost him something. So what am I getting at? In Romans 12:1, Paul urges us to present out body as a living sacrifice to God and calls that out spiritual act of worship. So many times I see people in our body and in the Church abroad who are not willing to make simple sacrifices. Their worship is directed towards music, a sermon, a certain book, or even a pastor, teacher, or mentor. What are we doing? Sometimes I feel as if I find myself worshipping the latest method, gadget, or worship song because it makes me feel good, but is that sacrifice? We are so willing to make sacrifices that are not sacrifices at all. Church when it is convenient for you it is not a sacrifice. Look at David he sinned and he knew it, he lived up to his mistake and even picked his own punishment and then he laid down his kingly rights to have whatever he wanted and paid for his sacrifice. One commentator I consulted on this said that this was the greatest chapter about David because he is reminded that he is still a sinner but here is even more so reminded of God's redemption and grace.
Where is your sacrifice today? Sacrifice, surrender, these are words that should be at the center of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Church, as much as I would like it to be, it is not about us. It is not about serving at our convenience or being called to the where we feel most comfortable, it is about seeking out the Lord to see where our sacrifice is. Be brave, be resilient, and have courage that even when the Lord asks you to sacrifice something it is for your best and his glory. He would never ask us to do anything that he has not done before. Remember the cross.
loveandserve
jj