"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the eart, and naje ut bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall proster in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:8-11
Well that's cool.
I have been reading and re-reading Isaiah 55 ever since I heard it in a Bible study this summer while I was in East Asia. We were asked, partway through the study, to tell everyone what parts stood out to us, and this section is mine. How many times do we see things in the world and question God's motive for things?
"God, why am I single?"
"God, I don't get why I didn't get that job. You knew I really needed it."
"Lord. What is up with the Batman screening shootings? Why does that happen?"
Sometimes He just does stuff. Sometimes that stuff doesn't make any sense to us. Sometimes we suffer a lot and it seems like God doesn't do the stuff He could do to make it better. Sometimes His decisions seems crazy or heartless or aloof, and we wonder what He is doing and why it happens to us?
But I think when we question Him we forget that above all, God is God. God is not our personal genie. He doesn't do us favors all the time. He blesses us when He wants to, and we rejoice when He does, but when He decides to let us go through something, we fall to pieces and doubt His providence. Are we fair-weather Christians? I hope I am not.
Because this section of verses explains a lot about His character. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
It's Not the Do's and Don'ts, It's the Why and Why Not
I've been stewing on this idea for a while here.
It all started with a really neat couple of conversations with two different people - new friends - who maybe don't have the same view on life and God that I do. They were both really cool for a few different reasons. One was that out of the majority of "religious" conversations that I have with people who don't have my same views, many are kind of awkward because I don't really want to step on people's toes or because I know that they don't want to hear what I have to say. But these two were genuine, and I appreciated that.
The second reason is that most of the religious conversations that I have are with my friends who are Christians and have the same views that I do. Questions aren't necessarily raised that make me think about the things that I believe in an objective way; it reinforces my beliefs without forcing me to consider why I have them. The conversations are fantastic, don't get me wrong; I think everybody needs that kind of affirmation about the things that they believe.
But I really do think that a lot of very truthful thoughts come out when you are questioned by someone with the intent of maybe ousting views that that they find incorrect or morally distasteful. These two conversations that I had were closer to the second kind.
It was actually really great to have conversations where I had to think about my specific reasonings for believing what I do. For those of you who don't know me that well, I grew up in a Christian home, complete with all the Sunday School, VBS, summer camps and youth group meetings that I could ever want. I know my Christian stuff as well as any 20-year-old can at this point, but it's honestly only been in the past three years that I've made the effort to understand what I believe.
For years I took it for granted that to be a "good Christian," I had to follow the do's and don'ts of the faith. These do's and don'ts go pretty much as follows (you'll probably recognize them):
DO pray and read your Bible/Devotional/Verse of the Day app every day
DO follow the 10 Commandments
DO be nice to everybody (turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, be the best doormat you can be, etc.)
DON'T drink or smoke or do drugs
DON'T have sex before marriage
DON'T wear immodest clothing
DON'T hang around the wrong crowd
DON'T watch movies with bad stuff
Right? Everyone can pretty much assume that that's about the kind of life you are expected to lead when you are a Christian, otherwise you are considered to be backsliding, and everyone talks about praying for you with everyone else.
I say that in maybe a harsher tone than is necessary, but really though, that's what everyone else sees, right? That's what your friends in class or at work see, that's what your relatives see when they read your blog posts and Facebook statuses that have verses in them, and that's ultimately what we strive for if we don't actually have the heart to follow God in the way He was meant to be followed.
So the thing that I took away from those conversations is this vital bit of information that I have been missing for the 12 cognitive years that I've been calling myself a Christian.
Here it is: it's not the Do's and Don'ts that are going to reach the people you're talking to. Seriously. Who cares what this God of your says about what they're wearing and how they're acting? If they don't want to know God, Do's and Don'ts are the nagging aunt at Christmas, telling you to pull up your pants and stop posting weird pictures of your food. Nobody at our age cares, or they would have agreed with you a long time ago.
No, what matters is the Why. Why shouldn't we be living life like we want to? Why are we told to protect our purity? What is the point of being good if good looks kind of boring?
If you don't believe what I believe - that's up to you. But I want to challenge you to look past the Do's and Don'ts of what I believe. Yeah, your parents were probably too strict on one end of scale, or were entirely lenient on the beliefs they wanted you to have on the other end, and that's turned you off to the idea of rules and allegiance to this magical Super-Being called God.
My epiphany comes from the question, "why do you believe what you believe?" What truths am I basing my beliefs on that can give me a leg to stand on? What verses am I using to back up assertions like "Jesus is the only way to Heaven?" ("I am the way, the truth and life, and no one can get to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6).
Honestly - believe what you will, but know enough about it to stand by it when it's in question. Otherwise what is the point in believing it in the first place?
It all started with a really neat couple of conversations with two different people - new friends - who maybe don't have the same view on life and God that I do. They were both really cool for a few different reasons. One was that out of the majority of "religious" conversations that I have with people who don't have my same views, many are kind of awkward because I don't really want to step on people's toes or because I know that they don't want to hear what I have to say. But these two were genuine, and I appreciated that.
The second reason is that most of the religious conversations that I have are with my friends who are Christians and have the same views that I do. Questions aren't necessarily raised that make me think about the things that I believe in an objective way; it reinforces my beliefs without forcing me to consider why I have them. The conversations are fantastic, don't get me wrong; I think everybody needs that kind of affirmation about the things that they believe.
But I really do think that a lot of very truthful thoughts come out when you are questioned by someone with the intent of maybe ousting views that that they find incorrect or morally distasteful. These two conversations that I had were closer to the second kind.
It was actually really great to have conversations where I had to think about my specific reasonings for believing what I do. For those of you who don't know me that well, I grew up in a Christian home, complete with all the Sunday School, VBS, summer camps and youth group meetings that I could ever want. I know my Christian stuff as well as any 20-year-old can at this point, but it's honestly only been in the past three years that I've made the effort to understand what I believe.
For years I took it for granted that to be a "good Christian," I had to follow the do's and don'ts of the faith. These do's and don'ts go pretty much as follows (you'll probably recognize them):
DO pray and read your Bible/Devotional/Verse of the Day app every day
DO follow the 10 Commandments
DO be nice to everybody (turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, be the best doormat you can be, etc.)
DON'T drink or smoke or do drugs
DON'T have sex before marriage
DON'T wear immodest clothing
DON'T hang around the wrong crowd
DON'T watch movies with bad stuff
Right? Everyone can pretty much assume that that's about the kind of life you are expected to lead when you are a Christian, otherwise you are considered to be backsliding, and everyone talks about praying for you with everyone else.
I say that in maybe a harsher tone than is necessary, but really though, that's what everyone else sees, right? That's what your friends in class or at work see, that's what your relatives see when they read your blog posts and Facebook statuses that have verses in them, and that's ultimately what we strive for if we don't actually have the heart to follow God in the way He was meant to be followed.
So the thing that I took away from those conversations is this vital bit of information that I have been missing for the 12 cognitive years that I've been calling myself a Christian.
Here it is: it's not the Do's and Don'ts that are going to reach the people you're talking to. Seriously. Who cares what this God of your says about what they're wearing and how they're acting? If they don't want to know God, Do's and Don'ts are the nagging aunt at Christmas, telling you to pull up your pants and stop posting weird pictures of your food. Nobody at our age cares, or they would have agreed with you a long time ago.
No, what matters is the Why. Why shouldn't we be living life like we want to? Why are we told to protect our purity? What is the point of being good if good looks kind of boring?
If you don't believe what I believe - that's up to you. But I want to challenge you to look past the Do's and Don'ts of what I believe. Yeah, your parents were probably too strict on one end of scale, or were entirely lenient on the beliefs they wanted you to have on the other end, and that's turned you off to the idea of rules and allegiance to this magical Super-Being called God.
My epiphany comes from the question, "why do you believe what you believe?" What truths am I basing my beliefs on that can give me a leg to stand on? What verses am I using to back up assertions like "Jesus is the only way to Heaven?" ("I am the way, the truth and life, and no one can get to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6).
Honestly - believe what you will, but know enough about it to stand by it when it's in question. Otherwise what is the point in believing it in the first place?
Monday, April 23, 2012
Flotsam and Jetsam
Flotsam: Webster's Dictionary defines this word as the "floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo; miscellaneous or unimportant material."
Jetsam is likewise described as "The part of a ship, its equipment or its cargo that is cast overboard to lighten the load in times of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore."
Why the interest in these two words? What is even the difference? While flotsam is by definition broken or useless junk, jetsam is the stuff that we not only do not need but also weighs us down. We all have flotsam floating around in our lives, bumping up against the shore of our hearts, lingering and left over from heartbreak, broken families, lost friendship and others. Who among us can claim freedom from wreckage? We are all damaged in some way. Flotsam is the result of the shipwreck that sin made of life. We can and do claim healing from that through our Savior Jesus Christ, and He can a does build us a new boat, a new body, and a new mind.
Jetsam, on the other hand, is of our own doing. Our ship, the body that we willingly gave over to Christ as His temple, is used often as a storage unit for those things that are not pure. We take in information, sights, smells, physical or mental pleasures that do not please God. We absorb so much of what the world has to offer and we put it in our minds, which feeds the sin that we hate. We take on cargo that weighs us down and attracts all of the nasty little creepy-crawlies, all the disease-ridden rats, and all the stowaways, all of which consumes our resources and defiles our wares. With every stumbling block that we do not avoid, with every look at that porn site, with every fit of selfish rage, with every idol that we place before God, we take on weight that will distress us and will slow our passage to the Lord. Because that is what we strive for, audience with the Lord.
He calls us to take up our crosses and follow Him. He does not call us to load it with jetsam and carry it, heavier, to Him. That's no sacrifice, that's fruitless and unfulfilling work. Jesus, in His death, killed and made void every bit of sin that every one of us has and ever will commit. Why then do we willingly step into bondage with those sins that by Jesus' blood have no power over us? Those chains that you carry are not meant to be carried anymore by you. You have been claimed in victory by God and are no longer bound to the sins of your flesh.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died in sin live any longer n it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. - Romans 6:1-4
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, whether of sin leading to death, or obedience leading to righteousness? Romans 6:16
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:20-23
Be free. Throw your jetsam out of your life and be free in God's peace.
God bless.
Jetsam is likewise described as "The part of a ship, its equipment or its cargo that is cast overboard to lighten the load in times of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore."
Why the interest in these two words? What is even the difference? While flotsam is by definition broken or useless junk, jetsam is the stuff that we not only do not need but also weighs us down. We all have flotsam floating around in our lives, bumping up against the shore of our hearts, lingering and left over from heartbreak, broken families, lost friendship and others. Who among us can claim freedom from wreckage? We are all damaged in some way. Flotsam is the result of the shipwreck that sin made of life. We can and do claim healing from that through our Savior Jesus Christ, and He can a does build us a new boat, a new body, and a new mind.
Jetsam, on the other hand, is of our own doing. Our ship, the body that we willingly gave over to Christ as His temple, is used often as a storage unit for those things that are not pure. We take in information, sights, smells, physical or mental pleasures that do not please God. We absorb so much of what the world has to offer and we put it in our minds, which feeds the sin that we hate. We take on cargo that weighs us down and attracts all of the nasty little creepy-crawlies, all the disease-ridden rats, and all the stowaways, all of which consumes our resources and defiles our wares. With every stumbling block that we do not avoid, with every look at that porn site, with every fit of selfish rage, with every idol that we place before God, we take on weight that will distress us and will slow our passage to the Lord. Because that is what we strive for, audience with the Lord.
He calls us to take up our crosses and follow Him. He does not call us to load it with jetsam and carry it, heavier, to Him. That's no sacrifice, that's fruitless and unfulfilling work. Jesus, in His death, killed and made void every bit of sin that every one of us has and ever will commit. Why then do we willingly step into bondage with those sins that by Jesus' blood have no power over us? Those chains that you carry are not meant to be carried anymore by you. You have been claimed in victory by God and are no longer bound to the sins of your flesh.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died in sin live any longer n it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. - Romans 6:1-4
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, whether of sin leading to death, or obedience leading to righteousness? Romans 6:16
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:20-23
Be free. Throw your jetsam out of your life and be free in God's peace.
God bless.
Friday, December 30, 2011
The Presence of the Lord
I've been revisiting some of my favorite verses lately, and I came upon one of my all-time favorite Psalms, Psalm 139. I think I've talked about this before, but it just continues to amaze me how the Bible really does become new every time I read it. It is a living book, translated to our hearts by the Spirit, and He shows us new things every time we dive in. I was going over Psalm 139 and I came across verses 7-8, which say, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there."
This has never struck me before as anything very important, because I always skipped to the part about Him knowing me before I was formed. But for some reason, this part jumped out. Here's why: Why would David be asking God where he can flee? Why would David be fleeing from the God that he so passionately prays to in so many of the other Psalms? We know that David is "the man after God's own heart", and there are even comparisons of David's story to Jesus' life, a sort of foreshadowing. David was God's man. But here's the rub - David is famous for a few things in the Bible. He is known for facing down Goliath, not with his own diminutive strength, but with God's. He is known for being one of the best kings that Israel has seen. And he is also known for his affair with Bathsheba, and the issues involved with it, including having Bathsheba's husband killed. He's known for great things - and for terrible things.
I don't know what the context was for David writing this Psalm. But I'm sure we've all been at the point where no matter how strong our walk is or has been with the Lord, we mess up. We sin, we fall, and we break. We fear God's wrath even while asking for His forgiveness and help. We fear because we know that God is always present and that His Spirit will never leave us. So where can we go from His Spirit? Or where can we flee from His presence? David makes a good point in saying that if we ascend into heaven, God will be there. That part is probably redundant. Clearly God is in heaven. But David makes an astounding point when he says that God is also there when we make our bed in hell.
It makes perfect sense that God is present when we do good things and when our hearts are in the right place and when we really follow Him. It also makes sense that God would be there when we repent (in my mind, He's still sitting in heaven. I picture Him reaching a hand down to save me from my sin). But what blows my mind is that God is also present when we make our beds in hell. Notice the wording there - "when we make our beds in hell". We choose to sin, to act on the temptations that we face. When we sin, I think we have this stigma that God is angry and instantly turns His back to us. We don't feel that He is still there with us in the actual act of disobeying Him. And I think that's supported by by the fact that God turned His back - just for a second - on Jesus as the sins of the world were transferred from our souls to His as He paid for them with His life. It makes sense to us that God doesn't want to be present with us in the midst of our muck and dirt and mistakes. But this verse blows my mind, because it blows wide the way that I see God. Instead of assuming that He is far above our sin and detached from us when we sin, I can now see that God is (and has always been) present in my life, including the times that I sin. Which, if I'm being honest, is a lot of my life. And I'm willing to bet a lot of yours, too. We are sinners to the core, it's what we do. And that's why it's so amazing that God is willing to get His own clothes dirty, to sit in hell as we are making our bed there, and to offer help and support and love (sometimes it's tough love). He is a just and pure God - but that doesn't mean He is pristine and untouchable. He loves us enough to reach into our personal hells, our pits of sin, and to pull us out. Because David is right: we can't go anywhere that God can't or won't go. He's God. He is, as this Winter Conference is so aptly themed, boundless.
So be encouraged, guys, as you're in a slump, as you're tangled in something that you don't think you can get out of. Know that my God, your God, our amazing God and Father is definitely present, definitely real, and definitely able and willing to step into life with you, good or bad, and hold you close to His heart. He is impossible to run from, and He relentlessly pursues us so that we can taste His love, especially when we choose to make our beds in hell.
God bless :)
This has never struck me before as anything very important, because I always skipped to the part about Him knowing me before I was formed. But for some reason, this part jumped out. Here's why: Why would David be asking God where he can flee? Why would David be fleeing from the God that he so passionately prays to in so many of the other Psalms? We know that David is "the man after God's own heart", and there are even comparisons of David's story to Jesus' life, a sort of foreshadowing. David was God's man. But here's the rub - David is famous for a few things in the Bible. He is known for facing down Goliath, not with his own diminutive strength, but with God's. He is known for being one of the best kings that Israel has seen. And he is also known for his affair with Bathsheba, and the issues involved with it, including having Bathsheba's husband killed. He's known for great things - and for terrible things.
I don't know what the context was for David writing this Psalm. But I'm sure we've all been at the point where no matter how strong our walk is or has been with the Lord, we mess up. We sin, we fall, and we break. We fear God's wrath even while asking for His forgiveness and help. We fear because we know that God is always present and that His Spirit will never leave us. So where can we go from His Spirit? Or where can we flee from His presence? David makes a good point in saying that if we ascend into heaven, God will be there. That part is probably redundant. Clearly God is in heaven. But David makes an astounding point when he says that God is also there when we make our bed in hell.
It makes perfect sense that God is present when we do good things and when our hearts are in the right place and when we really follow Him. It also makes sense that God would be there when we repent (in my mind, He's still sitting in heaven. I picture Him reaching a hand down to save me from my sin). But what blows my mind is that God is also present when we make our beds in hell. Notice the wording there - "when we make our beds in hell". We choose to sin, to act on the temptations that we face. When we sin, I think we have this stigma that God is angry and instantly turns His back to us. We don't feel that He is still there with us in the actual act of disobeying Him. And I think that's supported by by the fact that God turned His back - just for a second - on Jesus as the sins of the world were transferred from our souls to His as He paid for them with His life. It makes sense to us that God doesn't want to be present with us in the midst of our muck and dirt and mistakes. But this verse blows my mind, because it blows wide the way that I see God. Instead of assuming that He is far above our sin and detached from us when we sin, I can now see that God is (and has always been) present in my life, including the times that I sin. Which, if I'm being honest, is a lot of my life. And I'm willing to bet a lot of yours, too. We are sinners to the core, it's what we do. And that's why it's so amazing that God is willing to get His own clothes dirty, to sit in hell as we are making our bed there, and to offer help and support and love (sometimes it's tough love). He is a just and pure God - but that doesn't mean He is pristine and untouchable. He loves us enough to reach into our personal hells, our pits of sin, and to pull us out. Because David is right: we can't go anywhere that God can't or won't go. He's God. He is, as this Winter Conference is so aptly themed, boundless.
So be encouraged, guys, as you're in a slump, as you're tangled in something that you don't think you can get out of. Know that my God, your God, our amazing God and Father is definitely present, definitely real, and definitely able and willing to step into life with you, good or bad, and hold you close to His heart. He is impossible to run from, and He relentlessly pursues us so that we can taste His love, especially when we choose to make our beds in hell.
God bless :)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Faith
First: I'm writing this blog to the smell of coffee cake, which will be amazing when it's done.
Second: it's been a long time since I've come across something super good to write down (because I haven't had as many great quiet times as I did in Oregon?).
So, faith! I was at a girl's bible study tonight and we were reading in James 2:14-26, specifically how faith without works is dead. There was some debate over the writings of Paul compared to the writings of James, and I looked it up. Apparently Martin Luther King Jr. disliked the book of James and didn't want it included in the Bible because its message of works and faith didn't quite seem to line up with the rest of the Bible. The girls in the Bible study spent a long time trying to figure out the differences and/or similarities between the two views, but we came up with a really great working definition for faith and how works tie into that.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, and not of works, lest anyone should boast." The Bible makes it very clear that because Jesus died for us and, being God, was able to conquer both death and sin. All we have to do in order to receive that gift of salvation is to have faith that He did everything the Bible claims and that He can and will save us. More on this in a little bit.
That's pretty much where Paul stood on the issue of works vs. faith. But you see in James 2 that "as the body without the spirit is dead, so also is faith without works." This seems to imply that our works actually count towards something spiritual.
What? How can those two ideals exist together in the Bible, which cannot contradict itself? We did a little searching, and I ended up referencing what my study Bible said, which was basically that the word for "justification" used in James was not the same justification used in other parts. The one in James is more like proof of something, whereas the one that is often used when talking about salvation is actually being justified by Christ's blood. In other words, the message in James is not that our works get us into heaven (because that's definitely opposite of what Ephesians says) but that our faith should produce works that show people around us that we are children of God.
Have I lost you yet?
James mentions Abraham, and I think that Abraham was one of the giants in faith mentioned in the Bible. Everyone has heard the story of how God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and how Abraham had the faith to follow through, until at the last second, God sent him a ram instead. We all are in awe (at least, I am) of Abraham's faith that God would fulfill His promises about Isaac, but what if Abraham didn't follow through on his prayers to God? What if Abraham just said, "I'm going to sacrifice my son to You," and then backed out, or just didn't listen to the Lord's voice? He may have claimed to have the faith, but if he didn't act on it, then it's a moot point, isn't it? This is the core of James' message: if you have so-called faith in God, then what follows naturally are works that prove it.
Hillary gave a really awesome example of this: if you've got a boyfriend/girlfriend who claimed to love you with all their heart, but never called, never did anything nice for you, always flirted with other people, what would your logical conclusion be? That they never actually loved you. So we can pay God as much lip service as we want, just praise Him and tell people how faithful He's been (by the way, there's nothing wrong at all with praising God), but until we start acting out our faith (check out the fruit of the Spirit), nothing happens. No one around us can tell that we have faith and no lives are touched by our faith. James is arguing that faith without works is not even living, because it is nonexistent. This is not to say that doing good works automatically give you faith, though, or that they will pave your way to heaven. Faith is the key word here.
Another really cool aspect of faith is that it's a kind of action. When we're first saved, it's our faith in Jesus that gets us there, but it's the act of praying and tangibly giving our lives to Him that proves our sincerity. The Bible says that he who confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord will be saved. There are plenty of people out there who believe that God exists - even the demons believe, it says in James - but if there is no acting on that belief, that faith, then nothing happens.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, and it is our faith in Jesus that saves us. That first bit of faith proves to us that Jesus is true to his word, and boosts our faith a little bit more, so that when we pray through our next trial, we have a foundation of trust with God, trust that He will answer our prayers. When He does, our faith jumps a little higher, filling that foundation and making it stronger so that it can overflow to the next situation that requires it, and so on. It's this beautiful, never-ending cycle.
God bless!
Second: it's been a long time since I've come across something super good to write down (because I haven't had as many great quiet times as I did in Oregon?).
So, faith! I was at a girl's bible study tonight and we were reading in James 2:14-26, specifically how faith without works is dead. There was some debate over the writings of Paul compared to the writings of James, and I looked it up. Apparently Martin Luther King Jr. disliked the book of James and didn't want it included in the Bible because its message of works and faith didn't quite seem to line up with the rest of the Bible. The girls in the Bible study spent a long time trying to figure out the differences and/or similarities between the two views, but we came up with a really great working definition for faith and how works tie into that.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, and not of works, lest anyone should boast." The Bible makes it very clear that because Jesus died for us and, being God, was able to conquer both death and sin. All we have to do in order to receive that gift of salvation is to have faith that He did everything the Bible claims and that He can and will save us. More on this in a little bit.
That's pretty much where Paul stood on the issue of works vs. faith. But you see in James 2 that "as the body without the spirit is dead, so also is faith without works." This seems to imply that our works actually count towards something spiritual.
What? How can those two ideals exist together in the Bible, which cannot contradict itself? We did a little searching, and I ended up referencing what my study Bible said, which was basically that the word for "justification" used in James was not the same justification used in other parts. The one in James is more like proof of something, whereas the one that is often used when talking about salvation is actually being justified by Christ's blood. In other words, the message in James is not that our works get us into heaven (because that's definitely opposite of what Ephesians says) but that our faith should produce works that show people around us that we are children of God.
Have I lost you yet?
James mentions Abraham, and I think that Abraham was one of the giants in faith mentioned in the Bible. Everyone has heard the story of how God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and how Abraham had the faith to follow through, until at the last second, God sent him a ram instead. We all are in awe (at least, I am) of Abraham's faith that God would fulfill His promises about Isaac, but what if Abraham didn't follow through on his prayers to God? What if Abraham just said, "I'm going to sacrifice my son to You," and then backed out, or just didn't listen to the Lord's voice? He may have claimed to have the faith, but if he didn't act on it, then it's a moot point, isn't it? This is the core of James' message: if you have so-called faith in God, then what follows naturally are works that prove it.
Hillary gave a really awesome example of this: if you've got a boyfriend/girlfriend who claimed to love you with all their heart, but never called, never did anything nice for you, always flirted with other people, what would your logical conclusion be? That they never actually loved you. So we can pay God as much lip service as we want, just praise Him and tell people how faithful He's been (by the way, there's nothing wrong at all with praising God), but until we start acting out our faith (check out the fruit of the Spirit), nothing happens. No one around us can tell that we have faith and no lives are touched by our faith. James is arguing that faith without works is not even living, because it is nonexistent. This is not to say that doing good works automatically give you faith, though, or that they will pave your way to heaven. Faith is the key word here.
Another really cool aspect of faith is that it's a kind of action. When we're first saved, it's our faith in Jesus that gets us there, but it's the act of praying and tangibly giving our lives to Him that proves our sincerity. The Bible says that he who confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord will be saved. There are plenty of people out there who believe that God exists - even the demons believe, it says in James - but if there is no acting on that belief, that faith, then nothing happens.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, and it is our faith in Jesus that saves us. That first bit of faith proves to us that Jesus is true to his word, and boosts our faith a little bit more, so that when we pray through our next trial, we have a foundation of trust with God, trust that He will answer our prayers. When He does, our faith jumps a little higher, filling that foundation and making it stronger so that it can overflow to the next situation that requires it, and so on. It's this beautiful, never-ending cycle.
God bless!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Redemption
"Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: "Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; bit you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born. And when I passed you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'. I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord God. "Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flower, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you," says the Lord God." -Ezekiel 16:1-14.
I'm going to skim past the next bunch of verses... they're all really great, but I'm running out of time before work and you probably don't want to read a lot more. It's a lot to take in. Here we go.
..."But you trusted in your beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it (15)... Behold, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior (27)... neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done (48)... Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abomination more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done (51)..."
BUT: "Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you (60)."
I know it was a big chunk of verses to read, but that's one of my favorite chapters, because it outlines perfectly the relationship we have with God. He sees us as sinners (before we were yet saved, Jesus died for us), extends His grace and mercy, and gives us the world. We, being human and very short-sighted, take His gifts to us and throw it to the world, abandoning our Saviour in search of a faux life, committing spiritual adultery with the world and its goodies. God reels us back in, sometimes with drastic measures, and we are, once again, redeemed. God doesn't fulfill His end of the deal based on whether we're good or whether we fulfill ours; God already made the promise to wash us clean when we first came to Him, and He keeps His word. There will always be redemption for us. The thing we have to watch for is taking advantage of His love for us. "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." -Galations 5:13.
I love the fact that we don't have to be perfect to be loved by God. He's loved us from the first time He saw us, and we're told that He sees us before we are born. I know that I won't ever be able to earn that love, and lately that's been making me a little depressed, because I know that I haven't been trying. But reading sections like these make me remember that it's not what I do that makes my God love me. And once I'm saved, I don't have to work to keep Him loving me. His grace stays consistent. After realizing this, my view has changed back to serving Him because I love Him and want to bless Him, not because I want to be loved and blessed by Him. It's a fine line, and I'm so happy that I've gotten that perspective back. Thank you, Pastor Brian and Pastor Nick at SLO Calvary for teaching on these issues! And thank you, God, for opening up my heart again.
God bless!
I'm going to skim past the next bunch of verses... they're all really great, but I'm running out of time before work and you probably don't want to read a lot more. It's a lot to take in. Here we go.
..."But you trusted in your beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it (15)... Behold, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior (27)... neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done (48)... Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abomination more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done (51)..."
BUT: "Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you (60)."
I know it was a big chunk of verses to read, but that's one of my favorite chapters, because it outlines perfectly the relationship we have with God. He sees us as sinners (before we were yet saved, Jesus died for us), extends His grace and mercy, and gives us the world. We, being human and very short-sighted, take His gifts to us and throw it to the world, abandoning our Saviour in search of a faux life, committing spiritual adultery with the world and its goodies. God reels us back in, sometimes with drastic measures, and we are, once again, redeemed. God doesn't fulfill His end of the deal based on whether we're good or whether we fulfill ours; God already made the promise to wash us clean when we first came to Him, and He keeps His word. There will always be redemption for us. The thing we have to watch for is taking advantage of His love for us. "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." -Galations 5:13.
I love the fact that we don't have to be perfect to be loved by God. He's loved us from the first time He saw us, and we're told that He sees us before we are born. I know that I won't ever be able to earn that love, and lately that's been making me a little depressed, because I know that I haven't been trying. But reading sections like these make me remember that it's not what I do that makes my God love me. And once I'm saved, I don't have to work to keep Him loving me. His grace stays consistent. After realizing this, my view has changed back to serving Him because I love Him and want to bless Him, not because I want to be loved and blessed by Him. It's a fine line, and I'm so happy that I've gotten that perspective back. Thank you, Pastor Brian and Pastor Nick at SLO Calvary for teaching on these issues! And thank you, God, for opening up my heart again.
God bless!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Rain, Rain (don't) go away...
I love it. I love rain. I love going out in the rain and feeling the drops hit my body at unpredictable times. I love forgetting my umbrella and getting soaked. I love coming inside and dripping a little bit on the carpet. I love how it smells during and after the rain visits. I love how my car gets washed in the rain. I love how empty the streets get while it rains, because no one else really enjoys being in it. I love sitting in my room and hearing the rain beat a rhythm on my roof. I love falling asleep to that song. I love that God isn't weeping when it rains. I love that we all get the blessing of the rain in this beautiful place that we live. I love how green the grass gets after the rain. I love the memories that come with the rain. I love the comfort that it brings. I love the life that thrives with the rain. I love the promise of a movie and hot chocolate, my calm space in the center of the cold rain and chilly wind.
I just love that after this amazing February summer we've experienced, this rain sweeps in and rejuvenates the landscape. It revamps the beauty so that we can look out and thank God for this happiest of places that we live in. I am blessed to be here, in the prime of my life, working at a coffee shop and seeing my favorite weather sweep through the town, bathe it, and make it new again. Thank you, Jesus, for the rain.
God bless!!
I just love that after this amazing February summer we've experienced, this rain sweeps in and rejuvenates the landscape. It revamps the beauty so that we can look out and thank God for this happiest of places that we live in. I am blessed to be here, in the prime of my life, working at a coffee shop and seeing my favorite weather sweep through the town, bathe it, and make it new again. Thank you, Jesus, for the rain.
God bless!!
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