What is the role of the church in our lives?

A few months ago I started coming to a realization that has solidified this week. That realization is that I have questions and concerns about the role of the church and how we as Christian’s are living that role. I am frustrated and grieved by what the global church is not doing and how poor an image we portray to the world. I am frustrated with myself and how I fail to live by Christ’s teachings.

Last summer I had some great conversations with a co-worker who started asking me questions about my faith and why I choose to live like I do. He is a really good man, and a great parent, and even believes in a greater power, but he can’t come to believe in Christ because of you and me. The hypocrisy of Christians and the church have turned him away.

Recently I have been thinking about the call that Christ laid out for us. I believe it comes from Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Often I hear people repeat verse 19, but they skip verse 20. There is a focus on getting people to “make a commitment” or “convert”, but what is our role (because we are the church) in teaching each other what Christ commanded? Are we helping each other know how to live as Christians and obey commandments? How do we walk that out every week? Are we expecting it comes out of only the pastor’s teaching during the weekly sermon? I believe we have a responsibility to help each other through this life. Are we doing that?

Last week I came across an article (No Transformation Necessary) that raised the question, “Should there be evidence of transformation in our lives because of our walk with God?” It is a interesting article if you want some further food for thought. 

What does it look like to follow Jesus?

I have been asking this question a lot over the last two weeks. Last week at my home group some conversation included references to “mature” or “true” Christians, and later in the week I came across similar references on a couple blogs. If we are classifying people as “true” Christians, doesn’t that mean there are “untrue” or “false” Christians? If so, what does it look like when they follow Jesus as opposed to how I follow Jesus? What makes them wrong and me right? It sure isn’t the fact that I do it with messing up because I mess up daily.

I want a relationship and faith that is built on truth and is walked out in a manner that is both pleasing and glorifying to God, but also proper toward others. I have wrestled a lot with what following Jesus look like in my relationship with others.

Does following Jesus mean being honest? Always?
Does following Jesus mean speaking truth? Does it sometimes mean not speaking certain things, even if they are true?
Does following Jesus mean not just forgiving, but also forgetting?
Does following Jesus mean we are to live differently than others? If so, how?
Does following Jesus mean I am to live a life that others can’t find fault with? Is that even possible?
Does following Jesus mean loving at all times? Holding people accountable? Confronting wrong behavior? How can it mean all of those?
Does following Jesus mean both encouraging others and being honest about decisions others make that are not encouraging you? If I am being honest about that, how is that encouraging them?
Does following Jesus mean just doing my best and accepting my failures? Am I doing my best if I am failing?
Does following Jesus mean loving Christ in the only ways I know how and trying to learn more each day, or are there guidelines I have to follow?
Is being saved as simple as just believing, or does it require more?

I am not sure what a “mature” or “true” Christian looks like, but I want to learn what it means to love Christ with all I am, and to love my neighbors deeply in healthy relationships. Yesterday my pastor asked what we would be willing to die for? My first thought was Christ. Then he asked what we are willing to live for. I want that answer to be Christ also. To do that I have to start now because with every breath, I am living. What does it look like to follow Jesus? I don’t know that answer yet, but I hope I am taking a step in the right direction.

Seeing change through others eyes

Some changes were announced at my church this week regarding how our home groups will be structured and changed. Specifically it affects the group I have been attending because our leader is stepping out of that role.

It has been hard for me to receive the changes because someone else has made a decision that has very large impacts on my life. A few years ago I went through a very painful experience at another church where church leaders made decisions that had huge impacts on my life. With no advanced warning I found myself in a week’s time losing my support network, social network, ministry, and having my time commitments and position in the church family greatly impacted. This current change with home groups is very difficult for me because again it feels like church leaders have made decisions that are stripping me of my social and support network. This is the fourth home group I have been a part of over the last 2-1/2 years and was the first group I was really starting to trust and open up in. There are people in this group that I really want to have ongoing relationship with, but due to the growth in our church and not having a dedicated time on our calendars to bring us together I doubt that will happen. Rather than feeling supported and uplifted, right now, mostly because of my past experiences, I am feeling abandoned and alone.

This is part of being in a community and learning to share life together. Decisions are made for the good of the entire community, and sometimes that can mean they don’t feel good to specific individuals. I am faced with choices about how I will respond, what I will believe, and how this will impact me. One of the first questions I have to answer is if I trust the church leaders to make these decisions with the best interest of the community (and that includes me) in mind. I do, so next I am faced with the choice to surrender to their leadership and authority or fight it.

We have this same choice with God every day. Are we willing to surrender to his leadership and authority, or do we fight him? Scripture tells us to obey our leaders and submit to their authority. Do I believe my church leaders are serving God? Do I believe God might be working through them? Do I believe that by respecting and surrendering to them I am also surrendering to God and his authority? Am I willing to not only follow their leadership, but seek to make their lives easier and more joyful through my responses and actions? My church leaders seek to follow God too. I pray regularly that my pastors will have the wisdom and guidance they need to lead. If I have faith that God answers that prayer, then I have to trust they are making decisions with the wisdom and guidance God gives them. Do you trust your leaders (pastors, managers, landlords, government officials)? Are you obeying and submitting to their authority? If not, try praying for them. It might change your perspective.

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:16-17

Our hope comes from the Lord

Life can takes its toll on us, causing us at times to feel disenchanted, frustrated, and without hope. The responsibilities can weigh us down, and the brokenness of our lives can leave us looking for more. This isn’t just a sign of our times, but is something our Biblical forefathers also experienced. The Psalmist poured out his heart, knowing where his hope rested, even during those difficult times.

• My hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5b
• May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Psalm 25:21
• Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24
• We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20
• May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:22
• I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints. Psalm 52:9
• Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5
• But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. Psalm 71:14
• You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114
• I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5

Don’t lose hope, or look for hope in the wrong places. Hope comes from God and he alone is worthy of the hope we place in him. May you be encouraged, uplifted, and full of God’s hope today, and may God use you to bring hope to another!

Why do you believe in Christ?

Yesterday at church my pastor spoke on whether Christ was the only way to God.  He took a look at the beliefs of other religions and what makes Christianity different.  Why do you call yourself a Christian? Is it because you follow Christ and believe in his teachings and guidelines? Do you live by those teachings and guidelines?

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” ”  (John 14:5-7)

“The sociologist Jeffrey Hadden completed a survey of the beliefs of over 10,000 Protestant ministers in 1965 for the Danforth foundation.  These 10,000 mainline Protestant pastors from six major denominations were asked to answer these questions:
1. Was Jesus born of a virgin?
2. Was Jesus the son of God?
3. Is the Bible the inspired Word of God?
More than half of these pastors could not answer “totally agree” to these questions.” (Signature of God by Grant R. Jeffrey)

Are we as Christians ready to accept that no one comes to God except through Christ? Are we able to “totally agree” to the three questions above? If not, are we Christ followers, or just seekers? Do we really believe that Christ is a savior and that we need to be saved?

I want to be a follower, and I want my life to be different because of it!

Have you ever loved someone until it hurt?

I had a conversation with  someone yesterday who is grieving over how another’s decisions are impacting them. They care for the person and want relationship with them, but have been rejected over and over again. It left me asking questions. How does God want us to relate to others? What does it mean to be a neighbor and to love our neighbor? How are we called to walk out our life with others?

Scripture says to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39). This scripture actually comes from Leviticus 19:18. It is one of God’s earliest guidelines for us. In Mark 12:33 God tells us “to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  God values relationship that much!

It surprises me how Christians can interpret scripture so differently. I have been sharing recently with a variety of people regarding what relationship looks like, what God’s heart is for relationship, and how he wants us to demonstrate that. A lot of people hold others at arms length, especially in America. The depth of conversation goes no further than personal interests like favorite TV shows or sports, or touching on what activities happened in life that week. Is that level of interaction what God meant by loving your neighbor as yourself? Is that all he wants for us in fellowship with others? Are friendly hugs and hellos all we should share with each other at church?

I believe God wants to call us to more. I believe we fail and fall short every day in our relationships with others because we don’t embrace connection, vulnerability, and transparency.  Romans 12:2  challenges us “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Are you willing to conform to God’s relationships instead of the world’s example? How will that transform your thoughts and actions? If God could talk verbally to you do you think he would challenge you to change anything in your relationships? Are you willing to invest in a relationship with someone other than your immediately family where you allow yourself to love deep enough that it could hurt?

Representing God in all we say and do

How do you deal with change? I have been tested in that area this week. Overall I believe I cope with change very well, and in some ways I even encourage and welcome it in my life. This week has been filled with a little more than I would choose at one time though. It has left me looking at how I respond both inside and outwardly toward others.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Do I think about positive things when change comes or do I focus on the negative aspect of the change, the stress, or what I am have to give up? Is it easier to think about things that are excellent or praiseworthy if the change is something I desire or is planned out? How do I express my attitude and my stress level toward others during change?

The latest change this week came yesterday at work when I was notified that we had a new deadline for a project. Without asking, it was assumed that I would do whatever was needed to meet that deadline. So plans went out the window and by the end of today I will have spent 25+ hours at work over the last two days. Am I thinking about what is excellent and praiseworthy? Has only wholesome talk come from my mouth? Have I only spoken what is helpful for building others up?

How do you deal with change? Do you represent God in all you say and do? Others are watching. Are you living in a way that shines the light of God to others even in the midst of stress, change, and disrupted plans?

Do it all for the glory of God!

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1)

Every day we make decisions and take actions that affect others. We aren’t perfect, and yet as Christians we should always aim to be as similar to Christ, who was perfect, as we can be. Many times we do things that can have negative affects on others, hurting them, disappointing them, frustrating them, and even causing them to stumble. We may make comments that although they sound right when we say them are received incorrectly by those who receive them. We may make decisions or take certain actions that seem reasonable until we see them through others eyes.

Our goal should be living to please and honor God in everything we say and do. Our whole life should be an act of worship. If our actions cause someone to stumble we are hurting them and separating them from God. That would be a sin. We must be very careful to do nothing that will weaken or destroy the work of God in ourselves and in others. Whatever we do affects someone, including our inaction.

One of the greatest struggles I face as a Christian is how to walk in good relationship with others. I often say and do things that cause others pain or is not in their best interest. That grieves my heart, and I wish I could learn to live differently.  Others have also caused me to stumble. This week I have been hurt by the words and actions of someone else. I struggle to know if I should express that hurt. If I do, how can I be sure I am not judging them? How can I express my feelings without hurting the person in return? One answer comes in verse 33. Are we living to seek our own good, or are our actions and decisions for the best interest of others? If we live to please and honor God and seek the good of many, hopefully our words will be full of grace, love, and encouragement, not condemnation and judgment.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)

How long is it since you were really bothered?

“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?”
Ray Bradbury

I am not sure I completely agree with the above quote, but it does make me stop and think. I went through a time a few weeks back where I was “really bothered” by some things I saw around me. Our world has some pretty significant problems and is not doing a good job at listening to and living by God’s standards. I want to be someone who does live by those standards and who is daily challenged to move closer to God in the way I live. 

Matt Redman states, “We become intercessors-people who see the gap and long to stand in it. God imparts to us his heart for restoration, and a burning desire to see his love and justice heal the nations. But if we were really to have integrity in our worship, somewhere along the line this desire has to turn into action: share our food with the hungry, clothe the naked and satisfy the needs of the oppressed (see Isaiah 58: 7, 10). We cannot be worshippers who simply walk by, ignoring the realities of this broken world.  God longs to bring us to the place where we ache so much with his heart that to do nothing is simply no longer an option.” (The Unquenchable Worshipper by Matt Redman)

God, I want a heart like that. I want to seek, know, and walk with a heart that sees and aches for this world like you do. I know that to have a heart like that will bring me a heavy burden to carry and will not bring me earthly happiness, however I value relationship with you far more than anything this world could bring me. Change and transform me to be more like you. Stir a desire in others also to be people who want integrity in the worship they live every day. Teach us how to be people who don’t just think and talk but truly act and live by your truth and your standards.

Honored by the legacy

Have you ever wandered through a cemetery? I took some time today to take a walk through one. It is the resting place of my town founders and many others who have impacted the community I live in. As I walked through the cemetery I thought of all those who had come before me. They put things in motion that impact my life today. They instituted changes they had no idea would impact people so many years later. There were people who had fought in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam. There were mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. There were graves of infants who had very short lives, people who had lived for almost a century, and spouses who had lived up to 46 years without each other.

Tonight is the anniversary of my father’s death. I love remembering what he impacted. He was a gentle and unassuming leader. Most of his impact was in relationships one on one but he served as a pastor in at least a dozen communities. He impacted people in at least five different states, and his impact was so far reaching that after his death a school was named after him in South America. Even with my father’s heart and passion for Christ many of my family members are not Christians, but the roots of our faith in God come from those who came before us.

My dear daughter I write this to you because I love you so much and as life is so uncertain I leave this for you to read in later years. At whatever age you are when you read this remember that our time in this life is to improve our ability and glorify God whom to know and love is life eternal. Cleave to the knowledge of your Savior that you have learned while young and your life will be, in the Beauty of Holiness. I hope you will always be loyal to the truth and then you will be blessed.
-Margaret, 1892 (my great, great, great grandmother)

May the blessed Lord have mercy on me and give me a due portion of his saving and sustaining grace to be able to stand it all for I have given up everything to be a faithful follower of the blessed Jesus. I am praying continuously for the blessed Lord to come in my soul and mind and body and remove every partial of sin and wash me. Make my heart a fertile dwelling place for the Holy Spirit to live in and if he takes his hiding place in me all pain and misery will flee away that I am tired of. Well, pray earnestly for me dear Charles and Lettie that I may yet come of ________ for by the help of the Lord everything is possible with him. So I have a biding faith in him to save to the uttermost. I shall trust him to the end.
-Quinter, 1897 (my great, great, great grandfather)

Try to live a true Christian life and always keep an eye on your brothers and be true and kind to them.
A.L. , 1895 (my great, great grandfather)

My biblical ancestors made some big mistakes in how they followed God, but he never abandoned them. Some of my more recent ancestors may have walked more closely with God, but they still made many mistakes. God too never abandoned them. He has promised “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) I am honored by the legacy my father and his family left for me. Even more though I am honored to be the daughter of a heavenly father who impacts my life every single day in countless ways. It is his legacy that I most want to follow.

Have you ever wondered what God was saying to you?

As I was leaving church today I was talking with the pastor’s wife. She asked me what I was doing this afternoon and I told her I probably should continue a conversation I have been having with God. It has been going on for several days now, but really it started about six years ago.

I stood in the parking lot talking with someone else for a few minutes before walking to my car. As I approached my car I looked down and found a small blue hand on the ground. Most of the time we would ignore something like this, but….it has happened to me before….more than three years ago. There was a time when I started finding small blue hands cut out of paper. The first time or two I ignored them, but after having them appear repeatedly I finally picked one up and placed it on my car dashboard waiting for God to speak. I believe he finally did give me some explanation, but I honestly can’t remember what it is. So, today when I found a small blue hand cut out of foam in the exact same shape as those I have seen previously I stopped immediately and picked it up. Why a hand? Why blue? Why this time was the hand with a small red heart?

God doesn’t speak to us just through scripture or other people. He will use any means to get our attention. Have you ever wondered if God was speaking to you? Look around, he might be talking or trying to get your attention in an unexpected way. Have you ever wondered what God was saying to you? I have too! In fact it looks like I didn’t get the message the first time or I forgot it and God is trying to say something to me again. Anyone know what a small blue hand appearing randomly in my path might mean? Maybe I need to go continue that conversation with God.

Can we make a change?

Here are some statistics I heard in a recent sermon:

There are 340,000 churches in America.
Average weekly church attendance is 84 people.
A typical US congregation is 61% female and 39% male (this includes all generations).
On any given Sunday there are 13 million more women attending church.
Each week 25% of church going married women will worship without their husband.
More than 90% of American men say they believe in God, yet only 2 out of every 6 are willing to go to church.
In an average year only 1 person becomes a new believer for every 85 existing believers.

What do you think when you read these statistics? Do they mean anything? Do they make you excited or distressed?

My pastors ask our church a question fairly regularly, “What does it look like to follow Jesus?” According to the information above it looks like something that isn’t a major interest of Americans. It is something women are more interested in than men, and it is something people do on their own but don’t invite others to be a part of. I have come to dislike the question my pastors ask. First because as a church we never talk about how to answer that question, and second we don’t talk about what can be done that might impact the statistics above. I would like to see us ask questions like “What are you going to do to live a life where you follow Jesus?” or “How can you follow Jesus in a way that impacts those around you?”

“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” (Acts 5:29)

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16b-18)

The men who made the statements above were facing life and death decisions. They were willing to live a life where they follow God. They were willing to take a risk. Are we willing or are we too tied up in our own safety and comfort? Do we live a life where we have a need for God? If not, why not? What are you going to do to live a life where you follow Jesus? Can you live a life that makes a change in the statistics above, even if only in your own church? God is waiting for our answer, are we ready to respond?

Follow….if you dare!

I have been dialoguing with some others via email the last few days. The topics have included passion, what we believe, why we believe it, and how we want to live and serve because of that. The conversation has again awakened in me the deep passion I have for Christ. At the same time, a sermon I listened to this week has reminded me of God’s character. Lately I have been acting like Christ is small, nice, gentle, and predictable. I don’t believe that! I believe Christ is huge, wild, passionate, challenging, and unpredictable. Following him is dangerous, and it should push us way out of our comfort zone.

Christ was beaten, tortured, betrayed, and crucified. If we live lives that reflect Christ, should we expect some of the same hostility from the world? Will following him carry a cost?

Christ asked us to follow him. He didn’t tell us where he was going. He didn’t tell us what it would involve. He just asked us to follow. Do you love and trust him enough to follow? Do you have the guts? Do you dare? You are being called, and invited. Are you going to follow him? How far would you go? Will you live a life of unquenchable worship for a dangerous and unpredictable God?

“Too often my worship is tamed by the complications and struggles of this world.  But I long to be in a place were my fire for God cannot be quenched or washed away, even by the mightiest rivers of opposition-I long for worship that can never be extinguished.” (The Unquenchable Worshipper by Matt Redman)

Circle of Life

Saturday, April 14, 2001 I went to visit my ailing father. We knew he was dying of cancer and had only a short time left with us. When I arrived at the house that morning I learned that he had taken a drastic downward turn overnight.

More than 30 years earlier my father made a choice to conceive a child. He expectantly waited for me to arrive, fed me, cared for me, and placed me in bed to sleep. That day it was my turn. I sat with him as he was unable to communicate or even move on his own. I went through pictures, stories, and memories. It was a time of reflecting on the life he led. At lunch I fed my father his last meal, just like he had fed me some of my first. I then cared for him and placed him in bed to sleep, expectantly waiting for his departure.

Dad, I miss you. I wish you could have stayed longer and shared more with me, but I know it was your time to go. So on a day just like today I sat beside you and said goodbye. I still miss your presence in my life, but I know we all have a time to be born and to die. Thank you for all you gave me and all you taught me. I was honored to have you as my father and my friend.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There’s more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There’s far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

It’s the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life
(Lyrics by Tim Rice)

The waiting parent

I love learning from stories that flow from others lives. They can often show me God’s character, teach me truths, or drive me to ask questions that leave lasting effects on my life. Such a story was shared with me last week.

The young boy was sick with a cold. He wanted his mom to help him and to make him feel better. He trusted her care for him, and trusted she would help him. The mother responded by telling him what to do (blow your nose and rest) but the son didn’t want to listen. Again, she repeated her guidance but the boy wanted a different answer, a quicker solution.

Through the day the son kept asking for help. The mother had given her best advice and help but the son continued to try to do things his own way. Instead of continuing to repeat her same directions which were falling on deaf ears, she told her son that she had already told him what he needed to do and then she fell silent. She loved her son intensely but she had to leave the decision to him about whether to act. He knew what to do, and while it was painful for her to know her son was in need and not be able to help, she just needed to leave the choice to him.

At the end of the day the young boy took his mother’s advice and blew his nose. Immediately he felt better and rejoiced. Hopefully he also realized that he was right to trust his mother, and she really did care for him.

Have you ever gone to God and asked for him to do something only to feel like he didn’t listen or wasn’t responding? Could it be we are overlooking the advice and direction God has already given us? Could what we see as God’s silence really be him waiting for us to respond to what he already asked us to do? If I respond will I, like the young boy, feel better, rejoice, and experience the love and care of my parent? Will I understand my father’s love and silence better so I can hear him more clearly next time? Do I recognize how difficult it is for God to give me freedom to choose, only to have me choose a different course of action or time-line than what is best for me? This story has helped me to recognize that while I may be waiting for answers for God, he might be waiting for me to act on direction he has already given me. His love is very deep, and I trust during those times of silence that he is nearby watching and waiting.

What did the visitors see?

I spoke with a friend yesterday who was telling me about her Easter experience. Knowing that more people attend church on Easter than any other day of the year, and knowing many of the visitors do not believe in Christ she had taken a step back to look at what a visitor might experience at her church. She paid attention to the children’s behavior, the adult’s attitudes, the pastor’s sermon, expressions from people regarding their stress, etc.

What did a visitor see at your church? Outside of the program did they see something different than they would have at a neighborhood barbeque or a local sports event? If we are God’s representatives to those around us, how well did the global church do in representing Christ this Easter? Did those around us see God in us and through us?

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6

Does God have it backwards?

“Most human parents would kill in an instant any who tried to harm their child. Not God: He killed His Son to make the depths of His glory known.” (Cry of the Soul by Dr. Dan Allender & Dr. Tremper Longman III)

What are you willing to do or give up to make God’s glory known?

We aren’t called to walk alone, but can we?

On Saturday I ran into a couple that I know through a church we both used to attend. Unfortunately we have left that church through separate but equally painful processes where we were deeply hurt by church leaders. As I spoke to them I learned that it had taken them two years to return to a church. It had taken me over a year to call a church home. The conversation reminded me of a very important and powerful lesson I learned during that time of transition in my life. After spending an extended period of time away from a church and outside of the body of Christ my walk with God became deeply personal. I had no one to support me, encourage me, or guide me to God. If I was going to continue in my walk it was up to God and I alone. It would have been very easy to walk away during that time, especially because of the hurt I had to work through.

Through that year I learned and grew a lot because I came to understand how deeply personal God is. That is something I can lose sight of now that I have a church family. It is easy for me to turn to them and expect them to be involved in my relationship with God through teaching, encouraging, supporting, etc. While God calls us to community and fellowship with each other, no one is responsible for your relationship with God. We each need to take that responsibility on our own. Your relationship with God should not be dependent on your pastor delivering a good sermon, your worship leader leading in a way that matches your style, your spouse being joy filled and excited about attending church, or the people around you engaging with God in the same way you desire to. Our relationship with God is only dependent on us having an open and receptive heart that is willing to submit to and embrace what God has for us.

Having relationship with other believers is a wonderful blessing in our lives, one we should be deeply grateful for. Be thankful for them, and encourage them, but don’t let your faith depend entirely on them. God wants relationship directly with you, and he wants to be so involved with your life that nothing can separate you. Growing and maturing to have an active personal relationship with God isn’t easy, but it makes a powerful difference in our lives.

Are you looking to someone else for your relationship with God? Do the attitudes and actions of those around you draw you away from God? Would your faith survive if circumstances separated you from active relationship with other believers?

Who inspires you?

As I sat in church today I thought of the incredible inspiration Christ is in my life. A person who inspires is someone who affects, guides, arouses, and enlivens us. They are the source of and draw forth inspiration in us. Christ is the biggest inspiration in my life. I don’t fear him, but instead fear being without him in my life. He shows me the person I want and need to be, and makes me desire and strive for more than I can do on my own.

Christ has given me so many gifts and blessings. My life is full of them, and although I am grateful I know I am never grateful enough. As I reflected with deep gratitude on Christ’s inspiration and his blessings in my life I also thought of who God has placed in my life that inspires me. There are many people who I am so privileged to know and who impact my life in positive ways. There are people I deeply love, and who I would willingly sacrifice for. However it struck me that real deep inspiration from those around me is rare. Very few people have impacted my life so deeply that I want to be a different person because of them. One of them left this earth to be in heaven last year. Tim was a mentor, a friend, a leader, and an inspiration in my life. He was the first person to ever tell me he believed in me. My life is different because of him. The most inspiring person in my life right now is a stay at home mom with a beautiful three year old son. I have never met anyone whose love and passion for God touches me and changes me so deeply. She impacts my life in mighty ways even though I usually get no more than a few minutes on a phone call with her once a month. Her presence in my life points me to God with everything she says and does, and I know I can be completely real with her.

Inspiration doesn’t just come from great leaders, or those who are in positions of power or esteem. Sometimes inspiration comes from simple, everyday people who cross your path, show you love, and believe in who you are deep inside.

Who is it that deeply inspires you? Have you told them? I hope Christ is your greatest inspiration, but don’t overlook the blessing of those he has placed in your life to inspire you and draw you to him. They are incredible gifts and our lives would be empty without them. Thank you, Lord, for being the inspiration for our lives. Thank you for those who walk with us and also bring us inspiration. Help us to recognize their impact and influence on our lives and to desire relationship with you even more deeply because of their inspiration.

Are you still looking?

“How very beautiful it is the first person on earth to see Jesus after his Resurrection does so through tears.  And perhaps it’s the tears-or perhaps it’s the twilight or simply the impossibility of the reality and the fact that she’s been seeing his face everywhere anyway all weekend-but when Mary first sees the Lord, she mistakes him for a gardner!  This moment alone makes me want to follow Christ for the rest of my life (I’m weeping as I type). How can we fail to love such a Lord?  Here is the alpha and omega, creator of the rolling spheres, the one whose resurrection from the dead heralds the bright dawning of a new dispensation.  The Earth is quiet as Angels worship, but he himself is mistaken for a humble, bumbling horticulturalist with dirt beneath his fingernails at the start of a working day.”

“The first words of the new covenant are a question.  Not an announcement, not an answer, but a quietly considered question addressed to a weeping woman: “Why,” Jesus wants to know, “are you weeping?” and for anyone like Mary, anyone like you and me, who is churning through the darkness of Maundy Thursday and the despair of Good Friday to reach this garden tomb, it’s a stupid question.  But it’s also a profound question and, with hindsight, even a funny one, too.” (Pete Greig in God on Mute)

Today as we celebrate the life our savior has given us we don’t have a need to weep. He doesn’t want us to live with guilt or shame for our sin and brokenness. Christ freely offered his life as gift to us. That gift is offered with more love than you could find anywhere else. Today there is new life, new hope, and great rejoicing.

Are you ready to stop weeping, waiting, and regretting? Are you still looking for a savior or mistaking him for a humble gardner? Christ stands before us today, no longer dead on a cross, but alive and offering new life to us. Receive that gift and let its goodness transform you and your life in new ways.