Live Long, Die Fast

"You can be saved by believing, but don't just stop there, allow God to use you to advance His Kingdom! Our time is short, so live long and die fast!" ~Jake Thornton

Live long and die fast? Talk about a walking oxymoron! There are actually two beneficial ways of dying fast, however, and most people don't realize how satisfying (at least in theory) these kinds of deaths can be. One way is to die to self and live for Christ. This is a daily denial that requires us to focus on a different kind of joy, whether it can be found in the present or in the promised and hoped-for future. The second kind of death is literal. John 15:13 says that dying for a friend is the greatest example of love. When we die for Christ--both literally and metaphorically--it proves to Him the extent of our love and devotion. It also guarantees a place for us in God's presence. Of course, one of those deaths guarantees that it a bit quicker than the other!

Longing for Heaven and the fullness of God's presence is a good thing. Longing to die in order to get there quicker, however, is a good thought, but somewhat contrary to the teachings of Jesus. We are called to be patient for that day, using our anticipation of it to the advantage of the Kingdom of God. Hope is a powerful attribute for the Christ-follower, and it doesn't support cutting the line or wasting time.

Ministry should never allow for the luxury of time when eternity is on the line.

As lovers of God, we are called to bring as many with us into the next life as we can, that He can be glorified that much more. And, of course, never should we forget that "bringing others" to Him is not something we can do alone. Only God's Spirit and grace can motivate dry bones to walk, and only by the strength of the un-tamable One can we continue on through the trials His calling will undoubtedly bring us!

Where You Going Bro?

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. ~Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)

Do you remember the phrase "You are the average of the friends you hang out with most?" Well, here is a new way to think about it.

You should choose to walk with who you want to walk like. In life, there are only two kinds of walkers: those who walk toward the light and those who walk toward the darkness. Each of those kinds of people will walk in a way that will get them to where they are going. They will also walk alongside those who have the same goal in mind, especially if they themselves don't want to admit their desired goal. So the logical choice would be 1) to acquire the most appropriate dress for getting yourself where you want to go and 2) to find none but the best tour guide to follow and mimic as you go there. So in the end, it comes down to whether or not you are scared of the next life and the consequences your time on earth might have when you get there. It also comes down to whether or not you trust Jesus enough. If you don't want to walk like Jesus in every way, then you probably don't trust that His way is the best and most enjoyable way. I am not saying that you can walk like Jesus in every way. In fact, it's impossible. What you should have, however, is a desire to be like Him because you realize that Jesus may well have been the happiest man on earth! And certainly, that does not mean the path of life in Christ is easy or fun. It means that satisfaction is found not in moment-to-moment comforts and pleasures but in eternal purpose and divine identity.

"Those who long to be with God long to be like God." ~Henry Morris III

So the gist of it all is that in searching out the most satisfactory way of getting through this life, you will never in all your days or ways of walking find a more comforting tour guide, mentor, friend, father, and God than Jesus Christ. And if you currently do not have the desire to walk like Him in every way possible, then it might be time to confront Him about it. God promises His peace to those who seek it, and He offers nothing but the best to those who long to find it: Himself!

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. ~1 John 2:4-6 (ESV)

Just That Boss!

God is literally perfect. Isn't that just insane?! I mean, whenever we use the word "perfect," it actually means "pretty much as close to perfect as anything can get this side of Heaven." But when we use it to describe God, it's because we can't think of a single thing about Him that is not perfect! It's the same with love. God is literally the most loving consciousness in history. No one else compares. And isn't it impossibly complex how God can be forever? When we say that He was before time, it's only a way for us to try to wrap our minds around the unknowable, a way to describe the indescribable.

So God is impossible to describe, right? Still, He manages to use our own language when He speaks to us so that we can at least try to understand Him. He stoops to our level in order to point out that He is above us in every way. He shows us that we can be satisfied in Him while still being unsatisfied in our knowledge of Him because there is never an end of things to be learned and mimicked. God is infinite. He will never step down or get tired of His job. Even if He did, there would be no one who could fill his shoes because He is just that boss! And that is probably the most comforting thing in the world: to know that we serve a God that none other could ever compare to. There is nothing higher to reach for than God himself.

"i’m finally here at the edge of atonement. one step. one miraculous moment. i taste it. i sense it. i already own it. i have the right to remain god. but i could never fit in His crown. i took it off and i drowned in the thought that i’m only a man. and i don’t hold the world in my hands...

"my head’s high and i finally behold that Light that my faith always foretold. oh! words can’t describe how it feels to feel alive. today i’m coming clean. i’m coming home. i’m giving everything. You’re worth it all. You’re worth it all. Jesus You’re worth the offering."

~Attalus (Song title: "Breath Before the Plunge")

Isn't it sometimes just so obvious how small we are? I pray that our eyes are opened to this reality more often, because it is only in those moments that we notice how big we once thought ourselves to be compared to God. Whenever we fail to see God for who He really is, it's due to our own selves being in the way, and when we can't see God for the self, it's hard to accept any of the benefits God offers. God offers us His peace, not our peace. God offers us His Confidence, not our confidence. He gives us the assurance that He is and always will be able to handle whatever comes our way because He is the only rock solid enough for us to place our full and unwavering confidence in. God never fails. Let us always remember that we can and have trusted our lives with the most trustworthy being in existence!

"My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!" Psalm 108:1 (NLT)

Somebody Left the Faucet On...

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” ~Romans 1:16-17 (ESV)

So in the gospel of Christ, faith is, beginning and end, the only thing that allows for the righteousness of God to dwell in the hearts of believers. This is basically saying that God is our righteousness because 1) we believe He is and 2) it is the only saving truth--the gospel. Another way to translate it is "the one who by faith is righteous shall live." The application is that we can be confident in our salvation as we find ourselves on equal terms with God because of our faith in Him and the grace He has given us.

God is a God of grace. As we saw last week, His grace covers all our sin. His grace is something that we can trust in to never leave; it will always be there when we fail, and it will always be waiting for us to return to Him. It is something we can stand on, something we can take root in, and something we can always drink from. God's righteousness is like a fountain overflowing with water, and as long as the faucet is still running, we can still come and drink from the excess of His perfection. God's grace is such that the faucet never stops flowing, producing in the willing and submissive heart a life of joy lasting for eternity.

~Psalm 87:7~

As they make music they will sing, "All my fountains are in you." (NIV)

Singers and dancers alike will say," My whole source of joy is in you." (HCSB)

Then singers, as they play their instruments, will declare, "All my roots are in you." (ISV)

As for the singers, as well as the pipers--all of them sing within your walls. (NET)

Lastly, when we share the gospel with others, the beginning and ending of our testimony and proclamation of God's salvation should be the faith all must find in Him. When the goal is to glorify God, we can only accomplish it by being perfectly satisfied in Him. When the goal is to be satisfied in Him, we can only accomplish it by realizing His perfect righteousness and accepting it as our own. So when we declare God's truth, we should always come back to the fountain of grace found only in Christ Jesus. When we have faith enough to see God's fountain of life and abounding grace, we have the opportunity to come, confess, and be renewed, ready to worship God with a free and righteous spirit.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood,
to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
~Romans 3:21-26 (ESV)