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)

Our Awesome God

Your love is extravagant 

Your friendship it is intimate 

I feel like moving to the rhythm of Your grace 

Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place 

Your love is extravagant 

Spread wide in the arms of Christ is the love that covers sin 

No greater love have I ever known You considered me a friend 

Capture my heart again

~"Your Love is Extravagant" by Darrel Evans (Song by Casting Crowns)

God is awesome.

So why do we have to say "capture my heart again"? Shouldn't it be "You have already captured my heart and now it's yours for eternity"? Yes, in a certain sense, but the reality is more like "You have captured my heart, but I have forgotten just how much purpose your love brings to my once-filthy heart, so would You capture it again...and again...and again?" It sounds like a sad truth, but it is in fact one of the many things about us that makes God so awesome: the less capable we are of finding God's love extravagant, the more His grace opens our eyes to the truth of His sacrifice on our part. So as long as we are in search of His glory, God will continue to reveal Himself to us in new ways. As long as we seek to do His will with joy and utter satisfaction, He will honor it one way or another. It pleases God to satisfy us with Himself. And the comforting part about it is that He is the only one who can intimately know and have a friendship with each and every person that lives, has lived, and will live on this earth.

God's love covers our sin. What does that mean exactly? It means that our righteousness comes from Jesus alone. When we stand before the judgment seat of God someday, nothing we have ever done will get the slightest bit of merit. Only what is sinless will remain, and if Jesus is within us, he will remain as our first and only righteous identity. That is true grace, incredible love, and one simply awesome God for you!

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

Something < Eternal

Sin and truth have no place together and are in fact near opposites. All that sin is is false security, pleasure, indulgence, hope, and joy—all of which can never satisfy apart from God. So many people around us practice these false comforts all the time. Even Christians. Even ourselves! And these things often lead to sin and/or departure from God’s truth. When we get to the place where we recognize the areas in our lives that hold some sense of identity apart from Christ, even in the smallest way imaginable, and we seek out God’s wisdom and help in changing our desires to focus more on Him—only then can we truly thrive, and only then can we justifiably judge others for the purpose of discipling them, helping them, and pushing them on toward a renewed relationship with Christ. This is part of the reason why it is so important to be in constant fellowship with other Christians.

As long as we continue hoping in and trust God's truth, there will be no room for sin in us, but as soon as we give in to sin, we are declaring "a different gospel" by our actions and we are then suppressing God's truth. So it is good to be discerning in order that we might realize the areas of our life where false joy has the opportunity to lead to sin. Standing firm on God's truth makes us stand out because nobody realizes the difference between living for God and living for something non-eternal. Let us never turn from the true hope we have, and may our joy be always be found only in Christ. May we spur one another on and not allow our brothers and sisters to live and strive for anything less than eternal.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ~Romans 1:18-19 (ESV)

Anti-Anxiety Disorder

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. ~John 16:33 (ESV)

Not too many people are like this (and I have no intention of bragging here except on the name of Jesus), but I believe I have been gifted with something you might call anti-anxiety disorder. It means that I don't generally react to tragedies, sudden life-changes, financial crises, surprise trauma, etc., at least not the way most people would. I take it as it is. God's in control, right? Of course, the only reason I call it a disorder is because I'm in the minority (and of course I have my own ways of failing to trust God, if it looks a little different), but God offers everyone this selfsame disorder: His peace.

Nothing but encouragement can come to us as we dwell upon the faithful dealing of our Heavenly Father in centuries gone by. Faith in God has not saved people from hardships and trials, but it has enabled them to bear tribulations courageously and to emerge victoriously. ~Lee Roberson

Is it possible that living for Christ means more than giving your life (your career, your income, you successes and failures) to Him? What if the things life gives you only effects who you end up ministering to? If we are all called to bring God's kingdom to reality, then it shouldn't matter where we end up in life or where we are right now. God is in control, true, but that doesn't always mean he "orchestrated" things to happen in your life a certain way. Sometimes things just happen and God calls us to react rightly according to how Jesus would. If everything about us is to be an example to unbelievers, then there should be no surprise big enough in life that would allow us to break down and give up. Rather, let us stand strong and train ourselves to react to tragedies with love and peace, pointing to the greater cause and not focusing on our depression.

Not of this World

It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, and look—he eats; but he awakes, and his soul is still empty; or as when a thirsty man dreams, and look—he drinks; but he awakes, and indeed he is faint, and his soul still craves: so the multitude of all the nations shall be, who fight against Mount Zion. ~Isaiah 29:8 (NKJV)

"It is significant that the sleeping men are dreaming only about eating and drinking. In the same manner, those whose interests and desires are centered in this world only will find all their objectives have turned to nothingness." (Quote by Henry Morris)

"The fact is that this world is not the real world, but only a temporary world which, like a dream, will soon fade away in the light of God’s eternal day when we awake in His presence to experience the world as God intended it." (Quote by Henry Morris)

So take a moment to consider what your dreams often consist of. What are they founded in? If they are not founded in the next life and don't necessarily have eternal value, why not? True satisfaction is guaranteed by God to be found in putting our hope and joy in the things of heaven. If it can be said of you that you are not of this world...except when you play too many video games or wear too much makeup or pursue school more than God, or a million other things...then maybe you should reconsider how you can find joy in things that will last--before they fail you!

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. ~1 John 2:16-17 (ESV)