Ever thought about water?
Really… It is just two elements, hydrogen and oxygen. But combined, under pressure, they form the absolute most important substance on the planet! This combination is an example of a chemical reaction – 2 elements coming together with the help of a particular environment, or catalyst.
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Now that is a chemical reaction!!! Your old, tired, complaining, miserable self combined with CHRIST!!!!
What does that produce? A new person! And what environment, or catalyst, caused that?….. THE CROSS!!!
When Jesus died on the cross, He made that reaction available for us all. A complete chemical change. The substance of who we are completely changes. All of the junk, all of the pain, all of the depression, all of the lack is exchanged for newness, peace, joy, love!!! All of the benefits of the “new life”…
Close examination of this scripture reveals something even more exciting. The verbs, or the actions, tell us that this is constantly happening! As believers, we have a choice to be in a constant state of renewal… A constant state of change!!!! We actually can become new EVERYDAY!
The key here is CHOICE…. With the free will that God placed in us, we must choose everyday to be renewed. (Romans 12:2) We have to choose to be in Christ. If we do that, He will give us a tremendous desire to change… to move! We actually can be active in this whole thing!!!!
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Physics…. Energy, motion, and force!
Paul wanted to move…. Not just for the sake of moving. He used words like straining for and press on. Moving forward may be uncomfortable… even downright difficult! Why do you think so many of us resist it?
Newton’s First Law of Motion:
An object at rest tends to stay at rest, unless an external force is applied. An object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless an external force is applied.
Where are we?
At rest?…. the same place, doing the same things, getting the same results, making the same complaints, blaming the same people, sitting in the bleachers, instead of being in the game????
In motion?…. Moving forward in God, constantly being renewed, being made new by the Word, growing in knowledge, loving unconditionally????
Why is it so important to know who we are Christ (our chemistry) and to get going (our physics)….
1. A living organism that does not change, dies!!!
Our physical body changes constantly!!! We certainly know that…. It was divinely designed to change, make adjustments, and renew itself in order to maintain proper health. Without that process, our bodies will not survive…
Constant renewal and change is just as vital to our spiritual health! Staying in the same stagnant pool of filth, disease, complacency, unforgiveness… will eventually kill our spirit.
2. Move away from the past
We all can point directly to the things in our past that held us down. Bad habits, bad choices, bad friends… The further away we get from things, the harder they are to see!
3. Others need us to!
The Great Commission starts with physics…. GO!!!!!! The world is waiting for us…. As individuals and as a church. We have what they need. But most will never walk through the doors of a church. Why do you think Jesus said GO? Because he knew the biggest obstacle would be the 4 walls!
“sit and stay, remain comfortable and cozy, for they will surely come…” Hmmmmmm….
Throughout this month, we as a church are focusing on Going Forward. If you weren’t able to be at church for Pastor Wells’ first message in this series you NEED to watch/listen to it as soon as possible! It was a powerful and direction-setting message for 2012.
As Pastor was speaking, he listed things that happen to us when we fail to go forward in our walk with God. The first thing he mentioned was “When we fail to go forward we walk in fear instead of faith”. As I thought about this statement several things came to mind. It turned into a discussion last week in the student ministry and I’d like to share them with you and hopefully encourage you to push past your fear and into God’s plan for you in 2012.
There are a few types of fear that we encounter as we live our lives – each with different origins, symptoms and results. As a precursor, let me just say that I don’t believe all fear is bad. For example, a fear of playing in traffic will save you money in medical bills. Likewise, a fear of walking down a dark alley in a shady part of town will greatly reduce your chances of getting mugged. Although these seem like drastic examples, I think you can see that healthy fear, or respect, leads to wisdom and ultimately good decision making (Proverbs 9:10). There is, however, fear that hinders, cripples, and paralyzes us in our walk with God. Here are some examples.
1.) The Fear of Failure. We’ve all been there right? Wanting, wishing, hoping to do something for ourselves, our family, or our church. Having a desire to really try something, start something, or maybe stop something. How often do we fail to follow through because we are afraid we might not succeed? If we are honest, it’s more times than we care to admit. The truth is, we will all fail. But, if we never try we’ve failed before we ever begin. Michael Jordan (you may have heard of him) said it this way, “I can accept failure. Everybody fails at something. I cannot accept not trying”. Sometimes our greatest successes come on the heels of our greatest failures.
2.) The Fear of Success. Although this may sound a little odd it’s more common than you might think. Working with people, you have an opportunity to observe talented, gifted, charismatic individuals that seem to sabotage themselves like it’s going out of style. I’m not a psychologist, but I believe that this is partly because of what they’ve seen and how they see themselves. Think about Joshua, Caleb and the other 10 men as Moses sent them to scope out Canaan (Numbers 13). Even after seeing how great the land was and much better it would be, the only response the 10 spies could offer was “We can’t attack them; they’re stronger than we are. We are like grasshoppers in their sight”. In their own hearts and minds, they could never overcome those giants – they were too small. Are you sabotaging what God wants to do in your life because you see yourself as too small or insignificant? Be encouraged that you serve a BIG God that has BIG plan for you!
3.) Fear of the Unknown. We like to know, see and understand how everything is going to work out. Information brings us security. The thing about that is, with God, you don’t always see all the pieces to the puzzle. Truthfully, we’ll never see the entire puzzle. If we did, we wouldn’t need faith and we wouldn’t have to rely on God. With uncertainty, fear is often present, but so is the opportunity to trust fully in and rely on God (Proverbs 3:5-6). A scripture that I often rehearse to myself is Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path”. I may not see around the corner, but I have the assurance that He will light my next step. When I’m tempted to fear or doubt, God’s Word reminds me that as I put one foot in front of the other in pursuit of God’s plan for my life, He will show me the way.
Have you been struggling with fear? Be encouraged that God is faithful and can be trusted! His track record is stellar!
May 2012 be your best year yet!
If God is so loving, kind and compassionate, why does Scripture say we should “fear” Him? What exactly is fear of the Lord, which is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2-3 ) and how does it relate to our walk with God?
Fear of the Lord is one of the Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as described in Isaiah 11:2-3 (also known as wonder and awe). In Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10, the fear of the Lord is called the beginning or foundation of wisdom. In Proverbs 15:33, the fear of the Lord is described as the “discipline” or “instruction” of wisdom. This gift “fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him.”
“The Fear of the Lord” is felt because one understands the “fearful expectation of judgement” (Hebrews 10:27). Still, this is not a fear that leads one to despair, rather it must be coupled with trust, and most importantly, love. In Psalm 130:3-4, it is said, “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”
A careful study of the Scripture will reveal that “the fear of the Lord” involves the following elements:
1. Reverence and Awe: “Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be in awe of him.” (Psalm 33:8) God deserves our reverent worship and desires our close fellowship.
2. Hatred of Evil: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (Proverbs 8:13) When David teaches “the fear of the Lord” in Psalm 34, he says, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. Turn away from evil, and do good, seek peace and pursue it”
3. Obedience to God: “That he may learn to fear the Lord his God by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes” (Deuteronomy 17:19) Obedience should spring from our love for God.
All through Proverbs, Solomon has contrasted the two kinds of life. Solomon in his early life was greatly impacted at the revelation of God. Even into his later life, these thoughts stayed with him.
Here is a special devotional from my bible. I have found it very thought provoking and wanted to pass it along…
Do you suffer from "Comparisonitis"?
One of the most debilitating diseases of the modern world is "comparisonitis"-the tendency to measure one's worth by comparing oneself to other people. You won't find this illness listed in any of the standard medical textbooks, nor will your company's disability or health insurance or worker's compensation program reimburse you for it. But make no mistake: comparisonitis is a scourge as widespread and destructive as any physical or emotional malady know today.
Do you suffer from it? Do you find ways to look down on others and think highly of yourself because you enjoy greater abilities, intelligence, status, or wealth than they? Or do you look down on yourself and envy others because you feel you are not as capable, smart, powerful, or rich as they?
Comparisonitis is an ancient disease. Certainly Paul was aware of how deadly it could be. That's why he offered an antidote to it-to see ourselves not as we stack up against others, nor as others evaluate us, but as God sees us. (Romans 12:3) Ultimately, His estimation of our worth is what matters. And to Him we matter a lot!
God does not define us according to culturally defined externals. Even our gender, ethnicity, family heritage, or body type are not of primary importance to Him. No, He uses an altogether different set of criteria as the basis for how He deals with us, as several people in scripture indicate:
- Paul found that God's grace made him who he was (1 Cor. 15:10)
- Paul also discovered that despite his past, God had made him into a new person (2 Cor. 5:17)
- Peter leanred that God's power gave him everything he needed to live his life and pursue godliness (2 Pet. 1:3)
- Job realized that all he had-family, friends, p0ssessions, health-was ultimately from God (Job 1:21)
- One of the psalmists understod that God Himself had created him, "fearfully and wonderfully". Imagine what that did for his self-image! (Psalm 139:14)
Do you suffer from comparisonitis? What needs to change in your self-assessment for you to see yourself as God sees you?
“Half-Way”
There are times in all of our lives when we are tired… I’ve been there, you’ve been there, who hasn’t been there? But my question is no matter how tired or worn out you are, are you giving God a half-way effort? Inspired by a devotional, with this same thought in it, I started to give this a lot of consideration. We are constantly trying to cut corners in life….. from the microwave to the drive-thru to our 10 second prayer before we eat, we are in a hurry and we are always looking for a way to get things done faster. Maybe you even cut out for lunch 10 minutes early… or maybe you just didn’t give that presentation all you had… or maybe you just did enough to get by.
I think we give half-way efforts when time or money seem to get in the way… but even more so when we simply are reluctant to commit. And when half-hearted commitment is present, failure can’t be far behind.
Let me ask you to take a look at an example that Jesus Christ set himself. When God sent his son to die on the cross, Jesus knew what was asked of Him. I can’t help but wonder where we would be if Jesus had done a half-way job. What if he had chosen to lay down his life a different way, choosing the least painful way to go? Or what if He had chosen to call on the angels to save him from death on the cross in the end? First of all, Christ did what was asked of Him, but on top of that He went above and beyond.
He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Jesus could have been selfish, he could have done what was best for him, but he didn’t. He is the embodiment of Selfless/Servant Leadership. I have heard people say servant leadership isn’t in the bible, “that is a word the church made up”. Well maybe it is, but it is so pertinent to the life of Christ that I can’t ignore it. If God gave his all for me, then I want to give my all for him. In every circumstance, not just when it is convenient for me. I don’t want to give God a half-way job, even if I’m tired. If Jesus can endure the cross for me, then I can surely do my best for him. Jesus was committed to us and seeing us reconciled to God the father… He was committed… and in case you missed it the first two times, He was committed. When you are truly committed giving your best is a privilege, not an obligation.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Colossians 3:23
If we are to work at something with all our heart as unto the Lord, then “half-way” just can’t fit in that equation.
What Is Worship?
I know, I know. You know what worship is. You go to church every week. You only listen to christian music. You only watch christian television. You only read christian books. You only wear christian t-shirts and you only eat at Chick-fil-a. You know all the latest worship songs. All the newest trends in the christian music scene. You even know what a v-neck is. Or, you don’t know any new worship songs because you believe that the old stuff is better. Who ever said we were supposed to sing a new song anyway!? Oh, God did. No matter where you are in your christian walk, no matter what your experience with God, no matter what you were brought up in, we would all agree that worship is important. But we all approach worship differently. It’s actually a really big deal. Whole movements and denominations have been started because people approach worship differently. Churches have been built, and split, because of our different views of worship.
What’s your view of worship?
Soft piano or acoustic guitar accompanied by soft vocals?
Organs and hymns?
Celtic guitar and singers with accents?
Southern gospel?
Hillsong?
Loud electric guitars and live drums?
Early 90’s christian music with electric drums?
A cappella?
Jewish flavored music because that’s what Jesus listened to?
24/7 worship?
Slow music?
Fast music?
No music?
Please forgive the sarcasm, I’m only trying to bring to light the different ways we worship. All these different approaches and styles of worship are good. Usually, we tend to gravitate towards that style that we’re most comfortable with. If you were raised with the hymns, it’s hard to break away. If your early worship experiences were southern gospel, it’s difficult to embrace a worship style like Hillsong, and vice versa. We all see worship differently, but God doesn’t….
God sees worship the same. We approach and celebrate Him differently, but the end result is the same – He is glorified. If He’s not, then it’s not worship. Simple.
Now for the point…. God is bigger than music. God is bigger than style. God is just bigger. And worship is bigger than music as well. We all say that we know this, but do we practice it? I want to challenge you today to worship. Not sing a song, but worship. You don’t even have to lift your hands all day while trying to type at work. Just worship. Let’s look at a few examples of worship.
When we forgive your neighbor who has sinned against you, that’s worship.
When we repent quickly and completely, that’s worship.
When we are genuinely thankful to God for something, that’s worship.
When we put obedience above sacrifice, that’s worship.
When we love our spouse the way God intended, that’s worship.
When we offer the Gospel to a broken world, that’s worship.
When we sing off key, but it’s from our heart, that’s worship.
When we believe God even though our world is crumbling, that’s worship.
When we speak about what God’s done in our lives, that’s worship.
When we love and build the church because that’s what Jesus is doing, that’s worship.
When we decrease so Jesus can increase in our lives, that’s worship.
When we make time for our family, that’s worship.
When we come before God honestly, with no religious pretense, that’s worship.
When we think about His word, that’s worship.
When we are saved by God’s grace, that’s worship.
When we grow in the things of God, that’s worship.
When we die with the hope of heaven in our heart, that’s worship.
When we do anything that puts God above us, it’s worship.
My challenge to you today: worship.
Martha Syndrome:
Fret & Worry
Complain
Focus on feelings
Anxious
Unbelief
Mary Solution:
Quiet
Peaceful
Prayerful
At Jesus’ feet
Faith
Mary and Martha: A Story About God’s Radical Hospitality ( another view of this story)
The story begins with Jesus and 72 of his male disciples entering a village where a woman named Martha lives and has a home. Luke tells us that Martha opens up her home to Jesus and his companions; and then at some point becomes irritated with her sister, Mary, for sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to what he is saying instead of helping with all of the preparations that need to be made for this large group of men. Martha is so put out by the situation that she goes to Jesus and says to him “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (which, by the way, seems like a perfectly reasonable request to me) And Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Do what?? What in the world was Jesus thinking? Why didn’t He tell Mary to get up and get in there and help Martha? Is Jesus exalting Mary over Martha?
At this point, someone usually teaches a lesson about how important it is not to get so busy that we forget to spend quiet, contemplative time with Jesus. And while I think that is a good lesson I have a feeling there might be another point of what Jesus is talking about.
You see, women could serve men, but it was inappropriate for them to join in with the guys the way that Mary was doing. Women weren’t supposed to be taught by Rabbis or sit in the room with a bunch of men discussing the Torah. So maybe, I think it would be a logical assumption to think the people hearing this story would have been much more shocked about Mary assuming the role of a religious disciple than her not helping in the kitchen…and that might be what Jesus was referring to.
I believe, as usual, Jesus was turning things upside down and inside out. Just like that, Jesus liberates Mary from her socially defined status of inferiority. And by following Jesus, not only was Mary transformed, but the world she inhabited was transformed.
It seems that through Mary, Jesus is denouncing social, political and religious structures that do not practice God’s radical hospitality – the sort of hospitality that overcomes injustice and is grounded in love and mercy and compassion. I would even go so far as to say Martha saw what was going on and wasn’t being honest with Jesus about what was so upsetting to her – perhaps she wasn’t even aware of what was causing all the anxiety she was feeling.
Of course Jesus obviously knew what was upsetting Martha and that explains why he answered her the way he did. Maybe, Martha was being the voice of the status quo that resists change, even “just” change.
The lesson in Luke 10:38-42 is not that reading the bible or praying is superior to cooking a meal or cleaning house. The lesson might be that as followers of Jesus we are not only invited to partake of God’s radical hospitality but we are called to practice it so that we can be transformed so that we can reflect the love of Christ.
Just remember, Jesus was known for going against the status quo.
The last few weeks have been eye-opening for me as we have have had candid discussions and exercises in our Wednesday classes. We’ve heard story after story of students that feel alone, out of touch, disconnected, and isolated. Isn’t that one of the most crippling feelings? When you feel alone. When you truly believe that you are misunderstood and disconnected. I’ve witnessed it on many occasions in action in the lives of young people. Their general perception is that they are different, weird, alone. That they are the only one that is struggling, or fighting, or hurt. This is a tactic that our enemy knows all too well. He knows that if we become isolated, we become weak – an easy target. Why are suicide rates so high? Why are pastors leaving the ministry at an alarming rate? ISOLATION. If you don’t believe me, take a look around at our society. Why are social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter EXPLODING? Facebook alone has over 500 MILLION active users. People want to connect!! We are desperate to connect with people, to know that we aren’t alone. The saying is true, ”No man is an island”. We are not created to be completely independent. Check this out:
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25
See, the church is a family, not a building. It is people that love and trust God doing life together – a community of faith! We are to encourage and love one another. When one hurts, we all hurt! This is the church!!! You are not alone in the battles you fight. We are standing with you. We are on your side! When we come together, we encourage, strengthen and sharpen each other. We help bear the load of those that are weak or struggling and we celebrate the victories of those who have overcome. We are the FAMILY of God.
I realize life can be busy, but may God give us the grace to not schedule ourselves out of community and into isolation!
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6:2-3
About a week ago I was reading in my devotional about a “Gardeners Prayer”. Not being a gardener, I wasn’t very excited about the devotional of the day. However, I pushed on and committed myself to reading through it fully and being open to whatever God wanted to say. Little did I know He was about to say a whole lot, and most of it was going to be hard to hear. I read the following:
“O Lord, grant that in some way it may rain every day, say from about midnight until three o’clock in the morning, but you see, it must be gentle and warm so that it can soak in; grant that at the same time it would not rain on campion, alyssum, helianthemum, lavender, and the others which you know are drought-loving plants ( I will write their names on a bit of paper if you like) and grant that the sun may shine the whole day long, but not everywhere ( not for instance, on spiraea or on gentian, plantain lily and rhododendron) and not too much; that there may be plenty of dew and little wind, enough worms, no plant-lice and snails, no mildew, and that once a week thin liquid manure and guano may fall from Heaven. Amen”
How funny…. That like this gardener we try to tell God what to do. When in reality, we are speaking from our limited, finite point of view. I had to ask myself “Who do you think you are? What right do I have to tell God what is best for me??” We want God to answer our requests the way we want. What if God has something better for us? We are so much better off when we simply state our requests and then trust Him to respond from His eternal storehouse with His great generosity and unquestionable wisdom. When will we as the Body of Christ be fully persuaded??? He will take better care of us than we could ourselves… Jeremiah 10:23 says “I know Lord, that my life is not my own. I cannot plan my own course, so correct me Lord, but please be gentle.” Gods course is so much better than any plan we could make for ourselves we simply have to trust Him.
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