It's NOT that Complicated!?!

I have noticed many people that have a hard time in life making the Christian worldview work in their life.  Those people don't get why they are having such a hard time.  Well there is one answer that they tend not to like to hear.  "It's your fault!"  I have a pretty healthy respect for philosophy and the basic laws of phyics which apply to logic.  One of the most obvious is that every action has an equal reaction.  So if life sucks (and I'm not talking about persecution for the faith, joy is found in that) take an in depth look at what you have been doing.  Figure out the action(s) that is responsible for the crappy situation that you are now find yourself immersed in.  The majority of the time you will find that it is of your own doing.  If you take the time to do this you will find that the cause is one of three things.

The first is the best situation.  The reason that you are dealing with crap in your life is because you are being persecuted for following Christ.  This may not be directly related with sharing the gospel message.  It could be for living out the gospel message.  However, if this is the case remember what James told believers!  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (James 1:2-3)  Also, remember that "Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.'" (Matthew 16:24)    This is where I make the confession that I don't always live up to this within the body of Christ.  Being a believer is not about a popularity contest.  From now on I am going to speak my mind when I hear about things that I disagree with that people are doing which does not build up the spirit and encourage holy living.  Now I'm not going to call people out in public and start casting down woes.  However, when something comes up in conversation like movies that I know are not good I'm gonna let them know how I feel about that and why. 

Now the second situation is the netureal one.  That being said, it still sucks.  When Adam and Eve fell on account of sin, they took all of creation with them.  That means we live in a fallen world that yearns to be restored to its former glory.  In the mean time that means that crappy stuff happens.  Physical death still reigns over mankind.  Also, we live among an unsanctified people.  So we shouldn't be surprised when we turn on the news and see more bad than good.  If you want to see a change, it happens one person at a time.  So if you want to see the world get better there is only one way to do it.  Spread the good news of Christ.  Picking up your cross sometimes means sacrificing an hour a week to talk to someone about conforming to the image of Christ.  Like Tim Reed, one of my instructors at Southwestern, always said, "Be a disciple, make a disciple, change the world."

Lastly, you might be having a hard time because you did something stupid in the past.  Whether it was knowing being rebellious or not the consequences are going to be there.  So stop complaining, fess up to your mistakes, live with the consequnces and try to not repeat the same mistake again.  The only way that this will happen is if you do as Paul did.  "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." (1 Cor. 9:27)  It takes work on our part to become more like Christ.  It doesn't magically happen.  So find someone who is further along in his or her walk in Christ than you and ask them to help you to grow closer in relationship to God. 

That's how your life is changed from suffering for your own stupid mistakes to expereincing the joy of Christ's suffering.  Make no mistake, everyone will experince suffering in this world.  Let your suffering have a kingdom purpose behind it though.

Thank you for letting me rant. Also, if you are not sure who to ask for a spiritual mentor, send me a message and we will figure someone out.

Run Forest, Run!

A few weeks ago during my quite time I heard God tell me that He wanted me to fast once a week. So I sat down and told my wife and we picked a day that is easiest on our schedules for this to happen. I began this with a little trepidation since God didn't tell me how long this was to last. However, I have gone along with it and it has been an extremely positive experience so far.

One lesson that I recently learned / was reminded of through fasting was to flee temptation. The way that this came about was through the way I unconsciously decided to schedule my day on fast days. I decided that I would avoid places with easy access to food. This included working at home where I could, without thinking, walk into the kitchen and start snacking. I decided this because it has happened to me before on fast days. That's when I just recently remembered where Paul admonished Timothy to "flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." (2Tim. 2:22)


So, this has forced me to think, "Do I really flee from temptation, or do I try to stand toe to toe with it?" My answer is not always. I was also forced to ask myself, “Am I responsible for putting myself into compromising situations?” The answer, sadly, was yes.  However, it is my endeavor to get better at following the advice of Paul to flee when temptation comes and to do my best to avoid where I know it lurks hiding in the shadows ready to pounce. In addition to this, we believers need to make sure that we have constantly have our spiritual track shoes on so that we do not fall prey to temptation. So if you have issues with content online and thoughts begin to arise, take the time to go for a walk and pray. If you have issues with eating get away from the food and don't allow yourself to go down certain aisles at the grocery store. If you have problems with gossip leave the group when the conversation takes a wrong turn and they are unwilling to change the subject. If the issue is 100% in your mind than take the time to pray and begin to think about “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute…(Phil. 4:8).”


Lastly, when you flee remember to call out to God and seek the strength that He gives to all who ask it of Him (Psalm 105:4). The reason is that we do not run this race alone! Our brothers and sisters in Christ are available to help us when trials and temptations confront us.

Just remember when temptation comes, “Run Christ follower, Run!”   God will hold up the stop sign for you when you've ran far enough.

Time for Final Jeopardy

Growing up I enjoyed watching the game show Jeopardy.  I hardly ever knew the answers, but I enjoyed it none the less.  In fact, I remember playing Jeopardy on my NES.  I always got excited when I noticed a category where I thought I actually stood a chance, like movies.  (If they ever had a Star Trek or A-Team category I would rock it!)  That aside, Jeopardy is the show where those who know inane facts, which are useless in the real world, reign supreme.  However, I have now begun to see a similarity between Jeopardy and the Christian life. 

I'm reminded of the what the Psalmist said in Psalm 119:9-16

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word. ” (NAS)

I've heard God asking me the question, "How serious are you about knowing me?"  As I contemplated this question I realized that I have been neglecting the discipline of hiding His word in my heart.  The facts that are the most important to successful living I have not taken the time to consistently work on memorizing.  Just think what would happen if we as believers actually made a habit of hiding the LORD's word in our heart as described above!  When trials and temptations confronted us we would not be caught guessing, but instead we would know the mind of our God and would be able to act according to His will.

So, I have made the decision to actively pursue God's word and the memorization of it.  I encourage you to do so also.  For all the knowledge in the world compared to the everlasting words of our God are just trivia.  In the game show they played for money, but in life our reward is a closer relationship with the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Great I AM, the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.  The reward of which can never be destroyed or stolen away.  “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NAS)

The Eye of the Tiger

 

I love the Rocky movies!  Yes I even like Rocky V.  The reason that I enjoy these movies so much is that they speak to men at different points in life and they help to illustrate Christian principles.  I'd like to take this time to discuss a couple found in Rocky I.  For those of you who may not know. 

Rocky Balboa was a nobody boxer who lived in Philadelphia, P.A.  That is until fate gave him the chance to go up against the defending World Heavy Weight Champion Apollo Creed.  Here was a man that would be lucky to make it past the third round.  However, he knew that this was his one shot.  He knew that the odds were against him and he had to train hard.  But his goal wasn't to win the match.  His goal was to go the distance with Apollo.  As long as he could go the distance with Apollo and fight hard he would be happy.  So he enlisted the help of his long time trainer Micky to train him and trained in a meat locker because it was similar to actually hitting a person.

Meanwhile, back in Apollo Creed's headquarters, Apollo was more concerned with promoting the fight than preparing for it.  This didn't mean that others, like his trainer, were not trying to get him to take physical and mental preparation for the fight more seriously.

To make a long story short, Apollo was stunned at the capability of Rocky.  This man that Apollo planned to knock out cold in three rounds or less was giving him a real fight.  As a result, Rocky went the distance with Apollo.  Whenever I see this ending I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 which states, "Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.  They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  Therefore, I run in such a a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."  So I constantly ask myself, "Who am I?"  I must determine if I am living as a Rocky Balboa or as an Apollo Creed as I walk with Christ. 

One way that I train myself through discipline is by consistently being immersed in the scriptures. A discipline that I like to use, as does David   Crowder, is called Lectio Divina or praying through the scriptures.  You begin by praying that God illuminates your eyes and heart as you read His word and ask Him to speak to you through it.  You then read a passage straight through silently.  Then read it aloud and look for anything that pops out at you.  Meditate on this phrase or sentence and pray about how God will use this to change your heart and life.  (For more on meditating on scripture check out Psalm 1.)  At the end of the day come back to this verse and think about what God has said to you.  

For example, I opened my Bible this morning and read Psalm 105.  The Lord really spoke to me through verse 4 which states, "Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually."   He reminded me that if I am going to be successful when temptation comes I must make it a habit to seek His strength, so that I will be able to overcome through Him.  It is only by continually seeking Him that I will have what Apollo Creed refered to as "The eye of the tiger."  It is only by seeking Him through prayer and study of His word that I will be able to face this world and live a life that honors the sacrifice that Christ made me.  Gain the 'eye of the tiger' with.  Make it a habit to seek the Lord and others will see that desire for God bursting out of you.

The Best Thing I Was Ever Forced To Do

A couple of semesters ago I took Spiritual Formation at Golden Gate Seminary. This was just another class on a list of courses that was required for me to take to get my degree. I remember as I started going over the syllabus a realization that this was not going to be like your average class. I noticed several assignments that were not your normal research paper or quiz. One that quickly stood out was that I had to spend 4-6 hours on a spiritual retreat by myself and journal about it. Another was that I was going to have to fast one day a week for three straight weeks. I quickly realized that I knew nothing about spiritual formation. As a result, I was both anxious and excited about this course. After all is said and done it has probably been the most helpful class that I have ever taken.



This blog is meant to discuss several spiritual disciplines that I learned in that class which will help in the spiritual formation of those who read and participate in this blog. The primary audience intended to read this is the congregation of West Greenway Bible Church. However, my hope is that whoever reads this understands that is all about improving your relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


I also pray that these disciplines will help you become a better disciple of Christ. Moreover, if you do them correctly, these disciplines will be catalysts to forming your Spirit in the same mold as Christ. Below is Dallas Willard’s definition of spiritual formation.

"Spiritual formation, without regard to any specifically religious context or tradition, is the process by which the human spirit or will is given a definite 'form' or character. It is a process that happens to everyone. The most despicable as well as the most admirable of persons have had a spiritual formation. Terrorist as well as saints are the outcome of spiritual formation. Their spirits or hearts have been formed. Period."

So the question has to be asked, “How are you actively forming your spirit to conform to the spirit of God?” Also, “How much time and effort do these practices take?” Spiritual formation is an intentional act. You are either choosing to follow Christ and conform to His image or you are not. I challenge you to embrace the spiritual disciplines that will be discussed in this blog and to allow God to work through them in you.


As I introduce a new discipline please try it also and let everyone know how God speaks to you through it. It is by communicating about our relationship with God and how He speaks to us that we build one another up. I had intended to talk about fasting first. However, we will be exploring the practice of Lectio Devina or praying through the scriptures, first. I look forward to this adventure in growing closer to our Savior with you. Remember, this could be the best thing you ever chose to do voluntarily.