Exceptions, Excuses, and Contradictions

I was sitting on Facebook the other night, when someone struck up a conversation with me.  Amidst this conversation the person went on to tell me that they were going to be playing in a worship band the following evening.  I thought this was really neat so we began chatting about stuff God related.  This person then came out with an interesting comment - seemingly out of the blue - he said "I am a hypocritical Christian though."  Pause.  What?  I sat in shock for a few moments wondering what to say next.  So I asked the logical thing that anyone would ask next.... "why do you say that?" More pause.  Because, he went on to tell me, I like to drink.  Again, I had to chew this over and ask God for some help with how to continue on this conversation.  Then he proceeded to tell me how, in his opinion, he did not believe getting drunk was a sin (which is neither here nor there at this point), how he could do "worse" things, and how compared to everyone else, he was a pretty good guy.

I am more interested in what he said rather then the issue he was discussing.

In our culture today, it is so incredibly common for us to make "exceptions," "excuses," and contradictions.
If we truly loved Jesus the way we should, would we still make these exceptions, excuses, and contradictions?

The first thing that hit me was - "I'm a hypocritical Christian."
This was interesting because for the last few months I have been feeling frustrated with those people that "believe but don't follow."  And now this guy was admitting that he was that way.  I wasn't sure what to do.
I feel as though many of us are stuck in this rut of "hypocritical Christianity," or as you have heard me refer to it "Christian Atheism."  Its a dangerous root.  Because we get comfortable just doing the believing portion, and not following it out.  I know I used to be stuck here.  But my question was, if he didn't feel that 'getting drunk' was a sin, then why would he call himself a hypocritical Christian?  Interesting.

The second thing that hit me was - "I could do worse things."
Well of course you could!  But it seems like a pretty silly way to validate sin to me.   We can try and keep validating sin as much as we wish to, but that doesn't make it correct.  The devil is not concerned with the fact that we confess that we love Jesus.  As long as we love Jesus...and idolize something else, its all good as for as he is concerned.  Imagine if everyone said, "well, I could do worse."  Think of what the world would be like.  Picture a court scene.  A jury, judge, prosecution, ect.  The accused approaches the stand.  The prosecution says, "So Joe, you know you murdered seven people, is this correct?"  Joe replies, "Well yes sir, that is true, but I could have done worse.  I could have killed fifteen people!"  The jury nods, and the judge smiles.  The prosecution replies, "Oh your so right Joe! You could have done so much worse!  You are free to go!"  Applause?  I think not.  The question shouldn't be "how far can I go without it being called a sin?"  The question should be, how much can I love Jesus today?  how can I show Jesus's love to those I meet today?  how can I know Jesus more today?

Think about it.

The third thing that struck me was - "Well I'm good in comparison to most people."
First things first, only God is good.  Second, the Bible says this is a big no-no.  Check out this verse.

"Don't compare yourselves with others" - Galatians 6:4


What good does it do to compare ourselves with others in a logical sense anyways?  Think of the end of your life and what that looks like.  Picture this.  (this may not be completely accurate, just go with me here)
You arrive at heavens gates, just on the outskirts of it.  Jesus is there.  He is motioning to you.  Once you approach Him, he says, step into exam room number three.  What!  You didn't think there was going to be an exam to get in.  You walk into the room.  Inside there are bleachers lining the right and left wall, a small wooden chair in the center, and a plasma screen tv up on the wall.  A man walks in and tells you to sit on the chair.  The bleachers are full of people, some familiar, some not as much.  You sit down.  The man, dressed like a referee puts in a video tape - and the plasma lights up.  After a few moments you recognize the main character on the screen - YOU.  For the next few hours you watch the "highlights" of your life run by on film.  This is a terribly bittersweet moment for you.  You feel paralyzed when its all over.  The man dressed as a referee begins passing out "ballots" to everyone in the room.  You catch a glimpse of one of the ballots - there are only two boxes to be checked - Heaven or Hell.

Of course, this is incredibly inaccurate, because only Jesus gets the vote at the end of your life - and isn't that great news!  You do not have to try and impress all of the other people in the bleachers, because their vote will not matter at the end anyways.  So it is not worth it to compare ourselves to others.  Compare yourself to one person, and one person only - our savior, Jesus Christ.  Do not let silly pride get in the way of having a real, abundant relationship with Jesus.

So stop making excuses for beginning a relationship with Him.
Stop making contradictions between your talk and your walk.
And stop making exceptions for sin.

Unless I See the Nail Marks

I'm in calculus two.  Every day I dread going to this course because A) I despise mathematics and B) I don't have a "logic" oriented brain...if that makes sense.  However, as I listened to the lecture this particular Thursday I heard something that made my ears perk up.  My teacher was talking about the concept of "infinity."  He said that in the 1700's (or so) there was a man who expressed a belief in different levels of infinity.  Essentially that one type of infinity was bigger then another.  Everyone thought he was absolutely nuts -- how could it possibly be that one type of infinity was "bigger" then another, much less how could the concept of "infinity" ever be grasped as something tangible?  My math teacher laughed and responded, "its very obvious to us today that this man was correct - infinity doesn't just exist, but there are different levels of it as well."

You may be wondering at this point what my calculus story has to do with anything.  Hang on, I'm getting there.

In John 21:24-31 it talks about how Thomas wanted something tangible to prove that Jesus had indeed risen.  He says, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

Both of these stories reminded me of how our world today screams "seeing IS believing."  We're told that everything should be tangible -- touchable, smellable, tasteable, hearable, seeable -- and if its not, well then it must be fake.

I know the images are everywhere.  I know temptation lurks around every bend.  I know this world is hard, trust me.  And I know what its like to want to fit in, to give in.  And I know how hard it is to consistently believe in something you cannot see, cannot touch.

Take a look at the room your in right now.  Now picture you have a piece of string.  Stretch your imaginable string from one end of the room to the other.  Now take your imaginary pencil -- fine point.  Scratch the string just enough to make a mark.  That mark -- is your life.  That string -- is a little piece of what eternity is like in comparison.

We need to believe even though we can't see.  We need to stand up for our faith and not tremble when the enemy comes around.  Because he is truly out there to purely steal, kill, and destroy you.  But we have Jesus Christ on our side.  And folks, in Revelation, the good news is -- Jesus WINS.

This generation needs to take a stand.....

Ran out of time at Caribou.  To Be Continued....

Christian Atheism

There is an epidemic spreading across the world that no one wants to talk about -- Christian Atheism.  Christian Atheism as Craig Grochel would define it is when you believe in God, but live as if he doesn't exist.  I believe that Christian Atheism is particular apparent in the college world realm.  Far to often people will begin their freshman year of college, and dump their relationship with Jesus.


There are countless excuses people will make to validate their "putting Jesus on hold" stage of life.  Adults often times do this too however, it is not just young people.


Some of these excuses include:


"I'll start my real relationship with Jesus when I'm older"
"I'm just having fun, there is always time to be serious"
"Jesus loves me no matter what I do"
"Everyone 'lets go' a little in college, its no big deal"
"I don't want to give up things I enjoy, being in a relationship with Jesus is about rules"


These excuses are absolute lies that the devil tells us so that we begin to let go of our faith.  The devils job is strictly to steal, kill, and destroy -- and he is after you.  And he will do anything in his power to hinder your walk.  He doesn't care what you worship, what you become consumed with -- as long as it isn't Jesus.


We need to QUIT making excuses.  What if Jesus comes back today?  Are you ready?  When you think of Jesus coming back to the earth do you feel excited....or scared?  

If you have any excuses talking you out of changing, capture those wrong thoughts and replace them with TRUTH.  Paul said, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).  Grab ANY thought contrary to God’s overtake it, and replace it with TRUTH. 

If we live by the common understanding of dedication, we will have regret when we stand before Jesus on the last day.  We are not to measure our dedication by what others consider adequate, but by the measure of dedication described in the Word of God.


Today's society is all about "comfort."  Just be comfortable.  We however, as Christians, should not become accustomed to a "comfortable" state.  It says in the Bible that we will be persecuted for our faith.  Not as a punishment by God, but because the world we live in is against everything we stand for as Christians.  It is a natural response from the world.  


So who do you say Jesus is?  
What do you stand for?


Are you classified among your peers, family, friends, co-workers, as a Christian?  Or would no one really know that about you?  Living radically should be our normal.  Personally, I'm so in love with Jesus I want to tell everyone who would be willing to listen to me about Him.  I want Him to be my source of comfort, my rock, my all.    


Here is a closing question to ponder...
If being Christian was a crime -- would there be enough "evidence" in your life to convict you?  

Fasting.

Here in America we spent more than thirty billion dollars last year on diet products.  That is more then we spent on books, and more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of at least fifty nations in the WORLD.  It seems that the only diet most of us need is a diet of discipline.  But our culture does not want discipline.  We want someone to get on the infomercial and tell us that if we take this little pill twice a day, every day, we can eat whatever we want, whenever we want.  We want someone to tell us if we buy this piece of exercise equipment and work out for twenty minutes twice a week we will look like a supermodel.  Bottom line is we want someone to tell us, “You can be healthy and happy without discipline.” 

This is where a divide occurs.

The culture says: “You can be happy, successful, and have whatever it is you want – all without discipline!”

The church says: “You cannot be happy without discipline, in fact, discipline is the road to happiness!”

Both promise happiness, both could not be more opposed to each other.

Think about this question.  What is the culture’s vision for the human person?  The silence is deafening.  The culture doesn’t have a vision for the human person.  So what drives todays culture?  Consumption. 

The body is constantly struggling against you.  It cries out, “I’m hungry,” so you eat.  Then it cries, “I’m thirsty,” so you drink.  Then at the end of the day it cries, “I’m tired,” so you sleep.  Fasting is one of the ingenious practices that teaches us to ensure the body does not become our master.  

There is a war taking place within you.  It is the constant battle between your body and your soul.  At every moment of the day, both are vying for dominance.  If you wish to have a rich and abundant experience of life, you must allow your soul to soar.  But in order to do that, you first need to tame and train the body.  You cannot win this war once a week, once a year, or even once a day.  From moment to moment, our desires need to be harnessed.  Fasting should be apart of our everyday spirituality.

 For example ,suppose you have a craving for a Coke, but you have cranberry juice or a glass of water instead.  It is the smallest thing.  Nobody notices.  And yet, by this simple action you say NO to the cravings of the BODY that seek to control you and assert the dominance of the soul.  Never leave a meal table without practicing some form of fasting.  It is these tiny acts that harness the body as a worthy servant and strengthen the will for the greater moments of decision that are a part of each of our lives.  Beyond these small moments of fasting, we should each seek more intense encounters with fasting and abstinence if we are serious about the spiritual life.  It will help us turn away from sin and turn back to God.  Fasting helps us to turn our backs on the-lesser-version-of-ourselves and embrace the-best-version-of-ourselves. 

Perhaps you can fast one day a week – two small meals, one full meal, and nothing to eat between meals.  Perhaps you can fast one day a week on bread and water.  Or maybe all you can manage at this time is to give up [caffeine] for a day.  Or maybe you can’t do a whole day, maybe for just two hours.  Or maybe you can go without your cell phone or facebook for a day.  Personalize your fasting.  You know what it is that has a grip on you, or ask God to show you.  Maybe ask a friend if they notice anything your constantly doing or consumed with, and then try and fast from that. 

Try not to be prideful about it.  Come humbly to God in prayer, and there in the time of silence, decide upon some regular practice of fasting and abstinence.  Then from time to time, review this practice.  If you feel called to add to it, add to it.  Remember though that people with health risks, or minors, are encouraged to pick something besides food to fast from.  You can also choose to fast from things like judging others, criticizing, cursing, or complaining, to name just a few.  In our generation, technology forms might be a good choice.  Another powerful form of fasting is sitting still and in the silence for, say twenty minutes.  Try this.  It is much harder than you think.

Questions to ask & reflect on:

1.     What do you think of when you think of fasting?

2.     Name a few things that could be “idols” in your life, could you fast from them?

3.     Is fasting a “radical” behavior?

An Encouraging Prayer -- Straight from the Good Book

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

Holy is his name.  His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.  He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rules from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He has enabled us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
He has given his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven,

to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.

Amen.

We are Human

Today I am reminded of the fact that I am human, and am not invincible.  Heartache was todays cause of this.  At the same time I am reminded that our God loves perfectly and has a plan, and so today, I am again thankful that our God is not human.

When the knowledge of God is rejected, we inherit a state of foolishness and depravity, void of morality and holiness.  This is why sinners can keep on sinnin, because they have rejected the fact that they know Him.  Dreams turn to nightmares when we try and meet valid needs (ex-the need to be loved), in invalid and inappropriate ways (ex-turning to promiscuity).  After a period of time, we start to believe the lies that the enemy whispers in our ear -- that rebellion will set us free.  Take a glance at "Hollywood" or the general media.  Almost consistently the medias message is "you need it now, and you only need you."   God has a different plan.

Someone once put the "enemies attack" plan to me like this.

There once was a girl, with a boa constrictor (do not ask me why, snakes are creepy).  The boa constrictors name is snuggles (this might be useless information).  When snuggles was a baby the girl would let the snake sleep right on her pillow.  The snake seemed so cute, so cuddly, so innocent.  The snake wasn't hurting anyone anyways...right?  Well, the snake got bigger.  No big deal though, the girl just let it sleep at the end of the bed then.  Still wasn't hurting anyone, still seemed innocent.  Then the snake wasn't eating for a few weeks.  The girl was concerned and took her snake into the vet.  The vet asked her a series of questions, then finally asked her about snuggle's recent sleeping patterns.  She replied everything appeared normal...except for the fact that snuggles was stretching out each night more often.  The vet told her that she needed to immediately kill the snake.  The girl was incredibly upset, she couldn't possibly get rid of snuggles.  Then the vet said, well you better, that snake is measuring you....to eat you.

This is much like our sin.  Our sin begins as an "innocent-not-hurting-anyone-sin."  The enemy convinces us that our sin is not a big deal, that we're not really doing anything wrong.  When in fact our sin is causing God pain.  Real pain.  Not some imaginary, up-in-the-clouds fake stuff.  Real pain.  As I'm reading through the gospel of John, I'm noticing that it focuses on the fact that Jesus felt emotion.  He was sad, angry, happy, excited.  As I sit here pondering my heartache right now, I can't help to realize that God feels pain each time I sin.  Each time I have a thought that may not be so good, each time a "white" lie occurs, each time I disobey Him.  I also am reminded of the fact that Jesus knows what I'm going through.  Hes been here, He has done the human thing, I am not alone.  I feel comfort in knowing God has a plan, and His plan is perfect, and His plan...is not my plan.

Blessings.

Take up Your Cross, and Deny Yourself.

Luke 9:23-26 reads, "Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?"


The firs thing that strikes me about this passage are two things.  One, "he must deny himself," and two, "and take up his cross daily."  What does it mean to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily?


Lets take a look at "denying ourselves" first.  


This means more than going with out things that we like.  Think about this.  Why is your heart beating right now?  Why do we wake up each morning?  What is the fundamental purpose of our being?  In Colossians 1:16-17 it takes about how ALL things were created by Jesus and for Jesus.  Denying ourselves should be a lifestyle of discipline and self-control.  Denying ourselves should be putting away "youthly passions," and replacing those with seeking holiness.  What would this look like if each person decided to start denying themselves, denying the body, and begun to love others, love Jesus, like we should.  


What about "taking up our cross daily?"


First begin by closing your eyes.  Imagine the cross.  Imagine what it stands for. Imagine the blood that was shed for your sin so that you may have LIFE.   When we suffer on account of Jesus we are not to be surprised.  


Check out John 15:19-21..
"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me."


Living radically will mean persecution.  Paul lost everything...but, it didn't even compare to knowing Christ more.  We often times get caught up in thinking our life is our own, but it was truly never ours to begin with.  Christianity doesn't equal comfortability.   


Reflecting back on Luke again, what does this passage mean to you?  Take each word at a time.  Let the scripture come alive.  


Blessings to you all.  Sorry for the scatterbrained thoughts this evening, its been a long day!  More to come.

New Years Resolutions.

Today you may be thinking about New Year's resolutions? You know, those lists we make with two scoops of optimistic enthusiasm, sprinkled with unrealistic expectations, and topped with the cherry of knowing the list isn't serious anyway.
But there is one guy who I suspect played for keeps when he made New Year's resolutions -- that zealot who could never do anything halfway, the let's-get-real-about-our-faith apostle Paul.
My thought is Paul only had one resolution on his New Year's list: "This year I resolve to know nothing but Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Paul's message is radically simple: Salvation is in Christ alone. What does this mean?

• It's not Christ plus your good behavior.
• It's not Christ plus the years you taught a Bible study.
• It's not Christ plus your tithe.
• It's not Christ plus the church you attend.
• It's not Christ plus the number of verses you memorize.
• It's not Christ plus your title in the church.
• It's not Christ plus wisdom from the latest Christian seminar.
• It's not Christ plus a desert fast (or even a dessert fast!).
• It's not Christ plus a good driving record.
• It's not Christ plus well-behaved children.
• It's not Christ plus the right job.
• It's not Christ plus the right spouse.
• It's not Christ plus the latest technology.

It's simply Christ. Christ plus nothing.
That's Paul's message, a message that is as right throughout 2011 as it will be in 2999. May your resolution for this year be nothing but Christ and Him crucified.