"So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.... Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench." 1 Kings 18.32-33, 38
In the preface of The Pursuit of God author A. W. Tozer says, "Current evangelicalism has laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts, but now seems satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire upon the top of lofty Carmel." The first time I read the book this statement didn't stand out to me, because it isn't underlined, but yesterday, as I sat with a group of men discussing the introduction and preface of the book, this statement hit me.
It is easy to get caught up in the popular trends. I've been thinking about the various books that people have flocked to. Fifteen years ago it was A Purpose Driven Life, then there was the Rob Bell craze, and then Francis Chan. I haven't read Warren's book, and I know that Bell is surrounded with controversy, but I have found Chan to be very God centered and biblically focused. The Church does the same thing, jumping from teaching styles, worship styles, or programs, trying to stay fresh and relevant. The altar has been built, and the sacrifice prepared, but we are so busy constantly rearranging the pieces of the sacrifice that we never take notice that fire has not fallen from heaven.
The question on my mind is this, do we really want God to show up?
Do we really want the power of God to move in our lives? Do we really want Him to be at work? Do we really want to live for Him? I've been convicted about this a lot recently. God's job is not to make my life comfortable, or to solve all of my problems. He does not exist to serve me, I exist to know Him and obey Him. Romans 12.1-2 says, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Our lives are to be laid on the altar before God, presented to Him and not taken back or rearranged.
God must be given control, we must surrender. We can have our opinions about how to follow Him. We can read the books, change the programs, but I wonder how much of it actually serves to distract us from God. How much have we complicated this whole thing with our own ideas and opinions? Tozer quotes Wesley, "Orthodoxy, or right opinion, is at best, a very slender part of religion. Though right tempers cannot subsist without right opinions, yet right opinions may subsist without right tempers. There may be a right opinion of God without either love or one right temper toward Him. Satan is proof of this."
Do we really know God, or have we created Him as we would have Him be? Maybe the reason the fire has not fallen from Heaven is because we aren't calling out to the right God. In 1 Kings 18, 450 prophets cry out to Baal from dawn to dusk, and nothing happens. For hours these men cry out to the god they have created, or adopted from another cultures creation. The altar is built, the sacrifice is arranged, but nothing happens because they do not know who God is. Elijah, who knows the true God, repairs the altar, offers a simple prayer, and immediately the fire falls from heaven. Maybe the question is not, do we want God to show up, but do we really know God?
2 Timothy 2.25-26 states that there are those who believe they follow God, but have really been ensnared by the enemy to do his work. I read a post this week that said "The devil's goal isn't to get you to do bad things but to keep you from Jesus." If Satan can distract us, ensnare us, keep us focused on the altar, we never notice that the fire hasn't consumed it. We make the mistake of thinking the altar, or the sacrifice is the point, when in reality, the fire consumes both of them.
God is the point, God as He is, not as we would make Him. I want my focus to be on the fire, not the offering, because without the fire, the offering is just rotting meat. I want my life to be a pursuit of God. I don't want this to be just another book I read, and then move on to the next thing, I want it to be the focus of my life. I want to be a pursuer of God, as Paul said in Philippians 3.14, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
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God, allow me to know You as You are, not as I would have You to be. The point of this is to know You, to experience Your fire falling from Heaven. Let this be the case in my life. Let me not be distracted by rocks of the altar or the sacrifice laid on top of it, but to be fully focused on who You are. May my life be spent in pursuit of You.
Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Voices
"The call is the expression of the nature of the One who calls, and we can only recognize the call if that same nature is in us.... The call of God is not a reflection of my nature; my personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think about what I am suited for, I will never hear the call of God.... The majority of us cannot hear anything but ourselves. And we cannot hear anything God says." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, January 16.
There is so much in my head right now, I'm not even sure I know where to begin processing all of it. Recently it's been so overwhelming that I just haven't even tried. I'm tired. For the past few months I've felt a lot like Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 when God sent fire from heaven. There was an amazing showing of God's power, and in the very next chapter Jezebel promises to kill Elijah, and so he flees to Horeb.
This is the same mountain where Moses met with God and received the the Ten Commandments, as well as the instructions for the Tabernacle and the items within. This is a a place where God has met with man before. His power showed up in thunder and lightning which terrified the people. Elijah has just witnessed similar power on a different mountain. He comes to Sinai, and finds a cave where he sets up camp. God comes to him and asks what he is doing? The mission was to proclaim the message of God to the people and help Israel turn from pagan worship back to God. He begins the work, sees God do something amazing, but at the first sign of resistance, he runs away. On the mountain, God speaks to Elijah.
1 Kings 19.11-12, "So He said, 'Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing."
God tells him that He is passing by. There is a wind that is smashing the rocks and breaking apart the mountain, but God is not in it. There is a earthquake which is shaking the foundation of the mountain, but God is not in it. There is a fire, which consumes the vegetation on the mountain, but God is not in it. Then, after all of the power and chaos, there is a gentle blowing, and now God is on the scene. Elijah covers his face, and leaves the cave to meet God.
Up to this point, God is seen in power. He speaks with thunder and lightning, He splits the Red Sea and the Jordan River. City walls collapse, giants fall, fire descends from heaven. God shows Himself in mighty ways, doing the impossible, and yet here, Elijah meets God in gentleness and tenderness. The mighty forces of nature that demanded his attention did not captivate him, because God was not there, but when God shows up, Elijah goes out to meet him.
Right now I feel like my focus is on the wind of missing my family, the earthquake of what everyone is telling me to do, and the fire of everything I feel like I need to figure out. There are so many things that grab for my attention that I cannot hear the gentle blowing of God showing up and wanting to speak. God is mighty and powerful, He shows Himself in mighty ways, but He is a gentle, compassionate, loving Father, who desires to nurture and comfort His children. I feel like so many people involved in this are focused on the wind, earthquake, and fire in their own lives, that they are not hearing the gentle blowing of God. I feel like that is often the case in life. There are so many distractions, so many personal feelings and emotions that get in the way of what God is wanting to say. Chambers said it, "The majority of us cannot hear anything but ourselves. And we cannot hear anything God says."
I'm trying to figure out how to silence everything else, or at the very least look past it and tune it out. I feel like for far too long I've been focused on what everyone expects of me, how everyone sees me, and who everyone sees me to be. I don't want to listen to anything but God. I don't want anything else to captivate my attention. I want to be like Elijah, who knew the voice of God, and when He showed up, responded and went out to meet Him. I want to hear what He says, no matter what that message may be, and I want to respond in full obedience. I want all the voices but His to be silenced.
Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
There is so much in my head right now, I'm not even sure I know where to begin processing all of it. Recently it's been so overwhelming that I just haven't even tried. I'm tired. For the past few months I've felt a lot like Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 when God sent fire from heaven. There was an amazing showing of God's power, and in the very next chapter Jezebel promises to kill Elijah, and so he flees to Horeb.
This is the same mountain where Moses met with God and received the the Ten Commandments, as well as the instructions for the Tabernacle and the items within. This is a a place where God has met with man before. His power showed up in thunder and lightning which terrified the people. Elijah has just witnessed similar power on a different mountain. He comes to Sinai, and finds a cave where he sets up camp. God comes to him and asks what he is doing? The mission was to proclaim the message of God to the people and help Israel turn from pagan worship back to God. He begins the work, sees God do something amazing, but at the first sign of resistance, he runs away. On the mountain, God speaks to Elijah.
1 Kings 19.11-12, "So He said, 'Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing."
God tells him that He is passing by. There is a wind that is smashing the rocks and breaking apart the mountain, but God is not in it. There is a earthquake which is shaking the foundation of the mountain, but God is not in it. There is a fire, which consumes the vegetation on the mountain, but God is not in it. Then, after all of the power and chaos, there is a gentle blowing, and now God is on the scene. Elijah covers his face, and leaves the cave to meet God.
Up to this point, God is seen in power. He speaks with thunder and lightning, He splits the Red Sea and the Jordan River. City walls collapse, giants fall, fire descends from heaven. God shows Himself in mighty ways, doing the impossible, and yet here, Elijah meets God in gentleness and tenderness. The mighty forces of nature that demanded his attention did not captivate him, because God was not there, but when God shows up, Elijah goes out to meet him.
Right now I feel like my focus is on the wind of missing my family, the earthquake of what everyone is telling me to do, and the fire of everything I feel like I need to figure out. There are so many things that grab for my attention that I cannot hear the gentle blowing of God showing up and wanting to speak. God is mighty and powerful, He shows Himself in mighty ways, but He is a gentle, compassionate, loving Father, who desires to nurture and comfort His children. I feel like so many people involved in this are focused on the wind, earthquake, and fire in their own lives, that they are not hearing the gentle blowing of God. I feel like that is often the case in life. There are so many distractions, so many personal feelings and emotions that get in the way of what God is wanting to say. Chambers said it, "The majority of us cannot hear anything but ourselves. And we cannot hear anything God says."
I'm trying to figure out how to silence everything else, or at the very least look past it and tune it out. I feel like for far too long I've been focused on what everyone expects of me, how everyone sees me, and who everyone sees me to be. I don't want to listen to anything but God. I don't want anything else to captivate my attention. I want to be like Elijah, who knew the voice of God, and when He showed up, responded and went out to meet Him. I want to hear what He says, no matter what that message may be, and I want to respond in full obedience. I want all the voices but His to be silenced.
Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Alone
"When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken relationship, or a new friendship - when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us.... Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him." -Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, January 13.
How often am I really alone with God? Not simply by myself, but intentionally focused solely on Him? Back in college it happened all the time. There was a small prayer room that I spent countless hours in. There were periods of time where I had no roommate, and so I had the dorm or apartment completely to myself. There was a gorgeous chapel, with stained glass windows, and I would spend early mornings there, as the sun poured in through the colored glass. Those were some of the best moments of my life, times alone with God. Sometimes He would speak, sometimes He would listen, and sometimes we could just sit in silence, enjoying each other's company. It was a fantastic time, but I feel like I took it for granted.
I remember saying, like so many people did, "Life will be so much simpler once school is over. When it's just a job and not five different classes to focus on, it will be so much easier to connect with God." There are so many times since then I have wished I could go back to the simplicity of college. There have been so many times I have wished to just go sit in that prayer room at 2 AM. I have even driven down just to pray in the chapel. I miss those alone times with God. I miss the deep and intimate friendship we had.
For over four months I have found myself alone. There have been times of connecting with God, but also, and far more often, a lot of distractions that have still been allowed to consume my time. In some ways I feel that God does not care, and then I am reminded that this is part of the forging process. I have felt that He is absent, and then I am reminded of a class on the book of Job, where the professor said, "God's silence is not equivalent to God's absence."
It's amazing how even when we are alone we can still find so many things to distract us from God. Over the past four months I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned the things that make me tick, and the things that set me off. I have learned about the deepest yearnings of my heart, and by extension, the things that cause me the most pain. One of my pastors who has been walking with me this entire time had me make a list of how I feel during certain situations. From that list I was able to identify five central themes that all of the items on the list stem from. I shared them with another pastor who challenged me to combat those five things with the truth of scripture, and in doing that find out what God has to say about each of them. He then had me get a piece of paper, and at the top write "Dear Bill," at the bottom "Love, Jesus" and in between listen to what He has to say about each of these five things.
One of them was a desire for intimacy, and feeling that no one wants intimacy with me. As I looked at scripture and began to listen closely to the voice of Christ He made it clear that intimacy with Him is available, that it is something He longs for with me, but that it must be something that I desire with Him.
James 4.8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." God says that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. If we seek intimacy with Him, He will not reject us or turn us away. But intimacy requires effort on our part, cleansing through Christ, and purity through intentional focus. Intimacy with God means shutting out all distractions, and allowing Him to be the only one in the room that you notice.
For a long time this has been hard for me. The more time I have, the more this seems to get put off. The more responsibilities I take on, the more I tend to brush this aside. I'm either too busy, or have too much time on my hands. But I'm finding that God is the only answer to each of those.
Intimacy with God is the only answer to the five themes that everything else in my life falls into. It is only through intimacy with God that He is able to speak into, and fulfill each of those needs and desires. He is the only one that can bring true meaning to each area, and He desires to, but it is only if I am willing to get alone with Him, and take advantage of being alone with Him, that He will teach me the things that He wants me to know.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
How often am I really alone with God? Not simply by myself, but intentionally focused solely on Him? Back in college it happened all the time. There was a small prayer room that I spent countless hours in. There were periods of time where I had no roommate, and so I had the dorm or apartment completely to myself. There was a gorgeous chapel, with stained glass windows, and I would spend early mornings there, as the sun poured in through the colored glass. Those were some of the best moments of my life, times alone with God. Sometimes He would speak, sometimes He would listen, and sometimes we could just sit in silence, enjoying each other's company. It was a fantastic time, but I feel like I took it for granted.
I remember saying, like so many people did, "Life will be so much simpler once school is over. When it's just a job and not five different classes to focus on, it will be so much easier to connect with God." There are so many times since then I have wished I could go back to the simplicity of college. There have been so many times I have wished to just go sit in that prayer room at 2 AM. I have even driven down just to pray in the chapel. I miss those alone times with God. I miss the deep and intimate friendship we had.
For over four months I have found myself alone. There have been times of connecting with God, but also, and far more often, a lot of distractions that have still been allowed to consume my time. In some ways I feel that God does not care, and then I am reminded that this is part of the forging process. I have felt that He is absent, and then I am reminded of a class on the book of Job, where the professor said, "God's silence is not equivalent to God's absence."
It's amazing how even when we are alone we can still find so many things to distract us from God. Over the past four months I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned the things that make me tick, and the things that set me off. I have learned about the deepest yearnings of my heart, and by extension, the things that cause me the most pain. One of my pastors who has been walking with me this entire time had me make a list of how I feel during certain situations. From that list I was able to identify five central themes that all of the items on the list stem from. I shared them with another pastor who challenged me to combat those five things with the truth of scripture, and in doing that find out what God has to say about each of them. He then had me get a piece of paper, and at the top write "Dear Bill," at the bottom "Love, Jesus" and in between listen to what He has to say about each of these five things.
One of them was a desire for intimacy, and feeling that no one wants intimacy with me. As I looked at scripture and began to listen closely to the voice of Christ He made it clear that intimacy with Him is available, that it is something He longs for with me, but that it must be something that I desire with Him.
James 4.8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." God says that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. If we seek intimacy with Him, He will not reject us or turn us away. But intimacy requires effort on our part, cleansing through Christ, and purity through intentional focus. Intimacy with God means shutting out all distractions, and allowing Him to be the only one in the room that you notice.
For a long time this has been hard for me. The more time I have, the more this seems to get put off. The more responsibilities I take on, the more I tend to brush this aside. I'm either too busy, or have too much time on my hands. But I'm finding that God is the only answer to each of those.
Intimacy with God is the only answer to the five themes that everything else in my life falls into. It is only through intimacy with God that He is able to speak into, and fulfill each of those needs and desires. He is the only one that can bring true meaning to each area, and He desires to, but it is only if I am willing to get alone with Him, and take advantage of being alone with Him, that He will teach me the things that He wants me to know.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Focus
Over the past few weeks I've really been challenged with where my focus is. Actually, it's probably been the last few years, but during the last few weeks I've really been hit with it. My pastor is one of the most God focused men I've ever met, and I'm constantly hearing him talk about the anticipation of the return of Christ. This is something he is longing for, and wanting to happen, and if I'm honest, I haven't been looking for that, or wanting it to happen. There are things that I want to accomplish in life. When I was younger it was marriage and a family. Now it's wanting to see my family grow, have a fruitful ministry, and be able to enjoy life. But the more I think about it, the more I'm reminded, and convicted, that this focus is on the temporal, not the eternal.
Heaven is going to be so much better than anything on earth will be. The return of Christ will fully usher in the Kingdom of God, bringing complete restoration, and a closeness with God that cannot be comprehended right now. Why do I spend so much time longing for, and worrying about, the here and now why I'm called to be focused on the eternal? Why do the things of this world, even the good things, matter more to me than the full restoration of God's creation?
I've spent a lot of time, too much time, living for the here and now, praying that Jesus would not come back, but that is contrary to scripture.
Philippians 3.20, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;"
2 Timothy 4.7-8, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."
The return of Christ is not something to be feared, but longed for. This life is not what God intended, and His return will fully bring life as He intended for it to be lived. I want to live focused on God, longing for what He intended, not focused on the momentary pleasures of this world. but focused on the eternal.
For the past four months I have been working through the Psalms. God led me there, and reading them has helped my focus be on rejoicing in God. When it comes to an eternal focus three verses have really stood out to me.
Psalm 16.8 "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
Psalm 101.3, "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me."
Psalm 105.4, "Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually."
I want God to be my focus. I want Him to be before and my eyes to be locked on Him. I have been meeting with one of our staff pastors weekly for the past four months, and he has been challenging me in so many ways. Several weeks ago he challenged me with how I see myself, and pointed out to how I drift back and forth from two extremes. There is the strong warrior that never needs to be rescued, that's how I want to see myself, and how I want others to look at me. The reality, is that a lot of the time I see myself as the victim that is left behind and forgotten about. There is either the self sufficient loner who needs no one and does the rescuing, or the pity party who feels like no one cares. The focus is very much on me, and it says to God, "I don't need You, I got this," or, "Why have you forsaken me?"
The reality is that the focus needs to be in the middle, on the cross. God is the hero, He is the one who rescues. God has promised never to leave me or forsake me. I am not the hero, and He will never leave me behind. He has to be the focus. He has to be the one I look at and strive to obey and emulate. The wording of this verse really stood out to me the last time I read it. It states that God is at my right hand, and that because of this I will not be shaken. The reason it hit me is because it reminded me of the Spartan phalanx. In the battle formation each man holds his shield and protects the man on his left. If God is at my right hand, that means I am to His left, and His shield is covering me. If God's shield is covering me, how can I be shaken? If my focus is fully on God, He will cover me. I will never need to be the hero because He is, and I will never have to fear being left behind because He will never abandon me.
If I want my focus to be on God that means I do not want it to be on anything that is not God. Paul said in Philippians 4.8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Paul sets out a list of where our focus is to be, truth, honor, right, purity, lovely, good repute, excellence, and that which is praise worthy. All of these things are only true of God, and the characteristics that flow from Him.
I have spent so much time with worthless things before my eyes. I cannot tell you the hours I have wasted on my phone playing stupid games, or on my computer searching YouTube, or sitting on the couch playing video games or watching Netflix. How many hours have I ignored God in the pursuit of worthless time wasters? How much time have I lost with my family because I wouldn't engage? How many souls have been lost because I gave my time to fruitless pursuits? Last night I sat and watched a couple episodes of the Office, why didn't I spend that time in prayer? I do not want to fall away. One day I will stand before God and give an account of how I spent my time, I don't want to have to explain why I wasted it on things with no eternal value. I do not want worthless things to run my life.
If these things are not to rule my life, I must seek God and His strength. I must seek His face at all times. This world is tempting. It offers pleasure and comfort for the here and now that are so enticing, but ultimately they leave me unfulfilled, and feeling guilty for not investing in something worthwhile. The only way to overcome the world is through the strength of God, and by being focused on God. It is through seeking His face that I come to know Him, and know how He would have me invest the resources I have. His strength empowers me to say no to the temporal and yes to the eternal.
The more I think about this, the more I realize how difficult it is. Do I really want to go spend an hour reading the Bible and praying after a long day at work, when it is so much easier to sit on the couch and let my brain melt? Do I really want to forgo the comforts of life, and maybe even struggle through it, in order to help others? Is it really worth it?
Paul said in Philippians 3.7-11, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
There is nothing that this world has to offer that compares to life in Christ. There is nothing that I will sacrifice in this world that eternity will not far exceed. I want my focus to be on God, and I want the way I live to reflect that. I want to be eternally focused, and I have not been. This has caused so much selfishness and division. It has caused me to hold on to things that have cost more than I am willing to pay. I want to be able to say what Paul said, "I count all things as loss so that I may know Christ."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Heaven is going to be so much better than anything on earth will be. The return of Christ will fully usher in the Kingdom of God, bringing complete restoration, and a closeness with God that cannot be comprehended right now. Why do I spend so much time longing for, and worrying about, the here and now why I'm called to be focused on the eternal? Why do the things of this world, even the good things, matter more to me than the full restoration of God's creation?
I've spent a lot of time, too much time, living for the here and now, praying that Jesus would not come back, but that is contrary to scripture.
Philippians 3.20, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;"
2 Timothy 4.7-8, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."
The return of Christ is not something to be feared, but longed for. This life is not what God intended, and His return will fully bring life as He intended for it to be lived. I want to live focused on God, longing for what He intended, not focused on the momentary pleasures of this world. but focused on the eternal.
For the past four months I have been working through the Psalms. God led me there, and reading them has helped my focus be on rejoicing in God. When it comes to an eternal focus three verses have really stood out to me.
Psalm 16.8 "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
Psalm 101.3, "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me."
Psalm 105.4, "Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually."
I want God to be my focus. I want Him to be before and my eyes to be locked on Him. I have been meeting with one of our staff pastors weekly for the past four months, and he has been challenging me in so many ways. Several weeks ago he challenged me with how I see myself, and pointed out to how I drift back and forth from two extremes. There is the strong warrior that never needs to be rescued, that's how I want to see myself, and how I want others to look at me. The reality, is that a lot of the time I see myself as the victim that is left behind and forgotten about. There is either the self sufficient loner who needs no one and does the rescuing, or the pity party who feels like no one cares. The focus is very much on me, and it says to God, "I don't need You, I got this," or, "Why have you forsaken me?"
The reality is that the focus needs to be in the middle, on the cross. God is the hero, He is the one who rescues. God has promised never to leave me or forsake me. I am not the hero, and He will never leave me behind. He has to be the focus. He has to be the one I look at and strive to obey and emulate. The wording of this verse really stood out to me the last time I read it. It states that God is at my right hand, and that because of this I will not be shaken. The reason it hit me is because it reminded me of the Spartan phalanx. In the battle formation each man holds his shield and protects the man on his left. If God is at my right hand, that means I am to His left, and His shield is covering me. If God's shield is covering me, how can I be shaken? If my focus is fully on God, He will cover me. I will never need to be the hero because He is, and I will never have to fear being left behind because He will never abandon me.
If I want my focus to be on God that means I do not want it to be on anything that is not God. Paul said in Philippians 4.8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Paul sets out a list of where our focus is to be, truth, honor, right, purity, lovely, good repute, excellence, and that which is praise worthy. All of these things are only true of God, and the characteristics that flow from Him.
I have spent so much time with worthless things before my eyes. I cannot tell you the hours I have wasted on my phone playing stupid games, or on my computer searching YouTube, or sitting on the couch playing video games or watching Netflix. How many hours have I ignored God in the pursuit of worthless time wasters? How much time have I lost with my family because I wouldn't engage? How many souls have been lost because I gave my time to fruitless pursuits? Last night I sat and watched a couple episodes of the Office, why didn't I spend that time in prayer? I do not want to fall away. One day I will stand before God and give an account of how I spent my time, I don't want to have to explain why I wasted it on things with no eternal value. I do not want worthless things to run my life.
If these things are not to rule my life, I must seek God and His strength. I must seek His face at all times. This world is tempting. It offers pleasure and comfort for the here and now that are so enticing, but ultimately they leave me unfulfilled, and feeling guilty for not investing in something worthwhile. The only way to overcome the world is through the strength of God, and by being focused on God. It is through seeking His face that I come to know Him, and know how He would have me invest the resources I have. His strength empowers me to say no to the temporal and yes to the eternal.
The more I think about this, the more I realize how difficult it is. Do I really want to go spend an hour reading the Bible and praying after a long day at work, when it is so much easier to sit on the couch and let my brain melt? Do I really want to forgo the comforts of life, and maybe even struggle through it, in order to help others? Is it really worth it?
Paul said in Philippians 3.7-11, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
There is nothing that this world has to offer that compares to life in Christ. There is nothing that I will sacrifice in this world that eternity will not far exceed. I want my focus to be on God, and I want the way I live to reflect that. I want to be eternally focused, and I have not been. This has caused so much selfishness and division. It has caused me to hold on to things that have cost more than I am willing to pay. I want to be able to say what Paul said, "I count all things as loss so that I may know Christ."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Forged
Yesterday I was at a local coffee shop when I wrote the post. As I left a thought entered my mind. One piece of advice a pastor gave me years ago was don't put everything you know into one sermon. I think the same can be said about blog posts. The katana is an incredible image that has so many implications. Yesterday the focus was on being the katana, not the swordsmith or the Samurai, but the object that is nonexistent without the prior, and a useless dust collector without the later. Without God I am nothing.
Driving from the coffee shop to an appointment, the idea of forging came to my mind. I feel like I tend to see life as a process where the forging ends at some point and God then begins to wield the sword in battle, but the more I think about it, I'm not sure if that's correct. What if, (this is a thought, not a declarative statement) what if this life is merely the forging process, and the katana of our life is only completed at death? This thought challenges how we would see life and eternity. And if this is accurate, it puts the focus on the eternal.
I think that our understanding of heaven is off. We do not become angels when we die, and I do not believe that it will be sitting on clouds, playing harps and singing non-stop for eternity. It honestly sounds really boring, but what if there is more to heaven than that? One of my college professors said that Genesis 1 is as much creation as it is eschatology (end times study). God set the world in motion and it was perfect, exactly as He created it to be. Man sinned, and God began the process of restoration to bring everything back to the state of perfection. In the beginning, Adam had a job to do, "God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" (Genesis 1.28) Adam was a caregiver who tended to creation, enjoyed fellowship with, and offered worship to, God, and lived in paradise.
Again, this is a thought, but what if the purpose of this life is simply to forge the sword and at death it is offered to God for Him to really use? I am not saying that God does not use us here on earth, the Bible clearly shows that God has instructed us to make disciples and proclaim His Kingdom. But it is crucial that we never become complacent and stop growing. The same professor quoted Wesley, "There is no standing still on the Christian journey. You are pressing forward or sliding backwards." I think that life is a process that is preparing us for eternity and all that God has in store then.
Philippians 1.6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3.12-14, " Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
John 16.33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
God is at work in us, working to perfect us until the day of Christ. We have not obtained the goal, or been made perfect, so we are to press on toward the goal of Christlikeness. There will be troubles and hardships we face, but Christ has overcome the world. Because of this the trials we encounter serve a purpose. They exist to transform us into Christlikeness by cleansing us of sin and forming us into His image. With Christ, the trials produce the traits and characteristics of God, making us fit for His presence and service. All things work together for the highest good of those who love God, which is becoming like Christ, and that results in glorification.
God is at work in us to mold us into men who are fit to enter His presence and worship and serve Him for eternity. This life is the forge, were we are heated, beaten, cleansed, and shaped to be who God created us to be. The trials we endure, the service we offer to God, are all part of this process. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13.12, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." The best is yet to come. There will be a time when the forging is finished. There will come a time when the katana is finished, sharpened, polished, and handed to the Samurai. But I do not believe it is on this side of eternity.
I am guilty of being too focused on the temporal, and not on the eternal. I get focused on the hardships and lose sight of the end goal of the process and the result. Heaven is not the goal, Christlikeness is. Heaven is the result of becoming like Christ. When we are focused on the eternal, the trials and hardships become not only bearable, but meaningful. Losing sight of the goal has caused my life to look less like Jesus. I have not treated others as Christ would. I have not loved as Christ does. I have claimed to love Jesus, but haven't lived it. I haven't been focused on eternity, and have let the temporal rule me.
I want to live focused on eternity. I want everything I do to mold me more into the image of Christ. I have not done a good job of this recently. I have been distracted by the here and now, focusing on what I want to accomplish in this life, and not on what God wants to accomplish in me to prepare me for eternity. I want to be forged, and whenever God is done, to enter His presence ready for whatever service He has for me.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Driving from the coffee shop to an appointment, the idea of forging came to my mind. I feel like I tend to see life as a process where the forging ends at some point and God then begins to wield the sword in battle, but the more I think about it, I'm not sure if that's correct. What if, (this is a thought, not a declarative statement) what if this life is merely the forging process, and the katana of our life is only completed at death? This thought challenges how we would see life and eternity. And if this is accurate, it puts the focus on the eternal.
I think that our understanding of heaven is off. We do not become angels when we die, and I do not believe that it will be sitting on clouds, playing harps and singing non-stop for eternity. It honestly sounds really boring, but what if there is more to heaven than that? One of my college professors said that Genesis 1 is as much creation as it is eschatology (end times study). God set the world in motion and it was perfect, exactly as He created it to be. Man sinned, and God began the process of restoration to bring everything back to the state of perfection. In the beginning, Adam had a job to do, "God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" (Genesis 1.28) Adam was a caregiver who tended to creation, enjoyed fellowship with, and offered worship to, God, and lived in paradise.
Again, this is a thought, but what if the purpose of this life is simply to forge the sword and at death it is offered to God for Him to really use? I am not saying that God does not use us here on earth, the Bible clearly shows that God has instructed us to make disciples and proclaim His Kingdom. But it is crucial that we never become complacent and stop growing. The same professor quoted Wesley, "There is no standing still on the Christian journey. You are pressing forward or sliding backwards." I think that life is a process that is preparing us for eternity and all that God has in store then.
Philippians 1.6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3.12-14, " Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
John 16.33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
God is at work in us, working to perfect us until the day of Christ. We have not obtained the goal, or been made perfect, so we are to press on toward the goal of Christlikeness. There will be troubles and hardships we face, but Christ has overcome the world. Because of this the trials we encounter serve a purpose. They exist to transform us into Christlikeness by cleansing us of sin and forming us into His image. With Christ, the trials produce the traits and characteristics of God, making us fit for His presence and service. All things work together for the highest good of those who love God, which is becoming like Christ, and that results in glorification.
God is at work in us to mold us into men who are fit to enter His presence and worship and serve Him for eternity. This life is the forge, were we are heated, beaten, cleansed, and shaped to be who God created us to be. The trials we endure, the service we offer to God, are all part of this process. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13.12, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." The best is yet to come. There will be a time when the forging is finished. There will come a time when the katana is finished, sharpened, polished, and handed to the Samurai. But I do not believe it is on this side of eternity.
I am guilty of being too focused on the temporal, and not on the eternal. I get focused on the hardships and lose sight of the end goal of the process and the result. Heaven is not the goal, Christlikeness is. Heaven is the result of becoming like Christ. When we are focused on the eternal, the trials and hardships become not only bearable, but meaningful. Losing sight of the goal has caused my life to look less like Jesus. I have not treated others as Christ would. I have not loved as Christ does. I have claimed to love Jesus, but haven't lived it. I haven't been focused on eternity, and have let the temporal rule me.
I want to live focused on eternity. I want everything I do to mold me more into the image of Christ. I have not done a good job of this recently. I have been distracted by the here and now, focusing on what I want to accomplish in this life, and not on what God wants to accomplish in me to prepare me for eternity. I want to be forged, and whenever God is done, to enter His presence ready for whatever service He has for me.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Saturday, January 9, 2016
The Katana
Back in September I was over at my parent's house. I was half asleep down in the basement around 11:30 PM when one of the windows in the kitchen slid open setting off the alarm. At that point I was awake. And for the next four or five hours I couldn't fall asleep. There had been something on my mind for a few days leading up to that moment, so I decided to make good use of my time. I got on YouTube and found a video on how they make traditional Japanese katanas.
The Samurai katana is without question, the greatest sword ever made, and the process of making this incredible weapon is amazing. It begins with an iron sand that is heated to 1,000 degrees in a earthen furnace for three days to form a steel called tamahagane. The best pieces of this steel are selected and then sent to a master swordsmith to begin the forging process. The steel is further evaluated and the best pieces are selected for the blade. harder pieces are used for the edge, while softer pieces make up the core of the blade.
Pieces of steel are piled, heated, beaten together, and then folded more than a dozen times to make them one uniform piece of metal. The core is inserted into the edge, and then the joined pieces are pounded to the proper length, thickness, and shape of the sword. At this point a clay mixture is applied to the blade, thicker on the back and thinner on the cutting edge. The sword is again heated, and then placed in water to cool. The thinner clay on the edge cools faster, making the edge hard and strong, while the clay on the back cools slower, making it softer and more flexible to be able to absorb vibrations better during combat. This cooling process also causes the steel to bow giving the sword its shape.
Next the blade is sharpened and sent off for polishing. The handle is made and attached, the scabbard is assembled, and the sword is ready to be in the hands of a Samurai. The process takes months; heating, pounding, shaping. The forging process serves to remove impurities from the steel, and results in a weapon that is almost unbreakable. The shape of the blade's cutting edge makes it so that the sword almost never needs to be resharpened. The perfect weapon, made by masters, and entrusted to the use of a warrior. It's an amazing thing.
I'm a guy. I love stuff like this. Look at the bottom right of this page, and you'll see a picture of the Spartan phalanx. I love movies like Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Patriot, and anything else with a valiant warrior standing firm against evil. The thought of an epic battle, standing firm for what is right, being willing to die for a just cause, calls to something in my soul. Part of me wishes I would have tried to be a Navy SEAL. I want to be a hero. I want to save the day. I want to be the Spartan standing firm with his brothers. I want to be the Samurai wielding his katana with skill and precision. But I'm starting to wonder if that is my place.
Almost a year ago I began working on what will hopefully become a published book. I read something in the Bible that got me thinking, and led to some other investigations. For almost a year now I've been studying, putting ideas together, and ultimately living the subject matter. It deals with spiritual warfare, the enemy, and doing battle with him. Originally it involved men as the hero of our story, standing courageously against the devil, and conquering him because of Christ. Now, I'm starting to see things differently. I am not the hero. I am not the valiant warrior that the devil fears. I am not the Samurai, and I'm not even the swordsmith. I'm the katana.
Ephesians 2.8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Philippians 2.13, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
We are God's workmanship, He is the swordsmith. He is working to forge us into a weapon He can use to build His Kingdom. It is through His grace, and because of His love, that we face trials. We are heated to burn away the impurities. We are pounded to shape us into the image of Christ. God is at work in us to make us fit and useful for His service. We do not make ourselves fit for God.
Ephesians 6.10, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might."
James 4.7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
1 Peter 5.6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
We are the sword in God's hands, He is the Samurai. God is the one who fights. God is the one who wields the weapon and wins the victory. It is God who gives us strength because of His might. It is through submission to God that the makes the devil flee. It is through humility before God, casting our cares on Him, that allows us to receive His victory. It is God who causes all things to work together for good. We do not win victory. We do not defeat the devil, God does.
The praise for crafting an incredible weapon belongs to God. The honor of victory belongs to God. The sword exists to praise the maker and glorify the victor. Without them the sword would not exist or be of any use.
I am not the swordsmith, I am not the Samurai. I do not deserve any credit for who I am, or any praise for anything I achieve. All of that belongs to God. For a decade I have been striving to play God's part. I have been trying to make myself pleasing and useful to Him. I have been trying to accomplish victory for Him. It hasn't worked, and part of me wonders if I have hindered what God could have accomplished.
Right now I am in the forging process, and in all honesty I feel that this process lasts a lifetime. God is constantly at work, molding us into the image of Christ. I've been frustrated with how long this is taking, and at the very least weekly (often daily) I wish God would just hurry up and get this process over with. I have to constantly remind myself that we're after a traditional katana. During World War II, Japanese soldiers carried katanas into battle. They were needed quickly, and there was no way to craft them the proper way. They began to be mass produced using poured steel, and they were greatly inferior. I don't want to be a mass produced, cheap imitation. I want to be a unique, hand crafted, quality weapon in the hands of God.
This process is not easy, and it really isn't that enjoyable, but the end result is more than worth it. I want God to forge me, and I want Him to be glorified by who He has made me. I want Him to use me however He sees fit. I want Him to be honored for everything that happens in my life. I don't want to take the swordsmith's praise, I don't want to take the Samurai's honor. I don't want to play the part that is not mine to play. I simply want to take my place as the katana.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE_4zHNcieM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwWf-MfZVk
The Samurai katana is without question, the greatest sword ever made, and the process of making this incredible weapon is amazing. It begins with an iron sand that is heated to 1,000 degrees in a earthen furnace for three days to form a steel called tamahagane. The best pieces of this steel are selected and then sent to a master swordsmith to begin the forging process. The steel is further evaluated and the best pieces are selected for the blade. harder pieces are used for the edge, while softer pieces make up the core of the blade.
Pieces of steel are piled, heated, beaten together, and then folded more than a dozen times to make them one uniform piece of metal. The core is inserted into the edge, and then the joined pieces are pounded to the proper length, thickness, and shape of the sword. At this point a clay mixture is applied to the blade, thicker on the back and thinner on the cutting edge. The sword is again heated, and then placed in water to cool. The thinner clay on the edge cools faster, making the edge hard and strong, while the clay on the back cools slower, making it softer and more flexible to be able to absorb vibrations better during combat. This cooling process also causes the steel to bow giving the sword its shape.
Next the blade is sharpened and sent off for polishing. The handle is made and attached, the scabbard is assembled, and the sword is ready to be in the hands of a Samurai. The process takes months; heating, pounding, shaping. The forging process serves to remove impurities from the steel, and results in a weapon that is almost unbreakable. The shape of the blade's cutting edge makes it so that the sword almost never needs to be resharpened. The perfect weapon, made by masters, and entrusted to the use of a warrior. It's an amazing thing.
I'm a guy. I love stuff like this. Look at the bottom right of this page, and you'll see a picture of the Spartan phalanx. I love movies like Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Patriot, and anything else with a valiant warrior standing firm against evil. The thought of an epic battle, standing firm for what is right, being willing to die for a just cause, calls to something in my soul. Part of me wishes I would have tried to be a Navy SEAL. I want to be a hero. I want to save the day. I want to be the Spartan standing firm with his brothers. I want to be the Samurai wielding his katana with skill and precision. But I'm starting to wonder if that is my place.
Almost a year ago I began working on what will hopefully become a published book. I read something in the Bible that got me thinking, and led to some other investigations. For almost a year now I've been studying, putting ideas together, and ultimately living the subject matter. It deals with spiritual warfare, the enemy, and doing battle with him. Originally it involved men as the hero of our story, standing courageously against the devil, and conquering him because of Christ. Now, I'm starting to see things differently. I am not the hero. I am not the valiant warrior that the devil fears. I am not the Samurai, and I'm not even the swordsmith. I'm the katana.
Ephesians 2.8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Philippians 2.13, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
We are God's workmanship, He is the swordsmith. He is working to forge us into a weapon He can use to build His Kingdom. It is through His grace, and because of His love, that we face trials. We are heated to burn away the impurities. We are pounded to shape us into the image of Christ. God is at work in us to make us fit and useful for His service. We do not make ourselves fit for God.
Ephesians 6.10, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might."
James 4.7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
1 Peter 5.6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
We are the sword in God's hands, He is the Samurai. God is the one who fights. God is the one who wields the weapon and wins the victory. It is God who gives us strength because of His might. It is through submission to God that the makes the devil flee. It is through humility before God, casting our cares on Him, that allows us to receive His victory. It is God who causes all things to work together for good. We do not win victory. We do not defeat the devil, God does.
The praise for crafting an incredible weapon belongs to God. The honor of victory belongs to God. The sword exists to praise the maker and glorify the victor. Without them the sword would not exist or be of any use.
I am not the swordsmith, I am not the Samurai. I do not deserve any credit for who I am, or any praise for anything I achieve. All of that belongs to God. For a decade I have been striving to play God's part. I have been trying to make myself pleasing and useful to Him. I have been trying to accomplish victory for Him. It hasn't worked, and part of me wonders if I have hindered what God could have accomplished.
Right now I am in the forging process, and in all honesty I feel that this process lasts a lifetime. God is constantly at work, molding us into the image of Christ. I've been frustrated with how long this is taking, and at the very least weekly (often daily) I wish God would just hurry up and get this process over with. I have to constantly remind myself that we're after a traditional katana. During World War II, Japanese soldiers carried katanas into battle. They were needed quickly, and there was no way to craft them the proper way. They began to be mass produced using poured steel, and they were greatly inferior. I don't want to be a mass produced, cheap imitation. I want to be a unique, hand crafted, quality weapon in the hands of God.
This process is not easy, and it really isn't that enjoyable, but the end result is more than worth it. I want God to forge me, and I want Him to be glorified by who He has made me. I want Him to use me however He sees fit. I want Him to be honored for everything that happens in my life. I don't want to take the swordsmith's praise, I don't want to take the Samurai's honor. I don't want to play the part that is not mine to play. I simply want to take my place as the katana.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE_4zHNcieM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwWf-MfZVk
Friday, January 8, 2016
Who He Is
The biggest problem we have in the world today is how we view and approach God. Let that sink in for a minute.
Think of the way people refer to God. The Big Guy. The Man upstairs. Is such a casual response really appropriate? Think of the reasons people often seek God. "God, help me with ...", "God, heal me of ...", "God, give me ...", it turns God into an ATM, a medicine cabinet, or Santa. We casually approach Him with our needs, hoping He will solve all of our problems, but we never offer Him the reverence and honor that His very nature demands. God exists to serve us, take care of us, and handle all of our problems. It makes us central and God secondary.
I'm amazed at the arrogance, and I'm guilty of it in my own life. So often my prayers dive right into what I need God to do for me, how I need His help. Over the past few months I have spent a lot of time pouring out my needs and requests to God, and every time I'm reminded of how Jesus instructed us to pray. "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'" (Matthew 6.9-10) Prayer is to begin with God being acknowledged and honored for who He is. Prayer is to begin with a focus on God's desire and God's plan.
Galatians 4.9a says, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God" and that is why prayer is to begin as it does. It is not a big deal that I know God. He spoke the universe into existence. He created light itself from the words of His mouth. He invented the scent of a rose, the colors of the rainbow, the sound of water falling over rocks. God formed man out of the dust and breathed into Him the breath of life. When man disobeyed and sinned, He immediately went to work at restoring him to righteousness. He came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, modeling how He intended for life to be lived, and then died in our place to pay for sin. He rose from the dead and sent us His Holy Spirit so that we could be empowered to live as He showed us. It is not a big deal that we know who this God is, we should, but the fact that this God knows us, loves us, and died so that we could have a relationship with Him is a big deal. It is not a big deal that we know Him, but that fact that He knows us, that is huge.
This year I have felt led to read My Utmost for His Highest. I read it years ago in college, and its been moved from shelf to shelf over the past ten years, but with my current life situation and the focus that God is trying to give me, I have felt the need to work through it again this year. On January 1, Oswald Chambers said,
"But before we choose to follow God's will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God's gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide - for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably."
This is where I find myself right now, dealing with crisis. In hindsight, I've seen how God has been making gentle nudges for years. The last few times I've read Wild at Heart and The Way of the Wild Heart I felt the need to explore the subject more, and begin the process of masculine initiation. I had no idea how, and felt like I was very alone in the process. Because of the feelings I shared yesterday it was difficult to ask for help, and so I made the mistake of trying to figure it out on my own, and ended up settling for a theoretical head knowledge of masculinity.
I don't know how many times my wife suggested that we do marriage counseling together, but again, the same feelings that wouldn't allow me to seek the guidance of men prevented me from seeing the issues in my marriage that I couldn't fix. My wife and I became more and more distant because I didn't want to take the gift of God's nudging. And so this past September the crisis occurred. God's nudging had done all that it could, but I had not responded to any of it.
Since then I have been on a journey, one that in all honesty could have happened much differently had my approach to God not been so casual, and arrogant. It has been an experience of learning who He is and who I am. On January 2, Chambers wrote, "God does not tell you what He is going to do - He reveals to you who He is." This is where we need to live.
God does not exist to solve our problems, we exist to know Him. God created us to have fellowship with Him and worship Him. He did not create us because He was bored and needed something to do, and so He made a bunch of needy humans to occupy His time. We were created to know God so that we could glorify Him. And the most amazing thing is that God desires for us to know Him. He is so far above us, and yet He does not look at us with arrogant disdain. He looks on us with unconditional love, and invites us to know Him.
It is not a big deal that we know God, but it is huge that God knows us, and invites us to know Him intimately. My hope is to come to know God more, and to exist solely to know Him and glorify Him.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Think of the way people refer to God. The Big Guy. The Man upstairs. Is such a casual response really appropriate? Think of the reasons people often seek God. "God, help me with ...", "God, heal me of ...", "God, give me ...", it turns God into an ATM, a medicine cabinet, or Santa. We casually approach Him with our needs, hoping He will solve all of our problems, but we never offer Him the reverence and honor that His very nature demands. God exists to serve us, take care of us, and handle all of our problems. It makes us central and God secondary.
I'm amazed at the arrogance, and I'm guilty of it in my own life. So often my prayers dive right into what I need God to do for me, how I need His help. Over the past few months I have spent a lot of time pouring out my needs and requests to God, and every time I'm reminded of how Jesus instructed us to pray. "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'" (Matthew 6.9-10) Prayer is to begin with God being acknowledged and honored for who He is. Prayer is to begin with a focus on God's desire and God's plan.
Galatians 4.9a says, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God" and that is why prayer is to begin as it does. It is not a big deal that I know God. He spoke the universe into existence. He created light itself from the words of His mouth. He invented the scent of a rose, the colors of the rainbow, the sound of water falling over rocks. God formed man out of the dust and breathed into Him the breath of life. When man disobeyed and sinned, He immediately went to work at restoring him to righteousness. He came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, modeling how He intended for life to be lived, and then died in our place to pay for sin. He rose from the dead and sent us His Holy Spirit so that we could be empowered to live as He showed us. It is not a big deal that we know who this God is, we should, but the fact that this God knows us, loves us, and died so that we could have a relationship with Him is a big deal. It is not a big deal that we know Him, but that fact that He knows us, that is huge.
This year I have felt led to read My Utmost for His Highest. I read it years ago in college, and its been moved from shelf to shelf over the past ten years, but with my current life situation and the focus that God is trying to give me, I have felt the need to work through it again this year. On January 1, Oswald Chambers said,
"But before we choose to follow God's will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God's gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide - for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably."
This is where I find myself right now, dealing with crisis. In hindsight, I've seen how God has been making gentle nudges for years. The last few times I've read Wild at Heart and The Way of the Wild Heart I felt the need to explore the subject more, and begin the process of masculine initiation. I had no idea how, and felt like I was very alone in the process. Because of the feelings I shared yesterday it was difficult to ask for help, and so I made the mistake of trying to figure it out on my own, and ended up settling for a theoretical head knowledge of masculinity.
I don't know how many times my wife suggested that we do marriage counseling together, but again, the same feelings that wouldn't allow me to seek the guidance of men prevented me from seeing the issues in my marriage that I couldn't fix. My wife and I became more and more distant because I didn't want to take the gift of God's nudging. And so this past September the crisis occurred. God's nudging had done all that it could, but I had not responded to any of it.
Since then I have been on a journey, one that in all honesty could have happened much differently had my approach to God not been so casual, and arrogant. It has been an experience of learning who He is and who I am. On January 2, Chambers wrote, "God does not tell you what He is going to do - He reveals to you who He is." This is where we need to live.
God does not exist to solve our problems, we exist to know Him. God created us to have fellowship with Him and worship Him. He did not create us because He was bored and needed something to do, and so He made a bunch of needy humans to occupy His time. We were created to know God so that we could glorify Him. And the most amazing thing is that God desires for us to know Him. He is so far above us, and yet He does not look at us with arrogant disdain. He looks on us with unconditional love, and invites us to know Him.
It is not a big deal that we know God, but it is huge that God knows us, and invites us to know Him intimately. My hope is to come to know God more, and to exist solely to know Him and glorify Him.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Thursday, January 7, 2016
It's Been a While
So I haven't written in months. There are several reasons, one was I got behind. Grad school last spring and summer was busy, really busy. I missed a few days and never got caught up. Two, it felt very obligatory, this wasn't giving me any joy or fulfillment, and it began to feel like a self-driven act. It became drudgery, and sucked the life out of me. The posts I was writing felt very shallow. Third, and most important, is life. I'm not going into detail just yet, that will come at some point later, but I was not in a place to be "preaching" the word.
Over the past month or so I've felt that it's been time to start writing again. I've been hesitant to do this, but after some guidance from a mentor, encouraging me to begin ministering again, and the encouragement from some of my closest friends, I feel that it's time. Earlier this week one of my brothers called me and shared some things he has been battling, in that conversation I was able to pour into him, and it was so energizing. I feel like that has been something missing from my life, and so I feel like it is time to begin the blog again.
In the past few months I have been through things I never thought I would go through. For the first time in my life I feel like I can relate to real suffering and hardship. I have experienced God's work in my life in a way that I have desperately needed for years. I have come to own truths that I have needed my entire life, and I have begun to understand more of what God wants for my life.
I have seen the results of pride, brokenness, and sin in ways that have beaten me up. I honestly don't know that I have ever been more exhausted and worn out than I have been. I have seen what it is to do real battle with the enemy, and I've seen the power of God bring victory in ways I never knew. I have struggled with hope, battled despair and discouragement, and wondered if God even cares at all. I have known heartbreak and suffering that I pray no one else ever has to experience.
I've seen how I've hurt others, and how much division refusing to offer forgiveness brings. I'm learning how real the enemy is, and how powerful, and I'm learning that victory is only found in God. I've learned that my own strength is worthless and accomplishes nothing. I've seen that the only thing I do in spiritual warfare is call on God and watch as He takes care of the enemy. So much of what I have thought over the past several years has been shaken. God is at work in me, helping me to more clearly understand who He is, and who I am by comparison. It's humbling to say the least.
I think the central thing that I have been hit with is God. I feel so much of my life has been about what I think I need to do for Him. It has been about what I think He wants, and how I think He needs me to be available. I'm learning that He doesn't need me. I'm learning that this life has never been about me, at all. I'm learning, or rather re-realizing, that all of this is about God. This is not about Him solving my problems or meeting my needs, it is about Him being glorified and me learning more about who He is. The point is not to get what I think I need from God, but to come to know Him for who He is.
I have made a lot of mistakes. I've been afraid to let people know how I struggle. I've felt for years that people have this image of who I am, and that I can't let them down. I've put on an act, trying to be who I feel everyone thinks I am, and it honestly almost destroyed me. My life has felt like a plane crash. There are survivors and I'm trying to organize everything and take care of everyone. The issue is I have a gash in my left arm that is bleeding heavily. I've covered it up, not feeling like anyone has time to worry about me, and tried to fix everyone else's issues, taking care of them. The problem is, I'm bleeding out.
I've experienced ministry failure, and have almost destroyed my marriage because I wouldn't let anyone look at the wound. I've felt that I can't be a burden to anyone because it's my job to take care of them. That's how I've lived for almost a decade, and it hasn't worked. I've taken weight on myself that has never been mine to carry. Because of this I've put pressure on others that has never been theirs.
My hope in writing again is to point others back to God, and in the process, personally come to know Him more. My prayer is that by coming to know Him, He will bring full healing and restoration to every area of my life.
I will ask for your prayers. God has been doing so much in my life over the past several months, but there is still so much I am waiting on Him to do. I have learned so much about who I am in Him, and the truth that He speaks into my life, but there is still so much to hear and learn.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Over the past month or so I've felt that it's been time to start writing again. I've been hesitant to do this, but after some guidance from a mentor, encouraging me to begin ministering again, and the encouragement from some of my closest friends, I feel that it's time. Earlier this week one of my brothers called me and shared some things he has been battling, in that conversation I was able to pour into him, and it was so energizing. I feel like that has been something missing from my life, and so I feel like it is time to begin the blog again.
In the past few months I have been through things I never thought I would go through. For the first time in my life I feel like I can relate to real suffering and hardship. I have experienced God's work in my life in a way that I have desperately needed for years. I have come to own truths that I have needed my entire life, and I have begun to understand more of what God wants for my life.
I have seen the results of pride, brokenness, and sin in ways that have beaten me up. I honestly don't know that I have ever been more exhausted and worn out than I have been. I have seen what it is to do real battle with the enemy, and I've seen the power of God bring victory in ways I never knew. I have struggled with hope, battled despair and discouragement, and wondered if God even cares at all. I have known heartbreak and suffering that I pray no one else ever has to experience.
I've seen how I've hurt others, and how much division refusing to offer forgiveness brings. I'm learning how real the enemy is, and how powerful, and I'm learning that victory is only found in God. I've learned that my own strength is worthless and accomplishes nothing. I've seen that the only thing I do in spiritual warfare is call on God and watch as He takes care of the enemy. So much of what I have thought over the past several years has been shaken. God is at work in me, helping me to more clearly understand who He is, and who I am by comparison. It's humbling to say the least.
I think the central thing that I have been hit with is God. I feel so much of my life has been about what I think I need to do for Him. It has been about what I think He wants, and how I think He needs me to be available. I'm learning that He doesn't need me. I'm learning that this life has never been about me, at all. I'm learning, or rather re-realizing, that all of this is about God. This is not about Him solving my problems or meeting my needs, it is about Him being glorified and me learning more about who He is. The point is not to get what I think I need from God, but to come to know Him for who He is.
I have made a lot of mistakes. I've been afraid to let people know how I struggle. I've felt for years that people have this image of who I am, and that I can't let them down. I've put on an act, trying to be who I feel everyone thinks I am, and it honestly almost destroyed me. My life has felt like a plane crash. There are survivors and I'm trying to organize everything and take care of everyone. The issue is I have a gash in my left arm that is bleeding heavily. I've covered it up, not feeling like anyone has time to worry about me, and tried to fix everyone else's issues, taking care of them. The problem is, I'm bleeding out.
I've experienced ministry failure, and have almost destroyed my marriage because I wouldn't let anyone look at the wound. I've felt that I can't be a burden to anyone because it's my job to take care of them. That's how I've lived for almost a decade, and it hasn't worked. I've taken weight on myself that has never been mine to carry. Because of this I've put pressure on others that has never been theirs.
My hope in writing again is to point others back to God, and in the process, personally come to know Him more. My prayer is that by coming to know Him, He will bring full healing and restoration to every area of my life.
I will ask for your prayers. God has been doing so much in my life over the past several months, but there is still so much I am waiting on Him to do. I have learned so much about who I am in Him, and the truth that He speaks into my life, but there is still so much to hear and learn.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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