Just Thoughts

Friendship

2012-01-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

One of the most difficult things to do is to look at yourself. Lately I've had a glimpse at who I have been and have realized that the person I was is not the person I thought I was. I have been fortunate to have friends - good friends that God has blessed and caused to prosper. I have not been the friend to them I saw myself as.

I have been - and tend to still be - a man of negativity and selfishness. How can I change? How do I be different? Can I change? How do I become the man I think of myself as being?

I don't know.

I'll bet my life and character that God knows how to change me.

May God guide my thoughts and my actions. May I finally begin to become the man He made me to be.

2 Corinthians 16-21 The Message

Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

Awake

2011-12-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

The day was thick with mist and rain as the dull gray sky settled close to the ground. Thoughts and feelings ran rampant in my mind as negativity began to consume all perspective. Ideas of rejection, hate, depression, and worthlessness hemmed me in until the strangest of things occurred. It was like a crack in the sky appeared in my mind and for a split second I could see what was really going on. Then it happened. I remembered.

It was like waking up from a troubled sleep where the dream has taken a bad turn and becomes a repetitive loop of frustration and confusion. There was that moment of imbalance as the world came into focus and then the dream faded away. Slowly I regained my mind. My heart began to beat as if life returned to a dead body. When I breathed it felt good like it does on a cool, crisp fall day - or when you finish exercising and your lungs relax as your breathing slows back down. My eyes opened and I could see everything for the first time, again. In that moment I remembered what I should never have forgotten. I remembered that my huge world is nothing more than small ideas and ways of thinking I had fallen into and adopted from the world around me. I remembered that God is big. I remembered that God has a plan for me. I remembered that God loves me so much that He became a man. I remembered that I don't really care about my job. I remembered that I care about the job He has given me to do. I remembered that Jesus Christ died for me - in my place - and I belong to Him now. I remembered how big things are and how little I am. I remembered that I'm not as lost as I thought I was - He's not done with me, yet. I remembered how much God loves me. I remembered that with the right perspective I can choose to enjoy a rainy day.

"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord."
Psalm 40:1-3 NIV

How?

2011-12-05T01:31:00.001-05:00

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3 NIV

Peter was brash. He seemed to spend most of his time during his discipleship either putting his foot in his mouth or showing his butt. He was a tradesman - a fisherman. He didn't likely have the finer education and high-class etiquette one might expect for the future head of the church. Before Jesus was crucified he predicted that Peter would deny he knew him three times - which Peter boldly denied he would do. Then comes Jesus arrest and trial. We then find Peter out in a courtyard around a fire with some strangers who suspect him of being a follower of Jesus. Boldly, and brashly, Peter denies he knows Jesus three times - just like Jesus said he would. We can only imagine what Peter felt as he realized what had just happened as he hears the rooster crow. (John 18:15-27)

Have you ever been the one trying to do something the best you knew how and failing miserably at it? Have you ever been the one in a position of authority watching someone you are responsible for struggle against the current dragging them towards the edge of the dam? What do you do? Odds are that we've all heard the phrase: "It's for their own good." We find ourselves in a position where someone needs help and we are the ones to give it. It might not be nice. It might not be pretty. It might not feel good to the person getting helped, but sometimes medicine tastes bad. It's for their own good.

I would offer one word of caution when following this train of thought: How can the good of the person be truly preserved? How can love be extended while practicing kindness and humility in this situation? What is the best way to be patient and to maintain peace? Often times we strike out against someone for their own good, but no good comes of it - except for us. Think of a time you did something that had a large impact on someone who just wasn't getting along with the program - especially if the motivation was to help them. Ask yourself some questions:

What were the clear issues that needed to be addressed with the individual?
What clear steps were taken towards a clear end with the individual?
What followup was done to confirm that the 'good' was achieved for the individual?

We all have to step back and take an audit on our mentoring performance. If we are doing something for the 'good' of the individual are we the ones in the proper position to provide the change. Have we coached the person, or just told? Was our approach complete - allowing for the person's emotional, spiritual, and entire well-being? Have we been an instrument of healing or salt in the wound? How is our relationship with the person since?

More that one time scripture records Jesus dealing with Peter in a way that seems harsh. But we always find instruction and edification along with the reprimands. After Jesus death and Peter's betrayal we find a few events that not only paint a picture of God's grace in saving us from our sin, but also the restoration of a relationship with a broken man. The women went to visit Jesus' grave and they were met by an angel according to the account found in the book of Mark. In that account the angel tells the women to go and tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus has rose from the dead. God went the extra step to let Peter know that the relationship between them was not over. Later on we find an account of the disciples fishing. Jesus had already appeared to them and now we find him on the shore of the lake watching them fish from their boats. What is really important is what takes place later on the beach with Peter. Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Each time Peter answers and is given instruction. Jesus restores Peter from a place of denial and separation to a relationship of love and direction. We find Peter later on in scripture preaching on Pentecost in the Spirit a sermon so moving that thousands come to faith and believe in what Jesus Christ did for them. We see a man who had messed up and made mistakes having had God do what needed to be done for the good of him so that he could be restored to relationship with Christ and able to lead the church by the grace given him by God.

Weight

2011-11-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

I imagine that the relationship between God and us is much more different than any of us can imagine. We are looking at a holy thing (holy - utterly other, completely different) with a worldly perspective. In the book of Isaiah God says:

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord.
'As the heavens are higher than the earth
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

Does God look at us with disappointment and sadness when we continue to come to Him for help with something out of our past we just can't seem to let go of? Or, does He look at us with love? Does His heart break over the pain He sees us living in - and in many cases, putting ourselves through?

Jesus Christ - true man and true God - paid the price for our sin and failure through His death on the cross. God saved us from the sin separating us from Him while we weren't worth saving. Our sin and failure, our bad choices and poor decisions, no longer keep us from God. Many of us live our lives carrying the weight of our pasts when there is no need. We hold on to the ghosts of who we were instead of embracing the life that God has given us. Does this excuse us from the consequences of our actions? Are we protected from the effects of someone else's choices? No, and yes.

We still live in this fallen world and are held accountable for our choices. God can work in any situation for our good and His glory. He has a plan for us and He knows just how long it will take us to walk any distance. The purpose of this life is not to get somewhere. There is no destination we will get to and then... ...whatever. The purpose of this life is the journey to wherever we are going. We can't say: 'Some day I have this and then...' or 'When I get to that place I will...' We will live an unsettled life of little fulfillment. It is an existence of attaining things and achievements only to seek after the next one. The idea that is conveyed in that notion is not a walk with God, but chasing after Him.

Can we release our past? I think that the better question is can we embrace God's plan for us today? Can we allow God to change our focus from what was and might be to what is and can be. Can we strive for that goal that lies ahead by running the race that is before us today? Can we see that God's ways are so much higher than our that maybe He doesn't react to us how we would react to someone else? Can we ask God to help us see Him as He is and not as we would have Him be? What would this new perspective begin to change in your relationships, life, and faith?

Where?

2011-11-17T12:39:00.000-05:00

On the way to pray, Paul cast an evil spirit out of a slave girl by commanding it in the name of Jesus to leave. This evil spirit helped the girl predict the future and earn her owners a great deal of money. Needles to say, the owners where upset. They charged Paul and Silas with being trouble makers. Soon, the whole community was joining in on the charges. The men where stripped, beaten, severely flogged, thrown into jail, and placed in the stocks without a trial. Once in jail they began singing hymns to God and praying and the Bible says that the other prisoners were listening to them. An earthquake came and shook the foundations of the prison opening every door and loosening everyone's chains. The jailer had been strictly ordered to guard Paul and Silas carefully. When he woke up and saw what had happened he grabbed a sword and intended to take his life rather than face any punishment for failing to guard the two men. Paul shouted to him not to harm himself - everyone was still in the prison. The jailer was astounded and asked how he could be saved. Paul and Silas shared with him the Good News about Jesus Christ. The jailer cleaned their wounds and took them home. He and his family believed and were baptized...

Where are you? What's your situation? Did your choices lead you here? Did the decisions of someone else take you to this place? What's your story? Did God bring you to this place? Can God use this situation in your life to bring you closer to Him? Can God use this time in your life to impact the life of someone else? Is He opening your eyes?

Are your eyes open?

God may not be the architect of this situation, but He is still God. Our choices lead to the consequences we face, but God is still God. He can use any place, any time, any thing, and anyone to work for our good and His glory. Sometimes in the life of faith He brings us to a situation, or place, that makes no sense to us - but it is right where we need to be.

If you are hurting - if you are wondering why God would put you in this place - all you have to do is ask Him. Maybe this isn't the way it's supposed to be - but He can use it. Maybe this isn't the way you thought it should be - but He is using it. Maybe it's a little less about you and yourself and a little more about us and Him. Cry out to Him and be ready to let Him work - even if His work in you takes you doing a little work with Him. Talk to Him. He never left you. He is right here - right now.

The Gap

2011-11-07T14:18:00.000-05:00

Take a look at the world around you. What do you see? It's all typical, ordinary, acceptable, normal stuff - right? We just all seem to keep doing what we do to make it from today to tomorrow. What if everything is not alright? What if the things we find acceptable are not acceptable to God?

We can't continue ignoring what God has called us to by keeping one foot in the world and the other in Scripture. What happens when we give up the things that pull us away from the life God created us for and submit our lives to Him? If we have the courage to call ourselves 'Christian' can we continue to live according to what the world finds 'normal'? We can no longer remain lukewarm. We can no longer acquiesce. It is time to look at the world and see the gaps forming in Body of Christ. It is time to look at ourselves - our justifications, our reasons, and our frailty. It is time to admit that we are inadequate to the tasks at hand but we are no longer going to sit by and watch the next generation walk into the jaws of death. God is the strong God of heaven and earth - the Creator of all things. Jesus Christ - the Son of God, true God and true man - lived, died, and rose from the dead so that we may have life and have it abundantly. His Spirit resides within those who believe in Him. God is more than enough to handle the task at hand and He will overcome your weakness. God has called His people to reach out to the lost, the hurt, and the dying. We have been called to stand in the gap and say, "No further!"

We serve the Almighty God. There is nowhere you can go where He is not. There is no one you can meet that He did not make and does not love. He is so much bigger than we ever realize and it will take more than an eternity to learn all there is to know about Him. Will you stand in faith? Will you answer His call in your life? Are you willing to stand in the gap and hold out the life He has placed in you to a lost world? Will you give up preaching and begin showing? Will you stop telling and start living? Will you be who you were called to be - without reservation?

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8 NIV

It's your choice. Answer the call.

Identify

2009-09-18T14:37:00.000-04:00

Something that I've been learning is that I am not who I think I am. I have an idea built up in my mind of who I am and who I should be. I have an idea in my mind of how the world is and how things should work. Many of my ideas may be the naivete of youth, but I'm learning. Despite my best efforts to learn, God teaches me and I am beginning to find that the largest hindrance to my learning is - me. My ideas and knowledge are not always advantageous, but almost adversarial. I am also learning that I must become very cautious of how I label myself and others. If I say, "I'm just outspoken." - it's no surprise that I end up speaking my mind without a thought to my words. If I say, "I am depressed." - I fall into the pit of despair where depressed people reside. I believe that God desires for us all to realize that we are nothing but who He says we are. As His children, our identity is wrapped up in Him. For me to say that 'I am this, or that' is to remove myself from who He has called me to be. I find that by applying a label to myself I apply myself to fulfilling the label. I don't know if this is absolute truth, but as far as I am in my walk I am finding it to be helpful and convicting. I believe we must all take great pains and care in watching what and who we label. Our actions will reflect our attitude and our attitude will come from what we hold in our heart. I pray that the joy and peace of Christ abounds in the hearts and mind of all our family. I hope that no matter what it is that we are experiencing we do not identify with it. What is happening is a situation - who we are is in Christ. Pray for one another. Hope with each other. Cry with your friends. Rejoice with the Body of Christ. Do not be troubled with the matters of this world but take heart in the life and love that overflows in us that is from God.

Romans 8

Hope

2009-05-30T13:36:00.000-04:00

Why do we hope? That is a question that I would like to know the answer to. Of all the things that God has blessed us with why did He see fit to allow us to hope? My hopes are at the root of many of my fears, hurts, and pains. I don't lie awake at night knowing something will happen - I lie awake hoping that it doesn't, or hoping that it will. My hopes run me ragged. My hopes tie me down. I seldom feel that liberating freedom that comes with hope in all of those movies I watch. Whatever a hope that becomes realized is supposed to bring me is minimal in relation to all the unfulfilled hopes I still have, or the higher hope I now have in light of hope that has become real. Hope. That word is not positive. That word, the very concept of hope, brings fear and trepidation with it. When I feel hope looming on the horizon and the lure is so strong that I begin to run towards it I know that it hangs at the edge of a cliff. I run, head-long, after it and just when I'm about to grab hold of it I completely understand how Wile E. Coyote felt every time he tried to catch the Road Runner. I look down at my feet and find that the ground beneath my them has disappeared. Soon I am resolved to nothing more than that tiny poof of dust at the canyon floor. Yup, I know all about hope.

I think God did understand that this would happen to me. In the Old Testament of the Bible the writer of Proverbs had this to say:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. - Proverbs 13:12 NIV

So, if that is the way hope works then what's the point. My life has taught me so far that hopes will be deferred more than they will be fulfilled. I'm gonna see more things I put my hope in not happen than happen. I feel tempted to do more that scream and pull my hair out. What is the point! To put it mildly: This sucks!

God knows all of this. He has pointed the way. Read these following scripture passages and come up with the answer for yourself:

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;

in you I trust, O my God.

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame

who are treacherous without excuse.

May integrity and uprightness protect me,

because my hope is in you. - Psalm 25:1-3,21 NIV

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. - Romans 5:1-5 NIV

Hope. If I hope for something I care about it. If I didn't care about it why would it bother my thoughts and emotions. Fear. If I fear something there is a certain amount of care there, too. My hopes and my fears can cause me anxiety if I place them in things that are uncertain, or worldly. Peter urges us with these words:

Cast all you anxiety on him because he cared for you. - 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

We must give God all that we care about - our hope and our fears. If Christ is our life then those things are His. We must place our hope in God. When we do that we can rest in peace knowing that He loves us and will never harm us.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28 NIV

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

We can hope in a God who loves us beyond our understanding. We must trust and be patient. It is not God who is messing around with us - it is the fact that we have placed our trust, our hope, in things of this world. The things of this place are no good. They cannot make us truly happy or satisfy. My timing is hardly ever perfect - except from my perspective: I want what I want when I want it. When we place our hope in the the proper place our focus becomes renewed. Our hopes and desires change - something we fear happening - but once there we realize that it is all for the best. For those of us who are broken and hurting. For those of us who have hoped and now hope that we never hope again think on this:

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. - Jeremiah 18:1-6 NIV

We have hope.

Worth

2009-04-24T16:56:00.000-04:00

What are we worth? What is worth, anyways? What does it matter to be worth something? Does it even matter at all?

Worth is something that is placed upon something by something else. Right? A bird places worth on its nest and its food. To the bird, the worm is worth something. In that same thought, worth is placed by the bird on its own life. The bird will pay some price – expend some energy – to attain the worm. It will give time and a certain amount of effort to get that meal. Depending on the worth of that morsel, weighed against the worth of its own life and wellbeing, the bird will even fight for the right to have and eat the worm.

I place worth on inanimate objects that cannot save or augment my life in any way that truly matters. I will fight for them. Break fellowship over them. Cry over them. I may even laugh with joy for them. I can place worth on something and that thing now effects me greatly in my life. It comes to this: something of worth has value. I may hold something in high personal worth that you don’t value at all! So now worth is subjective! Humans placing worth on things amounts to golden stars and gray dots in a world of Wemmicks. Our concept of it has been twisted such that it must be processed through our own, personal, set of beliefs so that we can be self-empowered to label a person, place, thing, or idea.

If I want to be worthy to you I must jump all your hurdles – I have to meet all the requirements on your checklist. I might even have to change who I am so that I can be worthy of you and in attaining that worth I place worth on myself. The sad thing is that no one is immune. We all do this. Our worth is based on our values and what we value. On top of this our values change. What I value today may have no value tomorrow. All of a sudden, you have no worth. You, and I, have become worthless – more often than not – through no fault of our own. Our value determines our worth.

MATTHEW 10:29-30 (NIV)
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of you Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

God – our Father – the One to Whom we all belong – we are children of the Almighty – we are members of His household – He places great worth and value on us. Jesus explains this in a way we can understand. He takes something that we have placed a small value on. He takes this object of our low worth and says that they are so worthy of our Father’s attention, care, and energy that not one – NOT ONE little bird out of them ALL, throughout the whole earth – will fall from the sky without His say-so. He is completely invested in the lives of ALL these little birds. They have great worth to Him. And He says that we are worth MORE than many of them. When the Alpha-and-Omega says many – we must understand how large His scope is. Many is a very large number when the One who knows them ALL is concerned. Worth. Value.

LUKE 12:23-24 (NIV)
“Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”

We are more valuable than birds. He takes care of them all and we hold more value than they do to Him. He places a high value and worth on things we do not – and places higher on us.

JOHN 3:16 (NIV)
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

ROMANS 5:6-8 (NIV)
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

While we were worthless God placed a high value on us and expended some great energy, paid a high price, to give us the option to believe. To many, and especially me, this makes little to no sense. Unless, of course, you and I – for a moment – let go of ourselves and our world. We must relinquish hold of our belief systems for just one moment. If we could imagine to understand something about God’s ‘belief system’, for lack of a better term, I believe that we would see that it is pure love. His value of things is base in, and on, and around the concept of TRUE LOVE!! “For God so LOVED the world…” “But God demonstrates His own LOVE for us…”

Love.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7 (NIV)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

We are loved despite our apparent worth. God loves everyone: Christian, un-Christian; Saved, un-Saved; Believers, un-Believers – all LOVED. It is rare for someone to die for another who is righteous. Someone may die for a good person. Christ Jesus died for us all while we were filth and slime. His love is so great for us all that He places worth and value on us despite how we would value one-another. This love causes Him to offer the gift of eternal life with Him to EVERYONE. Love does not force. Love offers.

Love was a good enough reason to come and die so that we MIGHT live – to offer us a chance to believe in Him and not perish but to have eternal life. Love allows for rejection. Love opens your arms and exposes your heart. Love holds on tight – it doesn’t chain you down. TRUE love is always available and waiting. Love allows for choice.

What is a Christian? I’m not sure. Christian is just a word. Whether or not I belong to Christ is a choice. When we belong to Christ, and are in Him and He in us, it is apparent that He has brought about a change in us. We become more and more Christ-like the longer and closer we walk with Him.

JOHN 15:8 (NIV)
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Before long, we must take a look at our faith. Are we Christian? Or, do we let Christ be our life? Do we call out to Him, or do we call out in faith? Have we placed the full weight of our trust in God? Does our life bear the mark of God? Do we say we believe, or can we not contain the actions of a Christ-follower due to the fact that our faith in Him – in answer to His great love for us – has resulted in our letting Jesus be our life?

JAMES 2:18-19 (NIV)
“But some will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”

Are you a follower of Christ? Do you accept what He has done for you? Do you trust in Him? Do you cling to Him? Do you put your whole weight upon God who, through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, has demonstrated His unyielding love for you in the crucifixion of your sins? In Him there is light and life. He is the most excellent way.

JOHN 14:6 (NIV)
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

He loves you, and even me. Out of His unimaginable love He places great worth and value upon us all. Jesus shows us the way to the Father through faith in Him and what He has done for us. We cannot gain this worth. We can’t change who we are to fulfill His checklist. We can’t act a certain way to make Him place high value on us. You can’t make Him love you more – and He will never love you less. So, what is worth? What is Christian? All I know is that He loves me more than I know. Because He loves me I have let Him into my life and He has changed me, and is changing me. His love that brings around this change in me causes me to bear good fruit. I don’t try to act good at church and do good deeds to earn points – I just can’t help it. I have worth.