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Favor

Genesis 39; Mark 9; Job 5; Romans 9

How do you define God’s favor? When I think about it, words like success and honor come to mind. Mostly because these are things that make me feel good. Surely that would be Gods favor, right? Today, we read about Joseph, which is one of my favorite stories and Job which is one of the most confounding to me. As I consider why, I can see that both challenge my thinking about God’s favor.

We see in Genesis 20 that “God was with Joseph.” The results are obvious. Joseph was successful, an overseer, and charge of Potifer’s house. Good things were happening to Joseph because of God’s favor. Of course, bad things happen to good people and because of a lie told by Potifer’s wife, Joseph gets fired and thrown in jail. But, according to verse 21, God still favored him. Even in prison, Joseph enjoyed Gods favor. Once again it showed up as being in charge. In fact, the warden gave him complete control over the entire prison.   Now, when I consider God’s favor relative to Joseph, I see something I want.

Compare the favor that God shows Joseph with that of Job. We see that God clearly loves and favors Job through the words he uses to describe him. God calls him the finest man in all the earth, blameless, marked with complete integrity, fearful of God and obedient. (Job 2:3). Surely this warrant’s God’s full blessing. Unlike Joseph, the words used to describe Job’s life are destruction, terror and grief. Not only does Job have to endure great loss, he must also suffer the scathing rebuke of his best friends. Do you see why this is confounding to me? Who would want that?!

Here lies my dilemma. I want God in my life because of who I know him to be. He is our creator, eternal father, counselor and guide. Being true to my belief requires that I put all of my hope in him, no matter what. I cannot choose him only if my life looks like Joseph; I must also accept the possibility of Job. Paul brilliantly describes this true faith in Romans 9:20. He says,

who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “why have you made me like this?”” (Romans 9:20)

Far more than I care to admit here, I often reject the favor that God is currently showing me. I do this because my focus is inward, based on my own understanding, rather than the Kingdom.

When we have a kingdom focus, we are able to endure all things, as Job did. Our proper perspective of God allows us to embrace Paul’s description of what God wants for us, which is “to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.” (Romans 9:23). When I ponder the riches of his glory shining on me, I get goose bumps. As remember that Jesus’ death makes me worthy, I feel God’s favor in a powerful way. I believe that Job must have had similar understanding.

Father, I confess that I want to determine the way you work on my behalf. Today, I again surrender to your will, whatever it is. I trust that your way is higher and better than my own. I accept that you are for me and not against me. I believe; help my unbelief!

Miracles

Today’s reading: Genesis 38; Mark 8; Job 4; Romans 8

February 5th, 2016

In the past when I have gone through, what some may refer to as difficult times, I do my best to listen to the Spirit and seek out what God is trying to teach me. Wednesday night was one of these times. A time when a situation, so gripping on the soul, that a moment’s loosening can create so much hope that it will end. During one of these flash of relief I found myself, in prayer, begging God that the relief would continue through the night. When the relief ceased, I began to beg its return. But, by the grace of God, being of sound mind, the Spirit returned my thoughts to the question at hand; “what are You trying to teach me LORD?”

An answer came, “Perseverance”. Whenever answers come clear, I can not help but be overwhelmed with thankfulness that God would consider a wretch like me. I praised God from my heart for keeping His loving eye on me and it was at that moment I believe my lesson in perseverance began. Thankfulness, contagious as it is, spilled over and took hold the situation.

Instead of begging God that relief would return I began to praise Him for the relief that had come. Thanking Him for the sweetness of it. Then realizing His goodness, I began thanking Him for the next wave of relief that I knew would come. I was at this moment I felt a strong sense of the difference between hope and faith. Praying for something in hope being different than certainty of receipt thereof and thanks therein. He is good! I began to understand how trusting in God’s goodness breeds the faith in deliverance and how perseverance is rooted deep in a holding fast on certain goodness to come. Knowing that relief was coming made turned the moments grip on my soul from bearable to gone. It was already gone. I was already in the future where it was gone. Faith had mounted me up on wings like eagles; my strength had been renewed.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

Throughout Jesus’ ministry miracles are preceded by faith. From today’s reading following Jesus feeding 4,000 we have the Pharisees demanding a sign. Jesus’ response:

And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. – Mark 8:12

This word generation γενεά means: same generation; people of the same kind; descendants; age. I do not believe that generation here used means what we commonly use the term for now; baby boomers, millennials, etc. Particularly so because a miracle had just been performed, which, in my estimation, could easily have been taken as a sign from heaven. But rather meaning more: people of the same kind.

God may we be a people whose trust in You gives us faith like a child. May this faith unlock the miracles You give to Your generation. May You be glorified and may we witness to all the earth the Good News the miracle of saving grace. Amen.

 

Choices of the Flesh

Today’s Readings:  Genesis 37; Mark 7; Job 3; Romans 7

There are many times when I catch myself saying something not Christ-like. I can act in a way that I know I shouldn’t, or have a thought that makes me wonder. Why God? I then reflect and proceed to pray and ask for forgiveness and wisdom to not repeat my shortcoming.  There has been many times where I make a bad decision and would point the blame somewhere else.  I now understand my insecurity a little more and try to just own it.  In today’s readings I’m reminded about my poor actions and thoughts.  I’m so grateful for our God who gives us Grace we don’t deserve. My desires to do right are always there, my mind and “flesh” have different plans sometimes.

Romans 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

I now try to pray throughout my day knowing any moment I could be led astray. I also try to pray in the moments before, during, and after my “flesh” is only thinking about myself and not around God.  Unfortunately, sometimes  my response is – “I’m sorry God, I failed again”. My wife Jennifer and I were baptized at Eastview in the last few years. It has dramatically changed our lives. Being born again through faith happens in seconds, becoming like Christ is a lifelong process.  I tell kids all the time, one of the hardest things we do in life is admit when we do something wrong.  We always want to be right and please yourself or others.  The truth is our actions and thoughts need to be more focused around God. The more we focus on Him, the less likely we will revert to our own ways.  He has given us a story that provides numerous examples of the way we should love others. We must depend on Christ to guide, support, and direct us in ours.

Romans 7:25 I serve the law with God in mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. In our weak earthly moments turn to God and give thanks to God for who He is.

In Mark 7:15 it reads There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. 

This verse reminds me of the my choices I have in allowing what goes into my heart, mind, and body. But, it also reminds me what comes out is also from me. I pray in my responses and actions in our earthly life I act in a manner that was set by our greatest example Jesus.  It’s easy to say and can be encouraged when you start your day with the Word.  But our flesh doesn’t always allow this to happen.  The more you are reading and living in Christ your works will mirror your faith. Philippians 4:8 tells us whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything  worthy of praise, think about these things. Practice these things.

In Genesis 37 Joseph’s brothers sell him because of their “flesh” responses to his dreams. In Job 3, Job’s “flesh” response from the attack by Satan has Job question his own birth. In the unbelievable story of Job, he later goes on to confess and repent for his thoughts and actions.  We to need to do the same.

Job 42:2 I know you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.  

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 

Dear God, I am humbled, grateful, and broken.  You restore, comfort, and love us us like children.  Help us to be centered around you and not our own desires. Thank you for being the Father who picks us up when we are crying out. Thank you for being such a grace-filled  Father.  Amen

 

Freedom in Righteousness

Today’s reading: Genesis 35–36; Mark 6; Job 2; Romans 6

The paradox of freedom, is the power to choose that to which we subordinate our lives.

I didn’t consider the “important” things in my life to be distractions until I found my true purpose.  My hobbies, pursuits and passions seemed so worthwhile, even noble at times, but they were the very things that held me captive.  Vigorously I pursued work, family relationships, fitness and causes; but mostly just work.  My obsession with work often left me physically and mentally depleted and I struggled to find balance.  As it turned out, even balance was just another thing to distract me from the truth.  Then one day, while reading from the book of Ecclesiastes, a light went on — everything was vanity.  Everything that is, except the pursuit of God.  If I wasn’t pursuing God first and foremost, following his law, learning his ways, then I was missing the big point of life.

It wasn’t that my pursuits were bad, though some certainly were; but anything that I preferenced above God was idolatry.  I foolishly put my trust and hope in things that were inferior.  Everything that wasn’t fully subordinated to God’s will was a problem.  Trusting anything more than God was potentially idol worship.  Idolatry.

We can choose to devote ourselves to idols: self, money, sex, power, causes, enterprise, even religion.  We can construct our awesome theories about how the universe works, perhaps even striving to yield our lives in brilliant transcendence to some impersonal force or power that seems to be behind everything.  Then we might even say we have found God and we are spiritual, and perhaps we have and we are.  Alternatively if we intentionally pursue the knowedge of God we can experience real power, and true hope, in a relationship with the personal, living, eternal God who is the creator of everything.  This is the same God whose truth and wisdom is written on our hearts and revealed through our prayers; and in the understanding of God’s Word, which is also found in the Bible, He is revealed!

We will always choose something to worship — we were made to worship.  When we choose to put God first, all other things in our lives find their rightful place.  Some are purged while all others find their order in the prioritities of God’s will.  For most of us this can only happen when we ask, seek and knock.  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened… (Mathew &:7-8)

As I began to trust God, placing Him instead of me on the throne of my life, everything else started to work out.  Not all at once, and not always how I expected — but always perfect.  Looking back, this became easier to see and understand.  I had found real freedom from trusting God, from yielding my ego and intentionally following Jesus Christ.  He is, and was, and is forever the messiah, offering everyone freedom in the deliverance from the fear of loss, death, abandonment, humiliation and scarcity.  I learned that the Lord gives and takes away with purpose and love.  And the more I prayed, and read God’s word, the more I learned about God. The more I learned about God the more I changed.

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).

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1John 4:18).

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry Abba Father. (Romans 8:15).

I was no longer bent on constructing my own imperfect reality.  No longer trying to become the master of my kingdom built upon the sin of self worship.  I was no longer seeking out personal glories and pleasures which had become the broken records of my disappointment.

As I read and prayed and listened, I found ears to hear, and the futility of “doing it my way” (no disrespect to Frank Sinatra but…) was revealed, and in its place I discovered the truth of the freedom of righteousness.  I had been a prisoner to sin.  Now I would become a slave to righteousness, and in that glorious bondage I finally found real freedom.

God I pray that I would never be a slave to sin again, and that I would continue to discover the depths and abundant blessings you have bestowed upon me in the incredible freedom offered through your amazing grace and by the power of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Approach

Portrait of a young high school student bored and frustrated with his head down on his desk

Family: Genesis 34; Mark 5. Secret: Job 1; Romans 5.

My oldest child is just over half way through his first year of middle school. While he didn’t change schools and didn’t change friends this year, his attitude and tone have changed in many every day circumstances.  Those of you who have walked this road as a parent, know exactly what I’m talking about.  My son and I talk often about his approach, how the tone and words he chooses drastically impact the results of his conversations.  Sometimes, when I’m able to patiently respond and extend him a little grace (wish I could say this was most of the time), I’ll ask him if he wants to try again.  I let him try the conversation with me again to see if a changed approach will produce a more positive outcome.

As we read through the book of Matthew and have now started into Mark, we’ve seen Jesus employ different methods of teaching. He was uncompromising in his message, but regularly changed his approach to meet his audience where they were.

Jesus often took a very direct line with the religious teachers of the day. They were continually trying to “catch” Jesus contradicting the law and often questioned his authority.  He usually started his response by calling them hypocrites, used their questions to expose the nature of their hearts, and then clearly stated the truth.  We know his approach with them was effective because they seldom had a rebuttal.

In Matthew and Mark, we also see Jesus teach using many parables. These were every day stories with a heavenly meaning.  The masses could hear the stories, but some, because of their unwillingness to accept the message, could not always understand them.  In fact, Jesus got to the point where he only taught using parables.  It was not because he was trying to hide the truth, but perhaps was an effort to make folks open their hearts in order to hear and understand.

Yesterday in Mark 4, we found Jesus level-setting with his disciples about parables. For this chosen group, he took extra care to make sure they understood.  With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.  He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything (Mark 4:33-34).

He explained everything.  Remember that the disciples weren’t a highly educated group.  Think of the time and care it took to make sure they were connecting the dots well enough to author what would become part of the Bible – God’s living word passed on through the generations.

Today marks our 5th day into the book of Romans.  I realize the subject matter is different from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Romans is not an account of the life of Christ written by one of the disciples, rather it is Paul explaining God’s plan for salvation:  grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  What has been so impactful to me over the past few days is Paul’s unbridled approach.  His passion is so refreshing.  In chapter 1 verse 16 he says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”, and it’s all downhill from there.  Paul just tells it like it is!

Romans 5:6-11

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

While we were still sinners, Christ died to save us. Through his resurrection, we have life. This is the Good News!

Heart Right with God

Today’s reading link: Genesis 33; Mark 4; Esther 9–10; Romans 4

Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” – Genesis 31:-3

We read in Genesis 27:41-42 that Esau planned to kill his brother Jacob, so it is no surprise that Jacob is fearful when God instructs him to return to his homeland (where Esau resides). Jacob could have chosen allow the fear to manifest into distrusting God and therefore avoid Esau, but he obeyed God’s command, trusted His promise, then took action. He shared his fear with God and sent a multitude of gifts to Esau, but today’s focal point is that in his repentance he got his heart right and humbled himself before Esau.

Jacob refers to himself as Esau’s servant, bows before his brother, refers to Esau as “my lord”, and shows great gladness in Genesis 33:10 saying “For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me.” Jacob didn’t try to justify his actions or make excuses. He knew his gifts weren’t enough of an apology, he needed to convey true sorrow and repentance. As for us and God, he doesn’t want excuses, he doesn’t need our gifts or works, he requires our hearts to be right with him.

In Esther 8:10-11, we’re told that the Jews to had been given the right by the king to defend themselves and take the plunder (riches and possessions) of their attackers. In Esther 9:16, after the Jews had triumphed over their attackers they would have been justified in taking the plunder, however they chose not to. Wealth was at their fingertips, theirs for the taking and they didn’t take it! Instead they turned in worship, praise, and thankfulness. As a result of these events, they left a beautiful legacy that would be commemorated “throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city.” Their hearts were right before God.

Mark 4:10-25 also has a heart right theme. These verses basically talk about two ways we can receive God’s word; hearts in the wrong place or the right place. We can read and hear the truth but if our hearts are not right – we miss the message; we’re like the beaten path, the rocky ground, the thorns, or the basket hiding the lamp. When our hearts are right, we allow his word to grow in us and change us to be more like Jesus.

Romans 4 talks about Abraham’s faith through adversity. God promised that Abraham would become the father of many nations however at age 100 things weren’t looking too good. He could have been resentful and lost faith, but on the contrary, his heart was right and his faith grew stronger, and this brought glory to God. We benefit from this faith as well:

And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. – Romans 4:22-25 (NLT)

Father in Heaven, I ask you today to show me where my heart needs to change and be made right so that you may be honored and so that I may know you better. I cannot save myself. My attempt to do good works is not enough, so I thank you for the abundance of mercy and grace you have given through your son Jesus. Thank you God. Amen!

Bandwagon

Fans on stadium soccer game Confetti and tinsel

Genesis 32; Mark 3; Esther 8; Romans 3

Bandwagon is a term that is often thrown around in our society.   Plan to hear it soon with Super Bowl 50 right around the corner. We all know what it is. Bandwagoner’s identify themselves with a group or a team to be on the winning side. They are marked by outward appearances only.   Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon. Esther experienced it, as we will see.

Esther 8:15 reads, “And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.” Do you hear bandwagon in this? I do. Because of the king’s edict, the Jewish people were revered, honored and protected. They became popular.  People from all over clambered for the same attention. But were they really Jews? As I consider that question, I am compelled to ask, “Are we really Christians?” How exactly should we define that relationship?

In his book, Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman defines Christ-Followers. He says, “It may seem that there are many followers of Jesus, but if they were honestly to define the relationship they have with him I am not sure it would be accurate to describe them as followers. It seems to me that there is a more suitable word to describe them. They are not followers of Jesus. They are fans of Jesus.” Do you see how this parallels the bandwagon Jews of Esther 8? When we choose Christ because of what he can do for us, we are similar to bandwagoner’s.  The same people that Paul and Jesus are railing on. In fact, we fit perfectly Paul’s description in Romans 3

 

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one”
(Romans 3:10-12 ESV)

 OUCH! Those words sting! We have exactly two choices to alleviate the pain. One is to renounce Christ, which is clearly a bad choice. The other is to receive, by faith, the justification and redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. (Romans 3:24,25). When we finally surrender to Christ, our salvation becomes “a matter of the heart, by the Spirit and His praise is not from man, but from God.” (Romans 2:29). NOT a bandwagon Christian.

Renew Your Mind

Today’s reading: Genesis 31; Mark 2; Esther 7; Romans 2

January 30th, 2016

Renew Your Mind

From our past reading of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Jesus tells us the dynamics surrounding not forgiving our fellows having received forgiveness from God. When the King forgave the servant his debt it was obviously not about the money. If it were simply the money, what the servant owed the King, what the servant did after it had been forgiven would have no bearing on the matter. But what happened after the servant was forgiven did matter and so we know it was not about the money, the tangible, it was the principle of the matter, the intangible.

The King was giving the servant an intangible gift that unfortunately the servant did not really receive. The gift was meant to renew the servant’s mind. To change what he believed. But when the King found out the servant was collecting debts harshly, He knew the renewal of the servant’s mind had not taken place and so the tangible was gift was revoked and the penalty attached to it reinstated.

This link between the intangible and the tangible is the point today. Take Jesus’s sermon on the mount. It was all about the intangibles. You have heard [tangible], but I say [intangible]. You have heard “Thou shalt not kill” but I say “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment”. Blessed are the meek (intangible) for they shall inherit the earth (tangible). Jesus makes it clear that it is now about the heart and He made it clear that He knows our hearts. And the people were amazed because the word had become flesh and the word is sharper than any two-edged sword able to separate the soul from the spirit and able to judge the intentions of the heart. Jesus shows up and it becomes a matter of the heart.

From today’s reading Apostle Paul warns and even rebukes the religious who are looking down on and judging others; if the intangible is not present, the tangible will neither be.

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? -Romans 2:1-4

This word repentance here μετάνοια, means the changing of one’s mind. In my estimation Apostle Paul is basically saying; “If you truly understood and accepted God’s gift, your mind would be renewed and you would not judge others.”

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. -Romans 2:5

God may we receive Your good gifts in truth and may they renew our minds in Christ Jesus. Would you bless us in this way God? Thank You God! You are good! Amen.

Preparing our Way

“Behold, I send a messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”   Mark 1:2-3

“Behold”, the voice of one crying out! The word behold itself makes me look, wonder, who is he talking about?  Mark captures this image of John the Baptist proclaiming this message of Jesus to everyone over 2,000 years ago.  This same message is present for all of us today.  It’s such a blessing to hear and share the word with others knowing we are preparing each other for an eternity with him. The kingdom of God is at hand.  Jesus proclaimed the word and performed miracles with everyone providing support to their faith.  Jesus has performed miracles in my life.  I’m not worthy, but grateful. I pray to for our courageousness to share this good news with others and opening our eyes to witness the daily miracles around us. Helping us all to be prepared for him.

Mark 10:45 says  he came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many. (Thank You God)

To the eyes John wore camel hair and ate locust with honey. This image could possibly scare someone or start a new fad diet these days.  Either way, John’s faith and message of Jesus would change your life. “Behold!”At a time when some people were waiting for Jesus to come, John shared and prepared others for Jesus. John baptizes many telling those baptized, Jesus will baptize you  by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus wants us to repent for our sins asking for forgiveness. We need to build our relationship with him by faith and obey his word. (making our paths straight) In what ways are we preparing others for a relationship with God?

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

Jesus has prepared our way and provided us with a way to live our lives. I recently heard, “We have been changed, and being changed“(Sanctified – Sanctification).  It’s an on-going process.

Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. And immediately they left their nets and followed him(17-18). When we immediately do this we see the miracles he performs. When we do things at our time often our path goes off track and we need some spurring from God or fellow believers to get us back on.  I’m grateful for the spurring I receive from all of you.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

Paul reminds me in Romans 1:17 God is revealed from faith for faith. Having faith he has prepared a path just for you.  We strive to have our path that is righteous by faith. Apart from faith, we have no hope in life.  Thank you God for preparing our path to you.  What path are you on?

 

 

The Price of Sin and the Value of Grace.

January 28, 2016

Link to today’s reading: Genesis 29; Matthew 28; Esther 5; Acts 28

It is very hard for me to grasp the price of sin. Romans 6:23 reminds us, the wages of sin is death. I take this on face value that there are serious consequences for sinning. In a very basic way, sin can be anything that puts my interest before God’s. How often do I do that?  Can I even count that high?

Not keeping God’s Commandments and breaking the law might mean losing the opportunity for sharing eternal life with God. If it is sin that separates me from God, then it is no wonder I cannot expect to dwell with God forever based upon my efforts alone.

Despite my depravity, God made a provision for my salvation, not only from death but from a misdirected life. In His abundant mercy and amazing grace, He died for me, bridging the void created by sin. He paid the price so that I wouldn’t have to, freeing me from the consequence of my sin and restoring me to the intended fellowship with God. The price of my sin alone was so high in fact that the only way to pay it was for God himself to suffer and die on the cross. Only then could I be redeemed.

Yesterday’s reading made it clear how agonizing the death of Jesus was. He suffered to pay for my sins. Perhaps His greatest agony was that moment before he died when God’s spirit pulled away, leaving Jesus to suffer as a man. A man that had been perfectly united to God throughout his life on earth. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Today’s reading speaks of Jesus’s resurrection. This was the defining moment of Christianity. The proof and proclamation of the power of Jesus and the reconciliation of God to all humanity. By accepting Jesus, we can live in the knowledge that our slate is marked clean. We have nothing to prove to God if we accept by faith, that all was proven for us. This is the easy part (Jesus did the hard part). If we can get to this point, then we are called to put our faith into action. It is in humility and gratitude, that we seek the life that God has called us to, through the disciplines of prayer, study, service, continual repentance, and sacrifice. To glorify God in all things.  On the surface this may seem hard, and yet, in the sincere pursuit of God, we learn more and more about God’s character and will. About God’s love.  Then through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, it is possible to be transformed as we begin to conform our lives to God’s will. The way we were meant to be in the beginning.

For me, transformation began in the willingness (and then desire) to seek God above all else. This was the only way I was able to get past the confusion and self deceit in my life. Trust me, there was a lot of both. Unfortunately it took over fifty years to find the faith to do so. A faith I prayed to receive. Then I did.

“Father I pray that those who do not know you would not have to wait as long as me. That your Holy Spirit and your Word, would peirce the hearts of unsaved souls across the world, in our neighborhoods and within our families, bringing forth the abundance of the knowledge of your truth. Amen!”

Ultimately in our faith we are called to “good works,” for “faith without works is dead.” We are to be known by our fruit, which cannot ignore our response to the Great Commission; the command of the resurrected Jesus’s to his Disciples:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…..” (Matthew 28: 19-20)

I’m not really sure why it took so long for me. Probably a combination of my stubbornness, arrogance and utter confusion. I didn’t really understand who God was, or how big He was. Nor did I really understand who I was — so broken and lost. In my arrogance I was deceived, not truly understanding what was at stake or how wonderfully different life in a relationship with God could be. I didn’t understand how low the value of the things that God wanted me to turn over to Him were, especially when compared to the value of what God offered me — a new life of abundant blessing in grace and sufficiency.

The easier thing for me was talking to God, asking for help, clarity and strength. Always asking God to do more made me realize I always needed God’s help. Eventually I found the strength (in God) to pursue God with more intention. Then a crazy thing happened, I began to experience the power of God’s love, and this eventually became the best thing in my life. As I began to change on the inside, I hungered more and more for God’s presence, and to know His will for my life.

I am a fatally superficial person.  Thankfully, the death and resurrection of Jesus turned my life inside out. What’s your next move?