Conditioning for Eternity

This year I was inspired to get working on  conditioning my body (temple) so I might be better fit for service in the kingdom of God. Thanks to my wife, as my accountability, I have managed to maintain a 3-4 day/week exercise routine for the past two months and the results are already starting to show! I genuinely feel better about myself and have developed a greater sense of awareness of things which may hurt the conditioning process of my body.

This week I came across the verse in 1 Timothy that says, "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Tim 4:8). 

Godliness is the most beneficial element for living, and just as the health benefits for the body come through endurance and strength conditioning, so do the benefits for the entire human being (body, mind and soul) through spiritual conditioning (i.e. godliness). 

Just as it takes work to reap the benefits of a healthy body, so the same principle applies to spiritual, mental and emotional health. We must seize the opportunity of our brief existence and bring our body, mind and soul under the conditioning of godliness. According to Paul the Apostle's counsel to Timothy - it will benefit this life as well as the life to come!

As we breathe, and move and have our being here in this life, may we not squander our precious time with things that do not play a conditioning role to the health of our mind, body and spirit. May godliness be our daily exercise while we have the time available to on this side of Heaven. 

Searching for the Lost Key

Today started out like a dream. I got to sleep in and share breakfast with my wife, and I had time to exercise before I had to head to work around noon. That is until... I couldn't find the key to the car. I retraced every step I could possibly remember where I'd been last night before bed and I could not come up with the missing keys. I searched through laundry, under the bed covers, all the usual spots we leave our pocket items and still nothing!

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, asking the Lord to help me find them without losing my head. Suddenly I had the thought, "the chair!" Things fall out of our pockets in the recliner all the time, maybe the keys fell through the cracks. I flipped the recliner over to search the cracks and there on the floor was the lost key! My peace was restored and my sanity remained in tact as I let my wife know after 30 minutes of searching that I'd found the lost key.

Immediately after I found the key, I was reminded of the the woman in Jesus' parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10). She swept her house, and searched carefully until she found what she was looking for. Jesus said, "In the same way, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." The rejoicing in light of the labor involved to find what once was lost is an eruption of sheer joy in heaven; that upon the moment of confession and conversion, a sinner reborn into a saint brings God the same joy as I had when I found the lost key. Why would I not want play my part in the search for the lost - that God might have such joy in the sinner who repents?

Thank you Lord for this insightful illustration today. I pray for those who bring you joy in their repentance today - being found in your grace!

Thanks be to God

Is it any surprise that 2013 has already come barreling down the pike toward the finish line of the holidays? Christmas decorations have been up now in stores since as early as the day after Halloween and in some occasions even weeks earlier! Thanksgiving is upon us and it would appear that our mixed bag of emotions has hardly taken the time to process the occasion for which we draw together to give thanks for.

I propose, everyone falls into one of 3 major categories concerning the subject of Thanksgiving:

1. Those who readily are able to express their thanks for all they have and even offer praise to God as the source for which all things come.
2. Those who have experienced so much turmoil over the years that it is hardly possible to collect a single thought of thanksgiving at all.
3. Those who tend to keep a scorecard of things worth thanksgiving and things not worth thanksgiving; often resulting in more negative results than positive.

Whichever category we happen to fall into, I should like to think there are certain things that all of us can agree on to some extent that are worthy of expressing thanks; all of which trace their roots back to God Himself.

Let us begin by declaring, "Thanks be to God" for the following priceless gifts:

• For Life: God is our Heavenly Creator and these aspects reveal its value to us as something we should give our thanks to God. 
• Pleasure: God made us for His pleasure and it is in Him that we find our greatest pleasure (Gen 3; Matt 16:15; Col 1:16). 
• Purpose:  God gave man ability and responsibility (Gen 2:15; Jer 29:11; Eccl 12:13.
• Privilege: God gave man the greatest privilege in the order of Creation (to bear His image) (Gen 1:26; Ps 8:4-6).

• The French philosopher, Rene Descartes, said "I think, therefore I am"... meaning that even if all we can do is doubt our worth - the fact that we can "think" at all proves we have more value than nothing. God wants us to discover life in its fullest as He intended.

•  For Truth: God is our Divine Teacher and these aspects reveal its value to us as something we should give our thanks to God.
• Logic: God has given man the unique ability to reason and rule (Rom 1:20). To arrive at conclusions means we are capable of discerning what is true from what is false.
• Law: God has given mankind His holy standards (Psalm 119; Rom 7:7; 1 John 2:4), in order that he might live right before Him.
• Love: God has demonstrated truth in the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 15:10; Rom 5:8); the Way, the Truth and the Life.

• Like driving on a highway without a single source of light is nothing short of suicide, so is life without truth. It is the substance which reveals the way to God and it is written clearly in the pages of God's Holy Word, the Bible.

 

• For Hope: God is our Gracious Redeemer and these aspects reveal its value to us as something we should give our thanks to God.
• Redemption: Jesus paid the price for our sin (Rom 3:24-26; Eph 1:7; Col 1:20); in his death, the wrath of God upon sin is fully satisfied.
• Resurrection: Jesus offers new life by his authority and victory over death (John 11:25; Rom 6:4); taking our sin and shame to the grave then triumphing over it!
• Reward: Jesus is preparing a place for God's people (John 14:1-6; 2 Cor 4:18); an eternal abode where we can bask in His presence for eternity.

• The cross was once an object of hellish terror; a Roman instrument of oppressive domination. But the work of Christ transformed it into the ultimate symbol of hope; a reminder of the amazing grace of God.

As we approach the holiday of giving thanks, may we think about such precious gifts our Heavenly Father has given to us. Life is so much more than the trivial things and circumstances we find ourselves caught up in day after day. When we pause this Thanksgiving to express our thanks - may we be reminded of the treasures God has given us in Life, Truth and Hope; that we may live in the fullness of peace that He offers us through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord!

God bless you and have a most Happy Thanksgiving in Jesus' name!

Addressing the Subtlety of Sin

The hard truth about the nature of sin becomes clear when one humbly takes time to reflect deeply on the Holy nature of God. When one sincerely explores the reality of how perfectly pure our LORD is, he becomes tragically aware of how short he falls in comparison to God's Holiness. 

Although the doctrine of grace is an essential tenate in Protestant Christian Orthodoxy, it is rather pathetic how quick believers are to dismiss their shortcomings under the convenient blanket of His grace while making little to no effort to deal sufficiently with the course of their rebellious nature and it's destructive influence on others. With such attitudes, we mock His grace and trample over the character of God we are commanded to emulate before the world. Is it any wonder why the world is lost in darkness when His holiness is not visible among His own people? Although the grace of God covers all sins, past, present and future, many mistakenly fall into the line of thinking the Apostle Paul addressed in Romans 6:1-14, that we can somehow continue to live in sin so that grace may increase. This is fraudulent application of the grace of God! How long will we resist His command to "go and sin no more" (John 8:11)? How long will we be wise in our own eyes and ignore the blessed assurance of His precious gift of salvation? Is it not for this reason that Christ died? To save us from sin?

We say things like, "your convictions are not my convictions, so don't judge me." Is Christ divided? Is truth relative? Is God's character so vague that His own sheep are unable to recognize His voice among other shepherds of worldly wisdom (John 10:27)? Friends - Brothers and Sisters, The Lord our God is One! Therefore let us strive to become more like Him. He is our standard and in Him we find the common bond of holiness and resist the enemies tactics to enslave us in sin. How can we show others the way if we ourselves do not walk in it?

The subtlety of sin is a colorless, odorless disease which remains undetected without the presence of the Holy Spirit. Rather than remain spiritually immature our whole lives and forfeit the purpose of God's grace to bring us further along in holiness, why don't we get busy with the surrender of ourselves? To quit making excuses for sin and get marching in the disciplined ranks with consecrated members of the body of Christ. The Spirit is grieved by seeing members of the Church contented in ignorance, assuming the grace of God excuses them from responsible, sacrificial, obedient holy living. These are the reasons why the world looks on and sees nothing but hypocrisy and confusion within the Church. 

We must get over ourselves and recognize the Spirit's call to abandon our foolish self-serving ways. If every man's interpretation of truth is right, then sin, evil and darkness are no different than holiness, good and light. There is but one Truth, one way to live and one path of righteous living - and it is found only in the leading of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. 

May we no longer misspend the precious blood of Christ as we ignore His holy standards for our lives! It's time to "deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him" (Matt 16:24). 

Halloween

As the temperatures begin to drop and the colors of the leaves begin to change, our minds begin to shift into the mode of the approaching holiday seasons. By mid August we see the stores have already stocked their shelves with candy, costumes and decorations for Halloween; a night full of ancient traditions and superstitions. 

But what is Halloween really? Is it a night of harmless fun or a day for the devil to come out and play? As a Christian, how should one approach this holiday (if one should call it a holy day at all)?

Believe it or not, most of the of the traditions of Halloween date back long before the time of Christ. Many current themes of Halloween owe their origins to ancient pagan Druid religious festivals.

Today's ghosts, witches, demons, and spirits, are modern tributes to pagan worship. In-fact many of the ancient customs of Gaelic festivals are practiced much in the fashions they began thousands of years ago. Some of these rituals include summoning the dead for insight on the future, sacrifices of animals and humans, invoking the help of demons and even the devil himself.

Yet many Christians seem to believe in a harmless nature of today's themes of Halloween, hosting parties, dressing up in costumes, trick or treating and such. The Bible offers strict warning to God's children to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness and pagan traditions. It's actually one of the most consistent themes discouraged among God's people; called to be set apart from the world and it's vast practices of evil.

If this blog has caught your attention, I'd like to encourage you to do some research yourself on the origins and themes of Halloween. You may be surprised at what you discover. For starters you might want to check out "The Facts on Halloween" by John Ankerberg, John Weldon & Dillon Burroughs. 

The Evidence of Holiness

In today's world, as well as throughout history, the Church often finds itself divided on a number of different issues; holiness is one of them. After all, when the Lord commands, "be holy as I am holy," how are we to understand and apply this imperative?

Paul likens the members of the Church to the human body (1 Corinthians 12:12-26); intimately connected and subordinate to the head who is Christ. In this discourse we find that we all experience the pains and pleasures associated with the entirety of the Church; our sufferings and victories, our joys and our shames. We are unified by the blood and benevolence of Christ.

That being said, God's standards are often drawn into question, debate and conflict among Church members, not to mention the world. Jesus, Peter, Paul, John and other apostles often fought through this reality among fallen humanity. Heresy has been at war with orthodoxy since the very beginning (Gen 3) and will continue to stand opposed to the Truth until the consummation of all things. 

How should the world come to know the Truth of God from a lie (Romans 1:25)? How should it know the misdeeds of darkness without the Light of God? How can the fellowship of God's people be sharpened by the Spirit of God without the sword o His Holy Word?

There is but One Truth in the midst of a world-wide network of lies. Many claim to know the truth of God and yet are decieved by the prince of lies because deception is often 99.99% truth. Paul tells us to "not conform to the patterns of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." In other words, we must resist the worlds philosophies of morality no matter how good they may sound and rather allow the Holy Spirit to transform and renew us according to God's absolute standard of truth. Otherwise, as James says in his first chapter, if we doubt God's Word and rather succumb to doubt, we are tossed by the wind and waves of every kind of teaching; a double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways.

Holiness is simply this: that we recognize God is Holy, and that our obedience to His Word will ensure a life full of reward. Truth is often debated, but it is not divided. Interpretation and application of His Truth is either properly done or improperly done. This is why the body of Christ must be divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. We cannot live in two kingdoms, we are either united with Christ, or united with the world.

In the end, Jesus tells us that God will gather all nations before Him and separate them as a shepherd separates sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). It is critical that we pursue Truth at all costs, because in the end we may find ourselves surprised by God's judgment. Life is too short and eternity is too permanent to assume God will not be just concerning His people and their responsibility to holiness. 

First Impressions

Today as I was surfing through Facebook profiles, it occurred to me that there is an image impression tied to everyone's personality. This is no news flash - I know. Everyone has their likes and dislikes, preferences, talents, passions, sports team, job/occupation and traditions that make up their unique identity.

What occurred to me that was so striking is that the first impression is often what people identify us by. He loves football, she loves to shop, our neighbors love to travel, my doctor is a golfer, my boss is a fisherman... etc.

Sometimes our first impressions are negative: this one is lazy, that one has a serious weight problem, he has anger issues, she is a gossip, my neighbor is vulgar and abusive, my brother is an absent father, my sister is a spoiled brat...etc. 

Whether positive or negative our first impressions are of people, we should consider the value of our own impression to the world. What will I be identified by? What will be my legacy? Will I be known for my loyalty to my favorite sports team? My possessions? My special skill or occupation? My swag?

Will I be know for my carelessness? My obesity? My arrogance? My poor stewardship or abusive treatment toward family, friends and neighbors?

When considering leaving a legacy in the perspective of eternity, might I be known as a faithful witness for Jesus Christ? Will I stand before God and hear Him commend me for my collection of movies and digital content? My commitment to physical exercise or even feeding the hungry? Or will He say "well done my good and faithful servant! You not only told others about me, you showed me to them through your actions."

If the greatest commandment God gave us was to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength" then shouldn't our first impression to the world reflect our loving devotion and infatuation with Jesus Christ (our Savior, Master, Redeemer, King of Kings and Lord of Lords).

Too often, I believe we let peripheral things interfere with our true identity in Christ. People will identify us by our skin color, our occupation, our sports teams, our clothing brand... However, if our love for Christ is foremost visible in our everyday lives, we can walk with the assurance that others will likely be drawn to Him simply through our first (lasting) impressions.