Don’t Forget to Remember

At the beginning of Luke 24, we read about a few women who approach the tomb and are utterly perplexed that Christ is gone and the stone is rolled away. It takes two dazzling angels popping up in front of them and reminding them of everything that Christ told them before they remember. Now, before we give them too hard of a time for not remembering what He had told them, let’s remember the traumatic experience they had just gone through: they watched their Rabbi and friend die a horrible death on the cross. In the midst of that tragedy, it wasn’t until they were reminded by their friendly angelic hosts that they were able to see through their pain and remember Christ’s promises.

Why do I bring up this story of the forgetful women? Because I know, at some point in time, you are going to be there. When tragedy strikes, or plans go awry, or life is incredibly complicated, it is easy to forget the promises of God and His continuous faithfulness in our lives.

Since we have a tendency to forget, let me get painfully practical with you. When you are going through a storm, I challenge you to remember God’s faithfulness by responding to your storm by clinging to Him. For me, an easy way to do this is through journaling. I try to focus on three P’s (gotta love alliteration): prayer, promises, and presence.

Grad a notebook and write down your prayer requests to God. Be specific. This will give you clarity in getting your hopes/worries/thoughts/fears etc. on paper and helps you to cast your cares onto him.

Secondly, write down His promises. Search for Scriptures that apply to your current situation, and claim the promises that God gives us.

Finally, record moments where you see God’s presence at work in your life. Write down these significant events so they will be a spiritual marker on your path towards Him.

Journaling these three things will help you see God’s continuous faithfulness in your life. We can’t forget to remember!

The “Do to Become” Progression

In my last blog, a friend of mine, Chris, brought out an interesting concept that I want to examine a bit: he mentioned “do to become” progression that every Christian should go through.

What is the idea of this progression exactly? Think of it this way: let’s say you want to be a tennis player. Your dad gives you a racket and a can of balls, and you are ready to go out and play.

At that point, are you a tennis player? I would say yes. You have the equipment, and you have the ability to step on the court and play. As soon as you get that racket, you are a “tennis player.” With that being said, would you be a very good tennis player if you never took lessons? If you never practiced a forehand, backhand, serve, or volley? You have the ability to play, and you have the equipment necessary, but you have to put in the work to get better! If you actually wanted to do anything on the court, you would have to be willing to practice. To become a tennis player who can actually make an impact, you have to “do!”

Similarly, as soon as we accept Christ, we are Christians. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and we are ambassadors for Him. But we must be willing to practice. To “do” spiritual disciplines and work on our strokes in order to become a Christian worth his salt. In order to “become” more like Christ.

When you are practicing at any sport, there is never really a day when you wake up and suddenly you are the athlete you wanted to be. Instead, you just realize that over the course of years of practice, you have “become” an athlete.

We all want to “become” more like Christ. The catch is that there is no real fast track (after salvation). You must be willing to pick up your cross daily and practice the disciplines. As you “do,” you will “become!”

“Should Do” to “Can’t Not Do”

I was having coffee with a college student the other day. He had expressed an interest in helping out in our discipleship program and I just wanted to get to know him a little better and see what he was all about. In the middle of our conversation, he said something so profound that I grabbed my journal and jotted it down right then. I mean, I literally cut him off and wrote it down verbatim. It was that good.

What did he say? I was asking him about what God was teaching him, and he had shared about how a mission trip to Asia had really impacted him, and how the faith he had seen on display at a house church in Asia had actually ignited something in him. He longed to see American Christians have that kind of passion and faith. He then said that when you really experience Christ, it “changes what you should do into what you can’t not do.”

Think about that for a second. If you really experience Christ…if you have the Spirit of the living God dwelling inside you, the Great Commission and the pursuit of Holiness no longer become things you “should do.” Prayer, Bible study, corporate worship…they are all no longer on the checklist. There’s no need for a checklist because you literally can’t think of not doing them!

You can’t help but to put others above you. You can’t help but to cheerfully give to God. You can’t help praying for your city. You can’t help being an ambassador for Christ.

That college student radically simplified what it meant to be a devoted Christ follower to me over a cup of coffee. Because, when you really think about, if God captures your heart, there really is no more “should do.” Instead, your “should do” becomes “can’t not do.”

That college student radically simplified what it meant to be a devoted Christ follower to me over a cup of coffee.

The Issue of Indifference

There are about 6.7 billion people in our world. According to desiringgod.com, 2.1 billion of those people are Christians. That means that over 68% of our world is lost.

Let that sink in. Basically, 7 out of every 10 people walking on our planet will go to Hell unless they accept Christ. 7 out of every 10! Think of it this way: if you were to randomly be put in a group with two other people from around the globe, the percentages say, if you are saved, that they would both be lost. It is staggering that over 2/3s of our world will be separated from God forever.

Now, let me be bold enough to ask you to be brutally honest with yourself. When is the last time you lost sleep praying for the lost? If you are anything like me, far too often your head hits the pillow and you rest easy, even though there are 4.6 billion lost people on earth. How can we be so indifferent?!

Why are we calloused? Why aren’t our hearts breaking for the lost? I really think it deals with the fact that we simply don’t pray for the lost enough, and we surely don’t see them the way God does.

The other day, I was telling a friend about some things that God was working on in my spiritual walk, and I was blown away when he boldly committed to praying for me for 15 minutes every day for the next month. Not only was I blown away, but I was convicted. This was a commitment from one believer to another, and when was the last time I committed to praying for a specific lost friend for a quarter of an hour a day for a month? If my friend could be that intentional for me, couldn’t I do the same for the 70% that don’t know Christ?!

We must repent of our indifference and ask for God to give us His heart for His lost children. If we are supposed to love others the way He loves us, wouldn’t that mean we have lost any excuse we have for indifference?!

Please God, wake up your church and provide us an antidote to the issue of our indifference.

So That’s What My Hip Bone Looks Like…

A few weeks ago, I started noticing something kind of odd in the mirror. Something that I hadn’t seen in like a decade suddenly became prominently displayed on my physique. A new tattoo? Nope. A grown man’s mustache? Certainly not (still unable to pull that one off!). If you guessed my hip bone, you are right on the money!

Why is this reappearance happening? Well, in the past 7 months, I have lost 70 lbs. Now, before you start congratulating me or asking me if I am part of the P90X club, understand that the vast majority of my weight was dropped because of gastrointestinal issues. It’s always awkward when someone I haven’t seen in awhile comes to congratulate me, and then I have to sheepishly explain I was incredibly ill, and we kind of just stand around and try to change the subject to something else.

After having my gall bladder removed and being placed on various medications and diets, the doctors are hoping that my digestive system is getting back on the right track, and I hope so too (I really miss milkshakes and cheeseburgers!). It is pretty odd weighing in the 170s, which happens to be basically the amount I weighed ten years ago (when I was a junior in high school).

But why, exactly, am I bringing up my hip bone? Because honestly, it had gotten a little padding around it, and while I knew it was there, no one else could see it…they just saw the fluff that covered it. People could see the love handles, but they couldn’t see what was underneath. My hip bone was comfortably tucked away and covered, which is something that believers often do with their faith.

Give yourself an honest assessment. What do people see when the look at you? Is Christ’s light evident and shining through you, or are there other things, “fluff,” that are covering it up? Just as I lost that excess weight that was covering up my hip, sometimes we need to be bold enough to ask God to burn away the dross that has slowed us down and limited others from seeing our light.

It’s funny, because I knew my hip bone was in there, but now that the love handles are gone, other people see it to. I promise you that people will notice when you cut the fluff and start seriously living a cross-centered life.

The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 12 that we should strip off everything that hinders to run the race that Christ has set out for us. He is saying that we have to get rid of the fluff. When people see us, they need to see our hip bones! They need to see the light of Jesus in us above all else.

When people look at you, do they see the light, or do they see love handles?

The Lure of the “Wild”

I just recently finished reading Krakauer’s Into the Wild (I understand that I am a few years late to the party on reading this book, but I guess better late than never). While I jumped into the narrative about a college grad, Christopher McCandless, who gave away all his savings and decided to try discover himself by living life on his own; McCandless’ journey struck a unique chord with me. After traveling for a few years doing odd jobs and hitchhiking around the country, McCandless decided to go on a huge adventure into the Alaskan wilderness, where he would live off the land and off the grid.

The question we all ask while reading his tragic story (spoiler alert: he died) is this, “What would possess this guy to take such risks?”

And really, why would a college grad give up his $25,000 in savings and abandon his car and change his name to “Alex Supertramp?” I think it is far to easy and missing the point if we just write him off as a mentally unstable person who had a death wish. Was it his hubris that led to his death, going completely unprepared into the Alaskan wilderness?

Examining McCandless’ life should bring about some healthy introspection. Does what possessed Chris to make it on his own in the wild also dwell inside of us? What drove him to live the life he lived? Do we have the lure of the wild in us as well?

Really, while Chris’ story is a sensational example, his narrative is not much different from any of us. His story, like the story of us all, is one of identity. He went out searching for his identity in nature. He chased thrill after thrill, trying to find satisfaction by living off the land and isolating himself from what he saw as the perils of modern culture. It is important to realize that we are very similar to Chris. Whether we look for our identity in nature, or in culture, or in our personal achievements, the truth is we all want to discover our real identity. We want happiness and joy and purpose.

And, while the vast majority of us won’t travel into the Alaskan wilderness and perish while trying to live off the land, many of us will wander through life, searching for meaning in all the wrong places. The same fault that befell Chris is something we are far too often guilty of as well. We simply try to make sense of life on our own. And that, is exhausting and pointless.

When will we stop trying to find ourselves and instead realize that we are hopelessly lost? When will we stop trying to cure ourselves when we are diseased beyond repair? When will we stop trying to be our own savior?

Ultimately, we can learn something incredibly vital from the Into the Wild: you can’t save yourself, no matter how hard you try.

We are irrevocably broken. We can’t save ourselves. We have an existential crisis on our hands that we can’t fix. So what can we do about it? Nothing. Fortunately, we don’t have to. Christ already did.

The question of purpose in life won’t be answered by adventure or unplugging from culture. The only answer for that question that will ever make sense is “Jesus.”

The real tragedy of Chris McCandless’ story isn’t that he died of starvation alone in the Alaskan wilderness. No, the real tragedy is that everyone without Christ is as lost as he was.

The Real Fountain of Youth

“May the Lamb that was slain receive the just reward for His sufferings.”
– Moravian Missionary

Many of us have heard about the legend of the fountain of youth. Supposedly, there existed somewhere a fountain where its waters would restore your youth to you. In other words, if you got into this water, you could live forever.

Many people went on a search for this fountain, most notably Ponce de Leon. Many scholars think that his exploration of Florida had a hidden agenda of finding this fountain.

Not surprisingly, such a fountain has never been discovered. Why I have just given you a many history lesson on this mythical fountain? Because honestly (and you probably know where this is heading), if such a fountain did exist, and you were the person fortunate enough to discover it, I think the last thing you would do is harbor this secret and keep it to yourself. I’m guessing you would share it with friends and family members so that they could stay “forever young” just like you.

As you well know, we have been given the true fountain of life, and partake of it when we drinkk the living water of salvation that Jesus offered to us through his death on the cross. Sadly though, we often harbor this truth and never share it with others.

If Christ in us is really the hope of glory, like Paul tells us in Colossians, then we need to make sure that glory is evident in our lives!

Jesus went through so much to bring us into right relationship with the father. He left his rightful position at the right hand of God to humble himself and die a sinner’s death on the cross for each of us.

We must make sure that he receives the reward for his sufferings. And we do that by living boldly for him! Jesus is the remedy for this world. And in God’s divine providence, he decided to use us as his conduits for sharing this remedy.

The world is broken, and we have the fountain of youth.

We Need a Remedy

“In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.”
– Timothy Keller

Take a minute and think about the basic idea behind every major world religion sans Christianity. What is the common bond that ties together everything from Islam to Hinduism to Buddhism to Mormonism to everything in between? Your human effort. Quite simply, religions are formulated around the concept that if you work hard enough, or are obedient enough, or are kind enough, or whatever enough, then you can achieve bliss, nirvana, heaven, etc.

Now, with that concept in mind, re-read the quote above from Tim Keller. Ultimately, what is his point? There is nothing we can do on our own accord to merit salvation. Nothing. Contrast that idea with the ideals espoused by every other world religion. See the rub?

All over the world, people are looking for something more. Without a doubt, people know that a remedy is required. However, what sets Christianity apart from every other religion is the concept that we cannot do anything on our own to earn favor with God or work our way into a better afterlife. The story of Christianity is the store of a broken world in need of a Savior.

Do you realize how we desperately need the remedy that Jesus Christ provides for us on the cross?!

Paul reveals that remedy in the verse below:

“You see, at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
– Romans 5:6 (NIV)

We find our remedy not by working harder, or being more obedient, or achieving a zen-like state. On the contrary, the remedy that we all desire is found not through what we can do, but what Christ already did for us.

We need a remedy. Sometimes, we feel like we can fix ourselves. We believe if we just worked a little harder, or were a little more successful, or had a little more money, than everything would be better. However, the truth is that we are unable to save ourselves. No matter what we do, it will never be good enough. While this might sound depressing, it is actually an incredibly freeing truth. It’s not up to us! Christ has paved a way for us to have joy in this life and the ability to conquer death!

Take time to seriously pray about this and consider if you have tried to find your own remedy or if you are completely reliant on God. Confess and repent if you have tried to do it on your own. The truth of the matter is we can’t do it. Luckily, Christ already did it. He is our remedy!

Home Alone Faith?

When I say, “Macaulay Culkin,” what pops into your head? I am not telepathic, but I am guessing you thought of the movie, Home Alone (and before you ask, that is how you spell his name…I know, I googled it!). You know what’s really interesting to me about the fact that scenes from that movie are probably dancing in your brain? That particular film came out in 1990!

That’s right, it has been over 20 years since Home Alone came out and Macaulay hit the big screen. And, if you are like me, off the top of your head, you can’t really think of anything else major that he has done with his life. Sure, there were the sequels to Home Alone, and I am sure that they drew at the box office a bit, but they didn’t show any real growth in him as an actor or a person. Now, maybe you are a big time movie buff and you can name another feature film or two, but I am guessing that you wouldn’t disagree with me when I say that the zenith of his career happened with his first big break in 1990.

Why exactly am I rambling on about Mr. Culkin and 20 year old movies? Sadly, I think that many of us have a spiritual journey that mirrors Culkin’s trajectory. What do I mean? If you are a believer, at one point in your life, you burst onto the spiritual scene when Christ became your Savior. Your salvation experience was your “Home Alone.” And, maybe you even went to a revival or summer camp or weekend retreat and had another spiritual experience where you rededicated yourself to your Savior. You might call those times your “sequels.” However, is there any real significant growth in your walk with the Lord?

Too many times we treat our salvation like “fire insurance” and live selfishly and do what we want to do because we have been saved and we feel like that is all we need. That it is the apex of our spiritual experience and that it is all we need from God. Sure, if we go on a retreat or to a revival service, we might feel a bit convicted and promise God we will do better, but really, we are just throwing Home Alone 2 up on the screen. We haven’t really grown from our original time of conversion and the conviction we temporarily feel slowly fades as we get back to living life the way we want.

Basically, way to many believers have a “one hit wonder” kind of faith. They have the “Get Out of Jail Free” card and they are content to let the highlight of their spiritual journey be their spiritual conversion, their Home Alone from decades ago.

Take a look at your own relationship with God. Are you continually growing with him, and do you see the maturation of your relationship as the months go by, or are you stuck with the zenith of your walk being your original conversion?

Being in a vibrant relationship with God means that you have moved passed Home Alone, and you are constantly splashing new hit movies on the sliver screen as God grows you and uses you for His Glory!

Basically, it comes down to this question: Are you continually growing in your faith so God can mold you to fit the next role He has for you in a movie that is actually filming now?

The Birth of Christ Through a Whole New Perspective

So, in case you didn’t notice, there was a pretty significant holiday that just took place this past month: Christmas.

I’m sure that you gave presents to friends and family (and probably received a few too), and ate a lot of sweets, and probably even went to a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at your church. We all know that this holiday is celebrating the birth of Christ. However, in the midst of all your Christmas carols and Christmas cookies, it is easy to just thank the Lord for sending His Son and not really pondering much more about it.

I’ll be honest, I was kind of in that boat. I mean, I love the Lord and am so thankful for Him sending Jesus to earth, but I had never really completely understood the sacrifice that it took.

What do I mean? I just recently had my first child, a son. And actually having that child and holding him in my arms, I can tell you that I would never in a million years volunteer him up to be sacrificed on someone else’s behalf. I would rather you kill me in a heartbeat than do anything to my son! Can you imagine the sacrifice it took for our Father to send His Son to die?!

Having a son has given me a whole new perspective on the sacrifice that God made. Imagine sending your child to die for a world that would, by and large, reject his gift. Knowing that he would be mocked and reviled and also ignored by most of earth’s inhabitants make that sacrifice even more amazing.

God’s love for us has a depth that I never really understood until I was also a father. I would never want to give my son up, and the fact that God does this, knowing how many people would reject Him anyway, shows a furious love completely amazes me.

Christmas isn’t about a baby in a manger. Christmas is about God’s sacrifice. Christmas is about His love for us.