Christ the Center Collection
Here are some posts I have written about Jesus being the center of our lives. I write these things to help me process what I am learning. I also hope to encourage others.
"But I have this against you..."
The Danger of Receiving Rewards Now
A Hike with my daughter and 1 Thessalonians.....Walking Worthy?
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.
Sherlock Holmes and the Apostle Paul...Mystery
Death by Love, Letter from the Cross
Futsal and Jesus...Ordinary Life?
His Body was Broken for Broken Families
Renovation-a lesson from Chic-fil-A(wesome)
Between Two Doors
For many of us we often find ourselves between two doors. I don't mean that we are literally sandwiched between two doors like I was one time when I was stocking doors on the night shift at Home Depot so we could have health insurance, no... I'm talking about being between stable or normal spots in life, or at least the feeling of stability.
We find ourselves in waiting spots often. We walk out of one door but we are not quite walking through the next one. This may be a stage in life, a career, the adjusting to losing a loved one, being engaged, graduating, being pregnant, receiving your adoption referral, riding in a U-Haul truck to a new home in a new city, sitting in a Doctor's office after receiving some tough news..etc. Being between two doors is not an easy place to be. There are so many things that are unknowns. There may be some direction but there is not a clear understanding of how things are going to be.
This waiting time is entered into by leaving one place and desiring to go to another. It's a place of not yet...a place of waiting, trusting, asking, evaluating, stressing, crying, remembering, looking forward, laughing, prioritizing, tweaking, testing, confessing, praising and so many other things.
No matter what, I know that God has plans for his people and the King Shepherd will lead his sheep. The waiting spots do not feel like green pastures most of the time, they sometimes feel like dark valleys and often they are. At times we are led through the dark valleys. However, some waiting spots are mountain top experiences that we never want to forget. The ultimate point in all of this is that Jesus is with us, we need not be anxious, we can cast our cares on him because he cares and loves us.
Our goal is not the green pastures or mountain tops we may finally mentally rest in/on through the next door, it is to be close to the one who leads us in our waiting and going forward. To know his rhythm and heart beat, to sync up with his desires and loving rules. As we see his closeness we can rest, even in the dark valleys of uncertainty and in doing so we will be more prepared to walk through the next door.
The danger of receiving rewards now.
As believers we know that our goal is to not make much of ourselves but to make much of Jesus. At the root of all sin is this desire to be independent from God and live for our own glory. Or to put it another way, at the root of all sin is a belief that we know better than the creator of the world and would prefer to live by our own standards for our own glory. We truly are a me and we generation. We are quick to point out in our churches and ministries that we are very self-centered, we think the opposite of that is to be we-centered or community centered. If I can't have it my way as an individual maybe I can find a group of people that want to have it the same way I do and call it good. Regardless of how we flesh our sin out, individually or corporately, this is not my main thoughts today. The bottom line is that we are to be about lifting up God's name and living according to his kingdom, not lifting up our names and living according to our kingdoms.
We see in Matthew 6:1-6 that the desire and goal of many as they give to the needy and pray is to be seen by others. God says that they receive their reward! What is their reward? They wanted people to see them, and that is what happened. They want to use the world and people to make them feel special and important by looking spiritual and together.
But, for the believers our reward is not received now, but later. Yes, we have Jesus now and this is enough right. Right, but we long to have and know him in full and this will happen when we see him face to face on that great day of death. Just like we know that our sin has been dealt with, we long for the day where we sin no longer. Reward is always a strange thing for me to grasp. What can I possibly do in and of myself to deserve a reward? I don't think I will ever receive a reward or crown on my own. I also don't think that as a body of believers in great community we can achieve this future reward either...that we would be able to look to Jesus together and say hey look how we lived...give us our reward. But, I do believe that Jesus has earned the reward for us and as we individually and corporately live in faith by grace according to his kingdom rules we will, because of Jesus, certainly one day receive this reward. I personally think that this reward is seeing our savior individually and as a community.
The immediate and fading reward for the self-righteous was being seen. They receive "their" reward.
The prolonged and eternal reward for the believer is seeing Jesus face to face. I may be pushing this too far but...we receive reward...the word here does not say "your" reward.
The world is but provision for the saints, it is their spending money; but it is pay to hypocrites, it is their portion. Matthew Henry
The drive for the self-righteous is our name, fame, kingdoms, and agendas.
The drive for the righteous in Jesus is God's name, fame, kingdom, authority and agenda.
The self-righteous receive the reward of being seen but miss seeing Jesus for eternity.
The believer may miss the applause of men but will clap their hands forever with joy.
As I pray, I am to see how much of a privileged it is that the magnificent one is my Father. I pray out of a need to know him and see him more. I pray to ask him for everything I need to minister and love those around me. I pray, not so others can see me and know me more. Prayers create movement. My prayers do not move God's hand but God moves my hands away from "my crown" and leads me to depend on him to work for his name's sake in all my relationships. True prayer is at the core a stepping away from self and a resting in God's promises by talking to him about them, him, and everything else.
Practical questions for me.
How do I use this blog, social media, and my life? Do I use it for his name and kingdom or mine? Do I use it to love myself or love others? I'm I more concerned with how many hits I receive per post than I am for possibly encouraging someone? When someone stops following me on twitter do I feel like my empire is shrinking or am I content with being encouraged by those I am following and hopefully encourage my "followers".
Unfortunately, in some circles foreign missionaries are considered to be high up on the holy ladder...right under the VBS directors who are on top...sorry that was bad. Those of us on the foreign field know the truth full well...we are losers saved by grace in Christ. But, I often forget this and desire for others to see me for my sake? I did not have to deal with this as much as a youth pastor because we are automatically humbled right when we visit someone in the hospital and they ask for one of the "real pastors." As youth pastors we also try to fight for our name, glory and kingdoms but often from a bottom up proving kind of way. My point here is that all the proving we do for the sake of earthy reward is stupid. My reward from others as a missionary is received now...we are praised often. How do I receive this? We are to encourage one another, but I should always be aware of the traps of vain-glory. My worth is not based on how much praise I receive or do not receive from man. With all that said, encourage your church's youth pastor today. Don't worry, if they were in it for the praise of adults they would have checked out after the first month. Our problems as youth pastors in this area is often a need to feel important from the students and our pastor and co-workers...that is another post for another time.
How do we love other churches and ministries well in light of this? Sometimes I wish churches would just say what they are really trying to say. "Our kingdom over here is better than all other church kingdoms out there. We do things better, other ministries are really stupid." "Did you come from a bad church, welcome...ours is good". I know that is silly, but it only takes a minute to see how self focused a church or ministry is. I have been and am guilty of this. Right doctrine, thoughts, values, leadership structure and right methods do not make one right with God. We are to always point to him and live according to his kingdom rules. As we do, we will display love to the world and other churches, not pride.
How do I love my family according to this? This is where I believe my name and kingdom building shows up the clearest. May I love my wife and daughter more than myself. May I find my worth not in their approval...that I so long for...but may I find my worth in Jesus. Once I am freed from depending on being loved well by my family and once I see that I am completely love by God I can then live for his name and kingdom in my home. This will free me to love well!
May God's name be hallowed not mine nor ours.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means.
Today I was asked to think about Hope. So I did.
How do we use the word hope? How does the bible?
Here are some "hopes" that are really more like maybes, the answer is truly unknown but the possibilities are there.
"Man I hope we get to go to Six Flags four times this week," I said to Tony 25 years ago.
"I hope I pass this test", I would say to my Spanish teacher and do say to Ying my Thai teacher.
"I hope you like what I made for you."
"I hope we have a long cool season here in Thailand this year."
Here are some "hopes" that are really unlikely to happen.
"I hope they have a Outback in the new mall they are building here in Khon Kaen," nobody says to nobody unless they are trying to be funny and make everyone mad.
"I hope tomorrow never comes," says the one in love or the one who is on death row.
"I hope I never see you again," says the mean one.
"I hope no one is in there," Gabe and I say to each other as we check on a light left on in the pump house by the lake at Salem late one night. (this may fit better in the above grouping)
These are the hopes that are most likely to happen but still have an element of the unknown.
I hope Brian Regan is funny on his next comedy routine.
I hope Sherry's Chicken Pot Pie is good tomorrow.
I hope my friends are doing well in the game Farmville or Mafia.
I hope that Ryan Marcum plays around with his blog template this week. (love you brother)
But what about the use of the word hope in the bible? Does our everyday use of "hope" confuse what God wants us to understand about hope?
Just like Inigo Montoya questioning Vizzini's use of the word inconceivable in the movie The Prince's Bride, we need to check ourselves with the use of the word hope.
From what I read and see, when the bible uses hope the meaning is full expectation or anticipation.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-5
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
The recipients of this letter were down and out because some of their church folks had died before Jesus returned. They were confused leaving them feeling hopeless and afraid of death. Paul needed to teach them about there security in Jesus and their final destination. They were feeling hopeless, Paul helped them to expect great things by understanding gospel benefits.
We hope for the day when we will see Jesus face to face, he is our hope. He is the reason we have hope. Our hopes are based off of his accomplishments and promises; this is an expectant anticipation, not a worrisome works based maybe it will maybe it won't word. This hope is also founded, given, and promised in grace, it is a divine gift.
This is but a tiny thought on great topic. HOPE!
Still thinking on this. Any thoughts? I hope so.
