Creation & The Fall

I started a new Chronological Bible reading plan. Through the main story arc of the Bible in something like 60 days-ish. Hitherto are the results. S – Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.          O – At it’s core, sin is a selfish impulse to ignore God and satisfy personal desires. As the serpent is tempting Eve with the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Eve has surely seen the tree before. She already knows that the fruit on it looks appetizing, and that the tree itself is beautiful. The temptation of Satan wasn’t to satisfy the desire of the eyes, the temptation was to disobey God and gain something for themselves—wisdom. I think, as time went on, God would have revealed his wisdom to them and made them wiser than they already were, but it would have been in his own timing and in his own way. Adam and Eve took a shortcut. A – Adam and Eve disregarded the punishment of God when they sinned. Either they believed that they wouldn’t die, or that once they “became like God,” they would have different consequences. Basically they didn’t fear what God promised would happen. Now it makes sense why Proverbs consistently says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” (Proverbs 1:7) because if Adam and Eve had just feared the Lord, they would not have sinned. The consequence of sin wasn’t important to them anymore; they simply wanted something they thought they didn’t have—wisdom; but they really had it all along in their relationship with God. For me, I see lots of things that are good for me and a delight to my eyes, and naturally, the temptation is to have them right away. Put things on credit, take out of savings. I remember a few times being tempted to just steal some stuff. Those impulses aren’t just driven by eye-candy; there’s a deeper thing in me that says, “It doesn’t matter how you get this, you simply need it because without it, you’re missing something; you’re life is lacking, because you don’t have what you want.” I think the company Apple is the king of making people feel like this. They release a new, heavily upgraded product every year, and every time you watch the release videos you feel like you can’t live without the new iPhone or iPad or MacBook or whatever. They could sell me anything. They could convince me that I absolutely need to wear pink dresses because it’s more intuitive than pants. But the one thing that has that “Forbidden Fruit” appeal for me lately has been guitars. I always feel like I don’t have what I need. Even younger, less experienced players have better gear or more expensive guitars than me. It’s actually really hard for me to admit that that’s simply not true. Even writing that sentence is honestly difficult. But here are some questions to ask myself anytime I have the forbidden fruit urge: o   Is this pleasing to God? o   Can I live without it? o   Does God actually want me to have this? o   Can I have it if I wait? P – Lord, I thank you for leading me to that Don’t Waste Your Life photo I saw yesterday. You are clearly telling me to treasure you above all things here on earth. When I am tempted to sin, my heart’s desire is to stay face to face with you, not to turn my back on you and hope you don’t see what I’m really trying to do (remember how Lion turns his back to you?). I want to cooperate with the desire of my heart. Help me Lord!

Be Still

Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

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I've heard the first sentence of this verse so many times, yet had no idea about the following sentence.
Too often, when I think of this verse, I think that the purpose of being still and knowing that he is God is so that he can speak to me and give me guidance and purpose to my life. Yet, it's clear that this verse is much more about God and his purpose than it is about me and my meditation.

God wants me to know my purpose, but even beyond that, he's reminding me through this poem that he alone will be exalted in all of the earth, and that's his will. That was his will before I was born. And if that's his will, part of my being still needs to understand that I will be used to that end, if I am still enough to hear it.
I think I tend to sit still, or go on quiet walks, or pray on my own, and expect God to just give me guidance for my personal life. But God has a global perspective in mind.

This is what makes "being still" different from something like Eastern meditation. When I used to meditate (influenced by Taoism, Buddhism, martial arts, and New Age thought), the purpose was always to understand my self in greater depth. It was to realize that I was somehow at the center of something. But being still has a different purpose: to know that God is at the center of all things, and that his ultimate purpose is to be exalted among every nation, to be exalted in all the earth.

So, it's not wrong to seek God's will for my life, but I need to make sure that my purpose is tied to God's great purpose of being exalted in the earth. If I can't do this, then in my stillness I have not known that he is God. If I can't do this, then in my stillness I have proven that in my own world, I am God.

When I am still because I need to slow down and refocus my life on the things that are important, do I realize that God is also saying, "I will be exalted in your life"? When I am still and thinking about God and the unique plan he has for me, do I realize that God is also saying, "my plan for you is to use you to exalt my name"?

Lord, help me to fix my thoughts on this higher perspective in my times of stillness. I thank you that you care for me on a deeply personal level, and that you are there for me in even the small things of life; but help me to keep at the forefront of my mind that your greatness, your glory, and your exaltation has always been your plan. May I be faithful in pursuing this and coming alongside your great purpose, rather than trying to craft my own purpose and asking for your blessing.

1 Timothy 1:3-5
3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, 4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. 5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
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Timothy is urged here to walk in his spiritual gifting and fulfill the role God has given him. As a teacher, he is first instructed to teach on a small level (one on few), rather than focusing on weekly sermons. The purpose is to instruct other teachers not to teach other doctrines, and to avoid being caught up in the meaningless discussions of myths and genealogies. Meaning, there is value in those things, but the speculation of them does not further God’s administration. It’s fruitless discussion (v.6).
Then Paul says that the goal of teaching, of being a teacher in God’s administration by faith, is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith. This shows me that the goal of being a teacher in God’s kingdom is to transform yourself. It’s not merely passing off information for the spiritual transformation of others, but the very goal is to become more loving yourself, to act out this love from a pure heart, with a good and clean conscience, coming from a sincere faith in and of yourself.
It reminds me of Jesus’ words to care for the log in my own eye, rather than pointing out the speck in other’s eyes. This hits me today because too often, including today, I find myself teaching with everyone else in mind. Yet God is clear, teach to transform yourself first. Then teach others in a smaller setting. Then teach to the crowds.
I find all of these things justified in Jesus, who himself was a rabbi. In his life (and in who he is), he kept his focus on his relationship with God the Father and kept himself from sin and darkness. Because of this, he was qualified to teach the truth of God. This is why Paul says that he is not qualified to teach on his own, but because Jesus has considered him faithful (v.12), and Jesus has “qualified” him (Colossians 1:12). Any teacher of God’s Word is qualified to do so only because Jesus alone is qualified, and he selects whom he will.
Jesus also taught his own disciples more often than he taught the crowds. He took advantage of ordinary moments and used them to teach his disciples, and to teach his closest three: Peter, James, and John. When Jesus did teach the crowds, it usually came from lessons he taught his disciples; and he would reveal deeper meaning to his disciples after teaching the crowds.
So it leads me to ask myself: who do I teach more, the crowds or disciples? As I prepare sermons, even today, I’m confronted with the fact that I tend to have the “everyone else” attitude. Jesus, thank you for revealing this, and please forgive my pride. I remember the early days of my faith, where my own growth and knowledge and learning was above everything else, and my opportunities to teach were coming out of my life being genuinely changed and transformed.
Lord, please guide me back to that place, that I may rid myself of this fog I am in, where I qualify myself as a teacher and disciple. It’s all in you. It’s only in you that I have eternal meaning. I want to walk forward as a disciple, as a white belt with the right attitude, rather than a black belt with an entitled heart.

The Family Business

Colossians 1:9-14
we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
        
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Observations:

• being filled with knowledge of God’s will, spiritual wisdom, and understanding, all have a specific purpose: to live in a way that is worthy of Jesus Christ, to be wholly pleasing to him, to bear fruit by doing the good works he has planned for us. Not only this, but also to increase in this knowledge. There are purposes to increase in spiritual wisdom. It is a dangerous, and unbiblical thing, to gain more wisdom, more biblical knowledge, take more Bible college courses, join more study groups, listen to more sermons, if there is no output. Soaking up information and wisdom without applying it and turning it into good works that glorify God and transform our hearts is nothing more than information gluttony.
• This requires us to be strengthened with power, which comes from God himself for he is mighty. This strength is not just outward strength, but allows us to be patient and enduring with a divine joy; which in turn causes us to be a thankful people to God the Father.
• All of this so far (growing in spiritual wisdom, good works, being patient, joyful, and thankful), is still not the full measure of being a Christian. We aren’t just to be wise, patient, joyful, and thankful. Paul says that we have been qualified to share in an inheritance. What is this inheritance?
• All of us were once slaves in “the domain of darkness” where we didn’t know how offensive our sin was to others and to a holy God. In Jesus, we have redemption, and the forgiveness of our sins, but that’s not all we have. Paul makes it clear that we have been delivered and transferred. Jesus doesn’t just give me a pardon for my sins and the proverbial “ticket to heaven.” He qualifies me for something I was previously unqualified for. I am transferred to a new reality, a new life, a completely new assignment. I am transferred to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
• With this transfer, I have a certain purpose and assignment. It’s not just to be a good citizen and stay out of trouble. The inheritance is a holy kingdom. In our world, no one would join a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) without some sense of a certain duty or calling. This is exactly what we are transferred to; it’s who we’ve become. There’s no way around it. To be “delivered” means to be moved from one destination to another. To be transferred means to exchange one thing for another. We give up the domain of darkness to join the kingdom of God. And this kingdom is an inheritance.
• The inheritance God gives his saints is not wealth or money or possessions or land; it’s a share in heaven. But it’s not just citizenship. When a son inherits the family business, the responsibility of operating that business falls on his shoulders. He needs to decide how he’s going to do that. Is he going to let others do the work for him while he sits idly by and enjoys the riches he now has, avoiding his responsibility; or is he going to take ownership and fulfill the role that only he can fulfill as the heir of the inheritance?
• This is our role: we are the heirs of God’s inheritance; his kingdom; his “family business.” Will I sit by and be Billy Madison, enjoying the luxuries of my father and ignoring my responsibilities; or will I be active and involved, as Jesus did the work of his Father? Isn’t this what Jesus modeled for us? Not to just live a good life that is marked by faith, prayer, and compassion, but to work as Jesus worked?

Action Steps:

• My new friend and fellow soldier in Christ, Kaleo Del Sol, opened my eyes to the “family business” viewpoint of God’s kingdom. I’ll be forever grateful for this, as it has opened up a fresh zeal in me to live in a manner worthy of the Lord.


• I need to lead my family (first and foremost) in being active as heirs of this inheritance. Are we a family that is worthy of the Lord? Are we pouring out heart-transforming good works, and increasing in the knowledge of God?


• I feel led to look at the mind map of my life and gauge which areas of my life are being lived in light of my inheritance. Any areas that are dead or lacking need to be enlivened.


• I need to communicate this to my church and my ministries I have been entrusted to oversee. After that, we need to discuss how we’re going to live in light of this, and what changes need to be made.

Am I Wearing The Right Clothes?

Psalm 132:8-9
Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.

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This is one of the Psalms of Ascent, a song that pilgrims would sing as they traveled up to Jerusalem for feasts or pilgrimage. I think it’s such a beautiful idea, that as one of God’s children approach his “house” or his “resting place” from afar, they sing of his goodness and his covenant with David and Israel. For me, going on walks is something that fills me up. If I were to talk as I walk, people might think I’m crazy; like I’m either talking to myself or an imaginary person. But if I were to sing as I walk, it’s much more acceptable. There’s a sense of my heart expressing something in a way that’s not strange; singing is something that people naturally accept as a way of connecting with ourselves and with something higher.

As I was looking into the commentaries on this particular psalm, one of them mentioned that the phrase in verse 8 “Arise, Yahweh,” was a saying that emerged in Israel when the Ark was being moved into Jerusalem and then into the Temple. And the people shouted, danced, and rejoiced in this act because it was their king coming in all his splendor to sit and rest in this city he had chosen for himself. It’s the image of rejoicing because their king has risen and is on the move.

I think it’s what we need to understand in the church today also; that we rejoice because we understand that God is “arisen” and is on the move. He’s not just sitting around receiving praise, but he’s a mobile king, moving about in the real world; on the streets, in the slums, at feasts and banquets, with the poor and the influential. He’s on the move through his body, which is the church.

So it’s a two-pronged thing. God is on the move, but only if his church (his body) is on the move. Only if his priests are clothed with righteousness and his saints are shouting for joy. So, God will arise and the people will shout for joy when his priests are upright and ministering faithfully. And the priests will be encouraged in righteousness as the people shout and praise with joy. In his commentary, Matthew Henry says of this psalm, “A faithful ministry is the joy of the saints.”

If, as a worship leader, I want to see the people shout for joy and rejoice in God, I need to look at myself first and ask, “Am I wearing the right clothes?” Can I stand before God and men and say that I am walking in righteousness?

One thing I think is so cool about Old Testament priests is that they cared for the Temple, taught Scripture, and led public worship. Today, we’ve split the role of the traditional priest. Most priests just teach the Bible. But what about the duty to not just teach the Word of God, but also to lead the people in the praise of God? And what about the maintenance of his house?

Got lots to chew and meditate on for today!

Grace - Contentment - Works

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
-2 Corinthians 9:8

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Paul is talking about a monetary collection for the church. He’s saying that giving has to come out of contentment, not begrudgingly or out of some sense of obligation. But the way he puts it here opens my eyes to something.

There’s a certain order he lays out. He says that first, God’s grace comes into my life in an abundant way. If I accept it and try to live by it, I will have contentment (or, sufficiency) in all things, always. But only living in God’s grace can bring this contentment. His grace drives contentment in all my situations and empowers me to be joyful with whatever I have, or don’t have. And this sense of contentment, in turn, enables me to abound in the good works of God.

If I’m not content, which comes through grace, I won’t be able to focus on the good works that have been prepared for me. Grace - contentment - good works. All of these things are promised to be abundant in my life, if I start by understanding and receiving his grace first. Once I do that, contentment will pave the way for me to walk in God’s plan, which abounds in good works - the work of God’s kingdom.

The Cunning Lie of Procrastination

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4

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Paul makes some things clear about the deception of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden here: that the serpent used “cunning” (literally: duplicity) to lead her thoughts away from a sincere and pure devotion to God. Paul then goes on to explain that the Corinthian church has been open to new definitions of Christ and the gospel, rather than resting on what they have known to be true and experienced through Paul and the ministry of the apostles. So Paul is talking specifically about lies that lead our minds away from a singular devotion to Jesus and his gospel.

But a principle can be extracted here, and it is speaking into a certain area of my life - that my thoughts determine my devotion to Christ. My mind is so important. And the biggest weapons against my mind are distractions and lies; this is the cunning that Satan uses not just to lead me astray so I will do bad things and be a naughty person, it’s to get me to pull away from a dependence on God. This was Satan’s tactic with Adam and Eve. It was the same tactic he used against Jesus in the wilderness temptation. It’s the same tactic he uses with every Christian, and every person on the planet. It’s done in our thoughts.

I met with a friend and mentor today who really helped me to see how important it is to control the procrastinator in me. It’s not just a matter of recognizing that laziness and procrastination is bad, it’s understanding how this part of me will be destructive to my entire life (ministry, family, finances, joy, etc.) if I fail to understand that this is a part of me that Satan is happy to control because it’s so closely tied to how I depend on God.

I’ve got to be more than aware of this cunning plan. I’ve to be active in getting it under a control. It’s not just me. I suspect my entire generation has been so successfully lied to by Satan that procrastination is an acceptable way to live in our culture. So many of my generation lives by putting things off until the last minute and then cramming everything to get it done, and we still get rewarded for the results. For instance, I hardly ever studied for tests, but after one night of cramming, I would get good grades. Or, I would never wear my retainer until the night before my orthodontist appointment and he would say I was doing great. As long as we get the result we’re hoping for, we can put as little amount of effort and stress into it and we’ll be okay with it because we now have so much time for “other stuff.”

The problem with this is, God is a God of order and planning. From the beginning of creation we see that God’s answer to chaos is bringing order (separating darkness and light, dividing the skies and the waters, seasons and cycles, and then creating a steward to take care of it all in an orderly fashion). Also, now that I have more responsibilities in life, I’m starting to see that this lie that has dominated my life is one of the major blocks to me experiencing life to the fullest. I can only recognize this through the renewing of my mind by the Holy Spirit, and I can only change this by the same power. May Satan lose his grip on this area of my life, and may God be praised by a new life I live, and by not passing this off to my children.