The Normal Normal Life

I go to a small Bible study group out here where I am (the cornfields of Midamerica) where we are studying the book of Ecclesiastes. Interestingly enough, we took this book over an epistle or major prophet, so people were definitely excited for what we would learn.

To sum it up, we leave every Bible study a little bit more confused than when we first got there, but with this particular book, that’s ok!

One particular thing that has been challenging me out of the confusion that is Ecclesiastes is that my life is really normal and, to a degree, full of meaninglessness.

“Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.” – Ecc. 4:4

I mean, how meaningful can my work day be? I do pretty much the same tasks everyday, for most of the same people, and we all work in the same building doing the same thing we always do. It doesn’t change much and, to be honest, there isn’t much actually accomplished in the long run. My times outside of work are spent puttering around running errands, shopping for food or clothes, or doing church things. It all seems kinda…bland and tasteless on the outset.

Yet, at the same time, God has given us grace enough to enjoy even the trivial, meaningless things in life- “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” I can relish in walking through the park in spring, playing with little babies or reminiscing on when I was a kid. Then I see that my exceedingly normal life is full of moments of beauty, joy, love, pain, and growth that, while not eternally lasting, enrich us to such a degree as to be a full on blessing of God on our tiny lives.

So how to apply this? How does this change the way I live my life? Personally, I need to cherish the people in my life more. Even if they’re not the closest friends, they are still a person whom God has placed in my way for our mutual good (Rom 8:28). Whether in small group, the office or at home, I really need to stop taking people for granted and care for them and enjoy being with them at the moment.

Also, I need to learn to stop worrying so much. Not only does it betray a lack of faith, but it steals the little joys in life that God gives to man to show us how much He loves us and to make our lives on this miserable planet a little brighter.

God, how could you be so good to me? Not only did you save my soul, but you gave me the capability to enjoy both the deep and shallow things of life. Father, what more can I do but to live gratefully and consciously act to please and honor You?

Call and Response

So I’ve been considering the importance of writing down things for others to see/read. I’m mostly a guy who likes to keep things to himself, especially when I feel others won’t want to read them or gain anything valuable from them. But other times, I’ll be compelled to write something down that moves me- even if it isn’t particularly useful to anyone at the moment. This is one of the those times.

Lately, the internal struggle I have- the struggle between what I want and what I need- has shown itself more evident. God has really been teaching me a lot through the past couple weeks as I read through the Proverbs. One thing I’ve always marveled at in wisdom literature is the way God gently and subtly crafts His love and law into words that, at first, we want to hear because we are selfish, yet lead us to a sobering humility in understanding. So within me I see this selfish desire for knowledge, this self-reliance and self-justification that wants to please God as a way that will ultimately get me what I want. But in the end, in reading and wanting to follow the wisdom of God, I am “forced” to be humble and “compelled” to repent and to love and honor and worship God. Then my heart is changed by the Spirit and I see the folly in my own motives and am convinced that I’m really not so wise after all.

My wisdom is small, Father. My desires, shallow. Show me the deeper things of the Spirit and renew in me a heart of overflowing desire to serve, love and know You. Help me to deny the insignificant things of this world so that I might be unhindered in grasping Your beautiful wisdom and Word

OIL 2009!

This year’s One In Love (OIL) conference registration is open. It is perhaps the best college/young adult retreat I’ve ever been to! I encourage everyone to sign up ASAP! First (and cheapest) registration deadline is December 5th!

I think one of the most encouraging things about OIL is the small groups that I’ve been a part of. As we ate, sang, shared and prayed together, I really felt like part of a family, even though the retreat was almost 1000 strong. It’s the memories with sg and of how we spent time together sharing about how to apply the messages we heard that are the most vivid memories in my mind.

Come be a part of the moving of God’s Kingdom! Click the picture above for more info on how to sign up!

Moving Mountains…Everyday

Lately, I’ve been reading through some of the (many, many) books I’ve bought at past OIL conferences. Bout time I get some return on the investment, right? Right now, I’m reading through The Necessity of Prayer by E.M. Bounds. Below is a paragraph that has particularly struck me:

“True prayers are born out of present trials and present needs. Bread, for today, is bread enough. Bread given for today is the strongest sort of pledge that there will be bread tomorrow. Victory today, is the assurance of victory tomorrow. Our prayers need to be focused upon the present. We must trust God today and leave the morrow entirely with Him. The present is ours; the future belongs to God. Prayer is the task and duty of each recurring day – daily prayer for daily needs. As every day demands its bread, so every day demands its prayer.”

I think the most convicting line is that last one. Do I see each day as a day that demands the grace of God in my life? Too often I walk into the office and “turn off” the grace. I trudge through the day as if I’m suffering under some cloud of persecution, hardly noticing all the time and opportunities for God’s grace to work in me and through me. My days are such a waste without prayer. I am too easily satisfied with just “getting through.”

It reminds me of what Pastor Min has preached in the past, “you can’t rely on past faithfulness or experience. You’ve got to have faith now!” Each day needs to be a day where God is really God of my life. I thought I would have learned this earlier, but I am so thankful for the lesson now. It’s helped me to see not only how godless my life is because I don’t pray, but how much more grace, strength and purpose is in each day when I do pray.

It really is true what they say – an extra minute of real prayer does make a difference. And each moment of difference can lead to another and another. Soon enough, we see God working and moving in ways we never noticed before. And that makes me want to pray more!

Galatians 6

As Paul closes his letter, he leaves the Galatians with some practical advice. To sum it up, he is talking about what it means to really live a life of love as opposed to selfishness. As false theology was tearing the Galatian church up, Paul was trying to encourage them to serve each other instead of themselves. vv7-8 show us that, even though we have these types of situations (relational problems, church problems, misunderstandings, lack of love, etc.), if we keep fighting, we will be rewarded in the end. This is kind of like the last point from PJong’s sunday sermon (PJong was really on this weekend huh?). We are rewarded for our perseverance and service, not by gifts and blessings in this life necessarily, but really in the next life. If we sow our lives in the Spirit, and not in our own deeds, we reep eternal life and others around us can take part in that as well. God cannot be “faked out.” We will reep as we sow!

Finally, Paul closes with a reminder of what he has just said throughout the book and an encouragement to focus on the cross of Christ above all things. More than any one action anybody does for God, it is that cross that makes us who we are- it was his sacrifice that changed us and made us new again!

I am so challenged as I look at my sinful life. I so often think only about myself and what I’m not DOING for God. But before all these things, before serving, before small group, before worship, prayer meetings or anything, God wants our hearts. He wants us to remember Christ and what the cross means to us. He wants us to remember the Gospel, and in the end, place our full trust and lives in His power to save, not our own strength. 

Galatians has been a sobering study in my own selfishness, but also a joyful reminder that I am not the one saving myself…because our God is the only one who can save. And that FREES me to serve others and live for His joy and glory. I don’t have to think about what I HAVE to do or say or be, but only be filled up with more of Him and express that faith, hope and love in action so that others may see HIM, not me.

Galatians 5

When I read the first verse, the “freedom” scene from Braveheart played back in my mind. I can imagine what William Wallace felt about his freedom. But when we see Paul’s passion about freedom in Christ, it doesn’t just come from a heart that wants a free way of life, but a freed soul that wants to live for Christ. To Paul, the Galatians have totally missed the point- being free in Christ means being free, not tied down to the “only if” of stifling religion. If you trust in what you do, you negate Christ. This leads to strife and suffering in the body when we should be leading lives of love and grace, serving each other in what we do as the body of Christ.

Then Paul opens up and tells us what happens when we truly live this life in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we follow legalism, it is following the flesh, and so leads to evil thoughts, actions and attitudes. When we follow Christ, it leads us to have a heart that reflects Him- a heart of love and service, where we understand that we are not our own and all our sin and fleshly desires were nailed up with Jesus on that cross. In the end, living the Christian life is an excercise in surrender, repentance, love and humilty. That is life by the Spirit. And by the Spirit, we bear fruit.

So true Christian freedom is absolutely surrender to Him so that, as we live in that, we bear fruit that others can ‘pick and eat’ from us. I really want to live like this everyday. GAHHH I wish I could be in heaven and live like this right now- purely and without sin!

And after having read all the chapters leading up to this one, I think I understand more of what Paul is talking about in context. This is not just a lesson he is teaching the Galatians, but an exhortation and a warning! He is telling them “don’t reject Christ for the sake of your own righteousness!” How often do I trust in my own strength and think that I’ll become more loving, gentle or patient? Yet, in reality, I become hard and legalistic, judging others against my standard. I’m such a Galatian! It is not the law of Moses that saves, but the law of love established by Christ on the cross that saves our souls. Our God alone is mightly to save and we can only bear fruit through Him (John 15:5).

i hear jerusalem bells are ringing…

I’ve been on a Coldplay binge lately- listening to them at work, at home and in the car. It’s been awhile since I’ve found a band with such a great combination of ecclectic music and really meaningful lyrics. To be honest, every song seems to have this experimental feel to it, like they’re searching for something but can’t quite pin it down.

Their latest (and so far, biggest) hit, “Viva la vida,” is especially compelling to me. Not just because it sounds good (my roomate is addicted to this song) but because what is being sung.

Have a listen, see what you think…

Galatians 4

Paul continues on from the last chapter with his theme of sonship. We aren’t just slaves or servants of God, but children, heirs that will inherit the Kingdom because we are His children, not because we did anything to deserve it.

I really like this chapter because of the next part. Paul shows me what the heart of a servant leader is. He cares deeply for the Galatians and recounts how faithful they were when they first were saved. They were giving, loyal and caring to Paul, who didn’t even mean to preach to them in the first place! That’s the kind of heart I want as I serve people in small group, the workplace and at home. Even though the Galatians are believing (and allowing people to teach) wrong theology, Paul doesn’t just give up on them, but pleads with them to return!

He then appeals to their history, making the distinction between people who are under law and those who are under grace. It’s like you were born from two different mothers! In a culture that believed that who you were was mostly attributable to your mother, this was a very strong statement. You are no longer under law! You’re not that kind of child. You are a freed child of God.

The main conviction I get from this is that the way we see ourselves before God affects the way we see and minister to others. If we live our lives as if we are just doing things (“observing days, weeks, months and years!”) in order to gain salvation, we will become people who use others and become selfish in our relationship with God. We won’t reach out, but will become judgmental, unloving and legalistic. There is no joy, no change, only bitterness and striving.

But Paul is not this way, He sees that He is just a sinner saved by grace and born again as a child of God, and He sees the Galatians this way too! He understands we are totally unable to help ourselves. So he tries to remind the Galatians of that joy and wonder they first experienced when God opened their eyes.

Gahhh…I need that heart. That humble, repentant heart. I need to remember the Cross and that I am a child, not just a servant or a slave. And like a child, I didn’t DO anything to deserve anything. It’s only God’s generous grace and love in my life.

Galatians 3

Chapter 3! This one is a heavy one.

Paul opens up asking the Galatians the Biblical equivalent of “what were you smoking?” He then goes on to ask fairly obvious questions to the Galatians. Didn’t experience the transforming power of the Gospel? Didn’t they understand all this through faith? Was all their suffering and joy because of something they did for God or because God drew near to them? He is challenging their easy willingness to leave what they first believed.

The rest of the chapter is focused around Paul showing the Galatians where their thinking about the Gospel is totally wrong. He uses analogies from the OT. He first points to Abraham, who by faith, was made righteous. He then points to other OT ideas (covenant, contracts, slavery) and says that these are all things we can relate to the our lives under the law before faith in Christ. Before faith, we are held captive by the law because we are sinful people. The law points out our sinful hearts. Through the law, we see our inability to ever be like God. But in the end, it is Christ that is the focus of all these OT passages. All the hopes of the patriarchs, prophets, kings and people are found in Christ. He is the fulfillment of the law (He is the only one that can completely keep it) and, through faith in Him, we can be free of the curse of the law (which is death for sinners). This is for everyone to hear, not just Jews but all people around the world.

I was really challenged by Paul using the OT to reason with the Jewish Christians of Galatia. In vv15-29, Paul makes the case for a salvation from faith, apart from what we do or how well we do things using terms and expressions that people resonated with. Am I relevant in the way I share the Gospel. I’m also challenged  by v 29 where we are declared “Abraham’s children,” and “heirs according to the promise.” Do I live this way in front of people? Do i really believe that this is who I am and this is what I believe with my whole heart?

Another thing that really got me was Paul’s bluntness but also His love and passion for the church. He doesn’t mince words or only speak what others want to hear, but he challenges these Galatians to wake up! Pray! Repent! He reasons with their way of thinking and doing things and does it out of a heart of loving concern for their souls and heart direction. We need to encourage other Christians with words of wisdom and loving truth to have this direction for their lives as well.

And in the end, Paul is set to continue to explain the person of Christ and His role in the salvation of the world. It’s not about having a good spiritual resume or even praying the right prayers. It’s about putting all our trust in Jesus and learning to serve and grow so that our lives will point to Christ, others will see and God will use the opportunity to break cold hearts and save souls.

Galatians 2

Paul is making a huge case in this chapter: that faith in what God did through Jesus is enough! He doesn’t just state his case, but calls out those apostles who are not being honest and are being hypocritical in their actions- even Peter! “I opposed him to his face because he was clearly in the wrong” (v11). Paul’s conviction about the Gospel and about it being for everybody was passionate. He didn’t just say the Gospel was for everyone, but actually defended it in front of other prominent leaders, people who had actually walked with Jesus!

And in the end, Paul totally discredits the false teaches, saying they wanted to “make us slaves.” (v4) The Law isn’t meant for people to follow so they can save themselves, but to show us we need saving. To say that we must follow rules to be saved is like someone saying “you can ride the bus for free if you pay $1″ And when we realize this, when God reveals the Gospel to us and we receive Him, we “no longer live” but “Christ lives in me.” We aren’t our sinful, ugly, cold selves anymore! We are free in Christ!

I take a couple big things away from this chapter: 1. it’s super important to make sure you and the leaders of the church teach/live the true Gospel by being people who know the Bible and can catch questionable doctrine when we hear it and 2. that true Gospel is that we don’t need to DO things to be saved, God’s grace frees us from having to earn our salvation and encourages us to live passionately IN our salvation.

My life reflects a lack of both things. I neglect the Word of God and don’t really internalize it. I just kind of read it a bit and let it go. I have no passion, interest or love for God’s Word, so when a preacher comes or PMin speaks, I listen without actively thinking about the Bible- I just eat without looking at the food. I really need to deepen my Bible knowledge and desire. As well, I lack the expression of grace in my life. I tend to judge people a lot and am really hard on myself when it comes to “being a Christian.” In many senses, it can be useful to help minister to people and keep myself in line with what God wants, but if I do it without love or trust in Jesus, I live as if Christ’s death is worth nothing. I basically say “God, thanks but I can do this on my own.” Wow…I suck. Living day to day in the office, this gets really hard. There are very few obvious opportunities to share the Gospel. But even in my voice and words and actions, I can be a blessing I guess. I need to pray for God to open my eyes to see those times and act with a heart of love, out of overflow of already being saved.