Another season of lent where I commit to blogging has begun. This year I am adapting a lent idea that was to take and share a photo each day based off a word. Instead, I will take some time each day to look up Bible verses containing the word, reflect, and blog some thoughts.
Today's word is "gather". The verse I've chosen is Job 34:14-15, which says, "If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust." (ESV) I read this at my church's Ash Wednesday service shortly after having the ashes placed on my forehead and hearing the words, "From dust you came; to dust you shall return."
Fortunately, this is not what God has set His heart to, and that is the grace of this season. I've been doing Beth Moore's Bible study about the Holy Spirt called "Breath". We've examined verses similar to the one in Job linking words like "breath", "spirit", and "life", which is one of the reasons this stood out to me. Another reason is the passage we studied in the last session.
I encourage you to read Ezekiel 37:1-14. It's the passage about the dry bones being brought to life. In short, God asks the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?". Ezekiel replies, "O Lord GOD, you know." God tells him to prophesy life over the bones. As he did so, the bones came together and were covered with flesh, but there was no breath. He was then commanded to prophesy to the breath to breathe on the slain so they might live and they did. The passage ends with God's promise to raise His people from their graves and place His Spirit in them so they might live.
I go to a church where communion is usually only taken once a month, except for special occasions. Communion happened to fall the day after this lesson. As I watched everyone go up for communion, I reflected on this passage. "Can these dry bones live?" God seemed to still be asking. "O Lord GOD, you know," I thought as I watched person after person receive the sacraments that said, "Yes." Bones metaphorically coming together and being covered with sinews and flesh. God breathing new life into His people that were once dead in their transgressions. While advent looks forward to the birth of Christ, lent looks forward to God breathing life into dry bones.
From dust we came; to dust we shall return. Praise the God whose heart is not sent on leaving us that way. The God who instead chose to open our graves and breathe life into us a second time. He could have gathered His breath instead. We'd had our chance and blown it. Yet He chose to give His last breath so that we might once again have breath. This is the beauty of lent and Easter.
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Monday, March 23, 2015
Unmet Expectations
I'm one of those increasingly common people in their mid-twenties who is single, still living at home, and still trying to finish school. I don't live up to society's expectations, or at least not American society's expectations. In Taiwan it is normal for a single person to live at home until they get married. I haven't lived up to my expectations for myself either. This is definitely not what my high school self saw my life looking like.
However, there are good things my high school self didn't foresee either. She didn't see mission trips to Taiwan, Niger, and France. She didn't foresee helping plant a church and helping build that church's youth ministry, kids ministry, and drama team or serving a two year term on the leadership council or leading a mission trip to France through that church. She never envisioned getting to participate in making a decision to purchase property for the church. She never envisioned getting to love on foster kids for a week every summer or helping kids from abusive situations at the Justice Center. She never thought she could break free form her insecurity and other issues. She never envisioned helping Burmese refugees. She never imagined the ways she would come to trust God and take risks for Him. Yet all things and more have happened.
By society's standards, it doesn't appear that I am super successful. But I think God is proud of me. I think He is there saying,"Well done, good and faithful servant; keep going!!!" After all, his own Son failed to meet a lot of expectations, as well.
Many of the Jews of Jesus' time expected the Messiah to be a military leader who would free them from Roman rule. Instead He came to free them from sin. He didn't fight Roman rule and even told them to give to Caesar what was Caesar's.
He didn't meet His family's expectations for Him either. There were times they were embarrassed by His behavior and thought He was crazy.
The religious leaders expected someone who followed their strict rules. Jesus broke some of the rules when keeping the rule would have made the rule lose it's purpose.
Peter expected Jesus not to die. He got majorly rebuked for it.
The Jews expected a great king. They got a man who died a humiliating criminal's death on a cross after being crowned with thorns. "King of the Jews" was meant to be an insult. Those that had followed Him with high hopes for the future were left confused and disappointed.
They expected Him to stay dead, but on the third day He rose from the grave!
Peter was probably expected to spend his life as a fisher of fish and not a fisher of men. Paul could have been a high up Jewish religious leader, but instead he gave his life to preaching the Gospel, even when that meant being followed and nearly stoned to death by mobs of angry Jews and imprisoned. The name "Christian" began as an insult. Yet these are the people who turned the world upside down because they put Christ above everything else.
Here's the thing: some of the things that the world considers success are good things. But Christ is better, and sometimes following Him requires us to sacrifice some of those things. Maybe temporarily, maybe permanently. Many of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the rish man in Mark 10:17-31:
"
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[a]”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[b] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
And about the costs Jesus said are associated with following Him in Matthew 8:18-22:
"18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”"
When Jesus began His time of ministry, He gave up His home and job. He dedicated His time to minsistry and had followers that offered material support. Not all of us will be called to this, but some of us will. We will all be called to sacrifice something to follow Jesus. Let's be willing to make those sacrifices. Let's also support our brothers and sisters that are making those sacrifices and celebrate with them as they hit God's milestones, even if they don't always hit society's.
However, there are good things my high school self didn't foresee either. She didn't see mission trips to Taiwan, Niger, and France. She didn't foresee helping plant a church and helping build that church's youth ministry, kids ministry, and drama team or serving a two year term on the leadership council or leading a mission trip to France through that church. She never envisioned getting to participate in making a decision to purchase property for the church. She never envisioned getting to love on foster kids for a week every summer or helping kids from abusive situations at the Justice Center. She never thought she could break free form her insecurity and other issues. She never envisioned helping Burmese refugees. She never imagined the ways she would come to trust God and take risks for Him. Yet all things and more have happened.
By society's standards, it doesn't appear that I am super successful. But I think God is proud of me. I think He is there saying,"Well done, good and faithful servant; keep going!!!" After all, his own Son failed to meet a lot of expectations, as well.
Many of the Jews of Jesus' time expected the Messiah to be a military leader who would free them from Roman rule. Instead He came to free them from sin. He didn't fight Roman rule and even told them to give to Caesar what was Caesar's.
He didn't meet His family's expectations for Him either. There were times they were embarrassed by His behavior and thought He was crazy.
The religious leaders expected someone who followed their strict rules. Jesus broke some of the rules when keeping the rule would have made the rule lose it's purpose.
Peter expected Jesus not to die. He got majorly rebuked for it.
The Jews expected a great king. They got a man who died a humiliating criminal's death on a cross after being crowned with thorns. "King of the Jews" was meant to be an insult. Those that had followed Him with high hopes for the future were left confused and disappointed.
They expected Him to stay dead, but on the third day He rose from the grave!
Peter was probably expected to spend his life as a fisher of fish and not a fisher of men. Paul could have been a high up Jewish religious leader, but instead he gave his life to preaching the Gospel, even when that meant being followed and nearly stoned to death by mobs of angry Jews and imprisoned. The name "Christian" began as an insult. Yet these are the people who turned the world upside down because they put Christ above everything else.
Here's the thing: some of the things that the world considers success are good things. But Christ is better, and sometimes following Him requires us to sacrifice some of those things. Maybe temporarily, maybe permanently. Many of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the rish man in Mark 10:17-31:
"
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[a]”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[b] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
And about the costs Jesus said are associated with following Him in Matthew 8:18-22:
"18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”"
When Jesus began His time of ministry, He gave up His home and job. He dedicated His time to minsistry and had followers that offered material support. Not all of us will be called to this, but some of us will. We will all be called to sacrifice something to follow Jesus. Let's be willing to make those sacrifices. Let's also support our brothers and sisters that are making those sacrifices and celebrate with them as they hit God's milestones, even if they don't always hit society's.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Catalyst
There are a few common phrases that I absolutely hate when it comes to things that are contrary to God's will. They include phrases like, "It's normal," "Everybody does that," "That's life," and "That's just who I am." These are all phrases that serve to take away our responsibility and pretend like we don't havepower to do anything about whatever is being spoken of. I don't think God will accept these answers when asked why we didn't do anything to help change some of the things that are contrary to His will but have come to be seen as normal.
Porn has become normalized. Instead of fighting it, it is common for people just to expect that men will view porn and in many cases view them as odd if they don't. Not appropriatley dealing with conflict has been normalized. It has the power to damage and even end relationships, but it's viewed as a normal part of life and rarely seen as something that needs to be changed unless perhaps violence is involved. Only investing in the people we want to invest in and not those that God puts in our paths that might be a challenge to love is seen as normal and totally accepted. Being so busy that we don't have time for what's actually important and not having solid priorities is seen as normal and even as a good thing. It's seen as just a part of the way the world works when some people suffer from lack while others have beyond what they need, and I'm not just talking about material things here. It's also not uncommon for us to rationalize having more by saying that we did something to earn it and the other person didn't. Rarely is failing to keep one's word thought of as an issue, and if someone is hurt by that, they're considered to be too sensitive. This is just a small list of things that have become rationalized as being normal.
We have the power to change these things and that power begins with acknowledging that they're not just normal. They may be normal in the sense that sin is normal, but that doesn't mean that God approves of them. We have the power to refuse porn and there is help for those who need it. There are healthy ways of conflict that can help build relationships if we are willing to learn and practice them. Loving is a command- a call to action that is based on God's love and not our feelings about a person; we can show His love to the people that are difficult for us to love. We can choose our priorities and fix our schedule around them. We don't have to be so busy all the time. It may require sacrifice, but we don't have to be so busy. We can generously give to those who lack what we have extra of. We can do what we say were going to do and be more aware of what we commit to. Al of these things require sacrifice on our part.
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to help us change these things- His life. The Holy Spirit work in us to change these things. Jesus gave us an example of how to live that flew in the face of everone's definition of normal in some way, both then and now. Jesus was a catalyst. He didn't care about normal; His mission was to change people's hearts and have them embrace Kingdom values instead of the norms of a fallen world. Sometimes they're the same, but sometimes they're not. I've focused on the things that are normal that need to be changed, but there are also things that may not be normal that should be embraced. Sometimes those go hand in hand with rejecting the things that are normal and not beneficial. Jesus challenged the status quo and not just for the sake of challenging it. He wants for His followers to be catalysts as well. His disciples did an excellent job of this and turned the world upside down. We can do the same if we are willing to examine the Bible and our traditions and rely on God's truth instead of norms. The Holy Spirit is waiting to help us.
I want to be redeemed from anything which is considered normal but is not like God's character. I believe Christ died to redeem me from that. I alo believe that redemption is meant to lead me to participate in Christ's redemptive work in the world in whatever ways He leads me. I believe that as I become healthier in my walk with Him, it will affect those around me. Some may not like it and choose to leave. Others may stick with me and God may use it to redeem areas of their lives as well and we can grow together. I think that's a beauty of Christianity that we miss out on because of "normal".
Porn has become normalized. Instead of fighting it, it is common for people just to expect that men will view porn and in many cases view them as odd if they don't. Not appropriatley dealing with conflict has been normalized. It has the power to damage and even end relationships, but it's viewed as a normal part of life and rarely seen as something that needs to be changed unless perhaps violence is involved. Only investing in the people we want to invest in and not those that God puts in our paths that might be a challenge to love is seen as normal and totally accepted. Being so busy that we don't have time for what's actually important and not having solid priorities is seen as normal and even as a good thing. It's seen as just a part of the way the world works when some people suffer from lack while others have beyond what they need, and I'm not just talking about material things here. It's also not uncommon for us to rationalize having more by saying that we did something to earn it and the other person didn't. Rarely is failing to keep one's word thought of as an issue, and if someone is hurt by that, they're considered to be too sensitive. This is just a small list of things that have become rationalized as being normal.
We have the power to change these things and that power begins with acknowledging that they're not just normal. They may be normal in the sense that sin is normal, but that doesn't mean that God approves of them. We have the power to refuse porn and there is help for those who need it. There are healthy ways of conflict that can help build relationships if we are willing to learn and practice them. Loving is a command- a call to action that is based on God's love and not our feelings about a person; we can show His love to the people that are difficult for us to love. We can choose our priorities and fix our schedule around them. We don't have to be so busy all the time. It may require sacrifice, but we don't have to be so busy. We can generously give to those who lack what we have extra of. We can do what we say were going to do and be more aware of what we commit to. Al of these things require sacrifice on our part.
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to help us change these things- His life. The Holy Spirit work in us to change these things. Jesus gave us an example of how to live that flew in the face of everone's definition of normal in some way, both then and now. Jesus was a catalyst. He didn't care about normal; His mission was to change people's hearts and have them embrace Kingdom values instead of the norms of a fallen world. Sometimes they're the same, but sometimes they're not. I've focused on the things that are normal that need to be changed, but there are also things that may not be normal that should be embraced. Sometimes those go hand in hand with rejecting the things that are normal and not beneficial. Jesus challenged the status quo and not just for the sake of challenging it. He wants for His followers to be catalysts as well. His disciples did an excellent job of this and turned the world upside down. We can do the same if we are willing to examine the Bible and our traditions and rely on God's truth instead of norms. The Holy Spirit is waiting to help us.
I want to be redeemed from anything which is considered normal but is not like God's character. I believe Christ died to redeem me from that. I alo believe that redemption is meant to lead me to participate in Christ's redemptive work in the world in whatever ways He leads me. I believe that as I become healthier in my walk with Him, it will affect those around me. Some may not like it and choose to leave. Others may stick with me and God may use it to redeem areas of their lives as well and we can grow together. I think that's a beauty of Christianity that we miss out on because of "normal".
Friday, February 20, 2015
Broken
One of the most powerful communion experiences I've ever had was one Sunday morning during the months before my trip to Niger in 2012. A song about following Jesus had been song either before or during communion. Fancy that, a song about following Jesus being sung at church. Who would have thought? Anyways, something struck me that morning that going on this trip would mean that I would need to be willing to possibly follow Jesus in having my body broken for the sake of the Gospel. Not necessarily to the point of death, but nonetheless, this trip would mean subjecting my body to a vaccine that had the potential to be fatal and subjecting it to the possibility of diseases such as malaria. This moment happened shortly before I received the yellow fever vaccine, the one that can potentially be fatal, and at the very least, typically causes a lot of pain. It was a moment of surrender. Of mentally offering my body as a living sacrifice before I was asked to physically do so. A moment of counting the costs and accepting them. A moment of choosing to follow Jesus even when it meant my body might be broken, all the while remembering the way that His was broken for me so that I might believe and be saved. Was I willing to offer mine to whatever might happen on this trip in the hopes that others might believe and be saved because Christ had done the same for me? I was. Communion that day felt like my acceptance of that.
I ended up not even experiencing any pain from the yellow fever vaccine. I was spared from all of the ill effects that came with that. However, I was not spared from malaria, though I only suffered a minor case thanks to the fact that God had a plan in place that was better than any human plan could have ever been and I was able to start treatment within 7 hours of the symptoms starting. As afraid as I had been of malaria, I didn't feel any of that fear when I actually had it. All I felt was a peace that surpassed understanding. I knew it was a risk, but because I entered that risk knowing that I was following God, I felt Him very near to me when the symptoms hit. I wouldn't trade the moments I had with God at that time for anything; they are some of the most precious I've ever experienced.
Fast forward to communion on Ash Wednesday 2015. A time to remember God's body being broken for us. The communion I just mentioned flashed through my memory. But this time, so did the image of 21 bodies that were recently broken for the sake of the Gospel- the 21 Christians that were recently killed by ISIS. Thoughts of all the bodies broken for the sake of the Gospel in the middle east and in other countries such as Burma, China, and North Korea just to name a few. I've read that Christian persecution is at an all time high.
During worship, Romans 12:1 was shown on the screen. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Although we may not all be called to literally offer our bodies as a sacrifice to be broken perhaps unto death, but Paul certainly meant for us to be willing to go that far. He was. Many brothers and sisters today all over the world are doing so.
The question that remains in my mind is is, what am I going to do with a faith so precious that the body of the One and Only Most High was broken for it? That countless others have given their bodies to be broken for?
This is how I want to respond: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Ours is a faith that's worth giving everything for, because our God already gave everything for us. We are promised that he who loses His life shall find it. We are told that the death of God's saints is precious in His sight. We are given the hope that not only was Christ's body broken, but it was raised back to life and can no longer be broken and that the same will someday be true for us. There is a battle being fought that will leave us broken, but as Easter reminds us, Christ took on our brokeness in order to make us whole. It is this hope that allows us to endure temporary brokeness and perservere while we wait to be made whole with Him.
I ended up not even experiencing any pain from the yellow fever vaccine. I was spared from all of the ill effects that came with that. However, I was not spared from malaria, though I only suffered a minor case thanks to the fact that God had a plan in place that was better than any human plan could have ever been and I was able to start treatment within 7 hours of the symptoms starting. As afraid as I had been of malaria, I didn't feel any of that fear when I actually had it. All I felt was a peace that surpassed understanding. I knew it was a risk, but because I entered that risk knowing that I was following God, I felt Him very near to me when the symptoms hit. I wouldn't trade the moments I had with God at that time for anything; they are some of the most precious I've ever experienced.
Fast forward to communion on Ash Wednesday 2015. A time to remember God's body being broken for us. The communion I just mentioned flashed through my memory. But this time, so did the image of 21 bodies that were recently broken for the sake of the Gospel- the 21 Christians that were recently killed by ISIS. Thoughts of all the bodies broken for the sake of the Gospel in the middle east and in other countries such as Burma, China, and North Korea just to name a few. I've read that Christian persecution is at an all time high.
During worship, Romans 12:1 was shown on the screen. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Although we may not all be called to literally offer our bodies as a sacrifice to be broken perhaps unto death, but Paul certainly meant for us to be willing to go that far. He was. Many brothers and sisters today all over the world are doing so.
The question that remains in my mind is is, what am I going to do with a faith so precious that the body of the One and Only Most High was broken for it? That countless others have given their bodies to be broken for?
This is how I want to respond: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Ours is a faith that's worth giving everything for, because our God already gave everything for us. We are promised that he who loses His life shall find it. We are told that the death of God's saints is precious in His sight. We are given the hope that not only was Christ's body broken, but it was raised back to life and can no longer be broken and that the same will someday be true for us. There is a battle being fought that will leave us broken, but as Easter reminds us, Christ took on our brokeness in order to make us whole. It is this hope that allows us to endure temporary brokeness and perservere while we wait to be made whole with Him.
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